Disco Engine

Darshan Jesrani, one half of underground hit makers Metro Area, released a new single for his label Startree under his latest moniker Cylinder, yesterday. The track 'Disco Engine' is pure fire; featuring vocals by Chelsea Adewunmi, 'Disco' is a hybrid beast of RnB, Disco and Techno with big love for New York based 80's beats... it's in the track's title if you think about it. Classic Metro Area is a testament to the value of being able to hear the human intent behind electronic instrumentation. Likewise here on 'Disco Engine' the warm beauty evoked in the combination of Techno sounds makes it both lush and seductive. The twist, if u like, is that it's a Disco soundtrack that emerges from the machines, an ass moving groove with blood in its veins, sweat on its brow and NY air in it's lungs. Adewunmi's striking vocal chant further sweetens the human touch. When asked about the name Cylinder, Darshan tells me that 'it was initially just a shot at trying to convey something sleek and futuristic. It also seemed a little funny and became the butt of a couple of jokes between Morgan and I. Later on I realized that it could also totally be a nod to Detroit, being the motor city and an acknowledgement that I'm exploring some Techno elements this time round'

I love this track, i been grooving all over the office to it for the last few days and we'll no doubt be hearing it all over diverse dance floors in the coming months. 'Disco Engine' is a well considered stand against the loss of humanity in a lot of today's machine fetishistic Techno, it's also a masterful Trojan horse designed to drop the love on colder dance floors, but more than that it's mesmerizing, catchy as f*ck and blistering hot hot hot. Vinyl will be in stores in a couple of weeks, digital is out now. Get it, put it on repeat and play it loud. Big track alert!!   
    

that's not all folks...

Any Breaks / Electro or even Hip Hop Dj worth his salt, will tell you that a copy of Break Dancers 'That's All Folks' will cost you serious $$'s, unless you get lucky digging in a spot owned by someone without the internet. My yelps would certainly cause any sharp eyed salesman to turn on his modem before i reached the checkout. The flip side's 'Merry Melodies', penned by Jean-Pierre Massiera, amongst others, is the track you and i would be after... Killer Disco from 1984 on the French only Magical Ring Records. Ki Ller!! 

break dancers - merry melodies

the limo must flow

Well maybe it's the end of days... or something epochal... or not... But if you'd told me several years back that i would post a track by Gino Vanelli up on anoe, i might have straight out punched you. He, amongst many, is the antithesis of everything i like about music... or so i thought. Probably some of you already know his early records and have already discovered the one or two surprises deep in his back catalog... look i still dont like the man, all that benign shlock MOR, the feather leather hair and curly black trousers... so imagine my surprise when hearing this track from his 'Brother to Brother' album... Two things... first off i'm surprised no one did an edit of this back when Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac et al were getting regularly sliced and diced and secondly, this got me rocking in my limousine tonight...

gino vanelli - the river must flow 

juice

There is no information that i can find on French producer Jean Baptiste Fiacre aka Yan d'Ys. At first i thought it might be a pseudonym of Jan Treger's, but it seems not and Discogs has only two records listed as having anything to do with the man. One of them, the profoundly brilliant Ovation by Ovation on the not so easy to find Freesound label. So instead of jabbering on about someone i know very little about, here instead is a road lovin, pastoral Psychedelic Funk Jazz gem with wonky Country stylings that is actually quiet beautiful and not nearly long enough... if u can believe that...

ovation - petrol flowin

it's Dilla didn't cha know ?

Speaking of Dilla, depending on how much of a fan you are, you'll probably know Tarika Blue's 'Dreamflower', which he used for Erykah Badu's 'Didn't Cha Know'. Tarika's 1977 eponymous album, from whence 'Dreamflower' begat, features a killer line up that includes amongst others, the ridiculously talented James Mason, the sublimely talented Ryo Kawasaki, the very prolific Hank o' Neal, and bass player Barry Coleman who wrote most of the record. The rest of the album is pretty damned fine if you like this sort of thing... i certainly do. Sunday night with a beautiful drifting gem then...

tarika blue - dreamflower

down down down

Delroy Edwards is the mutherf*ckin man!! Seriously! If you like mid tempo sliced n diced beats that distort and flow like sweet sweet cream in a 70's porn flick; and you love funky crunchy cassette cut Soul loops, fat fried Boogie bits and Prince and J Dilla and 2pac and Dam Funk and... , then Delroy has your mutherf*ckin number. Mr Edwards does next generation Dilla and then some, on his Slowed Down Funk tapes for LA Club Resources, all three volumes of which can be found here. Delroy is amazingly talented; he worked as an intern at A1 Records and then with Ron Morelli behind the scenes at Long Island Electrical Systems (aka L.I.E.S.), he's also released 3 EP's through the latter, all 3 of which are mad good (though quiet different from the Slowed Down Funk tapes). It blows my mind that he's quiet young, extremely versatile and over flowing with the flow... Anyway... check the man out. Delroy's Bobby Caldwell cut up (below), is deceptively simple and offers not much insight into the complex hybrids and slo mo potions that make up his 3 volumes of genius, but it's looping in my head tonight and perhaps that is the whole point??? Caldwell's 1978 debut album is equally  jammed to the brim with heat, but the lesser played 'Down for the Third Time' always gets me in the right spot.

delroy edwards - down 4 tha 3rd time

the speed of sound

It's kind of strange that i've never posted a track by Alan Hawkshaw on anoe, he's easily one of my favourite Library Music composers and producers. It's almost impossible to fathom how much music Hawkshaw has created and again it's almost impossible to imagine how one man can have consistently produced music of such high quality. There really are so many wonderful pieces by this guy, and so many records of his i wish to own. Of course he worked mostly for KPM but he also did music for Themes International, Bruton, Music de Wolfe, XS Records, Music House and many others. His hit making Disco outfit Love de Luxe had a number 1 on the Billboard charts with 'Here Comes That Sound'; he's worked with Bowie, Madeline Bell, Donna Summer, Alec R Costadinos (on 'Love & Kisses') and many others, he's also played in at least 6 or 7 bands. Personally i would love to read a highly detailed biography on his life and music.

Anyway... off the Bruton classic 'High Adventure', the astounding 'Speed of Sound'...

alan hawkshaw - the speed of sound