I spent some time today checking out a podcast by Daniel Wang in association with Conor of the Bodytonic crew.  In it Mr. Wang goes through a few Japanese jazz-funk-disco records of the ’70s that he has turned up on his travels.  He laments the fact that, musically enthralling as they are, they just don’t work on a Western dancefloor.

Now if Daniel can’t get away with playing them on a bustling floor then it’s a given that they won’t work a crowd.  Danny is one of the most musical (and I use that word deliberately) DJs I’ve ever heard, and his more respectful dancefloors will always give him room to glide across the musical spectrum.

What got me thinking is that, as regular readers will know, I am partial to Japanese music too.  And I too have always shied away from playing them anywhere other than on here, or in a mixtape.  He has a point.  Great as they are there is just something not…quite…right…

Here’s hopng to change all that.  The Japanese jazz-funk-disco revival starts, er, here!

The Eastern Gang - Charlotte

(From the fabulously titled 1979 Gull/Miracle mini EP ‘Nippon to the Dancefloor’)

One of his answers to a question below says a lot about his deep understanding of what a music blog is, how it can work, and how ripples of information can cross geographical and generational boundaries and become influences. When asked who he would like to think might read his blog, he hoped it would be ‘an open minded and curious 14 year old who had just smoked his first spliff’. That 14 year old would have a hell of a ride, and might just end up ‘out there a minute’…

(more…)

From the Jacques and Micheline Pelzer Quartet, featuring top Belgian saxophonist Jacques and his drummer daughter in strong post-bop funk mode in the mid ’70s.

Formerly leaders of the awesome Open Sky Unit, recorded live less than a year previously.  This new line up with Michel Graillier on piano and Alby Culaz on bass was recorded live at the ‘Festival de Huy’ in May 1975.

According to the liner notes this track was only written the week before, quick work…

Jacques & Micheline Pelzer Quartet - Face Reality

I’ve had a crazy couple of weeks and not managed many updates.  However I did manage to put together a little concept mix for infinitestatemachine readers.

It’s an excellent blog and we have been twinned for quite a while now.  Check out this interview with the crew from 2007!

My mix for them, with a little blurb about what I was aiming at is here.

Feedback much appreciated.

Jez Proctor - The Eternal Journey

So it has been a while.  To tell the truth I locked myself out of the blog by accident.  My computer was acting up so a friend wiped everything to see if that would help.  Except he wiped all my passwords and logins too.

Still, I am here now…

Just dug out Road To Freedom the other day and realised it came out in 1991.  Not far off 20 years ago…bet that makes the folk older than me feel reeally old…hahaha…

Much of the album still holds up like a lot of the early Talkin’ Loud records.  Here’s the full ‘Freedom Suite’

Young Disciples - Freedom Suite (Parts I, II, III)

Killer French Pop B-side that Beniot played at the Secret Weapons gig.  Props to him for sharing what the track is…he really didn’t have to.  The night was called ‘Secret’ Weapons after all…

So I rushed out and got the 7″ and the 12″.  For the longer Disco version and the Dub.  Interestingly the 12″ calls it “C’est la quate”… No idea if that is a spelling mistake or a French joke?  Anyway Benoit is French and he told me he could never play this in France as it was such a big hit there in the ’80s, it would be too cheesy.  But in London no-one knows it and it rocks.

Anyway, here is the dub.

Caroline Loeb - C’est La Ouate

I played this last Friday. Anyone guess what it is? Recorded on my phone and the dancing green light is the power light of the monitor. Fun times.

**EDIT: You will need Firefox or Adobe Flash Player to view/listen to this. 

More jams from the record bag.  Little time to write today.  Enjoy your weekend, where-ever you are and however it starts.

Both sides of this 12″ are killer, just like the Carl Craig below, but I only recorded the first side.  Love the live breakdown bit “this is some good shit…” indeed.  Terence Parker is magic.

Seven Grand Housing Authority - Love’s Got Me High

Through the marvels of technology I have spliced the two sides of this 12″.  Both are awesome in their own way.  First up: Carl Craig’s remix of ‘People Make The World Go Round’.  He did his own take on The Stylistic’s original with his Innerzone Orchestra side project, then remixed it.

The B-Side keeps the vibe D-Town, but Carl hands it over to KDJ/Moodymann and his live band.  Amp Fiddler, Norma Jean Bell and others…

Enjoy.

Innerzone Orchestra- People Make The World Go Round (Remixes)

photo by ellis scott

Fancy taking a trip to a dark pub in East London? It’s a few days before Valentine’s, and it is unusually cold outside. In fact, it is snowing when I get there.

I’ve been asked to participate in a night called Secret Weapons, run by Bill & Frank from DJHistory.com. Guest DJ on the night will be Prins Thomas - playing for free, so as you can imagine it is a roadblock of eager young boys and girls.

The night is about playing gems that might not mean anything to anyone else but work for you. I turned up with a bag of House and a mixture of other bits and pieces, not sure what time I would be on. As it turned out I was on before Prins and the room was buzzing. There was a Hard Disk recorder plugged in, unfortunately into the MIC not LINE pathway. As a result you get the full flavour of the pub in all its chat and banter…the music is only getting recorded off the speakers, not directly, which is why it is so quiet at the beginning.

I’m only putting this up for a bit of fun, a little live mix and a document of a fun night that all came together quite randomly, and very last minute. What with the unexpected set time I took it easy and pulled records relating to Valentine’s, secrets, the weather, and the dearly missed and recently departed John Martyn and Mike Francis…oh and I threw on a Prins Thomas record at the end just for good measure…

Jez Proctor -Live @ Secret Weapons