Galaxxy - Galaxxy Featuring Ron Aikens (1982)

This is a really nice Boogie Funk album made in Philly in 1982. Galaxxy was basically The Ingram Family (or just Ingram) on the production and musician side of things, with the addition of Ron Aikens and some brothers by the name of Jinkens on the vocals. What matters most is that the end result was a very, very funky one.

The Ingram brothers are just so nasty on the production side of things here - steady, driving drum breaks, deep, funky bass lines, punchy horns, fantastically fun synth work, great guitar riffs - you name it, they can do it better. One of the reasons I chose to upload this over so many other funk albums, is that - besides lack of exposure - this is one of the few funk albums I've heard where the slow jams are just as captivating as the dance numbers. They have a really fantastic cover of Kenny Rogers' "Lady" (written by Lionel Richie!) that just adds so much soul to the original. But most of all, it is the funk that I fell in love with. From the very "Atomic Dog"-ish groove of  "Give Your Dog a Bone" to the simple party raps of "You Got It" this album is full of really fun, impressive 80s funk jams that could really fill up a dance floor.

I must apologize for the somewhat crunchy sound of this album - I've been having some software issues and unknowingly ripped this one at a low bitrate. For what it's worth, if I get any requests to, I wouldn't mind re-uploading this one at better quality.

ENJOY

Lady Isa - Kuteleza Si Kwanguka (198?)

There's very little I can confidently say about the background of this record. I'm guessing by the production qualities that it was produced some time in the 1980s, but with African records, sometimes it is very hard to tell for certain. I am not even entirely positive where the artist - Lady Isa - comes from, though seeing that the record was produced in France, the lyrics are mostly in Swahili, and the music is mostly Central African Rumba, or Soukous, I can probably narrow her origin down to The Democratic Republic of Congo. Still, without a website, Wiki, or Discogs out there on her, it's just a guess on my part.

Nonetheless, it's the music that really counts, and to that extent, this record is a real gem. The songs are atmospheric, yet dance-able. Poppy, yet traditional. Completely happy, yet not manic. The rich, bright textures of the music seem to emanate a warm glow, and it certainly makes me feel at a blissful peace when I listen to it. Also, on a side note: the bass and guitar solos are credited to a guy named Rigo Star, and if you share my taste for the absurd, that might be enough on its own to pique your interest. 

I picked this one up at "The Thing" in Brooklyn, which is basically the world's biggest dollar bin. I could settle down and live in that shop if it wasn't for the inescapable smells of mildew and cat pee that go along with storing thousands of donated records.

ENJOY