Professor Eddy

Mizell Brothers A special mix for special days! To close this year properly I present to you a tribute to Fonce and Larry Mizell, a.k.a. the Mizell Brothers. In the late 1960s Fonce worked for Motown and co-wrote for instance ‘I want you back’, ‘ABC’ and ‘The love you save’ for the Jackson 5. Exactly 40 years ago Larry and Fonce started their production company ‘Sky high’ and began to work for several artists, like Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey and Johnny Hammond. They created a unique multi-layered sound that shimmers somewhere between funk, jazz, soul and disco. After having huge commercial success with A Taste of Honey (‘ Boogie oogie oogie ’), they suddenly stopped producing and playing on records and they mysteriously disappeared. Larry only shortly appeared on ‘Play with the changes’ from 4Hero in 2006. Fonce sadly passed away last year. Tracklist: A Taste of Honey – Boogie Oogie Oogie [The 3% Edit] (Capitol/1978) Mizellstory – N R Time (Blue Note/2005) The Jackson 5 ...

A tribute to all the stressed mailmen who are running around to post tons of Christmas cards! I discovered Jens Lekman more or less by accident. I like ‘Postcard to Nina’, because it’s sad and funny at the same time. He has a new album out, called ‘I know what love isn’t’. All the songs are about heartache and pain, but always with a humorous twist. And I like the new album ‘Bloom’ from Italian singer Andrea Balducci as well. Check out his single ‘ Just dropped in ’ and listen to his version of 'The letter' (originally from The Box Tops ) that I selected for this mailmen tribute! Picture from Perfect Day Dream . Enjoy! Tracklist: Ryan Shaw – Blackmail (2012) Ruby Velle & The Soulphonics – My Dear (2012) David Ruffin – The Letter (1969) Jack Montgomery ‎– Dearly Beloved (1966) Andrea Balducci – The Letter (2012) Mantronix – Love Letter (Dear Tracy) (1988) Aaliyah ‎– 4 Page Letter (1997) R. Kelly – Love Letter (2010) Stephanie McKay – This Letter (2008)...

Enjoy this 18th part of ‘ Groovy, sexy & soulful ’! Tracklist and linernotes: The George Martin Orchestra – Fillet of Soul New Orleans (1973) From the James Bond movie ‘Live and let die’ (picture). Matt Monro – From Russia With Love (1964) Another track from a James Bond score. Barbara Lewis ‎– Workin' On A Groovy Thing (1968) Detroit's own very smooth, suave and sophisticated soul diva Barbara Lewis goes for a solid, soulful approach on this title track of her last Atlantic album. Noah – Sexy And I Know It (2012) An acoustic cover of the LMFAO track. 'I got a passion in my pants...' Young-Holt Unlimited – Soulful Strut (1968) The trio consisted of Ken Chaney (piano), Eldee Young (bass, cello, vocals), and Issac Holt (drums), formerly of the Ramsey Lewis Trio. It became a #3 hit in the United States and went to #1 in Canada. Neither Eldee Young nor Red Holt is believed to have played on the track, which was the work of session musicians identifie...

When I started to listen to pop music in 1974, glam rock (created by Marc Bolan from T-Rex) was very popular, but disco started to break through. ‘Rock your baby’ from George McCrae was the spark that lighted the fire. Dance music became hot and glam artists of the seventies like David Bowie (‘Fame’,‘Golden years’), Glitter Band (‘Makes you blind’) and Mud (‘Shake it down’) tried to move to the dance floor (the guitar player of Mud, Rob Davis, wrote ‘ Can't get you out of my head ’ for Kylie Minogue years later). Soul and disco music seemed to go very well with glam rock around the mid-seventies. To prove my point I added the intro of ‘ Ballroom blitz ’ from the Sweet to the Pied Piper remix of Michael Jackson’s 'Rockin’ robin'. And if you are not convinced, well, at least the musicians wore the same type of clothes… ;-) Enjoy! Picture from My Hair Care . Tracklist: Michael Jackson – Rockin’ Robin [Pied Piper Vs Professor Eddy Remix] (2012) The Supermen Lovers – Keep...

My favourite track of 2012 so far is the catchy debut single from Alison Valentine (picture). I like her video of ‘ Peanut butter ’ in which she sort of gets kidnapped by a pirate surf dude (who wears a 32 year old shirt…). She claims to be influenced by Michael and Janet Jackson, Prince, Donna Summer and the Italo-disco genre. She owns a floral design company by day, because she hasn’t earned any money from her music yet. She tells that on her debut EP there will be a b-side to ‘Peanut Butter’ as well as a Sugarcubes cover, both done in the production style of ‘Peanut Butter’: ‘ They fit together nicely as a little collection ’ (full interview on NYU Local ). Valentine recently released a couple of remixes of ‘Peanut butter’ on Soundcloud, for instance the nu-disco / early house ‘ Moon Boots remix ’ and the hip hop one from Married to the Mob (sampling ‘Regulate’ from Warren G.) that I play in this 17th episode of ‘ Groovy, sexy & soulful ’. Enjoy! Tracklist: Professor Eddy ...

Major Harris – This Is What You Mean To Me (1976) Philadelphia soul singer Major Harris died last week, only 65 years of age. This track, written by Terry Collins, is the b-side to his single ‘Laid back love’. ‘Love won’t let me wait’ was his biggest hit. It reached number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the number one spot on the R&B chart in 1975. State Department – Slow Love (1977) This is on a new disco compilation called ‘Under the influence 2’, which is out on Z Records, a company founded by disco connoisseur Joey Negro. Chuck Strong – Doin' It Cause It Feels Good (1983) From the best compilation album of 2012, ‘Private Wax: Super Rare Boogie And Disco’, which came out on BBE Records in August. The original of ‘Doin’ it’ (written by Willie Hutch) was sung by Gwen McCrae a year prior to this version of Chuck Strong. Sydney Joe Qualls ‎– So Sexy [The Apple Scruffs Edit] (1979) The original is from his same-titled album. His voice reminds me of Al Green. Ste...

Let’s put on our rollerskates and dance (if possible with skates on...) 'Bring on the love’ is one of the outstanding tracks in this mix. The song is a real treat from American soul singer Gloria Jones. She is most famous for her sixties northern soul classic ‘Tainted love’. In the 1970s she became the girlfriend of British singer Marc Bolan, the inventor of glam rock with his band T-Rex. Jones joined T-Rex as a keyboard player and backing vocalist. She also inspired him to choose for a more disco-oriented direction. After having a child, their time together came to a tragic end. The T-Rex singer died in a car accident near his home after a concert in 1977, with Jones at the wheel. She moved back to Los Angeles with their son Rolan. ‘Tainted love’ became a worldwide hit for Soft Cell in 1981. When you are halfway the mix, you can hear the politically very incorrect lyrics from Kim Hart: Boy, if you choose me, It's okay to use me, I wouldn't fight it, I might even l...

When I finished this mix I realized there were a lot of trumpet players in it (Herb Alpert, Eddie Henderson, Tom Browne), which makes this 'steamy' mix, even more steamy! One of the most outstanding funky tracks on this second part of 'Steamy Soul Funk & Disco' is ‘Soul train’ from Little Richard. This is what Derek’s Daily 45s has to say about it: "Even though Little Richard's career never recovered commercially after his abrupt departure from the music business in 1957, the man cut some of the hottest wax of his career during the 1966-1968 period (including the incredible "I Need Love"). The Chicago session features the Jackie Wilson/Brunswick records house band (that later became Syl Johnson's Pieces Of Peace) scorching away, Richard testifying (and laying out a fabulous signature WOO at the end), driven steadily by the bubbling bass of Bernard Reed, and produced by the great Carl Davis. What a team, what a record!" If you like thi...

I discovered Jens Lekman more or less by accident, when I was looking for lyrics about letters. I heard a song of his in which he sings about his complicated relationship with a lesbian girl, called ‘Postcard to Nina’. I like it a lot, because it’s sad and funny at the same time. He has a new album out, called ‘I know what love isn’t’. All the songs are about heartache and pain, but always with a humorous twist. For this 16th part of ‘ Groovy, sexy & soulful ’ I selected ‘She just don’t want to be with you anymore’. Enjoy! Tracklist: Brenda Russell – Something I Like To Do (1981) James Taylor – On Broadway (2009) Jens Lekman – She Just Don’t Want To Be With You Anymore (2012) Neil Diamond – Girl You’ll Be A Woman Soon (1967) Lianne La Havas – Au Cinéma (2012) D-Influence – Dreams (2001) Sons of Champlin – You (1976) Funky Communication Committee – Falling Out Of Love (1980) Leon Ware – Body Heat (1976) Prince Phillip Mitchell ‎– You're All I Got In The Wo...

Robert Glasper’s ‘Black Radio Recovered – The Remix EP’ is out now. It contains tracks that sound even more soulful than the originals! 'Black radio' itself was a bit of a ‘remix’, because of Glasper's keyboards, funky beats and hip contributions from a range of soul singers. But the expansion of those sounds on ‘Black Radio Recovered’ works perfectly. It stretches out the wonderful mix of modes through some cool tracks that still leave plenty of room for Robert's keyboards. One of the remixed tracks is ‘Afro Blue’, that I play in this ‘Mi Vida’ mix. It features raps from Phonte and vocals from Erykah Badu. ‘Green room’ is the new album from Vivian Green. She borrowed Kylie’s dress for her nice video ‘ Anything out there ’. I selected ‘Remedy’, which is great as well. Enjoy these late summer vibes! Tracklist: Willie Bobo – Kojak Theme (1977) Cerrone – Music Of Life (1978) Jon Lucien – Mi Vida (1976) Balanço ‎– Metti Una Sera A Cena [Jazzanova Remix] (199...

Tellzoe This 15th part of ‘ Groovy, sexy & soulful ’ is what I call ‘couch soul’, music I listen to when I’m not in the mood for dancing or, in fact, making any moves at all. When I feel that way I put on some of the smoothest rhythms and finest melodies I can find and lay down on my couch to relax. I just softly nod my head (sometimes I tap my feet a little as well) and enjoy the music. No ecstatic dancing for me, just head nodding and funky chillin’ with the one I love… Quite a few (brand) new tracks in this mix, by the way. Check out How To Dress Well (best song of the moment!), Breakbot, Mayer Hawthorne and Donald Fagen! Tracklist: Frank Ocean – Forrest Gump (2012) How To Dress Well – Cold Nites (2012) The Stylistics – Smooth (1978) Average White Band – Love Of Your Own (1977) Gene Dunlap Band – In Just A Matter Of Time (1983) The Blackbyrds – Soft And Easy (1977) Bridge – Stella (1981) Leon Ware – Deeper Than Love (1982) Jolis & Simone – Night F...

More electronic soul music to play on your old school ghetto blaster! This fourth part of ‘ Boombox ’ is partly inspired by the trailer of the movie ' Take me home tonight ' (I haven't seen the movie yet). In the 1980s the curtains started to close down on disco music, but I like the spirit of the uplifting dance songs of that decade. This mix contains almost literally the last steps of disco and the first of hip hop, house and swingbeat, the forerunner of RnB. Apart from post-disco I use the relatively unknown term ‘lazer soul’ to describe the mix. This is the definition of ‘lazer soul’ in the urban dictionary (from Baron Von Luxxury ): ‘ Term for mid-eighties old school R&B ala The Gap Band, Zapp, Midnight Star, Starpoint, Lakeside, ect. It is flashy synth driven pop soul music with a four on the floor disco dance beat. Term was coined by the music blog Beat Electric . It is always spelled with a Z, not an s. ’ There’s also room in this mix for current dance mus...

Here it is, another episode of ‘ Groovy, sexy & soulful ’! And these are the tracks: Foxy – Mademoiselle (1978) Everybody knows them for their disco (gay) classic ‘Get Off’. This is more soulful and much, much better. Bill Labounty – Lie To Me (1975) Bill Labounty is an American singer/songwriter and musician. I presume he was a little unlucky in love when he was recording his album ‘Promised land’, because titles include ‘I hope you’ll be very unhappy without me’, ‘Another drunk’ and this one, ‘Lie to me’. Alex Lattimore – Lullabye (2008) From his album ‘Promise’. Great singer. He used to be one of the members of Jiva. Dâm-Funk – Show Me The Way [Alternate Laid Back Version] (Unreleased) I like the new interpretations of old school electro funk from Dâm-Funk! Khari Cabral Simmons Feat. Julie Dexter – Is It Any Wonder (2012) Khari Cabral Simmons creates a rich and tropical sound on his latest album ‘Clementine sun’. Sweet Brazilian rhythms at times mellow and th...

‘Starlight’, the debut single from Brooklyn disco revivalists Escort came out 6 years ago, but is no less relevant than it was after its release. Part of it is its nailing of disco chic (and post-disco synth squiggles), part of it is that after dropping a string of singles, the act finally released its self-titled debut album last year, thereby reintroducing the song. And the newest part of it is that it's been remixed for the band's upcoming ‘Escort Remixed’, out on October 16th. The compilation collects some already released mixes as well as some new ones, like the RAC remix of ‘Starlight’, which I play in this third part of of ‘ Boombox ’. This remix of ‘Starlight’ spices up the track with a more Italo-indebted bass line, while retaining the sharp strings and Adeline Michele's lush vocals. It breathes new life into a club track that has shown no signs of fading, ever since its birth. And don’t forget to listen to La Bionda, a duo formed by brothers Carmelo and Michel...

Doctor Boogie in space! I selected a new edit from a guy I mentioned earlier on my blog, namely Baron von Luxxury (Blake Robin). He has written songs for artists like Little Boots and Dr. Luke protege (and 'California Gurls' co-writer) Bonnie McKee. He has also done remixes for Marianne Faithfull, among many others, and runs the very enjoyable Disco Workout blog . He just released his great new single ' Glass candy '. Baron von Luxxury explains how he laid his hands on 'Rhiannon': "This re-edit/remix/rerub of Fleetwood Mac’s 'Rhiannon' is the first in a series of 70’s and 80′s re-edits I’m making from the original studio multitracks. Each will be different tonally, but I’m trying to keep them all vintage-y sounding, using only the original tracks and refraining from using any (or too many) modern dancefloor tricks like filtersweeps, “swooshes” etc. Just delay, reverb and editing. Coming soon: BvL takes on Bowie, Clash, Talking Heads and more......

Freefoto We started walking from the street corner where we heard the street player. We enjoyed the views in Neon Valley Street and Funky Frith Street. Then we went from the back street (surprisingly!) to Baker Street, which is a short cut in this mix. From there to Green Flower Street is also a small step. Although we got lost in 23rd Street, we managed to go down on Disco Street. We proved to be street tough and kept on dancing on Queen Street. And at the end of our walk we still heard the street music... ;-) I really like 'Street corner' from Ashford & Simpson. The two of them wrote many soul classics for Motown and other labels, like ‘Ain’t no mountain high enough’, ‘California soul’ and ‘I'm every woman’. Nick Ashford, who died last year, and his wife Valerie Simpson are probably best known for their worldwide hit 'Solid’. Last June Valerie Simpson released 'Dinosaurs are back again'. The re-edit of 'Street corner' is beautifully done by Laur...

Dâm-Funk The second part of ‘ Boombox ’ is the evidence that there was still some very good disco around after the heyday was over by the end of the 1970s. Disco went out of the mainstream and back to the clubs where it belonged in the 1980s. Party people started to dance on funky grooves and electro soul, music that is often referred to as ‘post-disco’. Unlike disco music of the 1970s, post-disco usually lacked the typical shuffling hi-hat driven beat, walking basslines and string orchestration. It now featured drum machines, synthesizers and sequencers. Soulful vocals, however, remained an essence of post-disco. The main force in post-disco were mainly one-hit wonders and short-lived collaborations, while record producers played a significant role in post-disco in general. An exception to this rule and one of the key-figures at the same time was Prince, who made some sublime crossovers between funk, electro and rock. From the late 1990s, post-disco started to live again in one ...

The opening song from Players Asscociation (known for ‘Turn the music up’) is some kind of (underground) disco classic. The following track from Sashay is from an album I reviewed last week, called ‘ Evans Pyramid ’. The song never saw the light of day at the time (late 1980s), because a deal with Arista Records didn't come through. The track from Intercity Sound Association will be (re-)released on the 25th of September. The album is called ‘Philly sound’, although it's not the real Philly sound, of course. It’s a good imitation of Philly (and other kinds of seventies) soul, made in Germany (no, not in China...). The real Philly sound comes from McFadden & Whitehead, for instance, who are featured with 'One more time'. Everyone knows French bad guy Serge Gainsbourg ('Je t'aime... moi non plus'). I selected an unreleased remix that DJ Cam did on 'Ford Mustang' (a duet with Brigitte Bardot). He gives the track a pleasant hip hop vibe. The ones f...

Last week I played a track from Nytro, a production from one of the architects of the Motown sound, Norman Whitfield (picture). From 1966 to 1974, Whitfield produced almost all of The Temptations' material, experimenting with psychedelic sound effects and other new production techniques. He teamed up with lyricist Barrett Strong, who was the first to have a hit record (‘Money’) on Motown. Together they wrote songs for The Temptations and other Motown artists, such as Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight & the Pips. Both acts recorded Whitfield-produced hit versions of the Whitfield/Strong composition ‘I heard it through the grapevine’. The Gladys Knight & the Pips version was the best-selling Motown single ever to that point, but it was replaced a year later by Gaye's version. Because of the fact that in September it is 4 years ago that Whitfield passed away, I pay tribute to him with songs from The Undisputed Truth, Rose Royce and Nytro. 'Nytro express' is a rough ...

I’m a huge admirer of Peter Godwin. He started as one half of Metro in the 1970s (the other half was Duncan Browne, known for his classic 'The wild places'). In the 1980s he became a frontrunner of electropop, making it big with hits like ’ Images of heaven ’ (with a couple of naked ladies in his video), ‘Emotional disguise’ and ‘Baby’s in the mountains’. The latter is featured in this mix. He also wrote for acts like David Bowie and Steve Winwood (also featured in this mix). Peter Godwin recently released a very nice new single, called ‘ Disguise ’, which sounds a little bit like ‘ Avalon ’, the classic from Roxy Music. And guess what? He still has his 1980s haircut! ;-) He’s one of the mountaineers in the mix. Enjoy the climb! Picture from FreeFoto . Tracklist: Commodores – Keep On Taking Me Higher (1981) Nytro – High On Disco (1979) Jackie Wilson ‎– (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher [Rock Savage Mix] (1967) The Super-Phonics – Higher! (2005) ...

Here’s some soul music that makes you relax next to your radio in the grass, by the pool or elsewhere… The song from Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons is a remake of the classic from the Shirelles (also sung by Leslie Grace recently). It’s a bit strange to hear a man sing the lyrics, because the original song is about respecting a woman after having a one night affair. The song is written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The latter sings, although a woman, the original (masculine) lyrics of ‘Just once in my life’ on a demo (from ‘The legendary demos’ that came out this year). It was meant for male vocalists, namely the Righteous Brothers. There’s also a version sung by The Beach Boys. They are featured in this mix with a track from their latest album. Thanks to Flashlites Productions for helping me out. Beautiful picture from Mariah Rea . Enjoy! Tracklist: Patti Jo – Ain’t No Love Lost [Leftside Wobble Edit] (1972) Robert Glasper Experiment – Black Radio (2012) Bob ...

Here's some electronic soul that sounds cool on your ghettoblaster! Liner notes: Chromeo – I Can't Tell You Why [Dub Version] (2009) Chromeo are P-Thugg (real name Patrick Gemayel, born in Lebanon, July 31, 1979) on keyboards, synthesizers, and talk box, and Dave 1 (real name David Macklovitch, born June 7, 1978) on guitar and lead vocals. The two childhood friends jokingly describe themselves as 'the only successful Arab/Jewish partnership since the dawn of human culture'. Roger ‎– I Want To Be Your Man (1987) Roger Troutman (November 29, 1951 – April 25, 1999) was the lead singer of funk pioneers Zapp who influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years. Troutman was well known for his use of the talk box, a device that is connected to an instrument (frequently a keyboard) to create different vocal effects. In his later years, he was mostly known for singing the chorus to the hip-hop classic 'California Love...