AOR DISCO

Keep It Smooth Volume 4 by Per Åslund

2018-09-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Per Åslund has collected AOR, Westcoast and Yacht Rock since the 1980s and co-hosts the Keep It Smooth podcast in Sweden. This fourth exclusive mix for us features some of the deepest rarities from his extraordinary archive.

Enchanted JUNE MILLINGTON

Smiling Brown Eyes MONGO SANTAMARIA

Falling DELTA

Cause It’s You TEXAS ROSE

I Love Women JIM HURT

More Of You TOM GROSE & THE VARSITY

Windward Lady DICK JENSEN

Take Away The Wheels PETE CARR

Thinking’ Of You TOMMY COOMES

City Nite Life AYERS ROCK

Winnin’ Again THE ARCHERS

No Pride ROB GALBRAITH

It’s You GEORGE STREET

Can’t Stop A Man In Love MIRAGE

This Life Is Living MARK WILLIAMSON

Give It Away RUSHING WIND

Long Time Gone PAUL HORN

Love Will Forget SUMMER

Blues Take You Over SCOTT CUNNINGHAM

Hold On MATTHEW WARD

Steal My Love SHIVERS

I’m Not A Fool To Love You CARLYLE MILLER

Just Another Face ALLEE WILLIS Feat. JON LIND

Back Again GERI LOGAN

The Life I Lead THE GRINGOS

Download Vol 4 / Vols 1 - 3 / Photo by Chris von Wangenheim

California Lady: West Coast, Sunset Disco, Harbour Soul and Canyon Vibes by Paul Hillery

2018-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

It's great to welcome back Paul Hillery, one of our best-loved and prolific contributors who has done so much to give this site the range and depth we've wanted to achieve over the years. Just when you think he might be running out of extraordinarily rare vinyl from the 1970 he returns with another playlist of high quality unknowns. So settle back and enjoy the smooth sounds of Banana Brothers, Jeffra and Chocolate Snow.

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Shine On: Soft Rock, Acoustic Swing and Mayonnaise Funk by Les Fisher

2018-07-08T15:02:00.002-07:00

Les Fisher, the man behind our long-running Island Sounds, Harbor Grooves and Hot Tub Soul series, returns with a new selection of evocatively named genres - and Mayonnaise Funk is possibly his finest creation to date. Once again Les digs deep into his formidable record collection to give us the sound of the rarest of rare vinyl from the 1970s.

Titus & Ross - Find An Answer

Tree Top - The Son Has Come

Zach & Robin - I Wish Someone Had Told Me

Steve Moris - You Are The Only

Mike Scott - Say Whatever Happened

Ken Tobias - Dancer

Upstairs - It's Hard To Get In The Showbiz

Badger - Listen To Me

Jesse Colin Young - Ridgetop

Kirk Reed - California

Spank Lee & Johnny Lee - Winter's Mourning

Rhythm Praise Band - Where Is The Love

Seabird Band - Shine The Light

Labamba - Pretty Lady

Iguana - Dream Song

Christopher Morris Band - Do You Want To Be Loved

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California Bound: an AOR Disco Mix by Mark GV Taylor

2018-07-06T05:42:00.002-07:00

It's good to be back after a short hiatus and we have a host of superb mixes lined up for the next few weeks. First up is a true AOR Disco legend - Mark 'Good Vibes' Taylor, whose mixes have brought so much quality to this site over the years. He's also much-loved for his work with La Homage and Reference Point - and as the co-creator of the acclaimed Americana: Rock Your Soul series. This latest exclusive mix for us features a connoisseur's selection of lost West Coast classics from the 1970s.

The McKenzie Brothers: Night Sounds

Lorna Wright: Stranger

Peter Allen: Fly Away

Mark Benno: Franny

Joel Zoss: Charlie's Friend

Crosby and Nash: Dancer

Morris Kincannon: Beneath The Redwoods

Jessie Colin Young: Maui Sunrise

Mike Smith: Powder Blue

Graeme Wallace: Please Don't Let Me Fall

Cecilo and Kapano: Someday

The American Standard Band: Morning

Rhythm and Blues: Love From The Sun

April Fulladosa: Tell Me

Summer: Watch It Go

The Nielsen Pearson Band: Home

Jesse Colin Young: Ridgetop

Gino Vanelli: Valleys of Valhalla

Valerie Carter: Ooh Child

Jim James: The World's Smiling Now

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Too Slow To Disco Brasil - compiled by Ed Motta

2018-04-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night sees the London launch party for the much anticipated fourth volume of the superb Too Slow To Disco compilation series. This volume marks a departure from the previous three: it switches from Los Angeles to Rio and DJ Supermarkt, the man behind Too Slow Disco, has invited Ed Motta aka 'the Colossus of Rio', to select the tracks an often overlooked side of Brazilian music: Brazilian soul, funk and AOR.

We first became aware of Ed back in 2014 when Wax Poetics featured his now classic AOR Mix. Ed had just released a solo album called AOR, a love letter to the genre featuring the high production values, sophisticated harmonies and melodies inspired by the West Coast sound of McDonald-era Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan’s Gaucho. But Ed had had a long and illustrious career before then. Nominated for various Grammys, Ed has worked with everyone from Gilles Peterson to Roy Ayers, 4Hero, Seu Jorge, Patrice Rushen, Greg Phillinganes, Bo Diddley, Incognito, Ryuichi Sakamoto and many others. He's also known as a leading collector, with over 30,000 records at his home from all over the world.

In Too Slow To Disco Brasil, Ed has selected ultra rare tracks by Carlos Bivar or Gelson Oliveira and Luiz Ewerling – both of whose songs here are from privately pressed albums which aren't even listed on Discogs. He’s curated a range of Brazilian musical heroes like Rita Lee (who was part of the legendary Os Mutantes), Cassiano (one of the founders of Bossa Trio and Os Diagonais) and million sellers like Roupa Nova, referred to as ‘the Brazilian Toto’. The highest praise of course.

Finally, Ed would like to share a few words of advice:

"Before slipping this LP on, you need to nail the AOR modus opeara. That means: a Hawaiian shirt à la Magnum PI, loafers without socks as in Miami Vice, jump in your convertible and drive under the coconut trees. This is a sunset ride through Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Miami, Hawaii. Aloha!"

1 FILÓ MACHADO - Quero Pouco, Quero Muito

2 SANDRA SÁ – Guarde Minha Voz

3 ALTAY VELOSO – Débora

4 JUNIOR MENDES – Copacabana Sadia

5 DON BETO – Renascendo Em Mim

6 LUCINHA TURNBULL – Toda Manhã Brilha O Sol

7 GUILHERME ARANTES – Coisas Do Brasil

8 CARLOS BIVAR - Maré

9 BIAFRA – Leão Ferido

10 SANTA CRUZ - Mais Uma Chance

11 JANE DUBOC - Se Eu Te Pego De Jeito

12 CASSIANO – Rio Best-Seller

13 CARLINHOS & SONINHA QUEIROZ – Pra Você

14 GELSON OLIVEIRA & LUIZ EWERLING - Acordes E Sementes

15 ZECA DO TROMBONE - Rota-Mar

16 ROUPA NOVA – Clarear

17 KIKO ZAMBIANCHI – Estréia

18 BRYLHO – Jóia Rara

19 RITA LEE & ROBERTO – Atlântida

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Psych Mix for AOR Disco by Martijn Soetens

2018-03-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

Martijn Soetens, the music editor of NPO Radio 2 in Holland and the man behind our much-loved Jeff Porcaro series - and many other mixes - returns with this great selection of "smooth neo-psychedelia, dreampop and soulful grooves for lazy days."

Khruangbin - Lady and Man

The Bees - Angryman

Badbadnotgood ft. Charlotte Day Wilson - In Your Eyes

Mac DeMarco - Baby You're Out

Menahan Street Band - The Crossing

Toro Y Moi - Buffalo

Skinshape ft. Aaron Taylor - Inside

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Necessary Evil

Mild High Club - Skiptracing

White Denim - (I'm The One) Big Big Fun

Drugdealer ft. Weyes Blood - Suddenly

The Stepkids - Shadows On Behalf

Silk Rhodes - The System

Childhood - Cameo

Ariel Pink and Jorge Elbrecht - No Real Friend

Beach Fossils - Saint Ivy

Download / Photo by Neil Krug

When I Was Young I Listened to the Radio by Karl Spackler

2018-02-16T11:57:00.001-08:00

"Bought my daughter a turntable and a starter pack of gateway vinyl for Christmas," says Vancouver's Karl Spackler. "Just a little recording of some AOR jams and AM radio gold we listen to at home. No edits. No mixing. No EQing. No beatmatching. Just listening."

01) The Carpenters - Yesterday Once More

02) Christopher Cross - Sailing

03) The Association - Never My Love

04) America - Muskrat Love

05) Fleetwood Mac - Over My Head

06) Nicolette Larson feat. Michael McDonald - Let Me Go, Love

07) Player - Baby Come Back

08) Exile - Never Gonna Stop

09) Paul Davis - Cool Night

10) The Alan Parsons Project - Wouldn't Want To Be Like You

11) Steve Miller Band - Space Intro/Fly Like an Eagle

12) Herb Alpert - Rise

13) Michael McDonald - I Keep Forgettin'

14) Bryan Ferry - Slave To Love

15) Hall and Oates - Method of Modern Love

16) Kenny G - Virgin Island

17) The Carpenters - Yesterday Once More (reprise)

AOR Disco Late Winter Mix by dj ShmeeJay

2018-02-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

With over 40,000 plays on Soundcloud for his AOR Disco Summer Mix, dj ShmeeJay has shown once again why he is such an outstanding contributor to this site. So it's great to welcome him back with his 7th exclusive mix for AOR Disco, featuring the best edits and remixes of classic rock and pop from the 1970s and 80s.

Flying Mojito Bros - Keep On
Blondie - Heart Of Glass (DJ Moodz Remix)
Laura Branigan - Self Control (Italo Brutalo Edit)
The Highwaymen - WayHighMan (Bertolucci Jr Balearic Incarnation Mix)
Dire Straits - Follow Me Home (Sophie Lloyd Dub) [Paper Recordings]
Drop Out Orchestra - Holding On [Riot Gear]
Grace Jones - Pull Up To The Bumper (Joey Negro Bumper To Bumper Mix) [Z Records]
Kenny Loggins - This Is It (Mad Mats Rework) [G.A.M.M.]
Floorman - Ossum Boogie [Magic Wand]
Jackson 5 - I Want Your Back (Dimitri From Brooklyn Edit) [Razor-N-Tape]

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Photo of Debbie Harry taken in New York in 1979 by Norman Seeff

Hidin' In The Highlife by Shawn Ryan

2018-02-12T10:38:00.001-08:00

"Take a trip from the seaside to the steakhouse and back again with Hidin’ in the Highlife," says Shawn Ryan, the co-founder of Philadelphia label Universal Cave and one half of disco edit team Superprince. "Dive in and take a dip, but don’t cramp up from the saccharine cocktails and stale pretzels - we’re here to get loose. Bask in the warmth of grooves from the sandy beaches of Katama, Massachusetts, the smokey hotel lounges of Minneapolis, and poolside cabanas of Frankfurt. So 'get on a plane and let your doubts behind you' - it's time for 'drinking coladas and having a good time'!”

01. Doc Nelson - Katama Sands (Massachusetts, 1982)

02. Toby Rhodes - Louie On The Line (Chicago, Illinois - 1983)

03. The Holla Band - Light (Chapel Hill, North Carolna - 1982)

04. Paris Holley - Lady Of The Night (Chicago, Illinois - ?)

05. Lil' Queenie & Backtalk - Paralyzed (New Orleans, Louisiana - 1983)

06. Re-Ack-Shun - Can’t Hold Back (Fort Worth, Texas - 1984)

07. Toys - Heart Of The Matter (Ann Arbor, Michigan - 1982)

08. Andrew Lewis Band - Midnite Man (Richmond, Virginia - 1977)

09. BOP - I May Be Wrong (SR Edit) (Manchester, New Hampshire - 1982)

10. The Judd Group - All The Time In The World (Minneapolis, Minnesota - 1978)

11. Lazy Racer - Limelight (California - 1979)

12. Michael Case - Revolution (Massachusetts - 1977)

13. Upstairs - Get On A Plane (Frankfurt, Germany - 1980)

14. Snakeye - See The Sun (SR Edit) (Nova Scotia, Canada - 1975)

15. Bob Pults - Keys (On The Blue Ocean) (Houston, Texas - 1980)

16. Victor Paul & William Ricketts - When Love Past You By (Norfolk, Virginia - 1977)

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Smoothday Volume 7 by Jeffrey Boozer

2018-01-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

"Welcome to Volume 7 of my all vinyl AOR mixes!" says Jeffrey Boozer. "Smoothday v7 finds some fertile 1980s crate digging I did during 2016 and 2017 in Boston, San Diego (my home town), Sacramento and Santa Rosa California, respectively. The task is simple, the hours long, and the pay offs scant, but this sultry and intoxicating West Coast genre has proven so hard for many of us to get away from.

There are hits you know mixed with undiscovered gems. The angelically sublime Timothy B. Schmit vocals of "I Can't Tell You Why", the subversive lyrical dose of Donald Fagan and Walter Becker's "Bad Sneakers", and John Stewart's chart topping "Gold" fold comfortably into the mellow small hours tempo of Jon Mark and Johnny Almond's "The City", the flirtatious pop confection of Julian Marshall and Kit Hain's "Take My Number", and the ramshackle but pristine vocal harmonies of "And You Never Knew" by Howdy Moon (featuring a young Valerie Carter!).

Take your finger off the pause button, label the C90 cassette, pop it into the tape deck and cruise down to the coast with this one. Leave some comments (it gets lonely on the floor of the record shop), and watch for Volume 8!"

1. Saturday Night - Robbie Dupree 1981

2. Summer Nights - Marlene With Seawind 1982

3. Morning Star - Larsen Feiten 1980

4. Young Girl - Photoglo 1980

5. Lion In The Night - Bobby Springfield 1980

6. "Night Moves" Jingle - KNX FM Los Angeles c.1978

7. Step Out Of The Night - Andrus Blackwood Co. 1982

8. I Can't Tell You Why - Eagles 1979

9. Please Be The One - Karla Bonoff 1982

10. The City - Mark-Almond 1978

11. " Fastest Tongue In The West" excerpt w/DJ Jimmy Rabbitt KNX FM c.1976

12. Gold - John Stewart 1979

13. Bad Sneakers - Steely Dan 1972

14. And You Never Knew - Howdy Moon 1974

15. Atlanta - Stallion 1977

16. You Can Have It Back - Alessi 1976

17. Take My Number - Marshall Hain 1978

18. With Love In Your Eyes - Bob & Pauline Wilson 1981

19. Over & Over - Dakota 1984

Download /Previous Smoothday volumes

Flying Cloud Mix Part Four by K

2018-01-14T13:00:00.000-08:00

A shadow history of the 1970s singer-songwriter era, K's series of Flying Cloud mixes favour the under-appreciated talents and often out-of-print recordings from the Laurel Canyon era.

John Compton – Short Lands, 1971
Parker MacDonell – On The Highway, 1985
The Souljazz Orchestra – Rejoice, Pt. 1, 2009
Roger Shriver – Life IS Like A River, 1972
Ryley Walker – The High Road, 2015
Archie Whitewater – Cross Country, 1970
Liliental – Gebremster Schaum, 1978
The Edgar Winter Group – Autumn, 1972
Gallagher and Lyle – Breakaway, 1976
Cream & Sugar – Between US, 1980
Paul Kantner & Jefferson Starship – Have You Seen The Stars Tonite, 1970
Richard Twice – If I Knew You Were The One, 1970
A Foot In Coldwater – Love Is Coming, 1973
Stephen Whynott – What Have You Seen, 1977
Earlywine – The Picture, 1977
Cheryl Ernst – Love Moan, 1973
Medicine Head – Sittin‘ In The Sun, 1972
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils – You Know Like I Know, 1976
Anonymous – Up To You, 1976
B.J. Ward – That’s How The World Is Made, 1974
James McKenzie – Birth Is Love, 1977
Fate – I’m In Love Again, 1979
Jim Capaldi – Summer Is Fading, 1974
Norman Morrison / Terry Kincannon – I’ll Be Okay Tomorrow, 1977

Download / Volumes 1 - 3

Keep It Smooth Volume 3 by Per Åslund

2017-12-24T02:19:00.000-08:00

Per Åslund has collected AOR, Westcoast and Yacht Rock since the 1980s and co-hosts the Keep It Smooth podcast in Sweden. This latest exclusive mix for us features more of the classiest rarities in his collection.

01 Vic Asher - What Am I Gonna Do

02 Ian Thomas Band - Pilot

03 Prodigal - Want You Back Again

04 Eddie Day - Doesn’t Care

05 Bryn Haworth - Come See What Love Has Done

06 Gloria Waldberg - Ordinary Girl

07 Prime Time - Fall In Love In Outerspace

08 Con Funk Shun - Don’t Let Your Love Grow Cold On Me

09 Kirk Reed - California

10 Mesa - Sailing Ships

11 Michael James Murphy - Closer To You

12 Barry Coates - Santa Barbara Girl

13 David Williams - I Don’t Want To Say Goodbye

14 Garland Jeffreys - She Didn’t Lie

15 Sylvie Vartan - Please Stay

16 Christopher Ward - Dreamboat

17 Robbin Thompson - Highway 101

18 Waves - I’ll Coming Home

19 Ray Tissier - Sweet Darlin’

20 Michael Marra - Benny’s Going Home

21 Diane Page - The Best Thing

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Keep On - The Flying Mojito Bros

2017-12-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

"We made a song all by ourselves," say The Flying Mojito Bros. "Then put a Steve Miller vocal on top. It's good."

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Late Nite Tough Guy Mix by Deepspirits

2017-12-18T14:32:00.001-08:00

Many thanks to Deepspirits from Dusseldorf, Germany for this excellent mixtape featuring the best yacht rock, disco and '80s soul remixes by Late Nite Tuff Guy, the alter ego of techno producer HMC who is a seminal figure Australian dance music. (Check out Bless The Rains, LNTG's Epic Journey remix of Toto's 'Africa' too.)

LNTG - I'm Not In Love Anymore

LNTG - 2 Of Us

LNTG - Lovel Day

LNTG - Love2Love

LNTG - Nobody

LNTG - You Got Me Groovin

LNTG - Reality

LNTG - I Can Feel It

LNTG _ I Love Ya (Muscle Mix)

LNTG - Why Can't We Live Together (No More War Rework)

LNTG - Hold Tite

LNTG - Dance Shout (LNTG Rework)

LNTG - Shine (LNTG Rework)

LNTG - Do I Belive In God (LNTG Muscle Mix)

Cheap Sunglasses (Flying Mojito Bros Refrito) - ZZ Top

2017-10-14T12:52:00.001-07:00

"Clothes off, tailfeather on, let's march to cosmic blues-rock-samba like it's Rio '79," say The Flying Mojito Bros about their "carnivalesque hallucination of ZZ Top's classic hit celebrating cheap shades."

You can catch The Flying Mojito Bros live at Pet Deaths launch show at The Social (DJ set) on October 25th, the Eastern Front night (full show) Wild Card Brewery on November 11th and the Basement Tapes 5th Birthday (DJ set ) with Black Peaches, Vels Trio, Jouis at The Lexington on December 2nd. And you'll surely be wanting this limited edition Flying Mojito Bros' T-Shirt too.

ZZ Top – Cheap Sunglasses (Flying Mojito Bros Refrito) by Flying Mojito Bros

AOR Disco 8th Birthday Mix by DJ Same

2017-10-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who has supported and contributed to the site since 2009. To celebrate our birthday (which was actually back in June but never mind) the great DJ Same has recorded this exclusive mix of some of the best-loved remixes and edits we've featured over the years.

1. Bless the Rains - Late Nite Tuff Guy

2. Cole Loves Your Insides Out - Cole Medina

3. Triolisme - DJ Steef

4. Love Love Love - Low Motion Disco (Soft Rocks Remix)

5. Another Brick In The Wall - Pink Floyd (DJ Agent 86 Remix)

6. I Apologize - Flying Mojito Bros

7. Mirador De Las Estrellas - Soft Rocks (Ray Mang remix)

8. Josephine - Chris Rea (French Edit)

9. Turn Your Back On Love - CSN (Flying Mojito Bros Refrito)

10. How Long - Sugerdaddy (Tensnake Vocal Remix)

11. It's Your Favourite Foreign Movie - Fingerman

12. Who - Get Down Edits

13. Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac (Psychemagik Edit)

14. Learning to Fly - Tom Petty (Flash Atkins Bootleg Mix)

15. Last Train to London - ELO (GW Bionic Edit)

16. Tomorrow Never Knows - The Beatles (Leftside Wobble Edit)

17. Ride like the Wind - Christopher Cross (Joey Negro Extended Disco Mix)

18. Getting Away With It - Electronic (Greg Wilson Edit)

19. Bonny - Prefab Sprout (Leo Zero Re-Work)

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Keep It Smooth Volume 2 by Per Åslund

2017-10-02T16:05:00.000-07:00

Per Åslund has collected AOR, Westcoast and Yacht Rock since the 1980s and co-hosts the Keep It Smooth podcast in Sweden. This second exclusive mix for us features some of the classiest rarities in his collection (David Wingo is one of the top discoveries here), as well as a couple of much-loved deeper cuts by the legends such as Ambrosia.

01 DAVE LOGGINS - One Way Ticket To Paradise

02 PATTI DAHLSTROM - The Way I Am

03 DAVID WINGO - Hearts Touch

04 SAM McNALLY - This Is The Life

05 MADELAINE - Who Is She And What Is She To You

06 AZTEC TWO-STEP - Brand New

07 DOUCETTE - Love Is Gonna Find You

08 SPACEARK - Beautiful Machine

09 KRIS RYDER - Lost In A Strange Vibration

10 KEN TOBIAS - Dancer

11 AMBROSIA - Livin’ On My Own

12 GRAHAM GREEN - Make The Most Of Every Moment

13 KALAPANA - Got To Find You Girl

14 GYPSY - Don’t Get Mad (Get Even)

15 TOM GRANT - Heaven Is Waiting

16 ATTITUDES - In A Stranger’s Arms

17 GOTCHA - Katy, My Lady

18 SEA LEVEL - Living In A Dream

19 GARY BOYLE - Friday Night Again

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Secret Garden (V4YS Show Me A Hero Rework) - Bruce Springsteen

2017-09-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the Springsteen 1995 original version of 'Secret Garden' after hearing it used in David Simon's recent HBO series Show Me A Hero, French DJ/producer V4YS has created this "deep, balearic/slo-mo style rework." As with Cousin Cole's classic remix of 'I'm On Fire', this track utilises Springteen's downbeat, melancholic side to great effect.

Download / Buy original

Preservation Records Mix by Tobias E. Torjusson

2017-09-25T15:46:00.000-07:00

A regular contributor to this site with his Dream On series of mixes, Tobias E. Torjusson is a driving force behind the "Marina Soul, AOR, Westcoast, Yacht Rock and Sunset Disco revival" on many other fronts too - most notably, his fine Norwegian label Preservation Records. Back in January we featured his release of the last Powder Blue Tux single (the project led by Barney Hurley of Samuel Purdey and the man behind our highly popular AOR Rarities Playlists) but given how prolific and inspired Preservation has become we thought it was time to catch up with Tobias about the label. And we're delighted to feature an exclusive mix from Tobias featuring highlights from the Preservation catalogue, which you can download at the bottom of this page.

1) What gave you the idea to start the label?

I've been DJ'ing and collecting records for 10+ years, mainly soul, funk, jazz and disco. In last years I've been heavily into AOR and Westcoast, especially the soulful stuff. It all started when I found an original copy of Lion And The Lamb lp in a bargain bin in a 2nd hand shop in Oslo. The original cover is quite lame, but looking at the lineup (the cream of Norwegian Session Musicians) I had to buy it. It was 3 bucks I remember. When I put it on the turntable I was blown away! Killer softrock with elements of soul and jazz! Here's a full album preview.

This is what kicked of the ide of re-issuing it to a wider audience. I contacted a few friends of mine who runs their own labels and I decided to give it a go. The release was a big success and gave me the boost to continue.

2) Had you run a label before?

No this is the first one.

3) Why do you think Norway - and Scandinavia in general - took to Westcoast music so much?

In Norway we have the band Lava. Lava is, I would say, the Norwegian TOTO. They have played with Randy Crawford and toured many places in the world. When I chatted with the band, they say that they listened to a lot of the californian artists, from jazz funk to Toto, this is what shaped their sound. Lava scored many hits here back in the days.

But to be honest I can't tell why westcoast is so popular in Scandinavia, but it seems to be guys in in their 40 to 50's that grew up with the music. Here's some old VHS I got from the drummer:

4) How has the label been received in California?

To be honest, I don't know. My records are distributed through Light In The Attic so a few must have made it to California. I don't think that US and California in particular are heavy into the old westcoast sound. If you asked about Japan, it would be quite different.

5) Which release would you recommend people try first?

Start with Rhead Brothers' Black Shaheen. A killer album from start to finish. EMI UK shelved the album, only a handful later surfaced. So basically it is the first official release. I got this VHS cassette from John Rhead, who had secretly recorded some of the studio sessions:

6) Any recent releases we should know about?

There are quite a few exciting releases actually:

Marcos Valle - Same Title Vinyl Release

This is the first re-press of his 1983 album with the famous 'Estrelar'. One of my top 5 albums. Breezy brazilian soul and boogie. Out this month...

Mirage - Bend a little/I've Got the Notion 7"

Working on the Rhead Brothers release I got in touch with the producer who had many old mastertapes with unreleased stuff. Mirage was basically a bunch of Session musicians wanting to do their own thing. The two tracks are the best from a full unreleased album.

Thelma Houston - Summer Nights - Mini Album LP

From the same studio as above, 5 unreleased Thelma Houston tracks, very cool early 80's Modern Soul/AOR. She even covers Robert Byrne's 'No Love In The Morning' on this. I went for a Japanese westcoast themed cover, done by Yoko Honda.

Atle Lauve - ST

And finally this previously unissued Norwegian AOR/disco/soul album is out on vinyl in early November. The album consists of selected demos and tracks written and arranged by Atle Lauve between 1979 and 1983. Recorded in Fristad Studio (Sandefjord) when Atle was in his late teens.

Preservation Records Mix

Mirage - I've Got The Notion

Rhead Brothers - Love Is A Crazy Game

Lava - Give It Up

Lion and The Lamb -

Lava - Late At Night

Powder Blue Tux - Mayfair

NIna Askeland - Runnin

Lava - So Many Times

Westpont - Face To The Sea

Marcos Valle - Estrelar

Thelma Houston - Summer Nights

James Walsh Gypsy Band - It's Over Now

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I Apologize (Flying Mojito Bros Refrito) - Larry Carlton

2017-09-07T13:54:00.003-07:00

From their audio-visual Rodeo Cosmico mix to live DJ sets supporting Young Gun Silver Fox and top country rock edits of classics by CSN and others, Flying Mojito Bros have been keeping the '70s fire better than anyone else in London over the last few months. Now they've turned their attention to Westcoast jazz-rock guitar legend Larry Carlton and his 1978 track I Apologize, beefing up the bottom end and adding synths to give the smoothness a cosmic touch.

Download / Buy original version

Ned Doheny DJ Set - Recorded Live at Spiritland

2017-08-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Be With Records' mission to bring Los Angeles blue-eyed yacht soul legend Ned Doheny to European audiences continues. In 2015 the label brought Doheny over for a highly successful tour (his acoustic set at the Greenwich Yacht Club was a highlight of the year for us) and they reissued the classic Doheny LPs (such as Hard Candy from 1976 featuring 'Get It Up For Love', a track featured on a thousand mixtapes over the last decade). It was a hard campaign to follow but Be With Records have done just that this year. In April they released a 12'' of the outstanding Red Ken remix of 'Labor of Love' from 1979's Prone). And a couple of weeks ago Doheny performed with a full band - and with Hamish Stuart from the Average White Band - at the Jazz Cafe in London. While Doheny was in town he did a DJ set at Spiritland in Shoreditch, a bar famous for its immense state of the art sound system. It's an eclectic, mellow mix running to almost four hours, and features The Chi Lites, Dr. John, Miles Davis, Eddie Kendricks, The Band and many more.

Modern Re-Loves Volume 3: an AOR Disco Mix by Mojo Filter

2017-08-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

In June we featured Mojo Filter's Swingin', Whoopin' Re-Love of Lana Del Rey's 'Video Games' and now as promised we have an exclusive mix to celebrate his new album Modern Re-Loves Volume 3, a compilation of his inventive and idiosyncratic remixes of modern rock and pop artists. We caught up with Ben Zaven-Crane, the man behind Mojo Filter and our Vintage Edits CD series...

Can you tell us a bit about this mix?

As always, my mixes are never planned - I literally just cook up some leaves and see what gives. It turns out I'm into some far out (other) world music right at this instant - lots of African vibes streaming through my consciousness. This is reflected in the mix with some other more AOR influenced Re-Loves I've been working on.

And what's the story behind the Re-Love compilation release?

Well, since delivering 4 volumes of Vintage Edits, it followed naturally that my swelling collection of contemporary Re-Loves (inspired by Bowie's Modern Love era) needed to be expresses so Modern Re-Loves were born. I recently released Vol.3 to rapturous applause! It seems our loyal AOR fan base is very receptive to the advancement of my works. The Re-Loves are a psychoactive blend of pop and underground sounds designed for listeners who like to dwell in alternate dimensions.

It's been ages since we worked together on the now classic Vintage Edits series.

What have you been up to?

Ah man, I've been honoured to curate a number of truly magical events from The Secret Garden Party to Moonflower - a bespoke Nofolkian ceremony that I produce. All with very mystical overtones where we rejoice in the open air, under the stars to the cosmic dance of the universe. All very far out!

Are you planning any more Vintage edits?

Ha, well - I can't seem to stop! So often I find myself reworking old classics just for the love of playing them out - I just did an extended edit of Queen's 'A Kind of Magic' that weaves and grooves into your heart of hearts. I've totally got back into Queen recently - 'Radio Ga Ga' is IMMENSE!

How has your studio/working methods changed over the last couple of years?

I've started to jam more on my synths to get that live feeling - it's a great way to capture the magic. Just letting myslef get loose to a groove and see what melodies manifest through the great spirit.

Any live gigs scheduled this summer?

Yeah man, I'm all over the place in the summer - warming up for Jon Hopkins at Green Man, supporting Brain Wilson and even hosting Steve Davis play a techno set in the woods at the final Secret Garden Party - go figure!

AOR Disco Mix Tracklist

The Obeah Man - Exuma

Power Melody - Lucky Dragons

Madan - Salif Keita

Late Late Late - Cosmic Kids

New Song (Jono Ma Remix) - Warpaint

The Clown - Maribou State

Simply Beautiful (Edit) - Al Green

When The Little Violet Flowers - Daniel Lucas

Red Right Hand (Mojo Filter Re-Love) - Nick Cave

White Room - Cream

It's A Kinda Magik (Mojo Filter Voodoo Re-Love) - Queen

Miss You - Thin White Duke

Video Games (Mojo Filter Re-Love) - Lana Del Rey

Pre - Rival Consoles

What's A Girl To Do (Mojo Filter Re-Love) - Fatima Yamaha

Download Mix / Buy Modern Re-Loves Volume 3

AOR Disco Summer Mix by dj ShmeeJay

2017-07-11T16:23:00.002-07:00

With nearly 25,000 plays on Soundcloud over the last few days, dj Shmeejay's latest exclusive mix for us shows once again that he is a leading light in AOR Disco world. This selection of the best classic rock edits and reworks also features two other much-loved contributors to the site: RedKen, whose superb Ned Doheny remix was recently released on Be With Records, and Mojo Filter, the man behind our Vintage Edits CD series. And it also includes surprises such as the disco remix of 'Honey' by easy listening legend Andy Williams.

Fleetwood Mac - Never Going Back (Cosmic Kids Edit)

Andy Williams – Honey (I Miss You) [Bring Your Knitting Disco Dub]

Ned Doheny – Labor Of Love (RedKen Mix)

Michael McDonald – Not In Love Anymore (LNTG Rework)

David Ruffin – Walk Away From Love (Soho808 Motown Disco Edit)

Gary Wright – Love Is Alive (Tokyo Mat Editsu)

Great Lake Swimmers – Your Rocky Spine (Mojo Filter Black Rock Remix)

Cashmere – Loves What I Want (Edit Delite)

Stories – Louie Louie (Mike Simonetti Edit) [Perseo]

Julius Brockington – This Feeling (Freedom) [Whiskey Barons Edit] [Whiskey Barons Edit]

Ragonte (Beatconductor Edit)

Eric Clapton & Sting – Its Probably Me (Rayko Edit)

Download

Dance Tonight: an AOR Disco Mix by Paul Hillery

2017-07-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Paul Hillery for his latest exclusive mix for us. "I'm not sure which genre it fits in as a whole," he says. "But it has AOR bits and Discoey bits and well just some bloody lovely tracks from my vinyl vaults that will definitely tickle the fancy of a few passengers on the good yacht AOR Disco!"

Sky Blue - Passport
Say Your Little Piece - Locust
Making Love - Edward Fisher
Do You Really Wanna Go - Jackie Robinson
Walking The Voodoo Nights - Santiago
Wizard - Breeze
Hip Pocket - Crossection
Vaya Mulata - Luc Cousineau
In Alto Mare - Loredana Bertè
Yes I Know My Way - Pino Daniele
Tranquillo (Melt My Heart) - Carly Simon
Fiction - Philippe Chany
Don't You Feel - Claude Stoll
Dance Tonight - Joy Fleming
Gerima - O Ji Ji
Nou Rinmin Pou La Vi - Dadou Pasquet Et Le Magnum Band
We Got A Way - Seawind
Get Off The Phone - Epicentre

Download

Too Slow To Disco Volume 3 Minimix by DJ Supermarkt

2017-06-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

On July 1st DJ Supermarkt will be launching the third volume of the now legendary Too Slow To Disco compilation series featuring "late 70s Westcoast Yachtpop, you can almost dance to..." (see the event page on Facebook for further details). Two days earlier the compilation will be released on CD and Limited Edition Blue 180g Double Gatefold Vinyl - and once again it has been receiving glowing reviews from publications ranging from The Independent to Mixmag.

In a market featuring bogus 'yacht rock' compilations from major labels which feature random soft rock hits from their catalogue (there's one coming from Universal which even features Hotel California by Eagles, a track which is pure Nyacht), DJ Supermarket goes to extraordinary lengths to license old Westcoast classics, often hunting down the original artists and badgering major labels who usually can't rouse themselves to go to the furthest corners of their archives. We reckon that Volume 3 is the best one yet and to give a flavour of it here's a mini-mix from DJ Supermarkt himself...

DJ Supermarkt

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TOO SLOW TO DISCO VOLUME 3