Professor Eddy

Pop radio in the 1970s was a delightfully diverse thing. Tune in your transistor to a Top 40 station and you’d hear everything from easy listening to acid rock. But lost amidst the mythology of that tempestuous time are dozens of sweet, catchy, lightning-in-a-bottle hit records. Nowadays we call them bubblegum or sugar pop. It is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, which may be produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers and often using unknown singers. In short, songs that were meant to become hits or at least meant to enjoy a large audience. So in a way the premanufactured sound of Motown (“the hit factory”) and even the Philly sound of Gamble and Huff could be called bubblegum for a great part as well, although there are many exceptions, of course. Best example of Motown’s bubbblegum are the Jackson 5 who did not play and hardly sang themselves (The Ron Hicklin Singers did) on their first records. The…

To paraphrase Chromeo, the subtitle of this cloudcast could have been: Don’t sleep… yet…

According to Urban Dictionary after hours...
“...sometimes means after party, but it usually means a more mellow gathering of friends rather than a rowdy party. Basically, it's whatever you're doing after the bars close.” Enjoy these songs meant for the early hours, like the ones on New Year’s Eve, after a night of heavy clubbing…

Tracklist:

Incognito – That's The Way Of The World [Ski Oakenfull Vs Incognito Remix] (2007)
Cléa Vincent – Samba (2017)
Bah Samba Feat. Isabel Fructuoso ‎– Calma [Louie Vega Remix] (2005)
River Ocean – Love And Happiness [Sao Benitez Sun Rise Mix] (2001)
Nick Holder ‎– Da Sambafrique (1998)
George Duke – Brazilian Love Affair (1979)
Michael Jackson – Thriller [Soulpersona Extended Version] (1982/2018)
Reel People – I Need Your Lovin’ (2018)
Man Sueto – Man Sueto Theme [LTJ Xperience Rework] (2018)
Lee McDonald – We've Only Just Begun [TM Juke Mix] (2006)
Dubble D –…

Let’s float away on Christmas day with a winter’s breeze in the sails and love in our hearts… This set’s opening track is by Casbah 73, which is one of the best releases of 2018, I believe. And somewhere in the middle you will hear a song by The Staves, which is one of the best Christmas tracks I’ve heard so far this year.

The wonderful single Black Man Ray by China Crisis spent 13 weeks on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number 14 in April 1985. It was also the band's biggest hit single in Australia, reaching number 30. It was released to promote their album Flaunt the Imperfection, which was produced by Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker. He was even credited as an official member of China Crisis on the record sleeve, although he never appeared on stage with the band. Becker apparently requested to meet with China Crisis after hearing their 1983 song Papua. When he was approached by Virgin to work on the album, he was living on Hawaii, and had to leave his expecting partner …

Enjoy this mixtape with classic & rare soul from the 1970s, selected by The Smooth Operators.

Tracklist:
Al Green – Let’s Stay Together (1972)
The O’Jays – Darlin’ Darlin’ Baby (Sweet, Tender, Love) (1976)
Gwen McCrae – Rockin’ Chair (1974)
Johnnie Taylor – Somebody’s Gettin’ It (1976)
The Spinners – I’ll Be Around (1972)
Marlena Shaw – Feel Like Making Love (1975)
The Isley Brothers – Footsteps In The Dark (1977)
Muscles – Love Is All I’ve Got (1977)
Rufus & Chaka Khan – Sweet Thing (1973)
Ben E. King – Supernatural Thing (Part 1) (1975)
Bunny Sigler – Can’t Believe That You Love Me (1977)
Earth, Wind & Fire – Can’t Hide Love (1975)
Isaac Hayes – Joy (1973)
Major Harris – Loving Is Mellow (1976)
Lou Rawls – You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine (1977)
The Trammps – Hold Back The Night (1976)
People’s Choice – I Likes To Do It (1972)
The Fatback Band – Feed Me With Your Love (1975)
The Three Degrees – Trade Winds (1972)

Enjoy a soulful hour on vintage FM Radio, although two of the tracks are brand new (Jacques Renault and Redwood Club) and one was previously unreleased. The latter is from C.J. & Co., who were a so-called proto disco group from Detroit. The act was created by producer Mike Theodore and Motown guitarist Dennis Coffey, who played on many classics like Cloud Nine and War. Coffey also worked with Del Shannon and wrote the soundtrack to Black Belt Jones. Devil's Gun by C.J. & Co. (co-written by Barry Green a.k.a. British singer Barry Blue) was the first record played at Studio 54 when it opened in 1977. In August of that year it reached #22 on the Dutch Top 40. Rainmaker is from Ain't It Amazing: The Unreleased Westbound Masters, out on Ace Records.

American Gypsy, who were based in the Netherlands, are best known for their song Inside Out, which has been sampled by DJ Shadow and Groove Armada. Unfortunately, this funk band never had any worldwide hits. Angel Eyes (top ten …

The Smooth Operators remember those wonderful days of summer, so listen to our sunny and melancholic songs...

Tracklist:

Gilberto Gil – Toda Menina Baiana (1979)
Jerry Corbetta – Caribbean Lady (1978)
Nohelani Cypriano – Island Boy (1979)
Con Funk Shun ‎– Indian Summer Love (1977)
Johnny Nash – Reggae On Broadway (1975)
George Franklin Smallwood & Marshmellow ‎– Mr. Sunshine (1980s)
Tim Maia – O Caminho Do Bem (1975)
Steve Maii And Teresa Bright ‎– Catching A Wave (1983)
Jorge Santana – We Were There (1978)
Willie "Beaver" Hale – Groove On (1980)
Yasuko Agawa – L.A. Night (1984)
Richard Tee ‎– First Love (1979)
Leon Ware – That's Why I Came to California (1982)
Renee Geyer – Be There In The Morning (1977)
Necktr – Choose To Say (2018)
Idris Muhammad – Could Heaven Ever Be Like This (1977)
Holger Czukay – Cool In The Pool (1979)
The Latinos – Santo (1981)

Just sit down and relax after a day of hard work… ;-)

The term chill out originated from an area called The White Room at the Heaven nightclub in London in the late 1980s, according to Wikipedia. DJs Jimmy Cauty (The KLF) and Alex Patterson (The Orb) created ambient mixes from sources such as Brian Eno, Pink Floyd, the Eagles, Mike Oldfield, 10cc, and War. The room's purpose was to allow dancers a chance to "chill out" from the more emphatic and fast-tempo music played on the main dance floor. The popularity of chill out subsequently expanded to dedicated satellite radio channels, outdoor festivals, and thousands of compilation albums. Chill out eventually became a sort of modern dance variant of easy listening, which was especially popular in the 1970s. So here we go in 2018! :-)

Tracklist:

The Knocks (Feat. Sofi Tukker) – Brazilian Soul [Acoustic Bossa Version] (2018)
Democustico – Rejoycing (2006)
Bah Samba (Feat. Alice Russell) – So Tired Of Waiting (1998)
Kadhja Bonet…