Padraig (u.s.)'s Post Disco/Proto House Masterclass

[padraig (u.s.)]

what's that,you're saying? Wham? you're goddamn right. Francois K on the mix and it's a corker.

again, we're taking the preexisting elements of dance music at the time - chickenscratch guitar, bass, groove, horn stabs, etc

and the structure of a dance record created by Walter Gibbons - peaks and troughs, bringing elements in and out in service of maintaining the groove

and filtering them through the techniques and sonic aesthetics of dub, and newly emerging technologies

these huge expanses of space with elements dropping in around the central groove, disembodied snippets of George Michael floating atop

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

the quintessential dance not dance record by the quintessential Danceteria/Mudd Club guitarish band

my favorite detail is the ladies descending backing vocals over Schneider during the chorus

"before I talk, I should read a book"

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

one of the things you have to remember about the "post-disco" era is that all of the key DJs - Levan, Knuckles, Hardy - were still playing classic disco

it often comprised a major portion if not majority of their sets, tho obviously less as the years went on

but Levan and Hardy are definitely situation in the electronic black soul continuum

Let No Man Put Asunder, Love Is the Message, etc back to Philly soul etc

so this is one of Levan's first big mixes - 1978 - and it's very much classic disco, Salsoul, with Bunny Sigler producing

but it's also leaning into the future - listen to how stripped down the middle gets, the sublimation of individual elements to the groove, the prominence of the bass

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

mysterious ultra cool French disco dub not disco dub one-off, kind of an Antena but a bit dancier vibe

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

black Dutch cat making, almost literally, Larry Heard style proto-house but in 1982

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

the DAF guy and Annie freaking Lennox dueting on proto-house torch song

mixes perfectly into "Distant Planet" by Fingers Inc., btw

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

that's probably enough for tonight

 

[baboon2004]

early 303s, love this tune

 

[baboon2004]

and the early 80s Miami stuff - how does this interact with proto-house?

 

[pattycakes_]

obscure slow disco burner that has become a big record for the kind of modern DJs into that kind of thing the last few years

What's your take on the pd/ph et al revival, padraig? Any producers legit in your eyes? Any nu skool djs doing it properly?

 

[the ig]

tho I would disagree with "more independence from pop mainstream"

in no way imply separation from the pop mainstream, don't get me wrong. but yeah do think the whole little parallel econ of club life, by then pretty well established - record pools & charts, seasoned clubbers with now sophisticated needs, the fixation on club sonics also imp to mention (bespoke alex rosner etc systems) - all afforded a certain 'strategic depth' and relative independence from main pop charts, shall we say, and the possibility to get past some of the musical tropes that are more in demand there, ie upfront vocals, hooky songs over grooves, full stringy prods. to a degree all that stripping back and dubbing out comes with a more robust and self-standing club scene that can sell 12"s 'to its own'.

but yeah, esp'y that kashif-style boogie stuff, and freestyle, were obvs made for both arenas, radio diffusion being hugely imp too.

also love that in a way poppy aesthetics kept underground, which why that stuff so tasty so fun. it's a great transitional mo with this crosscurrent of styles/tendencies enriching the whole thing.

& indeed classic disco not forgotten, even into acid era - ron hardy in chi playing lots of disco in his mixes inc fairly obvious stuff like t-connection.

& still some great more fulsome disco being made, eg that sparque cut i posted

yeah 'lucinda' huge fave here too, together with that 7" mix of 'knife slits..' 'do the du' 'waterline' & 'shack up' obvs, (but doesn't end there..)

a fine loose 'wavey bit not been up yet, sounds kinda mudd clubby i would guess, from '82 on IRS:


but don't wanna hijack yr thread, great stuff posted and learning loads, thanks!

 

[pattycakes_]

also clock how heavy the Latin influences were on weird British club records of the era

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

What's your take on the pd/ph et al revival

is there a revival? it's not a genre, even in the loose genre-as-vibe sense of Balearic, so much as the feeling and excitement of a particular era

obviously there have been individual revivals of pieces of that era, i.e. the huge resurgence of boogie and nu-boogie, but the thing itself can't really be revived

we are discussing various sonic signifiers, but they're more things that have been integrated into dance music's DNA than, again, something that can be "revived"

as far as current DJs and producers I pay very little attention other than things I hear in the regular course of life or occasionally clicking around on YT

I've heard some nu-boogie that's pretty good but it's not something I pay close attention to

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

amazing record, obviously. definitely house proper and 1987, so outside the realm of pd/ph.

that's Mark Pickering and Simon Topping from Quando Quango, so it's basically a continuation of Quando Quango, so the Latin influence should be no surprise

Latin was big for whatever reasons with the Factory/Hacienda crew of that era - Quando Quango also contained Dojo from ACR and his brother Derek bassist for 52nd Street (Cool As Ice etc)

often produced by Sumner and sometimes Hook and/or Pickering

I'm also a fan of of Dame Mas

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

the T-Coy guys were also, with A Guy Called Gerald, behind Annette - Dream 17

one of the few truly Chicago-type records to come out of somewhere besides Chicago, and famously remixed by Derrick May

 

[padraig (u.s.)]

the rest I'll get to later

but quickly on Miami: it's simultaneously kind of its own thing and kinda part of the pd/ph continuum (as it were)

Miami had a pretty big disco scene, T.K. Disco (Tamiko Jones, "Ring My Bell", etc) as well as various smaller labels, and ofc KC + the Sunshine Band

and there is some continuity with that into proto-electro/Miami bass, i.e. King Sporty who both put out records on T.K. and was a major shaper, along with Amos Larkins, of the Miami bass sound

and bass obviously has major crossover with electro proper, and freestyle

but also Miami is kind of a thing unto itself

bass doesn't really get going until like 84-85 so it's more contemperaneous with house than it is proto-house, or a parallel, related development to house

if you look at New York especially in the middle part of the 80s it has a bunch of records that are kind of partway between, or a mismash of, freestyle/electro and house

you might look at it - loosely - as Chicago house, Miami bass/freestyle, New York in between

 

[pattycakes_]

is there a revival? it's not a genre, even in the loose genre-as-vibe sense of Balearic, so much as the feeling and excitement of a particular era

Yeah it was hard to be specific about what I meant because it's spread so far and wide. Metro Area would be a good starting point. The Nu Disco thing. The Norwegian sound, like Bjorn Torske, all the Sex Tags crew and their offshoots and affiliates, Todd Terje, Lindstrom. People's Potential Unlimited records as you just posted. Could go on but you get the point.

When you listen to what inspired those guys, basically what you're posting, there's a whole other level of depth there. That's not to say the new guys are no good. Some of them are amazing. But yeah, if I had my way I'd have a club to listen to the shit you're posting every week.

 

[mvuent]

wow somehow i missed this thread. haven't read it in full yet but it looks really promising.

 

[Client Eastwood]

Change - Searching (Luther Vandross on vocal duties) - another one with with a bassline waiting to be heard by Mr Fingers. Other Change records would probably fit the bill but this is the most House like to me.

 

[Client Eastwood]

Barbara Fowler - Come And Get My Lovin