We were floored (no pun intended) when we just learned of this music series hosted by British DJ Greg Wilson on Facebook from fellow soulhead John Bartelson and had to share the love to the rest of the soulhead family.
The post disco-pre-Thriller era known by many names, including Boogie and Electrofunk among other monickers, produced some of the most infectious dance music that sounds just as good today as back in the day. This particular podcast digs pretty deep even for the most dusty fingered crate diggers. The first 3 cuts alone will have your head nodding so hard your neck will hurt.
Here is an overview electrofunkroots.co.uk:
GREG WILSON’S EARLY 80’S FLOORFILLERS:
A fascinating insight on how the fading Jazz-Funk scene gave way to the emerging Electro-Funk movement in the early 80’s, ‘Greg Wilson’s Early 80’s Floorfillers’, marks the 30th anniversary of when these tracks first appeared. Compiled from his record lists of the time, and unfolding month by month, Greg Wilson counts down the Top 10 Floorfillers played at his venues during the key years of ’82 and ’83. Featured, most notably, on his Tuesday sessions at Wigan Pier and Wednesday gatherings at Legend in Manchester, the most cutting-edge weekly black music nights of the era, these were the clubs most associated with the evolving Electro-Funk sound.The majority of music played on the black scene in the UK was initially only available on import, mainly out of New York during this period, with the club nights described as ‘upfront’, meaning that the DJ’s were way ahead of the curve – what they played now, others played later, or not at all. Without these DJ’s, many now classic dance tracks would never have become UK hits (many without enjoying similar crossover success in the US) – the reason they were released here in the first place was because these specialist DJ’s were breaking them via the underground.
Things would change in a big way during those 2 years; we were entering the hybrid age for dance music, and the oncoming House and Techno and Hip Hop directions would all owe a huge debt to this era of dance alchemy and groove experimentation.
Tracklist:
1.(-)Howard Johnson ‘So Fine’
Written by Kashif
Produced by Kashif / Paul Lawrence Jones / Morrie Brown
Mixed by Steve Goldman
US A&M 12”
2.(9)Larry Graham ‘Sooner Or Later’ (Instrumental)
Written by L. Graham
Produced by Larry Graham
US Warner Bros. Promo 12”
3.(-) Gunchback Boogie Band ‘Funn’ (Instrumental)
Written by V. Jackson / A. Bayyan / M. Muhammed / T. Johnson / I. Ross
Produced & Arranged by Adil Bayyan & Amir Bayyan
US Prelude 12”
4.(-)BLT ‘Tighten It Up’
Written by J. Boyce & J. Levine
Produced by BLT
Mixed by Jonathan Fearing
US Gold Coast 12”
5.(-)Shock ‘Electrophonic Phunk’
From LP ‘Waves’
Written by R. Sause / Plass / Snyder / Noble
Produced by Marlon McClaine & Roger Sause
US Fantasy
6.(-)Rockers Revenge Featuring Donnie Calvin ‘Walking On Sunshine’
Written by Eddy Grant
Produced & Arranged by Arthur Baker
Mixed by John ‘Jellybean’ Benitez & Arthur Baker
US Streetwise 12”
7.(-)The Armed Gang ‘All I Want’
Written by F. Botta / Sangy / T. Valor
Produced by Sangy Productions
Mixed by Herbert Csasznik / Tony Valor / Chris Scott
US Chaz Ro 12”
8.(-)Candela ‘Love You Madly
Written by Earl Toon, Jr.
Produced by Amir Bayyan & Adil Bayyan in association with Earl Toon, Jr.
US Arista 12”
9.(2) Electra ‘Feels Good (Carrots & Beets)’ (Instrumental)
Written by F. Falsini / T. Butler
Produced by Franco Falsini & Sergio Cossa
US Emergency 12”
10.(-)David Morris ‘Saturday Night’
Written by G. Lunsford / D. Morris, Jr. / R. Meltzer
Produced by David Morris, Jr. & Roger Meltzer
Mixed by Walter Kahn & Mike Gormley
US Becket 12”
