Taking a more smooth & velvety approach to jazz-funk, Philly’s own Dexter Wansel enjoyed moderate success in the ‘70s and early ‘80s as an in-house arranger & songwriter for the PIR label, as well as gracing us with a few spaced-out albums of his own, where he can be found rocking the keyboards. He was “discovered” by the famous Philly-based record production crew of Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff while still a member of the underground funk-rock outfit Yellow Sunshine, and he was promptly brought into the studio, helping to forge what has become known as the “Philly Sound” or “Philly Soul”. This track exemplifies their ambitions well: sumptuous string, brass & synthesizer arrangements, fat breaks, and one fierce funkapotomous of a bassline! In honor of yesterday’s 40th anniversary of the moon landing; if we keep fucking up down here, we will have to go farther still…
