For this month's episode of Illvibe Radio we chose to rock out for December 12, 2012 with 12 of our favorite 12 inch records. These are tunes that are classics in their respective genres. And each are special to us for personal reasons.
With three of us contributing to this mix, we had to narrow down our choices to four records each. Obviously there are tons of joints that could potentially make the cut. When I began diggin through shelves galore of vinyl at my house, these are the four that jumped out at me and had the most personal and professional significance. Tomorrow we will post DJ Skipmode's picks. But for now...
Illvibe Radio #8 (Special 12/12/12 Edition) - Mr. Sonny James
Who're You - Fela (1983)
This jam takes me back to the first time I was introduced to Fela's music in 98. I was all about Gil Scott Heron and James Brown. Fela was like the African version of those two legends combined. I couldn't believe how amazing his tunes were and that I had never heard them before. The first two that got me hooked were Lady and Water No Get Enemy. When I became tight with Rich Medina, he introduced me to a whole other world of Afrobeat. When I first heard Who're You, I nearly sharted. It became one of those records I shopped for for years and when it would get played at Shine or @ Lil' Ricky's at APT in New York, it was a reminder that I'm in the right party at the perfect time. My dance moves with my homegirl Vero got put to the test many nights to this tune. Big up.
Disco Africa - The Ogyatanaa Show Band (1976 [2004 release])
When illvibe first formed, we were mostly hired as a crew to DJ at B-Boy battles. Phillee Blunt and I had a mission to find the funkiest breakin' friendly joints we could, hitting Cue Records, 611, Armand's, Sound of Market, The Philadelphia Record Exchange, and Funk-O-Mart. When I stumbled upon this jam, it was perfect for many of the funk/soul moments we had at The BODYROCK as well as the high energy moments at the B-Boy jams. One of my favorite memories of getting this record off was at The B-Boy BBQ at Hawthorne Center. In a lot of ways learning to pull off joints like Disco Africa in "hip-hop" situations contributed a lot to who I am as a jock in Philadelphia.
Women Beat Their Men - Submission (1997)
When I first started going to house clubs, this record was everything. When Robbie Tronco played it for the first time at Shampoo, I got an instant Charley Horse. Then I ran to Armand's and asked Joey Blanco about it and he said he didn't have it in yet. Then I went to Sound of Market and Randy Flash (RIP) promptly handed it to me as well as several other hot tracks at the moment. Randy knew exactly the type of house music each DJ bought and he had 12"s prepared for each of us as soon as we came into the spot. When I copped this one, Randy smiled and said "Something told me, you'd dig this one." I always bought tribal shit back then. This one is particularly special because it marks the period in my career when I stopped shopping for primarily hip hop 12" and really got on the quest for funky music of all genres. And Randy was quite a dude to have on your side when looking to get familiar with new underground music.
Lets Start The Dance - Bohannon (1978)
This was one of the first records I ever owned. It was in constant rotation at my house when I was a child and I loved it so much that my mom eventually gave it to me. It began years of digging. And the rap is by a DJ from WDAS in Philly.
"Let's rock the house, let's shock the house!"
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