Failure Is Freedom
I'm exploring why Generation X failed to get free, and how the concept of "authenticity" was turned into a sort of un-freedom.
Failure Is Freedom
Cosmic Stew: Spacey Disco Music
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When Ron Hardy said that House Music was Disco’s revenge, this is what he meant:
Cosmic Stew
- The voice of Q, Q: At the sound of the interplanetary voice of Q, you will be shot straight into hyperspace, which is strange because Michael Forte and Bruce Weeden wrote this for their “South Philly” record label as a novelty track response to the popularity of 1982’s E.T.
- Magic Midnight, Beam Me Up: Next, you will be beamed up from 1982 Philly and beamed back down in the 2010 Brooklyn of Midnight Magic, but not much has changed sonically as this disco shuffle groove will teleport you right back to 80’s era Paradise Garage with its space-age vibes and Larry Levan-style, disco-diva vocal.
- Everyman, Double Exposure (Dam Swindle): There are approximately one million remixes of Double Exposure’s Everyman, and I love almost every one of them. It received the re-edit, 12inch treatment, as did much of the Salsoul catalog, immediately after its release in 1976 by such luminary, disco deejays as Tee Scott, Tom Moulton, and Walter Gibbons, and has had endless other house remixes and samples throughout the last four decades by such house producers as Todd Terry, Shep Pettibone, Joey Negro, and Late Nite Tuff Guy to name only a few.
- First Choice, Let No Man Put Asunder (Alan Dixon): There are approximately two million remixes of First Choice’s Let No Man Put Asunder, and I love almost every one of them. And the reason for all this remix and sampling love is probably because, as with most of the disco that got heavy attention from the house community, it was played by Frankie Knuckles at the Warehouse and remixed by Ron Hardy at the Music Box.
- First Choice, Love Having You Around (Late Nite Tuff Guy): Philadelphia soul, particularly Salsoul, gets remixed and sampled to death because it absolutely kills on New York and Chicago dance floors. Furthermore, any Stevie Wonder sample or rework, such as this First Choice cover of Love Having You Around, will send any Chicagoan within earshot into an uncontrollable Ecstasy. A little tip when deejaying in Chicago, play one of the great remixes that samples Stevie’s “As.” Human beings will lose their minds and love you forever.
- Parliament / Funkadelic, Mothership Reconnection (Scott Grooves): This remix f-ing rocks. It brings all the power and joy of P-funk's euphoric, crowd chants and deep funk grooves. Funk and Disco had a kind war of distinction between the street-cred of funk and the heavy orchestration of disco, but House producers often saw no problem employing either or both to get asses moving. Are you going to “ride when the Mother Ship comes?” Yes!
- First Choice, Dr. Love (Late Nite Tuff Guy): Tom Moulton did House Music a huge favor by remixing that “di di di di de” string hook that drives so many House tracks, especially Terrence Parker’s total banger Your Love, as well as a bunch of the Henry Street catalog. New Yorks’s Henry Street Records is another huge reason that many of the 70s disco classics get so much love. Famously, it was a huge struggle for Moulton to loop that di de string section because the percussionists hadn’t kept consistent time. I guess they hadn’t used a click track, which was the norm for disco of the time.
- Instant Funk, I Got My Mind Made Up (Alan Dixon): A classic Larry Levan 12inch that gets anyone anytime.
- K-Alexi Shelby: Ron Hardy Memo (Riva Starr): There are so many amazing tributes to Ron Hardy, and this is one of my favorites from Chicago, hometown, hero K-Alexi. And speaking of Ron Hardy remixing Let No Man Put Asunder, this track has “got something for your mind, body, and soul!”
- Natasha Kitty Kat, Windy City: Such a wonderful sample from Carl Davis’s Chi-Sound Orchestra! Just sink into this 70’s soul-jazz classic. It’ll put a pep in your step as you stroll along the Chicago lake front on a breezy summer day.
- DJ Scratch, Electric Stew (We Can Get Down): DJ Scratch is a super prolific, New York, Hip Hop producer since the 1980s, but he’s produced a couple of house tracks lately based on some of the folks that he’s worked with in the past, such as EPMD and Q-Tip. Let’s get down to this soulful groove.
- The Detroit Emeralds, You’re Getting a Little Bit Smart: Westbound records from Detroit, not to be confused with “West End Records” from NYC, came from Detroit, but just like many West End releases, these funk-soul gems wound up in the hands of New York’s Tom Moulton and Larry Levan for the 12inch disco dance floor treatment. “You’re Getting a Little Bit Smart,” was first sampled the hell out of by the Hip Hop community in the 80s for its beginning drum break. I don’t remember how I found this house-y rework, or who did it, but such is the way with some of these white label productions.
- Double Exposure: My Love is Free (David Morales): Here’s a classic, rapturous romp! Philly’s Sal Soul, New York’s Paradise Garage, and Chicago House fit like hand(s) in glove(s). Let love set us free.
- Qubiko: Raw Love: Whoops! I didn’t mix into this one well at all, so if you want to hear what it sounds like when a human deejay f---s up his beat matching, here it is! I had it in the very beginning but quickly lost it and couldn’t get it back. The track is a classic sample of Roy Ayers and Sylvia Striplin’s “Give Me Your Love.”
- DJ Scratch, Go!: Here’s the other new DJ Scratch House track, which like Electric Stew, was released on OG Chicago Househead, Terry Hunter’s, “Mirror Ball” records.
https://www.martinessig.com I mix the mixtapes that I post here but...,
Baddass vibes mixed by James Reeves of Midnight Radio: jamesreeves.co for the intro and outro music of most episodes.
Let's communicate Interplanetary hyperspace. Open up your mind. You will answer questions in a time. Uh-huh.
unknownUh-huh.
SPEAKER_04Feel the gravity moving to a new reality. Open up your mind. You will send your thoughts throughout time. Let's communicate Interplanetary hyper space. Open up your mind. You will answer questions anytime. Uh-huh. Feel the gravity moving to a new reality. Open up your mind. You will sing your thoughts through our time.
unknownUh huh. Let's communicate. Let's communicate. I'm trying hard as best as I can. When everything shoes I won't let you free from my head. I need you now, I'll give it all my eye.
SPEAKER_14Where you want to go in life? No one says that's a growth over the bathroom, moving eyes. If you wanna be a lawyer, or just lay around all day. Don't be jealous of the fella who wants to go all the way. After all, you're only selling nobody but yourself. And then you'll have to answer for yourself and all that.
unknownOh yeah.
SPEAKER_14Every man has a cross, only he has the bell, give it lost. Let's the couple on our planet, where we've been, we were all born with the same truth. Let's put the most of the useful that we came on that problem. But the plan just both sides, only you could be both top.
unknownAnd the next day you could drop. So no matter what to do, all the way to all you can ever move. Well, I'm the car. Oh yeah. Oh wait, let's go. I got to take it. My mother got to take it. My brother got to take it. My mother got to take it. My brother got to take it. My mother got to take it. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. You said it had to be all we know. This is not over. This is not over. This is not over. This is not over this over the night.
SPEAKER_06Hey, let me tell you something. Now they call me an aquarium. Now you know what that means? That means that no man in the world can let go of this aquarium. You see where I'm coming from at? So I can see. I got something here that you don't ever want to turn down. I got something for your mind, your body, and your soul. Every day of my life. Every day of my life. Every day of my life. Ooh, baby. Ooh, baby. Come on and get you some more. Come on and get you some more. Let no man pull up under. I don't wanna fuck you party, nobody else but you, baby. You hear where I'm playing, you hear where I'm coming from. It's not a love. It's not a love between you and me.
unknownHey, hey! Oh baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby.
SPEAKER_06It's not over. And oh no, and oh no, no, no, no. Because I want you, because I have you, because I wanted you in the every of my dog, oh life. Hey, hey, baby, baby, baby, it's not over. I'm surprised to see your suitcase at the door. We live the good times, don't you want some more? It's not a perfect love, but I defend it. Cause I believe in one God and we got a love. It's not over between you and me. It's not over.
unknownI can bring the break. Now I go to way. I can hear those words, it's smoking after food.
SPEAKER_06You can bastard love, it's time for battle good. I convinced their work is meant to be will be Even stop being bad, and love to me. It's not all the love between you and me. It's not all up, all that we free.
unknownI don't want to take a big line.
SPEAKER_06I cover you just Hey, let me tell you something. You know what that man is on me in the query?
unknownYou know what that means that no man in the world. Just don't like this thing. When the world making me upset a one time Every day I want to go my camera and the day through nothing to do well. We don't want my time to love you. But you make my soul free. Every day I wanna get on my camera. Nothing to do well.
SPEAKER_10When you hear us bigger up, well he go on to Rama. It's gonna be back. If you're waiting on if you will put it noise, it's gonna speak and the boy in that.
SPEAKER_09It's gonna speak and the boy in that. It's gonna speak and the boy in that.
unknownYou can get it, you get it, girl. Then that is five. Come on, I mean, come on, you can get it, you get it, girl. Then that is five. Come on, I mean, come on, you can get it, you get it, girl. Come on, I mean, come on, you can get it, you get it, girl.
SPEAKER_13Come on, you can get it, get it, get it down. That is fine. I got a money, come on, you can get it, get it, give us that is five. I got a money, come on, you can get it, get it, get it, that is five. I got a money, come on, you can get it, get it, get up.
unknownI got something. I got something. I got something. I got something. I got something.
SPEAKER_12I got something.
unknownI got something. I got something. I got something.
SPEAKER_12I got something that you're paying.
unknownI got something. I got something. I got something. I got something.
SPEAKER_05I got something.
unknownI got something. I was like, I'm saying. I've been saying. I've been saying. I got something. I got something. I got something. I got something. I got something.
SPEAKER_12I got something that you're fit.
unknownI got something. I got something. I got something. I got something. I got something. I got something. I got something.
SPEAKER_06I got something for your mind, your body, and your heart.
SPEAKER_01We can get down. We can get down. We can get down. We can get down.
unknownWe got dinner.
SPEAKER_01We can get down. We can get down. We can get down. We can get down.
unknownPlus one to nine.
SPEAKER_05You can get my heart. And make a hang around. You know, you're gonna kill me. We're gonna make it laugh. We're gonna make it gonna make it hot. We're gonna make a feeling.
unknownAnd I'll be the one.
SPEAKER_03And I'll do the bird.
unknownIf I had a billion, I wouldn't take the rest of the book at the moment.
SPEAKER_03I get it in trouble. I get some blue. Yeah. Oh, baby. I can pick some of the back. I just think I have one. I got some free. I got the same thing.
SPEAKER_00Can I get a soul crack? So crap. So crap. So can I get a soul crap? So crap. So crap. So can I get a soul crap? So crap.
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