Tag Archives: disco

RIP Carmelo La Bionda (1949 – 2022)

In Italië stierf Carmelo La Bionda. Hij was een zanger en songschrijver. Hij werd 73.

Hij maakte samen met zijn broer deel uit van een muzikaal duo dat zich La Bionda noemde, wat ‘De blonde’ betekent. Het was hun echte achternaam.

“One for You, One for Me” (1978) van La Bionda. In de videoclip wordt de oriëntalistische buikdanseressensfeer doorgetrokken.

Het duo maakte discoplaten. Hun grootste hit was misschien “One for You, One for Me” (1978). ‘Eentje voor jou, eentje voor mij’ zongen ze dus. Het is me nooit duidelijk geworden wat ze daar onderling aan het verdelen zijn.

De hoes van de elpee waar die compositie op staat, is een kitscherig oriëntalistisch tafereel dat niet zou misstaan naast een slavinnenmarktschilderij van Jean-Léon Gérôme en waarover Edward W. Said schande zou spreken.

“Cafe” (1978) van La Bionda

He duo werkte ook onder de naam D. D. Sound en in die hoedanigheid releaseten zij een maxi single die de naam “Café” (1978) kreeg. Die plaat draaide DJ Larry Levan in de legendarische New Yorkse discotheek Paradise Garage.

“I Wanna Be Your Lover” (1980) van La Bionda

Een persoonlijke favoriet is misschien “I Wanna Be Your Lover” (1980) over een man die dringend uit de ‘friend zone’ en in de ‘boyfriendzone’ van een vrouw wenst te komen.

RIP Carmelo La Bionda

RIP Patrick Adams (1950 – 2022)

Patrick Adams was an American composer and record producer.

Adams is known for his 1970s and 1980s production, songwriting and engineering work on labels such as Salsoul, Prelude Records and P&P; his associations with recording artists such as Black Ivory, Inner Life, Jocelyn Brown, Loleatta Holloway and Leroy Burgess; and studio projects such as Cloud One, The Universal Robot Band, Logg Phreek, and Musique. He owned and operated PAPMUS (Patrick Adams Productions Music) in New York City.

“Love Bug” (1976), “Atmosphere Strut” (1976), “My Baby’s Got E.S.P.” (1976), “Making Love” (1977), “Keep On Jumpin'” (1978), “In the Bush” (1978), “Make It Last Forever” (1978), “Weekend (Tonight Is Party Time)” (1978), “I’m A Big Freak (R•U•1•2)” (1978), “I’m Caught Up (In a One Night Love Affair)” (1979), “Till You Surrender” (1981) and “Touch Me (All Night Long)” (1984).

Patrick Adams and Gregory Carmichael wrote and produced at least fifty composition which transcend disco as genre. Adams and Carmichael, and maybe August Darnell too, were in many ways the auteurs of disco, more so than Larry Levan, Walter Gibbons or Tom Moulton, who were primarily involved in post-production. The only one to rival Adams, Carmichael and Darnell was Arthur Russell, but his story is different altogether.

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1981)

Although well-known for writing and producing his own material, one of his biggest successes was his 1981 reinterpretation of Ashford & Simpson’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” (1966) as Inner Life, with vocals by Jocelyn Brown and a remix by Larry Levan.

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RIP Evette Benton (1953 – 2021)

“Space Bass” (1979)

Evette Benton (1953 – 2021) was an American singer known for her background work as one of the vocalists of the The Sweethearts of Sigma. She can also be heard on such records as “Space Bass” (1979).

You could say that “Space Bass” is specimen of the space disco genre. In that genre, if it exists, should also be “Dancing in Outer Space”, “The Chase”, “Cocomotion”, “Powerline”, “Space Funk”, “Carry On”, “Turn Me On”, “Atmosphere Strut”, “Solar Flight (Opus 1)”, “Nobody’s Got Time”, “War Dance”.

You’re welcome

RIP Raffaella Carrà (1943 – 2021)

Raffaella Carrà  dancing in “Prisencolinensinainciusol” (1972)

Raffaella Carrà  was an Italian showbiz person known for her dancing in “Prisencolinensinainciusol” (1972) and her singing and low-cut suit in “A far l’amore comincia tu” (1976).

“A far l’amore comincia tu” (1976)

The song is featured prominently in Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000) by Ozon.

Water Drops on Burning Rocks (2000)

In 2011, French DJ Bob Sinclar sampled the original Italian version of “A far l’amore comincia tu” and included it in his single “Far l’amore” which was later featured in The Great Beauty (2013).

“Far l’amore” as featured in The Great Beauty (2013).

RIP Patrick Juvet (1950 – 2021

“I Love America”

Patrick Juvet was a Swiss singer-songwriter who had a string of hit records in France (“Où sont les femmes?”) during the seventies.

He found international success with disco compositions such as “I Love America” (1978) which was his biggest record and was included on the compilation A Night at Studio 54 (1979).

Also in 1979, he wrote the soundtrack to Laura by David Hamilton.

By the early eighties, after the death of disco, his five minutes of fame were over.

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.