So on our latest trip to Chicago we were lucky enough to get picked up at the airport in a cherry red ‘61 Chevy Impala convertible (thanks Maryrose & Elena). It’s definitely the coolest car either of us have ever been in, but what’s a cool car without a cool soundtrack?! Luckily our girls were bumping a brand new live recording of our favorite Chi-Town mixmaster, Phil Stone. If you’ve been paying attention then you know that Phil Is Ill and once again he has absolutely blasted our minds. Apparently the story is that Phil recorded this mix on a cloudy after(party)noon and when the skys opened up everyone ran outside and started dancing in the rain. For us, this beautiful blend of laid back disco grooves is absolutely perfect for all your summertime needs, especially BBQs and beaches, but most importantly a sweaty summertime bedroom! Enjoy…

Almost forgot. Since Phil is so awesome he’s once again given us one of his masterful edits to give away for free to you so click here to download.

Tracklist:
1. Dexter Wansel “The Sweetest Pain” (OOFT! Edit)
2. SOS Band “High Hopes” (Touchsoul Edit/OOFT! Rmx)
3. Cottam (Cottam 001)
4. Mark E “RnB Drunkie”
5. Janet Jackson “What Have U Done 4 Me Lately…”
6. Mr. Scruff feat. Danny Breaks “Get on down”
7. The Revenge “Music”
8. Toby Tobias “Macasu” (MCDE Rmx)
9. Mark E “One way your way”
10. The Revenge “Looking Up To You”
11. Mc Edits
12. Barry White “It’s Ecstasy When U Lay Down Next to Me..”
13. SuperValueEdits
14. Prince and Sheila E. “Love Bizarre” (Edit)
15. Robert Palmer “Dirty Girty” (Edit)
16. Fatback Band “Backstrokin”
17. Grace Jones “Pull Up to The Bumper”
18. INOJ “I Want 2 B Your Lady Baby”
19. Bill Withers “Who is he” (Henrik Schwarz Edit)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

The Adventures of Soul Clap Episode 74: Phil’s BBQ Mix aka Dancing In The Rain
SUBSCRIBE

For me, Aquarius Recordings was never just about the music, but rather a very clear aesthetic that went beyond just looking back to dance music’s roots in sound and style, but also in visual design. As you can see from the artwork pictured above (which is on the 3 records we explore later), Aquarius was looking to the past in imagery as well as layout and font, which were the same on every Aquarius record I have ever seen. The music on each Aquarius vinyl (and I can only speak for the ‘96-’99 heyday) follows the same themes as the artwork: simple, sample based and dripping with disco, soul, jazz or funk. Each track pays tribute to the narrative of American dance music, while still looking forward and pushing new boundaries in sound and technique that would lay an important piece of the foundations for the disco house explosion of the late 90’s.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Paul Jacobs – Untitled (A1) [DISCO 01 - Soul Grabber Pt. 1 - 1996]
DOWNLOAD MP3 / BUY VINYL
I just checked Paul Jacobs‘ Myspace page and the latest comment is from none other than former Roots&Future interviewee Hollis P Monroe, who shouts out Jacobs for his remix of Dreams In Digital killing it at Fabric back in 2001. I’ve never heard that remix, but I have heard enough from Jacobs to know how important he was to the disco house movement. Following in the footsteps of Chicago house artists like Gene Farris, Paul Johnson, Boo Williams and Glenn Underground, Jacobs’ Soul Grabber releases (of which this was the first) defined the harder edge of the disco house sound made so popular by Daft Punk and DJ Sneak. And while Sneak and the Frenchmen may have more staying power, from 1996-1999 Jacobs was as important as anyone in disco house.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

George Thomson – Untitled (B1) [DISCO 09 - Goin' Home EP - 1997]
DOWNLOAD MP3 / BUY VINYL
Congratulations! You’ve just been let in on a secret Soul Clap dancefloor bomb. This looped out disco house monster is by George Thomson aka The Plastic Avengers of NRK fame and who also had a release on Crosstown Rebels in 2005 called Laid Back Snack Attack.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Back Door Revelations – Untitled (B1) [DISCO 13 - 1998]
DOWNLOAD MP3 / BUY VINYL
While I’m not quite sure about the name of this EP, it was the only release under that name by  Jason Hodges , Matt Dimaria , Shams Thirani, who were better known as Jinxx. While Thirani seems to have disapeered, Hodges and Dimaria are two of Toronto’s most prolific and longstanding house producers, with releases on a laundry list of top labels. This actually isn’t our favorite track on the EP, that would be the B2 cut, but we do have to keep some of our weapons secret

We’re back from a week off (but definitely not an off week) and special guest Brenden Wesley in beams up to the mothership for a special new disco set. Plus in honor of President Elect Barack Obama we keep it positive with old school soul, disco and funk!

Tracklist:
Toney Lee – Reach Up (Kiss Mastermix Edit)
James “D-Train” Williams – Keep On (Kiss Mastermix Edit)
Donald Byrd – Love Has Come Around
Daniel Wang – Free Lovin’ (Housedream)
Motor City Drum Ensemble – Raw Cuts #4
Timmy Thomas – Why Can’t We Live Together (Shoes House Edit)
Fabrice – X-Slaves Who Changed The World
Unlimited Touch – Searching To Find The One (12″ Re-touch)
Risco Connection – Ain’t No Stopping Us Now (Dub)
Pleasure – Glide

***Brendan Wesley In The Mix***
Sammy Barbot – Mexico (Lovefinger’s Barrio Edit)
DJ Raahan – Musik
Joe Bataan – Rap-O Clap-O
Chaka Khan – Fate
Daniel Wang – Get Up, Get Up
Metro Area – Miura (Maelstrom Edit)
Runaway – Shadows
J.E.N. – Afro Maniac
Still Going – Still Going Theme
LNR – Work It To The Bone
Earth People – Dance
Betty Botox – Back To The Piano Magic
Richie Havens – Going Back To My Roots (Club Mix-Re-Edit By Mr. K)
First Choice – Let No Man Put Asunder (Creatures Edit)

***Exclusive***
Amp Fiddler – Paint The White House Black (Trusme Remix)

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Subscribe to Soul Clap Radio

LISTEN LIVE TO UTOPIA BOSTON RADIO NOW

If you’re still sleeping on Trus’me, its time to wake up! The man has been called “The most interesting and promising producer in the [UK] right now” by BBC radio’s Giles Peterson and with a mind-blowing catalogue of music released on labels like Prime Numbers (his own), Stilove4music, Fat City and shortly on dance music major Defected, its no surprise why. Trus’me is an amalgam of disco, funk and deep house and in a time when electronic and techy sounds seem to set the trend, Trus’me’s music fills in a much needed soulful void. How soulful is Trus’me? How about an almost entirely analog production studio… Check It! Or how about rumored collaboration projects with Amp Fiddler, Kissy Asplund and Boston’s own King Of Digging, DJ Kon! Now thats SOUL!

Ok, enough of us blabbing… here is a LIVE DJ SET recorded by Redbull Music Academy of Trus’me at home in Manchester, UK as well as an awesome video interview courtesy of On-Point TV.

If you like what you hear (of course you do) Trus’me will be performing for us this Saturday, June 14th from 12-2a @ Redline, 59 JFK St Cambridge, MA. This will be his debut Boston performance. Cover is $5 all night, doors @ 9p, 21+

We probably shout our dude Kon out way too much, but whatever, he’s a Boston don and he has a blog now that needs to be checked if you love disco dopeness. Just in time for the weekend he posted this mix he did awhile back. Here’s what he said about it.

“Heres another mix I did a while back, I brought a few of these on cd to Europe..sold some, gave some away. Joints from groups like, Visions of Tomorrow, Grandmaster Lover, Thunderbolt, Hi Fidelity, an exclusive mix of Family of Eves I wanna be loved by you..direct from the masters ! Check it out, plenty of treats on this one. The pic was from Bus Palladium in Paris, I didnt play any Disco (the Disco ball is in full e.f.f.e.c.t. tho!)…I ran alllloooot of hip hop that night, Amir played some funk but heads were not to open off that… As you can see from the pic I still turned it out.”

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

konsdiscoboogiemix! DOWNLOAD