Sylvester - Call Me (1983)

Call Me is one of the last albums by the late, great Sylvester James, Queen of all Drag Queens. This is not really the material he is remembered for - Call Me was recorded too late to be full of either his iconic Disco anthems, or his more cutting edge proto-House electronic music. But that's not to say that there's nothing special about this album. Call Me is the perfect example of a great Dollar Bin record - it could easily be scoffed at as something unimportant or forgettable, but when you listen a bit closer, there are countless moments of bizarre magic.

First item worth noting is the very eye-catching Grace Jones-esque cover art, with its solid colors and bold geometric shapes. Before that moment of name recognition even hit me, this was the first thing to make me grab this record. The music itself has a strange quality to it - I can't really picture most of it catching on in a dance club or on the radio, but there is one place these songs would work perfectly - an 80's movie soundtrack. You will understand once you hear it, but first I will provide a track-by-track description of the 80's movie scenes that each song should correspond with.

Trouble In Paradise: this one is definitely 80's montage material. That means someone is either going to be working out, training for a fight, practicing dance choreography, or taking an emotional drive on a lonely highway.

Call Me: this one feels like another montage, but more of a rocking montage. Whatever the character is doing, they are doing it at a time when they have to push themselves harder than ever to hold onto their dream. Following the lyrics, this could be a montage of someone refusing to give up after many failed attempts to woo a potential love interest. Wicked guitar solo.

Good Feelin': this track is just awesome. Definitely the most funky dance floor-ready tune on here. In my fictional 80's movie, all I can imagine is either a dance-off of some sort, or struttin'. The title says it all.

He'll Understand: this is a sort of slow Gospel jam - very inspirational. In the movie, this would be reserved for a quiet moment - a walk in the park perhaps.

One Night Only: this one picks up right where the last one ends, but then some slow, sexy drum and bass slaps come in. Definitely a tender Highlander-style steamy sex scene here.

Too Late: this one has a synth line that sounds humorously like the Ghostbusters theme. This would be the part where they are fixing up the firehouse and taking calls around the city. 

Power of Love: here are some lyrics: "Short Circuit! You blew my fuse! I'm overloaded and confused!" I think that says it all. This is a song about the loving heart of Johnny 5. There is a breakdown in the end that sounds like a major influence on Dan Deacon's frantic sound.

Band of Gold: this is a bit more of a classic Sylvester Disco track. Has a real feel-good quality to it. This song is definitely reserved for the closing credits of a romantic family film in the 80's. Warm fuzzy feelings as you walk out of the theater.

There you have it. This album is awesome.

HERE.

Beatmaster Clay D. and Prince Rahiem - "Pullit All The Way Down" (1990)

22 years ago, Miami Bass stars Beatmaster Clay D. and Prince Rahiem (of Beatmaster Clay D. and The Get Funky Crew) released this great album on Vision Records. I picked this up for a pittance at Mr. Peabody's in Chicago mostly based on the playful album art - at the time, I was not really familiar with Clay D's masterful production skills, and had only heard Prince Rahiem's excellent solo track "Loose My Money" once or twice - it didn't even occur to me that this was the same artist. I was more than pleasantly surprised to hear an album full of innovative, funky, trunk rattling beats and above-average (especially for Miami in the 90's) double-time flows just bubbling with youthful tongue-twisting energy.

First, I'll share the title track, "Pullit All The Way Down," which is a bit more typical of what I would expect from a Miami Bass group in 1990, but still lends the feeling that it is somehow a cut above the rest. Prince Rahiem wastes no breath bouncing his words all over the track, and Clay D's funky bass line and complex drum fills make this one a hit:

Next is a track that really took me by surprise with the use of a soulful sample that is chopped up with a smacking drum in a way that I had almost never heard from this era or region. The lyrics are a bit more introspective as well, focusing on the pains of dealing with fake friends - a common struggle in Hip-Hop. Here's "So Called Friends":

Finally, here's "Ding-A-Ling," which not only uses a sample from Chuck Berry's song "My Ding-A-Ling," but reinterprets the lyrics of the original as well. As simple as it is, this song is a lot of fun, and once again, Clay D's drum fills are mind-numbingly awesome and I believe way ahead of their time:

Overall, this is an album with a lot of highlights (even more than I chose to share), and very few misses (There is one song where they try to pull off an uncanny Public Enemy impression in honor of Nelson Mandela which is interesting for a group from Miami, but seems like too much of a rip-off of their sound even if it is intentional). Although Beatmaster Clay D. and Prince Rahiem definitely had their impact in their own time and place, I have a feeling that their influence should have been much greater. Their production seems unique and inventive - even sounding modern and relevant 22 years later - and Prince Rahiem is an incredibly competent emcee. Enjoy this gem!

DJAIMIN - "Give You (92 Dream Sequence Mix)" (1992)

I love House Music. It is a genre which can express so many different emotions and feelings and messages while still causing a frenzy on the dance floor, and it can do all of this with absolutely no shame whatsoever regarding how corny the final result may be. It's all about feeling - this is a genre that does not really cater to criticism, and honestly, it doesn't need to.

This particular track, composed by Swiss club bro DJAIMIN and offered as an alternate remix on the 12" for "Give You," one of the biggest hits of his career, embodies everything I love about House Music. The critical side of my brain immediately notes that this song is dripping with cheese from start to finish - but then I realize that I just don't care, because despite my urge to giggle, I've already fallen so in love with this song.

It begins with atmospheric synths and impassioned dueling vocalists - for about the first 4 minutes - then Elvish midi flutes, Rave synths, a deep, warm bass line, and pounding four-on-the-floor drums kick in. The track climaxes with the addition of Gospel House piano chords, a punchy midi saxophone loop, and Jack rhythms. Each and every element on its own urges to be ridiculed, and yet the final result - in all of its 10 minutes of glory - earns its "Dream Sequence" name. There is a definite atmosphere to this song - a haze of beauty through simplicity and repetition - it is a comforting elixir that makes me feel happy when I hear it. And after all, that is the ultimate goal of House Music.