Week 52: Boogie

This is the LAST WEEK, and frankly I'm kind of shocked I actually managed to do this project. It was a lot of work, and it was really fun, but a part of me is relieved it's over so I can actually get to work on other music projects. Either way, I am gonna keep this blog active, posting every week or two with mini-mixes from me, guest mixes from others, and the occasional full-length mixtape from myself. (For all the people who requested specific mixtapes that I never got around to, there's still time!) So keep your eyes peeled guys...

Anyway, this week's subject is Boogie, which is really kind of a vague term (and used more in the UK & Canada than the US), but is really the best description for this kind of music: funky, late-1970s disco that draws as much from jazz traditions as it does from R&B, and has the kind of slippery, walking basslines that make you think of the roller rink. I really love this stuff, and figured I'd cover it in this last tape.

Oh, and I purposefully left off "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind, & Fire and "Boogie Oogie Oogie" by A Taste of Honey because I'm really bored with them.

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 52: Boogie

1. Pleasure; Joyous (Fantasy, 1977)
2. The Blackbyrds; Thankful 'Bout Yourself (Fantasy, 1975)
3. The Jimmy Castor Bunch; Space Age (Atlantic, 1975)
4. Heatwave; Boogie Nights (Epic, 1976)
5. Earth, Wind, & Fire; Let Your Feelings Show (CBS, 1979)
6. Edwin Birdsong; Cola Bottle Baby (Philadelphia International, 1979)
7. Direct Current; Everybody Here Must Party (TEC Records, 1979)
8. Bohannon; Let's Start The Dance (Mercury, 1978)
9. Tasha Thomas; Shoot Me With Your Love (Atlantic, 1978)
10. Jermaine Jackson; Burnin' Hot (Motown, 1980)
11. Tamiko Jones; Can't Live Without Your Love (Polydor, 1979)
12. Shadow; I Need Love (Elektra, 1979)
13. Rufus & Chaka Khan; Do You Love What You Feel (MCA, 1979)
14. Gary Toms; Turn It Out (Tear This Building Down) (MCA, 1977)
15. T-Connection; Do What You Wanna Do (T.K. Disco, 1977)
16. The Gap Band; Baby Baba Boogie (Mercury, 1979)
17. GQ; Disco Nights (Rock-Freak) (Arista, 1979)
18. Jackie Moore; This Time Baby (Columbia, 1979)
19. Fay Hauser; Reachin' Out For Happiness (Jonathan Fearing Remix) (SMI, 1976)
20. The Real Thing; Can You Feel The Force? (John Luongo Mix) (Epic, 1978)
21. Crown Heights Affair; Galaxy of Love (De-Lite, 1978)
22. Brass Construction; Sambo (Progression) (United Artists, 1976)
23. 2 Tons O' Fun; Do You Wanna Boogie, Hunh? (Fantasy / Honey, 1980)
24. Brainstorm; Hot For You (Tabu Records, 1979)

Week 49: Golden Era Happy Hardcore

Another happy hardcore tape. Hate all you want—I LOVE THIS STUFF SO DANG MUCH AND I WILL NOT BE DISSUADED.

Like jungle, happy hardcore spent 1993 breaking away from the old breakbeat hardcore rave paradigm, and 1994 finding its own identity. By 1995 it had really come into its own as a distinct genre—still tied to jungle and rave, but with its own unique sound and aesthetic. It lasted for a couple of years before devolving into an even-cheesier breakbeat-free kind of hyperpop for the Dance Dance Revolution crowd (much like jungle eventually evolved into clownstep drum & bass).

Anywho, this tape focuses those prime years for UK Happy Hardcore, 1995-1997. Enjoy!

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 49: Golden Era Happy Hardcore

1. Infernus; I Want Your Love (UK Breakbeat Remix) (Rogue Trooper Happy Trax)
2. Happy Tunes Vol. 3; Let the Good Times Roll (Happy Tunes)
3. Pooch & Wivvy; Think (United Dance)
4. DJ Seduction; Samplemania (Remix) (Impact)
5. Justin Time; Help Me (Just Another Label)
6. DJ Ham; It Would Be (Remix Records)
7. DJ DNA feat. Jenka; Reality (Just 4 U)
8. DJ Seduction; Higher Now (DJ Unknown & Seduction Remix) (Impact)
9. DJ Poosie; It's Gonna Be (Remix Records)
10. Edit V; Sensation (Vibes & Wishdokta Remix) (Impact)
11. DJ Pooch; How It Started (Impact)
12. Rebel Alliance; Sometimes (Remix) (Stormtrooper Recordings)
13. Seduction & Eruption; Bust the New Jam (Hard Mix) (Impact)
14. Happy Tunes Vol. 5 vs. Billy Bunter; Raging Desire (Happy Tunes)
15. DJ Ham & Poosie; Master Peace (Kniteforce Records)
16. Illogik & DNA; Kick Your Legs in the Air (Essential Platinum)
17. Seduction & Dougal; It's Not Over (Remix) (Impact)
18. DJ Seduction; Drop the Bass (Vibes & Wishdokta Remix) (Impact)
19. Highlife & Style; Give it to Me (Remix) (Happy Jack Productions)
20. Frantic & Impulse; Spiced Up (4 The Floor Recordings)
21. Substate; Take Me Up (Rogue Trooper Happy Trax)
22. Vibes & Wishdokta; No More Tears (Impact)
23. Happy Tunes Vol. 8; Positive Energy (Happy Tunes)
24. Vibes & Wishdokta; Passion (Rogue Trooper Happy Trax)

NEXT WEEK: Deep House.

Week 48: Detroit Techno

I'm nearing the end of this whole year of mixtapes project, so here's another genre that I couldn't really leave unrepresented. A lot of people still don't realize this, but Detroit's African American community invented techno. Anybody who says different is either uninformed or selling something.

Detroit's local brand of techno has some key differences from the countless other types of techno that have evolved from it in the last 25 years—generally speaking it's more "soulful" (whatever that means); it's more in touch with its roots in house and electro; and it's got a heavy tendency toward Black Nationalist and sci-fi themes (although in a primarily instrumental genre, these themes are often conveyed more through song titles and cover art than actual lyrical content).

I've started this tape off with some classic first-wave Detroit Techno, and gradually progress into the (somewhat) newer stuff.

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 48: Detroit Techno

1. Rhythim is Rhythim; Strings of Life (Piano Mix) (Transmat, 1987)
2. K.S. Experience; Electronic Dance (KMS / Ten Records, 1988)
3. Model 500; Sound of Stereo (Metroplex, 1987)
4. Suburban Knight; The Art of Stalking (Transmat, 1990)
5. Paris Grey; Don't Lead Me (Nexus 21 Remix) (Network Records, 1990)
6. Mia Hesterley; Spark (Chrissy Instrumental Edit) (Metroplex / Ten Records, 1988)
7. Inner City; Big Fun (Magic Juan Mix) (KMS / Virgin, 1988)
8. Juan Atkins; Techno Music (Ten Records / Metroplex, 1988)
9. Model 500; No UFOs (D-Mix) (Metroplex, 1985)
10. Rhythim is Rhythim; Feel Surreal (Subconscious Mix) (Transmat, 1988)
11. Nexus 21 feat. Donna Black; Still (Life Keeps Moving) (Carl Craig Remix) (Network Records / KMS, 1990)
12. Inner City; Good Life (Magic Juan's Mix) (Virgin, 1988)
13. Blake Baxter; Brothers Gonna Work It Out (Black Planet) (Logic Records, 1992)
14. Cybersonik; Technarchy (Plus 8, 1990)
15. E-Dancer; Pump The Move (KMS, 1991)
16. Alan Oldham; Orietta's Theme (Generator, 1995)
17. Suburban Knight; The Warning (Underground Resistance, 1996)
18. Drexciya; The Journey Home (Warp Records, 1995)
19. Model 500; I Wanna Be There (M500 Remix) (R&S Records, 1996)
20. Aquajazz; Bodyrhythms Bodyfusion (Carl Craig Mix) (Aquarhythms, 1995)
21. DJ Mark Flash; Cachaca (Underground Resistance, 2008)
22. Blake Baxter / Dreamsequence III; Compromised Evolution (Tresor, 2001)
23. Suburban Knight; Shapeshifter (Peacefrog Records, 2003)
24. Underground Resistance; Electronic Warfare (Aux 88's Take Control Mix) (Underground Resistance, 1996)
25. Drexciya; Black Sea (Warp Records, 1995)
26. Underground Resistance; Codebreaker (Underground Resistance, 1997)
27. Robert Hood; Parade (M-Plant / Tresor, 1994)

NEXT WEEK: The Golden Era of Happy Hardcore.

Week 47: Giorgio Moroder

A lot of people have been asking me for this one. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Giorgio Moroder was a key figure in the mid-to-late-1970s Eurodisco scene, and one of real pioneers of using synthesizers in dance music (or pop music in general, really).

The early part of his career took place in Munich, where he discovered Donna Summer (and wrote/produced the bulk of her catalog). In the late 1970s he moved to L.A., and ended up doing a ridiculous amount of film work. Seriously, if we're talking 80s pop trash and cheesy film soundtracks, Giorgio's name is bound to come up: he scored American Gigolo, Scarface, Midnight Express, Top Gun, Flashdance, The Neverending Story, and the colorized recut of Fritz Lang's Metropolis, among many others. He wrote/produced "Call Me" by Blondie, "Take My Breath Away" for Berlin, "(Highway to the) Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins, almost anything you can think of by Donna Summer, and that's really just scratching the surface of the tunes he's made that literally EVERY LIVING CREATURE IN THE WESTERN WORLD knows (and let's not forget, he has a HUGE catalog of crazy underground synth disco gems on top of that).

So yeah, I suppose a mixtape makes sense. Here you go.

Chrissy's Year of Mixtapes Week 47: Giorgio Moroder

1. Donna Summer; Spring Affair (Casablanca, 1976)
2. Giorgio Moroder; Chase (Casablanca, 1978)
3. Suzi Lane; Ooh La La (Elektra, 1979)
4. The Three Degrees; The Runner (Ariola, 1978)
5. Roberta Kelly; Trouble Maker (Chrissy Re-Edit) (Oasis, 1976)
6. Donna Summer; Our Love (Casablanca, 1980)
7. Munich Machine; Whiter Shade of Pale (Casablanca, 1978
8. Giorgio; I Wanna Rock You (Casablanca, 1979)
9. Giorgio; Utopia Me Giorgio (Casablanca, 1977)
10. Donna Summer; I Feel Love (Patrick Cowley Mega-Edit) (Casablanca, 1982)
11. Giorgio Moroder; Valley of the Dolls (Casablanca, 1980)
12. Donna Summer; Sunset People (Casablanca, 1980)
13. Amy Holland; She's On Fire (MCA Records, 1983)
14. Melissa Manchester; Thief of Hearts (Casablanca, 1984)
15. Madleen Kane; You Can (Chalet, 1981)
16. Limahl; The Neverending Story (EMI, 1984)
17. Giorgio; E=MC² (Casablanca, 1979)
18. Sparks; When I'm With You (Ariola, 1980)

NEXT WEEK: Detroit Techno.