Professor Eddy

Let's kick off the summer with the Californian summer edition of ‘ Groovy, sexy and soulful ’! In this mix I try to recreate the Californian feeling between the mid-seventies and mid-eighties, when FM radio played this kind of music all day on the West Coast. I gave it a tiny funky, disco-ish, Professor Eddy twist. For some strange reason the West Coast sound, often called 'yacht rock' or 'blue-eyed-soul', wasn’t popular at all in the Netherlands. The only Dutch representative I could find was The President, who tried to copy Toto’s ‘Africa’. Even mega-selling artists in the US, like Hall & Oates, had marginal sales in the Netherlands. The Dutch were more into new wave artists from the UK. So it’s time to catch up now! Helloloser.com gives this definition of yacht rock: "Yacht Rock is that smooth, mellow music that emanated from Southern California in the late 1970s and early 80s. It has long served as the anthem for the “yuppies” of the 80s, since they ...

'Dreamer' / Bobby Bland (1974) A few new songs, a couple of tracks from flea market records and some classics, those are the soulful grooves from the crates! One of them is 'I wouldn't treat a dog' by Bobby Bland. This great song is from his album 'Dreamer' that was arranged by multiple Grammy Award winner Michael Omartian. The beautiful yacht picture is in the gatefold of the original lp. King of the medley, James (Hansi) Last, who passed away last week, could be a funky guy too from time to time! I remember him as the conductor who was more interested in his audience than in his musicians. He was always smiling to the crowd and conducting with his back to the orchestra. He really enjoyed the music and knew that his musicians could play their parts. He tried to transfer his joy to his listeners and he never failed. Enjoy this first part in the Grooves From The Crates series! Tracklist: Maysa – Heavenly Voices (2015) Bobby Bland – I Wouldn'...

Picture: Joan Smalls Instagram We're going to set sail for another smooth boat trip to fantasy island! This part of Smooth Sailing is a little different from the previous ones. In this edition there's more room for jazzy beats and Latin pop. But there's soul music in it as well, of course, like the song from Impact. It is the group that featured the falsetto of Damon Harris. As a member of the Temptations from 1971 to 1975, Harris' airy yet earthy falsetto powered such classics including 'Papa Was a Rolling Stone' and the drug epic 'Hurry Tomorrow'. Impact also had a raspy vocalist reminiscent of David Ruffin, who provided a good juxtaposition to Harris. So perhaps Impact could be called a Philly equivalent for the Temptations. Brazilian electrified trio Azymuth called their music samba doido, which means "crazy samba." The actual sounds, though, were not so crazy: the intelligent, high-voltage blend of Brazilian rhythms, jazz, and f...

The Three Degrees When the Three Degrees aligned their recording fate with Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International label, after years of struggling, they hit immediate paydirt in 1973 with 'Dirty Ol’ Man'. Soon after came 'TSOP', which featured the ladies with the Philly house orchestra MFSB. The following year came ‘When Will I See You Again'. All tracks were on their first album for Philadelphia International: "A fine bridge between sugar soul and the sexy disco strings lurking in the band's future." (Amy Hanson/ Allmusic.com ). Original (and still current) member Valerie Holiday (on the left) tells on their website that they weren’t aware of the potential of the label when they first signed. “But at our first session with them, we felt the magic. It was different from anything we had ever experienced before." She was very disappointed when they left the label. “I thought that Kenny and Leon were the best writers and producers we had e...

Picture: Susan Meiselas I started working on this mix when I heard ‘Midnight train’ on ‘Avonmore’ from Bryan Ferry: “This is Ferry's prime, a moment when his legacy was intact but yet to be preserved in amber. Avonmore consciously evokes this distinct period, sometimes sighing into the exquisite ennui of Avalon but usually favoring the fine tailoring of Boys & Girls, a record where every sequenced rhythm, keyboard, and guitar line blended into an alluring urbane pulse. Ferry isn't so much racing to revive a younger edition of himself as much as laying claim to this particular strand of sophisticated pop, one that happens to feel a shade richer now when it's delivered by an artist whose world-weariness has settled into his marrow but is yet to sadden him.” (Quote: Allmusic.com ) Earth, Wind & Fire One of the biggest disco hits of all time, 'Boogie Wonderland', took Earth, Wind & Fire to the Top Ten on both the pop and R&B charts in 1979. For ...

Joan Smalls on Instagram It's hard to describe my dj-style, but I often call it 'funky chill'. I play relaxed dance music with its foundation in the 1970s and early 1980s. It's a combination of soul, disco, funk, jazz, folk, soft rock, AOR and all the genres in between. It's music I'd like to hear when I'd drive along the Dutch coast on a sunny day. But I don't have a car, I live far away from the sea and it's raining most of the time in Holland, so I don't think that is a very good description... Perhaps I should say: this is the music that makes me happy, a collection of chilled out tunes for fellows over 40. These are songs for girls and guys who like to nod their heads to the beat in stead of nervously moving their legs... On Wax Poetics singer Ed Motta has this to say about 'Let's be friends' by Marilyn Scott: "Yellow Jacket’s Russell Ferrante wrote and arranged this classy AOR soul in a Norman Connors vein for the g...

Errol Brown (photo by Chris Capstick/ Shutterstock ) Last week charismatic singer Errol Brown of the legendary band Hot Chocolate died, which was a very sad thing to read. It was one of the first bands I liked when I started to listen to the radio and I never stopped enjoying their music. They made such wonderful singles in the 1970s. Not many people know that Hot Chocolate was discovered by John Lennon. When he heard their version of 'Give peace a chance' he immediately signed them for the Apple label that was owned by The Beatles. But the Fab Four split and Mickie Most contracted Hot Chocolate to RAK a little later He also produced their biggest hits. They were at their best around the mid-seventies when Errol Brown sang passionately about his love life, supported by the distinctive guitar sound of Harvey Hinsley. They were not just another disco band (they even made anti-disco songs like ‘Mindless boogie’). Hot Chocolate made a unique cocktail of soul, rock, pop and a ti...