As disco continues to enjoy a prolonged revival thanks in part to hot artists like Metro Area and Lindstrom & Prins-Thomas, UK label Soul Jazz eagerly jumps on the bandwagon with this double disc set of '70s mixes from one of the genre's godfathers.
Although these aforementioned nu-disco super troupers might be quicker to cite Giorgio Moroder or maybe Patrick Cowley as a primary influence, Tom Moulton's impact on music then and now cannot be overlooked. After all, it is he, not P. Diddy, who is credited as having invented the remix and the 12" single, dance music requisites that have unquestionably dominated our culture ever since. These days, to tweak Frank Sinatra's famous lyric, you're nobody 'til somebody remixes you.
Unlike many of the compilations that litter the racks at mega-sized retail chains and collect dust in the bargain bins of used CD shops, A Tom Moulton Mix exists outside of the norm, effortlessly eschewing colossal cuts now sanitized by Bar Mitzvahs and office Christmas parties for something more to the liking of crate diggers and those who foolhardily wish to intellectualize this strictly hedonistic sound. And while Soul Jazz is culpable of participating in the latter revisionist offense here, it doesn't matter since many of the fortuitously unmixed selections themselves are really quite good.
After two minutes of funk-flavored build-up, Temptations alumnus Eddie Kendricks' falsetto kicks off this collection unabashedly with "Keep On Truckin." Also of note are groovy, flamboyant numbers from seminal figures such as Grace Jones alongside since-forgotten groups like Detroit Emeralds, Orlando Riva Sound, and South Shore Commission, all exhibiting Moulton's touch. Unless you spent most of the past several decades trapped in a P.O.W. camp—or even if you did—you've undoubtedly heard Andrea True Connection's instantly recognizable "More More More," or at least that Canadian one-hit wonder Len's sucktastic "Steal My Sunshine" which samples one of its bridges.
It probably comes as at least a mock surprise of most people that Isaac Hayes actually penned more than the "Theme to Shaft" and "Chocolate Salty Balls," and the smooth propositioning of "Moonlight Loving" will initiate those primarily familiar with his Chef caricature. Irrespective of his quasi-scandalous Scientological foibles, the man was singing about threesomes—and convincing foxy ladies to participate—before most Brainwashed readers ever saw a girl naked.
Disco is notoriously well-known for its excesses on and off the dancefloor, and history hasn't exactly been kind by demoting most of its defining elements to camp instead of cool. (You can practically see the Indian headdresses while listening to BT Express' "Peace Pipe.") Not for the casual listener, only those eager to venture beyond the Donna Summer and Chic hits overplayed by the Clear Channel monolith and its less massive imitators should bother to inform themselves with A Tom Moulton Mix. Additionally, savvy DJs sentimentally snorting lines and vigilantly gobbling up the current load of nu-disco productions may want to snag the simultaneously available 2x12" vinyl version and benefit from having these extended mixes in their record bag of tricks.
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