DJ Handi's Archive Picks: Summer Madness

You probably read on the website or heard that WFMU has begun its summer schedule. Let's walk through some of the highlights of this week.

You can play with the inversion the sound of music, the music of sound. But most DJs use both interchangeably. (Read that as screw the academics and embrace aural delight!)  Duane got his hands on some 7"s used to promote black (2011: African-American) films in the 1970s. He used these to open his sets, playing Superfly radio spot, Detroit 9000 radio spot,  TNT Jackson radio spot , Black Shampoo radio spot, Dr.Black & Mr Hyde radio spot, and Coffy Radio Spot. With the internet-or amazing luck at thrift shops-sounds thought to be gone forever are available for those fortunate enough to identify and find them.

Of course sounds other than conventional songs have been long available. Listen to how Bob Brainen uses "Space Walk." by composer Nico Fidenco from the album Monster Movie Music Volume 4. When listening to music, we listen to composed or improvised sound--but it is still sound! (Notice how Bob's web page says "DJ has a fondness for sound.") Collectors spend their lives trying to obtain and hear every sound they can put on a stereo. DJs spend their lives trying to make these sounds work together.

Mike Van Laar played the title track from William S. Fischer's 1970 Circles next to jazz harp player Dorothy Ashbey. Fisher was a musical director who worked with a lot of Atlantic Records artists in the early 70's, such as Les McCann and Eugene McDaniels. The album, strangely, alternates between the psychedelic soul, the rock of the title track, and electronic experiments.

This week WFMU DJs had a real yen for soul and R&B--look at the playlists--so here is a counter punch. Evan "Funk" Davies went record collecting in Canada recently, and brought back goodies by, among many Kim Mitchell, and Sloan. It's ironic that the straight-ahead rock "Funk" specializes in is the antithesis of syncopated funk. Maybe the point is the uselessness of genre labels. Funk for Evan is more about the ever important musical attitude than the unimportant marketing category.

It'd be cruel to put words in your head without playing the song. Here is Noah on Coffee Break For Hereos And Villians playing Kool And The Gang's "Summer Madness." Enjoy and thanks for reading.

Comments

[Jeep Guy Carl]

Great write-up - always enjoyed the Kool and the Gang song but that version was really cool! THANKS!