Disco | Boogie 347 Items

Manchester's Avant-Jazzy-Funk outfit Swamp Children were enviably eclectic and Taste What's Rhythm is their mini masterpiece. Flitting gracefully through a feast of genres with consummate ease, the band were almost indefinable and, accordingly, nigh-on impossible to market. So whilst this cult EP, originally out in 1982 on Factory Benelux, remains in demand for those in the know, it has also glided under the radar of many otherwise clued-up heads for over 40 years. If you don't know, get to know...

The Taste Whats Rhythm EP was originally released in 1982 on Factory Benelux (an informal partnership between the legendary Manchester-based Factory Records and Belgium-based Les Disques du Crépuscule). With it's kaleidoscopic brightness, silky panache and superb execution, it remains one of the most startling documents of a remarkable time and place.

The EP opens with the oh-so-Balearic title track. "Taste Whats Rhythm" gently unfolds with a Spanish guitar, hazy, drifting vocals and sun-bleached Latin percussion. After this most sumptuous of intros, the tempo is raised, the rhythms grow in complexity as horns jostle amidst the restrained chaos quite wonderfully. And then it winds down again. Proper fluctuating rhythms and tempos throughout. I guess that was the point - taste the variety!

“You’ve Got Me Beat” is a *perfect* piece of post-punk pop-jazz. A mysterious, after dark jazz-dancer, the aching vocals serve as a touching, tender resignation to love. A guitar hook which seems to elegantly reference The Blackbyrds' "Rock Creek Park" and a flowing pulse from New York's No Wave scene. It still sounds so fresh all the years later.

Closing out this most perfect of EPs, the twisted synths and nimble rhythms of bass-heavy roller "Softly Saying Goodbye" combine to create a super-slinky gem; Brit-Funk of the highest order.

Swamp Children formed in Manchester in 1980, around core members Ann Quigley (vocals), Tony Quigley (bass, metalaphone, percussion), John Kirkham (electric & acoustic guitars, metalaphone, percussion), Ceri Evans (keyboards, bass, percussion, background vocals), Cliff Saffer (saxaphone, clarine) and Martin Moscrop (drums, percussion, trumpet). They initially practised at a rehearsal space shared with fellow post-punk funkers A Certain Ratio and Joy Division/New Order. Young and relatively inexperienced upon getting together, the ages of Swamp Children's members ranged from just 16 to 19. Talk about the brilliance of youth.

From the outset, Swamp Children shared DNA with A Certain Ratio. Martin Moscrop was a founder member of Ratio, while Ann provided artwork for them. Although the close association with ACR led some to assume that Swamp Children were simply a splinter group, the new band pursued a more overt latin and jazz tinged direction, at the same time adopting a post-punk attitude towards making music, influenced by the records they were listening to at the time: Miles Davis, Brazilian jazz fusion and heavy funk dancefloor sides.

The band made their live debut at Manchester's infamous Beach Club in May 1980. Thanks to a double-booking blunder another support band turned up and were turned away, having travelled all the way from Dublin for a string of British dates. The name of the unlucky band was U2...

With arrangements that emphasised Tony Quigley’s darkly-coloured basslines (and Ann Quigley’s impressionistic vocals as another instrument in the mix) Swamp Children possessed an easygoing grace and a bubbling energy which indicated that the band's true strength was as an ensemble. The band’s musical sophistication (a fusion of funk, jazz, and bossa nova) would prove to be a strong influence on later UK acts like Sade. Indeed, Swamp Children themselves later mutated into the more known and acclaimed latin jazz outfit Kalima.

Working directly with James Nice, custodian of Factory Benelux, means that the audio for this re-issue of the classic EP comes from the original tapes. Cut at 45 RPM and released in the house Be With disco sleeve, we’ve made sure this record is well up to the job of having a permanent place in every DJ’s bag. As far as we’re concerned, this is essential stuff.

Favorite Recordings proudly presents its new series of 7" reissues with the following concept: each side dedicated to one Funky French track coming with its original artwork. You just have to flip it! On the first side comes "Givin’ It Up" by Belgian funk band Charms. Compiled by Charles Maurice on French Disco Boogie Sounds Vol. 2, the original vinyl 7inch was released in 1982 on famous Biram label and is now a very hard to find gem for reasonable prices. Not really surprising considering the immediate power of this Disco track, filled catchy synths lines, sweet vocals and fateful chorus. On the other side comes another French Disco underground hit with “Pour moi ça va” by France-Lise. It takes only a few seconds to get driven on the dancefloor by the heavily funky guitar and bassline and the immediate energy of this song. Also compiled by Charles Maurice on French Disco Boogie Sounds Vol. 1, this is also a quite hard to find OG. With its charming French vocals and bouncing percussions, it should delight any Disco player.

New Parisian label, Disques Messager, presents its first release and not the least. As its name suggests, the label has a simple leitmotiv: to place itself among the best messengers for rarities and sought-after gems of the international rare groove. A mission which begins rather well, with the official reissue of these two stirring titles by Brazilian singer and composer Cristina Camargo. Native of Rio De Janeiro, Cristina Camargo had quite a short career, releasing only 2 albums in 1980 and 1981, but still enough to collaborate with some of the best composers, musicians and producers at that time. Her first self-titled album was therefore produced by Robson Jorge & Lincoln Oliveti and recorded with some of the finest musicians. “Moral Tem Hora” comes from this same LP and is a perfect example of the unique alchemy that emerged when the Disco and Boogie invaded the Brazilian music scene. A quite hard to find Boogie killer, composed by famous brothers, Marcos and Paulo Sérgio Valle. On B side comes “Minas Do Rei Salomão”, a more chilled-out title extracted from Cristina’s 2 nd album, Santa Maravilha. With its funky slapped bass, airy keyboards and the sweet vocals of Cristina, the song seems made to sip a nice cocktail at Ipanema.

180 gram audiophile vinyl
Soul, boogie, funk album produced by Michael Stokes
Includes the big club hit "Give Me Your Love"
Reissue for the first time since 1983, celebrating its 40th anniversary

Proper boogie action by Carl Smith! The French Philippe Lecauchois, better known as "Phil Boogie Times" and Claudio Casalini, the factotum of the Italian label Best Record, have teamed up with the intention of carrying on their identical passion, being devoted to Boogie, Funk, Soul, and " Old School Disco". There couldn't have been a better choice to start this conjunction of passions and sharing of ideals: the first 12iinch, produced by Darryl Payne in 1983, sees two precious gems such as "What's the Deal" b/w "Have You for My Love" by the charming ex Salsoul artist, Carol Williams (btbs-12001). The other reissue of Phil and Claudio is 1984's "Come Back Lover" masterfully sung and arranged by Carl Smith (btbs-12002). Listening to these splendid 40-year-old productions again will do good to the hearts of all the followers and fans of true soul music made in the USA. Must have vinyl edition of this gem!

Some gorgeous soulful boogie tracks right here!! The French Philippe Lecauchois, better known as "Phil Boogie Times" and Claudio Casalini, the factotum of the Italian label Best Record, teamed up with the intention of carrying on their identical passion, being devoted to Boogie, Funk, Soul and " Old School Disco". There couldn't have been a better choice to start this conjunction of passions and sharing of ideals: the first 12inch, produced by Darryl Payne in 1983, sees two precious gems such as "What's the Deal" b/w "Have You for My Love" by the charming ex Salsoul artist, Carol Williams (btbs-12001). The other reissue of Phil and Claudio is 1984's "Come Back Lover" masterfully sung and arranged by Carl Smith (btbs-12002). Listening to these splendid 40-year-old productions again will do good to the hearts of all the followers and fans of true soul music made in the USA. Coming on a limited vinyl edition!

Two classic Jackie Stoudemire gems, ‘Flying High’ and ‘Guilty’ get a long overdue reissue, the former of which has never been available on vinyl before.

Picked up by Tap Records impresario Jeremiah Yisrael, Jackie spent the lion’s share of 1982 in the studio with Yisrael, the prolific Gene Redd and dozens of musicians, including purportedly Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra.

Ten songs were recorded over the course of the year, and two of the standouts are pressed loud and proud on either side of this limited 7 inch. First up the funk-fuelled, slick and stylish disco number ‘Flying High’, pressed for the first time ever to vinyl. ‘Guilty’ takes the B, one of the last songs Gene Redd would ever pen and some of the finest production work in a career that spanned four decades. Disco at its brilliant best. Yellow label version white sleeve.

Two Velvet Hammer heaters reissued officially for the first time since 1977, 45 years since their original release this time on limited edition red vinyl. An essential slice of Chicago history via Soozi Records, ‘Party Hardy’ is a gorgeous disco groover whilst the B, ‘Happy’, is the ultimate feel-good modern soul classic and about as anthemic as they get. The appeal of this record knows no limits, whether you’ve heard it once or one hundred times. With mint originals being virtually impossible to get your hands on and 2nd hand copies that do come up, clocking in at £250+, this is a reissue which will please many a music lover. Red 7" vinyl in black sleeve.

New York boogie royalty right here, the holy trinity of The Fantastic Aleems, Leroy Burgess and John Morales. ‘Get Down Friday Night’ is a stone-cold classic, the Aleem twins taking care of the music, the legend Leroy behind the mic and mixed by the master Morales. Reissued for the first time since it’s 1982 release, it’s been a perennial underground club hit for 40 years and rightly deserves a home in every collection for that reason alone. Limited edition Green vinyl Green label version

Once dubbed the Magic City, by 1983 Gary, Indiana, had fallen on hard times. Over the previous decade the steel capital of America hemorrhaged half its population, including the Jackson 5, and changed its distinction to America’s murder capital. Lost in this transition was Billy Foster & Audio’s, joyfully beaming, self-titled disco-jazz LP. Recorded under the watchful eye of Bill McQueen, Foster and his band serve up a culmination of his musical experiences, utilizing his jazz training on the piano-forward ‘Sometimes’ and employing his synthesizer pop finesse on ‘I Need Your Love’.

Hoping to plant his flag in Gary’s musical canon, Foster issued the LP via his own Equistar imprint, distributing the release as far as a tank of gas could carry him. Two follow ups appeared in ’86 and ’89, but by that point Gary was in deep decline. Audio disbanded in 1993, the year Gary claimed its murder capital distinction. Original picture sleeve, remastered, LTD Edition 180g vinyl press.

The heaviest of jazz funk grooves from the musical melting pot of New Orleans, The Dome City Rock Orchestra – Quiet Village is a super rare slice of tight-as-you-like talent, that commands prices of over £200 for an original 7 inch, if you can ever find one. Bursting with energy as synthesisers swirl around flutes, bongos dance over drums to create a cosmic whirlwind that enthrals any ear it worms its way into. Orange label version original black sleeve.

Incredible synthesized disco nuggets from a real mover and shaker on the disco era local scene, Bill Grace. His first and only solo single hit the shelves in 1979, and now commands cripplingly expensive price tags of close to £600 and that’s if you can actually locate a copy of this US gem.

A name that may not be familiar to most, the recordings from this release led to a contract with West End the following year and saw him rubbing shoulders in the booth with disco legend & Paradise Garage head DJ Larry Levan. Pink label version original black sleeve.

Juan Pablo Torres was one of the best trombone players in the Latin-jazz community of the second half of the 20th century. He was the director of Algo Nuevo and a member of Irakere, two of the leading exponents of Afro-Cuban jazz in the 1970s and 1980s. He has also directed various Cuban supergroups such as Estrellas de Areito and Cuban Masters. Almost all of his albums were made for Areito de La Habana, Cuba. ‘Cuba Disco’ was the only album released in his name in Europe; recorded in Milan in 1984 and produced by Aldo Pagani. In Italy in the same year he participated in two records by Pino Daniele and one by Astor Piazzolla. Accompanied by his faithful Gruppo Algo Nuevo, with the addition of some guests such as the Italian jazz guitarist Angelo Arienti, his traditional Afro-Cuban vein is contaminated by disco and balearic moments; as in the case of the magnificent ‘Bermuda Triangle’ which anticipates the current atmosphere of Nu Genea. Limited edition. Released from the transfer of the original master tapes.

Tribute to the Soul brother of Benin with Rare Afro- Funk and Digital Soul songs from the Maestro . Following the tremendous «!Dans le Tchink System «!reissue album, we wanted to celebrate the legacy of one the greatest singer from Cotonou . Owhaaou ! is an original 4 tracks 12 inch vinyl taken from the extremely obscure , futuristic and now expensive record «!Metamorphose!» released in 1985, recorded on 24 analog tracks channel with an incredible backing band such as Hilaire Penda on bass, Daniel Bentho from Poly Rythmo de Cotonou to name a few . The B side is a Dj friendly Edit of the dance floor burner «! Zemidjan «! recorded in 1991 . A composition done to pay tribute to the Taxi moto of Cotonou .The last track «!Mi Tchinker!» is a typical Stanislas Tohon hit with a mix of Tchink Rhythm , Soul and funky melodies . Stanislas Tohon aka Papy Grande was born in the “Country of the kings” (Benin), in Abomey , December 30 th 1955. He’s “Chevalier de la legion d’honneur” in Benin for his brilliant musical career .The famous soul singer from Cotonou started his musical career at this age of 9, played with the greatest such as Gnonnas Pedro and recorded almost 35 albums. Influenced by the traditional “Tchingoume“ music , he invented his own rhythm called “Tchink Système”, a mix of soul and Beninese traditional rhythm . Sang in Fon, his native language from Benin, this EP is a soulful call for Peace respect and unity in Africa, a real definition of Afro Soul music! Sadly died in February 26 th 2019 in Paris, this Ep is a tribute . Remastered by The Carvery (uk), officially licensed and strictly limited to 1000 copies. Enjoy!

Disco Segreta reissues another uber rare 70s Italian disco holy grail ! “Stripiz (Strapazzo)” - a made-up word meaning “Scramble” - was originally recorded in 1978 for the tiny Roman label SGR by Lele Pathà, moniker of musician Emanuele Degni, for what will be his only release, only issued on 45 in just a few hundred copies, specifically targeted to a clubbing environment. “Stripiz” is a truly unique record in the panorama of Italian 1970s disco during its climax years and is nothing short of pure madness: a fully instrumental track made out of synthesizers, moog lines, bells, drums topped by a male voice that goes “Striiiipiiiiiz”, a picture perfect portrait of the immensely free Italian creative outpour in disco music at the end of the 1970s, not to mention the wonderfully lisergic cover art! The first ever 12” reissue of “Stripiz” comes lovingly remastered, respectful of the actual tracks’ 70s vibe, and features the original 45 version plus a contemporary reintepretation by Italian mastermind Marcello Giordani DJ that turns “Stripiz” into a dark disco monster! Note this is a strictly limited edition and - as with all of our 2023 releases - will Never be reissued again.

Tyrone Davis was a hugely prolific Blues & Soul singer who was born in Mississippi in 1937. He started his career as Blues legend Freddie King's personal chauffeur and valet and cut a few Soul 45's that didn't make too much noise at the time. A few years later things had turned around for young Tyrone and he'd caught the ear of Chicago music impresario Carl Davis who had just set up his own label - Dakar Records. Having worked with legendary outfits including The Chi-Lites, Bohannon, Jackie Wilson and many more, Carl Davis was exactly the link that Tyrone needed to gain more exposure for his music. After a very successful career with Dakar and almost 25 singles with the label across 7 years, Tyrone signed to major Columbia which is where, in 1978, this much sought after promo-only Disco jammer came from. Released in limited quantities and only available as a Columbia white-label DJ promo 'Get Up (Disco)' is a total mid-tempo burner, raw funked-out Soul of the highest degree! True underground Disco flavour here, one for the freaks, smooth, but heavy enough to cause some serious damage in the dance. Featured here in it's original promo 12" mix, untouched and backed with the equally dope 'In The Mood' from 1979. Some of you will undoubtedly recognise 'In The Mood' as a jam that was heavily sampled by The Beatnuts, Faith Evans, MC Eiht, Redman and more! This one's a low slung, lights down lovers jam and the perfect foil to the A-side. Two heavyweight jams on one 12", remastered from the original source material and 100% legit, reissued with the full consent of Sony / Columbia Records. Essential for all Disco / Soul / Funk fans.

After the re-issue of Ghia's “Don't Leave Me Alone” we continue the Austrian collaboration with Ghia's only known album release to date. Originally from 1988, this album features 9 tracks that further deepen the aesthetic direction strongly established by the now digger-delight single released the year before. An album that was somewhat mysterious due to little information online, yet coveted amongst diggers that had already been exposed to the magic of “Don't Leave Me Alone”. From slow dance ballad pop smoothness to high paced quasi-house keyboard and guitar infused playfulness, “Here I Am” has a sound that's unique yet refined, characteristic of an ace studio recording environment. Essential in any well seasoned record collection. Severely remastered.

Tribal Earth is an ongoing project created by Canadian artist Michael Bennett. Tribal Earth's 1983 recording “Interaction/Reaction'' features a fusion of post-punk, DIY mutant wave and minimal synth-pop that is backed by infectious funk and dub elements alongside Linn Drum machine rhythms. Heavy basslines and synths swirl, stab, and ring alongside Bennett’s smooth vocal delivery into 3 timeless art-avant pop gems “Interaction/Reaction,” “Got to Move,” and “Who Are You (In the Movies).” This 40th anniversary edition is remastered directly from the master tapes and is a collaboration between Invisible City Editions and Michael Bennett. For fans of 99 Records, This Heat, and Lifetones. An underrated one of a kind IC fave. Limited Pressing.

3 Hürel is a folk rock and psychedelic rock band consisting of 3 brothers from Trabzon, a northern city in Turkiye. The band's guitarist uses a self-made double-handled guitar and reed instrument, which has become a symbol of the band in concerts. What makes the band special is its groovy guitar tone and excellent bass guitar and percussion technique. They have become one of the most important representatives of psychedelic rock in Turkiye. This album was first released in 1974. "Sevenler Aglarmış", "Yara", "Gönül Sabreyle Sabreyle", "Canım Kurban" are their most popular songs

South African production duo of Emil Zoghby and John Galanakis were responsible for a string of high-quality disco singles in the early 80s, typically cover versions of international hits — Klein & MBO’s ‘The Big Apple’, Sly & the Family Stone’s ‘Family Affair’ & David Joseph’s ‘You Can’t Hide (Your Love From Me)’ — backed with their own compositions. When Starlight hit the market with an album in 1983, it featured only one cover, the local hit ‘Picnic’, along with five of the duo’s original compositions, including their similarly styled response, ‘Picnicing’, which replaces the original’s sax with spaced-out synth stabs. Then there’s ‘Jah Jah Love’, an ecstatic disco sermon of dancefloor dynamite weighing in at over eight and a half minutes. Other tracks on this landmark album — ‘Let’s Go Dancing (Boogie Boogie)’, ‘Keep On Moving’ and an eponymous instrumental — offer a similar fusion of classic disco with newer Italo and proto-house influences: machine music with a human touch! Remastered from the original master tapes and reissued for the first time, Starlight will be available on vinyl and digital platforms from early 2023 (40 years after its initial release) via Afrosynth Records.

Time for some rare late 70s soul royalty out of Memphis, Tennessee, a top rung rarity on the collector scene, Coco & Ben - Good Feelin'. Ben Robinson was recently tracked down by friends of the label Daniel Mathis and Robert Garcia, lucky for the world he was still sitting on the tapes for this slightly longer take (as well as some unreleased tracks) allowing us to cut this disco floater as a nice loud 12" for the first time, now sounding better than it ever has, don't sleep on the flip either. Utterly essential record.

Kyohei Tsutsumi, a composer and arranger representing the Japanese music world, led the masked disco unit Kyohei Tsutsumi AND HIS 585 Band in 1976, making full use of the best technology for audio fans [Toshiba Pro-use series]. This rare and legendary album is now being reprinted for the first time! 'Hit Machine' is a disco-arranged project that includes not only self-composed songs, but also various covers of disco hits.

A record that should never leave any HiNRG sympathetic record bag. You get two monstrous club tracks from the second half of the 80s for the price of one. These two singles put the power couple (Pascal and Denise Languirand) on the HiNRG map worldwide. “Imagination” is an electro influenced anthem that will shift gears for any dancefloor. The percussive work on the break is a ground quaking homage to freestyle/latin influences from the scene in LA at the time, (reminiscent of the unconstrained drum machine programing on “Just My Love” by Umo Vogue for example). Flip it and you're left with “I'm Yours Tonight”: a highly sought after Patrick Miller holly grail that might have been too honest to be taken seriously by the already "house" infected zeitgeist which might have been dominating the mainstream for the tail end of the late 80s. But for many faithful HiNRG scholars this would never leave our radars, so here it is again at a now reasonable price and remastered for serious club application.

Massimo Morini, has been technical director and conductor of San Remo festival for over 30 years. On his conducting debut in 1995 he was only 26 years old. Before his big hall music adventure started, back in 1985 he formed his first italo disco group – J.F & Hitwave, later to be transformed into Love Kills (I want to Become). A forgotten and highly demanded among obscure 7″ italo collectors tune titled “Dance Floor Girl” is now brought back to the light of day on a 12″ vinyl. The reissue contains previously unreleased 12″ version as well remixes by Flemming Dalum, Italoconnection and Also Playable Mono.

Edition Hawara’s third 7“ release is a slow-moving synth gem from 1983. Its producer, Chris Duchatschek or just "Chris", is hardly a household name in Austrian pop music. But Duchatschek was not only an early member of Drahdiwaberl, the legendary anarchist band that was headed by Falco before his global breakthrough. He also produced a string of almost-forgotten hits, not least José Feliciano’s "The Sound of Vienna". "San Francisco Night" is one of Duchatschek’s few solo productions. It’s the soundtrack for a party in a dark, smoke-filled basement in early 1980s Vienna, but it should work just fine in today's smoke-free basements too. Or in your living room, as long as you turn the lights off.

Very nice instrumental LP - released from Good Vibes in 1982. An excellent try from italian musicians to gave countries/continents a specific melody. Remastered 2022 Version!