Mike on Beats In Space (again)

Totally forgot to mention this...I just djed on Beats
In Space to promote the little Sweden trip with Tim.
(see dates below)

There was an unfortunate dj 'incident' right after
Eddie Kendricks. Shit happens i guess. Its all
about song selection with this set!

Otherwise, it wasnt too bad. Feel free to criticize
me on my skills on the interactive vivaitalians
blog. Live drummers man... Its a love/hate thing
when it comes to mixing those fuckers sometimes.

I specifically played some blog tracks as well.
You can download the show or listen live at the
link below. Tim held it down though.

http://wnyu.org/
http://www.beatsinspace.net

KILLER KUTS #32

LTG Exchange were a criminally under-appreciated NYC
Latin group, with many many amazing songs. These
are just a few of them.
Corazon is yet another disco classic. Dimitri, Idjut
Boys, Jellybean Benitez, and a zillion more djs have
either comped it, cited it, or simply made it famous.
The song is the epitome of Latin disco funk. It simply
smokes. Its nearly perfect. BUT, if you want a real
killer track, Waterbed is insane. Not as Latin-
influenced as Corazon, Waterbed takes on a more
funky disco style, and at times can sound like a Latin
disco version of the funk band Makossa. The instrumental
is superior because the drums really stand out.

The 12" version of Corazon exists, but is pretty tough to
track down. I dont think there was a 12" of Waterbed.
But, like pretty much EVERY song these days, there was
an edit of these two songs on one handy 12"- but i havent
heard it. Just go on Ebay and get these 45s for cheap-
you wont regret it. Consider this my "bargain of the
month!"

KILLER KUTS #31

Buari's an African heavyweight with many Afrobeat/African
dance records under his belt. Not as prolific as say, Fela-
but prolific nonetheless. Pretty much every track on this
record is great, but "KoKoSi" and "I Am Ready" are the
standouts. "I Am Ready" is a Loft track , and I think it's been
re-edited as well. (But really, what HASN'T been turned
into an edit these days)... The song doesnt need an edit.
Its nearly perfect as it is. Thumping Philly bass line and a
killer synth solo mixed with African chant vocals. Serious
shit man- a straight disco record with African influences.
Not a clunker in the bunch. Also, the lp is easier to find than
the 12" version- which has fetched upwards of $300 in the past.
Anyone got a spare copy???? :(

KILLER KUTS #30

Philly was kilelr last night-- you people know how to throw
down!!! Anyway, I played this song and three people
wanted to know what it was. I just expected everyone
to knew what it was, since it's somewhat of a classic...
So instead of telling people about it, I said "check the
blog"... (Actually, I didnt say that).
Anyway, Rigor Mortis rules. For 1977 this sounds pretty
ahead of the game. Also, yet another track with the
super disco break I love so much these days. It's been
sampled enough to recognize when it's played out.
Fans of "Bounce Rock Skate Roll" should get this one
too.
Also check out "I Just Want To Be" by Cameo. Its another
awesome track you can get pretty easily. Rigor Mortis
is a little more elusive.

MIKE's November DJ GIGS of note

----Friday November 24- Lit in NYC (downstairs)-
Frat Party! You're all invited!

SWEDEN (mini-tour w/ Tim Sweeney)
----Nov 30 2006 *Caviar at Uppat Framat in Gothenburg
----Dec 1 2006 *Inkonst in Malmo
----Dec 2 2006 *Discobell at Spybar Stockholm

Milhouse will be holding it down while I'm gone.

KILLER KUTS #29

There are like 6 records that Jah Wobble released
that all look similar to this one, but this is the only
one you need. The key element is Holger Czukay, who
jammed on this record in his post- Can days for a totally
killer post punk/ disco/ dub/ kraut rock/ ambient
masterpiece. "How Much Are They?" has made the
rounds with djs since its inception, and has been copied
to this day with the newer dub-influenced disco stuff.
Czukay's keyboard hook drives the song behind Jah
Wobbles dubby bass line. The vocals are sorta harsh
and add a punky element to the track, topping it off
perfectly. There seemed to be a trend back then to
make experimental dance music with samples and
chanty chopped vocals with a rhythm box- Eno & Byrne
(My Life in the Bush of Ghosts), Arthur Russell
(5 Minutes), Malcolm McClaren (Buffalo Gals)... The
list goes on and on. But this particular record was
my favorite.

As a added bonus, they dedicate this record to the
memory of Ian Curtis...

Dan Selzer can tell you more on this record. Dan,
feel free to add to this one, since you hipped me to it
3 years ago!

KILLER KUTS #28

Yet another killer find at WFMU. Getting in early
with a dealer badge really pays off! When it comes to
minimal synth stuff, this is considered a Holy Grail
by many, yet shunned by other collectors because
it has a dancey beat and too much melody.
Released in 1982, Pitch was a two piece NYC based
minimal synth group, and this self-released 12" on
their On/Off Records label is one of the more
mysterious NYC bands of the era. They existed within
the whole no wave scene, yet noone I spoke to knew
who they were. Upon further inspection I discovered
one of the principal songwriters, Marc Cantor, is an
internet and computer pioneer. His entire
bio is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_xCanter

But in a nutshell, he pretty much developed the
company known as Macromedia, and was also
responsible for programming the first ever licensed
music for a video game ("Peter Gunn" for Spyhunter).
And, he worked with the first Macintosh computers...
Today he is more known as a pioneer in the blog
world, believe it or nor- with his work in micro-
content publishing.

if you go to his blog:

http://marc.blogs.it/

you can find a link to a download of a track he wrote
in 1981. Totally rad!


This all makes sense when you think of it. He was
making computer music.. speaking of which, the A-side
"What Am I Gonna Do For Fun" is an amazing track.
Dry female vocals over what can only be described as
'cosmic minimal synth'. It can easily pass for something
that is popular today. The record cover is also awesome-
a multi color silkscreen job, which leads me to believe
this was a pretty limited run.
On another note, i am closer to getting this blog sorted
out and putting up music. SO keep an eye out.

KILLER KUTS #27

Part two of my killer scores at the FMU record
convention... When I saw this one i was also like
"what the fuck"?? I have only heard of this one
existing, but never actually seen one. The music
is soulful disco- almost Motown or Philly like.
But John Davis produced both sides, and added
his signature percussion to both sides, and the
result is a monster disco break. The break comes
out of the blue actually- towards the end. The
break sounds very similar to Apache or Scorpio,
so it's definitely a surprise considering the music
is straight soulful disco up until that point. The
a-side ("When Love Is New") is also awesome,
and similar- with a nice disco break. This is
definitely an oddly produced record, and a
nice one for me since i am on this disco breaks
kick these days...

I dj'ed EVR with Roy...

last night I dj'ed my man Roy Dank's radio show on East Village Radio.
Look for his new label featuring a release by Jacques, as well as other
shit. We are doing a "Mystery Mix" mix cd with Roy as well. Anyway,
Mike starts about half way into the show, and attempts to dj without
headphones (he forgot his), but Roy shows up with headphones and
saves the day. You can tell when this happens when the records actually
start to blend together in true "dj" form. Also, good friend Piotr throws
down a few recods as well. Roy is a maniac. Here's the link:

URL for show: http://eastvillageradio.com/modules.php?name=evrshow&ordinal=35
XML for podcast: http://www.eastvillageradio.com/podcasts/1277/35.xml

********************************************************************

KILLER KUTS #26

This will be part one of my FMU record convention scores.
This was on my want list for pretty much EVER. When I
found it for $5 buried between crappy freestyle records I
almost shat myself. For real, those who know this record
and how awesomely rare it is can understand why i freaked
out. Just look at Ebay and it's $200+ pricetag...
First of all, Little Scotty is a blues legend. Somehow Peter
Brown squeezed a 4-song disco 12" out of him. Of all the P&P
related records, this has to be the most fucked up, and
thats saying a lot. (anyone remember Sweet Naomi's
drugged-out off-time rap 12"?) The track everyone will
know is "Shout at the Disco", mainly because it has a
famous breakbeat that all the djs want... But let's
talk about the track "Acid Freak". The title says it all.
Its a total Love-inspired super psyched-out and just insane
song. Pretty heavy acid rock- but the song falls apart at
the end. The drummer suddenly starts to play off-time
right before the song ends. The guitarist tries to catch up
but it doesnt work. Its the most insane thing I have ever
heard. It just makes no sense! Why would Peter Brown
keep the take??? Any sane man would scrap the song
and try again. A total trainwreck, and a total AWESOME
song!

KILLER KUTS #25

If you know me, you know I have a warm spot in my heart
for Daft Punk, so when I found out Daniel Vangarde is the
father of Daft Punk's own Thomas Bangalter, I was pretty
stoked. Its great to know Bangalter has some legitimate
disco history behind him!

Both sides of this record are great. The a-side is "Intersidereal
Message", an uptempo spacey little number with a nice killer
break. But it's the b-side that particularly slays. Starbow was
the team of Kluger and Vangarde, who were part of the Paris
disco scene along with Cerrone, Don Ray, Claude Carrere, Alec
Costandinos, Ralph Benatar (who produced this track...) The
French were definitely down with the 'cosmic' sound early on,
and this track nails it straight on. Plus, it has a nice disco break
beat, something I love as well. Like most AVI releases, the
production is not bass heavy,and it tends to lend itself more
towards orchestration and songwriting instead of making a heavy
sounding record. On headphones, this sounds KILLER though.

Also, Kluger and Vangarde were the principle songwriters for
Ottawan, who had some big hits in Europe- but in America they
remained pretty obscure.

Mike's selling his records....

... at the WFMU Record Fair this weekend.

I'll only be selling on Friday (Nov 4), so if you want to buy my doubles and triples- now is the time to do it. Bring shit if you want to trade as well. Bring food (vegetarian). All they have is pizza and that gets old quick.

KILLER KUTS #24

If there was ever a "sure thing" - this is it. We all
know this is an all-time classic, and over time it has
even been considered a 'hit' by some DJs who refuse
to play it because it isnt obscure enough, or because
the "Bridge And Tunnel" crowd is totally 'getting down'
to it... Well, i say FUCK THAT SHIT! Seriously, how
many twelve minute songs out there are good enough
to play from beginning to end, or good enough to
play from any part of the record? How many records
out there do not warrant a god damn edit? Not many-
but this is one of them. The burning question is-- is
this a live song? It's on the live album? Do they think
they can fool us by beginning the song with some fake
crowd sounds?

This song always confused me. Why is a 12
minute studio disco song stuck on side D of a double
live record? AND it was a huge hit. I guess we'll never
know. Either way, it sounds perfect sandwiched
between Madonna and Michael Jackson...

KILLER KUTS #23

Georgie Auld is an old-tyme jazz legend who had an early
avant-garde jazz band in the 1940's. "Song Of India" is a jazz
standard as well. So, why the hell are these two elemeents
transformed into a super funky disco-break laden 12"? Super
obscure and mysterious record with a crappy B-side ("Disco
Boogie") that has that one seldom seen aspect of the late 1970's:
a killer disco breakbeat. Nice smooth sounds as well.
Unlike the raw funk of the early 70's, there is a refined and
produced quality that only the late 1970's could invented. Perhaps
one of you know more about this? The internet yeilded few
results. One of these days i will get ym ass in gear and get
samples up. :(

Mike's Halloween plans, for those who are interested...

...as Danny Glover said in Lethal Weapon, "I'm Getting too old for this shit..."

-----


Mike Simonetti is djing Halloween weekend twice in one night (god help me):

Friday Oct 27 Mike is djing LIT in NYC from 12-4am- downstairs, and its free---

---and then he will be leaving Lit, jumping in a car, and djing from 4:30- ??? at Rubulad in Brooklyn with Chris Catalyst. Last time we played Rubulad we set a record for the latest they ever stayed open- 10 am. if you want info on the party, check out Jim's website:
http://djsmallchange.com/news.shtml
- do a Google search to find out more about Rubulad.


-----he is then driving to DC on Saturday to DJ Mike and Maya from Double Leopards
wedding on Sunday.

KILLER KUTS #22

Who are these so-called "Occupants"? Apparently, the folks at
Danger Records appear to think these "Occupants" were a dancey
synth band with some other-wordly names as Tom Campbell and
Charlie Erickson. Oh well, at least the music is good. The track
everyone wants is "I Want To Function With You", which is your
synthy/dancey/ vocoder deal. But the track that gets to me is "Its
Time To Become Robots", which sounds like an outtake from
"Discovery" (but Daft Punk would have added more heavy guitars!).
But nonetheless, this needs to be recognized because of the fact this
existed in Minneapolis in 1982, not New York or Germany. Not too
shabby Charlie!

KILLER KUTS #21

***guest review by Patrick Billard

I picked this up for 59 cents at the Salvation Army 
on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg a few months ago. 
Who would have thought that you could find good, rare 
italo right in the bustling epicenter of  all things 
hipster?

This is produced by Giancarlo Meo of Capricorn/Goblin
/Easy Going fame, only this time without his partner 
Claudio Simonetti. Meo really shines here as both sides 
of this are top-shelf italo disco.

The a-side is a fantastic paranoid look to the future...
10 years into the future that is the wonderous world of 
1993!  The lyrics are all about being lost in technology...
a "maze" of "computer days". Then there's lots of "space" 
and "universe" terminology thrown in. It's not really clear 
what they are getting at but apparently in 1993 we will all 
be either living in outer space or inside computers.

The b-side is the real gem and probably of the most interest 
to italo collectors. It's a cover version of the Chaplin Band's 
"Il Veliero" entitled "Love On The Rocks". It's got gorgeous 
female vocals with more great lyrics like "Love is on the 
rocks,  love's a hurricane". It's pretty true to the original 
Chaplin  Band version, although a bit more polished and dreamy and
definitely less quirky. I like it. Thanks Salvation Army!

contact Patrick:
crazypoprock@hotmail.com

this weekend's festivities...

mike simonetti's dj schedule:

this Friday at Lit (downstairs) 12-4am
this Saturday at Rated X @ Luke & Leroy in NYC 11-4am. hosted by Michael T of Motherfucker fame.



--still working out the mp3 thing. to be honest, i am very busy and barely have time to do anything these days. anyone wanna help run a blog?? (no, i'm serious)

KILLER KUTS #20

*** guest review by Jacques Renault

This is something Mike and I can agree on. Disco LPs. 
Singles are great but they don't always have cheeky 
artwork and they don't let YOU decide what the hit is. 
This LP is a great example. Anytime or Place was the 
single on Modulation (so I have the Canadian version - 
don't judge me because I don't have it on Italy's Vedette 
Records and this is I.D.I.B.) and then there's the Rams 
Horn remix and everything - big hit whatever. ANYWAYS, the 
real winner for me is Soft Emotion. It kinda just hits where 
you want it to. It's a little more upbeat: a true party gem 
with great vocals. Not that Anytime or Place doesn't feel 
good too tho - don't let me lead you in the wrong direction. 
It's just nice to know that you can't be shy of LPs - you 
may never know what you'll bump into.

KILLER KUTS #19

*** guest review by Emily Ryan

QUESTION: when was the first time you heard this track? 
i heard it for the first time on KMEL jams in the east 
bay back in the day - the clean FUNK DAT mix - sometime 
in high school, and it wasn't until my friend darren gave 
me the 12 inch two years ago was i able to hear the RAW/
EXPLICIT mix, originally purchased new from a random bay 
area record store at the time of release...perhaps Streetlight
but more likely Rasputin? It's one of those tracks that is 
immediately memorable for his conversational delivery and the 
way he pronounced "reh-dee-OH." well i couldn't believe how 
scathing the REAL MIX IS! He sounds like someone you know's
relative blasting the following dinner topics: mainstream 
radio, rave flyers,relationships, and race relations, in the 
wake of rodney king. Each verse is followed by a recognizable 
horn sample in a 60's reject blue note vein. also - this
single is legendary for inspiring tons of record and club 
reviews that started with "why is it, that every ! time i turn 
on the radio, the dj is playing the SAME five songs fifteen 
times a day for three months...FUK DAT," each review thinking 
that it was the first one to reference it! another interesting 
note: the clean version takes out the references to whoopi, jay 
leno and crack.

contact Emily:
www.emily-ryan.nu

...So Mary Climb In

yet another reason why he is God... because he DID NOT do a sellout disco record.

KILLER KUTS #18

***guest review by Ben Manzone

My favorite types of records lately are those grey area records. Ones made by Jazz artists (ie.Idris Muhammad) but sound more like funk but are kind of like disco, a little bit of soul but are really just an evolution of jazz but not even really. I mean jazz purists hate these type of records and most new jack disco heads think those records are too “deep.” Anyway the cut in question ‘Singing a song for you’ off the Revelation Lp is not an instant gratification type of song. It starts off on a very deep, cerebral, almost somber tone with a sweet jazz guitar line and underlining sustained keys. The groove is subtle but building and then tempered by the chorus of “Singing a song for your.” The groove proceeds while Earland does his solos on keys and the guitars sit there nicely in the mix plucking in the background. So the groove builds and builds and then explodes into this monster Harvey Mason percussion jam out… where you catch yourself going “holy shit this is sick.” This cut features horn work by the Brecker Brothers as well as guitarist Eric Gale who equally have a more then impressive track record playing on a lot of landmark jazz, funk, soul and disco records. The album cover artwork is amazing too!

contact Ben:
benjr60@yahoo.com

KILLER KUTS #17

Was this really released in 1984??? This is some forward thinking shit right here. Nowadays this is considered an underground classic, but a few years ago it was terribly underplayed and unrecognized by those outside of the old school disco scene. This pressing has 2 different versions. The "Short Version", and the "DJ Master Mix" , which was mixed by Timmy Regisford and Boyd Jarvis. The Regisford/Jarvis mix is a much longer and chopped up version of the song. This is a weird song to say the least. The bassline is HEAVY. The synths are dark, and the drums sound like they are tuned down-- plus, the underlying drum machine sounds like it is off-time (not to mention the almost demonic intro monologue!). BUT on the other hand you have the happy house-esque piano and Nucleus-style robot vocals... This is some weird shit, but it balances itself out well. At 9:08 , this song seems like it never ends--- an excellent remix that sounds like five songs in one. People have called this proto-house, but it seems to go a little deeper than that.

MIKE SIMONETTI & TIM SWEENEY....

are djing together this week.
Thursday October 5.
at APT (downstairs) in Manhattan.
419 West 13th Street
10-4am. admission is free.
drink special involving some sort of Rum Punch!!!

www.aptwebsite.com

should i post audio samples??

tim and jacques both mentioned that i should post audio samples of the songs... what do you think? post some comments and we'll see how it goes. if enough of you want audio maybe i'll add audio. but if noone comments, i'll continue as it is. peace in the middle east.

KILLER KUTS #16

I always preffered the 7" version of "Bellhead" over the album version. It was re-recorded a while after the 12" came out. Its much tighter and a little faster, and more "groovy" (what a lame word!!), but definitely has more of a groove. the b-side is a re-recorded version of "Push" that is also a little faster. The story behind this 7" is that there was a local NYC bar with a jukebox and Liquid Liquid wanted their record in the jukebox, so they re-recorded these songs and pressed a few up. Legend has it 150 copies were pressed, and only about 20 have the small hole, since most were punched out for jukeboxes. The catalog # is 99-11EP7, for all you nerds out there.

BUT- this isnt the only Liquid Liquid 7" out there. There is a 7" by the band "Liquid Idiot", which is pre-Liquid Liquid, and is more of a noise record (its not on 99- its self released). Maybe i'll dig it out and scan that shit for you as well.

KILLER KUTS #15

So, Benguin was at my house and he was looking through my shit and he pulls this out and he's like "this is good!" and i was like "yeah, it is, but i have too many records and i lose track of shit".
Well, Ben was right. This shit smokes hard. People tend to label this 'Latin Disco', but to be honest i dont really get it. Granted, Guarare is indeed related to the Guarare Orchestra- the Latin combo that was popular in the 60's and 70's.. But this is pure 100% heavy and hard driving disco! The break in the middle has one hell of a sick bass line. The bass line is HARD, and it goes on for a long time. OK, i hear the Latin influence, but it is definitely more disco to me.

GLASS CANDY / CHROMATICS live in NYC this weekend!!!!

hello NYC:
come out to these shows. we had to add a second show since the first one was pretty much sold out. there is a Brooklyn show and NYC show. go to both, expect 2 different sets. pick up th enew tour cdrs by both bands...

Fri Sept 29 at Don Hills NYC - tim sweeney and mike simonetti djing. $10 almost sold out
Sat Sept 30 at Studio B in Greenpoint (Banker St btwn Calyer and Meserole)- mike simonetti, jdh, and jacques renault djing. $5 to get in!!! cheap door for the punks.


Studio B has a killer soundsystem, btw.

KILLER KUTS #14

Do a Google search on these dudes, its a mile long. I have been on a huge Rinder & Lewis binge lately. Can't get enough of them. They wrote some of the greatest disco songs of the time. Plus, all of their records have a similar cover scheme... Extremely prolific, they recorded under many names: El Coco, Le Pamplemousse, Sweet Potato Pie, Tuxedo Junction, Saint Tropez, In Search Of Orchestra (They wrote for the TV show 'In Search Of')... There was a single from this album (Envy/Lust), but this record deserves to be recognized as a whole. Their sound is smooth and mature, and complicated without seeming so. Their sense of melody was brilliant, and it evokes emotion, something that was missing from most dance music of the day. Although these dudes were from LA, their music is very European, and Italo djs tend to sweat them a lot. Their sound is very "Italo", or "cosmic", or whatever you want to call it. But the music definitely speaks for itself,

KILLER KUTS #13

One of those one-man bands of the early 80s, Snowy Red pretty much defined the minimal synth / cold wave scene based out of Belgium. This particular man, Micky Mike ( aka: Marcel Thiel) was also in one of the first Belgian punk bands Chanisaw - whose single is great as well. Released on Dirty Dance Records, this record is an intense experience. Besides the usual cold-wave tendencies, this particular record sometimes hits the synth-disco territory. But more importantly, its a good record to show off to your friends- because it looks so fucking cool!

Back On My Feet Again

so the back pains have subsided. i actually djed this weekend for 7 hours straight without incident. in the downtime, i realized how amazing glass candy and chromstics new songs are. go to their myspaces and check out their new shit:

myspace.com/glasscandy
myspace.com/chromaticsmusic

KILLER KUTS #12

This is a special "I threw out my back and cant move off the couch" edition. The Kinks are in my top ten all time favorite bands, so i had to add this one. Like pretty much every band of the late 70's, the Kinks had their disco song. Like "I Was Made For Loving You" by Kiss, the Kinks sound absolutely awkward playing a disco song, and that's why this rules so hard! Its pretty rockin' for a disco song, but i like that kind of shit... You can almost hear the Arista executives hanging out in the studio tapping their watches as Ray Davies attempts to become the next Blondie! That, and the fact that I haven't been able to stand upright for the last 4 days.. I wish i could STAND like Superman... Maybe it's the painkillers talking, but this track is killer!

Willie Ninja RIP

Nov 9, 1990

upon cleaning out my shit, i found a box of my old flyers from my club-kid days of the early 1990s. i used to host a party called "Friday Night Feever" at Mars. It was all disco music, and it was weird because there weren t many other disco parties in the city at the time, so it was sort of a novelty. the residents for our party were Dj Duke Of Denmark and Freddy Bastone. Duke is a legend- do a google search. Freddy is still a dj, and pretty high profile with the Euro set. my co-hosts were B-Dave, who was really insane (in a good way), and i believe he ended up being in the movie Kids with all the rest of the people who hung out with us at Mars. Pollyn was a friend of mine from Jersey City, and we used to drive to work together at Mars. The party ended when Mars ended. Towards the end , there was way too much violence for a peaceful disco party, and we all got the fuck out of Mars when people started getting stabbed. If you want to see more fliers, let me know via comment area.

mikes upcoming dj gigs of note:

Saturday Sept 16- Rubulad (with Chris)- email mike@troublemanunlimited.com for info

Friday Sept 22- Lit NYC downstairs 12-4am (you can dance again) http://www.villagevoice.com/nyclife/0635,romano,74306,15.html

Friday Sept 29 - Nite time at Don Hills NYC (Glass Candy/Chromatics gig) w/ Tim Sweeney

KILLER KUTS #11

***guest review by Dan Selzer

I used to hate dance music. I was into weird
industrial and guitar noise bands. Dance music was for
guidos and drunk girls. I bought Renegade Soundwave's
Soundclash because it was weird, electronic and on
Mute. I was playing the songs tacked on the end of the
CD at summer camp and this ridiculous dude from like
Staten Island, or Long Island, was like "I love this,
this song is the shit! I used to dance to it all the
time!" I was all like, "no way dude, this is some
weird underground electronic music, not dance music"
and he responded "whatever dude, they play that shit
at the Tunnel all the time." And that's how I learned
to love dance music. Renegade Soundwave did come out
of some wierd post-punk industrial shit, namely 4ad's
pioneering Rema Rema, and had some great weird
pop/dub/industrial minor-hits, but it was the club
bangers in the late 80s/early 90s they're remembered
for. This one, The Phantom, is rightly regarded as
both a "rave classic" and a major influence on Big
Beat. Well don't hold those things against it. It's
just amazing, dubby, spacey, dance music, all
percussion, synth-bass, subtle samples and the iconic
vocals, which I used to think were saying "Till
doomsday, till doomsday, a neon world;" they weren't.
This 12" features the Phantom, it's remix, the dub of
Space Gladiator and the Phantom Turntable Scratch Mix
which shows where RSW was really coming from...the NYC
school of hip-hop influenced house music. I used to
think all that scratching and editing on the Scratch
Mix was amazing until I heard Todd Terry, namely The
Chase by Royal House, which comprises about 60% of
this mix. This 12" also features RSW's usual bizarre
art, and was dedicated to Chuck Yeager. The Phantom,
It's in there....

contact Dan:
danselzer@yahoo.com

KILLER KUTS #10

This can go in the "weird Salsoul" category along with Megatrone Woman and the awesome Charo record. This appears to be the only Destroyers record, as far as i can tell. At only 3:56, " 'Lectric Love" is way too short. Perhaps that is why Rong did an edit of this track? It needed to be extended-- it ends before it even gets started! Musically, it sounds like disco made by a rock band. There's something about the vocals that remind me of an AM GOLD era song. Nevertheless, it is safe to say that 1977 proved to 'cosmic' year for Destroyers. Everything down to the killer moog solo and spacey vocals (and lack of a cheesy string section) make this record a classic and must own.

links to an old Mike Simonetti mix...

...on Beats in Space last year in October with his cousin Chris Catalyst. Listen to Mike make fun of Madonna, and take dance music WAAAAY to seriously (not!)... Part one is Mike starting with some dancey post punk stuff and then going deep into the oddball foriegn space disco and Italo--- sped up on purpose to show backlash to the cosmic trend that has taken over the world. Part two is Mike and Chris playing electro and bass stuff. Dont forget to turn your bass EQ up nice and high so it blows out your speakers!!!

http://www.beatsinspace.net/audio/2005/oct25/bis102505part1.mp3
http://www.beatsinspace.net/audio/2005/oct25/bis102505part2.mp3

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.