At the close of the 1970s, just a couple of years after the classic psych-funk of Float, Wilf Ekanem and crew trained their frazzled peepers on Disco. Two classics here to blow your soul on fire.
Crafted, varied EP from Kenneth Lay and Jason Carr, out of the Metasplice milieu in Philly. A couple of ant nests, a droner with an mbalax tic, and a monster-crunchy, sun-up soundscape. Boot cyan lean.
The very first Basic Channel.
A quarter of an hour of Enforcement, plus a Jeff Mills remix, and an ameliorative dub.
Still thrillingly no-prisoners and 100% unmissable.
DJ Richard, Galcher Lustwerk, Young Male and Morgan Louis (not necessarily in that running order).
Anthony Doyley is the singer on The Classics’ Civilization. Here he is tearing up the mic ten years later in 1980, two years after Knowledge stopped at the Black Ark.
Imagine being managed by Tapper Zukie.
Right on for the darkness. Twelve minutes of shifting, sunken drones, massive kicks, shimmering veils of free-jazz drums, bells, synths. Warehouse runnings scared witless by Unit Moebius and Shitcluster on the flip.
Four unhinged, starkers dashes through the outernational dancehall by Saam Schlamminger (aka Chronomad) and Burnt Friedman. Ace.
Live, organic, cosmic house from the master for the fiftieth SS. Slow-burning electro-boogie — synths over a clicking, swaying, volatile beat — and a more uptempo jazz trip, with dusty, wacked-out breaks.
Classy, spaced funk, originally issued in 1981 by Phonodisk, the most ambitious Nigerian label at that time. The Mighty Flames band expertly blends an Afro-cocktail of Roy Ayers, Kool And The Gang, Chic…
In its full-length glory, from the great man’s 1980 LP Journey To The One; plus his version of the Marvin Gaye classic, from his 1978 LP Love Will Find A Way, with Norman Connors.
Both recordings luxuriating on 12” for the first time.
Previously unreleased house from southside Chicago, 1989.
Text-book BH GBH. A charged, densely rhythmic, super-ominous re-deployment of classic 80s sci-fi noir, shot through with spaced-out effects. Ekman in his best Robert Armanis on the flip.
Bracing portions of the screaming abdabs dressed as naked, hooligan machine-funk — fizzing, stomping, juddering and going mental in the furnace of high noon like whizzed-up children of the hydra’s teeth.
Tough UK digi. Shaka-business from the Waan You veteran, who came through with Light Of Saba in the seventies, and sparred in Ijahman Levi’s breakthrough. Aka Kick The Hobbit because of a typo on the original label.
Billie Jean UK-dubwise. A police-shoot-out scenario, with gunshots, sirens and a daft vocal interjection — Book im, Danno — plus burning horns. Original copies.