Dimitri from Paris returns to Playboy Mansion

That one I swear I didn't see coming.

When Dimitri from Paris' name no longer graced the Playboy at the Mansion compilation cd series, it didn't feel right, no respect to the two djs that followed him, and Playboy wanted to diversify the dj roster nothing wrong with that, but sales speak words and in the hearts of those who got their hands on the first 2 cds, Dimitri was the man, he truly represented the spirit of the mansion, he seemed to me and most that only HE could fill the spot.

So here we are in 2008 with the 6th Playboy mansion compilation cd (and 2 disc vinyl LP) hitting stores in mid-April 2008 with THE man at the helm and what better way to do it than give the Nu Disco artist emeritus who wears hats even if is hairline is not receding, the honor to get the spot on track 1, that is Jamiroquai. Here's the complete tracklist:

CD 1

1. Cosmic Girl - Jamiroquai
2. Always There [Masters At Work 1996 mix Dylan re-edit] - Incognito & Jocelyn Brown
3. Liv And Love - DJ Fudge & Mani Hoffman
4. Keep The Fires Burning [Tony Economides mix] - Kenny Thomas
5. Hot Like An Oven - Robert Strauss & Leroy Burgess
6. Show You My Love [DFP re-edit] - Goldie Alexander
7. Feel The Need [Boogie Down mix] - Weird Science
8. Call My Name - Timmy Vegas
9. More I Get The More I Want [promo 12" mix] - Lorraine Johnson
10. Love Massage - Musique
11. Ain't No Mountain High Enough [DFP re-edit] - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
12. Cure And The Cause [DJ Meme Philly suite mix] - Fish Go Deep & Tracey K
13. Got To Have Loving [DFP re-edit] - Don Ray
14. Let's Love Dance Tonight [Leonard part sixx edit] - Gary's Gang
15. I Like It (What You're Doing To Me) - Young & Co.
16. Is It In [12" mix] - Jimmy 'Bo ' Horne
17. Midnight Interlude - Mr. Ali
18. This Is What You Are [M. Midnight Monti & G. Gotta Soul Gottardi restyle] - Mario Biondi & The High Five Quintet
19. Come Go With Me - Teddy Pendergrass

CD 2

1. Close The Door - Teddy Pendergrass
2. I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby - Barry White
3. Un Po' D'uva E Un Liquore - Pino D'Angio
4. Friends - Amii Stewart
5. Gotta Get You Home Tonight - Eugene Wilde
6. Sweetest Pain - Loose Ends
7. I Want You - Marvin Gaye
8. Can't Stop Loving You [original Marshall Jefferson version] - Richard Rogers
9. Be Thankful For What You Got - William De Vaughn
10. Don't Let It Go To Your Head - Jean Carn
11. For Real - Flowers
12. Let's Funk Tonight [DFP re-edit] - Blue Feather
13. You Are My Melody - Change
14. Your Good Lovin' - France Joli
15. Never Stop [Blaze mix DFP re-edit] - Brand New Heavies (The)
16. Standing Right Here - Melba Moore

The fun doesn't end there. The special edition package boxset comes complete with Playboy playing cards and stickers. No words yet if the girls on the cards are dressed as rabbits or if there are vintage naked 60s and 70s centerfolds.

Return to the Playboy Mansion cd
Dimitri from Paris MySpace

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Strut returns part II

Strut is now officially alive and its first new release is available for pre-order.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the printed media were the first to get the promos for review, so expect to read all about it in your local entertainment weekly newspaper this week.

Here's the tracklisting... :

1. Vivien Goldman - Launderette
2. Delta 5 - Mind your own business
3. Shriekback - My spine is the bassline
4. Konk - Your life
5. Isotope - Crunch cake
6. James White and The Blacks - Contort yourself (August Darnell remix)
7. Quango Quango - Love Tempo (remix)
8. Gina X Performance - Kaddish
9. Material - Don't loose control (dance version)
10. Kazino - Binary
11. Liaisons Dangereuses - Los ninos del parque (12 inch mix)
12. A Number of Names - Sharevari (instrumental)
13. Six Sed Red - Beat'em right
14. Maximum Joy - Silent Street/Silent Dub

Disco not Disco 3 at Amazon.com
Disco not Disco 3 at Amazon UK
Disco not Disco 3 microsite
Strut Records website soon!

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Strut returns, but where?

So we're expected to be able to get hold of a "fresh of the factory" classic Strut compilation without searching the second hand and used market, great news! But how? They are nowhere to be found.

Last summer it was announced in "selected" (read: magazines in print) publications that Strut would return, it would have Grandmaster Flash on its roster, its catalog would get the re-issue treatment and its first new release of 2008 would be a "disco, Not disco" type of compilation.

In the last ... few months I searched and searched for more information and all I could find is the news about it, all hype, no evidence, even the original Strut website URL is still for sale (as of January 2008), since there was nothing to substantiate it, didn't even bother to mention it and that was in July 2007.

Since Strut has been acquired by K7! home of the highly respected "DJ Kicks" series, I went on their website, nope, nothing to be found.

Strut was notable for and a precursor to quality rare disco compilation cds starting in 1999, today, used copies are very pricy. When they folded in 2003, numerous labels entered the rare disco compilation cd trend.

They say patience is a virtue, fine, but my excitement wore off.


Image source: Strut's Danny Krivit Grass Roots at Amazon

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Disco deep and shirtless

Suss'd UK has recently unveiled Volume 2 of their "Deep Disco Culture" series, easily recognizable by its Studio 54 black and white photos featuring a topless model. The uncensored image graces the back cover. Did get my hands on the 12 inch vinyl sampler from Volume 1 and for some strange reasons, the sound was so distorted and screechy, I never played it again, since I had 2 of the 70s original, it was easy to see and hear by comparison that the fault was on the mastering of the sampler vinyl itself.

Tracklisting for Deep Disco Culture Volume 2 on CD is ... as followed:

1. Azoto - San Salvador (12" instrumental mix)
2. Buari - I'm Ready
3. Franky and Jamo - Set Me On Fire
4. Bumblebee Unlimited - Funk For Days
5. The Bean Brothers - Feel The Groove
6. Crosstown Traffic - Party People
7. Donna McGhee - I'm A Lovebug
8. Caress - I Can't Let You Walk Away
9. Eli's Second Coming - Love Chant (part 1)
10. Starzarus - Starship Love
11. Poopee and The NY Squirrels - Bust That Nut (Downtown mix)
12. Universal Robot Band - Doing Anything Tonight
13. Captain Dax - Dr Beezar
14. Holzer and Kamura - Pure Love
15. Oral Caress -"Charlies Angels (edit)
16. Rhythm Makers - Zone (remix)
17. Jimmy Handyman Jones - Handyman Back In Town
18. Kim Taylor - Stomp Your Feet and Dance (12" vocal mix)
19. Lee Porter - Can You Make Love To A Disco Beat (vocal mix)
20. Family - Music (Listen To The Music)
21. Ray Munnings - Let's Boogie
22. Sammy Gordon and The Hip Huggers - Making Love
23. Cloud One - Atmosphere Strut (1979 remix part 2)
24. Main Ingredient - Everything Man
25. Pam Todd and The Love Exchange - Can't Hold This Feeling
26. Sparkle - Disco Madness
27. Classy Dance Orchestra - New York Strut
28. Tantra - Hills Of Katmandu (Patrick Cowley mix)

On the subject of boobs in the clubs, some rather flash 'em behind the deck than on the dancefloor, especially when it's lucrative to do so and an entry to superstar dj status. One serious side effect to breast augmentation surgery is the urge to go topless on any occasions.

Deep Disco Culture Vol. 2 at Amazon.com

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Party @ The Ocean Funky House by Selin

Have you heard some good funky house lately? Not me. But I like being proven wrong and love surprises so when my friend Selin from the Netherlands sent me his compilation mix this Fall, was afraid to be deceived, so told him, got samples? Sure, he said.

Selin has his own label and company, he recently signed deep and Italian funky house meisters Harley & Muscles, "Deeper Love" with Guerideau on the vocals. One of ... his first release, "Funk Fan Radio" By Franky Sweetz was a favorite funky disco house track on our Nu Top 40 chart 2 years ago and a top 100 favorite for 2005.

Other than "You are the one for me" by Ocefunk with its chipmunk 78 rpm like vocals, the selection is varied and the mix is flawless, impressive considering a computer wasn't used. It was done in one take using a DAT recorder he says. Some tracks are his productions, others are by notable remixers/producers MoD (Juan Sunshine and Gee K) and the Monkey Brothers (Mike Pato and Felix Hopkins).

It goes smooth and funky at times, pumping hard and kickin' ass at others. It's definitely 2007 with layers of electro madness. Best moments are the title track "Party @ The Ocean" "Downtown Lady" and "Invisible".

Here's the tracklisting:

Party @ The Ocean mixed by Selin Coll on Playectra Records

1. Entree
2. You are the one for me - Ocefunk
3. Downtown lady - MoD (Ferry B mix)
4. Pizza Picanti Selin Coll
5. Alegria Musical - Jordan Rivera (Ospina & Oscar P remix)
6. Shake Da Ground - Franky Sweetz
7. Let's get down -Franky Sweetz
8. Night Fever - D'Varo
9. Let's get Down (sweet version) - Franky Sweets
10. Party @ The Ocean - Selin Coll
11. Invisible - Monkey Brothers
12. Tommy Largo - Masuku Monini

Party @ The Ocean at Juno UK (Also available at any good dj shops)
Visit Playectra.com
Selini Collaborations

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Can Brooks save Disco Kandi ...

Jason Brooks, original illustrator of the famed Hed Kandi artwork cover sleeves returned "home" last August '07 after a brief stint at Mark Doyle's Fierce Angel label.

About welcoming Jason back to the Hed Kandi family, the label's Manager, Dan Baxter, says, "Hed Kandi has always been about the perfect combination of stylish music and stylish imagery. Jason Brooks is extraordinarily talented and his work is a key part of our iconography and heritage. Nobody represents Hed Kandi better than Jason so his return means so much to us."

Jason Brooks says, "I'm naturally thrilled to be back on the team at Hed Kandi and am looking forward ... to evolving the brand imagery beyond anything I've done before."

Now I have no clue if their compilations are selling well or not, but what I do know is that haven't purchased much of them lately and neither did some of my friends. Disco House is dead nowadays, the formula has been bled to death, quality releases are too few, it's time to move on. Although their Nu Cool series and Twisted Disco ones aren't bad at all.

The illustrator maybe back but the Disco Kandi/Heaven compilations are crappy. Same ol' Fedde LeGrand and Fish go Deep, given a choice between spending cash for a Jason Brooks Hed Kandi poster and a Disco Kandi cd. I'd go for the first.

Disco Kandi at Amazon.com
View exquisite imagery of Jason Brooks on his website
Hed Kandi posters at Hed Kandi

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