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Archive for August 2006
![Kano - Kano [1980]](http://www.loudersoft.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/08/Kano.jpg)
In 1980, disco music was dead to rights and on its way out. There was no fresh and inventive take on the dance music genre, having been polarized by popular culture, a new wave of conservatism, and a generation recovering from the effects of their exploration into the darker edges of sexual freedom and drugs. Crack cocaine didn’t exist, there was no internet, cell phones were unthought of, and only a couple of years before had the home computer market begun to explode with the introduction of the Apple II+ computer. While American performers shyed away from making disco, Europe’s discotheques and cafes were rife with new grooves, many of them produced by the band Kano.
Headed by Italians Stefano Pulga, Luciano Ninzatti, and Matteo Bonsanto, the Kano production machine released a 12-inch record that would become considered by many to be the quintessential break. The track, entitled “I’m Ready”, was released in 1980, quickly exploded across Europe, and landed Kano a record deal with American label Emergency Records & Filmworks. That record deal would eventually produce a stunning self-titled collection of “italo-disco”, including their other notable hit, “It’s A War” leaving an album that levelled the playing field for electronic funk jams and served as a subtle and moving force for breakdancing culture to arise.
Emergency eventually went bankrupt or lost their distribution deal (depending on whom you ask) and this single and it’s follow-up albums New York Cake and Another World are log out of print. But the song “I’m Ready” has been steadily and consistently falling into the right hands, infecting untold groove-seekers over the past 26 years. The way the production builds and drops out is a blueprint for hip-hop, house, funk, and so many other genres. To call it a groundbreaking record would never do it justice. The basslines and breaks on this track alone were responsible for countless caterpillars, moonwalks, emcee battles, remixes, and limitless inspiration to two generations of b-boys and b-girls — including an appearance on Spank Rock’s Couche-tard mixtape this year.
Summary (for those who don’t like to read): This song is one bad motherfucker. Now dance.
In 1978, French producers Bernard Fevre and Jackie Giordano donned false names and holed up in a studio outside Paris to create the six songs on the EP known to the world of music as Black Devil Disco Club, an epic electronic disco record of tribal rhythms and chants which offered listeners a compelling walk into the seedy, sleazy catacombs of disco music.
Though history tends to associate disco with “Good Times”, disco music in its heyday was in many ways meant to be adult-oriented music of unbridled pleasure and lust. The naked sexuality of the musical style was often embraced in this era rather completely by the French and Italian producers who crafted it — arguably, they made disco music in the manner it was meant to be created. Such was Black Devil Disco Club as released on RCA’s Out imprint in 1978, which saw little or no fanfare and soon went out of print. It would, however, grow to become considered a masterpiece of the era, the forefather to a coming wave of euro disco, or italo-disco, that would soon follow. The influence of the sound can be heard popularly in the 1980-81 era works of Giorgio Moroder, in particular the soundtracks to both Scarface and American Gigolo, though true afficionados of the genre would consider these references among the most pedestrian of influence.
Over the years copies of the record in any condition became scarce, causing the record to become a much sought-after playable collectible and fascination piece for anyone who owned a copy. It is said that PP Roy, the head of Rephlex Records, bought a copy at a garage sale for 20p only to find it selling for £200 on eBay. After hearing what a gem he’d discovered, he soon turned Richard James (better known to fans as Aphex Twin) and Luke Vibert into fans of the bleak pulsating rhythms and electronic vibe of the record, after which Luke Vibert donned his own Black Devil-influenced persona (that of Kerrier District).
Check out these tracks from the original vinyl release of Black Devil Disco Club and look to purchase a copy on CD. If you ever happen across a copy on vinyl at a garage sale, congratulations. you’ve stumbled upon one of the most heralded pieces of collectible disco vinyl ever created.
Listen To Black Devil - Timing, Forget The Timing
Listen To Black Devil - Follow Me (instrumental)
Here’s a series of short clips which you’ll probably like if you love Wolfmother. This is apparently from the Jackass: Number Two fine feature film.
“Wolfmother Jackass Crew”:
“Hallway Crash Clip:
Hopefully, you know about the wonderful American Princes from Little Rock and their Yep Roc release Less And Less. They put on a great show at Midwest Music Summit 2006, and here now is a video of sorts done by Matt Bradley. What’s cool — it’s all hand-drawn with pen and ink. <3 <3 <3 <3
Thank you Joe for the picture. The small print says “And Who Gives A Shit”.
Joe from Each Note Secure
Otis Gibbs, and Me at the
2006 Midwest Music Summit
Originally uploaded by eachnotesecure.
When I sat and listened to Otis Gibbs at The Jazz Kitchen on Friday night, I began to feel like all of my cares had been wiped completely away. It seemed like Otis had been down all of the roads the world-weary among us feared to trudge and reflected his experience through his songwriting in ways only those with names like Steve Earle, Jay Farrar and Billy Bragg have done. He’s the working man’s political ally, the love-struck rambler whose struggle seems more like your own with each new listen.
In short, Otis Gibbs is the pure embodiment of what you who write songs about the struggle of the working class aspire to create.
He’s lived a lifetime in Indiana watching the changes they put us through come to fruition every day, and he has three remarkable albums of material to that end. The one I could most readily get my hands on to share with you, “Get Me Out Of Detroit”, comes from his 2004 release One Day Our Whispers and offers a glimpse into the genius of this truly unsung American hero. Be certain to catch him when he plays live, and click here to visit his MySpace page to hear three additional tracks worth checking out.
Listen To Otis Gibbs - Get Me Out Of Detroit
Aug 15 2006 7:00P The Saxon Pub Austin, TX
Aug 17 2006 8:00P MacHenry’s Fort Worth, TX
Aug 22 2006 7:00P The Saxon Pub Austin, TX
Aug 25 2006 7:00P Cactus Cafe w/ Steve Forbert Austin, TX
Aug 29 2006 7:00P The Saxon Pub Austin, TX
Sep 2 2006 9:00P The Jazz Kitchen INDIANAPOLIS
Sep 7 2006 8:00P The Walnut Room w/ Steve Poltz Denver, CO
Sep 8 2006 8:00P The South Park Music Festival Fairplay, CO
Sep 9 2006 8:00P The South Park Music Festival Fairplay, CO
Sep 30 2006 7:00P Kane Lecture Hall w/ Billy Bragg Seattle, WA
Oct 2 2006 7:00P Aladdin Theatre w/ Billy Bragg Portland , OR
Oct 4 2006 7:00P Henry Fonda Theatre w/ Billy Bragg Los Angeles, CA
Oct 5 2006 7:00P The Great American Music Hall w/ Billy Bragg San Francisco, CA
Nov 4 2006 6:00P Toys For Tots Benefit Greenwood, IN
Among the great bands I caught at the Midwest Music Summit were this three-piece from Chicago called Catfish Haven. Fresh off an appearance at Lollapalooza ‘06, they are set to release their full-length record Tell Me on Secretly Canadian in the next few weeks. Rife with bluesy, dirty, rootsy rock-and-roll and power-pop gems, Tell Me is a natural extension of the prowess demonstrated on their widely-praised EP Please Come Back. Check out this demo of “Please Come Back” from their website & be sure to catch them out on tour.
Listen to Catfish Haven - Please Come Back (demo)
SAT 8/26 — SPRINGFIELD, MO @ THE OUTLAND
THU 9/7 — NEW YORK, NY @ MERCURY LOUNGE *
FRI 9/8 — BROOKLYN, NY @ UNION HALL *
SAT 9/9 — CAMBRIDGE, MA @ MIDDLE EAST UPSTAIRS *
TUE 9/12 — ROCHESTER, NY @ BUG JAR
WED 9/13 — PALATINE, IL @ DURTY NELLIE’S
SAT 9/16 — CHICAGO, IL @ DOUBLE DOOR *
TUE 9/19 — WASHINGTON, DC @ BLACK CAT ^
THU 9/21 — CHARLOTTE, NC @ CASBAH AT TREMONT ^
FRI 9/22 — ATLANTA, GA @ THE EARL ^
SAT 9/23 — ATHENS, GA @ 40 WATT CLUB ^
SUN 9/24 — CHATTANOOGA, TN @ RHYTHM AND BREWS ^
MON 9/25 — NASHVILLE, TN @ THE BASEMENT ^
TUE 9/26 — MEMPHIS, TN @ HI TONE ^
WED 9/27 — BATON ROUGE, LA @ THE SPANISH MOON ^
^ = with Magnolia Electric Company
* = with Birdmonster, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Me and Mickey Avalon,
aka “The Sickest White Rapper
In The Fucking World”
Originally uploaded by loudersoft.
“What’s up, motherfucker?” Clell Tickle’s right-hand man Hambone himself could not better utter this simple phrase which summarizes the 2006 MMS. It is without a doubt the best kept secret in music festivals in the United States. The Midwest Music Summit has been around since 2000 and has finally come into its own with its blend of indie rock, hip-hop and all around support for the music movements happening in the region and, some might venture to say, it is far more interesting than SXSW, NXNE or CMW! in that the artists and their artistry do not get lost in the shuffle.
DAY ONE: Screw you Hertz. Thanks for wasting half of my day with a bunch of bullshit that eventually worked itself out. I got to the festival, checked in, met up with fellow bloggers Dodge, Eric from Marathonpacks, and Joe from each note secure, ate some amazing vegan food, got free cigarettes, was introduced to a guy who came to my show in Nashville three years ago, met THE REAL WENDY O, and saw bands The Tide, Everything Now! and Page France before bouncing out into the world. The three of us went for a beer at some place that reeked of Kappa Fukka Llama on Broad Ripple Avenue, and I connected with Collins from American Princes. I sat down and ate some food, me and the Princes did, and I eventually split off from them. I ended up at The Vogue for Those Young Lions, after which I walked to The Rouge to catch American Princes rip through an incredible set. I then walked back to The Vogue to catch the flawless and immutable live show by Silversun Pickups, followed by an impressive performance from Margo and the Nuclear So-and-So’s.
I had a bonding moment with various and sundry band members and fellow bloggers, then I went home with four guys. No, sicko, I let American Princes crash on the floor of my hotel because I’m not a jerk who makes travelling bands that kick ass sleep in the van.
Day two coming soon. Blagh.
Columbia Records ought to keep pinching themselves for being so lucky as to have Persephone’s Bees on their label. We might have to keep pinching ourselves for being so lucky as to have this video for the song “Paper Plane”. Sigh….
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