"you know the rules and so do I"

At risk of dating myself, here are two tracks from my senior year of high school.

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (Escape From New York Mix)
Twenty years ago, the production team Stock Aitken Waterman could do no wrong. (Or right, depending on your point of view.) They were a hit-making machine, pumping out tracks for Kylie, Dead or Alive, Donna Summer, Bananarama and, of course, young Rick Astley. He had one of the most distinctive voices on radio at the time. The shock was seeing him -- this skinny white boy -- singing and dancing on TV. "Never Gonna Give You Up" was a number one hit on both sides of the Atlantic. But this mix strips away some of the SAW tackiness and dubs it into an early house realm.

Liz Torres featuring Edward Crosby - Can't Get Enough
Speaking of early house, this is the real shit. Early underground house at it's best.

This was included on Profile Records legendary "Best of House Music" compilation in 1988. At the time, I thought house music was the same as garage rock. Boy was I surprised when I popped this cassette into my car's tape deck on the way home from the record store.

That tape changed everything for me.

(PS. I thought this was Jeanne Harris, so when you download it, the name of the artist will be incorrect. Sorry bout that, Liz!)

"let yourself go"

This Saturday, Jeff Jackson + Pete Money + Disco Connie are giving you

DOUBLE HEADED DISCO: ACID QUEENS

it's halloween weekend so we're changing it up

it's bitch tracks, electro snacks techno classics and hits of acid


SATURDAY OCTOBER 27
10pm - no cover

james and river behind the bar - shig on the door
horror and gore classics
costumes encouraged - but not required!

nowhere
322 east 14th street

And here's two tracks to whet your whistle.

808 State - Let Yourself Go (303 Mix)
I remember seeing the video for "Pacific" on BET when it came out and I thought, "do they know these are white dudes from England?" "Let Yourself Go" is from 1988 and samples the opening strings of "Love's Theme" by Love Unlimited Orchestra. Basically, it's Barry Fucking White on acid.

No Smoke - Koro Koro
This has that classic minimalist effect that gets the old-school girls all sweaty and worked out. And the little chirps and African chants are icing on the cupcake. If you're not voguing 20 seconds into this, then get away from me.

"filth is my life"

Today is Divine's birthday. She would have been 62. Here are two of her hi-NRG club hits from the early 80s.

Divine - Shoot Your Shot (Extended Version)
This song is fucking hard, isn't it? That hi-NRG bassline is enough to give you a seizure on the dance floor. But I guess if you're unable to breathe because your jeans are two sizes too small and your snorting poppers constantly, then it's kind of a moot point.

Divine - Love Reaction
Produced by Bobby O, also known as Bobby Orlando, he clearly lifted the drum pattern and arpeggiated bass line from Blue Monday. But New Order had their revenge. In the 90s, they released a set of remixes called "The Rest of New Order" and lifted samples of Divine's vocals from Native Love.

"I can't explain what you've done to me"

Today's treat... two mixes from two masters of the art of the remix.

Black Ghosts -
It's Your Touch
(Ashley Beadle's Heavy Disco Edit)
I like this band. The singer has a very pretty voice. And they've had so many good remixes, but this one's my favorite.

Blackjoy - Moustache
(A Prins Thomas Diskomiks)
This is eleven minutes of mad Prins Thomas dub-disco. I know... you're thinking, eleven minutes??? Seriously, give it a try. And if you can figure out what they're saying, please drop me a line.

"hold on 'cause I'm coming up for air"

Kylie's comeback is upon us. This is the video for her new single "2 Hearts." It's 21st century glam. Written and produced by the obscure electro act Kish Mauve, I'd say it's the child of Goldfrapp's "Strict Machine" and "My Moon My Man" by Feist.

Here's two more Kylie tracks... both covers. Enjoy!

Kylie Minogue - Nothing Can Stop Us Now
Released in '94 as the b-side to "Confide in Me," this version of the Saint Etienne classic is actually produced by Saint Etienne. Therefore, you may notice a striking similarity to the original.

Kylie Minogue - Love Is The Drug
This is a new song off BBC's Radio 1 tribute which I wrote about a while back. A crisp take on Roxy Music original. It's out next week on import.

"of course I am a bit retouched"

Amanda Lear has been a model, a muse, a painter and a pop star.

But is she a transsexual? Only Amanda knows for sure.

Amanda Lear -
I Am a Photograph
This is one of my favorite songs of all time.

The lyrics? Genius. The delivery? Perfection.

I first heard it on the infamous juke box at Dicks Bar in New York City. An incredibly sparse cabaret song, it seems ready made for late nites in sleazy bars.


Amanda Lear - Nymphomania
One of Amanda's first 80s singles. This is during the backlash when disco had a rock edge. I love the chunky synth and her deep, masculine voice.

Read more about Amanda on Wikipedia