KILLER KUTS #9

Oddball Tuff Gong release here. Junior Tucker couldnt be more than 14 years on this recording. Perhaps they were going for the Michael Jackson market, fusing r&b and disco? Its tough to tell, but what i do know is this record contains some pretty sick tracks. Tracking down decent reggae-disco is pretty tough, but finding reggae-boogie is a whole other animal. The tracks on this record are split between standard reggae and the killer reggae-boogie. The track "Take A Message" is especially insane. But the production is pretty rad in a lo-fi, gritty reggae way. Very soulful music with vocals resembling a slightly older Foster Sylvers in his prime. Sparse arrangement with tinny drums and almost "cosmic" keyboards". Plus Junior's adolescent "crooning" tops it off perfectly. PLUS you get a sort of disco "dub" version of the same song as the next track with the instrumental and a few vocals thrown in! Very odd, and super!!!

KILLER KUTS #8

Very early disco track issued on 45 (???), on yellow vinyl (!!!).... Was this ever released on 12"? Anyone have it on 12", send a picture over and I will post it. Wonderfully lo-fi and very loose NYC disco from 1975 performed by the reggae influenced DISCO DUB BAND. Truly ahead of their time, they blended bass/hi-hat heavy reggae style production, and some funk. A true original blend that would become the norm almost 5 years later when the disco punks take over. This can even pass for an early Dinosaur L demo perhaps??? The instrumental is definitely the better side, where the band gets to 'jam' more. Oh yeah, this is supposed to be a cover of the Isley Brothers classic, but you can barely tell. Most bands would take the signature bass line from the song, but Disco Dub Band makes it their own.

MIKE SIMONETTI djing IN SWEDEN

attn Swedes:
come out and say hello....

*Wed 9/9 - Rollerboys*
Venue: Fredsgatan 12, Stockholm
Hours: 9.00 pm - 4.00 am
Web: www.rollerboys.se
Myspace: www.myspace.com/rollerboys
*
Thurs 10/9 - Caviar*
Venue: Uppåt Framåt, Göteborg
Hours: 9.00 pm - 2.00 am
Web: www.cvr.se
Myspace: www.myspace.com/mycaviar

*Sat 12/9 - Special Peoples Club / Julian Red*
Venue: A-Huset, Copenhagen
Hours: 9.00 pm - 4.00 am
Web: www.specialpeoplesclub.dk/
Myspace: www.myspace.com/specialpeoplesclub

IS IT A MIRAGE????????

Get ready my friends. This is just the beginning... We are inches away from our first vinyl release-- approx 12 inches away.

Myspace - round 2

this is our second go-round with Myspace.. please join us! it is in the infancy stages, but we will add musics from our artists very soon, as well as other infos. keep yr eyes open.

http://www.myspace.com/vivaitalians

SECRET TRACKS RECEIVED

just received some tracks via email for Italians first ever vinyl release. Brilliant new artist we discovered on the west coast. He delivered the goods 100%, to say the least! Your heads are gonna be blown!

layout issues?

so, as you know, i am not a web design savvy guy. i noticed this looks kinda weird on different browsers. it looks good on Firefox, but does the blog look all fucked up on Explorer or other browsers? please leave a cxomment to let me know! thanx./

KILLER KUTS #7

***guest review by Steve Shakewell

Stop scratchin your head. You do not need glasses. Session player
extraodrinare and jazz fusion keyboardist, David Grusin put out a
12" (recorded live in concert from Japan'81)with his NY/LA Dream
Band, which actually was penned by fellow GRP man, Dream bandmate,
guitarist Lee Ritenour. There is a 12" for his original version too,
but the Grusin one is the gem. "Countdown" is pure disco-fied jazz
with a 4/4 beat, and is complimented by both breezy and blazing
guitar, mellow keyboard, along with some filter sound effects, and
whistles throughtout. The actual cowntown (to what exactly?) is
announced via a vocoder/vox box (remember 1983). The 12" has a few
different versions of it, including the special DJ remix which is the
one featured on the upcoming Sharegroove mixCD. For all you yacht
rockers out there, here's your crossover song. For you all completist
discoheads, Herb Powers Jr :) mastered this one.

dj_shakewell@yahoo.com

KILLER KUTS #6

Charme was a session band for RCA Records, and recorded an lp that was as mellow as this song. A young Luther Vandross also appears on the Charme lp, and he sings on "Georgy Porgy" as well. This song encapsulates the polished sound and metropolitan vibe of the 80's. The original was done by Toto in 1978, but this version is definitely smoother and more soulful. (Not to mention it takes me back to being a kid in the 80's and listening to a.m. radio in the car with my parents...) The commercial version had "Georgy Porgy" as the b-side, with the lesser known "Do It for Love" as the a-side. But Georgy Porgy's underground success in the clubs soon turned it a hit on the soul and AOR music charts. Track down the promo only version with the instrumental b-side- it is a killer kut, as they say.

KILLER KUTS #5

This is the 'Benguin Anthem', as i like to call it. Throw "Deep Inside" on and he will be out there pumping his fist like the crazy Italian he is. The dub is also quite special , if you ask me. The other two songs on this ep are your trademark Maters At Work soulful house. "Deep Inside" transcends most house of the early 90's. This is definitely in my top 10 favorite house tracks of all time. Get the bootleg with "Follow Me" on the b-side and get all 'Red Zone-d' out and shit! But dont forget your baggy pants....

KILLER KUTS #4

Special double shot, since i'm going away for the weekend. There is also a 7" and 12" version of this on BMC Records. Good luck with that one mates.... I couldn't find out much about how Sandy Steel decided to record the Delta 5 track (which has become a staple with the "kids" these days). You throw on the Delta 5 version and the kids go nuts. You throw on the Sandy Steel version and the kids go nuts- mainly because these sound so much alike. Steel's version is a little faster, and there is an extended cowbell breakdown in the middle, making it a lot longer than the Delts 5 version. Plus, Steel's vocals are more monotone and 'dark' than the aggro Delta 5 track. And theres a sparse keyboard in there to compliment the flat bass playing. Delta 5's bass playing shreds compared to Steel's mystery band. It's still fun to throw on and show off to the record nerds every now and then. :)

KILLER KUTS #3

I can't do a 'blog' without mentioning my "uncle" Claudio. Besides having the best last name EVER, the man was responsible for a lot of the Italo classics Dan Selzer brought to NY 5 years ago. Vivien Vee is pretty hit or miss when it comes to her actual songs. A lot of them are on the border of cheesy/new wave stuff, but "Alright" is definitely a-ok! Giancarlo Meo produced a lot of stuff with Claudio, and Meo actually helped write this track. Simonetti's productions were always synth-heavy, and this is no different. Vivien's vocals are high in the mix, and full of reverb, and there are prevalent electric guitars- giving the song a punky edge.

KILLER KUTS #2

Larry Levan's remix of 'Dont Tell Me' is one of my all-time favorites of
his. The track usually stands in the shadow of 'Walking Into Sunshine', but
I prefer 'Dont Tell Me'. The vocals dont kick in for a while, so it just
goes on and on with the awesome intro. This 11 minute mix was never released
in the USA. You gotta track down the import that came out in 1981 to get
this proto-boogie version, but its worth it.

KILLER KUTS #1

This has been a favorite of mine for the past few weeks. In NYC its tough to play the slower stuff, even with the 'cosmic' craze that has taken over the internet. The kids still want to hear the more upbeat stuff in the clubs. But i dont give a shit! Cassiano is a Brazilian master, known more for his funk than his disco. The b-side "Central Do Brasil" is definitely funky, and it sounds more like 1974 than 1977. But "Onda" is the standout here with almost 8 minutes of mellow bliss.

Italians No. 1

Italians Do It Better #1 is out now!!! Officially ONE YEAR LATE!! But worth it! The Jacques Renault mix cd. The debut release for the Italians. Professionally spraypainted covers. Professionally mixed tracks. This dude spins around NYC all the time. He has a weekly party every Thursday at Tribeca Grand called 'ISS'. Over 70 minutes of music, 300 made, almost sold out already! Peep the man himself at: http://myspace.com/jacquesrenault

track listing:
- B.W.H. - Livin Up
- One Two Three - Runaway (Instrumental)
- Gino Soccio - Remember
- Trilogy - Not Love (Instrumental)
- The Nick Straker Band - A Little Bit of Jazz
- Lindstrom - er bestemor paa moten
- Tony Cook and The Party People - On The Floor (Rock-It)
- Detroit Grand Pubahs - Big Onion (Joakim "Slap On It" Remix)
- Electric Mind - Zwei (Dub Version)
- Mya & The Mirror - Hesitation
- My Mine - Hypnotic Tango (Instrumental)
- Photocall - Silver Clouds (Hot Version)
- Liz Torres feat Edward Crosby - Can't Get Enough (Dub)
- MU - Paris Hilton
- Matzo & Pauli - Matzo & Pauli Viewlexx EP
- Skatt Bros. - Walk the Night
- Prins Thomas - Diskomiks Rong EP
- Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom - Rise (DFA Remix)
- Shirley Lites - Heat You Up (Melt You Down) Melt Down Mix
- Shelley - Give It To Me

This cd is distributed exclusively by TMU. Order at www.troublemanunlimited.com

People Of Earth....

We are here! Italians Do It Better is a new label by friends based in the NYC area. We have tons of killer shit coming out in the future. The debut Italians release is OUT NOW!!! The future will bring you the "Trendy Edits" 12" series with edits by world famous djs/producers. We also plan to continue to bring you mix cds by our friends. And to top it off , we have some high priority projects planned by our west coast affiliate in the PDX. More on all that later... For now, buy the Jacques Renault cd.

IDIB is exclusively distributed by Troubleman Unlimited. Order all our stuff there:
www.troublemanunlimited.com

OR:
Buy our shit at A1 Records in NYC.