Okay, so May has been a slow month post-wise. Sorry. It's been a busy month for me in real life, and when I haven't been busy, I've been lazy.

With that said, the reason I'm actually taking the time to post something today is to share this wonderful new edit posted just minutes ago (as of this writing) by the always-on-point Sammy Jenkins, better known as LeSale. I've been really digging the boogie lately, so this edit of the classic "Too Many Games" by mid-80s boogie giants Maze definitely hit the right spot for me.

And as if that weren't enough, LeSale has made this funky gem available for download for a limited time, of course)! Get on it, people!

2ManyGames by LeSale

It's A Shame To Complain, But...

I feel like I'm slacking a bit on posting regularly, so I thought I'd make up for it by posting one of my all-time favorite disco classics: "Got To Have Loving" by Don Ray. This track will probably sound familiar to fans of DFA synth-pop duo Holy Ghost!, as it is the basis for the song "Slow Motion" on their new album. A great track, for sure, and worth checking out, but I still prefer the original.

Taken from The Garden Of Love, Ray's only album, and produced in collaboration with legendary French disco drummer Jean-Marc Cerrone, this track has everything you could possibly want from an eight-minute disco anthem: a killer bassline, macho vocals with a female chorus delivering passionate, substantive lyrics, and epic synth/string interplay that you just don't seem to find outside of the late 70s. And as if that weren't enough, everything drops out about half-way through except for the synths, and the whole track blasts off into space!

As far as I know, this amazing song is currently out-of-print, but don't worry if you can't come up with the $30 or so an original 12-inch will cost you, as affordable, good-quality bootlegs are fairly easy to find. (And really, you need to hear this on vinyl. Even the highest quality mp3 can't do those gorgeous analog synth lines justice!)

Click the label above for the download.

EXCLUSIVE: Something Between Us

When it comes to R&B, it doesn't get much more classic than Teddy Pendergrass. From his early work with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes to his massively successful solo career, his gruff baritone was arguably as integral a part of the Philly Sound as the music of MFSB or the songwriting and arrangements of Gamble and Huff. To put it another way, if you have a problem with Teddy, you have a problem with disco.

With that said, any disco nerd will probably dig this edit my friend and fellow Triple Dip resident JeffET (aka Jeff Turner) recently made of one of my favorite Teddy jams, "Take Me In Your Arms Tonight" off of his 1980 album TP. Jeff's done a bang-up job here, leaving the meat of the song intact while extending the best parts and adding just a little bit of tropical percussion to give the whole thing a slightly balearic feel.

Jeff's been kind enough to offer up a high quality mp3 of this edit for exclusive download right here on Disco Studies. It's our first exclusive ever, in fact, and it'll only be up for a limited time, so grab it while it lasts! Just click the bearhug pic above to download.

Take me In your Arms Tonight (JeffET's Bear Hug Edit) by JeffET

It's A Hit

Pink Floyd was one of the first "cool" bands I ever got into, going all the way back to third grade when my cousin dubbed me a tape with one side devoted to their greatest hits. (The other side? Led Zeppelin!) For the next couple of years I wasa huge Floyd fan, and i continued to listen to them until high school, when I jumped down the indie rock rabbit hole and wrote the band off as lite-prog dinosaurs best left to the jam band set. It wasn't until my recent exposure to the spacey, synthy world of cosmic disco that I began to appreciate them again, and Rosebud's classic 1977 cover of a certain ubiquitous Dark Side Of The Moon cut has had a lot to do with this. You just gotta love the way those fat synths and syncopated female vocals transform this fairly undanceable staple of classic rock radio into a monstrous slab of pure sleaze, conjuring images of packed, sweaty dancefloors in poorly-lit rooms. My only problem with the original is that it's just a little too short, so I thought I'd share this simple extension I made a few months ago for use in my own sets. Only 100 downloads, so get it while it lasts!

Rosebud - Money (PD Extension) by Party Dad

A Cry To The Underground

I'm really jazzed about these new 7-inches of edits by Ole Smokey that just came out on KAT Records as part of their brand new KAT45 series. I've been following Smokey for a little while now, and several of the ultra-smooth edits he's posted for free download on his SoundCloud page over the past few months have become warm-up set staples for me. It's about time some of his work got pressed onto wax, and with a total of five tracks spread across two 7-inches, it looks like I'll have plenty of good tunes from the Garden Festival resident to drop into my all-vinyl sets. Take a listen to my personal fave, a beautiful extension of a little-known gem from 70s lite-rockers America, taken from their George Martin-produced album Harbor:

UPDATE: Looks like Ole Smokey has taken down the full version, so here are the samplers for both 45s instead:

KAT 45-001 7" Sampler - Ole Smokey edits #1 by Ole Smokey

KAT45-002 7" Sampler - Ole Smokey edits #2 by Ole Smokey

Both 45s are available from Juno.

Through Being Cool TONIGHT!

Tonight is a very exciting night for me, as it is the first installment of my new monthly party, Through Being Cool. I'm bringing a couple of crates of my favorite records to Tin Roof (1117 Magnolia Rd., Charleston, SC) and will be playing a mix of songs from across the disco spectrum from 10 p.m. until last call. As far as I know, this this the only all-disco party in town, plus there's no cover charge, so come out early for what should be a really fun night!

She Walks, I Listen

Did Somebody Say Ice Cream?

The Call Of Love

We Wanna Get Higher

Wanna Take You For A Ride

Just Once More