Record Shopping Etiquette
The do’s, the don’ts, and best practices when it comes to shopping for vinyl.
Before Johnny ‘Hammond’ Smith and the legendary producer tag-team of Larry & Fonce Mizell recorded the 1974 jazz-funk masterpiece Gears, the two parties first came together one year earlier to record the often overlooked album Gambler’s Life.
The iconic songwriter, composer, poet, and activist Gil Scott-Heron was one of the most influential artists of the last century. With the help of multi-instrumentalist and long time music counterpart Brian Jackson, Gil Scott was able to create a unique and revolutionary sound that fused jazz, funk, and soulful grooves with politically driven poetry and vocals that helped produce timeless classics like “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” “Home is Where The Hatred Is,” “The Bottle,” and “Johannesburg.”
Starting in the mid-1970s, disco flooded nightclubs in Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia. From its soul and Motown roots, disco expanded dance music with complex arrangements and productions: Percussion, strings, horns, and keyboards were often played by a large team of musicians under the direction of a producer.
In 2006 I started a blog, and now it’s 2018 and I’m starting another music site. The early lesson I learned back in 2006 when I wrote my first post for American Athlete was that I’m not a writer, and I’m certainly not a journalist. Even though I have the upmost respect for both of those professions, I have come to the realization that is not me. I’m not a Nate Chinen, a Ben Ratliff, or a Richard Scheinin, not even close.
Even though the first thing that might come to mind when you think about Brazilian music are the more popular genres of Bossa Nova, Samba, and Tropicalia during the 50s, 60s and even 70s, however Soundway Records has recently released an incredible new compilation exploring the region’s less explored synth-pop, boogie jams, and electro from the 1980s & 90s.