While reading 'The Disco Files 1973-78' Vince Aletti's week-by-week history of the New York Underground, I came across some very perceptive comments on the importance of the dj as a tastemaker and guide. "No longer just human jukeboxes, discotheque DJs talk about creating 'total evenings' or turning the night into 'a whole big song, a trip," he wrote in the Village Voice in 1975.
"Unlike their radio station counterparts, these DJs don't wait to see sales figures, tip sheets or activity reports from other parts of the country. They're used to tracking down new albums, singles and imports even before they're reported in the music trades and pride themselves on being the first to introduce records hot off the presses to their crowd."
If you're serious about your club craft very little should have changed from those days, especially if you're into bringing joy to others by starting the dance, creating waves of joy with the energy with your records.
Three compilations from the brilliant BBE records each celebrate to this sentiment and, when allied to the rare nature of music contained in each in heritage-filled CD packages, are simply essential purchases.
1. V/A – THE REAL SOUND OF CHICAGO, COMPILED BY PEABODY RECORDS
Mark Grusane and Mike Cole are serious South Side collectors of 'make you get up and move music". Selections are always deep but how you play the music is just as important to them. They've been trading obscure soul records for years and following on from their deadly 'Night Drive volume 1' EP they've decided to share a whole bag of goosebump-inducing gems, predominantly from the seventies and early eighties: Maxx Traxx's 'Don't Touch It', Yohon's 'BT' and Tomorrow's People's 'Open Soul' (their edit of the original 20-minute groove) are particular favourites. But every song is dynamite, masterfully arranged to aim fierce guitar licks, fatback basslines, stardust synths, clap-a-long songs and countless other weapons right at the body. Liner notes complete the lesson. Amazing.
>> bbemusic.com/data.pl?release=BBE122CCD
2. V/A – DJ SPINNA PRESENTS THE BOOGIE BACK
Spinna is a musical maven, no question. From hip hop to rare groove and even house, he's got crates and masters each sound that he turns his hand to. This time around he's homed in on the post-disco boogie jams that were destroying selected club dancefloors at the dawn of the eighties. Selections include Foxy, Chemise, Mtume (the brilliant 'So You Wanna Be A Star' crossing Chic with Sister Sledge) and War (a pumped up version of Benson's 'The World is a Ghetto'). Jan Leslie Holmes and Ronnie Dyson are nice discoveries. Disc one is smoothly mixed and very satisfying, perfect for your next block party, roller disco or barbecue. Disc two will prove very useful for the DJs as it contains full-length versions of most of the big tracks.
>> bbemusic.com/data.pl?release=BBE142CCD
3. V/A – JOHN MORALES: THE M&M MIXES
When it comes to disco mixers, certain names have achieved instant god-like reverence: Levan, Moulton, Kevorkian, Moulton, Scott, Hardy… But one guy who doesn't get enough props is John Morales a guy who's worked with everyone from Patrick Adams to Tina Turner, Harald Faltermayer (of 'Axel F' infamy) and Diddy's new prodigy Marina Chello. John's first big breaks were DJ'ing at the influential Stardust Ballroom in the Bronx and, after graduating from Teac cassette deck pause button mixes to Sony 1/4" reel-to-reel edits, mixing Inner Life’s ‘Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair)'. Together with partner Sergio Munzibai, the M&M moniker became a mark of enhanced quality turning out full-length masterpieces such as Logg's 'You've Got that Something' and Universal Robot Band's 'BBE', both included here. Choose from a raft of demos and unreleased mixes of disco anthems and Salsoul classics, from Bumblebee Unlimited to Skyy.
>> bbemusic.com/data.pl?release=BBE129CCD
Words: Amar Patel
Pictures: Courtesy of BBE records
