Hello, hi, how r u?
Happy New Year! I hope wherever you are, you managed to get a little rest over the festive period, we all certainly deserved it.
I know there’s still a lot going on *out there*, but *in here* this week all I’m going to give you is love, disco, soul and funk. At the beginning of the year, we should be brimming with optimism, positivity, and giving out the very best cosmic vibrations. So that’s what this week is about. The theme, unsurprisingly, is love. More specifically, love is the answer, because so often it is.
Accordingly, all the music is optimistic, upbeat, and designed to put a smile on your face, however you’re feeling. It’s a combination of records I’ve bought over the last few weeks, stuff that I just *had* to include, and then stuff that I pulled from the shelves because it just fit in with the theme so well. The tracklist is (as ever) below, but to be honest, I’d recommend just hitting play. It’s as vintage a Love Will Save The Day mixtape as they come.
Over the Christmas break I spent a lot of time reading, and there’s some new notes percolating in my head (finally) - I’ve even started to sketch the essay out. It’s going to come with an accompanying techno-not-techno focused mixtape - which is going through a mad renaissance right now - but I’ll shut my trap before I ruin it by saying too much.
You may have also noticed a fancy new logo - this was a surprise Christmas present from the utterly wonderful illustrator, Paul McDonald. Huge thanks, Paul, again, you absolute diamond ❤️.
The TL;DR Section has got some gems in this week too, so do take a look.
And with that, I’m off to play some disco and dance around with my eyes closed. Stay safe, stay happy, and stay in touch.
See you on the dancefloor,
Jed x
PS. If you're new here then this is how it works. Here’s what you’ve missed so far.
TL;DR Section 🌪
Stuff to hear
This is in the Stuff to hear section because I can’t read Japanese, but I can listen to Mixmag Japan’s picks of the best 50 albums of 2021.
SHERELLE’s fabric presents mix is madness.
A friend at work (hey Ellis!) recommended this playlist of Post-Brexit Post-Punk and I’ve been working my way through… There’s some gold in here, and ‘some really exciting new guitar bands’ (which is a phrase I’ve not said for quite a while)
Jessy Lanza’s contribution to the DJ-Kicks series seems to have flown a bit under the radar, which is a shame, as it’s excellent
Stuff to read
Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy, by Barbara Ehrenreich is sensational. Huge thank you to Tom for hipping me to it.
The wonderful Manu Ekanayake’s feature for Mixmag on what it’s like to go clubbing in the UK as a British South Asian person is essential reading.
This Boy’s Own essay from Lenny Fontana on how the sound systems of New York that built the foundation for most nightclubs now is great, thanks to Marc for the tip!
I’ve been really enjoying / living vicariously through Michelle Lhooq’s newsletter, and this one on the state of COVID clubbing in the US is great. Get subscribed!
Holly Dicker has put together an incredible history of Tresor for DJ Mag to mark its three decades of shaping underground music culture.
As you know, I’m a fan of Ted Gioia, and when I saw he’d written up some thoughts on how NFT’s and blockchain might impact music I groaned, but it’s a really balanced take, and has some solid (and comprehensible) points.
After the sad passing of bell hooks, I think this piece in the NYTimes was the best I read. Such a loss.
Stuff to watch
This could’ve gone in the Stuff to hear section, but honestly, it’s mesmerising. Francois K has been putting together live jam sessions where he takes the different stems (individual instrument tracks) of songs and then remixes them live. It’s incredible, and a must see. His Soul Power Dub blew my mind.
This weekend I’ll be watching this Patrice Rushen documentary.
And after that, I’ll be watching Mogul Mowgli.
Stuff to do
Tell a friend about Love Will Save The Day ❤️
Old notes home 📚
…on culture
Rebuilding culture: fixing the asymmetry of art, culture, and commerce
A response to the argument that culture is boring these days
…on music
…on mental health
The tracklist 🎶
Chassol - Happy Feeling
Donnell Pitman - Love Explosion
Sine - Happy Is The Only Way
The Mighty Soulmates - I Wanna Be The One
MFSB - Mysteries of the World
United Disco Organisation - Send The Rain (vocal mix)
Earl Young - Take Them In Prayer
Bohannon - Me And The Gang
Tullio De Piscopo - Andamento Lento
Pino D’Angio - Ma Quale Idea
Paradise - Sizzling’ Hot
Aroop Roy - Hustle do Brasil
Art of Tones - All Night
Teddy Pendergrass - The More I Get, The More I Want (Dimitri from Paris edit)
Cloud One - Disco Juice
Dance Reaction - Disco Train
Maurice McGee - Do I Do
Lama - Love On The Rocks
Ago - For You
Hammer - Strangeness
International Music System - Run Away
Paula Tape - Astroturismo
Roger Webb - Flying Objects
Skyy - First Time Around
Cerrone - Hooked On You
Pam Todd And The Love Exchange - Let’s Get Together
Lou Rawls - You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine
Grupo Natureza - Pode Acreditar
The Gap Band - Yearning For Your Love
Barry White - Just The Way You Are