Law & Order in the Disco

You'd guess that there wouldn't be any disco songs that line on the same side with law, police or institutions that maintain order, since discos were places of hedonism and all about breaking free from the chains of society. You'd guess wrong: there are a handful of disco tunes that emphasize law & order, here's a few of them.

Love Committee - Law & Order



The chorus is a bit sugared with orchestration and harmonies, but when you get to the verses, you'll feel the soulfulness. All around great song. BTW, if there was a board seat empty at the Love Committee, I'd be interested.

***

Dee D. Jackson - Galaxy Police



Camp values aplenty with this one. It's not a bad song by any standards, though. It also includes a weird spoken word outro.

***

Quest - Boy Scouts



Boy Scouts have their own disco tune? Who would have known? This one's a favorite of mine. Listen carefully to the lyrics: loads of social questions and the answer is always boy scouts. Amazing bassline.

***

Don Armando's 2nd Avenue Rhumba Band - Deputy of Love



"I confess to be the deputy of love". I could have chosen another Kid Creole/Ze Records tune, maybe, since he has many crime stories in his songs. This one has to be one of the best. This song just rolls along, doesn't it?

***

Have a good week,
- Peffis

3 pieces of Disco criticisms I'd dance to

Disco wasn't - and still isn't - everyone's cup of tea. Even I don't think all of it is great. Here's 3 songs that work as examples of good type of criticism - not like the one based on prejudices and lack of understanding of music - directed towards the disco phenomenon in the late 70's.

1. The Tubes - Slipped My Disco



This one's basically a story about a white guy who tries to dance too much and slips his spinal disc. It's pretty fun, funky and, well, quite danceable. I spotted this one from dj Strangefruit set from Beats in Space.

2. Mother's Finest - Dis Go Dis Way Dis Go Dat Way



One hell of a rolling, rocking disco jam that exemplifies how a dance song should sound like while poking fun at disco. Love every minute of it. BTW, it was also edited by Harvey.

3. Funkadelic - Undisco Kidd



For me, George Clinton is one of the most artistic people of last century. It's well known he didn't dig the rhythmic patterns of disco and he did something productive about it - a whole alternative funky universe to challenge the unoriginal and mechanic disco beat.

+ BONUS

A Finnish funky jam as a bonus, legendary Juice Leskinen doing a weird take on black music. The spoken word making fun of disco chit chat at 2:00 is superb.



- Peffis

3 examples of AOR gone disco

I love it when serious rock bands take a disco detour. Here's three good disco covers of AOR (=adult or album oriented rock) standards. Maybe we could call it Adult Oriented Disco, then?

1. Traks cover Doobie Brothers' Long train running



2. Whispers cover Bread's Make it with you



3. Charme w/ Luther Vandross cover Toto's Georgy Porgy



Are there any more you'd know?

Have a good, adult-oriented week,
- Peffis

Sample connections

All roads lead to disco. Here's a few songs and their samples exposed:



Samples the Whatnauts' Help is on the way and reinterpretates the vocal line from Curiosity Killed the Cat's Name and number. There's probably quite a few other samples in there, too.



Armand and A-Trak use a genious sample of a tune from a band no one would dare to admit liking: Boney M.

I'll also leave this last disco song here. It was recently used by a very well known artist here in Finland, but I'd rather let you join the dots.



BTW, check the updated gig calendar on the left. And have a nice week.
- Peffis

Around the world with 10 songs I'll have in my record bag this Saturday

Here's 10 songs from around the globe I'll have with me Saturday at Dynamo Upstairs. I put myself the rule not to pick from a same country twice.

Alhaji K.Frimpong- KyenKyen Bi Adi Mawu (Ghana)
Sapho - Carmel (France)
Group Bombino - Tenere (Joystick Jay Edit) (Niger)
Mungolian Jetset - Moon Jocks n Prog Rocks - Montezuma`s Revenge Version (Norway)
Esa Saarinen - Poikarakkaus (Finland)
Revanche - You Get High In N.Y.C. (Italy)
Prince - Raspberry Beret (12" mix) (Usa)
Junior Boys - Banana Ripple (Canada)
Robyn - Hang With Me (Drop Out Orchestra Remix) (Sweden)
Risqué - Starlight (Netherlands)

This was surprisingly hard to do! Kinda shows how much of our music comes from USA and England.

I'll see you Saturday. And fingers crossed, soon we'll have our first foreign artist visiting next month.

- Peffis

Aeroplane split up last summer, was it all that bad thing after all?

I have been an Aeroplane fan for a long time. I remember I bought their Whispers 12" just when it got out to markets and took their Sebastian Tellier remix to Music review panel (Levyraati) here in Turku. Lukewarm reception BTW. So I can say I've had somewhat close relation to the band.

So when the pair separated last summer, as many other fans, I was a bit disappointed. They were scheduled to come to Finland, and I didn't what would happen. It just happened that I got a chance to do an interview with Vito and at the time it seemed to me that he was the talented one of the duo. After all, it was him who did most of the studio work and Stephen Fasano only helped with ideas.

Now, some 8 months later, the other part of Aeroplane, Stephen Fasano aka The Magician is also steadily delivering some decent tunes and remixes. I think he has a good knack for that bass-driven disco sound which works well on younger dance floors.

What do you reckon, could it actually be that we have now two good dance producers and dj's instead of one? Here's two downloadable recent reworks from The Magician and Aeroplane:

Beni "It's a Bubble" The Magician Remix by TheMagician



All the best for the both of them. Hopeful to see them dj soon somewhere.
- Peffis

Introducing our Friday guests: DJ Goatboy

So, just a quick recap: We are having our first DWTF club night this Friday at Dynamo downstairs. Better sound than before, bigger dance floor and dark lighting - we are already superexcited about it.

We wanted to celebrate the occasion by bringing some Turku actives to accompany us on Friday. The first one I'm gonna introduce is dj Goatboy. He is one half of the Sheikki Sheikki club, which is highly recommended, and has a deft sense for the best new records. We asked him to contribute a Top 10, here it is with links!

Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band - I'm An Indian Too
Sinnamon - I Need You Know
Kristol - After The Dance
Geraldine Hunt - Can't fake the feeling
Imagination - Music And lights
Azoto - Any Time Or Place
Bumblebee Unlimited - Lady Bug
Kinky Foxx - So Different
Vicky D - This Beat Is Mine
Cheri - Murphy's Law

Now, gotta admit loving that selection. Very disco, very much fun. I'll get a Top 10 from other guests and Risto in the next few days.

- Peffis

Well hello, a new mix is up

Thanks for last night! Great night, goes to my top 5. We did also a new mix which is below. You can listen/download it from the player, the tracklist is there as well. I'm off to Tampere, have a good week everyone.

  DWTF Mixtape November 2010 by DWTF Mixtape Project

Tracklist:

New Mjondalen Diskoklubb - Eurodans
Stevie Wonder - Do I Do (U-Tern Disco edit)
Busta - Get Down With Breakdown (DJ S-Man remix)
Magazine 60 - Don Quixote (Pete Herbert edit)
Konk - Your Life
New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle (Shep Pettibone remix)
Ichisan - Magnetic Field
James Chance & The Contortions - Incorrigible (Liv Spencer & DJ Spun remix)
Monarchy - Love Get Out Of My Way (Holy Ghost feat. Dixon remix)
Grum - Through The Night (Swiss Menargy remix)
Sylvester - You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)
In Flagranti - Louvre For Yo
El Perro Del Mar - Heavenly Arms (Bandjo edit)

- P-Funk

Quick tip for the Turku people

Recommended for tonight in Turku:

Sheikki Sheikki have Uusi Fantasia at Klubi. One of the most interesting dance music collectives are on their way to drop a new album, so they have come here to test it out.

We visited the good Sheikki Sheikki folk last month at it was an amazing night. Then we did it with just a bunch of dj's so tonight should top that proper.

Check their myspace.

Check the event's facebook.

Over & Over at Pikku-Torre. Dj Ionik of Traveller Records and his mates spin some good disco, house and italo in the cozy Pikku-Torre. I might drop by there before Sheikki Sheikki.

Check the facebook.


There some good disco action at Kirjakahvila, too. We had a Queer studies seminar here in Turku and they are hosting a ball tonight. Check that one out here.



Don't forget to take a listen to my latest mix, too. Located just below this post.

- P-Funk

Top 10 for tonight

Here's a new top 10 of older, quite melodic disco songs from me:

Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even
Dexter Wansel - The Sweetest Pain (OOFT! Edit)
Gwen Guthrie - Padlock
Bionic Boogie – Chains (Nitedog Anonstop Edit)
Candido - Thousand Finger Man
Ramona Brooks - I Don't Want You Back
Gichy Dan's Beechwood #9 - On a Day Like Today
The Anvil Band - I'll Be True
Love Committee - Law and Order
Rainbow Brown - Let's Go Another Round

I'll take at least these with me, see ya there!

- P-Funk

Getting down with the Philly Sound

If you didn't know, now you know: Philadelphia was pretty much the place where disco started. Get yourself educated with this documentary on the subject and Dimitri From Paris' commented mix with some definite Philly disco classics. They are both from the same source - BBE music - and made to promote their double cd pack called Get Down with Philly Sound. It's not the complete solution to your Philly hunger - for one, it's missing this - but well worth checking out. It can be found on Spotify...


Dimitri from Paris presents "Get Down With The Philly Sound" from BBE Music on Vimeo.


  Dimitri From Paris-35 min of Philly Sound PROMO by bbemusic

Thanks for everyone who attended last week's bar gig or listened to my radio show. Playlist for the latter is coming up soonish.

- P-Funk 

Like stars shining

Disco videos are seldom dull. Most of them were made in the glitzy late 70's when everyone went disco, with very little self-criticism, so the results are usually pretty hilarious from today's stand point of view. Here's three video takes whose glamour time has ripped apart, loosely lumped together by the theme of flying and stars.



I just had to include this one in. Wade Nichols aka Dennis Parker was an adult entertainment performer and a regular actor who went disco with Casablanca Records. The song is actually quite good (and has been recycled numerous times), but the video is even better. There's so much feeling in his mustached performance, look at him wave around and claim the skies!



Dee D. Jackson's Automatic Lover videos usually have a soft focus lens Barbara Walters would be proud of. This video is all dreamy fantasy, even if some suggest it's a song about vibrators... Anyways, look at the pants of that robot, he's packing a hefty personal robot tool in there. The main vocal melody works really well. BTW, the Finnish cover of this is in demand, so be very happy if you happen to have a copy.



This is rather bizarre. Apparently it's a disco choreographed version of the main Star Wars theme and the Mos Eisley canteen tune. Not one but four Darth Vader's doing spins to a disco beat - win.

Have a good weekend,
- P-Funk

Love is the message

I did an interview Tuesday for a local paper. It's a series called "Record shelf raid", so I dug out some of my favorite records and talked about the role of music in my life. I also answered a lot of questions about disco, and these two of the questions got me thinking: "do you see any social messages on the music you play" and "what about the aspect of irony regarding disco".

I'm not a good interviewee, so I answered that it's problematic to just see social messages in song lyrics. I tried to refer to classic views on how disco music brought people together in the dancefloor and helped loose the relations between people from different backgrounds. It was a way too theoretical answer to give, but there's some logic behind it: there's not that much of deeper meaning to be found on disco lyrics - there are some exceptions of course - but I firmly believe there's loads of meaning and massive amounts of talent in the musicianship behind disco cuts. Those musicians were from hardworking jazz backgrounds and had the possibility to pursuit a full-time musical career - made less and less possible today by file sharing -, so I doubt we will see as talented generation of music any time soon. Even if I love to dig the weirdest and dumbest disco - and people who go out to a club want to listen to those cuts to loosen up -, I still like to emphasize the musical aspects of the good disco. Next time you listen to a disco cut, go ahead and listen if every instrument takes turns in jamming it out on the beat - a bit like in jazz.

Here's a prime example and quite aptly named. Edited by the great Danny Krivit.



Man, I should get this record, it's not aging at all.

- P-Funk

Wanting to belong

Have you ever noticed, the indie kids always want to belong? I'm not saying it's a bad thing - we all need warm relationships and some acknowledgment for our being, but it's certainly well mapped territory of human condition in that particular music genre. Here's a prime example, as is a big part of Smiths' catalogue. (BTW, Diskjokke remix of the track is a starter)

But for me, now that I've joined the dark side of music called disco, where post-irony rules over all, I proudly proclaim my needs to belong to a certain Gary's Gang.



I don't know who Gary is, but if he pumped out disco hits like this, and had a dance-ready gang as his wingmen, he's a winner in my books. Call me Gary, let's wear matching jackets and do stuff at the disco.

A little sample connection; GC's Do it at the disco's sax break was transformed by mr. Oizo to this. Ah, how the French love to recycle disco...

- P-Funk

This Thursday we are in Helsinki

Me and Risto will be joining forces in MBar Helsinki with dj Antti Juuso. Records will be spun from 19 to 24, come and join. Here's the Facebook for everyone.

In other news, we are near 900 plays on our Soundcloud, which is pretty awesome. We did feature one of our new, unheard edits last Friday on our set, so there is some dope edits/remixes on the way. Hopefully before summer.

- P-Funk

Hot & spicy

This is Karen Young performing Hot Shot. I remember Vince Aletti describing certain disco discs (that's how they called 12 inch mixes back then) as "hot, hot, hot". That description seems to fit this little spicy number especially well.



And I gotta admit I love the sassy expression of womanly lust, finding it rather liberating and simply fun.

This was BTW sampled by Daft Punk.

Have a good week everyone,
- P-Funk

Disco powerplay

I've been playing two, three times a day since I was introduced by it by DJ Magnus44 of Aboogie club. I had him on my radio show and this was one of the records he brought with him. It's Inner Life, and boogie disco at it's finest.



Getting to know these types of songs is just one of good reasons to have a radio show, I guess.

- P-Funk

Tracklist for yesterday's show

Here's the tracklist for my Diskonservatorio-show 8. 4. 2010:

ORS - Body to body boogie
D-Train - You're the one for me
Leon Haywood - I Want'a Do Something Freaky To You
Jakky boy and the bad bunch - I need your love
Inner Life - Let's go another Round
Midnight Express - Danger Zone
The Strikers - Inch by inch (Francois K & Larry Levan mix)
Toney Lee - Reach Up (12" version)
Jaakko Eino Kalevi - I wanna win
Alphabetic City Edits - I'd like too
Jack Penate - Tonight's Today (Leo Zero remix)
Joey Negro - Beyond the Dance (Extended 12 version)
Eddy Grant - California Style (Classixx Dub)
Coati Mundi - No More Blues
Gwen Guthrie - Getting hot

Summery disco, what more do you need?

- P-Funk

Warming up for Saturday

I promised to post some fine Finnish disco videos to warm up for Saturday's disco party. So here's a few:





It's gonna be a blast, don't miss. Also do remember to check Thursday's Diskonservatorio radio show, dj Double M is my guest.
- P-Funk

Finnish disco por favor

I'm real happy again about our forthcoming night and our guest. (27th this month at Dynamo UP) This time we are dedicating a big part of the night to discovering Finnish disco and dance music in it's blazing gloriousness. Our international fans might not know a lot about our own take on disco music, so I've compiled some links for your educational purposes. A lot of the tunes sound familiar, and that's because they are; about 90% of the good songs are cover versions of foreign tunes with Finnish (usually quite incredibly funny) lyrics.

I think you all recognize the original for this:



Anyways, here's a list for three mixes from our guest, Disco Urse. They have rightly rosen to cult status - you can't find these songs from internet, you just have to dig in deep at various flea markets. Disco Urse has other mixes on the net as well, from other types of music. Well worth your time too. But here are the Finnish disco mixes:

Synteettinen Suomi I
Synteettinen Suomi II
Synteettinen Suomi III

Oh yeah, here's the link for the FB-event. Don't miss, it's the 27th of this month.

- P-Funk