Farewell post
Hi Guys,
I spent the last hour and a half reading the exciting developments on this blog, where I have struggled unsuccessfully to develop a passion for disco sounds, as it comes around to the issues that are central to my appreciation of dance music. My favorite dance musics are largely contemporary, based in multiple countries/continents, and facilitated by internet relationships. I made a post about cumbia music, which I feel like is on the brink of some major popularity explosion, based on the fact that my mom, aunt, and late night crowds in Minneapolis are all really feeling afro-peruvian classics mixed with heavy beats in brooklyn such as this one:
As well as this huge latin hit from Monterrey in 2003:
Produced by Toy Selectah, who happens to DJ parties with Uproot Andy.
Anyway, as I was reading things and trying to download and then upload an mp3 (my laptop is broken) that turned out to be too big (my office computer has no sound and certainly no sound editing,) I missed the person who would help me with my homework, got mad, cried. I am leaving 100 days of disco just as it was getting good. This is too bad. Continue the good work. If you want to find me, you can find me here:
OR, HERE:
Ilana
DJ Mujava - Township Funk
This is not disco, but it’s been making me jam and it’s house, which has to count for something. Anyhow, Mujava is from the Attridgeville Township [read: neighborhood] of Pretoria, one of the capitols of South Africa and home to an offshoot of the main Kwaito scene in Johannesburg, according to the Fader. Township Funk broke out and was released a couple of years ago on Warp—none of the remixes can touch it.
Here’s a bodymover from DJ Cleo, a central figure in Jo’burg scene:
Peace, Ilana
Demis Roussos - “I Dig You” (1977)
You might recognize Demis Roussos as the singer in Vangelis’ early prog band Aphrodite’s Child, or perhaps from the greater fame Roussos gathered for his subsequent stylings. In any case, Roussos and Vangelis continued to collaborate after the band’s demise in the early 70s. Besides working together on Vangelis’ first official solo album—a soundtrack for some obscure skin flick called SEX POWER in 1970—they made a disco album together in 1977 called MAGIC.
Roussos is known for his operatic stylings and Vangelis for his grand synth washes, but on this album they show their versatility, bringing eccentric Greek flava to the disco. SERIOUSLY!
☟ ☟ ☟ ☟ ☟ ☟ ☟ ☟ !
Bonus! Follow the link to our earlier post of the original version of the song “I Dig You,” which Vangelis released as “Who” under the name Odyssey in 1974.
http://100daysofdisco.tumblr.com/post/87577261
-Ilana
Hot Butter - “Popcorn” (1972)
Some of you already know that this is my favorite song. I’ve posted the MP3 of what is almost the original version. The real original is below, from 1969, in all it’s early electronic music magnificence.
There have been many, many versions.
With Claritin hallucinations and love from Mpls,
IMP
Björk - “Arabadrengurinn” (1977)
Who’s that little scamp on the cover of this 1977 icelandic hippie-disco album? I’ll give you a hint:
Yeah! And because this person is no longer 11 and is, instead, a huge star, this is all over the internet. You can download the whole album from the WFMU blog, as well as many other places (maybe you already have it.) Anyway, that sitar really makes for a great transition in the club, so I’ll buy that this track was a sizable hit in Iceland.
with hugs from Ilana
<—- also her.
Blood Sisters - Ring My Bell (orig. 1979)
Whoa! Sorry for posting a song with annoying DJ talkover (besides the fact that “K-JAH West” is a fake video game radio station!?) But I’d planned to post Peter Tosh’s rasta disco thumper about lighting up in Buckingham Palace. It was too big, and I was scrambling to get something up before midnight — but it’s fine because this post is really about DUB!
Specifically, there are some amazing disco tracks with lots of dub flava i.e. LASER SOUNDS!
These are prominent in (T.W.) Funk Master’s “Love Money”, a gem of disco-dub that I needn’t post because it’s already here on a UK blog. Check it out!!!!
Note the laserFX kinship between the Blood Sisters version of “Ring My Bell” and Anita Ward hit version. Maybe not such a connection between MJ’s original and this remarkable cover of “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.”
Ilana
Don Armando - “I’m an Indian Too” (1979)
Don Armando’s Second Avenue Rhumba Band gives us “I’m an Indian, Too” - a jam that caught my attention five years ago on WFMU, right when it resurfaced as part of the ZE Records Mutant Disco compilation reissues. I found it on the internet and it became one of my dance party tricks.
What makes this song so delightful and motivating? Is it the highly questionable lyrical content?? The use of hand-claps, bells, hand drums and other, um, indian-y percussion on top all that rhumba band brass, bass, and hi-hat? Or does it merely follow from the fact that it was WRITTEN BY IRVING BERLIN?
Yes, friends, this is a disco cover of a showtune from “Annie, Get Your Gun”, a musical which possibly has not endured on account of its very vintage racial politics. It was originally performed by Ethel Merman, the recording of which can be seen and heard here:
Or, if you would prefer to put it in the context of the musical theatre production, try here: (The song begins after about 50 seconds of spooky contextualization,)
And if you want to be taken on a tour of some kind of disco literature while listening to an extended mix of the song posted above, thank the strangers on youtube for making this possible. They ran out of material/gave up about halfway through, but I found it useful because I just started reading this blog today! (It’s great, thanks! I’m excited to join you all.) Bringing me up to speed like a disco cliffsnotes:
luv,
ilana
