30 December 2015

"Nautilus" and "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" aren't the only Bob James songs. "It's Only Me" is a jaunty little fusion disco thing after the low-key 0:25 intro. I ripped the Hands Down LP today, is how I know.

28 December 2015

I'm not one much for the holiday season, but this holiday season has been all right so far. I'll be glad when there are songs lodged in my head that are not Christmas songs. Especially this one.

Alvin and the Chipmunks, "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" slowed down

21 December 2015

Listening to Kris Kross makes me think of DJ Chris Carlin. "Alright," as this tune is [sic]keningly called, all right.



Of course, this extended mix of "Warm It Up, Kris" was always my go to...




17 December 2015

Today it's light jazz and fitness together. Good Housekeeping's Plan for Reducing LP delivers instructions in a soothing but firm tone, and might deliver a firm, toned butt, too.

The Bob Prince Quartet with Julie Conway, "Exercise 4. Little Brown Jug"



Edit: Mom asks, "Where on Earth did you find that album?"

Good question. No idea. The copy I have is this 1968 repackaging.

I just pulled it back off the shelf. The back cover of the LP is a calorie counting worksheet, and in the very bottom corner there's a number written in a hand I recognize. This was Grandma Conrad's record. I'm not keeping this one for nostalgia, but I am keeping Grandma and Grandpa's Amahl and the Night Visitors and some others.

Krainis Recorder Consort: Music for the Recorder Vol. 1 (Five Centuries of Dance Music for Recorders) LP

Menotti, Amahl and the Night Visitors LP

Nana Mouskouri, Nana LP

16 December 2015

Wintertime, and the listening's easy. Richard Hayman's Music for People Who Can't Sleep LP.

Richard Hayman and His Orchestra, "All Through the Night"

15 December 2015

Today we're thinking about poorly mastered records. I quit ripping this title halfway through. In order to fit a million songs on something like this Superstars of the '70s 4xLP, they cut the grooves really narrow (and shallow as a natural consequence, I think). So every little paper scuff seemed to be making these records skip. Ugh. K-Tel records are pressed the same way, but they've been a little more resilient in my experience. Guess Warner Special Products didn't know how to turn out quality junk. Ah well.

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Superstars-Of-The-70s/release/512289

11 December 2015

Traffic's John Barleycorn Must Die LP was better than I expected it to be. Fewer vocals than I imagined. Guess Steve Winwood was busy playing keys and guitar. Makes for a nice listen.

10 December 2015

Hey, this Chick Corea compilation double LP Inner Space starts off in a much livelier fashion than I expected with "Straight Up and Down." I guess Corea's LP Return to Forever had me expecting something a little more subdued and fusion-y. But that's okay. I guess I don't mind a frenetic start to my day.

9 December 2015

Put on Jethro Tull's Aqualung LP today and for the first time in my life connected that opening "ba na na na na na" guitar riff with Jethro Tull. It was familiar, but if you'd played me just those six notes, I think I would have attributed them to Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin or someone else. Anyway, heavy metal flute, as my dad once called it. Have some!

7 December 2015

"Take Five" is monumental and all, but here's a tidbit from Dave Brubeck's Wikipedia page that's more fun because it's lesser known: The main-belt asteroid 5079 Brubeck was named after Brubeck.

5 December 2015

This is probably the thing worth the most cool points that I filed today, but as music it's somewhat unlistenable—or, well, this track from a young Mr. Hawtin is a little hard on the ears, anyway. Much better as a throbbing dance-propulsion vehicle for kids on drugs in the '90s, this is definitely dark basement and strobe light music. "AC3" from Spark comes from the Silicon Ghetto EP Vol. 1.

4 December 2015

Light start again. Francesca and I saw a puppet version of this musical very soon after we started dating, so I couldn't let the record pass out of my hands without making a digital copy. We're not deep into December yet, but "Try to Remember" from The Fantasticks is a nice song nonetheless.

3 December 2015

Started light this morning and thought I'd share that mood, rather than coming through with the silly Scritti Politti or awesome Missing Persons records I transcribed after this one. Kiril Kondrashin conducts, Van Cliburn's on piano, and it's Tchaikovsky's "Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23."



Edit: Oops, first movement only. Here's Cliburn playing the same piece a few years later.

2 December 2015

I'm ripping the "Reckless" LP from Bryan Adams. Why? I don't know. Too lazy to download it, I guess. Or "vinyl sounds warmer." Or I own it in physical form, and I have the means to translate it to digital, and "Summer of '69" isn't so bad, so why not? Kids wanna rock, after all.

30 November 2015

The right names (Moroder, Bellotte, Faltermeyer) but the wrong idea. Donna Summer's departure from the disco sound doesn't appeal much to meor to anyone. This record languishes unsold in dollar bins everywhere. Skip through the full album videos if you're interested to hear why.

Donna Summer, The Wanderer LP A side


Donna Summer, The Wanderer LP B side




26 November 2015

Even if what you've got doesn't always seem so great...

William de Vaughn, "Be Thankful for What You Got"

25 November 2015

I am thankful for serious stuff, like love and food and shelter and gainful employment, and thankful for less serious stuff, like records. Here's a neat tune from one I filed today. Plenty of stuff to sample if I ever get back to it...

Michael Hedges, "Spare Change"

24 November 2015

Usually I post songs, but these two albums I just ripped are the kind of claptrap one can do in pretty broad strokes. It's the singles we wanted, anyway. "The Look of Love" is the best thing on ABC's Lexicon of Love LP; likewise "Karma Chameleon" from Culture Club's long-player Colour By Numbers. Of the two, I like the ABC jawn better, so here's that one for your listening pleasure (link jumps to the hot cut).

19 November 2015

Usually this song makes me feel the love, but this version just makes me feel strange.

Donna Summer, "I Feel Love (Time-Stretched Version)"

10 November 2015

Just as I was about to disparage the Pat Metheny record, it played me a song that wasn't half bad. Well played, Metheny.

Pat Metheny Group, "Jaco"

2 November 2015

Off book today, this is a record I’m ripping right now, and it’s one of those cases where it looks a little cooler than it is. Unless you love zydeco, of course. But somehow the image of the guys rocking accordion and washboard on the cover is just a little more appealing than the actual sound of those instruments. Here’s Clifton Chenier with “Tu Le Son Ton.”

30 October 2015, No. 137, Shirley and Co., ‘Shame, Shame, Shame’

Shirley and Co. come in at No. 137 with “Shame, Shame, Shame.” I need to go dancing. Maybe tomorrow night at the rock show there’ll be a chance. One monkey don’t stop no show, so shame on me, if I can’t dance too.

28 October 2015

Here's a good record from my childhood. Filed a different Ella Jenkins record today and thought of this title.

Ella Jenkins, "This-a-Way, That-a-Way"

21 October 2015, No. 136, One Way, ‘Cutie Pie’

This is a favorite of mine. I think Ken Raw introduced me to One Way’s “Cutie Pie” when I lived in Philadelphia. I like it so much that I put the instrumental on the list too. That’s a little faster, so it comes in at No. 151. Today’s tune is No. 136 on the list, and it’s all about that synth bass, and that flexatone, yo.

15 October 2015, No. 135, Leprechaun, ‘Party Freaks’

Melvin Wells is the only member of Leprechaun who seems to have recorded much outside the group, having done a few turns in Cameo. Leprechaun’s “Party Freaks” at No. 135 has a hot bassline, and I like the diddly little sax and flute line that follows every iteration of the hook. I miss my own band of party freaks; it’s going to be time to get another gig soon. I just wish there was a better venue in DeKalb for what I want to do. Ah well. Get down with Leprechaun for now. The tune in staging is even better.

12 October 2015, No. 134, Le Pamplemousse, ‘Monkey See, Monkey Do’

I’m not sure how many records I picked up from Le Pamplemousse before I learned that the name means grapefruit in French. It makes sense. Their album art features grapefruits (and butts and boobs), but it seemed like too long and mousse-y a word to be the big citrus.

I didn’t know what the word meant, but I always wondered if the group was French. It turns out it was one of the main studio projects of Los Angeles producers Rinder and Lewis (who were also behind St. Tropez, but that group doesn’t come up later on this list; the cut I have under that name, “One More Minute,” is a little too stringy). Le Pamplemousse comes back later, but “Monkey See, Monkey Do” is their first entry here at No. 134.

9 October 2015, No. 133, Fred and the New J.B.’s, ‘(It’s Not the Express) It’s the J.B.’s Monaurail (Tim Zawada Edit)’

I’ve seen the title of this song expanded, truncated, and spelled in a variety of ways. But on the 1975 People Records seven inch we see “(It’s Not the Express) It’s the J.B.’s Monaurail,” so the pun is intended, and it’s not a monorail. Settled. Tim Zawada won’t settle, though, and his edit puts a nice little quantized intro on this funky, funky joint from Fred (Wesley) and the New JBs. This one’s No. 133.

7 October 2015, No. 132, Imagination, ‘Just an Illusion (Lindstrom vs. Todd Terje Dub)’

On the list at No. 132 is a synthesizer-laden piece of boogie editing that waits too long to heat up. I could use some more substantial changes before the second minute, but then I suppose I could also make my own edit. Or maybe that’s “Just an Illusion (Lindstrom vs. Todd Terje Dub)” from Imagination.

2 October 2015

Off list again, which'll probably happen more often now that I'm ripping records again. My dad introduced me to The Shirts, so I'm sort of loath to get rid of their "Inner Sleeve" LP, but it's not as good as "Street Light Shine" (the one my dad has), and on the sale pile it goes. If I dig up the other one, I'll keep it for sure. The standout track from "Street Light Shine" is one of those depressing/uplifting numbers, depending where you're at in life. I really like fiction, so either way it's a win for me.

The Shirts, "Love Is a Fiction"

1 October 2015, No. 131, Funk, Inc., ‘Kool Is Back’

I need to steal some of these little guitar and hi-hats bits from this song, make it a little more disco. Synthesizers instead of organ riffs. But it’s pretty good as it is, too; good enough to make this list, anyway, at No. 131. Funk, Inc. jazzes it up in “Kool Is Back.”


30 September 2015

I resisted the urge to go off book and highlight this song almost all month. Almost. Now it’s the last day of September, and I just can’t let it go. I haven’t done much dancing this September, but it’s not too late to start. If anything will suffice as a soundtrack, Earth, Wind, and Fire’s “September” will, and it lasts so much longer than 30 days. Say that you remember.

23 September 2015, No. 130, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly, ‘Before I Let Go (DJ Apt One Edit)’

More lyrics I never really paid attention to, just the hook, and I always thought it was a nice song about giving up on anything. Obviously, since basically all these songs are romantic, Frankie Beverly is singing with Maze about breaking up with a lover, but I had to listen intently to the lyrics in a song I’ve heard more than 50 times to be sure enough to write about it. Love tears everyone apart, again, in No. 130, “Before I Let Go (DJ Apt One Edit).”



Note: Scroll down for song.

22 September 2015, No. 129, Explosions, ‘Hip Drop’

I’d like to see someone dancing the hip drop, but all I get when I search are belly dancing videos. We’ve had a lot of Eddie Bo productions on this list so far, and that’s because they’re all slow-ish and very funky. This Explosions number comes in at No. 129. “Hip Drop,” c’mon let’s hip drop.

21 September 2015, No. 128, ‘Sweet’ Charles Sherrell, ‘Soul Man’

Sam and Dave are cool and all, but “Sweet” Charles Sherrell’s version of “Soul Man” at No. 128 is sort of a whole other thing. Isaac Hayes wrote this tune, and he probably dug this record. You probably will too.

17 September 2015, No. 127, Hamilton Bohannon, ‘Bohannon’s Beat’

Here comes the mighty mighty Bohannon. “Bohannon’s Beat,” at No. 127 on our list as ordered by tempo, has a kind of simplicity and relentless guitar repetition that reminds me of krautrock. The four-on-top drums add to that sense, though I don’t think of four-on-top drums as being a characteristic of krautrock. I have this tune because Chris Carlin and I were making a mixtape together, and I copied all his source tracks. I wonder how Chris Carlin’s doing.  

16 September 2015

We’re off book today, or off list, rather, but sometimes there are other songs that want to be shared. I dug this record out of a Philadelphia dollar bin at least five years ago. Buying it was the right move, and I’m glad it’s finally in a spreadsheet and on the shelf.

Portion Control, "Karateka"

14 September 2015, No. 126, Zaza, ‘Dschungel Liebe (Todd Terje Edit)’

Todd Terje’s editing work is great, but this song is pretty amazing on its own. I wish I understood the lyrics, but we know it’s about jungle love, and maybe it’s best just to leave it there. I picture a weird German guy running through the jungle with drum machines, and I like it. No. 126 brings us Zaza with “Dschungel Liebe (Todd Terje Edit).”

11 September 2015, No. 125, York Street Hustle, ‘We Can Work It Out (DJ Apt One Edit)’

At No. 125 we’ve got DJ Apt One’s edit of a cover from Philly band York Street Hustle. Their “We Can Work It Out” is much funkier than the Beatles’ version without owing too much to Stevie Wonder’s. Can we actually work it out? I don’t know, but I’m hopeful. Sometimes.

10 September 2015, No. 124, Stevie Wonder, ‘Superstition’

The open drums intro to end them all. I’m not superstitious, but when I hear those shuffling little sixteenth notes, I know something good is coming. Lonely drum patterns aren’t always portentous of funky songs, but this one always is. Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” starts a little faster than all of the songs before it, and so it’s taken as long as No. 124 to come through on the list, even though it’s one of the most popular tunes thereon.

9 September 2015, No. 123, Archie Bell and the Drells, ‘Strategy’

We’ve covered an edit of “Strategy” by Archie Bell and the Drells on this list, but the edit is fully three beats per minute slower than the original, which comes in at No. 123. I’ve got a jones for you, so give it a listen.

5 September 2015, No. 122, The Soul Searchers, ‘If It Ain’t Funky’

I’m always pleased when the group behind an iconic break turns out to have other great tunes. And I wish there were more tunes like this on this list; we’ll take funky jazz burners with sparse and repetitive vocals all day. “If It Ain’t Funky” don’t you know we can’t use it now? The Soul Searchers, led by the godfather of go-go Chuck Brown, lay it down at No. 122.


4 September 2015, No. 121, Slave, ‘Funken Town’

“The funk has been known to cure all illnesses. Get ready.” Slave, at No. 121 bringing us “Funken Town,” was the first band with which Steve Arrington recorded, though this tune is from the last record he cut with them.

3 September 2015, No. 120, Pleasure, ‘Dance to the Music’

Simple and joyous. Two things I like in a song lyric. Check out “Dance to the Music” from Pleasure. It bounces around at No. 120 on our list.

2 September 2015, No. 119, James K-Nine, ‘Live It Up’

I like this Eddie Bo-penned number better than yesterday’s. It’s an instrumental joint, which makes me happy, and the boogie woogie New Orleans piano keeps the whole thing going. No. 119, James K-Nine, “Live It Up.” And when you’re done living it up, get down.


1 September 2015, No. 118, Explosions with Juanita Brooks, ‘Garden of Four Trees’

Today and tomorrow we’re doing a couple more Eddie Bo productions that made it onto the list mostly for their highly loopable intros. At No. 118 we’ve got Explosions with Juanita Brooks doing “Garden of Four Trees.” I’ve listened several times in a row, and the lyrics still aren’t coming through, but who cares? Pull it back and listen to those open drums and bongos in the intro again. Mm. Satisfying.

31 August 2015, No. 117, The 3 Pieces, ‘Shortnin’ Bread’

Jason Sokol gave me the LP this is from, and it’s excellent. The 3 Pieces’ rendition of “Shortnin’ Bread” jumps in here at No. 117, though if we took the tempo anywhere but the beginning, the tune would be farther up the list. Listen to the big, badass break (107 bpm at 2:15 or so) and tell me you don’t like this song.

30 August 2015, No. 116, Tim Zawada, ‘Summertime Strut’

Tim Zawada calls this “Summertime Strut.” It’s good enough to make the list, and its tempo dictates it occupy spot No. 116. It’s also a pretty transparent edit but doesn’t give away the original artist or title information. Luckily for you, I figured it out, so if you didn’t recognize “Viva Tirado” from Panama’s Los Mozambiques, now you can.

[Edit: “Summertime Strut” starts at 1:02:30.]

29 August 2015, No. 115, Stevie Wonder, ‘Sir Duke’

I can feel it, you can feel it, they can feel it, we can feel it. And it’s all over! I like to think Stevie was describing his own brand of jazz-inflected funk and soul rather than naming Duke Ellington king of all, but that’s just me. Stevie Wonder, No. 115, “Sir Duke.” Feel it!


28 August 2015, No. 114, Silver Convention, ‘Fly, Robin, Fly’

The Silver Convention LP I have has a few jams on it, of which this is one. It needs an edit to downplay the uplifting string bits, but on the whole “Fly, Robin, Fly” stomps right along—up up to the sky, even—at No. 114.

26 August 2015, No. 113, Rufus Thomas, ‘Do the Funky Penguin’

Rufus Thomas was awesome. And listen to those drums! Thomas occupies slot No. 113 on our list with “Do the Funky Penguin.” Also check him out in the documentary Only the Strong Survive. Thoroughly worthwhile if you like soul music of the Stax variety.

24 August 2015, No. 112, Ron Rogers, ‘Ya Ya (Nelue Rework Mutant Disco Edit)’

I love nonsense lyrics, and I don’t know anything about Nelue except that the editing and reworking of this tune is great. Carlin played the original version a lot. Had himself a 2xLP compilation of mutant disco cuts. At No. 112 we’ve got Ron Rogers, “Ya Ya (Nelue Rework Mutant Disco Edit).”

21 August 2015, No. 111, Rhythm Heritage, ‘Disco-Fied’

I used to think this song was a little too cheese-filled to get play, but that’s only because there’s no long, juggleable break right in the middle to make it better than the SWAT theme that follows later on the same side of the LP. “Disco-Fied” by Rhythm Heritage at No. 111 deserves a listen.

20 August 2015, No. 110, The Now Sound Orchestra, ‘Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey’

Dunno why they bother with the minor Zarathustra bits near the beginning. Skip to 3:58 for all the good stuff from The Now Sound Orchestra’s take on “Theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey,” coming at us from the No. 110 spot.


19 August 2015, No. 109, William Ray, ‘You Are What You Are, Sammy Lee Pickens’

I could do without the strings, but such breaks in this tune! One can’t deny “You Are What You Are,” but one ought to be careful of what one might become. William Ray brings us this one at No. 109, whatever you are.



13 August 2015, No. 108, Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, ‘Call on Me’

You’ve got my number. And it’s probably working again. “Call on Me” per Evelyn “Champagne” King at No. 108.


12 August 2015, No. 107, Instant Funk, ‘Don’t You Wanna Party (Luke the Knife Remix)’

I’m already partying as though party is a verb because Instant Funk asked me “Don’t You Wanna Party” at No. 107. This is the Luke the Knife Remix, says Luke’s Soundcloud, on which we’re listening to the first song in the mix. Wanna? Answer: Yes. 

11 August 2015, No. 106, Al Green, ‘Love and Happiness’

If you think it’s possible to have both, then perhaps you can. The Rev. Al Green says the pair can make you do wrong, make you do right. “Love and Happiness” comes in at No. 106.

25 June 2015, No. 105, The Gap Band, ‘Shake’

Every time I see The Gap Band’s name, I think of a tune that is not the one we’re listening to today. I think of “Beep a Freak” and that insufferable beeping thanks to Chris Carlin, who used to play it in his sets a lot. There will be more Gap Band on this list (how could we not do “You Dropped a Bomb on Me?”), and in two more beats per minute (or about 30 more songs) we’ll have Luke the Knife’s edit of today’s tune. No. 105 is “Shake” from The Gap Band.

23 June 2015, No. 104, ESG, ‘Keep on Moving’

ESG at No. 104 with “Keep on Moving.” Advice I need to follow.

22 June 2015, No. 103, Eddie Bo, ‘Check Your Bucket’

Has your bucket got a hole in it? “Check Your Bucket” at No. 103 is another one from Eddie Bo with a bassline not quite as funky as some of his other tunes, but what it lacks in funk it makes up for in persistence. I don’t think it changes after the intro bits. Not like buckets, which, if we believe Mr. Bo and dears Liza and Henry, are particularly prone to puncture.

16 June 2015, No. 102, Dexter Wansel, ‘Funk Attack’

I’ve been listening to this song on repeat a lot. It’s funky, so much so that it seems like an attack. But not an assault. More like a spell coming on. The funk can make the unfunky faint if the funk attack is strong enough. At No. 102 Dexter Wansel’s “Funk Attack” will have you calling for a doctor in a smoking jacket with a Barcalounger and a big old dog.


8 June 2015, No. 101, Trouble Funk, ‘E Flat Boogie’

This record lives in boxes, so without digging deeply there or perhaps even more deeply on Discogs, I can’t tell you why I have an instrumental version of “E Flat Boogie” from Trouble Funk listed simply as “Flat Boogie” at No. 101, except it’s here because it shuffles along funkily enough. Check the ill synth bass blurps in the background toward the end. They’re in between the big ol’ horn stabs. Note that I am not the original poster of the featured video, and the turntable used to rip the song from vinyl has terrible speed control, the pressing hole is off center, the record is warped, or all three, as evidenced by the tremendous wow in the music. Sorry about that.

5 June 2015, No. 100, The JB’s, ‘Pass the Peas’

My name’s not Bobby Byrd, but soul food makes me almost as happy as does the music of the JB’s. I need to eat some greens and succotash soon. Got some fake barbecue ribs in the freezer. “Pass the Peas” like they used to say, coming in at an even No. 100 from the JB’s.

4 June 2015, No. 99, Heatwave, ‘Beat Your Booty’

I don’t agree with the parenting strategies this song advocates, but I don’t intend to parent anyone, so it doesn’t matter much what I think. Plus, if standup comedians are good indicators of cultural norms, answers to the question of whether or not parents should beat their children seem to divide along racial lines, and white people are all like, “Don’t do it,” so maybe that’s what’s at work here. At any rate (and at No. 99), Heatwave will “Beat Your Booty” if you ain’t been doin’ your duty. So act right.


1 June 2015, No. 98, Taana Gardner, ‘Heartbeat (Club Version)’

"Heartbeat / it makes me feel so weak" is somewhat nonsensical in the way the best sugary disco lyrics are. Only somewhat nonsensical, though, since tachycardia will make one feel dizzy and faint. But the bass drum beats here, clearly meant to emulate a heartbeat, run at a pretty healthy 99 beats per minute, nothing to make one swoon.

This was a Larry Levan jammer, and he stretched it out for the club. The lyrics I (and the song) opened with are the catchy ones, but I more often find myself singing the dronier background lyrics, “My heart beats / for the one I love.” No. 98 is “Heartbeat (Club Version)” from Taana Gardner.

27 May 2015, No. 97, Eddie Bo, ‘Hook and Sling Part II’

“Sling your hook” is an idiom, probably nautical in origin, that directs one to go away and stop bothering whomever one is bothering. In the funky exhortations of Eddie Bo, though, it’s a 1969 dance that maybe swept New Orleans. Hook it, sling it, No. 97 is “Hook and Sling Pt. II” from Eddie Bo.

22 May 2015, No. 96, Johnny Dynell, ‘Jam Hot (12 Inches)’

I’ve been putting off writing about No. 96, “Jam Hot” by Johnny Dynell, probably because I’m a little ashamed of its appearance on this list. The cheese content is pretty high here, but that tweety little synth line cures all the song’s other ills for me. This is one of those 12-inch singles that I dug up in my 20s and that transported me instantly to U93 FM’s “Hot 9 at 9” or Zip104 FM’s “Top 10 at 10” in the mid-1980s. It wouldn’t actually have been on one of those countdown shows, not in the town where I lived anyway, because the tune didn’t chart, I don’t think. But maybe we got some WBMX spillover after the pop charts were counted down, and that would explain why this melody sticks in my head. The featured video is not the mix I want—“Jam Hot (12 Inches)” is the one I’m listening to—and the “Rhumba Mix” here has the wrong drums. The snare especially is bad in the rhumba mix, and that’s bad meaning bad, not bad meaning good.


18 May 2015, No. 95, Dayton, ‘Krackity-Krack’

I need to get back into the routine of using the inversion table every day. That’s what Dayton reminds me with “Krackity-Krack,” which rolls in at No. 95. There’s a lot of Dayton on this list; I’ve just learned from the video (confirmed on Discogs) that Bootsy is on this track and only this track from Dayton’s Hot Fun LP. No wonder it made the list. To the beat, to the beat, ’til your back crack, baby.

16 May 2015, No. 94, Claudja Barry, ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’

There was controversy amongst my friends surrounding this track. Not really, but Michael Fichman dug it up, I think, and then Ken found a copy, much to Fich’s chagrin. Or it was the other way around. Either way, it featured prominently in their sets for a minute, and Fich flipped it for a nice remix of a rap song about cars with ice cream paint jobs.

I always thought Claudja Barry might be from Sweden because of the J in her name, but Jamaica, apparently, then Canada, then Europe. Maybe she changed her name or the spelling thereof when she hit the European phase of her life/career. No. 94, Claudja Barry’s “Dance, Dance, Dance,” presents an opportunity to talk about disco-mixing studio legend Tom Moulton (and not the first one we’ve had on the list), but we’ll miss the opportunity this time as well. Maybe the next time a Moulton record comes up (and there are plenty), we’ll give him a look.

14 May 2015, No. 93, The 3 Pieces, ‘Backed Up Against the Wall’

Sometimes if the synthesizer sound is good enough, it atones for all kinds of sins. Even strings. In fact, I kind of like the strings in this tune. They’re sparsely and subtly deployed, and that’s what you want. There’s another song from The 3 Pieces coming up at 101 beats per minute, and that one’s very lighthearted, kind of childish and fun. No. 93, however, is a yearner and a burner. “Backed Up Against the Wall.”

13 May 2015, No. 92, Yarbrough and Peoples, ‘Don’t Stop the Music’

This synth bassline is almost too cheesy, too big-hair ’80s to be on the list; we almost didn’t hear this tune for the same reasons that we won’t be hearing Cameo’s “Word Up,” even though they have similar sneering, nasal vocal action. This tune came five years before “Word Up” and so lacks a certain amount of polish, slap bass, and snares with gated reverb, which makes it better. No. 92 is “Don’t Stop the Music” from Yarbrough and Peoples.

11 May 2015, No. 91, Bernard Wright, ‘Haboglabotribin’’

Thanks to all of you well-wishers celebrating my graduation. In the course of my studies I encountered some concepts that were hard to grasp, but Bernard Wright's "Haboglabotribin'" at No. 91 is nonsense. All the rides in Wonderland are fifty cents, and a Snoop Dogg tune samples this tune, so clearly it's about drugs. If you know some squares, maybe you can turn them on by playing this funky joint.

8 May 2015, No. 90, Stevie Wonder, ‘Superstition (Todd Terje Edit)’

Man, tryna get out of graduate school has really stolen my focus lately, my commitment to a funky tune per day notwithstanding. This one makes up for it all, though. Todd Terje slowed Stevie Wonder’s classic down a little, and stre-e-e-tched it out. The result? Sheer excellence. No. 90, Stevie Wonder, “Superstition (Todd Terje Edit),” is as much as you need.

5 May 2015, No. 89, John and Arthur Simms, ‘That Thang of Yours’

One of the best dollar records I ever dug up, not because it’s valuable ($1 will still get you a minty copy from Discogs), but because it gets stuck in my head all the time. I like the sixteenth notes in the second half of the vocal hook, “I love to see you do it when you’re shaking that thang of yours.” Which, “That Thang of Yours,” incidentally, is the title of No. 89, coming to us from John and Arthur Simms on the Casablanca label.

4 May 2015, No. 88, Mary Jane Girls, ‘All Night Long’

I love this song, and it’s all about that bass. Along with Indeep’s “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life,” No. 88’s bassline is one of those I think I’ll never forget. Which means, of course, that I’ll soon hear something that samples it, and I won’t be able to place the source. Life and memory are cruel little torturers like that. So before I forget, here’s Mary Jane Girls with “All Night Long” at No. 88.

1 May 2015, No. 87, Eddie Bo, ‘Getting to the Middle Pt. 2’

Another bassline worth stealing from Eddie Bo. Sometimes I feel like I’m working hard at just “Getting to the Middle.” It’s good to know I’m not the only one. No. 87 is the instrumental B side, “Getting to the Middle Pt. 2.”

29 April 2015, No. 86, Claudja Barry, ‘Love for the Sake of Love (Macchianera Extended Re-Edit)’

Seven beats per minute faster than the original and more than twice as long, this re-edit of Claudja Barry’s “Love for the Sake of Love” is a very useful thing to have around. When I got the track, Ricky C was calling himself By-Pass, and this was the “By-Pass Extended Re-Edit.” Mr. C seems to have changed some names, though, so now he’s a.k.a. Twoplusone and No. 86 on our list is Claudja Barry’s “Love for the Sake of Love (Macchianera Extended Re-Edit).”

27 April 2015, No. 85, James Brown, ‘Funky Drummer’

“One, two, three, four, get it.” Or maybe soul’s godfather is telling Mr. Stubblefield to “get in here”; I can’t quite tell. And then Clyde solos the drums through the break, keeping a tight grip on the groove but letting his left hand pepper the snare with ghost notes like feathers falling. You’ve heard these drums before, and you’ll hear them again. In the race to be the most-sampled song in history, this one’s a frontrunner, if not the leader of the funky pack. No. 85, James Brown, “Funky Drummer.” Skip to 5:32 to hear the open drum break yet again.

26 April 2015, No. 84, Breakbot, ‘Intersection’

Today we’ve got Breakbot’s flip of Jean Terrell’s tune “No Limit.” Breakbot calls their version “Intersection,” and it’s substantially different from Terrell’s. I don’t know where the other elements came from; Breakbot’s studio, perhaps. Not everything has to be sample based. No. 84, “Intersection” by Breakbot.


24 April 2015, No. 83, Bob James, ‘Nautilus’

We heard the Masters at Work version, but this one here is the real deal, Bob James gettin’ funky like a shell with a golden mean. You can too. Careful, though; No. 83's bassline may show up in your dreams.

Bob James, "Nautilus"

23 April 2015, No. 82, Bo Diddley, ‘Hit or Miss’

Bo Diddley played a rectangular electric guitar, and I think of him mostly as a blues man. Turns out he’s just himself, though, and nobody else, which he tells us in No. 82, “Hit or Miss.”

20 April 2015

We're off book today. This tune's not from the list we've been doing; it's from a different list. Looks like Stuff Smith wrote it, Fats Waller did the popular version, and Wayne Hancock honky-tonked it up, probably sometime after Willie Nelson convinced him to quit drinking. You'll know how if you're a "Viper."

19 April 2015, No. 81, Bill Withers, ‘Lovely Day (DJ Eleven Remix Do-Over)’

A classic soul tune only gets better when one adds big, programmed drums. No. 81 is Bill Withers, “Lovely Day (DJ Eleven Remix Do-Over).”

18 April 2015, No. 80, Archie Bell and the Drells, ‘Strategy (Touchsoul Re-Edit)’

We haven’t had the original yet because this re-edit is slowed down a little bit. Archie Bell and the Drells are familiar friends, though, and they’re back at No. 80 tryna come up with a “Strategy.” Archie Bell has a jones for you, and he’s freaky deaky too. Touchsoul’s cut/paste/loop work makes sure the message sinks in.

17 April 2015, No. 79, A. B. White, ‘Check Yourself’

Long before Ice Cube urged a self-check on account of the destructive power of shotgun bullets (clearly he meant slugs or shot, but poetic license I suppose), A. B. White warned that we’d better check ourselves before we end up by ourselves. So keep it honest, fellas; check on yourself, or she’ll leave you for someone else. No. 79, “Check Yourself.”


16 April 2015, No. 78, Toni Tornado, ‘Torniente’

This is another Rich Wexler recommendation, and another funky tune from overseas. It’s also very punk rock in its refusal to go much more than a minute in length. No idea what “torniente” means in Portuguese (the artist, Toni Tornado, is Brazilian) or any other language. Maybe something to do with smoking since there’s a lot of coughing there at the end. Enjoy a minute of funk because No. 78 is Toni Tornado’s “Torniente.”

15 April 2015, No. 77, Please, ‘Sing a Simple Song’

I'm not writing today, just quoting. "Oh, that was nice. Let me hear Bobby now ... Yeah, let me hear Mariano ... Now let me hear my man now, Mike ... [peals of laughter]." No. 77, Please's cover of "Sing a Simple Song."

14 April 2015, No. 76, Nazan Soray, ‘Hal Hal’

Coincidentally, I was reading about all the various incarnations of The Young Turks this morning, old political movement, current political talk show, and the Rod Stewart synthpop song. Guess which one resonated with me when I was thinking about Cenk Uygur’s show. Give you a hint: It was the Rod Stewart tune. That’s never gonna be on this list, though. Maybe in the future if we start running through a different list, but it would have to be a list like “crappy new-wave bandwagon-jumping songs” or something like that. This delightfully Turkish bit of funk, though, comes from Nazan Soray, and it has some ill breaks that are fun to chant along with. If you’re interested in knowing what you’re singing along to, it seems to be a song about a bangle. A bracelet, I assume, not, e.g., Susanna Hoffs.

No. 76, Nazan Soray, "Hal Hal."

13 April 2015, No. 75, Nuyorican Soul, ‘Nautilus (Mawtilus)’

It was a long day, and I’m glad to relax with one of the twinkliest songs on the list. In high-pitched, long-sustain keys it’s rivaled only by the original version, which we’ll get to in a few days. A lot of times it seems artists don’t want a cover tune to sound too much like the original, and this one’s no carbon copy, but the word faithful applies here. And the drums are heavier in the version Masters at Work had a hand in, but it couldn’t be otherwise, now could it? This whole Nuyorican Soul record is great, as is most of Mr. Gonzalez and Mr. Vega’s work. They’re the masters at it, after all. No. 75 is “Nautilus (Mawtilus)” from Nuyorican Soul.

12 April 2015, No. 74, Keni Burke, ‘Risin’ to the Top (OOFT! Long Edit)’

That Doug E. Fresh tune I mentioned a few days ago is not my favorite song in which the bassline from No. 74 shows up. I think Keni Burke’s “Risin’ to the Top” is best chopped and reused by Posdnuos (from De La Soul) for Medina Green and Mos Def’s track “Crosstown Beef.” I like Burke’s singing well enough, but the backup singers’ “give it all you got” is my favorite element after the bassline. Then the vibes. Then the shimmery synth pad that starts it. In that order, which is not the order in which they come up in the song. Hear for yourself:

No. 74, “Risin’ to the Top,” Keni Burke.

[Edit: The tune in my list is “Risin’ to the Top (OOFT! Long Edit),” but it's not on the OOFT! Soundcloud anymore, and I don't feel like reposting an excerpt. Sorry!]

11 April 2015, No. 73, James Brown, ‘Blind Man Can See It’

From what I’ve read about working with James Brown, the intro to this tune is a pretty good indicator of what it was like. Brown sings stuff to the band and they play it that way. Then I think he shouted at them, underpaid them, and fired them (or drove them away). All that aside, people still talk about him in interviews with a certain sense of respect and admiration, as befits the Godfather of Soul. I was in Philadelphia when he died, and ?uestlove played a tribute set at Fluid that was amazing. Here’s No. 73, James Brown with “Blind Man Can See It.”

10 April 2015, No. 72, Jimmy ‘Bo’ Horne, ‘Let Me (Let Me Be Your Lover)’

This is not the funkiest Jimmy “Bo” Horne joint. I feel like I say that a lot down here in the slow tunes since all the hot stuff is about 15 beats per minute away. For example, the Horne tune that sticks with me the most is “Dance Across the Floor” at 112 bpm. Down here at 97 bpm, though, Horne and his backup singers plead and implore the listener to “Let Me (Let Me Be Your Lover).” Their urgency sounds menacing, though; like, what happens if we don’t let them be our lover? They’re a little too close to shouting it at us. And too persistent. But it’s funky. My favorite thing here is maybe the most subtle, and its subtlety is probably why I like it. There’s a really faint, stringy synth pad that runs in the background throughout the whole song, changing with the chords and moving around more in the middle than at the ends. Great tune. Check it out. “Let Me (Let Me Be Your Lover),” Jimmy “Bo” Horne, No. 72. 

Note: There’s an NSFW video for this song too, if women’s nipples through tulle are frowned upon at your workplace. If you find that video and watch it, however, know that it undercuts the element of menace I hear in this song. Horne’s just a shlubby dude in a sleazure suit flashing his gold chains and wishing someone would let him love them.

9 April 2015, No. 71, Heatwave, ‘Ain’t No Half Steppin’’

I skipped a day anyway, after I promised to be funky daily, but there was no outcry from an enraged public, so I’m glad I let only myself down. It was worth the wait, this song, and maybe yesterday I wouldn’t have been able to give it the proper attention. No. 71’s foreboding intro belies the smoothness of Heatwave’s commitment to full soul, ’cause there “Ain’t No Half Steppin’.” Like many on the list, this song’s been sampled a lot. I’m partial to its appearance in “Keep Risin’ to the Top” by Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew (which is built on the Keni Burke tune at No. 74, but that’s for another day). So, then, Heatwave at No. 71 with “Ain’t No Half Steppin’.”

7 April 2015, No. 70, Eddie Bo, ‘Hook and Sling Part 1’

It’s tunes like this that make me wish I paid more attention to 45s. I don’t, though. I should buy a box to store properly the seven-inch records I already have. Then maybe I’d be on the lookout for more. But as it is, with no place to keep them, those little records are things I don’t collect. The songs on them, on the other hand, are vital things to have, and especially this one. The snare-heavy drums and relentless tambourine drive this thing right into your feet while Bo yells “Hook it! Hey, you over there with the big yams, sling it!” Here’s No. 70, Eddie Bo, “Hook and Sling Part 1.”

6 April 2015, No. 69, Wilson Pickett, ‘Engine Number 9’

This is a fun tune to juggle with. I just spent 20 minutes or so setting up cue points in the intro and breaks and throwing them back and forth. Sure, one can just press the buttons and jump around in one track on one channel, but it’s more fun to use faders too. In the break there’s a nice “Yeah” on a four that makes for some fun, old school looping. Wilson Pickett screams a lot, and the guitars are distorted and screaming too, giving this locomotive tune an urgency we don’t often hear from the slower end of the spectrum. Well, and I guess the train-themed lyrics (“Got to get me there on time”; “Keep on movin’”; etc.) help with that feeling too. The best thing about this tune might be the really understated organ part in the break. Figure it out for yourself when you listen to “Engine Number 9” from Wilson Pickett, which is selection No. 69 on our list.

5 April 2015, No. 68, The Soul Searchers, ‘Ashley’s Roachclip’

Man, really resting on my laurels lately. Not like anybody gave me new headgear, although I guess I’d get to borrow a cap and gown if I wanted to. But no more Mr. Lazy; I’ll try to bring the funk daily this week, starting today. Not every song with a good break is a funky tune, and not every funk tune with a flute can really pull it off, but “Ashley’s Roachclip” from The Soul Searchers is funky all the way through. The drum break was the soundtrack to the late ’80s and early ’90s in my mind, showing up everywhere, but I think I like it best in its original context. So here’s No. 68.

3 April 2015, Nos. 66 and 67, The Headhunters, ‘God Made Me Funky’; The Honeydrippers, ‘Impeach the President’

I should have posted something way out of character for an April Fool's prank, but I only thought of it, I didn't do it, so watch out a year from now. I'll convince you 101 Strings have a funky cut deep in the stacks...

Took a few days off to focus on school and the novel I wrote in which the first 45 or so of these posts reappear. The book's good enough to get me out of graduate school. Next I guess we'll find out if it's good enough for anything else. Anyway, I'm back at it, and we'll do two today, since it's been a few days and both tunes are open-drums joints that show up in tons of hip-hop songs, notably Fugees, "Ready or Not" for the first one and "Around the Way Girl" by LL Cool J for the Honeydrippers break.

No. 66, The Headhunters, "God Made Me Funky"

No. 67, The Honeydrippers, "Impeach the President"
 


31 March 2015, No. 65, Skull Snaps, ‘It’s a New Day’

I rarely pay much attention to the lyrics of songs unless they really jump out or happen to incorporate the song’s title. I recall melodies accurately but not lyrics. And no one ever pays much attention to the lyrics of the Skull Snaps cut that comes in at No. 65. In fact, people rarely even reference the name of the tune or anything that happens after its sixth second. They just call it “the Skull Snaps break” and move on. In this case it may be because the lyrics are odd. They seem like a tongue-in-cheek exhortation to patience in the face of the Civil Rights Movement…in 1973. “In God we trust / Don’t make a fuss / Just step to the back of the bus.” Actually, I suspect they’re talking to white people who were new to the whole “back of the bus” thing, telling them to chill out, maybe. Doesn’t matter anyway; the drums are what matters. Disregard lyrics; loop drums. Make every hip-hop song ever. “It’s a New Day,” and a better day is coming.

30 March 2015, No. 64, Reverso 68, ‘Piece Together (Todd Terje Spinning Star Mix)’

Have we had Todd Terje’s work on the list yet? No. This is the first one at No. 64, but there will be more. Terje’s Norwegian, and his name is an homage to Todd Terry (whom we’ll hear at No. 76, I think [edit: nope]). Terje makes good music, good edits, and good remixes. This “spinning star mix” of Reverso 68’s tune “Piece Together” does have kind of a cosmic, “spinning star” feel in places, whatever that means. Lots of hissing white noise and gongs and reverb in the background, swelling and dissipating with the changes in the song, like one imagines the burning gases swirl in and around a star. Sometimes I think attempts to describe music are pointless (just go listen to the tune, already), but I suppose other times it’s not so bad. The urge to red-pen all that star stuff is strong, though…so just go listen to the tune already.

29 March 2015, No. 63, Kenny Raw, ‘The Next Hustle’

I didn’t think I’d be able to bring this tune for you, but it looks like the folks over at Myspace have left up all that music we posted pre-2008 or whenever the world switched over. So we’ve got another Kenny Raw jawn coming in at No. 63. I couldn’t spoil this one for you if I wanted to—not without a little research, anyway. No idea what the source track is. The edit is called “The Next Hustle,” though, so maybe there’s a clue there for all you intrepid sample-source sleuths.


The Next Hustle from Kenny Raw

27 March 2015, No. 62, Raggio di Luna (Moon Ray), ‘Comanchero’

If it weren't for the excellent synth work here and the amount of satisfaction one gets from singing the word "comanchero" and rolling the r, this spaghetti disco take on the folks who traded with the Comanche and were (apparently) preoccupied with "pretty squaws" would be pretty lame. As it is, it's worth keeping on the list, plus it's got that little bit of extra campy cache not all italo disco records can claim. Like Silvio "Silver" Pozzoli, Raggio di Luna seems to have Anglicized their name to Moon Ray, and here's a panting, atmospheric, synth-laden, and probably culturally insensitive horse ride called "Comanchero." Coming in at No. 62, it also gets stuck in my head a lot.

25 March 2015, No. 61, William Hart, ‘Time Out for Love’

The Delfonics got name-checked in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, and they have some well-known tunes out there. This one, a joint from their lead singer William Hart called “Time Out for Love,” is not one of those well-known songs, but it does come in as the 61st-slowest song on the list. It’s got a catchy little hook, but my favorite part, of course, is the synth solo at 3:00 or so. I like complicated and weird-sounding synth work, but even better than that stuff most times is just a clear, distinctive lead or bassline played on a simple monosynth like a Minimoog or a Yamaha CS15. Take a little time out for synths and soul with “Time Out for Love.” (Note: I couldn’t find this one streaming easily enough, so I put it on my SoundCloud account; we’ll see how long it stays there before the rights police knock it down…)

24 March 2015, No. 60, The Fatback Band, ‘Keep on Steppin’’

Kenny Raw taught me to juggle the intro and breaks in The Fatback Band’s “Backstrokin’,” and that’s still my favorite song of theirs, but this bouncy little “Keep on Steppin’” at No. 60 is much improved by the 16 bars or so of looped intro DJ Apt One added to the version I have. That version’s not online anymore, so just imagine the intro stretched out (and maybe blended with the fading-out of the steel drums outro from yesterday’s tune). Also, what is it with Fatback and droppin’ all the G’s from the ends of the verbs in their song titles? Just sayin’.

23 March 2015, No. 59, Boy, ‘Little Numbers (Leo Zero Remix)’

Another new(ish) tune. I don't know who Leo Zero is, and I don't know much about Boy except that they're girls and there’s two of them and they're from Europe somewhere. Switzerland and Germany, it seems. Can’t really tell they’re European listening to them, but isn’t that usually the way with European pop acts? Anyway, the first of the last two things we’ll note is that one reason I like this song is the singer sounds reminiscent of Rachel Ries, whom I also like and went to college with. The other thing is that this Leo Zero remix is the second thing on the list that’s ultra-Balearic, and we like that because it’s spring now, and summer is coming, so it’s nice when the music warms us up too. Steel drums and boogie, Leo Zero’s remix of “Little Numbers” by Boy at No. 59.


21 March 2015, No. 58, Hamilton Bohannon, ‘The Beat (Part 2)’


I used to DJ with Chris Carlin a lot, and he had all the Bohannon records, so I never bought them unless they were in the dollar bin. Which means that while there are a lot of Bohannon jawns on this list we’re doing, they’re not records I feel very close to because I rarely if ever played them. I left that to DJ Honkytron. I think Carlin is now DJ Chris Carlin instead of Honkytron, and while that was probably a wise move professionally, I miss the whimsy. No. 58 brings a little of it back, “The Beat (Part 2),” Hamilton Bohannon.




20 March 2015, No. 57, Stone Alliance, ‘Sweetie-Pie’

No. 57 might be the only song the Beastie Boys name-checked but didn't sample. "Like 'Sweetie-Pie' by the Stone Alliance / Everybody knows I'm known for droppin' science." Not sure which one of them said that in "Root Down"...Ad Rock, it sounds like, my favorite Beastie. But I digress. Listen to "Sweetie-Pie" by Stone Alliance, No. 57.


19 March 2015, No. 56, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, ‘The Boogie Back’


"Ubiquity" is such a great name for a musical group, and Roy Ayers is a great bandleader and vibraphonist. And calling his band Ubiquity turned out to be prophetic, as Wikipedia says Ayers has more records that have been sampled by hip-hop artists than anyone else. I find this doubtful, and whosampled.com confirms at least that while an even hundred songs have sampled Ayers, James Brown bits are featured in nearly 5,000. But maybe Ayers has 50 songs that have been sampled and Brown has only 20. I could count them up, but I don't feel like it. The main thing we're here to do is to listen to Roy Ayers Ubiquity bring "The Boogie Back" from 1974's Change up the Groove LP at No. 56.



18 March 2015, No. 55, Dennis Edwards, ‘Don’t Look Any Further’


No. 55 is a total favorite of mine, easy listening smooth jazz pabulum though it seems to be. Maybe go listen to "Paid in Full" by Eric B and Rakim, and then this tune will seem a little cooler afterward. Dennis Edwards' yearning vocals and the recurring "day o umba day o" chants will seem less full of cheese and may even grow on you. So "Don't Look Any Further," or, if it doesn't suit your tastes, disregard Edwards' advice and check back with us tomorrow for No. 56.



17 March 2015, No. 54, Breakbot, ‘Make You Mine’

You may have noticed the few outliers on the list that that were made within the last 25 years (and edits and flips only half count), and here's another one. At five years out, it's not like this is a super fresh cut or anything, but it's one of the newest in the crate. Breakbot brings you a lovely little piano-and-vocoder groover to listen to with your life-automaton while you warm up by the cyber-fire. "Make You Mine" at No. 54.


15 March 2015, No. 53, Tatsuro Yamashita, ‘Windy Lady’

The first cool band I heard out of Japan was Shonen Knife, and ever since then, I've known that Japan can be trusted to adopt basically any musical style and throw their own odd twist on it. Think Yellow Magic Orchestra, Boredoms, 54-71, Deerhoof kinda counts, etc., et al. So I was pleased to find this downtempo piece of boogie awesome from Tatsuro Yamashita, stringy though it is. Actually, though, the strings in "Windy Lady" at No. 53 are unobtrusive and kind of nice.



14 March 2015, No. 52, Monk Higgins, ‘Can’t Stop’

I think it’s the sax solo and the laid-back-but-driving tambourine in No. 52 that does it for me. The little “me oh my” vocal bridge is fun too, and the parts with just sax/voice/drums toward the end. Second tune from Monk Higgins on the list. If I knew much about Monk Higgins, I’ve forgotten it, but Wikipedia tells me his real name was Milton and he was from East Chicago Heights, Illinois. Copies I have are digital, but maybe since he was from around here, I’ll dig up some wax. Get me around a bunch of records to be had and I “Can’t Stop,” kinda like the tune...

13 March 2015, No. 51, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, ‘Wake Up Everybody (DJ Apt One Re-Edit)’

I took the week off posting to celebrate eight years with the lovely Francesca, so it's fitting that we're coming back to hear some more of DJ Apt One's work, as Francesca and I met eight years ago at he and Skinny Friedman's long-running Philadelphyinz party in, of all places, Philadelphia. Medusa Lounge, the party's second location, I think, after it moved out of the Khyber. Anyway, life's never been the same since, and that's probably a good thing.

No. 51, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, "Wake Up Everybody (DJ Apt One Re-Edit)"