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.