Late night grooving courtesy of a large bite from the big apple
As Phenomenal Handclap Band releases new NYC mix album, Daniel Collas takes us back to his pad for some Back To Mine therapy…
Onda – Cassiano
If we’re going back to my place at the end of the night, it’s going to be for listening, talking, and making out. By this point, most of the dancing should have already been danced, and everyone is ready to calm down. This is the perfect transitional piece from “we’re in a club” to “we’re in an apartment”.
Bara to Yaju – Haruomi Hosono
This is a great pre-Yellow Magic Orchestra track from co-founder and bass player Harry Hosono. Exactly the type of mid tempo oddball that has “late night” written all over it.
Areknames- Franco Battiatto
A synthesized masterpiece from Italian composer Franco Battiatto, I still don’t know what this song is about. I’ve only been able to find out that the lyrics are mostly nonsensical, and that the title is pronounced “Ah-wreck-na-mess”.
Cold Back On Me – Wendy Waldman
I feel like this song has been getting a lot of attention lately, making it on more than a few mixes and playlists, etc. It’s been a staple of my after hours get-togethers for a few years now.
Sorriso Dela – Erasmo Carlos
If you play this song for someone you’re interested in and they are ambivalent about it, move on. I just saved you a bunch of trouble.
Cry of a Dreamer – The Sylvers
A little heavy for the after party, but I included it here in case you find yourself separated from the group and need a moment of introspection. The lyrics are great, but pay special attention to the arrangement, the interplay between the vocals, strings and flutes. Kind of a heart breaker, if you time it right.
Du E For Fin For Mig – Dungen
A genius ballad from one of my favorite artists. So well written and performed, and he played all the instruments on it.
Napraforgó (the Sunflower) – Sarolta Zalatnay
I’m not sure if it has become apparent yet, but I like songs in foreign languages. It allows me to concentrate on the melodies and arrangements without the distraction of questionable lyrics. This beautiful and underrated gem is from Hungarian superstar Charlotte Sacher, better known as Sarolta Zalatnay, and her backing band at the time, Locomotiv GT.
If I Were Strong I’d Move You Mountains – Richard Twice
Richard Twice were two young Southern California weirdos named Richard who made this one great folk record in the early 1970s. This underrated cut is one of my early-hour favorites.
Too Bad – Weekend
Excellent soft psych. The hazy vocals and baroque organ solo call to mind late-summer sunrises, making it the perfect last song.
“Dance music, specifically disco, is an important part of the cultural makeup of New York City. In the late 60s/ early 70s, a handful of New York DJs chose a diverse and disparate bunch of songs that eventually grew into what we now know as disco, much the same way DJs in England, Brazil, and the Carolinas conceived of Northern Soul, Samba Rock, and Beach Music, respectively. To the uninitiated, it can be difficult to see what the songs in these different subgenres have in common with each other, because necessity demanded that the pioneering DJs crossed not only genres, but time periods. From the tribal Drums of Passion or Wild Safari to the psychedelic rock of In a Gadda Da Vida or Hold on To Your Mind to the futuristic jazz fusion of Life on Mars to the Caribbean-inflected Rock the Boat, disco music was as diverse and far reaching as the citizens of this great city. I got my first real start as a DJ here in 1999 at a 3 room club on Bleecker St called Life, where I was unwittingly playing records from the early days of the Loft and the Gallery alongside obscure funk 45s and late 60s bubblegum. In the adjacent (smaller) room was the legendary Body and Soul party, and not really having any context for its significance, I would be a little confused when these older black men would stagger out of there and enthusiastically dance to my set. I understood why they might have known Jimmy Castor’s “It’s Just Begun”, but what was it that got them so excited about Chicago Transit Authority’s version of “I’m A Man”?!
This was my entree into New York nightlife and the realization that I was involved in an actual cultural phenomenon, something much deeper than I had originally thought. The real point of this story is that dance music has developed from an underground oddity to a worldwide force, and while there are many great purveyors of this music from far and wide, we thought it would be better to focus on the scene here in New York, the place where it all began.” Daniel Collas (PHB)
Tracklisting:
Following (Black Russian Remix)
The Right One (Tokyo Black Star NYC Remix)
The Written Word (Dee & Kenan’s TBA remix)
The Unkown Faces At Father James Park (Eli Escobar Remix)
Shake (DJ Spun Rong Music Remix)
Give (2B.A.N. TwerQ that m**af*** remix)
All Cliches (Dennis Kane Last Exit Remix)
Mirrors (Maxime Remix)
TheRightOne (DJ Still Life Remix)
Following (Tim Love Lee Dub)
‘PHB loves NYC is out on Tummy Touch now
Order here : http://tummytouchrecords.bandcamp.com/album/phb-loves-nyc
