Kraftwerk Toto and Africa

When I first put this record on my turntable my mouth dropped. It's basically the feeling I'm looking for when looking for records. I don't get that feeling often, but I suppose that's what drives me to search for records. I can't quite figure out what exactly gives me that feeling. I think it's the feeling of surprise. This wasn't a record I had high hopes for. I basically liked the cover it came in and had never seen the label before. I know hardly anything about early Disco or Italian Disco so I decided to give it a shot hoping the record would sound "Africa(n)" like it's title. Who'd guess that a Disco Mix of Toto's Africa would have this pseudo electro/funk drum break at the beginning. And then of course there's the vocoder. Who'd have thought that there was a connection between Kraftwerk and Toto? Not me, and I guess that's why I enjoy coming home drunk, playing this record loudly and dancing to it.

Africa (Dub Mix) by Key of Dreams

Tighten Up Redux

I believe these are the first 45s I've posted about. And, yeah, I know the picture I chose isn't even a 45. Well, I can't take a good picture of a 45 for the life of me. And the above picture was the only record I could find of either the TNT band or the TSU Tornadoes. So, forget about all of this picutre business and let's focus on the music. You've heard Archie Bells "Tighten Up" right? Well these two songs are way influenced by it. In fact, the first tune, "Getting the Corners" is by the backing band heard on "Tighten Up". The TSU Tornadoes were also from Texas just like Archie Bell. TSU stands for Texas Southern University where they were all students. "Getting the Corners" is a fast jam with plenty of grunts and horn breakdowns just like the song they cut for Archie.

Second is "The Meditation" by the TNT band. This 45 was released on the Cotique label. It's basically a cover of "Tighten Up" with a nice groovy boogaloo bass and different lyrics by Tito Ramos. Enjoy, and if you have any tips on taking pictures of 45s please leave a comment.

Getting the Corners by The TSU Tornadoes

The Meditation by The TNT Band from The Meditation

Random Hip Hop Finds

Just wanted to share a couple of random hip hop 12"s I've picked up recently. Nothing special or rare. First is King Tee's "Got it Bad Y'all" which features the Alkaholics. Very West Coast. I love the sound of the snare on this track. The twelve also features the "Funky Piano Mix" which is basically an instrumental with a keyboard solo over it. I actually wanted to post that, but it's got a skip right in the middle of it! Second up is "CP Boogie" by the MCs of Rap on Rap Records from Miami. Distribution was done by Luke Skywalker records, but this is not a booty record. I wanted to post this because it's an interesting blend of reggae and hip hop back in 80s. Almost a predecessor of reggaeton I think... Actually, I don't know anything about reggaeton, maybe someone out there does?



Got it Bad Y'all by King Tee Featuring the Alkaholics from Tha Triflin' Album . . .
CP Boogie by the MCs of Rap