Definitive Salsoul retrospective to be released this July
10 July, 2011Harmless who created the brilliant and much reverred Disco Discharge series are launching Mixology this summer, a new series that delves into the catalogues of the cream of the crop of iconic dance music labels, presenting their best key mixes in one package. The first label to feature in Mixology is Salsoul. Mixology – The Defitive Salsoul Mixes comes in a triple CD package featuring the label’s key mixes.
Ian Dewhirst (Harmless label manager) says, “Since all previous Salsoul compilations which I’d done have now been deleted, I decided it would be nice to try and do a definitive set of the key original mixes and have them all in one package and sequenced in chronological order from the dates the originals came out. Also there was a part of me that thought that this could be the last time that these brilliant tracks could get a physical release, so when I heard that the company could potentially be sold last year I swooped in and did a deal for this release.”
Salsoul was launched in 1975 and it tapped into the emerging club scene in New York at that time, which was thriving with clubs like The Paradise Garage, The Loft, The Gallery, Sanctuary and Galaxy 21, and recognised the relevance of the DJ. It was the first time that a label would allow a club DJ to access the original master tapes for ‘remix/re-edit’ purposes. The DJ in question was Walter Gibbons who was brought into the studio to ‘restructure’ Double Exposure’s “Ten Percent” (featured here). The result was one of the most radical restructures completely changing the original version into a ten minute tour-de-force of dance percussive fury. “Ten Percent” became the first ever commercially released 12’ single and without realising it at the time Salsoul created the birth of the DJ as a remixer. From that point onwards DJs would start clamouring to remix any record they could get their hands on.
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Salsoul Records had started the cult of the DJ. Throughout the next 30 years the array of DJ talent who mixed or re-edited Salsoul releases would read like a ‘who’s who’ of international DJs. Walter Gibbons, Tom Moulton, Larry Levan, Tee Scott, Shep Pettibone, Francois Kervokian, Masters At Work, Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson, Grandmaster Flash, Danny Krivit, Dimitri From Paris… the DJ revolution had well and truly begun.
The label went on to release some of the biggest dance classics from the last 30 years: Loleatta Holloway’s “Hit And Run”, Inner Life’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, Joe Bataan’s “The Bottle”, Candido’s “Jingo”, First Choice’s “Let No Man Put Us Under”, Instant Funk’s “I Got My Mind Made Up”, Ripple’s “The Beat Goes On.”
After 400 + releases things were beginning to slow down for Salsoul in 1984. The boom years of disco had long gone and the music scene was going through one of its periodic shifts. The end of an incredible era petered out with Salsoul SG 430. From that point forward Salsoul stripped down the operation, remained 100% independent and essentially became a licensing/re-issue operation for the next 20 years. Salsoul eventually changed hands in January 2011 and passed from the ownership of the Cayre brothers over to its new owners, the Verse Music Group.
Like many innovators of their day, Salsoul never fully gained the recognition it deserved at the time. During the golden days of disco nobody came close in matching the quality and consistency of the label’s prolific output. The legacy left by Salsoul Records if anything has actually got stronger over the years with numerous records sampling the original Salsoul classics and of course with the continuous prominence of disco.
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The most commercial of these records include Black Box’s “Ride On Time” and Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch’s “Good Vibrations” which sampled Loleatta Holloway’s “Love Sensation”, Spiller’s “Groovejet” which sampled its entire rhythm from Carol Williams’ “Love Is You”, Montell Jordan’s “Get It On Tonight” which sampled Caludja Barry’s “Love For The Sake of Love”, Eric B & Rakim’s “Paid In Full” sampled Salsoul Orchestra’s “Love Break” and even De La Soul’s “Me Myself and I”, which sampled Edwin Birdsong’s “Rapper Dapper Snapper” amongst many others.
Track Listing
CD1
1. “The Bottle (La Botella)” – Bataan 3.29 (Original Album Mix January 1975)
2. “You’re Just The Right Size” – The Salsoul Orchestra 4.40 (Original Album Mix October 1975)
3. “Helplessly” – Moment Of Truth 6.24 (Original Tom Moulton 12” Mix June 1976)
4. “Everyman” – Double Exposure 7.19 (Original Album Mix June 1976)
5. “Nice N’ Nasty” – The Salsoul Orchestra 5.21 (Original Walter Gibbons 12” Mix July 1976)
6. “Ten Percent” – Double Exposure 9.41 (Original Walter Gibbons 12” Mix November 1976)
7. “Spring Rain” – Silvetti 5.52 (Original Tom Moulton 12” Mix November 1976)
8. “My Love Is Free” – Double Exposure 9.40 (Original Tom Moulton 12” Mix November 1976)
9. “Dreamin’” – Loleatta Holloway 6.18 (Original Album Mix November 1976)
10.“This Will Be A Night To Remember” – Eddie Holman 5.47 (Original Tom Moulton 12” Mix March 1977)
11.“Love Is You” – Carol Williams 5.06 (Original 12” Mix March 1977)
CD 2
1. “Doctor Love” – First Choice 7.35 (Original Tom Moulton 12” Mix April 1977)
2. “Getaway” – The Salsoul Orchestra 4.17 (Original 12” Mix April 1977)
3. “Hit And Run” – Loleatta Holloway 10.59 (Original 12” Walter Gibbons Mix April 1977)
4. “Runaway” – Salsoul Orchestra ft Loleatta Holloway 4.44 (Original Album Mix June 1977)
5. “The Beat Goes On & On” – Ripple 6.55 (Original Jim Burgess 12” Mix December 1977)
6. “Just As Long As I Got You” – Love Committee 8.35 (Original Walter Gibbons 12” Mix July 1978)
7. “Sing Sing” – Gaz 7.16 (Original Richie Rivera 12” Mix November 1978)
8. “I Got My Mind Made Up” – Instant Funk 9.46 (Original Larry Levan 12” Mix December 1978)
9. “First Time Around” – Skyy 6.40 (Original Randy Muller/Solomon Roberts Jr 12” Mix April 1979)
10. “Crying” – Instant Funk 8.58 (Original Larry Levan 12” Mix May 1979)
CD 3
1. “Jingo” – Candido 9.51 (Original David Rodriguez 12” Mix July 1979)
2. “Dancin’ & Prancin’” – Candido 6.53 (Original David Rodriguez 12” Mix July 1979)
3. “All About The Paper” – Loleatta Holloway 6.13 (Original Bobby DJ Guttadero Album Mix August 1979)
4. “Janice (Don’t Be So Blind To Love)”- Skip Mahoney 6.59 (Original Bobby DJ Guttadero 12” Mix April 1980) 5. “Love Sensation” – Loleatta Holloway 6.34 (Original Tom Moulton 12” Mix July 1980)
6. “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Inner Life 10.26 (Original Larry Levan 12” Mix May 1981)
7. “I Know You Will” – Logg 6.44 (Original Larry Levan 12” Mix June 1981)
8. “Take Some Time Out For Love” – The Salsoul Orchestra 6.22 (Original 12” Mix June 1982)
9. “Let No Man Put Asunder – First Choice 7.35 (Original Frankie Knuckles 12” Mix May 1983)
10. “Heartbreaker” – Leroy Burgess 6.12 (Original Shep Pettibone 12” Mix August 1983)
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