James Bootie Tuten - This Is A Love Affair

Wished I could have made it to the city tonight, would have loved to go to the Lipo for Sweaterfunk. It would have been nice to see the crew. I love them folks. And, even better they love some good ass music. I was planning on going. But, I'm nursing my daughter back to health from a flu and as expected I've quickly caught her bug too. So, we're both home sick tonight. And, damn it turned out RAINY! As much as I bitch and whine about being sick, it just shows I still could do a better job taking care of myself. It also shows that the saying is true 'Kids are like germ magnets' and unfortunately I'm living that folklore to the fullest.

I've also been bitchin' and whining about getting tired of boogie too. And, although I say that, I'm still constantly playing it, buying it, and talking about it. Could be I just gotta find the 'right' tunes. Here's the example. This fine tune by James Tuten has been on my want list for a while and now that I picked up a copy it's been in the box and getting played out where ever I go.  If this proves anything, it's just the simple fact that I'm always desiring to discover something new, something fresh. Although at times I may gripe and groan, the music I keep playing speaks for itself. Let's just say that boogie will continue to be my 2nd baby. Or, is it third? Oh well, it's important.

This song is completely bangin' and now one of my funk anthems. From the wicked huge open drums to the chant at the end, it satisfies me on a major level. So, out go my grievances right out the door. Those hard drums, space sounds, and the disco missile launching at the beginning only warm it up for the monster synth bass line. Then the deep commanding vocals come jumping out of the speaker. James should have been nick named 'brutal' as his voice so completely rocks this shit. Yeah, James 'Brutal' Tuten. So stoked to have it in my box, after a long wait. For the moment, it's a 'love affair' with this song.

James Bootie Tuten - This Is A Love Affair

Plustwo - Stop Fantasy

Seemingly the most lethal weapon in my Italo arsenal. Like I said before, we're talking about 1 in 200 records before you get anything remotely hot. This killer double sider has classic Italo traits and good groundwork for the origins of house music. The use of drum machine high hats and snare and (what could be) the Tb-303 bass machine makes a strong case heading in a Detroit inspired direction. It even has the whirlwind of the Latin tinged almost 'salsa' sounding bridge. At least I remember a few house records having that same Latin turnaround rhythm. 

This record also has the common Italo occurrence of chipmunk singing. Not sure if they sung as high as possible or speed the tape up. But, the other side 'Melody', has actual chipmunk (sped up) silly vocals. So, if this tune is too much for you..dare I flip it over?

Be aware: this kind of Italo stuff is aquired taste. Meaning, you may NOT dig this entirely. But, keep an open noggin, and understand that this may be the roots of music that you DO love, and we had to have Plustwo before we could what was next.

I know nothing about Plustwo, and that's usually the case with the rare 1 in 200 tunes I find. I do know that this track is rare enough to have taken some time to find. A few Italo dealers wanted over 1,000 euros for it and then it vanished into thin air again. All I had was a YouTube clip in the beginning. I actually ran into a gentleman from the UK in a local record store who of all things said he was looking for this same record. Oddly, I have found it cheap. Very cheap. Both copies. With some luck, but also super big thanks to a friend.

7 inch version

A big shout to Francesca aka Disco Bambina who actually directed me to my initial 7" copy of this. I've turned up the 12" now and she gets the 7" as a finders fee. Let that be known to many of you...if you know I'm looking for a record and want to get hooked up..send it my direction. I take care of my peeps. 

I'm currently looking for the heavyweight tunes... The Charmells 'As Long As I've Got You', Ron Richardson 'Oo Wee Babe', and the Rob LP with 'Make It Fast, Make It Slow'. But, right...who isn't looking for these tracks?

I've ripped from my own 12" of this tune and it's the full version unavailable anywhere else. It's a Soundboutique exclusive. Like I've said before, we work hard to bring you the goodies.

Plustwo - Stop Fantasy

Dizzy K - You

Speaking of Africa... I think I'm gravitating to Nigerian records from 81-83 like the tractor beam from the death star. Just so happens they are all sounding like complete replicas of Michael Jackson records. From Chris Mba, who I posted here before, to this cat Dizzy K. The squeals and yelps, to the rhythmic scats, it all ads up to MJ. Not to mention the bass heavy brilliant disco boogie production perfection they've all got. Dizzy had a number of albums, all seem to be excellent. Don't have them all yet, but working on it. So far so good. Meaning they've all been worthwhile listens. This particular LP is the best yet. And, judging from the prices his LP's command, this is probably the most desired. I remember buying this on ebay. I heard a few sound samples of the tracks and was completely FLOORED. I had never heard anything so funky and so hotly produced. It blew my mind how incredible the few tracks sounded, even though they were crappy ass little soundfiles. This was approximately 5 or more years ago. I was ready to drop some serious loot on it. I put figures into eBay I had never entered before. I was willing to bet the farm on this one, and didn't want to lose it to another bidder. Surprisingly it ended for 13 or 14 dollars, (totally surprised!) a far cry from the hundreds I was willing to spend. Since then Nigerian Boogie records have gone through the roof. I have no idea what this record would go for now, but the last few copies went for 500 to 1,000$.
To me, it might be worth it. All the tracks on here are bombs. Plus, like I said, I'd never heard anything produced so well. Every track sounds like you could make a new Daft Punk song just by looping it up. The back info on the record reads like a synth and drum machine holy grail want list..some of the hottest shit on earth. Trust me this record is made with some of the sickest sounds you've ever heard. Dizzy is still around, and heavy into gospel music. It's still a fantasy of mine to re-release ALL of his LP's, something I can estimate is only a matter of time.

I'm only posting this one right now.. it's kinda too good to let it all out at once..but, I WILL post more from this same album. I may even do a Dizzy K special once I have ALL the Dizzy LP's.

I hope my buddy Juan finds this one while he's in Africa. He just hipped me to his newest project, his blog about his vinyl discoveries while he's adrift in Ghana and general South Africa. He's finding hot shit. We yucked it up a while ago, over a donut at a greasy spoon breakfast spot I like, about his future trip. We talked about all the previous record hounds that have scoured the land. How they never pay 'jack-shit' for records, sadly keeping those peoples VERY poor while making hundreds themselves. How few record hunters there have been 'other than white' in that biz, and how he might be able to connect further being a person of color himself. Finalizing our conversation we both mentioned we thought the most important things were.. the stories, the connections with these people along the way, the music, the art, the experience, the sharing, and NOT just gripping and flipping. I'm proud to say he's not just trying make a fat loot, but doing something deeper. Something he's always been dedicated to. This time he's working new angles and turning up some tasty goodies. Check them out here.
http://digging4gold.tumblr.com/
This is his second trip to Africa, and the second time I've mentioned him on this blog. Must be I love this dude. word.

Dizzy K - You