Tuesday 17 March 2009

funk and the cosmos: a beginners journey

Tuesday 17 March 2009


i have been sitting here for the past hour or so trying to work out why the hell i havent been swept up in the phoenix/yyy hysteria. i love those bands- i have their new albums. why the hell arent i listening to them? why the hell arent i listening to them at the same time: sound-off style? theres even a new(ish) kris menace album that should be joining the sound-off.
whats wrong with me? chaz jankel. he has me tangled in a world of funky 80's pop. bah.

back in a world that had yet to feel the ravaging grips of a hype machine or record label e-mailing lists lived keyboard player and producer chaz jankel. i dont know how his music was received back in those days (apparently it was quite popular), but in my day and in my bedroom right now it is being recieved very well.
by listening to chaz jankel's music, it is easy to picture his world as one where music was less about trend and commerical viability and more about making soulful and fun songs. it might be a fantasy but whatevs. hope chaz had fun in his relaxed, no-pressure creative time.

Chaz Jankel - Number One

im sure that you would have heard of chaz jankel at some point in the past as his songs 'get my self together' and 'glad to know you' have featured in a few heavyweight disco and nudisco mixes that have floated around.. jankel's floaty synths and strummy guitars really make themselves at home amongst those other newer synths and guitars and somehow even stand out with all their genuineness and soul.

Chaz Jankel - Feel Alone

there are so many diverse gems in his back catalogue, but this edit by ray mang from his greatest hits is an eight and a half parade of magnificence. really hope to hear this in a dj mix soon. (gauntlet thrown.)

Chaz Jankel - Am I Honest With Myself Really?

on a final funky note, here is dcup's newest remix which is of the brotherhood of broken heart's single 'lonely together'.. a bit more emo and d-floor friendly this time around. the drop at 3.02 is so so uplifting..

Brotherhood of Broken Hearts - Together Lonely (DCup Remix)

another quality release from duncan- i wish that i didnt look and feel so biased by posting every dcup track that comes my way but these tracks seriously need to be heard- so good.

3 comments:

benjimite said...

SHIT! Totally agree with Jankel, I got this album the other day and the first time I listerned to it, I couldn't believe how fresh it still sounded. Teeters on the brink of cheese sometimes but never falls over. So good

Steve said...

so good hey.. i love the diversity on that album- one second you get soul, the next second you get 80's pop, the next second you get disco.. love it

Anonymous said...

Love the 'Together lonely' remix, it's really really good!

S.