We’re thrilled to announce that we are hosting a new monthly show on Manchester’s community radio station Ripe Radio.
Our new show, titled Juicy Fruit, airs every fourth Saturday from 5pm to 7pm. Each show will feature a mix of music, chat and interviews.
Read more HERE
Jed has done a UK Garage Xmas Mix to help us end 2020 on a bit of a positive note.
We’ll be going back to the 90s/00s for this half-hour Xmas UK garage sesh, remembering good times we had and better times to come.
Pop this in your earphones on a run/walk and you’ll probably do it faster 😉
So here we are. Welcome to the new decade!
The world has suddenly become an even weirder place. You’re at home and in isolation. You miss the club, you miss the community, you miss the social and physical contact of other human beings. You miss THE PARTY. What are you going to do?
In these surreal times there are two things we can all rely on to provide life-affirming energy. Music and dancing.
We would like to present to you a selection of club classics, dancefloor heaters, and straight-up bangers to help you through the long hours.
1. Loose Joints – Is It All Over My Face (Female Vocal) (Larry Levan Remix) (West End 1980)
Loose is right. One of the great things about Arthur Russell’s disco songs is that they feel more like jams. Everything sounds so organic, so loose and effortless that you feel like you’re eavesdropping on the best studio session ever. You’re right there, hearing the ideas form and feeling the feeling between the players. Arthur was a nightmare for record labels as he couldn’t work to deadlines or really finish a piece of music, but therein lies the beauty. It’s the sketches that show the thought processes and the initial forming of shapes and colours. Add Arthur’s cello and what you have is a genuinely unique sound.
2. Liquid Liquid – Optimo (Optimo Remix) (Domino 2008)
Pleasing in so many ways. Firstly, Optimo’s remix makes up for the original version’s scant running time. Secondly, what I really like about this version is that while it’s pretty faithful to the original it feels nicely positioned in clubbier territory. The treatment is subtle and considered. It also hits harder in some ways, not least because the drums sound like they’ve been tweaked to give a more pumping vibe. The additional reverb-drenched trumpet melody gives it an early PigBag / Maximum Joy vibe, which seems entirely appropriate.
3. Diana Ross – Love Hangover (Tamla Motown 1976)
“I don’t want a cure for this”. Me neither, Diana. If only actual hangovers sounded like this though. I’d like first to give massive props to my fellow bandmate Emma for introducing me to this song, for which I will be eternally grateful. It’s an undeniably beautiful composition and arrangement. The break (just listen to those hi-hats), tempo change and flawless groove really tug the soul in the way only classic-era disco songs can.
4. Terr – Energy Sync (Club Mix) (Phantasy Sound 2019)
A peak-hour banger from Brazilian-born, Berlin-based DJ Daniela Caldellas on Erol Alkan’s London imprint Phantasy Sound. A blend of electro and disco with a classic sound, it’s an ecstatic dancefloor monster full of sensual energy and built around a heartfelt and vulnerable refrain. The perfect tune for a dark, sweaty club somewhere in the heart of Kreuzberg.
5. North End – Kind Of Life (Kind Of Love) (West End 1979)
Proof that, contrary to what mainstream documentaries about disco would have us believe, disco was definitely NOT dead by 1979. It simply went back underground. I first heard snippets of this mega-soulful Arthur Baker tune in the documentary The Godfather of Disco: Mel Cheren, and pretty much had to go out and buy it straight away (well, a reissue of it). It’s the kind of tune that never fails when and wherever I play it in a set. It’s the epitomy of the life-affirming disco anthem.
6. Luke Vibert – Yeah (Afro Acid 2018)
I picked up a vinyl copy of this RSD 2018 release at Musicland in Budapest on a cold January afternoon in 2019. This one is definitely a standout, my other favourite being Gary Gamble’s Acid Icon. It’s just a vibin’, nasty, wobbly acid banger.
7. James White And The Blacks – Contort Yourself (August Darnell Remix) (ZE Records 2003)
A match made in heaven. James White’s (now James Chance) New York no wave scratchy funk classic given the four-to-the-floor disco treatment by August Darnell (more famously known for fronting Kid Creole And The Coconuts), with Bob Blank on production credits. I remember myself and a pal both losing our minds the first time we heard this in a club. An old band of mine was lucky enough to support James Chance And Les Contortions above a sushi bar in Manchester around 15 years ago. Be sure to check out the original version too.
8. Kerri Chandler – Bar A Thym (Nite Grooves 2005)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw5j9VOqy9A
A recent revelation for me, thanks to my DJ partner The Boogie Monster, and I must give great thanks because it’s now one of my favourites. It’s one of those absolutely unrelenting deep, dark, hypnotic Chandler bangers you can’t stop yourself dancing to. It’s just such a tight groove and doesn’t give in until you are losing yourself on the dancefloor. It’s a bit like the Terminator only more fun. The cowbell pattern and that little syncopated rhythmic turnaround every four bars – GOD DAMN.
9. Radiance Featuring Andrea Stone – You’re My Number 1 (Are ‘n Be Records 1983)
This M&M (Morales & Munzibai) mix of Radiance’s New York boogie classic is, for me, a benchmark of the genre, and is one of my favourite post-disco club records of all time. For the uninitiated, boogie is a sub-genre characterized by its more r&b-tinged, slower grooves and it’s use of both acoustic and traditional rock instruments (live drums, bass guitar), and drum machines and synthesizers. As much as I love Andrea Stone’s vocal it’s all about the bass line and drum loop, which are so satisfying I’d be happy just listening to those two parts on repeat.
10. Lazywax – Santa Catarina (Lazywax 2020)
One of the comments on You Tube says “this song makes me want to quit my job and buy a yacht”. Well, quite. Lazywax is the project of DJs Hans Müller & Wolfgang Schneider and this is my favourite release so far on their self-titled imprint. Just waiting for a vinyl release which, under current circumstances, could be a long way off. Anyway, it’s a breezy, chunky, disco bomb with a playful Latin feel and some really solid production. The ascending synth part that begins in the breakdown sounds very reminiscent of Daft Punk’s Crescendolls.
11. Marquis Hawkes – Sunset (Houndstooth 2018)
Equally as potent played at sunset or sunrise, this release on Fabric Records’ Houndstooth imprint was definitely one of my favourite dance albums of 2018, with this being one of two standout tracks (the other being We Should Be Free). In my humble opinion deep house can sometimes be a sub-genre full of generic and forgetable music, but this has just the right vibe and balance for me. It’s soulful, swinging, and summery.
12. The Units – High Pressure Days (Rory Phillips Remix) (Relish 2009)
San Francisco trio The Units were part of the city’s synthpunk movement that emerged during the early 1980s and which borrowed heavily from genres such as Krautrock, no wave and punk, replacing guitars with synthesizers. Other notable acts from this movement include The Screamers and Suicide. I actually like this Rory Phillips rework more than the original and it’s one of those records people always ask about when you play it in a set.
13. Omni Featuring Connee Draper – Out Of My Hands (Long Version) (Fountain 1981)
The original version of a song later re-released in 1987 as a Frankie Knuckles-produced rework by Unfinished Business. Not sure which version I prefer but the original has a less-produced disco/boogie feel and sound, with the rework having a more kick-heavy polished kind of vibe going on. Either way, it’s a pure Chicago banger with a great bass line and a pounding drum track.
14. Mosca – Bax (Numbers 2011)
Ah, UK garage. A much-maligned genre these days. I admit that this is one of only three UK garage records I own, but I’m completely unashamed in my love for it. I wouldn’t say it’s a typical Mosca record as he seems to hop across different styles quite a lot, but it’s still my favourite song of his. The swung hi-hat pattern, the classic wub-wub bass line, the occasional syncopation which breaks from the 2 and 4 backbeat are, for me, the defining parts of this tune. And all talk aside, it just totally slays in the club.
15. The Jackson Sisters – I Believe In Miracles (Prophecy 1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MYdr8Fkah0
Quite simply unfuckablewith (or unfuckwithable if you prefer) soulful funky magic from 1973. A record I can listen to any time of the day or night. Originally hailing from Compton LA, the Jackson Sisters recorded just one self-titled album for Tiger Lily in 1976. This was their most successful song and it’s easy to see why. It’s just one of those records one never tires of, from the funky in-the-pocket groove to the beautiful vocals. If this song doesn’t move your heart and soul, well, you’re probably dead.
16. Jodeci – Freek’N You (MK Dub) (ZAC 1995)
A peak-hour house monster that just bangs hard. I have very happy memories of playing this one at the last Anthology Brewery rave back in February this year, when the world felt almost normal (whatever that means!). It always brings whistles, whoops and smiles from everyone in the room. Fair to say it’s the sassiest tune on this list?
17. Prince – 17 Days (Zach Witness Version) (Purple Witness 2019)
Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore Prince. I remember how excited I was at age 14 somehow getting into the Regent cinema in Redcar to see Purple Rain. That film and album made such a huge impression on me and his death affected me greatly. Anyway, here’s a stomping rework of a pre-Purple Rain song, which I wouldn’t have necessarily thought I would love as much as I do, but then what’s not to love? It’s a beautiful gospel-influenced vocal put to a disco beat and a reverb-drenched conga pattern. Bingo.
18. Alisha – All Night Passion (Jordan Nocturne Edit) (Nocturne 2019)
Tune alert! Alisha was a Brooklyn-born singer who had three albums on Vanguard, RCA and MCA between 1985 and 1990. I don’t often say this but this recent JN edit improves on the original through some considered tweaks to both the production and arrangement. The beefed-up drums and synth bass really drive the tune and give the composition a tighter, tougher feel than the original. Either way, it’s just a great tune with that unmistakable early 1980s New York electro/boogie sound I love so much. It could easily be an early Madonna song.
19. Happy Mondays – WFL (Wrote For Luck) (Vince Clarke Remix) (Elektra 1988)
Whilst I’m not really a massive HM fan by any means, I do love this tune and remix. It will forever have a place in my heart because it triggers happy memories of sixth form college and summers spent messing around and getting drunk with good pals in the North Yorkshire countryside.
20. M’Bamina – Kilowi Kilowi (JD Twitch Edit) (A7 Edits 2019)
M’Bamina’s 1982 cut ‘Kilowi-Kilowi’ gets the JD Twitch treatment on London / Paris label Africa Seven. What you get from this considered rework by one half of the much-loved Glasgow label and DJ duo Optimo is an understated, laid-back disco groove . M’Bamina (meaning Lightning) was a band from Italy made up of musicians from Congo, Benin and Cameroon.
To coincide with the terrestrial broadcast of Jeremy Deller’s documentary film Everybody In The Place: An Incomplete History of Britain 1984-1992 we thought we’d take a look at some of our favourite proto-house songs from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s.
What is proto-house? We tend to use the term to describe songs and sounds from the post-disco / pre-house period that signalled what was to come in dance music in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Though we often think of house music (and more specifically rave culture) as a 90s movement it has been argued that the seeds of house were actually sown more than a decade earlier. We’d like to present a selection of songs which give us an insight into where some of the musical ideas and sounds of house music originate from.
1. You Don’t Know – SERIOUS INTENTION (Easy Street 1984)
I have to admit that the first time I heard this song I didn’t really get what was so great about it, but it’s often said that the mark of a great song is that it improves with every listen. Here we have a classic case of less is more. The simplicity of the composition is exactly what I didn’t get at first but when I really got it I understood that the use of space and the minimal approach to instrumentation are what make it so good. And therein lies the key to many a great house tune.
2. Walkin’ on Sunshine – ROCKERS REVENGE Featuring DONNIE CALVIN (Streetwise / London 1982)
A benchmark for me in so many ways. I have so much love for this song (or rather version, as the original was written by Eddy Grant) because it captures a really exciting period in dance music and pretty much contains something from every sub-genre from that time. The early to mid-80s was arguably one of the most experimental periods in the history of dance music, not least because of the use of both live instrumentation (bass guitars, acoustic percussion etc) and drum machines and synthesizers.
You might think me insane for suggesting that house music was present in dance music as early as 1982 but just listen to that breakdown at the six-minute mark. Pure house vibin’.
3. Electric Baile (Commercial Mix) – MASTER PLAN (Sunset 1986)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joUzl0j8jTo
A record that always makes it into my DJ sets to the point where I probably play it too often, but it’s just a peak-hour banger. On first listen I thought that it sounded way too European to be from Chicago but it’s good to have your ideas and expectations challenged by music sometimes isn’t it? This song opened my ears to a different Chicago sound and really made me realise how varied a community it really was back then.
This one has a great pounding kick and snare and gnarly synth bass line. Together with the conga pattern and sweet vocal it’s a pretty irresistible mix.
4. Let Me Down Easy – RARE PLEASURE (Cheri 1976)
1976?! Yes, really. I mean, listen to that piano motif. Okay, so it’s a stretch to call this song proto-house but along with Dancin’ And Prancin’ by Candido (Salsoul 1979) it does shine a light on the roots of the classic house piano hook and helps us understand the lineage from disco to house.
It’s one of my favourite ever songs and was also a eureka moment for me in terms of my love for disco. It’s a beautiful composition and is one of the first disco songs that really connected with me in a big way. I still think it’s really ahead of its time too.
5. Release The Tension – J-A GROOVE (Studio 1986)
Another favourite that rarely leaves my record bag between DJ sets. The artist name is apt. It has such a tight groove and I love the overall production on this one. The original is a Boyd Jarvis composition and as far as I know there are several versions of it including one featuring Colonel Abrams, however this one is my favourite. It’s just really pumpin’ and soulful.
6. The Music Got Me – VISUAL (Prelude 1983)
“When the weekend comes around, I can’t wait to hit the dance floor”. Pretty good lyric to open a song with. Here’s another Boyd Jarvis creation which is one of the more well-documented proto-house jams. Boyd was definitely ahead of his time and sadly passed away last year, arguably still without the credit he deserved.
Jarvis created a musical sound through the use of home made, reel to reel and hand-played sparse synthesizer & drum machine tracks that were featured extensively as overdubs on early-mid ’80s NYC WBLS FM “extended music sweeps” with DJs Timmy Regisford and later, Merlin Bobb.
7. Through The Night (Dub Mix I) – BLUE MODERNE (Sunnyview 1986)
I hadn’t heard this jam prior to buying the Running Back Presents Front compilations, which are a celebration of Hamburg’s Front club (which hosted parties from 1983 to 1997) and its residents Klaus Stockhausen and Boris Dlugosch.
I particularly love the moment where the instrumentation kicks in at around 1:15 and the way the mix moves along from there. The super-soulful vocal by Audrey Wheeler really lifts the whole arrangement and it’s a very classy mix overall.
8. Call Me Mr Telephone (Street Dub Mix) – ANSWERING SERVICE (Third Label 1984)
Another song featured on the Running Back comp series, this Italo monster features a sweet gnarly bass line and heaps of reverb and delay applied to the drums and percussion. I love the double-time kick in the early breakdown followed by the rap and the atmospheric synths that come in and out through the track. It doesn’t really move anywhere in terms of melodic development but it doesn’t need to, it’s just a great groove and sometimes that’s all you need.
9. Out’A The Box (Club Vocal Dub) – JIRAFFE (GoldQwest 1988)
There are lots of great things about this jam from 1988. The drum programming, pumpin’ production, and the sparse funky arrangement make it impossible not to move to. You could argue that it isn’t specifically proto-house as it was made at the time house music had already developed some of its signature sounds and an identity, but I’m including it because it sits so well next to any post-disco or house track and everytime I play it in a set at least one person asks me what it is.
That semiquaver snare roll gets me every time. Love it.
10. Dancing Therapy – INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SYSTEM (Emergency 1984)
I first heard this Italo banger in a record shop in London and it was one of those moments where you just like the look of a record and then you listen to it and wonder how or why you haven’t ever heard it before. Having thought I was alone in my love for it and having never heard it anywhere in a DJ set or playlist I heard it at a Love Muscle party in Leeds sometime last year and it was wonderful to know that I wasn’t alone in my admiration for it.
Born in the Bronx, New York, John Morales made his name as an editor, remixer and producer, and as a DJ at clubs such as Studio 54, Limelight and Stardust Ballroom.
For a large part of his early career Morales worked alongside Sergio Munzibai, and utilising their heritage (Morales is of Puerto Rican descent) they distinguished themselves with their Latin percussion-heavy arrangements and remixes, known collectively as the M&M Mixes.
Here we present 10 of our favourite Morales remixes and productions. Enjoy.
1. Barely Breaking Even – UNIVERSAL ROBOT BAND (Moonglow Records 1982)
Where else to begin than with a song many regard as Morales’ masterpiece. It’s hard to disagree with that opinion because it’s just so damn good, from the outrageous bass guitar (pushed right up front in the mix) to the way the instrumentation and orchestration weave in and out, building and dropping. Add to that an incredible vocal from Leroy Burgess and jaw-dropping musicianship from his fellow LOGG band members, it’s a collaboration made in heaven.
Before I heard this song I wouldn’t have thought it possible that an 11-minute jam with a drummer playing barely anything more than a kick drum could be so funky and satisfying.
2. Nice and Soft (Uptown Version) – WISH ft. LA-RITA GASKIN (Perspective 1981)
Another post-disco Morales gem that is just New York through and through, from the sultry keys at the beginning to that squelching synth bass line. There are a few versions of this and being a drummer I do generally prefer the ‘drummier’ version with it’s crazy fills and syncopated snare hits, but this Morales mix is certainly no slouch and does include some of those busier drum parts in the breakdown.
New York producer and songwriter Greg Carmichael (famed for his collaborations with Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess) also appears here on arranging duties.
3. Saturday Night, Sunday Morning – THELMA HOUSTON (Universal UMC 2014)
It’s a shame this remix was a CD-only release as I hate CDs and would pretty much kill to have this on a 12. Hey ho. One of Morales’ recent treatments in which he really ramps up the kick sound and polishes the production so it shimmers with a really clarity and crispness. Aside from the technical elements it’s just such a soulful song and a super-tasteful treatment, and quite frankly once it’s kicked in I never want it to end.
One of Morales’ great talents is the way he considers the space and uses everything in the composition to get the maximum impact out of the orchestration and the individual parts. Listen to the way he allows the string section to sing on its own for parts of the song, maximising the emotional effect. Stunning.
4. I’m Caught Up (In A One Night Love Affair) – INNER LIFE (Prelude 1979)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNIV8SzIc5k
Where to start. Difficult to accurately describe my feelings for this song in a couple of paragraphs but I’ll give it a shot.
People often talk about disco being dead by 1979. Not so. Disco simply went back underground where it nurtured its roots once more, to give us incredible songs such as this. From the heart-wrenching vocal by Jocelyn Brown (and those “ah-ah-ah-ah, caught up!” backing voices) to the lush strings and sweet chord changes, it really is a thing of beauty and there’s always plenty of whistling and hollering from the dance floor whenever I play it out. Morales also produced the full album of the same name.
5. Do You Wanna Lover (Club Mix) – HOT BOX (Polydor 1983)
Dodgy name aside, this banger from 1983 displays all the percussive hallmarks of a Morales production: layers of agogo bells and cowbells over drum machine beats and a seriously wicked breakdown where you hear nothing except drums and percussion. I’m a sucker for live acoustic percussion over sequenced classic drum machine sounds, particularly the Linn Drum kick and snare.
This one has a vibe reminiscent of The System’s ‘You Are In My System’ and is a great example of the early electro / proto-house sound that got kids breakdancing all over the damn place.
6. Breakin Down (Sugar Samba) (JM After-Session M&M Mix) – JULIA & COMPANY (Columbia 1983)
Staying with 1983 here’s a somewhat lighter but no less potent jam with a really swinging Latin vibe and some great drum programming (those triplet tom rolls!). One of the things I love about this is that even though it’s a really busy arrangement at times it’s never not funky. It has a fun and joyful air but it still feels raw somehow. Sits nicely in a DJ set next to Teena Marie, too.
7. Lay It On The Line (After-Session M&M Mix) – LOGG (Salsoul 1981)
I could probably make a favourite list of Morales mixes that feature Leroy Burgess and his LOGG compadres as there’s so many great ones.
This one is a strong contender for numero uno, because it actually improves on the original (sorry, Leroy!) in two ways. Firstly, it absolutely rejoices in all the individual voices and elements of the composition, and I don’t know about you but I want to hear those elements, one by one, until everything is pumping away. It’s just so satisfying. Secondly, it takes a more polite original version and bumps the rhythm and bass guitars right up to maximum effect, making it twice as funky. It’s a bonafide boogie bomb.
8. Down For Double (After-Session M&M Mix) – CUBIE BURKE (Rissa Chrissa 1983)
This was Cubie’s only solo effort (he spent most of his career as a professional dancer) but it’s made the cut here simply because it’s a fine example of boogie and of Morales clean, tight remixing approach. It’s a low-key affair for sure, and not quite as developed as some of his reworks but it has a classy vibe and great groove, especially in the brilliantly-phrased bass guitar part. Recorded at Blank Studios by the legendary Bob Blank.
9. Once Is Not Enough (Dub Mix) – LEON LOVE (Still Rising 1984)
1984 was a good year in the post-disco, pre-house club landscape. Take Rocker’s Revenge’ dub/electro/proto-house masterpiece ‘Walking On Sunshine’ which for me embodies the experimental nature and musical joy of that period. When you listen to it you hear disco, garage, electro, house, all in one song. This Morales dub mix from the same year shares some of the same characteristics and I think I prefer it to the a-side.
10. You And I Together – BRENDA GOOCH (Salsoul 1981)
A new discovery for me and while it isn’t in the league of Morales’ well-known classic mixes I wanted to include something slightly more obscure because we’ve all heard ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ and ‘Hooked On Your Love’ a hundred times, right? Of course there’s a reason why those remixes are so highly regarded, but just for the sake of curiosity and interest I thought I’d end on this one.
Really feeling the intro here, in particular the repeating ‘flats in Dagenham’ snare drum and tom fill, the descending piano motif, and the unexpected but altogether soulful chord changes.
© Galaxians 2012-2025