from the LP Juicy Fruit, Epic Records, 1983
When Dâm Funk recently stated in an interview that he felt Mtume’s Juicy Fruit was one of the most prolific and important albums of the last thirty years, he wasn’t kidding; granted, this style of sophisticated boogie is exactly the type of sound Funk aspires to in his own career, so I won’t go as far as him in describing the overall significance of this album, but Mtume most definitely brings the funk for us here. Coming off like some robot who composed an ode to the fluidity with which humans can move their bodies, this whole LP is unadulterated proof that being slick & being loose are, indeed, not mutually exclusive, and this vocoder-heavy track flawlessly lays out that dialectic for us; the blazing, Hazel-ian electric guitar solo at the very end (care of Ed ‘Tree’ Moore) comes out of nowhere and kicks my ass every time.
from the 12” single, Mountain Records, 1983
While many bands who signed with independent labels have enjoyed large-scale success in the rock-n-roll landscape, the same has generally not been true for funk crews, and where DIY rock bands & labels actually increased their reputations by resisting the corporate empire, most of the small funk bands & labels out there proved unable to compete against the financial backing and prowess of the majors. Perhaps this has more to do with the intended audience (i.e. rocks fans being accustomed to digging through the underground for the next big thing, funk fans historically looking to the radio first & foremost), but the reality is that while loads of indie rockers have ascended the ladder of public achievement, often becoming as famous as their major-label peers, throngs of able funkateers have been wholly forgotten by the masses. Sadly, this pattern held true for bassist Aaron Broomfield and his siblings, who even went so far as to open their own record label (the Mountain records of this release); growing up in Miami Beach, Florida imbued Aaron with a real forward-leaning sense of funk, being told by numerous labels and radio station managers that his tunes were too progressive. In actuality, the wax he cut with his brothers & sisters (initially as Broomfield Corporate Jam, then just under Aaron’s name) is some of the dankest space boogie this side of Mars, easily right up there with the kind of stuff Zapp and Mtume were doing around this time. Aaron did an interview with danceclassics.net a few years back and closed by saying this, “…let your minds and your hearts be forever open…these are challenging and stressful times we are living in today, may all of you find truth and happiness in your daily lives…I hope my music will lift your spirit and awareness, and inspire you to do good things for yourself and humanity…” Word!
from the 12” single, Radar Records, 1984
Some songs have the tendency to captivate---whether it’s the numerous layers, or the particular chord progressions, or simply the reckless abandon with which they are inspired & recorded through---an ability to capture our inclusive attention, forcing the other thoughts inside our Byzantine minds to submit, rhythms and sensations of the universe. Damn dude, admittedly wasted here… Cannabis & alcohol have such an interesting synthesis, seemingly variable to the set & setting, but always pummeling in nature, and it’ll be seven days ‘til Sunday before the right words get collated to amply describe the vibe. Anyways, my trashy-afternoon ass is all kinds of hooked on Barbara Fowler, because this diva can sing, not to mention the infinite amount of synth-tastic accoutrements that this bumpy track brings, a true feast of kicks. Zigga-zigga zow.
from the 12” single, Beggars Banquet Records, 1982
Even though this sizzling hot 12” skillfully straddles a number of musical genres, none of them are particularly known for having notable (or even memorable) lyrics, and I can honestly confess that I probably listened to this track 20 or 30 times before something about the first verse caught my attention---is he saying what I think he’s saying?! “I know where I am, I now understand just who I really am; shy, oh not no more, I’ve felt that before, but now I’m a grown-up man...joy, yes I live joy, not being a boy, I’ll be a woman…life is gonna be magic, magic from now on…” Wow, not every day somebody writes a song about being transgender, major props to Side On, a British trio that shared two members with boogie-funk crew Freeez; to be honest, even the GLBT community has a long way to go in accepting, more fully, the trans- population. This isn’t exactly the type of music that Beggar’s Banquet was known for either, so I wonder if there’s a deeper story to all this…? In any case, it’s funky as hell, being open-minded and getting down, I dig it.
from the LP Ladies Choice, Montage Records, 1982
Big guns and lingerie seem like too obvious a match, but the combination really sets it off on the cover of this early ’80s boogie LP from Detroit funkateers Shotgun; similar in style and approach to other rust belt funk crews from the era (i.e., Ohio Players, Dayton, ADC Band, et al.), they never had any major charting singles, thus leaving their ample discography to languish. This, the title track to Shotgun’s sixth album, got some decent play on urban radio stations upon its release, but it represents a clear shift away from the heavier funk-rock found on their earlier releases. Admittedly, the cover photo is perhaps more memorable than the music, but this still grooves pretty good.
from the LP Toeachizown, Stones Throw Records, 2009
“I embrace the younger & the older generations… I consider myself to be an analogue futurist, if you will…the spirit is what you’re after, not the minutiae…” (from a 2010 interview) ZAPP attack, fool!!! Fresh like that bar of lemongrass soap some rasta just sold you at the farmer’s market, and hot like a basket of deep-fried pickle chips, Damon ‘Dâm Funk’ Riddick fashions funky templates so fly you almost forget how bad most popular music blows these days; for real, to enjoy his 5xLP debut Toeachizown is akin to eating a foot-long chili cheese dog, made with some Nathan’s Famous love, and washing that down behind a side of tater-tots and strawberry lime-ade (yes, I’ve been hitting up the Sonic a lot lately, so what?!). By that, I mean that his tunes go down easy, but they are filling, both for your mind & body--- homeboy is making an effort to educate people on the finer things in life, like vibing with the life-force, and synthesizers of all shapes and sizes. We are living in the middle of some strange-ass times people, a transition to be sure, so it’s reassuring to know the world has people like Damon to spread the love!
from the 12” single, Emergency Records, 1982
Believing firmly in the unyielding grip of socialization, I’ve always been greatly interested in the trajectory of people’s lives, how they get from A to Z and all points in between, particularly given the colossal changes many of us go through in life. Case in point: Ricki Byars Beckwith, current director of Agape International Choir and wife of the trans-denominational (see: all religions welcome) church’s founder. After growing up in the segregated South, Ms. Beckwith, né Muldrow, moved to NYC and sang with some of the more spiritually minded (see: out there) jazz crews of that time, including Pharaoh Sanders, perhaps priming her for a life spent dedicated to pursuing the teachings of New Thought-Ancient Wisdom; that said, there’s absolutely no hint of spirituality to be found within this pumping slice of post-disco boogie, produced by Ricki and her brother Ronald, another stalwart of the ‘70s New York jazz scene.
from the 7” single, BABS records, 1982
This song often gets tossed into the pile of choice Tony Cook cuts, due to the fact that he was the executive producer here, but seeing as how it was written, arranged & performed by one Vernon Cheely (who was only 17 years old), it was time to find out who we really have to thank for this slice of synthtastic boogie heaven. Well, that, and I found out a certain record label (think “rocks toss”) got their happy little hands on Cook’s whole discography earlier this year, so no more procrastination… After a laborious search online, I found our man: 43 year old singer & keyboardist Vernon Cheely still resides in Augusta, Georgia and is the current music director at St. Marks United Methodist & Episcopal Church---the online Augusta Chronicle did a short bio piece on him in 2008 that’s still up. His favorite show he ever played was with the Drifters in the ‘80s, but (be still my heart), when asked what his favorite concert of all time was, his fucking answer was KISS at the Carolina Coliseum in 1975, “…they had an illusion that made them appear to have disappeared… when they came back, they were in different outfits, and they kind of blew my mind, you know…” Vernon, if I could, I would hug you brother---that answer, along with this incredible jam you crafted for us, has made my day!
from the LP Mighty Fire, Elektra Records, 1982
The breeze coming off of the mountains has already begun to warm a bit, and the musk of flowering trees hangs heavy in the air, which is not an easy task given how dry our climate is here. While I am most assuredly stoked for winter to be gone, the warm cycle does bring with it a slew of yard-related chores that one becomes easily accustomed to not worrying about when there’s snow on the ground: picking up dogshit, weeding flower beds, and the worst of all, mowing the lawn. Yes, the grinding mechanical hum of lawnmowers & weedwhackers can be heard starting up all around the neighborhood, and the hunt is already on for any standing dandelion in sight (for one reason or another, those cute little yellow flowers have come to symbolize laziness & deviance from one’s proper yardcare regime, a norm which is annoying as fuck but I’m not gonna be “that guy” on the block). Mighty Fire was a short-lived but above-average LA crew that churned out some very smooth boogie jams at the beginning of the ‘80s; I fully realize they weren’t referencing lawn chores literally here, but the encouraging nature of this track’s ambiance puts my head in a good place for the work that has to get done.
from the LP No Parking on the Dancefloor, Solar Records, 1983
Roller skating rinks were still the jam back in the ‘80s, and the DJ at the establishment out in Golden Gate which my friends and I used to frequent had a grip of tracks that you could rest assured would get spun every single week, including Madonna’s “Lucky Star”, Kool & the Gang’s “Celebrate”, Eddy Grant’s “Electric Avenue” and others, but my favorite was this electro-boogie transmission from disco funk mainstays Midnight Star. Looking back now, that rink was pretty skeezy & full of shady characters, but that was part of the appeal I suppose: good tunes, good skates, Galaga & Joust in the arcade, the quasi-mythic “suicide drink” from the snack bar (essentially a mixture of all the sodas on offer), and the opportunity to find drugs or be inappropriately touched in the bathroom.
from the 12” single, Biram Records, 1982
Ah, it’s midterms already, which is something akin to a mini-break for us teachers, since all we really have to do is show up, distribute the evil tests, then collect & grade them; for the record, I’m not one of those douchebag profs that takes pride in making impossible tests or anything. Hell, I even give them a study guide! Any boogie heads that have done their homework lately will already be familiar with this near-perfect slice of synth magic, and we only have the infernet to thank for that, as even scratchy copies of this single fetch over $500 at auction---and that’s before this ‘80s retro-craze had even hit it’s climax! While I can’t imagine spending that kind of cheddar on a 12” (…dude, that would buy about a 1 oz. hunk of bubble hash, worthy of carrying one through the spring ahead…), the music does manage to deliver on the hype: smooth harmonies, cheap-ass synths & electric piano, bongo-laced bridge, & a steady break in the chorus that makes my ass wiggle.
from the 12” single, Epic Records, 1988
Okay, confessional time for a second here, I thought this track was the joint for a hot second back in the day---for real, you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing this pumping from speakers up & down the beach: from bars, clubs, car stereos, radio stations, you name it. For the longest time I had no clue who had sung it, until the wonders of the internet solved everything for music obsessives like myself, and it wasn’t surprising to find out that the singer, one Nicole McCloud, had actually been earning her stripes in the dance music underground for a few years before this single dropped. I still can’t put my finger on exactly what I like about this track; I mean, it’s a pretty basic beat, but that sub-bass really rolls hard, and all the flashy effects which normally dry out new jack swing cuts work together flawlessly here for some reason. Plus, you can’t fuck with the fierce turquoise, bull fighting-ish outfit that she’s rocking on the cover!
from the LP Selection, Full Time Records, 1982
It feels good to be back in the swing of things, even if I am teaching more classes than I ever have before in one semester (4) and it’s making my head spin a bit, just going to my office hours yesterday reminded me that, actually, I fucking love where I work. My drugs class is a rowdy bunch, more blatantly user-friendly than in the past, which sort of puts me on my toes---keep em guessing is the name of the game; speaking of which, I’m jealous of the stories I hear older prof’s telling about times when getting stoned with a student was so common they puffed in their friggin’ offices!?! No worries though, I actually enjoy playing devil’s advocate with the pro-drugs kids almost more than I take pleasure from opening the anti- group’s minds. The small handful of Italian producers in the ‘80s who weren’t churning out pounding italo singles mainly focused on improving & perfecting American boogie, often called ‘disco-funk’, and Selection is a great example of this: big brass, strings, funky bassline, and that squiggly synthesizer seals the deal!
from the LP Juicy Fruit, Epic Records, 1983
