Death To Sambo

This blog wasn't originally intended to be about hip-hop, but i'm willing to throw all the rules out the window on this one...

Teo Blake is a dear friend of ours from the heady days at Sarah Lawrence College. Teo, Jordan and I all studied music together, working in the electronic music studio, taking theory, and playing in ensembles. Now, Teo has just come out with his debut album titled Death To Sambo!

The album, as the name would suggest, explores the damaging effects of racism, stereotypes, and, as Teo explains in this promo video, that myths say more about their creators than of their content.

Sonically, Death To Sambo has great color and variety. With a taste for analog gear groomed into him from his days spent in front of the Moog Modular 55, coupled with contemporary nonlinear production techniques, and his lyrical prowess, Teo Blake could easily blow your mind and your house party into the next level stratosphere.

Find it on iTunes
Teo Blake on Myspace

Sweater Funk

Sweater Funk is a weekly boogie, modern soul, stepper party that goes off every Sunday, right in the heart of Chinatown. The location is an undercover Chinese dive bar with sort of a secret basement that's been crudely converted to a dance floor with the help of a spinning party light, a bumping sound system, and a single clamp light behind the DJ booth. The space is sparse and purposeful, you come to Sweater Funk to dance to great music. With it's 13 member crew and growing, Sweater Funk DJ's throw down some of the rarest, funkiest, most soulful tracks you can find on the west coast. The only party comparable is Funkmosphere, Dam Funk's Monday night party located in LA, which is actually what inspired Jon Blunck to start SF in the first place.

Sweater Funk has been a long time favorite party of ours. In fact, it's partially what inspired Jordan and I to start Tres Lingerie, and probably half the reason why I moved out to San Francisco in the first place. And last weekend we had the distinguished pleasure of throwing down an hour and a half set at our favorite weekly party.

Here's the night (sorry about the distortion, the volume got cranked up throughout the night as the height of drunken demonification was reached)...

Tres Lingerie do Sweater Funk mix

Tres Lingerie do Sweater Funk (whole night) mix

Simpson Says Dance

Paul Simpson was a house producer and vocalist in the 80's in NYC. It seems the height of his career was spent making that NJ/NY sounding Todd Edwards style house on Nervous Records and the likes. There was a time I was more into that stuff. It's fallen out of favor with my ears but I still get a kick form it, and I'm sure the next generation of upcoming hipster music bloggers will gravitate to early/mid 90's house music instead of this Boogie stuff I've been delving into recently. That or my friend Tyler's dream will come true and Trance will make a glorious comeback.

This is a track from one of Paul Simpsons early projects called Subject with Winston Jones. If you ever listened to the Chicken Lips DJ Kicks mix CD, there is a track on there by Paul Simpson Connection (another early production attempt of Simpsons, obviously) called "Treat Her Sweater", a Great tune! It's similar, if maybe a little cleaner, in production style to this track "The Magic The Moment". Enjoy, Frantz... and Steve.

Subject - The Magic The Moment

Anya's birthday

It's my sisters birthday today! And rather than just write something on her Facebook page about how silly and awesome she is, I decided to make her this silly and awesome song instead...It's about kiss and Bajs.

Anya's Birthday Song

Late Summer Mix

So, It's been a while. Actually, lets not talk about how long it's been since it will only depress me to think how lazy I've been about posting on this thing. All I can say is that everyone who reads this should thank Steve for keeping on my case about posting on here again.

To welcome back the non existent reader base I have prepared a spontaneous mix of late summer jams for 'yall. It's so spontaneous that it doesn't even have a track list. Deal with it, like you would deal with a pastrami sandwich of immense size from Katz's deli...

Johan's Spontaneous Late Summer Jam Mix

Melody Stewart

Jordan and I recently played a night at Underground SF called CASABLANCA. Needles to say it forced me to look towards more conventional straight disco cuts in my collection. Having obsessed for so long about digging for boogie jams, electro-funk, and more obscure crossover records I'm sure the Lips Inc and Donna Summer records I have stashed in the backs of my crates are feeling neglected and underplayed.... No more!

The first two tracks are by Melody Stewart who I can't really find much info on so if anyone reads this blog and wants to contribute about her let me know. The last two are from a Vertige record I picked up back in 2002 when I first started collecting vinyl. Vertige Productions reside in NYC and according to their website are being "re-constructed", which hopefully means they will be putting out more great disco edit records in the future. Cosmic Force is actually a contemporary group, according to some Discogs discussion, whereas the flip, Clyde Alexander & Sanction, are from the heyday of boogie. Chocolate starfish is an edit by Dimitri From Paris and Got To Get Your Love is reworked by Kenny 'Dope' Gonzales. enjoy...

Melody Stewart - Action Satisfaction
Melody Stewart - Get Down, Get Down
Cosmic Force - Chocolate Starfish
Clyde Alexander & Sanction - Got To Get Your Love

Prism Records

Today we bring you two little ditties from Prism Records. Prism is one of those labels that it's hard to find any thing terrible on. Whenever I come across the Prism logo while digging it usually makes it into my crate at home.

Prism was started in NYC in the late 70's which is where a lot of the cool disco, boogie, and electro funk crossover stuff was coming out of at that time. These two tracks should give you a taste of what Prism has to offer.

Little Toni Marsh - Video Burnout
Pure Energy - Love Game

Sugarscoop

Todays post is on Sugarscoop Records. The label dates back to the early 80's and released some disco boogie sounding records along with a smattering of electro funk in the mid eighties. The day I bought this record it seems Beat Electric did a post about it. No matter, here it is again for anyone who cares. I don't even know if anybody else but Steve reads this or not. So, Steve, here is a copy of The Bang Gang's "Street Music" for your private listening pleasure. I bought this record sealed which allowed me to rip it first play out of the package. Virgin ripping! NO, Steve, not virgin raping. I can't even believe you're thinking that right now, Steve... Jeez!

The Bang Gang - Street Music (Short Version)
The Bang Gang - Street Music (Instrumental)

World Premiere

Here's a tune from Easy Street records by World Premiere. It's a really groovy track. I particularly love the hand claps they used. Not sure what the drum machine is, but I would love to get my hands on it. Other than that I can;t say to much about this tune as it's late, I'm tired, and I need to rest up to have energy to play Sweater Funk on Sunday night!!! oh, yeah, you should come down to that if you're in the SF Bay area (Li Po Lounge 916 Grant).

word.
World Premiere - Share the Night
World Premiere - Share the Night (Instrumental)

The Best Boogie

Yes, I've been slacking again. There are a number of reasons (excuses) why I haven't been posting recently but I won't bore you with them.

2 weeks ago I picked up Dancin To The Beat on Park Place records. It's been in my most wanted list for quite some time, basically ever since I heard it at Sweater Funk in August of last year. In fact, I think it may be my favorite boogie tune I've heard yet as far as live instrumentation is concerned. Henderson & Whitfield are some talented mothers. With the help of Bobby Nathan as engineer they manage to compile a plethora of great little funky guitar, bass, drum, and clavy synth lines that could probably turn Dick Cheney into a rabid androgynous funky disco dancer foaming at the mouth.

I tried to contact Bobby Nathan to see if he would do a little Q&A session with me over email that I might post here but, sadly, to no avail.

p.s. go for the instrumental

Henderson & Whitfiled - Dancin To The Beat
Henderson & Whitfiled - Dancin To The Beat (inst)

I Wish You Would

I recently dropped this track on a little set we did on Sergio Fedasz's KALX show. It's such a solid tune. I kind of want to make an edit, but then part of me says "why edit something that already sounds good?", and I reply "because I want to!"

Most notable for her tune "Somebody Else's Guy" and "Love's Gonna Get You", Jocelyn Brown can make your ears bleed (in a good way). At certain times her vocal chords rock harder than a diamond encrusted AC/DC record. I only wish she had made a few more tracks with talented producer's Fred McFarlane and Allen George. Now, try not to cry when the slap bass pops straight out of your download window and slaps you in face...

Jocelyn Brown - I wish you Would (side A)

Horne & Nelson

Today we give you a Phyllis Nelson track and some Jimmy Bo Horne stuff. Horne enjoyed some success in the Disco days most notably with his track "Spank", being featured in some modern movies and TV shows alike. His work has also been sampled readily durring the late 80's and 90's by Da Lench Mob, Jungle Brothers, and the Stereo MC's song "Connected" which was featured on the Hackers sound track. Hackers... what a great film; Cyberpunks, skateboards, the "Internet", and Angelina Jolie. Somehow it ended up representing my generation. OK, I guess I got distracted

Lesson for the day, Jimmy Bo Horne leads to Hackers.

Phyllis Nelson - Stop Don't Do This To Me
Jimmy Bo Horne - Dance Across The Floor
Jimmy Bo Horne - It's Your Sweet Love

Laser Laser

Found this puppy the other day on Moby Dick Records, a label that I've found to mostly put out kind of commercial subpar string disco and 80's dance without any real character. But there are always exceptions, and Laser is one of those (along with Partners, also on Moby Dick), where a label finds some decent talent to exhibit.

It seems Laser came out with an album that was only released in Germany and never in the US, but this self titled single was fortunately brought over. Both tracks are a little more fast paced than I look for, but the healthy smattering, bordering on overdose, of filter sweeping analog synth sounds and a distinct pre-MIDI drift make for some attractive danceable doodads.

Laser - Laser
Laser - His Name Is Charlie

So I know other blogs have posted the Bumblebee Unlimited tracks before, but I just picked up the unofficial UK vinyl release and thought why not digitize it before the record gets worn out and dusty. First heard this track in the background of some VH1 show I think years and years ago. Couldn't tell you what show though. Then a friend of mine in Brooklyn brought it up at a gathering and asked if I had it.... well now I do, Quay!

Bumblebee Unlimited - Lady Bug

Bumblebee Unlimited - Love Bug

Drum Machine Soul

It's been a little nutty around here lately... sickness, surprise Swedish girls, and going out to Paradise Lovers Disco has kept us busy so we had to take a break form posting for a couple of days. But we're back now, strait form the top, with Act 1 and a little more obscure though not outrageously hard to find track from Lady Margaret & The Stovall Sisters.

"If It Is Let It Be" and "Party Hardy People" are a couple tracks more along the soul/funk line. the reason I picked them is they both have great sounding early analog drum machine tracks. And though they have this definite synthesized backing beat they incorporate live hand claps, piano, and guitar to keep that really soulful human element that we strive to look for here on Tough Track. It also helps that these were taken from 7"s as they have a unique sound unto their own.

Also, To make up for not posting enough the last 2 days We've included a little Tres Lingerie edit we did of and RFC medley called "Startrax". Downloads away!!!...

If It Is Let It Be - Lady Margaret & The Stovall Sisters
Party Hardy People - Act 1
Startrax - (Tres Lingerie Edit)

Quick Slick

I only recently found out about Syreeta Muhammad. Don't know much about her except that Syreeta was the former wife of Stevie Wonder and she recorded some music with Billy Preston. I picked up here track Quick Slick on 7". I guess it's not a very rare record to find out here in CA, but I never came across it in NYC. Then again I haven't been looking for disco-funk-boogie stuff for very long...

Quick SLick has a great bass line. It's a synth bass, analog, but it sounds like the producer, Hal Davis, decided to have the synth player stack about 4 pulse-wave and 2 sawtooth oscillators on top of each other to produce this slightly phased dynamic I can almost imagine my Prophet 600 making in "unison track" mode. Anyway, it's a sweet playful track that Syreeta sings great on. See what you think.

Syreeta - Quick Slick

Creme D'Cocoa

Creme D'Cocoa is a group of cool cats from...I don't know where actually, but they funk pretty hard. Most people probably know their track Doin' The Dog form the album Nasty Street. Doin' The Dog actually showed up on the Grand Theft Auto soundtrack for the in-game K109 radio station. ROCKSTAR has always had pretty good taste when it comes to their in-game music selection in GTA. Maybe I'll have to do a post about them later on.

But I have chosen to highlight a different track from the album Nasty Street, titled Doggin' It. So without further interruption here's Creme D'Cocoa Doggin' It in the Nasty Street for your aural pleasure.

Creme D'Cocoa - Doggin' It

QWEST

I thought we would start our posting with a little ditty from Lonnie Reaves that I picked up recently on Qwest Records. Qwest was started in the early 80's by the holy ghost himself, Quincy Jones, and put out some quite well known acts like New Order, Jay-Z, and Frank Sinatra to name the top 3.

I didn't just pick it because it was produced the year I was born and shares a word form our blog title, but that didn't hurt it's chances either. Too Tough is a solid boogie funk tune sure to satisfy those with the appetite for a more 80's drum machine sound. Add a little variable 8th and 16th note primitive digital delay and you've got yourself a great dance-floor groove.

Lonnie Reaves - Too Tough