Call Me Mr. Telephone

Here is a great dance song from 1985 "Call Me Mr. Telephone" from Cheyne, she was merely a teenager when this song hit number one on the US billboard dance charts that same year and it seems that was her only record.  It was released on Belgium's label Les Disque Du Crecuspule and produced by the late legendary New York DJ/Producer Mark Kamins.  I love the hooks, breaks and vocals on this song and the dub version is pure bliss. Enjoy!

Call Me Mr. Telephone - Cheyne

Call Me Mr. Telephone (Dub Version) - Cheyne

I Feel Love

During 1978, the idea of a live disco album seemed almost laughable; that the album was by the crowned Queen of Disco, Donna Summer, whose studio creations were polished to a futuristic gloss never seen before by producer/writers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, seemed unheard of. The naysayers forgot, however, that Donna Summer possessed one of the finest voices not only in disco, but in all of pop music. The live portion of this tri-folded LP combines Summer classics with unexpected but excellent covers of standards like "The Way We Were," and a medley of "The Man I Love" and "I Got it Bad and That Ain't Good." The studio material includes Summer's theme to The Deep, "Deep Down Inside" and the sublime 17-minute version of "MacArthur Park Suite"  The entire LP was mostly recorded live at the Universal Amphitheater, Los Angeles, California. The band during this recording included: Donna Summer (vocals); Mike Warren, Peter Woodford (guitar); John Santulis (violin); Dick Spencer (alto saxophone); Don Menza (tenor saxophone); Joe Romano (baritone saxophone); Bobby Shew (trumpet); Bruce Paulson (trombone); Doug Livingston (keyboards); Sal Guglielmi (bass); Keith Forsey, Richard Edelman (drums, percussion). I truly enjoy listening occasionally to this live recording on vinyl from start to finish.  On that same year, disco and Hi-NRG pioneer Patrick Cowley created a 15:45 remix of "I Feel Love" which, despite not impressing Moroder, became a popular "underground classic" available only on acetate discs. The remix used loops, keeping the song's bass-line going for extended passages of overdubbed effects and synthesiser parts.In mid-1980, Cowley's mix was released with the title "I Feel Love / I Feel Megalove" and subtitle "The Patrick Cowley MegaMix", but only on a limited vinyl pressing by the DJ-only subscription service Disconet. Since this pressing was not available to the general public for commercial sale, it became highly sought after by collectors.In 1982 the mix was released on a commercially available 12" single in the UK market by Casablanca, backed with an 8-minute edited version. With this wider release, "I Feel Love" became a dance floor hit again, five years after its debut. A further-edited 7" single reached #21 on the UK singles chart.  Enjoy!

I Feel Love (Live Version) - Donna Summer

Certain Things Are Likely

Last October,  I went out for Halloween and decided to dress up this time around as post new romantic look inspired by Boy George circa 1984. The results were hilarious and upon arriving at this local gay bar the DJ played this song that I haven't heard literally since it was released in 1987! I used to own the 12" single, dug it up and found it! Here it is in it's full glory! "Certain Things Are Likely" by KTP which was short for Kissing the Pink.  A British new wave, synthpop and dance group that had short lived success from early to mid eighties after evolving into a full on synth dance group inspired by the Human League.  This song became their most popular on the billboard dance charts and specially at the gay dance floors and it's not so hard to figure out why just by listening to the lyrics with it's ironic message of the time, along with its quirky synth house beats inviting you to sweet abandon.  Enjoy

Certain Things Are Likely (Remix) - KTP

Oh, and since I opened a can of worms here is a pic of that night along with my dear friend Matt Reynolds to my left who was dressed as Mrs. Roper. 

Relax Your Body

Here is a remix of a house classic by DFX's "Relax Your Body". It was released in 1989 and it used samples from KLF's "What Time Is Love". It was made famous in 1989 at Ibiza's Ku Club which is now Privilege. Here is the Glamjack Hip House treatment with the second half taken from Richie Rich's version as well and the original by DFX. Enjoy!

Relax Your Body - DFX

Relax Your Body (Another HipHouse Glamjack Remix)

Happy Birthday Disco Monk!

Today marks the fourth year of Disco Monk and to celebrate I decided to feature a meditative, somber reflective track from hands down the most powerful dance records of 2013.  Jon Hopkins' Immunity.  Since I didn't get a chance to do an end of year recap this time, this haunting release was top of the list.  Most of the other tracks on this release are amazingly innovative floor shakers veering on the dark yet never loosing redemptive melodic elements taking the listener on an incredible sonic ride.  This is what classical electronica should sound like.  Here is to Immunity and to many more years of Disco Monk! Enjoy

Disco Mambo: Ima Sumac

We start the February month with a disco treatment of Yma Sumac's classic "Gopher Mambo". I've always wanted to remix this campy tune by Peruvian soprano and goddess Yma Sumac. Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chavarri del Castillo was born in the seacoast city of Callao, Peru on September 13th, 1922 and it is believed she was an Inca princess. She was descendant from the last Incan emperor, Atahualpa.  She is known as a major player of exotica music for her extreme vocal range.  Enoy!

Gopher Mambo (Glamjack Disco Remix) - Yma Sumac