the love unlimited sound system

Underground disco 45, “Magic Mandrake” from the Sarr Band, released on the Calendar label in the UK as both a 7″ & 12″ single with Double Action as a Double A side and also on the Canadian Unidisc record label.

Big with the Love Unlimited & many DJ’s in the UK & US (it was re-edited by Rahaan for his jisco records release) & has featured on many a mix from the States. With a distinctly European sound the vocal is nice & sleazy & has the killer line “Turn this dirty city into a rosepetal garden.”

This acts as a nice little taster for the next installment of our series of mixes courtesy of the Chuck Brothers that will be added to the love unlimited mixes archive soon.

 

 Sarr Band - Magic Mandrake [4:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

30 minute mini-mix of funk & disco recorded as part of the love unlimited appearing on the six million steps weekly radio show.

Guest mixes from JJ of Six Million Steps & Steve ‘Keep it Wheel’ Ellis to be added to the mixes section in the not too distant…

 

 dom on 6ms [29:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Looking forward to spinning some original disco classics & other bits from the Love Unlimited crates with Andrew (6MS) on the Six Million Steps radio show.

Listen live this Saturday 11.00am through to 1.00pm on Starpoint Radio

To put you in a disco mood here is the Special US Disco Mix (Instrumental) of “the Real Thing - Boogie Down (Get Funky Now)”

 

 The Real Thing - Boogie Down (Get Funky Now) [7:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bobby Byrd sadly passed away yesterday, 12th September 2007. He is well known for his long standing relationship with the Godfather Mr. James Brown. Bobby actually discovered James.

His most famous solo outing was “I know you got soul” (1971) a track sampled by Eric B & Rakim, Public Enemy, LL (Ladies Love) Cool J, Tribe Called Quest & Ice Cube and many, many more.

RIP

 

 Standard Podcast [3:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Think of Mtume (pronounced Em-Too-May) & usually the first track that springs to mind is the slick “juicy”(1983) sampled so much in hip-hop by so many performers.

From the band Reggie Lucas and James Mtume provided their magic touch to Stephanie Mills including the Grammy winning single “Never Knew Love Like This Before” (1979). Reggie Lucas also produced the majority of Madonna’s first album.

“So you wanna be a star”, is in the same vein as the massive “Bourgie Bourgie” penned by Ashford & Simpson and subsequently released by Gladys Knight & John Davis.

From the start this tracks a winner, it just builds-&-builds…it’s got the strings, deep-deep lyrics, spacey keys & killler horns. Disco Heaven.

Enjoy

 

 Standard Podcast [5:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Hailing from Chicago South Shore Commission signed with New York-based Scepter Records, recording for their Wand subsidiary.

Their biggest hit was “Free Man” released in 1975, and they charted twice more in the next year with “We’re On The Right Track” and “Train Called Freedom”. They released one album the self-titled South Shore Commission, this long player was recorded in Philadelphia with Bunny Sigler and also in Hollywood.

Tom Moulton remixed freeman with the original reference disc cut on a 12″ rather than a 7″ - now there has been many a disco dedbate as to whether a 12 inch of this track actually exists. In an interview with Al Kent of www.millliondollardisco.com according to Tom there was never a test pressing, supposedly 10 acetates were given to DJs like David Mancuso, Walter Gibbons and merely a handful of others.

In the same interview Tom reckons Private Stock made the first move to release a 12 inch promo record for DJs with swearin’ to god (see previous post).

This is meant to be the unreleased acetate version, then again who knows, what we do know is it’s a real disco belter…

 

 Standard Podcast [7:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Here we have a ssshhhh under the counter disco re-edit of the highest calibre. This track really is the business. Great string arrangements and vocals combine to make it a killer track with a deadly intro that just builds and builds.

Originally released via Epic on a promo only 12” single. A Love Unlimited exclusive…enjoy.

 

 Standard Podcast [6:35m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

An absolute stormer of a track - this goes out to all the people pitching tents in the rain today.

 

 surface - falling in love [6:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Produced by Peter Brown & Patrick Adams with Margo Williams on vocals. A disco-break that makes a dancefloor quake.

For Max

 

 Standard Podcast [6:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

To Chris and readers of the consistently brilliant another night on earth

 

 made imbecile [4:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download