I am breaking many rules recently, posting not strictly 70s music but also music rooted in the 70s directly or not.

Of all the contemporary brazilian bands Democustico ranks very very high. This band is just stunning, a mix of electro sounds created by Roc Hunt from FarOut Records and one of the deeper voices of the contemporary scene, Gabriela Geluda. The band fuses a huge amount of influences here, from Brasil to India.

Splendid!

"Far Out release the self-titled debut album from Democustico this October the 16th. Fusing Brazilian samba and folk with Indian vibes, London beats and the phattest global breaks and noises ‘Democustico’ is a contemporary world musical odyssey - imagine Milton Nascimento jamming with the Thievery Corporation and you’re on the right track. Whilst individual tracks combine many different styles - the bhangra and bossa of ‘Grito’, folk and trip-hop of ‘Nunca Never’ and 60s sitar-funk & samba of ‘Vaga-Lume’, ‘Democustico’ is much more than the sum of its parts. The different styles combine symbiotically to produce a coherent world musical fusion with Gabriela Geluda’s mellifluous vocals joining the dots from Brazil to London via India. With fans as diverse as world music guru Andy Kershaw (Radio 3), leftfield jazz cat Gilles Peterson and electronic-ambassador Laurent Garnier (Radio Nova) ‘Democustico’ follows on from a series of critically acclaimed single releases: ‘Brazil’, ‘A Sereia’, and ‘Vaga-Lume’ (as featured on Gilles Peterson’s recent ‘Back to Brazil’ Compilation) and will appeal to fans of downbeat/lounge as well as nu-jazz and nu-Brazil. With it’s eclectic sound ‘Democustico’ looks set to follow in the steps of other recent contemporary Far Out crossover CDs such as Sabrina Malheiros’ ‘Equilibria’ and Troubleman’s ‘Time Out Of Mind’. Democustico are Mauro Berman (bassist for famous Brazilian Rap star Marcelo D2) and Gabriela Geluda (Azymuth/ Mamond) as well as Far Out uber-producer Roc Hunter. Mauro and Gabi are a carioca couple who met at college in Rio in 1987. They moved to London in 1996 where Mauro and Gabi met Joe @ Far Out through a mutual friend Marcos Valle. Having heard Gabi sing Joe knew just the person to feature on vocals on some tracks Roc Hunter had been working on. The results were ‘Brazil’ – a hypnotic percussive vocal groove that featured keyboards from Mauro - turning Democustico into a trio. A follow up single ‘A Sereia’ was recorded – keeping the Brazilian vibes strong the track also had a heavy Indian influence coming from the time Gabi had spent meditating in India. In 2001 Gabi and Mauro returned to Brazil and for the next four years a trans-national musical exchange began. Roc Hunter would send beats and loops from London to Mauro and Gabi to work on in Brazil - Mauro working on ‘noises, synths, mpcs, street vibes and bass’ and Gabi working on melodies and harmony both in Rio and India which she visited again in 2002 for more inspiration. The album was finished when Roc Hunter spent three months with Mauro and Gabi in Rio in 2005. Gabi explains what each member of the band brought to the mix: “Mauro brought the wild side through wicked bass lines, keyboard sounds and unconventional arrangements of the songs, I brought the Indian/ Brazilian flavour from my trips to India and love of classic Brazilian singers such as a Tom Jobim and Milton Nascimento whilst Roc Hunter brought an amazing collection of sounds from where we got a lot of inspiration. She adds: “Far Out has a great roster of wonderful Brazilian artists who have made history such as Marcos Valle, Joyce, Azymuth and Os Ipanemas yet we are from a new generation. Those people showed Brazilian music to the world yet we are taking the world to Brazilian music”. “I love the Democustico album so much. Another stunning release on the label” Laurent Garnier “Fantastic idea and perfect music for me. Will be championing this throughout” Pathaan (BBC ASIA)

Democustico - A sereia (2006)

Hip hop is not really coming from the 70s but it owes a lot to the period given the extensive use of samples in most tracks. Although lousy samples are quickly boring, subtle samples can really give any 70s track the best refresh it could hope.

DJ Seiji from Japan does an amazing job in the "Crate diggaz" mix series, by mixing in sequence pairs made of an original 70s track and a hip hop track incorporating a loop of the previous one.

The whole mix flows very well and also works as a great blind test of all these superb 70s tracks geniously sampled. Terrific!

Dj Seiji - Crate Diggazz vol.1

320 kbps mp3 from original cd

01. John Dankworth & His Orchestra / Two piece flower

02. Gangstarr feat. Inspectah Deck / Above the clouds

03. Brenda Russell / You’re free

04. Lateef & The Chief / Best of me

05. The Ebonys / You’re the reason why

06. Ali Vegas / I feel like a king

07. Eugene Record / Here comes the sun

08. De La Soul feat. Gfk / He comes

09. Klymaxx / Offer I can’t refuse

10. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony / Get up & get it

11. Geroge Benson / Livin’ inside your love

12. Time Machine / On the moon

13. Ceasar Frazier / Sweet children

14. Common / Real people

15. Ahmad Jamal / Ghetto child

16. Common / They say

17. George Duke Ooo / You & me

18. Time Machine / Personal ads

19. Marc Hannibal / Forever is a long long time

20. Royce Da 5?9 / Boom

21. Bob James / Tappan zee

22. Lightheaded / Outro

23. David Shire / Books & basketball

24. Rasco / Take it back home

25. Stan Getz & Luiz Bonfa / Saudade vem correndo

26. Mya Feat. Fat Lip & Tre / Fallen(Remix)

27. Love Unlimited / I can’t let him down

28. Nodesha / That’s crazy

29. Curtis Mayfield / Short eyes

30. Ashanti feat. Ja Rule / Turn it up

31. Benny Golson / I’m always dancin’ to the music

32. Para Beats feat. Carmen Reece / U got me

33. LTD / Love ballad

34. De La Soul / Much more

35. Billy Paul / I think I’ll stay home today

36. Memphis Bleek feat. Denim / Smoke the pain away away

37. John Barry / Diamonds are forever

38. Kanye West / Diamonds

39. Mfsb / Old san juan

40. Kanye West / Diamonds (Remix)

41. Bdk / Long live the kane

42. Urbie Green / Lumps

43. SAC / Motibate

44. Public Enemy / Son of public enemy

45. DMX / Pump ya fist

46. Labelle / Goin’ on a holiday

47. Nick Cannon feat. Ying Yang Twins & Fatman Scoop

48. The Main Ingredient / Everybody plays the fool

49. Memphis Bleek / Like that

50. And more…

enjoy

Thanks to TJ Gorton, the Dj being the great 70s blog Americanathlete.blogspot I discovered this incredible mix of super cool 70s soft-rock, done by Matthew Hamilton aka Dj AOR DISCO from London.

As the title suggests, this is perfect music for driving on a beautiful Californian road, or just dreaming of it.. Just great!

01. Intro
02. BILL HOUSE – you’re no better than a common thief
>>>Brooke Shield’s radio i.d.
03. ERIC JUSTIN KAZ – come with me
04. JOHNNY RIVERS – outside help
>>>superfast jellyfish commercial
05. DENNY CORRELL – your love
06. ROBBIE DUPREE – steal away (into the night)
07. PETER GALLWAY – sunday basketball
>>>40-year old virgin on Michael McDonald
08. RICHARD TORRANCE – circle of confusion
09. ROGER VOUDOURIS – get used to it
10. LAUREN WOOD – never been so in love
>>>30 rock: Tracy Jordan comeback
11. SANFORD & TOWNSEND BAND – shake it to the right
>>>30 rock: Tracy Jordan vs. The Black Crusaders
12. CRACKIN’ – don’t cha love me
13. VAPOUR TRAILS – don’t worry baby
14. CLOVER – take another look
>>>stoned airlines with spliff
15. LEBLANC & CARR – stronger love
16. LENNY LEBLANC – midnight mourning
>>>Starsky & Hutch: snoop dog on kay bay
17. CHICAGO – old days
18. STEVE MARRS – how was i to know
19. BRUCE HIBBARD – calling
20. JIM PHOTOGLO – steal away
21. Outro: gilbert o’ sullivan

Splendid track from the 1980 LP arranged by Ashford & Simpson (again!..) Groove flows as usual with this magic combination of talents

Gladys Knoght and the Pips

Get the love (1980)

Vinyl Rip with 1979 Accuphase HiFi system

Nice Disco Boogie track mixed by tony Humphries, not litteraly 70s (1982) but feeling like it... and feeling good

Stargaze - You can't have it (1982)

mixed by Tony Humphries

SOUNDSOFTHE70S has been covering a wide spectrum of 70s beats and sounds from worldwide, but Bollywood was missing as India produced a few 70s gemms too.

Enjoy this super funky 70s bollywood track extract from a rare Bollywood compilation.

O.P. Nayyar - Title music

(India, bollywood 70s)

ABSOLUTELY MONSTER track from JAZZ FUNK master Airto Moreira, who spread gemms during the 70s and the 80s.

This track is from 1989 actually, but it sounds damm 70s so I have no shame posting it!

Sampled by Basement Jaxx in their first album

Airto Moreira

Samba de Flora (1979)

Top notch pop rock 1979 track from Robert Palmer, one the rare rock singer who incorporated and played with old skool funk/blues sounds from players like the Meters

Robert Palmer

Love Stop 1979

Hi Folks

So far I never posted any video on the blog. I will start today and will break the rule twice, as the video I want you to watch is not 70s focused, although it is related to the 70s indirectly.

This short documentary, sponsored by the fashion brand Diesel, was made by Orlando Von Einsiedel. It shows how skate is helping rebuild society in Kabul Afganistan. The topic and the images are incredibly powerful and beautiful.

We tend to forget that a simple thing as skating means freedom actually, and that what may seem leisure for us is a life saver for others. It's a deep message to remind us how we should enjoy simple things and cherish them. But also how we should share them with more people.

Skate was born in the 70s, and as an ocasional skater myself I felt this video had its place here

Skateistan.org, the website

Great disco at Soundsofthe70s today with this special pick:

Alton McClain - More of you 1979 (Polydor)

Robert Brookins / Madeline Carroll / Terry Mc Fadden

Guitars: Paul M. Jackson / Wah Wah Watson / L. Marlo Henderson

Percussion : Jack Ashford

Drims: James Gadsen

Bass: Nathan L. Watts

Original 1979 US pressing LP vinyl rip with 1979 Accuphase (Japan) HIFI system

"More of you" is a great 1979 disco track from Alton McClain second album. The quality of Alton's band (see the lineup) and music surely had to do with producer and arranger Frank E. Wilson as well as to the fact that Alton was friend (and eventually married) with legendary songwriter producer Skip Scarborough. The band arrived late in the 70s and was bound to be short-lived as time changed...

Although the counter speaks, comments are always welcome!

Super cool 1979 Jazz-Funk-Disco-Reggae from Airto Moreira best album from where also comes the legendary "Toque de Cuica" track.

Airto Moreira - Movin on up (Warner 1979)

arranged by Marcos Valle and Airto Moreira

Hi folks. I gathered here some nice piece of 70s music to warm your home (and soul) now that cold is coming. I am listening a lot of soul jazz lately, some nuggets are included here. I hope you will enjoy this set and the cover.

Sounds of the 70s present

INTERIOR GROOVES

a compilation for home and soul

1 - Eddie Harris - That Is Why You're Overweight (Soul jazz)

2- Gwen McCrae - I Got Nothing To Lose But The Blues (Soul)

3- The Dynamic Superiors - Leave It Alone (Soul)

4- Roy Ayers Ubiquity - Show Us a Feeling (Soul jazz)

5- Alton McClain & Destiny - Sweet temptation (Disco)

6- George Soule - Get Involved (Soul)

7- The 107th Street Stickball Team - Tell her I love her Latin (Boogaloo)

8- Cal Tjader - Gimme Shelter (Soul jazz)

9- Horace Silver - The Jody Grind (Soul jazz)

10- Dizzy Gillespie & Lalo Schifrin - Wrong Number (Soul jazz)

11- George Duke - Bring It On Home (Jazz - Funk)

12- Charles Earland - Asteroid (Soul jazz)

enjoy full compilation here

* *

Teaser from the SOUNDSOFTHE70S INTERIOR GROOVES compilation.

I love this track from the monster intro to the chorus, so funky...

Eddie Harris

This is why you're overweight (1976)

download on the arrow

Mongo Santamaria is one of the funkiest 70s conguero ever.

In 1978, he did one of the best move in his career by teaming up with William Allen, genius producer of Roy Ayers infamous Don't stop the feeling.

The result is a superb crossover of latin, funk and disco as only the 70s could give birth.

See by yourself with this amazing track.

Mongo Santamaria

Hey you sexy thing

from the album A la Carte, 1978

Jimmy Ruffin

Too busy to think about my baby (Motown 1966)

fantastic pure Motown sound from 1966, inicitally issued under another title ("i know how to love her"), and then sung by Jimmy Ruffin's brother David Ruffin, lead singer of the Temptations... Majors tricks..

Composed by Norman Whitfield and Barett Strong, no less.

I love the intro... pure genius

I read this today on MSNBC website:

"WASHINGTON — The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty (...) some 45 million people in this country, or more than 1 in 7, were poor last year"

I love the 60s and 70s but how sad is it to see that the U.S. has lost 40 years when it comes to wealth distribution... because this is the real problem in the U.S., there is money, but it is still way too much concentrated in the super-rich hands.

Incredible rendition of this 70s composition, to my opinion one of the deepest ever written in the decade.

The original song was composed by Leonard Caston and Terri McFaddin and included in their one and only Motown LP in 1974 (great LP by the way). I recommend listening to the original before or after listetning to this version. Original track can be heard here

This track is well know to disco afficionados thanks to the New York Community Choir disco cover, first re-issued in the legendary DISCO SPECTRUM vol.2 compilation

Maria Muldaur - I'll keep a light at my window

Southern winds 1978

ps: Soundcloud counter shows more than 55.000 plays... soundsofthe70s circle of partisans is growing!

Today on the menu another Soul Jazz gemm, by guitarist Howard roberts, from his 1967 LP Jaunty jolly & guilty.

The theme is Walk Tall, written by Joe Zawinul while playing in the Cannonball Aderley Quintet.

Amazing theme, absolute groove.

Howard Roberts

Walk tall - 1967

monster version of this top classic by George Gershwin, composed in 1935. This version by Johnny Watson comes from the 1967 LP "2 for the price of one" he did with Larry Williams

So SOUL JAZZ !

Larry Williams and Johnny Watson

Summertime (1967)

hi folks

I will start my own recipe of musical ingredients to complement the one from the SOUL KITCHEN soundtrack

ingredient one : GREEN ONIONS, this time the cover of Mongo Santamaria of this legendary track written by Booker T. and the MG´s

delicious...

watch the movie by the way...

Mongo Santamaria - Green Onions

Soul Bag - Columbia 1968

Super cool instumental DISCO track by Bob Crewe, versatile musician/songwriter better known for the hit Lady Marmelade he also composed.

Monster horn section as usual with Bob Crewe...

Disco Tex & the Sex-o-Lettes

Hot Lava (1976)

Times are changing...

I felt like like compiling 70s tracks talking about changes, all sorts of changes, sentimental, cultural and social...

Past only become past when changes occur, individuals, people and nations must constantly evolve (and learn from their mistakes). The idea of progress, change, is actually what defines History and gives it a direction either good or bad.

Only dumbs and loosers never change their mind and opinions. Anyone should reconsider its lifestyle, opinions etc on a regular basis and embrace C.H.A.N.G.E.S.

C.H.A.N.G.I.N

Soundsofthe70s.blogspot presents 70s rare groove made of change

1 Marlena Shaw - Pictures and memories - Disco

2 Esther Phillips - Changin' - Modern Soul

3 Clydie King - Long Road Ahead - Soul

4 James Brown - New Breed - Funk

5 Betty Lavette - Waiting For Tomorrow - Soul

6 Lonnie Smith - It's Changed - Jazz

7 Charles Kynard - Change up - Acid Jazz

8 Ralph Robles - Yesterday - Latin

9 Jimmy Sabater - Times Are Changin' - Latin

10 Black Sugar - The Dawn Of My Madness - Latin

11 High Inergy - We Are The Future - Soul

12 Brown sugar - I'm Going Through Changes Now - Disco

13 The Eight Minutes - Looking For a Brand New Game - Disco

14 Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Change - Funk

15 Janinha - Amanhã - Brasil

16 Balança Povo - Novo Dia - Brasil - Funk

17 Brazilian Singers - Um Frevo Novo - Brasil - Samba

Teasers :

Marlena Shaw - Pictures and memories (1977)

enjoy full compilation here

p.s.: I know we are all very busy and short of time, but take some to share comments. I appreciate to understand what is behind the thousands of downloads of the individual tracks or compilations.

From the 1975 album The legendary zing album by the Trammps, one of these monster tracks with a built-in groove that smoothly builts up again and again.

Note that this LP is considered the first Disco LP ever edited, by the band who would later sing the huge Disco Inferno.

"Prior to their disco fame the Trammps released Rubber Band as a single in 1975 on Buddah a real soul gem that has featured on more than one occassion in modern hip-hop.

It was sampled as the basis for the Game’s release ‘Hate It Or Love It’ getting re-worked & chopped-up by the legendary production team of Cool & Dr.Dre. J Dilla used it for ‘Dilla Says Go’ from Donuts."

Trammps - Rubber band (edit)

Buddah records 1975

4 years and half later (yet...) Sounds of the 70s shows 400.000 hits and not a single file deletion. This is why you won't find big hits here, music is free, rare and good (occasionaly...)

stay tuned