Mile wide smile club March 2011 charts

Maaaaaan! It's been a massive month for music, so much vinyl!! The year itself is shaping up to be huge!
There's so much UK talent turning out killer productions, time after time. Of course, there is still a ton of good stuff coming stateside. First track from new band The Stepkids is amazing. As ever, Theo Parrish is on the money and there's a monster album from Rick Wilhite. Amongst many others.
Nevertheless, the UK contingent is represented massively in the charts for this month. See if you agree;

1/ Julio Bashmore - Batty knee dance - 3024 12''
2/ Stepkids - Shadows on behalf - Stones Throw download
3/ Maurice Donovan - Babeh - SSSSS 12''
4/ Rick Wilhite - Analogue aquarium - Still music LP
5/ Four tet/Daphni - Pinnacles/Ye Ye - Text records 12"
6/ Burial/Four tet/Thom Yorke - Ego/Mirror - Text records 12"
7/ Pearson sound - Working with - Night slugs 12"
8/ Floating points and Fatima - Redlight - AYK promo
9/ SBTRKT and Sampha - Living like i do - AYK promo
10/ Falty Dl - Mean streets - Swamp 81 12"
11/ Addison groove - Sexual - Swamp 81 12"
12/ Photek - 101 - Photek productions 12"
13/ Natural yoghurt band - Tuck in with - Now again/Jazzman 10" LP
14/ Actress - Harrier ATK/Gershwin - Non plus records 12"
15/ Daphni - Daphni edits Vol 1 - Resista 12"
16/ John Talabot/Aster - Nit D'Hivern - Hivern discs 7"
17/ Royalty - Royalty ep - Five easy pieces 12"
18/ J Rocc - Some cold Rock stuff - Stones Throw LP
19/ Submotion orchestra - All yours (Jack sparrow remix) - AYK promo
20/ Dorian concept - Her tears taste like pears ep - AYK promo

Nice one
Mickey

God bless Loleatta

What can you say, other than we have lost another shining star of the Disco and Soul world. Loleatta Holloway has passed away of heart failure at the age of 64
Loleatta Holloway joined her Mom to sing with the Holloway gospel choir in Chicago when she was a child. She left school and undertook various meaningless jobs, whilst still singing Gospel.
She joined a Gospel group called the Caravans and whilst on tour with them she met Aretha Franklin, who toured with them for a while.
Hir first, self titled album was recorded in 1973 and her second two years later.
It wasn't until a few years later that Loleatta really started to make a big noise on the Disco and Soul scene. In 1977 she recorded arguably her biggest hits 'Runaway' and 'Hit and Run'. These were followed a couple of years later by 'Love Sensation'.
Daniel Davoli's Black Box sampled this track in 1989, and without getting clearance, he found himself successfully sued by Loleatta for copyright infringement. The record still remained the biggest selling track of the year and opened up Loleatta's music to a larger audience. The same record was legally sampled by Marky Mark and the Funky bunch in 1991. She has also been sampled by Alicia Keys for Whitney Houston's track 'Million dollar bill', as well as various dance music artists.
Loleatta continued to perform throughout the 80's and 90's up until taking a year out following a triple heart bypass in 1996.
I have recently heard warm tributes from some of dance musics biggest names including Norman Jay and Little Loius Vega, both of whom had the pleasure of meeting and working with her.
For me, there are 3 stand out tracks of Loleatta's and i'm sure that they are the pick of most of her fans. God bless you Loleatta Holloway, you will be sorely missed!

1/ Hit and run
2/Love Sensation
3/ Runaway

Stepkids you will love.

I've been hearing an amazing record for about two months now on Gilles' worldwide show, called 'Shadows on behalf', i dug but could not find. But for a live you tube recording, there was nothing about these kids, or The Stepkids as the band are called.
Since then all has become clear and more album snippets - also check 'La La' -have been released from this amazing band signed to Stones Throw records. The Stepkids are a 3 piece from Connecticut, an experienced band of session musicians who have toured with the likes of Lauryn Hill, 50 cent and Alicia Keys. They have now decided to pack up supporting and start their own band, and oh lordy! Am i glad they did.
You can hear the influences of all of the above mentioned artists, but their sound is a real mixbag from Soul and hip-hop to funk and pyschadelic rock. Whatever it is, it personally makes me feel good, with not a care in the world, the birds sing along with me as i bop down the street in glorious sunshine, people happy and life just dandy. Aaaah, bliss!
And for all of you vinyl lovers out there, there is a special limited press of a 1000 units of new tunes 'Shadows on behalf and 'La La', with coloured vinyl and embossed sleeve to boot.
Check 'em yourself.

http://thestepkidsband.com/