VOLUME 3 · PROGRAM 11
Raul (Rosita's twin brother) gives Amy Bolton 12 inches. Now she has a whole new slant on life!
We are constantly amazed at how a new set of ears can give the same 24 tracks an entirely different trip. It takes a great song to make a great remix, and the basic elements of style usually shine no matter how a song is remixed.
Amy Bolton's "Do Me A Favor" is a good example. The song is out as a 4:11 cut on Importe/12, and attracting both a rock and disco following. Amy wrote the song with Jimmy Ryan, who produced along with Jimmy Bralower.
Raul took the tracks over to Vanguard Studios, and working with Mark Berry and some additional background vocals, tambourines and electronic boxes has turned "Do Me A Favor" into a more explicit voyage from pop/rock to r&b/disco and back again. The "fusion" is at times obvious, and other times, quite subtle. It is amazing how the same melody lines and instruments can sound authentic American apple pie rock on one sweep, and so get down r&b on another.
Amy says that once the shock of initially hearing her song done a lot differently than it originally was wore off, that her musical horizons have expanded.
Amy's audience should be expanding, too, when this remix is released. Her Maxi 33 will also include a longer rock version of "Do Me A Favor" (running 5:32) as well as longer versions of "Sweet Revenge", "Tres Chichi" and "Talk Talk."
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Side A runs 6:46 at 122 BPM.
Katmandu's "The Break" almost sounded like this. Meet the original Steve Thompson mix edited and augmented by Jonathan Fearing.
One of 1979's most memorable songs was "The Break" by Katmandu. It still is played quite a bit, and dance floors still love it. And now we're pleased to present another Disconet first… a remix of a song that was actually started and mixed before the final version was done!
The original Canadian tracks, produced by Joe LaGreca, were picked up by TK and sent down to Blank Tape Studios in New York for massaging by Steve Thompson. They were quite difficult to work with because they had so many appealing sounds and hooks, and Steve, a perfectionist, just had to get everything exactly right. The second set of sessions were booked at Media Sound in New York, and these resulted in the final commercial version which made its world premiere on Volume 3, Program 1.
Jonathan Fearing has taken the two tracks from the first sessions and edited and augmented Steve's original work. The result is a special 10:30 version of "The Break."
The sound of this version is more street and more muscle. Jonathan's Beatle-inspired backward splices towards the end should turn some heads while keeping the bodies moving. Cueing bands along the way will give you some cueable entry options.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Side B runs 10:30 at 135 BPM.
Energy music is far from dead. Will and Trip raise the temperature by atleast Three Degrees with their "Set Me Free" remix.
Way back when on Volume 2, Program 3, The Three Degrees new album made its world premiere on Disconet. The side was mixed and produced by Giorgio Moroder, and has become a real collectors' item as the sequencing of songs was changed in the final commercial version. Either one sounded great, and kept the energy flowing on a lot of dance floors. Ariola has continued to release new material from The Three Degrees throughout Europe and in Canada, but their latest LP (entitled "Three D") has not been released in the U.S.
"Set Me Free" is one of the cuts on the "Three D" LP, running about 4:30. Trip Ringwald and Will Crocker found some particular energy magic in this cut, and have extended it to 9:27 for this special Disconet remix. Trip plays at the Circus Disco in Hollywood, and co-produced the fabulous Original Supremes Medley earlier this year. Will plays at Ken's River Club and is also Vice President of The Southern California Disco DJ Association.
Giorgio wrote "Set Me Free" with Chris Bennett, and produced with Harold Faltermeier. While they were shooting for an under five minute album cut, they provided an unusually high energy environment for the marvelous vocals of The Three Degrees… and enough material to give Trip and Will's crafty editing hands the stuff with which great disco remixes are made of.
The last band of the Disconet pressing (from about 7:11 to the ending) is of particular accomplishment. For by using edits alone, Trip and Will have created a very powerful build and ending for their remix.
We're very pleased that Trip and Will should be helping you fight the energy crisis in the coming weeks and months ahead with this powerful addition to your repertoire.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Bonus Side 1 runs 9:27 at a consistent 134 BPM. There are a few cueing bands along the way for your convenience.
Asha gives you "The Whip", mixed by David Rodriguez.
As France Joli was about to make her first appearance on Fire Island (with Ethel Merman expected to arrive on a barge) two summers ago, Asha and David Rodriguez were putting the final touches on a song that wouldn't see the light of day (or night) until this Disconet. Asha appeared on the Island with France, and Ethel never made it because she was touring in the south. Asha sang "The Whip" and people went wild. Since David's mix (like David) was atleast two years ahead of its time, it sounds fresh and wonderful to day. Asha wrote and produced "The Whip" with co-writer/co-producer Reiner Pietsch.
The tracks were recorded in Europe, with additional vocals and effects added at Boris Midney's Eras Studios in New York where David did the mix. While David is no relation to Rosita Rodriguez, he is alive and well in New York City waiting for the depression to end.
Asha has a new album out in Germany, and we'll look for her in the U.S. sometime in early 1981.
SPECIAL NOTE TO DJs: Bonus Side 2 runs 6:22 at 132 BPM (beats per minute.) Cueing bands should help you pick your spot for putting on ASHA your whip.
Roger Hillman wins the LCD chronograph. Roger plays at St. Tropez in the Georgetown section of Washington, DC. His pressing serial number for Program 9 matched the lucky winning number for that program (#39.) We've sent Roger the LCD watch that does everything. Roger's favorite selections on that program were "Rhythm Of The World" remix, "Fear Medley", and "The Original Elvis Presley Medley." Congratulations, Roger! To win the watch, be sure to complete and return your feedback card… and enter the pressing serial number shown on the upper right hand corner of your Side A/Side B pressing jacket. Good luck!