The Music that I Like

Classic: Donna Summer - Four Seasons of Love

2012-08-10T12:41:00.000-05:00

Given the death of the disco movement icon I must say that even as I don't like most mainstream music, there were a couple of songs I went nuts for when I discovered disco music back when I was three years old. "McArthur Park" and "I feel love" from Donna Summer. Many many years later, when I was starting my vinyl collection a friend music producer and arranger just threw away his almost 800 records, just because the media was obsolete and he didn't new I was looking for records; disco music records. He probably owned almost every disco record in existence. He traveled to west germany, england, and the US to learn how to produce disco music for mexican artists between 1977 and 1979. Obviously I wanted to assassinate him but I didn't have the courage. He kept a couple of records though. One was "Get Up and Boogie" by Silver Convention and the other was this one. In emotional repair he gifted both to me so I ran to my turn table to listen and this one had one of the best recording sounds that were available in those times. The engineering is impeccable, the songs are well written, the mix and cut (mastering) are perfect.

This release made to the #29 place in the billboard 200 so it's not as known as all the others. It received a gold record though. For me it's her best record. Period. Unfortunately the sound in digital format doesn't come even close to the printed vinyl.

The resurgence of the vinyl record

2012-05-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Bought this vinyl record, sealed, the
same day I wrote this article

I've been a fan of the vinyl record since I remember. I'm not that old at 34 years old but I remember these big black things weren't sold anymore circa 1991. The other popular media at the time was the compact cassette, or just cassette as we used to call it. Awful technology. Always hated how it sounded. It was handy but the sound quality was so terrible that I preferred not to carry music with me. Then the CD was popular and it sounded good but, I don't know... It never was the same. So I started buying vinyls in 1996 to start a collection. Many years passed and at least in my side of the world no one even remembered them. I actively started looking for good printed music like five years ago. I came across a marketplace called DiscoGS which is very much like eBay but just for records. Awesome place. Easy to start your online inventory, look for records, mark them in a want-list so you can check the market for what you're looking for. You can find records in mint condition, or used in near-mint to good condition from almost any country you can think of. I've bought many from the UK and Germany. Most sellers are physical record stores which have their catalogs online so it's totally secure to buy from them. They know perfectly how to pack so they won't arrive broken.

AT-LP120-USB Direct-Drive Professional Turntable that
I bought back in august 2011 from Amazon

Funny thing is, something happened. Somehow the millenials got interested in what was considered an obsolete; even absurd technology. Somehow there were new long-play records printed. I did some research and I found articles telling that there were so few places to cut and print a record that companies were struggling to cope with the demand. Now Amazon sells LPs like pancakes and almost every serious artist release gets printed. So what happened? People picked up the idea of having a big cardboard photograph of their artists in their hands... I went to San Fran last december and found lots and lots of newly printed records, and lots and lots of different newly developed record players, which I like to call "turntables". Now there are even wall-mounted and portable players like in the 60s. Now I went to a coffee-library (coffeebrary as they call themselves) and got out with four albums under my arm. Last time I could do that was maybe 1990. I felt so special...

So what are you waiting for? Go to your nearest Urban Outfitters and get an Audio Technica LP120 USB turntable which by the way, doesn't require any obscure connections or amplifiers. You can connect it either to your computer directly or to any auxiliary input, order some records from Amazon, Best Buy, or DiscoGS and start groovin'!

You can load the stock needle at 2.3 grams to avoid over-wearing your records!

Los Charly's Orchestra - Chicano Disco Funk

2012-05-26T19:45:00.002-05:00

One of the best new disco albums has come from two venezuelan producers. There's a musical connection to the band Los Amigos Invisibles, also from Venezuela, which happen that these guy have worked with on some tracks. If you heard "La Pregunta" from the 70s with the song "Shangri-La", featured in the legendary album from Dimitri From Paris called "A Night in the Playboy Mansion" you know what I mean.

Best tracks: 1, 4 (five stars), 5, 6 (five stars), 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 (five stars).

Shangri-La: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/shangri-la/id349276280?i=349276323

Zero 7 - When it falls

2012-05-24T10:10:00.000-05:00

This is the second album release of this amazing band. This album sounds so romantic - even sensual, so clean, so sentimental, so organic... I love it. It's in the slower side of the metronome. There's a much darker, mellow sound comparing it to "Simple Things" which used a little bit more 60's-ish recording techniques. This one sounds very 21st century.

On a scale of 1 to 5 all songs are four stars except for track 3 (Sommersault) which is a five.

Cinematic Orchestra - Man with a moving camera

2012-05-23T16:37:00.000-05:00

So, if you want to feel high on music, if you like wooden instruments, if you like warm harmonies, you will like this. There are no lyrics here. Just beautiful string progressions accompanied by acoustic upright bass, a nice drum set, a Fender Rhodes electric piano, and some incidental atmospheric synth sounds that never bit into the rest of the music.

Track 1 and 2 are a waste. Track 3 is where the album actually starts.. You'll only hear a very melancholic progression of strings. Very mellow, very sad. And it continues for several minutes until track 4 where it cheers up. The sound is very much like Sonar Kollektiv Orchester, like if it was recorded live in a tall studio. All goes well until track 6 where reminds me more of a Thelonius Monk composition. Track 7 goes back to a delicious funky-rhythmed harmony. Track 8 gets eclectic combined with a mission-impossible-ish melody in a hip-hop mood. All acoustic. Track 9 is another waste. 10 is a somewhat boring piano solo, then 11 goes heavy a-gogo with a melodic line between left-hand Rhodes Piano and the upright bass with a clearly funky drums pattern. Sounds a bit like what Breakestra has recorded. Track 12 is another boring piano solo. Track 13 is a reprise of track 11, 14 is like a jam. 15 gets back to the hip-hop matter (Meh.). Track 16 must be avoided at all costs, and the last track is a very nice closing. So, if you're buying by the song you should buy : 3, 4, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17. I gave 5 stars to these.

iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/man-with-a-movie-camera/id416346814

Cada Vez - The Guy Robin remixes

2010-12-27T17:36:00.000-06:00

There's a movement I follow very closely, and it is the one that carefully represent the best of those either loved or hated disco years. Currently it's very complicated to know when's a new release out but once I found something, it's the next best thing the world. I'll post the complete catalog of these too.

For now we have:

Cada Vez - Guy Robin Classic Disco Mix

This version, the nth of the same song, succeeds on the lushness department with a very alike sound to the one famously made in the Sigma Studios, back in 1973 in Philly. The famed Philly sound -no less. The drummer, Derrick McKenzie, the same from Jamiroquai, captured the ghosts (notes) of Prof. Earl Young, not anyone else but the inventor of the 4 on the floor - open sock cymbal rhythm I love so much. The strings arrangement, from Pete Whitfield, are a little bit mechanical but very melodic. I like them too:

Buy at Traxsource

Zero 7 - Simple Things

2010-12-27T15:48:00.000-06:00

Moving on to lush ballads and eclectic sounds (mainly acoustically produced) I recommend today an oldie: Simple Things by Zero 7. The usual lineup: Electric Bass, dry drum sets, Fender Rhodes electric piano, strings ensemble, some brass, analog synths, strong presence of nylon-stringed and steel-stringed acoustic guitars... A total sound fest. Recommended tracks:

All of them!

The Reel People - Seven Ways to Wonder

2010-12-13T15:33:00.003-06:00

Browsing some catalog I came across a band called Reel People which released an exquisit album called Seven Ways to Wonder from Papa Records (currently in maintenance mode). It's main genre is Broken Beat / Nu-Jazz and one song I particularly liked is It Will Be. It also has a version remixed by Kyoto Jazz Massive in the Seven Ways To Wonder - The Remixes release that keeps both the spirit of the song and a spot-on noughties UK Vocal House style. The producer employed acoustic drums, electric bass, guitars, Fender Rhodes electric piano, perfectly balanced and mellow sounding analog synths and strings section in some tracks. Clear inspirations are: Stevie Wonder and other Motown and Casablanca recordings, George benson, Quincy Jones.

It's completely available for listening on Spotify in the UK and GrooveShark for the rest of us.

Recommended tracks:

1 - Alibi
2 - Outtas Love
4 - Rise & Fly
5 - It Will Be
7 - Ordinary Man
8 - High
9 - Anything You Want
10 - Upside
11 - Love is Where You Are
11 - Outta Love (Reprise)

Unfortunately there's no full LP release for it. Shame on Papa Records.

What you'll find here...

2010-12-13T15:30:00.000-06:00

Hi.

Being my first post, I feel the urge to express what's my taste in music so if you feel identified with it, you can find this blog a good source for new music. For me to post about a song or album it has to comply with the following criteria (in order of importance):

Use of acoustic instruments
Rich harmonic progressions (simple 1-4, or 2-5-1 interval progressions won't cut it)
Avoid substitution of acoustic or electric instruments with synthesizers (samplers not included)
Avoid abuse of loops throughout a song (unless not predominant)
Mostly the use of a strings section
Have an identifiable melodic line either in the main voice or in the arrangements
Doesn't sound out of that infamous FM synthesizer era (1982-1990)
Doesn't use the Transistor Rhythm line of Roland electronic drum machines.

Another criteria I heavily use for liking a production is if it contains what most people refer to as "Groove". It's too subjective to define but I'll try: A rhythmic base with a clear cadence and prominent use of syncopation. All funk based genres contain this, including of course the Earl Young-created four on the floor rhythm mostly known as Disco, Hustle, and so on.

Most of commercial, plastic, prefab big-label music doesn't meet these criteria. The only countries I've found people currently produce material of this kind comes from England, Germany, France, and even Japan. It's very uncommon to find music from the US or other countries that complies with this.