Harmless continue their “Mixology” series with this retrospective of one of disco’s most important labels, SAM Records. As well as a double CD compilation, “Mixology – Sam Records Extended Play” is released on three separate vinyl samplers, with part 1 featuring edits by Catz ‘N Dogz / Prince Language / Runaway / Walker & Royce.
Convertion’s only 12″ for SAM Records was ‘Let’s Do It’, released in 1980. Produced by Greg Carmichael, the track features Leroy Burgess’ lead vocal and virtuoso keyboard skills. His vocal is almost rapped, while his keyboards are central the track’s sound and success. Percussion, rhythm section and then backing vocalists sweep in. They add tight, soulful harmonies, before the keyboards, percussion and rhythm section head for a prolonged breakdown, where delay adds to the drama of the track. During this innovative, percussive heavy track, the keyboards have an Italian piano house sound.
Crosstown Rebels’ Walker & Royce take on Rhyze ‘Just How Sweet Is Your Love’
Runaway remix KID’s ‘Don’t Stop’. From the opening bars, you can hear how dance music had changed since 1979, and the Disco Suck’s backlash. Gone are the lush strings of disco, with a much more electronic sound replacing it. Keyboards, synths and crunchy beats combine, while punchy backing vocals and an almost haunting, sinister vocal soars above the arrangement. Marauding drums and stabs of synths replace the vocal, before it reenters, displaying a different type of soulfulness.
One of the most compelling and imaginative remixes of the whole series is The Catz and Dogz remix of John Davis and The Monster Orchestra’s ‘Bourgie, Bourgie’ which closes this EP.
When Sam Weiss founded SAM Records in Long Island City, New York in 1976, he was something of a veteran, having been involved in the music industry since the late 40s. Having founded SAM Records in 1976, the nascent label released its first release the same year. Doris Troy’s ‘Woman and The Ghetto’ was SAM Records’ first release, although John Davis and The Monster Orchestra’s ‘Night and Day’ gave the label its first hit single, reaching the top five in the US.
The late 70s saw hits for John Davis and The Monster Orchestra, Lucy Hawkins, and Gary’s Gang (‘Keep On Dancing’, ‘Let’s Lovedance Tonight’ and ‘Do Ya Wanna Go Dancin’?’ were licenced to Columbia Records). By the time the Columbia deal expired in 1980, the disco boom was over. Neither record labels, nor record buyers were interested in buying music by disco artists. So with dance music evolving, so did the music SAM Records released. Among the groups that joined SAM Records and helped establish the label’s new sound were Rhyze and Convertion. Covertion were produced by Greg Carmichael, with Leroy Burgess lead vocalist and keyboard player. Convertion released the boogie classic ‘Sweet Thing’ in 1983. By then, SAM Records had folded. After leaving SAM Records, Convertion became Logg and the Universal Robot Band.
1981 and 1982 proved to be busy and successful years for SAM Records. Among the artists that released tracks were KID’s ‘Don’t Stop’ and Vicki D’s ‘This Beat Is Mine’ in 1981. Along with tracks from Komiko, Monica Neal, Soundtroupe, Kreamcircle and Greg Henderson, the rest of 1982 was just as busy as 1981 had been. Ironically, after two busy years, 1983 would prove to be the year SAM Records closed its doors.
TRACK LISTING
A1. Convertion – Let’s Do It (Prince Language Hands Up Edit)
A2. Rhyze – Just How Sweet Is Your Love (Walker & Royce Touch)
B1. KID – Don’t Stop (Runaway Remix)
B2. John Davis & The Monster Orchestra – Bourgie Bourgie (Catz ‘N Dogz Remix)
Get your copy now via Juno Records.
Wav.pool is a digital version of the DJ music pools started by David Mancuso, Steve D’Aquisto and Vince Aletti in NYC during the 70′s. While Mancuso and company focused on providing DJ’s with promotional music, wav.pool also wants to provide that service to the general public. The “general public” being both die-hard fans of and newcomers interested in engaging more with the five record labels involved: Hamilton Dance Records, Let’s Play House, Throne Of Blood, L.I.E.S. (Long Island Electrical System), and On The Prowl.
Along with providing all the labels’ new releases in the wav file format on a continual basis, wav.pool will also have magazine/blog-like content. This will include: DJ mixes, videos, interviews, news, discounted event tickets, and other exclusive bonuses. All of this will work through Drip.fm’s monthly subscription service for $15 a month.
Sign up now to receive wav files of the following releases:
Marcos Cabral – Sweet & Sour EP – Hamilton Dance Records
A1 – Sweet & Sour (Jeremy Glenn Remix)
A2 – Sweet & Sour
B1 – It’s On You (Haunted Club Dub)
B2 – Nothing On My Mind
Various Artists – Various Artists EP #1 – Let’s Play House
A1 – Pixelife – Mystery Clock
A2 – the Dead Rose Music Company – Your Kisses
B1 – Bicep – Echo Vibes
B2 – Midnight Magic – Same Way I Feel
Various Artists – wav.pool Compilation – wav.pool
1. Runaway – Indoor Pool – Let’s Play House
2. the Dead Rose Music Company – Faith – Let’s Play House
3. Eamon Harkin – Rigor Music (Roman Flugel Remix) – Throne Of Blood
4. DJ Druzz Vs. Omega Man – Apeman (Monty Luke Remix) – Throne Of Blood
5. Svengalisghost – Marathon (L.I.E.S.)
6. Svengalisghost – Mars Out Of Range (L.I.E.S.)
7. Svengalisghost – Deep Into Memory (L.I.E.S.)
8. Andy Ash – Love Me Straight (Deep Space Orchestra Remix) – On The Prowl
9. Andy Ash – Get Loose – On The Prowl
Click here and start your subscription today!
The wind up of Phillip Lauer’s album debut “Phillips” is in the hands of NYC remix/production outfit Runaway and Versatile’s very own I:Cube. Runaway do their best to turn “Tentatious” into one of those early morning deep house dubs that you could find on the b-side on vintage designer labels of their hometown. Music for baby powdered wooden floors. I:Cube does the opposite and manufactures a bumper car boogie beat that also works as a UK rave dub. He likes to move it. On the flip, Lauer himself turns in the hidden album track “Boringtone” – his very own secret ode to the Café del Mar – and the super exclusive smashing pumpkin that is “Highdimes”. 100% Overground melodies.
Release available at:
Let’s Play House returned to Le Bain on May 4, 2012 to throw a long-overdue party with Brooklyn’s own, Runaway DJ, a duo comprised of LPH co-owner Jacques Renault and Marcos Cabral of Hamilton Dance Records. Here, we have over two hours of their set, which features them bouncing around from some of the finest, light-hearted disco to deep house to techno and beyond.
RUNAWAY for Let’s Play House at Le Bain by Le Bain
New York: nowhere else in the world is multiculturalism more on display than the city where over 130 languages are spoken. The musical landscape of the city is no less diverse, and the duo of Runaway (Marcos Cabral and Jacques Renault) could easily be one example of the “melting pot” theory. Cabral is a longtime fixture of New York’s techno scene, working at both Sonic Groove and Satellite Records (both sadly long since closed) and getting his production start on Traum’s Trapez sub-label. Jacques Renault meanwhile cut his dance music chops in Chicago as a drum and bass DJ and buyer for Gramaphone Records before relocating to New York and meeting Cabral. The two distill their diverse musical lineages into house tracks as Runaway, producing hits such as 2008′s piano-led “Brooklyn Club Jam” and last year’s “Indoor Pool.” The latter launched Throne of Blood sub-label Let’s Play House, the new label arm of Renault’s series of parties thrown with Nik Mercer, and as a pair, Cabral and Renault run On The Prowl, a platform for both themselves and friends, as well as the edits label Party Breaks. LWE caught up with the Runaway boys to talk about their individual projects, New York’s party landscape, and dude apartments filled to the brim with records and drum machines. Cabral also contributed our 117th podcast, a sterling hour of analog house both new and old.
Check Marcos Cabral podcast for Little White Earbuds by clicking here.
How did you each get into house music originally?
Jacques Renault: I first started music playing classical music. I grew up playing the violin and then the viola, then started getting into jazz and punk rock. I always recorded with the four-track, playing all the instruments, and then it wasn’t until 1997 that I discovered dance music. I saw DJing as something I could do on my own and I dabbled with recording dance music throughout college. I didn’t really get into it until I bought Ableton. I knew Marcos [Cabral] from the record shop; we met at Sonic Groove, and I’d go to his shop every week. I knew he had done a couple techno records, and I knew he knew the program, and I was like, “Hey, I bought Ableton. Let’s work on a couple things.” And the first couple songs were our first couple records. Then it just kind of went from there.
How about you, Marcos?
Marcos Cabral: I started collecting records when I was a kid. My father’s a record collector, and he would take me to buy records like once a week. So I started probably when I was, like, seven or eight, going to the store and picking out a record once a week. And then by the time I was 14 or 15, I had a summer job at a Catskill resort, and I started DJing there at the teen disco. It was maybe 40 people in a tiny room. I would play hip-hop, house, and freestyle — like New York Latin freestyle — and from there, I guess by the time 1991 came around, we started going to parties in the city. We started going to raves: Limelight, N.A.S.A. (which was The Shelter). For those couple years, I was super into raves, you know, raving on the weekends, going to the Manhattan clubs during the midweek. So going out a lot. And then I started getting more serious about DJing. Up until that point, I never had turntables at home, aside from one turntable. But I think a bought a turntable — a pair of [Technic] 1200s — in maybe ’93? And even when I bought them in ’93 I felt like I was too late. [laughs] But I was like, “Ah, I’ll just buy it anyway. I’ll play around at home.” From there I eventually moved to the city and started working on music, working on techno. I produced some records for the German label Trapez, which is in Cologne. And then from there my tastes started changing, and I became more into house, disco, and became a little more open-minded, musically. I’ve always wanted to work on music since I was in high school. I think back then I thought about hip-hop and sampling. And then it became more dance oriented later on.
So then the two of you met at the record store.
Marcos Cabral: Yeah, I was working at Sonic Groove, and Jacques was a customer.
Jacques Renault: We were friends for years, and then we didn’t start producing until 2007.
MC: Yeah, it’s like common interest in music.
So it’s safe to say that vinyl seems to be pretty important for you guys.
MC: Yeah, definitely.
JR: Oh yeah, definitely.
What are the particular reasons that makes you so drawn to it?
MC: For me, it sounds better. That’s the biggest thing. I mean it is a pain in the ass to carry, compared to a USB stick or CDs, but it does sound better, and since I’ve been playing records for so long, I’m super comfortable with it.
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