Review: Too Slow To Disco, compiled by DJ Supermarkt
Too Slow To Disco Vol. 1 (Record Store Day release)
Review: Jonny Shire
There’s no point in pretending it hasn’t happened to my fellow peers: I’ve made the short but decidedly committed leap onto the ship named Disco.
To some fellow DJs I’ve packed my bags and I’m now standing on the bow of the Titanic gayly shouting ‘I’m The King Of The World’ like some massive bell-end not realising that it’s going down and I’m going with it; to others I’m only on a kayak exploring the coastline. I myself feel like I have really only walked to the end of the pier – also that I can’t milk that metaphor any more than I already have.
I like disco, I like it because for me it bridges the gap between a lot of the other things I like: soul, jazz, funk, Latin and house music. I like it because it isn’t serious, because it’s unabashed about being just for enjoying. I like that there is an insane world of disco breaks totally unplundered by the hip hop community and a shit tonne of records that are cheap, dusty and waiting for me to dig.
But what of disco’s smug little bastard brother, funk rock? Where does that fit into the story? Well, at the same time disco was becoming as mainstream as cocaine addiction, cocaine addicted music producers were clubbing to disco by night and hanging with rock bands during the day, cocaine addicted rock bands were jamming with funk musicians who were all on cocaine and soft rock stars that had previously tried to conjure the devil with polyphonic synthesizers and cocaine needed something for the comedown. A cocaine alka seltzer made out of music if you will.
Touted as Yacht Rock by the label, How Do You Are, and put together by DJ Supermrkt, this vivid and fascinating historium (not a real word but it works) of that era which has a very clear and concise aesthetic, L.A in the 70’s as heard by a disco fan, and it’s a perfect rendition of that ethos. These aren’t disco tunes, they’re too slow, but they are chugging, have that beat – those perks and soulful licks.
As much as this stinks of Paul McCartney and Wings like the musk of BRUT on an open shirted letch there is something deeper in the selection that really draws me in. Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder and Roy Ayers are all lurking in their amongst the Hollywood Hangover Hits.
Yes it has a Fleetwood Mac tune on it (which I don’t personally rate to be honest), but it also has Ned Doheny’s ‘Give It Up For Love’ which makes my brain fizz. Jan Hammer’s ‘Don’t You Know’ which is fucking moist and it also has David Batteau’s insane drum brake headed ‘Spaceship Earth’ on it which for me sold the record. Oh and did I mention it’s printed on yellow vinyl? Yellow fucking vinyl… double gatefold and with a sexy blue cover that features Los Angeles’ Tower Records.
Anyway, there are a few copies left out in the world – it was a record store day release but it’s been slept on heavily. I’d say grab a copy, if only for retrospect as it’s a beautiful release and you might also just get into making chugging soft rock balearic re-edits… or not. Peace.
Jonny
