it's all good…

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DJ Dangerous takes no prisoners with this high energy mix, cutting up tracks with crossfader nimbleness whilst slipping in snippets from others. However in doing so, he pushes up the pitch control on some tracks to squeeze the mix in, which may make the purists baulk at such rough treatment of ‘their’ classics. Personally, for me, it drives this mix forward and makes it great fun to listen to.

Props to _Hawk_ on the discogs forums for sending me a copy as part of a mix exchange many years ago.

1. | 0:00:00 | McFadden & Whitehead – Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now
2. | 0:06:12 | Phyllis Hyman – Under Your Spell
3. | 0:07:32 | Phyllis Hyman – You Know How To Love Me
4. | 0:11:15 | Ralphi Rosario – You Used To Hold Me
5. | 0:11:48 | Evelyn King – I’m In Love
6. | 0:15:43 | Howard Johnson – So Fine
7. | 0:18:37 | Johnny Kemp – Just Got Paid
8. | 0:20:43 | S.O.S. Band – Take Your Time (Do It Right)
9. | 0:21:45 | Captain Rapp – Bad Times (I Can’t Stand It)
10. | 0:26:01 | G.Q. – Disco Nights (Rock Freak)
11. | 0:29:01 | Rick James – Dance Wit’ Me
12. | 0:31:29 | K.C. And The Sunshine Band – Do You Wanna Go Party
13. | 0:32:57 | Heatwave – The Groove Line
14. | 0:34:36 | Skyy – Call Me
15. | 0:35:55 | Secret Weapon – Must Be The Music
16. | 0:38:28 | Sexual Harassment – I Need A Freak
17. | 0:39:55 | Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood
18. | 0:42:02 | Quartz – Beyond The Clouds
19. | 0:43:39 | Soul II Soul – Back To Life (Acapella)
20. | 0:45:09 | Cheryl Lynn – Encore
21. | 0:46:36 | Prince – D.M.S.R.
22. | 0:49:23 | Barry White – It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me
23. | 0:51:24 | Alicia Myers – You Get The Best From Me (Say Say Say)
24. | 0:55:26 | Slave – Watching You
25. | 0:57:55 | Nitro Deluxe – Let’s Get Brutal
26. | 0:58:15 | Roy Ayres – Runaway
27. | 1:00:03 | Lathun – Freak It
28. | 1:02:31 | Kano – I’m Ready
29. | 1:04:06 | DJ Magic Mike And The Royal Posse – Drop The Bass
30. | 1:06:23 | Evelyn King – Shame
31. | 1:09:58 | Inner City – Good Life

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Must admit that the first thing that attracted me to this (probably unofficial) compilation, were the words “unreleased extended version” not that I was familiar with the track at the time. It’s just a default position, I mean why settle for a version that’s been edited by someone else when the fade control fulfils pretty much the same purpose and is under your control? Anyway, the original release of this laid back stoned disco-funk groover looks like it doesn’t grow on trees, so this compilation (which isn’t that common either) is a blessing. Chugs along nicely for over eleven minutes, a real treat and prime material to visit the restroom if you’re trapped behind the decks although I must say, time that would be better spent out in front, bumpin’ and hustlin’ yourself.

Discogs listing

Buy on: discogs | gemm | musicstack

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My first Italo Disco record – I can now claim entry to the club of European continental groovers. Have put up two versions because I first heard it on a mix by James Bucknell (see this post) and not until I heard it on a different mix with the vocals, was I aware that it’s ‘correct’ speed was 33rpm. However it still sounds equally at home being spun at 45rpm, (albeit pitched down at -8% to keep the bpm reasonably mixable in a house/disco set) reminiscent of tracks by The Human League.

Buy It

Discogs entry

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This is one low slung end-of-night dirty grinder of a tune; part of me was reluctant to put this up and let this little sleazy secret be discovered. Nestled away on the ‘Drivin’ Hard‘ album, I’m actually stepping on ck’s toes a little as he ‘discovered’ this track but saw sense and traded it with me for some other anonymous twelve that I can’t remember. I’m sure there is another copy out there with his name on it; a crate dig away in the musty corner of a charity shop, amidst really bad secondhand clothes.

Written by the drummer, Roger Odell, the drumming is laid back yet tight, add a dirty keyboard sound, mixed with a bit of vocoder-laden lyrics, add a sprinkle of female backing vocals (provided by Gill Saward and Jackie Raw aka, according to the cover notes, the U.K. Sluts) and you’ve got a bona fide soundtrack to a coke binge, now where’s my mirror…

Buy on: discogs | gemm | musicstack

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I first came across mixes by James Bucknell on discogs a few years ago and was seduced by his silky smooth mixing skills of tracks that didn’t use drum machines and his long pedigree as a don of dance music that stretches back into the eighties. His breadth of taste and styles shouts loud and clear across all the mixes that I’ve hoovered up from the web to listen to, sometimes even within the mixes themselves. Illustrating a deft touch of choice that epitomizes the maxim that there’s only two types of music, good and bad; he most definitely knows the former. This mix is one of many that had me scrambling for my notebook as I was given a lesson in disco and many a penny was then spent tracking down some of these audio nuggets. He now resides in Sydney and regularly plays out, check out his website for mixes and blog for his latest forays in clubland.

www.jbucknell.com
jamesbucknell.blogspot.com

1. | 00:00 | Race – Show Me The Way
2. | 05:32 | Material – Secret Life
3. | 09:31 | Sylvi Foster – Hookey
4. | 13:23 | Gino Soccio – Dancer
5. | 19:52 | Indeep – Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
6. | 22:45 | Frankie Smith – Double Dutch (Disco Remix)
7. | 27:41 | La Bionda – Wanna Be Your Lover
8. | 31:02 | Night Moves – Transdance
9. | 33:49 | Gayle Adams – Your Love Is A Lifesaver
10. | 38:04 | Loleatta Holloway – Love Sensation
11. | 43:44 | L.I.F.E. – All Played Out
12. | 47:15 | Bettye LaVette – Doin’ The Best That I Can (Walter Gibbons Mix)

Disco re-edits all the way crafted by the hands of Kirk Degiorgio.

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Strange quirky track, the way the male vocals are delivered can take some getting used to but it’s a fun latin disco tune. Play it to folk who don’t take themselves or the music they listen to, too seriously.

Discogs listing

Buy on: discogs | gemm | musicstack

A mix of disco, funnily enough, although there are a couple of other changes of tempo and flavours lurking within of a more soulful and funky leaning. This mix opened my eyes to a whole new world of disco glitter… and wallet-stretching rare tunes to attempt to find and purchase. I mean, Dave Lee (aka Joey Negro) put together some scarce disco nuggets on this two hour mix; didn’t matter to him, ‘cos he’s already got them! I think alot of them are his own edits and he throws a few samples over the top of some tracks as well, like the spoken word bits over Gino Soccio. I broke my own ceiling on what I thought I would ever spend on a single record getting a rare disco mix of Gladys Knight And The Pips. I’ve seen original copies of the Ashford & Simpson’s One More Try go for over £300 on eBay, far in excess of what I would or could pay, so made do with a bootleg until I find the original for tuppence in a charity shop.

Luckily even though this mix is from 2004, the wonderful chaps at milkaudio.com are still hosting it. Be advised that it is a fairly low quality RealAudio streaming file, I’ve also uploaded it to TipTop.

Tracklisting from milkaudio

1. | 0:00:00 | Gladys Knight & The Pips - It’s A Better Than Good Time (Walter Gibbons Mix)
2. | 0:05:46 | Sonny Jenkins And The New York Pot Pourri Strings – That Friday Pay (Eagle Flying Day)
3. | 0:10:57 | Jessie G. – That’s Hot
4. | 0:15:26 | Aura – L.A. Sunshine
5. | 0:20:52 | Mighty Fire – Love Fantasy
6. | 0:27:16 | Ashford & Simpson – One More Try
7. | 0:31:44 | Phreek – Everybody Loves A Good Thing
8. | 0:36:22 | Dazzle – You Dazzle Me!!!
9. | 0:42:13 | Jupiter Beyond – The River Drive (Instrumental)
10. | 0:48:28 | The Players’ Association – Hustlin’
11. | 0:52:32 | John Gibbs With The Jam Band – J’Ouvert
12. | 0:57:27 | Xanadu & Sweet Lady – Rappers Delight
13. | 1:00:20 | Risco Connection – Good Times
14. | 1:05:31 | Gino Soccio – Try It Out
15. | 1:11:33 | Boeing – Dance On The Beat
16. | 1:16:18 | Touché – Just Like A Doorknob
17. | 1:21:04 | Change – Heaven Of My Life
18. | 1:25:39 | Kinsmen Dazz Band – Love Design
19. | 1:29:04 | Invisible Man’s Band – Love Can’t Come / Love Has Come
20. | 1:36:13 | Sergio Mendes – Love Music
21. | 1:39:24 | Cerrone – Music Of Life
22. | 1:45:32 | Webster Lewis – El Bobo
23. | 1:48:57 | The Main Ingredient – Work To Do
24. | 1:53:24 | Stratavarious – Nightfall
25. | 1:56:18 | The Sunburst Band – He Is

Info/Stream on Milkaudio

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Back in the early 80s my dad was a single man about town again, down at the nightclubs and discos at the weekends and must’ve been a bit of a soul boy. He was fond of this tune, he had it on a different release to the one below but always played this track; it subsequently ‘fell’ into my collection and err, was got ruined in The Great Mouldy Record Storage Disaster (sorry dad, I’ll get it on a mix for you).

Anyhow, I’ve tracked down and bought it on a superior one-sided pressing and here it is for you. A really apt title, this is the ideal soundtrack to a late night/early morning drive around London. Maybe you’re on your way home from the nightclub with your girl or just out ‘cos you’re an insomniac, whatever, I’m sure all the graveyard shift radio djs back then would have this in their playlists.

Buy on: discogs | gemm | musicstack

Disco synth-god, Giorgio Moroder, pens a catchy dancefloor chugger with slightly suggestive lyrical content.

Not a new mix, originally posted in 2003 on deephousepage but one I came across only recently myself. Disco mixed together as smooth as butter, if you’re familiar with the Jump Cutz Volume 1 release on the deep house label, Luxury Service, you’ll hear where they got most of their track Why U Wanna Play On Me from; damn I need a copy of the source now too!

Tracklisting from deephousepage

1. Betcha Wouldn’t Hurt Me – Quincy Jones (with horn hits from France Joli’s “Gonna Get Over You”)
2. Do It Any Way You Wanna – People’s Choice
3. There Are Many Stops Along The Way – Joe Sample
4. Clouds – Chaka Khan
5. Number One – Patrice Rushen
6. Love Is the Message – MFSB (with the Peach Boys “Don’t Make Me Wait”. Yeah, I know this blend has been done a zillion times, but I hear Hippie was the first.)
7. Whistle Bump – Deodato
8. You Can’t Hide From Yourself – Teddy Pendergrass
9. Doctor Love – First Choice
10. Inside America – Juggy Murray Jones
11. Supernature – Cerrone
12. Standing In the Rain – Don Ray
13. Time Warp – Eddie Grant (with Sweet Dreams – Eurythmics)
14. I Feel Love – Donna Summer

Thread/Download link on DJHistory