love is...

Gloria Ann Taylor's 'Love Is A Hurting Thing' is a bit of a holy grail record by now, it's fairly well known and much discussed. The Walter Whisenhunt (her husband) produced gem is quiet lo-fi in one respect, it is more or less a demo recording and yet it's haunting, repetitious and melancholic piano and string hooks combined with Gloria's singing make it like no other. I have The Drunk's edit of it in my collection, which is rather good and probably the closest I'll ever get to the record, but it eliminates a good deal of Gloria's inspired vocals. What intrigues me and gets me every time is how in the original, the kick slips out from underneath the track and the hats are so dirty and  high in the mix, a bit like an early Theo Parrish or Three Chairs production, it's very raw and loops like one of Theo's edits too.Gloria and her husband (once right hand man to James Brown and once co-owner of a label with Bootsy Collins) apparently finally broke up after moving to LA via Maryland, they recorded 5 singles and an ep for their label Selector Sounds.

Gloria Ann Taylor - Love Is A Hurting Thing

is it good?

Absolutely loving Tony Moore's 'Is It Good To Ya, Baby' just at the moment. Tony was a playa on the early Italo Disco scene apparently, but this his first 7" is proper Disco Funk with a sweet hook and a pretty creative vocal delivery. I can't think of a single contemporary artist who might take on the same sort of stylings. I'll be getting back to the new stuff in a minute..

Tony Moore - Is It Good To Ya Baby 

asphixiation

As you know I love a little obscure Disco Not Disco, which is why discovering Australian band Asphixiation's 1981 album 'What Is This Thing Called Disco' is such a pleasure. I don't expect to actually find one of the 1000 lp's that were originally pressed up and I imagine if they do hit the market they sell for high numbers. The whole record is excellent, it originally came with a bonus 12" which included some extra made 'for discotheques' tracks. One of my favourites on the album (and there are a few) is the wobbly, dub disco of 'Blurred Movements', it's all beats, bass and percussion for the most part, with a little minimal low-fi Disco added in toward the end, somehow reminding one of an edit technique which gets used a fair bit these days. Actually I think someone should do a proper re-issue of this classic and quirky 80's lp... (that's the original cover in the pic too)

Asphixiation - Blurred Movements

press play #50 - Steve Kotey

Press Play #50 huh?! We've come a long way baby! If you've been reading these pages for any length of time, you'll know I might well be Bear Funk and Ambassador's Reception's number one fan (scary for them I know), which is why having Steve Kotey drop in for our 50th Press Play is a bit of a thing. What's more is, Steve has gone totally bonkers (or bananas even) and dug up some crazy jungle Disco madness for the ride. As you know a.n.o.e. has been on a serious diggers quest of late, resulting in some super fine mixes from Albion, Basso and The Very Polish Cut Out's, Steve's 'Banana Disco' literally takes the cake. 

While I'm here, it needs mentioning that you should keep an eye out for Steve's brand new label Valley Sound and their first release by Puller. Essential purchase. So all that remains is to thank Mr Kotey for this superb mix and for you to download it...

Press Play #50 - Steve Kotey - Banana Disco

fried tofu 2

I recently got a promo of the second Fried Tofu edits 12"; a great set of deeply funky, block party styled dj edits which operate somewhere in the Ugly or Shoes end of things. The mysterious Fried Tofu is very clearly into keeping things raw and the original sound intact; he's not adding any heavy compression or housed up kick drums, but he's fiercely cutting things up to keep the heat up high and the dance floor rocking. He makes a very real point when he says "the good old kick drum of the 70's and 80's leaves some space for the beauty of the music to breathe", plus his old school slice n dice style also focuses in on the groove, the result is loose, live and lovely. With plays from Jacques Renault, Session Victim, Iron Curtis & the Sleazybeats crew you know he's moved a fairly wide spectrum of Disco and House heads with his bumping re-shuffles. Tofu isn't serving up deep crate finds, for the most part you'll recognise the source tracks, these are underground Disco classics we all know and love, but check out the clip below for how he brings his own magic to the floor... (the dirt and needle blowing audio in the clip is there to keep these tunes on vinyl)...

Mori-Ra

While I'm on about Library tunes, another new Soundcloud friend who I'm keen for you to check out is Japanese record collectors and editors Mori-Ra. The duo have eleven deep n' delicious reshuffles up on their page, each one excites the mind with future retro synthscapes and electronic origami. These are not simple cut 'n paste styled edits, but the duo also keep things sounding very authentic, no housed up edits here. I love every one of their tracks and I'm hoping someone picks these up for vinyl release very soon. Check out no 8 in the series, a truly mesmerizing slice of intricate and deep Library Disco, then check out all the others... superb!!! 

御山Edit 08 by Mori-Ra

lost star

I've been on a serious Library music journey just lately and have shelled out a small mountain of cash i don't have on a number of fairly hard to find records. There seems to be an infinite cosmos of great sounds if you get really deep into this end of things, but much of it is unaffordable, unless you find the lp's in good digging spots. Anyway, one record I'd love to own but don't, or not yet anyway, is British songwriter, composer and occasional Library Record producer Anthony King's 'Lost Star' on Peer International Library Limited. The very clever people at Jazzman re-issued the albums best track 'Filigree Funk' back in 2002... Super deep!

Anthony King - Filigree Funk

following E.M.G.S.

Ok work has been keeping me very busy, but it's time to get things moving here on anoe again... The easiest place to start would be to introduce you to a couple of people I've been following on Soundcloud who you really need to check out. E.M.G.S. hail from Tokyo, Japan, the dual talents of Asai & Kaji who are E.M.G.S. are quietly putting out a bunch of very cool, crate digging, often left of center edits through their SC page, all of which are available for download and all of which are essential to your collection. They have two sets or EP's called 'Editors Must Get Stoned' and a couple of extra bits and pieces, plus a brand new one which went up today called 'Desert Disco' which is damn fine. Check 'em, follow 'em and I'll be back to talk a little more about them in the near future (there's quiet a bit you should know about them)... to new friends then...

Desert Disco (orient edit) by E.M.G.S.(ASAI & KAJI)

funky bump

Italian TV music composer Pino Presti has worked with big names like Quincy Jones, Maynard Ferguson & Shirley Bassey amongst others. Back in the 70's he released his only album '1st Round' as Pino Presti Sound, the very cool 'Funky Bump' features along with a fair few other good uns. Both the LP and the 7" are collectable and fetch high prices on the circuit, so grab the beast if u see it in a dusty room in the back of someone's long forgotten shop. Funky bump on a Friday.

Pino Presti - Funky Bump

press play #49 - Albion

A little while back I had the chance to interview Albion, his fantastic 'Mixtura' album for Ambassadors Reception was about to be released and he'd reached episode 14 of his mammoth and much loved mix series of the same name. He's unquestionably a guy who takes his record digging very seriously, he's uncovered many many crazy obscure Disco records over the years, which we now get to enjoy. I have always loved the idea that an amazing record can be dug up from some dank basement by one guy and soon find a new worldwide audience as a result. Few enable this process better than a guy like Albion, it's said that he can spend days on end, till he can no longer walk straight, hunting out those Disco truffles that proliferate in his mixes.

I cant begin to tell you what a joy it is for me to hand over Albion's absolutely amazing new mix 'The Continental Disco Sound' for a.n.o.e.'s Press Play series. It's indescribably good, more than an hours worth of track after golden track, every one a must have Mediterranean Disco bomb! My own personal digging list just got a whole lot longer, ouch! Oh I really can't recommend this more highly!! Huge thanks go out to Albion for this very special mix, I am a very happy fella, how about you?

Press Play #49 - Albion - The Continental Disco Sound

let's merge

When it comes to digging for African records, there are so many very fine sides that have become impossible to find, due mainly to limited print runs and very minimal distribution, even in Africa. It's a bit like getting into dub, you could spend an entire lifetime researching it and uncovering huge gems. I have a pretty long list of wants which includes a little known Nigerian act called Hotline. There was a South African band, also called Hotline, I see a lot of their records about, but we're talking about an entirely different beast. The Nigerian Hotline's only album came out on Blackspot Records, home also to a great Christy (Essien Igbokwe) album and a much sought after Benis Cletin record (you may know the relevant Sofrito Edits Record which uses Benin's tracks). The album is packed with Afro boogie gems, the over all sound is cheap and minimal, but in the best possible way; it's Electro Disco Pop flava and township vocals combine to make this both unique as well as irresistible. 'Lets Merge', from the A side, rocks my world. You'll have to excuse the recording, no one i know has found a decent copy so far... Afro Boogie Pop... the night is young...

Hotline - Let's Merge