Professor Eddy

Enjoy this 5th part of Steamy Soul Funk And Disco ! This series is the up-tempo, danceable variant of Groovy, Sexy & Soulful: soul that supposes to bring more excitement on the dance floor than in the bedroom. When disco became popular around the mid-seventies, many soul artists, like Temptations singer David Ruffin, moved into this direction, which seemed a natural step forward. But by the end of the decade all of a sudden models like Grace Jones and Amanda Lear were the real disco stars. The latter was the muse of painter Pablo Picasso and former girlfriend of Roxy Music front man Bryan Ferry, who became infected with the disco virus as well. His new album ‘Avonmore’ is out on the 17th of November. It contains contributions from Nile Rodgers, Johnny Marr and, surprisingly, Ronnie Spector! Tracklist: Noel Pointer – Classy Lady (1981) Bryan Ferry – Kiss And Tell (1987) Chaka Khan – The Message In The Middle Of The Bottom [Scratchandsniff Re-Rub] (1978) Faith, Hope & C...

Picture: J.M. Shayer Enjoy the Love Town edition of ‘ Groovy, sexy and soulful ’! One of the tracks is from Julio Gutierrez (the intro of the song was sampled by The Avalanches in 'Since I left you'): "The great Julio Gutierrez emigrated from his native Cuba in the late ‘50s, pursuing his calling in both Miami and New York City with freelance stints as a composer, session pianist and musical director. Despite two very hip ‘60s Latin jazz LPs, Progressive Latin and Havana B.C., Gutierrez would never regain the stature he’d enjoyed in Cuba, where, in addition to leading the legendary Cuban Jam Sessions series, he’d been among his country’s best known modern bandleaders and composers. 1972 would perhaps represent the crowning year for the pornographic movie in its brief-lived moment of mainstream chic, and few soundtrack themes would better encapsulate its adults-only art-house cachet than Argentinean saxophonist Gato Barbieri’s 'Last Tango in Paris.' 1972 would...

Kandace Springs Enjoy this 39th edition of ‘ Groovy, sexy & soulful ’! The theme is falling leaves and fading loves this time... Kandace Springs has just recently released her wonderful debut EP. Originally from Nashville, Tennessee but now living in New York City, she describes her sound as classic Soul meets classic Hip Hop. After singing an impassioned rendition of Bonnie Raitt's 'I Can't Make You Love Me', Blue Note Records President Don Was found himself so stunned by her arrangement and performance that he offered her a record deal on the spot. And earlier this year, legendary artist Prince heard her cover of Sam Smith's 'Stay With Me' online and asked her to perform at Paisley Park on the weekend celebrating the 30 year anniversary of his seminal album/film, Purple Rain. Kandace Springs is currently working on her debut solo album with co-executive producer Eli Wolf (Norah Jones) and a team of notable co-writers including Claude Kelly (Bruno M...

I got the inspiration for this mix when I heard Michael McDonald sing 'Ain't no mountain high enough' in a restaurant a few weeks ago. It made me think of the classic Motown sound, although it is not the best version of the song. One of the tracks I selected is 'I'm gonna give you respect' by G.C. Cameron. He was the original singer of the (Detroit) Spinners and provided the lead vocals on the group's first major hit, 'It's A Shame'. When The Spinners left Motown to become far more succesful at Atlantic, G.C. was contractually and personally bound to Motown (he was married to Berry Gordy's sister Gwen). He stayed for the remainder of the 1970s with the label, but never received the material or promotion his great voice deserved. I selected 'The night' by the very great Frankie Valli as well. It is a pity that the song was left out in the musical 'The Jersey Boys', because I think it is his best song. The bassline is magnific...

Enjoy this 38th edition of ‘ Groovy, sexy & soulful ’!  Mascara was a disco studio assemblage led by label owner of Ensign Records, Chris Hill and producer-songwriter Jürgen S. Korduletsch (Lipstique, Claudja Barry, Gaz, etc.) with singers David Lasley, Luther Vandross, and Ula Hedwig. The title track and the David Bowie cover 'Golden years' are the standout tracks on Mascara's only full-length album 'See you in L.A.', released in 1979. Korduletsch used the moniker to record 'Baja' as a solo-project 5 years later. Picture: Alison Valentine Tracklist: Lou Courtney ‎– What Do You Want Me To Do (1973) Leroy Hutson ‎– All Because Of You (1975) Cream De Coco – Disco Strut (1976) The Temptations – Masterpiece (1973) New World – We're Gonna Make It (1972) Mascara – Golden Years (1979) Technique ‎– (Looking For Someone To Love) Tonight (1983) Lee Porter – Can You Make Love To A Disco Beat Midnight Pool Party – If You Were Mine (Baby) (20...