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Hey! What’s up Sorry Staters? Thanks for stopping by and checking out the newsletter.
So much going on this week. World news, Independence Day here in the U.S., the continuing drama that is the World Cup, hell opening heat and I had another trip around the sun marked off. Here at the store, we are keeping busy processing several used collections, putting out new releases, and generally being thankful that we work inside with air conditioning.
One of those used collections that I have been going through has been interesting as it was an ex-army DJs. He used to deejay at the clubs located on base whilst he was in the service. Mostly overseas but here in the U.S. too. His time was the 80s and early 90s and so his vinyl tools were funk, soul, electro, synth-pop, boogie, disco and hip-hop records mostly. He’s been bringing in his collection a few boxes at a time, and I have been enjoying talking to him and hearing about his past life as an army deejay. Being that these records were used and played frequently, many are sadly not in the best shape for resale, although they still have life in them yet. We try to make sure any records that are not suitable for sale but can still play or serve a function (if for nothing more than the jacket art) get donated to local thrift stores before getting thrown in the trash. However, I am pulling out lots of cool and fun records that we’ll have here for locals to go through. The majority are not expensive at all and those that frequent our bargain bins will find some gems. I still feel there are plenty of records from the 1980s that deserve more praise and attention. Just because they are cheap doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t good. Usually, it’s just that they haven’t been re-appraised and discovered by current music fans and tastemakers yet and the current supply easily satisfies the current demand. In particular, there are lots of cool sounds and music to be found on 12-inch singles. Just like with 7-inch singles, often tracks appear on the format exclusively and come with non-LP B-sides. In addition, 12-inch singles often came with extended mixes of the track, re-mixed versions of the track, instrumentals and dub versions and even a cappella versions. For a deejay, these were perfect for helping you create your unique bespoke style for your sets. For music lovers, it gave you something more of the artist and tune you loved and perhaps opened you up to sounds you hadn’t heard before. Certainly, anyone looking for music not found on the albums or for stuff not being streamed by the major platforms, 12-inch singles can prove to be an untapped goldmine.
So, with that all being said, my pick for you all in this week’s newsletter are a couple of those cool 12-inch singles that I thought had some interesting sounds on them and made me smile when they were playing. First of the disco biscuits is one called Set It Off from the artist billed as Strafe, released on the Jus Born label in 1984. What an incredible track. The vocal clocks in at just under ten minutes and the instrumental breaks the twelve minute mark. The song was an underground club classic that, although initially took time to hit, went on to be a hugely influential tune and ended up getting several represses to keep up with demand. The tune was composed and created by Strafe, real name Steve Standard, a New Yorker, who played everything and sang on the track and was mixed by Walter Gibbons. It’s a soulful electro classic and has been reimagined and sampled many times over the years and seems to always be in demand, despite the many pressings it’s had. Take a listen here.
Next up, a tune from 1986 on the Checkpoint Records label by the artist known as Janice, called Bye-Bye. This one also comes with an extended mix, an a cappella, a single mix, and two different instrumentals. It’s another interesting electro-soul track that has a memorable hook that reminds me of the sort of stuff the Swiss duo Yello were putting out. They had a big hit with the song Oh Yeah the year before, and so perhaps Bye-Bye was inspired by it. The singer Janice Andrade doesn’t seem to have a huge discography, with a single released the previous year and another the year after. The production on this song is by Irwin Lee, who also adds all additional vocals. He had been mostly known up to that point as being a member of 70s group Special Delivery but had a few singles released under his own name in the early 1980s. This tune doesn’t seem to go for much on the second hand market, but packs a punch for cheap heat and any deejay spinning this in the right room would surely be met with a positive response. It just needs to be rediscovered. You can click here to judge for yourself.
Literally as I am writing, a couple are going through the 12-inch section here at the store and buying up a nice bunch. They know what’s up. There’s still plenty to pick from with more coming, so come through and have a dig if you are in town. Give your local stores some love and if they have disco 12-inches, take a look. You might find something cool.
Cheers everyone. Thanks for tuning in. Love your music. Love each other.
-Dom