Imagine that

This is what happens when you have strong Imagination.



There. That's it if you didn't get it.

track's info
CSLSX - Keep on shining
2011

(sample) Imagination - So good so right
Body Talk
R&B Records 1981

On fire

Shit. I need vacation.

But this can help.

track's info
Gwen McCrae - Keep the fire burning
Atlantic 1982

Sweet '80s

Dutch producers, Bernard Oattes and Rob van Schaik, (aka The Limit), released a full-length album in 1984, titled The Limit. Hit song right below.

Sweet.

track's info
The Limit- Say Yeah
The Limit
Portrait 1984

Gradual

The other day I caught this one on internet radio.

And remembered this one.

And ended up listening to this one.

Cool stuff.

tracks' info
-Quincy Jones feat. Patti Austin - Razzamatazz
The Dude
A&M Records 1981

-M.F.O. - I know
Subliminal 1999

-Culture Club - Miss me blind
Colour by Numbers
Virgin 1983

When Joey met George

One of my beloved producers from the past, Joey Negro, had this take on George Benson's "Love will come again". A house legend meets a musical genius and for about 7,5 minutes, nothing else matters.



There's certainly a good, inspiring, solid base, but you can feel Joey Negro's intense touch throughout. And the bass... Oh, that bass!

I think I'll make this a Joey Negro and the Sunburst Band day.

track's info: 
Geroge Benson - Love will come again (Joey Negro edit)
2014

Sunday antidote

Sundays can be awesome, people. You have the whole day to yourself, you can go hang out by the sea even if the weather sucks and you're one step before winter, you can cuddle all day, you can eat all day, you can sleep all day and you can play top-notch tunes to make it even better. Like this one.

Bobby Nunn and Motown join powers and make this beautiful tune out of the second album of their collaboration, "Private Party".

Not even my runny nose and my 100 sneezes/second can bring me down while listening to its synth sound.

track's info:
Bobby Nunn - Don't knock it (until you try it)
Private Party
Motown 1983

Summer repeat

After having slept for only about 4 hours, this is the ONLY thing that managed to keep me up and movin' all day today, after about 3 million repeats. 

God how I love this early house feeling that stays alive in most mixes of this track (Pete Herbert's dub mix is about to ruin my repeat button as well).

Faze Action have been one of my favorite groups since the Kariba era, back in the late '90s. And they've been provin' me right for lovin' them, ever since.

Faze Action - Time by your Side
Body of One
FAR 2014

King and Queen of the Caribbean

In 1984 a Caribbean Queen was born and spread around the music world with the soothing voice of Billy Ocean. As a huge fan of Billy Ocean from a very early age when my older sister would buy all those "top hits" records of the '80s, this track was always among my young-age favorites.

I caught this tune the other day at a bar -a rather boring one, full of middle-aged, dull people, but with surprisingly enough good disco music that made me wonder if I'm that old as well and haven't realized it yet. It wasn't the original version, but a really skillful edit which I couldn't seem to find today, as I was searching for it. However, I caught this fine tune instead -offered with a free download-, which made up for my time of dead-end searching.



Really enjoyed the editing work of Tesla Boy here, although I must admit I'm missing the sax part of the song -I'd like a little bit more of it.

For those who ain't got no clue what we're talking about here, this is the original version of "Caribbean Queen" and this is Melba Moore's answer. If you've loved either of these two during the '80s, then I'm sorry I reminded you how old you are today :-) N'joy!

tracks' info:
-Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen (Tesla Boy edit)
2011

-Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen (No more love on the run)
Suddenly
Jive 1984

-Melba Moore - King of my Heart
Read my Lips
Capitol Records 1985

Searching for love through the years

Back to the '80s, along with R.B Hudmon searching for love with a killer track.

This gem also gave life to "For your love" which was released in the '00s.

Hope they all found love in the end.

tracks' info:
-R.B. Hudmon - Searching for your love
Nite-Life Records 1983

-Dynamic Rockers - For your love
Stamina Recordings 2005

Dreamin' Sunday

Perfect, lovin' tune for a sunny Sunday full of spring.

Al Mac and Zulema formed Zalmac in the '80s and released one lp and two singles. Zulema, also known as a backing vocal singer with Aretha Franklin and a member of Faith Hope and Charity, is no longer with us as of this September. So it's one of those times you feel grateful for the music she left behind for us.

track's info:
Zalmac - Dreamin' 
Watcha Gonna Do
The sound of Brooklyn 1982

Vinyl-lover tune

Well, there's another tune I've never heard before and for once again I was introduced to it by Vinyl Addicted through his soundcloud page.

Vinyl Addicted is one of the favorite guests in this blog (see here), a true lover of vinyl and disco, funk, house music (you'll find everything in his blog) who regularly edits and shares true rarities. One of his last projects was this very tune from his collection, that can't be found easily on web record stores. His remastered work with extra loops and beatline can be found here and you can download it for free in his fb page.

Thank you once again, mate!

track's info:
-Yeow - Give my heart away 
Rumble Records 1983 

Dumb, dumber and the dumbest

Heard this on the radio the other day, as I was daydreaming on a bus.

After I got over the shock that I had totally hidden Stevie Nicks somewhere in my long-term memory for years, the radio producer started replying to messages sent by his dumber-than-a-box-of-hair audience that it isn't Stevie Nicks who "stole this" from Beyoncé, but the other way round. This having to be clarified caused an instant and perpetual facepalm situation, till I got off the bus.

I don't live in the Beyoncé-Lady Gaga world, so I had to check out which Beyoncé track they were talking about and it was Bootylicious by Destiny's Child (as you can see, Destiny's Child is all about Beyoncé for these douchebags) and they were talking about the guitar riff that appears throughout the song.

Although it's comforting that dummies of this kind could actually isolate this riff from the whole song (for some reason I believe that those who don't have a special relationship with music, they listen to a song as a whole and can't tell one sound from another) and pair it with a song they've heard before, it's frustrating to hear that some people listened to the "Edge of seventeen" and the sound of this song made them believe that it's a track that came after Beyoncé and could actually be inspired by her music.

I mean come on, people. Really?

track's info:
-Stevie Nicks - Edge of seventeen
Bella Donna
Modern Records 1981

From lovin' to sexy

One of my sister's favorites when she was in her teens was Anita Baker's "Sweet love". Released in 1986, this tune made quite a hit of itself, especially in teenage girls who would hug their pillow with their drama face and listen to this on the radio, in all those love stations. I never really liked it much, I don't know. But this one... Oh, this one I do like.



Magnetic Soul, hosted in this blog a couple of times again in the past, is the usual suspect for this edit. He took a love song and turned it into a sexy tune you can sway to. No hugging pillows to this one.

track's info: 
Magnetic Soul - Love Suite
Midnight Riot Vol.2
Midnight Riot 2012

Edit pending

Something is very wrong here. I can't find a single edit on this piece of awesomeness. This is wrong, people. It's just wrong.

Jerry and Katreese Barnes (from the Juicy duo) hide behind this track, with Deodato in the producing process. Playful tune, funky guitar, mellow vocals, it's like this whole track is smiling at you for 5 and a half minutes.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

track's info:
Deodato - Never knew love
Motion
Warner Bros. Records 1984

Re-rubbing the '80s

Micamino is no news to this blog, since we've seen his Freda Payne re-touch here and his re-rub on Ray Parker Jr & Raydio, here. As it appears, there are a lotta producers who ain't gonna have just one stroll around here, cause they keep editing/producing things that need to be spread around. And I like to spread the good news.



Marti Cain and her beautiful voice gave us "Love the way you love me" back in 1981 and Micamino made this smooth re-rub to remind us that the '80s weren't all about Duran-Duran and Salt-n-Pepa. And except for reminding us that, he offers his work on this with a free download.

A huge "thank you" just left this place heading to Micamino.

tracks' info:
-Marti Caine - Love the way (micamino re-rub)
2013

(original)
-Marti Caine - Love the way you love me
Point of view
BBC 1081

Deep roots

Whatever you're doing this moment is not important. Leave it. Close your eyes. You are now travelling in time, back in 1988. And do you know who's with you on this time travel? Mr. Fingers, along with the company of Robert Owens and Ron Wilson. Which means that you have the whole Fingers Inc. with you. Lucky bastard.

Maybe the legendary "Can you feel it?" is the well-known and acclaimed hymn of deep house, which we all know, love and have stories of delirium to share with it playin' through the speakers of a club, but this one feels smoother, more introvert and cozy right now. And it suits this time-travel exploring the deep sound roots perfectly.

Ok, open up your eyes now and sink back into work. Different kind of deep. Sorry.

track's info:
Fingers Inc. - So glad 
Another side
Jack Trax 1988

That's the right Attitude

Don’t know what it is these days, but there’s been a lotta diggin’ in the oldies. There’s a good chance the gloomy weather brings out this past-appreciation, nostalgic, mushy feeling in me, but it feels like a really constructive journey. And look what I found.

Attitude was an '80s group brought to life by David Frank and Mic Murphy from The System, with just one album in their palmarès, "Pump up nation". The "Love me tonight" track only made it to #90 of the R&B chart in the summer of '83 -when my playmobil was the only valuable thing in this world- but I've said it before and I'll say it again: who cares about the charts?

So glad about this journey of mine these days. You gotta go back in music to purely appreciate it today. (Wow. If no one’s ever said it before, I’ll take the credit for this, thank you).

track's info: 
Attitude - Love me tonight 
Pump Up Nation
Atlantic 1983

The rare side of the '80s

The '80s can be many things, depending on where you choose to grab 'em. They can be both Boy George and Mötley Crüe, Madonna and Van Halen, Michael Cretu and Whitesnake, Michael Jackson and Public Enemy, Prince and Run-D.M.C, Billy Joel and Def Leppard, Tina Turner and Duran Duran, Talking Heads and Simply Red, David Bowie and New Order, Pointer Sisters and Sonic Youth -oh my god this could go on forever.

So far so good, but the '80s can also be this

and this

and this

 and this

This could go on forever as well. Only in this case you'll have to dig a little bit deeper.

tracks' info: 
-Raw Silk - Just in time & space
West End Records 1983 

-Kwick - Nightlife
To the point
EMI America 1981

-Khemistry - Who's fooling who
Khemistry
Columbia 1982

-Gwen McCrae - Keep the fire burnin'
On my way
Atlantic 1982

Back to the future

What does Evelyn King have to do with Alexandre Louvré and Pleasurelove? I don't know if these guys were still peeing their pants or were adults when she released "I'm in love" in the early '80s, but I do know that they respectfully turned it into a contemporary sound and brought it back to our ears from their point of view.

 

This is the source of inspiration. Synth sounds, disco beat and Evelyn's voice were enough to make this a hit in 3 different charts in the US - but who cares about the charts anyway? Good thing producer Theodore T. Life heard her voice as she was cleaning the office in Philadelphia International Records and gave her a chance. Otherwise, this would be a blank page.

About 30 years later, this producer from Tijuana (and one of my favorite fresh producers) gave this track the kiss of life and made some of those who loved it back then, smile with nostalgia.

And then this came along. Pleasurelove finished the business and everyone lived happily ever after.

tracks' info:
-Evelyn King - I'm in love
I'm in love
RCA 1981 

-Alexandre Louvré - Talking about you
2011

-Alexandre Louvré - Talking about you (Pleasurelove remix)
2011

Killer boogie

Raise your hands if you ‘re up for some diggin’ into the '80s funk, disco music, back in the time when vinyls and cassettes ruled the world, your outfits from that period would win the first prize in an '80s-themed party today and you would die if your hair looked a bit more ridiculous.

These ain’t new discoveries, these ain't hits, but surely are favorites and most of them come instantly to my mind if I think '80s funk-boogie-disco. Even though I didn't catch these tunes at their time - I was more into the Smurfs hits back then - I really do appreciate them nowadays and share them with those who are likely to appreciate them too.


-Heartbreaker (1983)

They surely don't deserve it, but heartbreakers have one more song. A kick-ass song.

-Watching you (1980)

Thumbs up for the funk, thumbs up for the vocals, thumbs up for compliments to women.

-Are you lonely (1983)

I’ll dare to state that I love Karim’s version a teeny-tiny bit more, but I totally pay my respects to the source of inspiration.

-Dreamin' (1982)

I don’t know much about Greg Henderson, I don’t know why these kind of gems don't come out today, I don’t know why people choose bullshit over these top-notch tunes, but I know this: funky guitar can do the trick.

-New York 's moving (1981)

                                             
So funky it could be bad for you.

-Clean up your act (1983)

Instant love from one of Breakbot's sets.

-L.O.V.E.F.U.S.E (1980)

I bet you 're still with your hands raised.

tracks' info:
-Leroy Burgess - Heartbreaker
Salsoul Records 1983

-Slave - Watching you
Stone Jam
Cotillion 1980

-Hipnotic - Are you lonely?
Street Level Records 1983

-Greg Henderson - Dreamin' 
Greyhound Record Productions 1982

-Ahzz - New York's moving 
Land of hits 1981

-Blue Magic - Clean up your act
Magic #
Mirage 1983

-Hot Bush - L.O.V.E.F.U.S.E 
Hot Bush
APA Records 1980