I Get Lifted

It's a glorious Fall Sunday in the city and it is time to tune into the spiritual side of House.  Here is the relentless classic "I Get Lifted" by house diva Barbara Tucker.  Ms. Tucker is a Brooklyn native whose impact on the dance music scene has been felt more in Europe than in her home country.  She scored a string of six #1 hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart in the 1990s and well into the 2000s and several hits on the UK Singles Chart as well.  Ms. Tucker has worked with several of the best dance music producers. She arrived on the club scene during the early '90s with the emblematic "Beautiful People" and it's always been a favorite. "I Get Lifted" has a darker thumping beat with deeper message making this a footprint song that defined the new house sound during the mid to late '90s.  Several mixes have been made of this song but The "Go To Church Mix" and the X.T.C. remain  my all time favorites! Enjoy and get lifted!

I Get Lifted (Go To Church Mix) - Barbara Tucker

I Get Lifted (X.T.C) Mix - Barbara Tucker

Saved My Life

Here is a great early '90s classic by legendary Chicago born house music producer and DJ, Lil' Louis. His actual real name is Louis Sims. "Save My Life" was featured on his follow up release Journey With The Lonely and it featured vocals by legendary club diva Joi Cardwell.  This was an album full of introspection that never lived up to the late '80s classic From The Mind Of Lil' Louis which had the huge dance floor smash "French Kiss, "Blackout" and "I Called U".  "French Kiss" revolutionized dance music and became a crossover hit and number one in many countries. Needless to say, Lonely had some great gems such as  "Club Lonely" which was another club smash and "Jazzmen".  Now that I think about it, this was released around the time when house music was way too commercial and a lot of the great producers were trying hard to brake new ground affecting their creativity.  Although "Save My Life" will never live up to "French Kiss",  it actually has aged pretty well and it is safe to say that it is now a classic and it never sounded better "....music saved my lie-e-afe". Enjoy!

Saved My Life - Lil' Louis & the World feat. Joi Cardwell

Let The Music Play

October 29th, 1983 was a defining moment in dance music when this song made it to number #1 on the Dance Chart and went on to sell over 8 million copies world wide.  "Let The Music Play" by Shannon marked the beginning of the dance-pop era of music.  By the early 1980's, the backlash against disco had driven dance music off the mainstream radio stations but the rhythmic ingenuity of this amazing song included a drum machine pattern produced by a filtered Roland TR808.  The song was produced by Mark Liggett and Chris Barbosa.  Here is the amazing extended version that probably could make any dance floor shake with it's power.  Several remixes and revisions have been made of this legendary song but never have accomplished the power of the original with one exception in 1992, when the Pet Shop Boys produced a new version for the soundtrack of The Crying Game.  The vocals by Carol Thompson were a bit mediocre and didn't do justice to the original; however, the mysteriously dark and twisted house take on this legendary song is simply sublime and you should give it a listen.  Enjoy!

Let The Music Play (Remix) - Shannon 

Let The Music Play - Pet Shop Boys feat. Carol Thompson

Everybody Dance

Here is an amazing find from this Guyanese pop, reggae, electro and disco genius Eddy Grant.  This 12" version of "Everybody Dance" is total disco bliss.  The original version is from the brilliant 1980's LP titled Love In Exile that featured many dance classics that appealed to the Loft and Cosmic DJ crowds.   This song I hear is very hard to find and it's recently having a revival among disco dance lovers on the dance floors.  Enjoy!

Everybody Dance - Eddy Grant 

Kindness

Here is this amazing new discovery that put a smile on my face recently simply because this is Arthur Russell re-incarnated! Seriously.  Same voice and sound it's and I couldn't be more thrilled with this "kindness" from the Cosmos.  Kindness is the elusive name of a London based disco producer that is clearly experimenting with '80s new wave, disco and all things Arthur Russell in a fresh way.  All of my favorite genres in dance music!   So far, they have released a song called "Swinging Party" that it's also quite beautiful and another one called "Gee Up". Both fabulous songs with a grainy synthesizer feel and gorgeous disco melodies.  I believe that Kindness will go very far!  This track will be officially released October 25th on Terrible Records and it's produced by Phillipe Zdar.  Check out the video below...I can tell some of it was shot in my neighborhood. Enjoy!

Cyan - Kindness

Cocomero

Here is a song that I'm really liking the more I listen by the Rambla Boys.  This Italian producer duo from Venice just released this fantastic EP titled Valderrambla.  It contains three original tracks and two remixes of the title song.  By far, "Cocomero" it's the winner here with a fierce, fresh and aggressive base reminding me of another fierce Italian producer, Gino Soccio during his heyday; however, these boys take it to another plateau by adding some amazing Peruvian flute instrumentation giving the song a twisted Latin flavor.  Well done boys and will be looking forward to more releases. Enjoy!

Cocomero - Rambla  Boys

Wishbone by Tantra

Happy October! In order to start this Autumn season disco proper here is an epic song by Italo Disco group Tantra. It was the master mind of Celso Valli and it became  hugely popular at the famous New York gay palace The Saint during the late '70s and early '80s.  Their  most well known track was the equally epic "Hills Of Katmandu".  "Wishbone" was similar in formula to "Hills" however this one had a more spacey, mystical Indian flavor synthesizers with a unique bass lick and those cryptic vocals giving the song a mysterious vibe.  Tantra released a full length LP called The Double Album  in 1980 and clearly made them pioneers of the Italo sound that later dominated the dance floors in the mid to late '80s.  Enjoy