For the second AOTN 12" this month we got another smasher,when we landed the united Spirtual Singers over lockdown we were lucky enough to get multitracks so East Coast Love Affair and love time friend of the label Tom Noble got to work
Side A - We decided to go full on front room Sylvester vibes on this, what initially seemed to be an easy job turned into months of work, session musicians when we were allowed and arguments over vocal timings, but nothing good is easy won and we are proud of this. On the flip our good friend Tom Noble calmed the situation down a bit with a tasty New York version of the track, and big up to him for doing this while fighting through his shop flooding and a new opening of his superiorelevation.com shop in Brooklyn.
a1 A Minute Too Late (feat. United Spiritual Singers)
East Coast Love Affair is back for summer banger season, we have cooked up some utter beasts in the Athens of the North studio.
Side A is of Roy Ayers classic 'Chicago' that's been getting huge love on the dance floor, an acid house beast that's going to smash it for the rest of the year.
On the flip we have gone mad epic with a 13.31 track featuring Crystal Winds that's just builds and builds, we have had epic responses to this at the club and excited to finally share it with everyone,
If you have any of these Insanely rare tracks then a nod of the hat to you. This LP includes tracks from the 2 70s soul 45s and the best tracks from the schizophrenic and wonderful self titled super rare LP from Melvin miller and Finley Martin's band known as Premonition and Premonitions. Deefunk, Deepsoul, Disco and More. A seriously excellent listen end to end.
This is '70s masterpiece out of Austin, Texas is a Holy Grail of the highest order -- the perfect fusion of classic soul and disco. An original copy never sells for less than 4 figures due to rarity, quality and demand. Coveted by Northern Soul, rare disco, and modern soul DJs equally means demand has always been stratospheric.
One of the bangers of Dave Haffners amazing disco with a feeling comp on 45, one of San Diego's finest independent disco 45s. Make sure and check the LP on the incredible Cordial Records, with unreleased tracks.
Billy Bruner is not only Tulsa's OG soul man, but he also wrote the best 80s soul tribute to his home city, T-U-L-S-A, not just a great nod but an earworm of the highest order. Flipped (as we love to do) with an unreleased ballad called 'I Want To Hold You' found in the archive. It came from a rough tape so we have done our best to bring it back to life, we pulled it off pretty, so don't sleep on the B-Side kids.
Red hot Modern Soul 45 recorded in Memphis, Tennessee in 1985. Big thanks to Robert Garcia @mrbighappy & Daniel Mathis @quartzwatches for the research and words on this one!!
Brotherhood Band was started by Ernest Coleman(EC) and Clint Hyson, who met thorough a US Navy band called "Mid-South", which was the US Navy's premier musical organization operating out of Millington, Tennessee (20 min outside of Memphis). The group initially played as an instrumental jazz band. In keeping up with the times, they shifted gears towards a more contemporary sound. Shortly after, they decided to cut a single. Enter "Nicci's Theme", which is the B-side here and it's a beautiful jazz tune EC wrote for a girl he fell in love with. This song was supposed to be his door way in, but he actually never opened the door with her.
A few weeks later Clint called EC and played this syncopated bass line for him over the phone. And then EC being the ladies man that he was wrote the lyrics to "Leather Pants" to it. Part of the lyrics read "The pants they stretch, but they don't bust. Enough to make a blind man cuss", but it originally read as, "The pants they stretch, but they don't bust. Enough to make a PREACHER cuss". The song was ready, but they needed to find a singer. That's when member Richard Owens mentioned that he had a young cat back in Atlanta named Taji. In a gamble Taji drove up to Memphis for the Sunrise recording studio session to record the track. According to EC when Taji laid the vocals down he took the song to the next level. In fact it was so impactful that EC, who is now a Grammy producer, still references Taji's sessions when working with new artist.
After the single dropped the group played at Memphis hot spots, Bills Twilight Lounge and Club No Name. EC even had an idea to host a local leather pants contest as a way to promote the song. This lead to a frenzy of women seeking to be "Miss Leather Pants".
HUGE 45!! after last months Memphis 7" (the same band) we have here 2 unreleased Homegrown Syndrome trakcs rescued from an acetate in Jerry Jones attic . Double sided Disco funk burners all the way.
Home Grown Funk was also known as "Homegrown Syndrome," a controversial name bestowed to them. Before heading to LA they gigged all over Memphis. Some of the members were from an earlier 70s group called "Brothers Unlimited" and had earlier ties during the 60s with the "Memphis Invaders" (a peaceful civil rights activist group).
With aspirations of pushing Homegrown further, a few members including Jerry Jones made the move out west. It was LA 1977 when they were introduced to Ike Tuner through a mutual friend "Ricky G". It was a casual meetup. Then one night Ike had his son Ike Jr. go check them out while performing at the Soul Train hangout spot "Maverick Flats". Ike Jr. praised their performance to Ike and he had them come out to his Inglewood studio. The group walked into the studio with a funky track already playing and that's when Jerry Jones improvised this opportunity and started singing. Ike then turned and said… "Who is that singing?" Jerry said, "Thats me." Then Ike replied " YOU BIG MUTHAF***A! You could be my new Tina." From that point the group cut bunch of tracks with Ike over the years up until they're feature on his 1980 album "The Edge."
In 1981 Perry Kibble (Keyboardist for Taste Of Honey) was at "Concerts In The Park" and heard Home Grown Funk performing. He linked up with the group and got them a deal with Arista. During this time they recorded their hit track " Confrontation." Perry suggested that the group change their name because he didn't want another group with the work "Funk" in it and hence "Homegrown Syndrome." They also use the Arista studio to cut an unreleased acetate with tracks "Got the love" and "Party Vibes" which we have here.
Brief Encounter, THE soul band from North Wilkesboro, N.C., formed the 1970's and recorded through the the 90s with various labels as well as self releasing. We have been working with band members Montie & Gary Bailey (who has actually visited me in Scotland) to bring you a few releases over the last few years, culminating in this final release alongside their rarest and unknown single when they were known as Sounds of Soul. Never a step wrong, not a bad track to be seen, one of America's finest 70s soul bands....
We are always happy to throw you a curve ball, Athens of the North have an LP of our catalog flipped by Scottish beat Maker / Hip-Hop producer extraordinaire Jaisu.
We have always been a huge fan and sorted Jaisu with records whenever he popped down the office for a chat. One day early this year in full covid gear he came down to the studio with some beats from our previous releases and immediately I was like "Man do us an LP" and so the project was born. Jaisu took arms full of vinyl back to his studio in Niddrie and started feeding his MPC.
For the 4th ECLA and the start of things opening up (maybe) we have gone full party mode, nothing too serious, just good dancefloor fun. Side one is a rebuild of a rare disco funk 45 by Homegrown Syndrome, we also have an unreleased 45 from the band on the way in the next few months.
On the flip Shake is a deeper but no less dance floor friendly affair, sampling a 45 we put out a few years back to create a whole new Belizean disco house joint, winner winner chicken dinner!
On a creative roll of late, Linkwoods productions have branched out in many directions, a collaboration LP with jazz Genius Greg Foat, Another with Local Edinburgh Legend Other lands and a load more yet to surface. Linkwood now comes back to solo work with a hyper focused piece of electro goodness. Lo-fi but all the better for it, Mono comprises 14 deeply distilled tracks. After producing some more complex records it was time for a pure palate cleanser so we locked Nick in the Athens of the north studio for a week with his friends Moog and Oberheim to see what might happen. Somewhere between Electro, Early 80s Synth pop and techno the album is an extremely listenable piece as a whole, unpretentious and timeless. Sprinklings of Dave Stewart pop noodles, Newbuild, Early Era Nu Groove but very much Linkwood at the same time, I cant recommend this enough.
'Without You' is the second release from Athens of the North house band, it's a lovely deep house side with obvious influences. 'Without You' came together while warming up some new gear that had landed in the studio during lockdown and as often happens when you're not trying too hard something just comes together. For the vocal we had a multitrack tape of Avelino Pitts from the band Gold (Sadly he passed a few years ago) and Edinburgh singer Lucy (more to come from her soon). While we may be known for disco and funk AOTN crew grew up in the early 90s, so house is our bread and butter, so you will be hearing more.
On the flip side is something we have been wanting to do for some time, I always loved Mary Love's 'Come Out Of The Sandbox' but felt the structure of the track was a little tricky to play out. We went ahead and restructured the track as well as adding synth parts and created a 12-inch mix that never was (but should have been). We brought to the mix to Ady Croasdell at Ace Records (who currently own the rights) and asked if he would let us release the track legitimately, thankfully Ady liked it and kindly gave us the green light, so delighted that it's not only out but licensed correctly.
a1. Without You (feat. Avelino Pitts & Roni)
b1. Come out of the Sandbox (East Coast Love Affair Mix)
I can't actually remember why we decided to do this project other than ask ourself, why had it not been done years ago? let's do it! Linkwood and Other Lands are well known from their various outings on Firecracker, Night Theatre, The Nuclear Family, Rush Hour, Dekmantel, AOTN and many other labels, both talented musicians and fierce producers. The plan was simple, drop them into the mostly finished Athens of the North studio and cross the streams….
The results are nothing short of spectacular but putting them into words or genres on paper is somewhat of a challenge. Folding modular textures, post-punk, Electro, House and Techno even ending in some lush Balearic business, they have moulded their years of experience and translated it into something new.
What strikes me when listening to the LP is both their voices have come through in this production. Other Lands guitar work and Vocal and Linkwood deep sense of Rhythm and structure. The recording of this LP was just pre-covid which seems strange as it fits now so well. Like a dream of what it would be like to be out In the city night in all its different factions.
Gratitude's rare Canadian disco 12" is well know to the heads, there is also a VERY rare 7" with a slightly alternate mix that is almost entirely unknown (not even listed on Discogs).
'We Are Here To Party' is a driving Deepfunk disco banger in the vein of King Tut. On the flip 'Loving You' is a Chic influenced disco production as strong as the A-side, always good when its a solid flip as well. We have taken the 12" Versions and put it on to 45, the forthcoming David Haffner compilation will have the even rarer 7" Version on it.
Christopher Spraggins & The Strange Band out of Rochester, N.Y released a total of one record. . A spaced out druggy disco band that had a hint of Rick James with a deeper trippier vibe that's truly unique, reproduced for you here for the first time since 1978. The band was introduced to the world by Cleveland Unlimited Records who still exist to this day, unfortunately as these things go, the record failed to gain sales needed to justify further releases despite there being more recordings. Some of said recording are on the way, don't sleep as per.
Whats there to say about Jax Authority, the pinnacle of quality disco soul, rare, expensive ($7000 or more for a clean copy) and absolutely fucking brilliant. Not only that but this is the full version on 45 for the first time. Strong support all round from the DJ community. We don't need to do much more to sell this, just listen and click buy or just stop djing.
Before the technical and historical chat this is what we have... Super rare local Michigan disco 45 in the vein of 'Long Train Running' but better, that should be enough to click buy I would hope. Flipside were a typical local radio rock band drawn into the disco funk wave and became known locally in Michigan as the "the long Haired Disco Band Guys." The Record is notable as it was produced by David Kalmbach, this Michigan legend owned Great Lakes Recording Studio which played a very important role in the garage rock movement by offering teen bands the chance to record a 45 that could be sold off the bandstand or at local record shops, given to potential employers, and even get airplay on one or more of the many AM rock and roll radio stations that dotted the state. Band member Dave Stewart went on to be in "The Magnificent Men" (A.K.A. Blue eyed soul brothers.) who were the first ever band to open for James Brown at The Apollo Theatre and also played with Eddie Holman, Soul Survivors & The Four Tops.
Two massive Unreleased 12" inch disco bangers from the obscure florida band Fruit, cut loud and deep like a true disco 12 should be. The Fruit Band's fleeting existence was only recently revealed by the discovery of a few unsold copies of their sole 1978 7" single, Say It, which quickly became a cult showpiece for savvy DJs and collectors, now we finish that untold story with the LP this 12" and a soon to be released 45.Support from Gilles and tons of other in the know Djs, this is a one time deal, so dont sleep.
a1. If You Feel It, Say Yeah (Unreleased Full Version)
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