Tag Archives: dance music

RIP Florian ‘Kraftwerk’ Schneider (1947 – 2020)

Florian Schneider was a German musician, known for his work with Kraftwerk.

Of interest in my book is the connection of Kraftwerk to Afro-American music as noted in “Planet Rock”.

Jon Savage noted in his piece “Machine Soul: A History Of Techno” (1993) that:

“In 1981, Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force, together with producer Arthur Baker, paid tribute [to Kraftwerk with] “Planet Rock,” which used the melody from “Trans-Europe Express” over the rhythm from “Numbers.” In the process they created electro and moved rap out of the Sugarhill age.”

Simon Reynolds in Energy Flash (1998) similarly remarked:

“In New York, the German band almost single-handedly sired the electro movement: Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force’s 1982 smash “Planet Rock” stole its doomy melody from “Trans-Europe Express” and its beatbox rhythm from Kraftwerk’s 1981 track “Numbers.””–Generation Ecstasy (1998) by Simon Reynolds

Apparently, none of Kraftwerk’s material was actually sampled, all was emulated.

RIP Hamilton Bohannon (1942 – 2020)

Hamilton Bohannon  was an American musician best known for the disco hit “Let’s Start the Dance” (1978).

“Me and the Gang” (1978, the basis for “Get Get Down”, 1999, Paul Johnson)

Other compositions of note include “I Remember” (1981, the basis for “From: Disco To: Disco”, 1996), “Me and the Gang” (1978, the basis for “Get Get Down”, 1999), “Truck Stop” (1974), “South African Man” (1975) and “The Beat (Part 2)” (1979).

His instrumentals have a mesmerizing repetitiveness and a lack of violins which went down well with the people who liked to dance but were not into the kitsch of disco.

RIP Gabi ‘D. A. F.’ Delgado-López (1958-2020)

“Der Mussolini” (1981)

This happened last week.

Gabi Delgado-López was a Spanish-born German musician, co-founder of Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft.

He is known for singing compositions such as “Der Mussolini” (1981). This song, together with “Los Niños del Parque” (1981) by Liaisons Dangereuses and “Numbers” (1981) by Kraftwerk put Germany on the map in black America and the dance music world.

If you listen to the full Alles ist gut album where “Der Mussolini” comes from, you cannot help but wonder if D.A.F. listened to Suicide. The sighing voice on “Mein Herz Macht Bum” would give them away.

RIP Lonnie Simmons (date of birth unknown – 2019)

RIP Lonnie Simmons, American record producer (“Don’t Stop the Music“).

“Don’t Stop the Music” (1981)

Lonnie Simmons was an American record producer best-known for co-writing “Don’t Stop the Music” (1978).

In 1981, the song was successfully covered by Bits & Pieces [above].

RIP Rita Renoir (1934 – 2016)

Via research on the King Mob Echo magazine, which led me to Chris Gray which led me to Conrad Rooks which led me to Chappaqua (in which Rita had a part), it has come to my attention that Rita Renoir has died.

Rita Renoir was a French exotic dancer, sex symbol, nobrow figure and actress.

Above you can see Rita Renoir performing a striptease to Serge Gainsbourg’s “Sois belle et tais-toi“, a song from the album Serge Gainsbourg N°2 (1960).

But…

The clip is actually from from Il mondo di notte numero 3 (1963), a typical mondo film, and the music is actually by Riz Ortolani. The scene is superb.

RIP Andre Lewis

RIP American musician and producer Andre Lewis (1948 – 2012). He played keyboards for The Mothers of Invention after George Duke left.

Under the pseudonym Mandré, he recorded three space funk LPs, concealing his identity with a space helmet (which looks similar to the helmets used by Daft Punk in their “Get Lucky” single.)

He is best-known for the “space funk” composition “Solar Flight (Opus 1)” (above).