Smooth Sailing: Mellow Grooving & Funky Floating

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Picture Joan Smalls: @joansmalls Instagram
Some refreshing tunes for sweaty days… and some warm tracks for chilly days as well! Quite a few songs I selected for this new Smooth Sailing part are Latin inspired disco tracks, or 'cocktail disco' as Dimitri From Paris calls it:
“Cocktail Disco has that ubiquitous 4/4 beat and flying open high hat, complemented by rich orchestrations, campy over the top vocals, and an often tropical latin vibe. Something that wouldn't feel out of place in a broadway musical.“
Santa Esmeralda seems a mysterious Spanish guy, but it was in fact a concept, created by French producers Nicolas Skorsky and Jean Manuel de Scarano in 1977. When they had started their own label, they met singer Leroy Gomez in Paris. The duo recruited him for the group's first record 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'. Almost immediately the song became a worldwide success. In 2003 the track played a key part in the movie 'Kill Bill' from director Quentin Tarantino. The original is from Nina Simone, who recorded it in 1964.

The track by Bamboo was a gift from American Athlete:
"One of my all-time favorite records is Bamboo's 1979 self-titled LP. This is album was produced, mixed, and written by Kurt Hauenstein who is the brilliant mind behind the all of those amazing Supermax releases during the late 70's and early 80's."
Tracklist:

ONUKA - Look [Acos CoolKAs Lunar Breakfast Mix] (2014)
Quincy Jones – Stuff Like That (1978)
Cory Daye ‎– Pow Wow [Turst Karma Re-Edit] (1979)
Ju-Par Universal Orchestra – Chicago Calypso (1976)
Ray Barretto – Can You Feel It (Let It Groove You) (1978)
The Emotions – I Should Be Dancing (1979)
The Pointer Sisters – Send Him Back [Pilooski Edit] (2008)
Joey Negro And The Sunburst Band – Put A Lyric In It (2008)
Eastside Connection – Over Please [Joey Negro Re-Edit] (1977)
Rey De Copas – Frontera Del Ensueno [Jerez De La Frontera Mix] (2003)
Santa Esmeralda & Leroy Gomez – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood (1977)
Bamboo – Hustlers Of Life Never Survive (1979)
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band – Hard Times (1976)
SeƱor Coconut And His Orchestra – Pinball Cha Cha (2008)
The Neighbourhood – Sweater Weather (2012)
Alison Valentine – Pixie Dust (2014)
Personal Life – One Step Closer [Opolopo Remix] (2014)
Michael Jackson – Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough (1979)

Smooth Sailing: Mellow Grooving & Funky Floating by Professor Eddy on Mixcloud

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