It’s been a bad week for disco—first the death of Loleatta Holloway, and now comes the news that Kurt Hauenstein of the German band Supermax has passed on. Supermax were one of the most popular disco bands of their era on continental Europe, managing to seamlessly blend funk, prog rock, sci-fi and sleaze. They had also won over a lot of new fans in the last few years, when the growing interest in revisiting Cosmic and European disco shone the spotlight back in their corner. Their biggest hit was “Love Machine,” which by anyone’s standards is a bone fide classic. Here they are performing it on Dutch TV:

Supermax - “Love Machine”
 

 
With his own particular Lemmy-meets-Kraftwerk style (thanks Richard!) Kurt Hauenstein, originally from Austria, was one seriously cool guy. Supermax were still touring up until last year—unfortunately I never got to see them even though I knew a few promoters who wanted to book them (cost permitting). Well, Kurt is jamming away in that big disco in the sky they call Heaven now. Here’s what taste of what a Supermax show would have been like:

Supermax - “It Ain’t Easy” (Live 1979)
 

 
These guys were great. If you want to know more about this band, you should check out their website. You can buy the Best Of Supermax here.

After the jump, more excellent clips of Kurt Hauenstein and Supermax…

 
The name Alexander Robotnick should be familiar to fans of electronic music. An original disco pioneer, he scored a big hit in 1983 with the classic proto-Italo disco/electro cut “Problems D’Amour.” It was released in many different versions (the one below being the most popular), including a pressing on Sire Records that lead to much club plays in the States. “Problems D’Amour” was reputedly a big inspiration for the writing and recording of New Order’s “Blue Monday.”
 
Alexander Robotnick - “Problems D’Amour”
 

 
Almost 30 years on and Robotnick, real name Maurizio Dami, is still making and releasing music (his Rare Robotnicks album series of unreleased 80s tracks come very highly recommended). Although he abandoned dance music in the late Eighties and Nineties for ambient and world-fusion experiments, he has resurrected his old alter-ego and now tours with a hybrid dj/live set, mixing tracks old and new and providing live vocal accompaniment in his particular drawling style. Maurizio/Alexander has just put a new mix online in the style of his live/dj sets. It’s a blend of disco old and nu, with of course a lot of Italo—have a listen if you want to hear an original master at work:
 

  Alexander Robotnick disco nudisco march 2011 DJ-Mix by Alexander Robotnick
 
Tracklist after the jump…

 
Legendary disco and soul vocalist Loleatta Holloway passed away last night in Chicago, after a short illness. She was 64.

While the title “Queen of Disco” may be hotly contended by Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor and even Sylvester, for many it is Loleatta Holloway who is rightfully wears the crown.

Holloway started her career in the early Seventies on the label Aware, working on gospel-tinged funk with her husband Fred Smith, before moving on to work extensively with Salsoul Records/MFSB producer Norman Harris and writer/producer Dan Hartman. She released a string of cult hits on the label, and provided vocals for the in-house Salsoul Orchestra. Though these were never big commercially at the time, they have since gone on to define their era and the disco genre itself. So much so that Holloway has become one of the most sampled artists of all time. Producers have been known to make entire tracks out of her throw-away yet distinctive ad libs, and some (like Black Box and Marky Mark) have turned these into huge global hits.

There is practically no studio quality footage of Holloway performing live on YouTube, though there are some mobile phone recordings of her recent live appearances. We’ll just have to settle for this - a fleeting appearance in a TV spot for a Salsoul 2LP set, mixed by the dj Walter Gibbons. Rest in peace Loleatta Holloway, one of the best voices in popular music!
 

 
Loleatta Holloway - “Dreaming”
 

 
Loleatta Holloway -“Catch Me On The Rebound” (Dimitiri From Paris Edit)
 

 
Loleatta Hollway - “Only A Fool”
 

 
Loleatta Holloway - “Hit And Run” (12” Mix)
 

 
Calling all disco fans! Are you partial to a bit of Patrick Cowley? Like the synthetic soundscapes of Claudio Simonetti? Been digging those clips I posted of Rockets? Then Den Haan are the band for YOU.

Sharing the twin obsessions of space/sci-fi and vintage synths, Den Haan produce some of the best electronic-disco-pop around at the moment. After a string of successful releases on cult European labels like Dissident, Optimo Music and Supersoul, today sees the of release their debut long player Gods From Outer Space on their own Courier Of Death label. The duo are quickly gaining a reputation as a hot live act, and some of their music has even been featured in Desperate Housewives, bizarrely enough.

Synths explode like lazer blasts from a space cannon, rolling toms and sleazy vocals bring the drama while arpeggios build to warp speed, sending the listener zooming into the outer reaches of the stratosphere. OK, so they may not doing anything particularly new, but boy do they do it well. This really does sound like vintage-era Cowley (think the Megatron Man album) with the riffs and hooks to match, and unlike the vast majority of their contemporaries on the electro/techno scenes, Den Haan aren’t afraid to have a bit of fun. For proof they have put together this campy trailer for their album:

Den Haan’s Gods From Outer Space Theatrical Trailer:
 

Den Haan’s Gods From Outer Space is available to buy on vinyl and download now from Boomkat. Here’s some more of what’s on offer:
 
Den Haan - “Release The Beast”
 

 
Den Haan - “Night Shift”
 

 
Den Haan - “Russian Boat Commander”
 

 
Den Haan are also offering the up track “Universal Energy” as a free download - you can get it here.

 
In my post about Rockets the other day, I mentioned the Italian TV program Stryx. Here’s some more bizarro music performance clips from the show, in its own particular late 70s batshit/fierce style. They really don’t make ‘em like this anymore! According to Wikipedia:

Stryx thematically referred to Hell, devils and underworld. The scenography featured elements resembling Middle Ages-like gloomy castles and caves… The show caused many controversies in more conservative societies, mainly because of its devilish theme and referring to underworld as well as exposing nudity. Due to numerous protests the show was taken off the broadcast and the production of following episodes was cancelled.

So in these videos, all of which are worth watching, we get two huge gay disco icons in the one clip (Amanda Lear & Grace Jones), Patty Pravo giving Gaga a run for her Illuminati wage packet, Mia Martini getting burnt at the stake in a fabulous glittery dress, and some more of those amazing Rockets. My favourite clip is Gal Costa performing “Relance” - it’s quite subdued for Stryx (apart from the dozen or so extras who are lying still at the front of the stage) but is carried by Costa’s no bullshit performance and the incredible gypsy funk of the track itself. But first let’s start with Grace and Amanda:
 
Grace Jones (introduced by Amanda Lear) - Fame
 

 
After the jump, more Grace Jones, Amanda Lear, Patty Pravo, Gal Costa, Mia Martini and Rockets…

 
Here’s a great clip of the French space/rock/sci-fi/disco outfit Rockets performing their biggest hit, a cover of Canned Heat’s “On The Road Again” on the Italian TV show Stryx in 1978. Rockets combined the electronic pulse of Eurodisco with the driving power of classic 70’s rock. Terry Miller, author of the blog post quoted below, sums Rockets up perfectly: “Imagine Gino Soccio mixed with ZZ Top. Interstellar Rock!” It’s camp and fun, if not a little scary due to the matching bald-heads-and silver-skin look, and just how seriously they are taking it.
 

 
Like Giorgio Moroder, Rockets had been around for quite a while before finding international success on the first wave of European disco in the late Seventies, even managing to sign to the hallowed Salsoul Records in the States for one album . Although it’s fair to say they were a novelty act, that didn’t stop them from having some seriously bitchin’ tunes. Their front man Zeus B Held went on to produce a number of well known European acts in the 80s, including Nina Hagen and Gina X Performance. From The Stranger’s Line Out blog (by Miller):

In 1972 producer Claude Lemoine produced a single called Future Woman for a band called Crystal. With the single’s poularity the band decided to change it’s name and look, so in 1974 they became The Rocket Men (or Rocketters in France). They shaved their heads, wore matching “space age” outfits and painted themselves with silver make-up. They didn’t quite have the formula right though, unitl 1976 when they changed their name to Rockets. They did a dancier, spacier remake of thier hit Future Woman which brought them, once again, popularity throughout Europe. It didn’t hurt that their live shows were full of lasers, smoke, exploding cannons of fire and a tripped out light show.

I’ll be posting more from Stryx in the near future, but unfortunately most of the footage does not look or sound as clear as this clip.
 
Rockets - “On The Road Again”
 

 
Rockets -“Space Rock”
 

 
Rockets - “Future Woman”
 

 
Loose Joints’ “Is It All Over My Face” is a classic of forward thinking disco from 1979. A collaboration between avant-garde musician Arthur Russell and DJ Steve D’Acquisto, and remixed to another level by Paradise Garage’s Larry Levan, it’s a staple of disco clubs and the gay/drag ballroom scene (see Paris Is Burning below). Arthur Russell died in 1992, but there has been a huge resurgence of interest in his music in the last decade and quite a cult has grown around him. Always open to re-interpreting his own music (with recurring melodies and themes in a lot of his work), a new generation have taken his baton and run with it.

Arthur’s Landing is a group of musicians based in New York City, some of whom played on Russell’s original recordings, who come together to play his compositions. They have just released an album on the UK’s Strut label, and tomorrow night sees the US launch party in New York (details further down). Here is one of their slow, hypnotic versions of “Is It All Over My Face”, now given the song’s original title of “Love Dancing”. This version does not appear on the album, and is perfect Sunday afternoon listening material:
 

Band member Steven Hall told Dangerous Minds about the beginnings of the group:

“It was originally just a bunch of friends getting together to play Arthur’s songs for pleasure. Steve D’Acquisto heard us play and wanted to record us live, so he produced several days of recordings in a huge studio (Excello) in Brooklyn many years ago. Nothing happened for years and in the meantime Arthur’s music became more and more popular.

After I put the band on MySpace, then Facebook, we got a tremendous response and started playing gigs—we found a ready-made audience who already liked us because they loved the material. So we didnt have to “pay our dues” in the traditional showbiz sense, although ironically we have been playing these songs for more than thirty years. Now suddenly we are getting a lot of attention. This makes us feel good because we enjoy sharing this amazing music!”

More Arthur Russell and Arthur’s Landing after the jump.

 
Released twenty years ago this year, Paris Is Burning is one of the all-time great music documentaries. It’s not really about music though, it’s about the mid 80’s gay/drag “vogue” subculture that sprung up in New York City, and the adverse social conditions overcome by the contestants (mostly black and Hispanic transvestites and transsexuals). The music is in the background, but plays as important a role as the clothes, the make-up, the settings or the interviews. 
 

 
This time, this place, and unfortunately most of these people don’t exist anymore. This upload won’t for long either, as it keeps getting yanked - so seriously, if you haven’t watched this film before, watch it now while you can. The director Jennie Livingston has never made another film that garnered as much praise and sadly, for most of the queens involved, this was as famous as they were ever gonna get. Despite being some of the most funny, articulate and charming people ever seen on film. They never had a penny to their names, which is probably why they threw the best parties in the world.

Voguing wasn’t just some hyped up fad that was hot for a New York minute (well, maybe if you are Madonna), - it has a rich, complex history and is just as big a subculture now as it was then, bigger maybe, with the dancing developed to new super-athletic extremes and the balls bolder events. Vogue dancing and vogue balls are an overlooked part of both gay and black history and culture, but more and more they getting the attention and recognition they deserve. Due in so small part to this remarkable film. 
 

EDIT
 
As I thought, this film wouldn’t last long on Vimeo. However, someone has thankfully uploaded it to YouTube too:
 

 
As reported last week, Chic guitarist/legend Nile Rodgers is battling cancer. He is updating his blog with regular posts about it, and it makes for a very moving read. If there is anyone left on the face of the planet who doesn’t think this guy is the shit, here’s a relatively recent interview clip where he dishes the dirt on Atlantic Records and Studio 54 dj Tom Savarese’s involvement with “Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah)”:
 

What a shitty few days for music. Disco pioneer Nile Rodgers, half of one of the 20th century’s greatest songwriting duos (Chic, along with Bernard Edwards) has announced via his blog that he is currently battling “aggressive” cancer.

Chic are to me what I guess the Beatles are to most other folk - a musical ground zero. Apart from writing the stone-cold classics “Le Freak”, “I Want Your Love” “Everybody Dance” and “Good Times” (thus inadvertently kick starting rap music) the Chic Organization also wrote and produced some of their biggest hits for acts like Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, Duran Duran, Madonna and David Bowie. But they weren’t just gifted songwriters and arrangers - both Rodgers and Edwards are/were incredibly talented musicians that had a huge impact on guitar and bass playing styles of the coming decade.
 

 
I was going to do a post about last year’s 4 CD Chic Organization box set on here anyway, but it seems more urgent now as Nile could presumably do with all the money he can get for his treatment. If you have ANY interest in popular music of the last 50 years then you really should look into this, but if you have a particular interest in dance, soul or funk, this is damn indespensable. Nile Rodgers presents The Chic Organization:  Savoir Faire Boxset Vol. 1 contains all the big hits for Chic and others, in full extended 12” format, plus rare material, some unreleased tracks, and a few remix/remasters by French disco guru Dimitri From Paris.
 
Norma Jean “Saturday” (Dimitri From Paris Remix) 

 
Fonzi Thornton “I Work For A Living” (Nile Rodgers Long Version) 

 
Carly Simon “Why?” (Extended 12” Version) 

 
Chic are one of the very few acts with true cross generational appeal and that are guaranteed to start any party. Rodgers has recently been touring with a revamped line-up of the group, and although he is the only original member left, it’s still an incredible show. Their debut appearance in Ireland, at the Electric Picnic festival in 2009, was probably the best gig I have ever been to. People really didn’t know what to expect, but by the end of the set the tent was filled to capacity and the electrified crowd were literally roaring for more. Nile Rodgers has had a massive influence on modern music, yet he exudes a blissful aura of love and happiness, the true spirit of disco. He is also my namesake, and I wish him a power of health and a speedy recovery.

Nile Rodgers talks about “Rapper’s Delight”
Nile Rodgers talks about writing “We Are Family”
Nile talks about wriiting “I’m Coming Out” for Diana Ross (very funny!)

 
Just to muddy the water even further, “Kosmiche” the genre should not be confused with “Cosmic” the genre, also known as “Afro-Cosmic” and “Cosmic Disco.”

“Cosmic” is named after the Italian Cosmic Club, where in the late 70’s and early 80’s DJ Daniele Baldelli (with a little help from Beppe Loda and TBC) pioneered a strange, slow-motion mix of disco, Afrobeat, prog and electronica. Tracks were often played at the wrong speed with added sounds and percussion, to a hypnotic and druggy effect perfect for a crowd moving from cocaine and marijuana onto harder drugs. These mixes are quite unlike anything else. Early electro is mixed with tribal chanting and percussion before blending into a new wave or disco hit of the day (played at 33 1/3 rather than 45rpm of course). It can take a bit of listening to get used to, but it is expertly mixed and effortlessly musical.
 
Cosmic C80 Mix side A part 1

 
Cosmic C42 Mix side A part 1

 
Cosmic C84 Mix side B part 1

 
Cosmic Club and the Afro Cosmic sound was a big deal at the time, with mixtapes and stickers selling aplenty, and a dedicated fan base known to loiter in the parking lot if they couldn’t get inside. It remained largely unknown outside Italy and certain pockets of Northern Europe until a recent renaissance among disco music fans and fringe music cognoscenti. Baldelli’s numerous mixtapes from the era, along with those of Loda and TBC, have become cult musical artifacts eagerly collected and traded on the Internet, and a new generation of house and post-dubstep producers undeniably bear its slo-mo trace. Baldelli is still a successful dj, and has released a few official mixes including a two cd and book set dedicated to the Afro Cosmic Disco sound, and the excellent Cosmic Disco? Cosmic Rock! mix/compilation.

 
San Francisco disco diva Sylvester James’s appearance at a dance party in a subterranean SF Muni station in the Castro district in 1979 couldn’t have been more fraught. The neighborhood had just been shaken to the core the previous fall with the shooting death of Harvey Milk, SF’s first openly gay supervisor. Ahead lay the AIDS epidemic, which would eventually take Sylvester himself 22 years ago this week at age 41.

But on that night, Sylvester was at the peak of his success. He was just about to release his 5th album, Stars, the follow-up to 1978’s Step II, which had hit #7 on the American R&B charts and included one of gay America’s legendary anthems, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).” After his first taste of mainstream success, and after nine years of the official Gay Pride parade in San Francisco, after coming this far, perhaps it seemed fitting for the community to get back to its roots and and take the party underground again.
 
Thanks to Erica Green for bringing this to my attention…
 

 
If you’re like me, your atheism has been challenged by the sheer force of certain metaphysically oriented artforms. One of those forms for me is African-American gospel music. One of the greats of that genre, the Grammy-winning Rev. Walter Hawkins, died yesterday of pancreatic cancer. Hawkins had plenty of Billboard chart success leading his Love Center Choir. Significantly, he’ll also be remembered as head of an Oakland, CA church that wholly embraced and was supported by folks like disco singer, drag queen and gay icon Sylvester.

Hawkins’ initial success came as part of his brother’s group the Edwin Hawkins Singers, which had a crossover hit with 1967’s “Oh Happy Day.” According to Joshua Gamson’s The Fabulous Sylvester, the Legend, the Music, the Seventies in San Francisco:

Hawkins was one of those who left church, but as he grew older he started looking for a way to bring together “all those young people who I knew could not survive in a traditional church setting.”

One of those was the young Sylvester James, who was a well-known child gospel singer in his LA hometown before running away and eventually moving to San Francisco. By the time he’d arrived at Hawkins’ Bible study group-turned-church the Love Center, Sylvester had already done a short stint with local psychedelic drag performance group The Cockettes and performed with the then-unknown Pointer Sisters. When he tells the anecdote about Love Center members’ jaded acceptance of a prostitute into their ranks, Gamson notes: “They took the same attitude to Sylvester. His strangeness, when it was even noticed, was beloved.” In fact, the Love Center Choir would appear on numerous mid-‘80s Sylvester tunes, including “Call Me” and his cover of Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City.”

When Sylvester died of complications from AIDS in 1988 at age 41, his memorial service was held at the Love Center. According to J. Matthew Cobb of Prayzehymm Online, the gospel industry and the black church in general has a lot of work to do with regards to its gay membership. 

Hats off to Reverend Hawkins. 
 

 
Get: Walter Hawkins and the Love Center Choir: Love Alive - 25th Anniversary Reunion, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 [CD]
 
Get: Sylvester - Mutual Attraction [CD]