Another Setting Radio: Body Rhythm #5

Photo: Alvin Fields by Chris Callis, 1981


Episode 5 of Body Rhythm comes to Another Setting Radio on Sunday April 12th.

A little more on the boogie/funk tip this time around, mostly early 1980s, though there are one or two selections from the late 70s. Incicentally a little heavy on the Michael Zager productions this time.

The archived show is posted below, with tracklist and track notes, as always!

Body Rhythm - Show #5
Tracklist:

Kathy Buck - Don’t Beat Around The Bush
One Way feat. Al Hudson - Cutie Pie
Al Green - Wait Here (12" Version)
Fever - The One Tonight (12" Version)
Elusion feat. Limon Wilson - Lay Back In The Groove
M-Zee Band - Street Beat
Carl Carlton - Groovin’
Enchantment - Give It Up
Armenta - I Wanna Be With You (New Edit)
Alvin Fields - Lucky Number Seven
Margie Joseph - Ready For The Night
Archie Bell - Touching You
Lipstick - It’s A Tight Fit
Pamela Nivens - It’s You I Love (So In Love) (Long Version)

All the records played on show #5

Track Notes:

Kathy Buck - Don’t Beat Around The Bush: A lovely one-off boogie 12" that I picked up several years ago. That synth bass and the gentle, but super effective groove of the 808 is what makes this song for me. The only release from Kathy Buck, written and produced by Richard J. Cobb and Rodney Brown. Brown in particular has a number of credits from the time, producing Prelude acts like Bobby Thurston, Gayle Adams and Sharon Redd with his production partner Willie Lester. Richard J. Cobb was also responsible for one of my favourite tracks on West End, "You Can't Have Your Cake (And Eat It Too)" by Brenda Taylor.

One Way feat. Al Hudson - Cutie Pie: From their 1982 album, Who's Foolin' Who, and one of their signature hits, this is a groove just bounces - that's the only way I can put it. When those drums hit, there's just no stopping. Picked this up on a 12", but it's basically the length of the LP version. No matter, though, all the more better for playing out.

Al Green - Wait Here (12" Version): An underrated Al Green track from his 1978 album Truth 'n Time. Funky as hell, but alas, only two minutes long on the album. Thankfully, the 12" version was extended to a satisfying 6 minutes. I can't say that I'm well-versed on Al Green's output, but the moment I listened to this at the record store, I knew I was buying it. I find that this 12" tends to stay in my record bag.

Fever - The One Tonight (12" Version): One of my favourites from Dale Reed's disco band Fever. One of the singles from their second and final album, Dreams and Desire. The LP version creates a heavy atmosphere, but the groove really catches fire on this 12" mix. Interestingly, this and all of Fever's output was co-produced by Marty Blecman and John Hedges who cut their teeth on this and other projects on Fantasy Records, like Slick Sylvester's Stars album before establishing San Francisco's Megatone Records the following year.

Elusion feat. Limon Wilson - Lay Back In The Groove: The first of three Michael Zager productions on this mix. One of many quality productions Zager was doing in the early 80s, I thought this was one of the best things from the two records he produced for the group Elusion. Taken from their second album Show and Tell from 1982.

M-Zee Band - Street Beat: Another Michael Zager production, from the album Doctor Rhythm released under his M-Zee Band moniker. Basically an early 80s re-brand of his Michael Zager Band project from the 70s, on which he'd chart a more street-wise, funk-forward sound. Should be said too, it was perhaps just as much Jolyon Skinner's project as it was Zager's. Skinner is the lead vocalist here (and on all the other tracks on the album) plus also the co-writer and bassist. There isn't a dud on the whole album, but I thought this particular song fit the moment here best.

Carl Carlton - Groovin’: From Carl Carlton's The Bad C.C. album from 1982, which I had recently posted about on my Instagram, not long after his passing. Produced by David Rubinson and with Narada Michael Walden on drums, this wasn't a single, yet it's one of the highlights of the album for me.

Enchantment - Give It Up: One of the highlights of the Detroit vocal group's final album Utopia from 1984. One of their finest records, with a bold sound and stunning cover art (by artist Stanislaw Fernandes) to match. Producer Michael Stokes is another one of those names whose involvement is almost always an endorsement for me. True to form, Utopia was, to my ears, just a stellar synth funk album. While it probably didn't do for the group what they had wanted it to, it nevertheless still holds up. It's right in line with the assertive sound that groups like The Whispers or Lakeside were doing at the time.

Armenta - I Wanna Be With You (New Edit): Produced by Amir Bayyan AKA Kevin Bell of Kool & The Gang. This one feels like a sister track to another Bayyan producton from around the same time - LaToya Jackson's "Bet'cha Gonna Need My Lovin'." This Armenta track however is my personal pick of the two, in large part because of the killer vocoder bit in the break. Decided to mix into that vocoder section, which made a perfect complement to the synth-funk of the last track.

Alvin Fields - Lucky Number Seven: The third and final Michael Zager production on this mix. From 1981, this is from Special Delivery the sole album he'd produce for singer Alvin Fields. Fields had been a prolific session/background singer and songwriter, particularly on Zager's productions. In fact, he's probably credited somewhere on most of Zager's work from the late 70s-early 80s. Though not a single, this is one of the standouts on Special Delivery.

Margie Joseph - Ready For The Night: A later record by Margie Joseph from 1984 and in full-on dancefloor mode. Likely on the strength of the independent mini-hit she had with "Knockout" the year before, she returned to the Atlantic fold for this one-off album on their Cotillion imprint. She returns here with some heavy-hitters too; Preston Glass and Narada Michael Walden wrote and produced this with Randy Jackson of American Idol fame. While the album doesn't quite hit the heights of her earlier work on Atlantic and Stax, it's an enjoyable attempt at bringing her into a newer, more contemporary sound for the time and this is the song probably achieves that best.

Archie Bell - Touchin' You: A one-off single by Archie Bell minus the Drells from 1982 that was somehow only ever released in Canada (and getting quite pricey these days). Produced by David Morris and Roger Meltzer, the same guys behind Garfield Fleming's hit "Don't Send Me Away." As far as this song goes, the main melody is just so good, especially the call-and-response on the lead and background. That being said, I do wish this song had a better mix. Unfortunately the song is poorly served by it's intro and outro, which in my opnion, don't really go together well with the main melody. I don't usually think of myself as qualified enough to criticize the merits of a mix, but in this case, it feels like those parts so obviously detract from the song's main melody. Either way, I managed to mix in and out of the song just in time here to avoid those parts, but you can certainly get a sense of it if you listen to the whole track. If anything, this is probably one song that would be well-served by a good re-edit or remix from the original stems.

Lipstick - It’s A Tight Fit: A single from the Holland Brothers ' Music Merchant imprint by the sister group formerly, or at least otherwise known as Three Ounces of Love. Produced by Holland Brothers' associate Harold Beatty and written by Beatty and the Hollands, this is a pretty cheeky single about the joys in this case of juggling two lovers - "one has the sugar, and the other has the spice," as the ladies say. From 1985, so unfortunately there's a very of-the-time obnoxious guitar solo that I didn't quite mix out of in time, but nevertheless the catchiness and charm of the song remain intact.

Pamela Nivens - It’s You I Love (So In Love) (Long Version): I picked up a recent (likely unofficial) reissue of this one-off single from 1983 not too long ago. I do find that 1983 is just one of those golden years for me. More often than not, picking up a release in the realm of disco/boogie/soul from that year generally turns out favourably, this being no exception. The synths on this are just *chef's kiss*. Even those synthesized handclaps, often a distraction, work perfectly here. The vocal too hits just the right medium, cool yet passionate enough to be engaging without overwhelming the space of the production.


PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
another setting radio: body rhythm #4 (tuesday march 17, 2026)
another setting radio: body rhythm #2 (tuesday january 20, 2026)
having you fills my life.. (thursday april 23, 2009)
disco delivery #59: slick (1979, fantasy) (monday january 26, 2009)
disco delivery #55: cissy houston - step aside for a lady (1980, columbia) (friday june 20, 2008)
disco delivery #22: spinners - dancin' & lovin' (197, atlantic) (monday june 5, 2006)
disco delivery #8: cissy houston - think it over (1978, private stock) (friday february 24, 2006)

LINKS:
another setting radio
instagram: another setting radio
soundcloud: another setting radio archives
another setting radio: artist bio - thomas del pozo


CATEGORIES: BODY RHYTHM

Another Setting Radio: Body Rhythm #4

Photo: Alexandra Hutchinson (l) of Dance Theatre of Harlem and India Bradley (r) of New York City Ballet by Ye Fan, 2023


March 15 brings episode 4 of Body Rhythm to Another Setting Radio.

As always, there is disco in the mix. However, decided to start things and close things with some songs that I've long wanted to place in a mix somewhere/somehow.

The archived show is posted below with some further details on this month's song selections... Enjoy!

Body Rhythm - Show #4
Tracklist:

Sheryl Lee Ralph - Be Somebody
Amii Stewart - Working Late Tonight
Sister Sledge - Il Macquillage Lady
Denise LaSalle - Try My Love
Wanda Walden - Don’t You Want My Lovin’
Sal Panzera - No Stasera No
Roxy Robinson - Come On
Alides Hidding - Hollywood Seven (Mike Simonetti & Johnny Jewel edit)
Five Special - Why Leave Us Alone (12” Version)
Rhetta Hughes - Angel Man (G.A.) (Downtown Version)
Fancy Cake - Higher, Higher, Higher
Girly - Trouble
Barbara Mason - Darling Come Back Home
Judy Cheeks - Walking All Over My Love

All the records played on show #4


Track Notes:

Sheryl Lee Ralph - Be Somebody: Starting things off with the side two opener from actor/singer Sheryl Lee Ralph's sole album from 1986. "In The Evening" was the hit and the title track from it, but this is probably my favourite song on the album. I'm not always a fan of the way reggae was incorporated into pop songs during this time, usually as a trendy production style. I consider this an exception though. To me, the synth-forward 80s reggae-style backing track works here without slipping into parody. The urbane melancholy of the song lyrics add a little weight and cut through in an unexpectedly affective and effective way.

Amii Stewart - Working Late Tonight: Another slice of urbane melancholy from a European pop perspective. Amii Stewart may have been considered something of a one-hit wonder in the US, but she continued to make a career in Italy cutting excellent pop songs like this. The drama of the music and lyrics are everything here, and no wonder, as this was produced by British film composer Simon Boswell, who was fresh from producing Italian superstar Renato Zero the year before.

Sister Sledge - Il Macquillage Lady: To my mind, one of the most interesting songs released by the Sisters Sledge. Putting some of their high school French to work here, this is probably the standout for me on their self-produced 1982 album, The Sisters. A song about a woman who uses her makeup as her security, as her illusion, "hiding in her mask of fantasy." Not your typical pop song subject matter and musically speaking, the sparkling synth work here elevates things even further. This song has gotten some extra mileage after being revealed as the base sample Daft Punk used for their track "Aerodynamic." Taken here from the B-side of a 7" single I had fished out of a dollar bin a while back. Their Motown cover of Mary Wells' "My Guy was on the A-side.
To my ears, that was probably one of their most pedestrian single choices but a decent hit for them at the time. Slowed the tempo down just a little bit here, for a little extra impact.

Denise LaSalle - Try My Love: From what is possibly Denise LaSalle's most disco-oriented album I'm So Hot from 1980. The title track is the most sought-after cut, but this one's my personal favourite from the album. Cut in a minor key; the thick pulsing synths and sweetened strings just give it the right amount of sleaze and elegance. Was a single in Canada, but nowhere else it seems. For what it's worth, this one almost never leaves my record bag.

Wanda Walden - Don’t You Want My Lovin’: Wanda Walden's 1981 album Searchin' For Love was another one of those dollar bin finds for me. Which is to say, a little weathered but for $1, entirely worth it for this cut alone which checks all the boxes of a top-tier Narada Michael Walden production from the time. In-the-pocket groove, Chic-esque guitars (that's American Idol's Randy Jackson on bass) and a killer break. As for the name connection, Wanda was evidently Narada's sister in-law, and this ended up being her only album.

Sal Panzera - No Stasera No: Meaning No, not tonight, this was a lovely bit of Italian disco via Montreal that Disco Segreta recently reissued, which is how I first heard of this. Originally issued in Canada in 1981 on a small run of 7" singles, Salvatore Panzera had immigrated to Canada in 1967 and would form a band that often played Italian weddings on the weekends in the Montreal area. One of his bandmates was Giovanni "Johnny" D'Orazio who would go on to be a prolific disco producer in Montreal. Though there are no production credits on this reissue or the original 7" single, D'Orazio is listed as a co-writer with Panzera here and it certainly bears all the economically catchy trademarks of D'Orazio's productions. Of the many interesting obscurities Disco Segreta has been reissuing lately, this one is among my favourites.

Roxy Robinson - Come On: From a Canadian single sung in Italian to an Italian production sung in English, this is the opening track from Robinson's sole album Silence and Other Sounds from 1977. I'd rate her album as one of my most satisfying record finds recently. So much so, I had made a post about it on Instagram recently. This song is one of the standouts on the album and one which sums the sensual and dramatic sound of the record. I wish I knew more about Roxy Robinson (sometimes credited as Rosalinda Robinson or just ‘Roxy’). She appears to have some other credits on Italian releases from the time, either as singer or songwriter. Produced and arranged by Enrico Intra, Pino Presti also appears on the record and this song was also recently reissued under Presti’s name by Best Record Italy.

Alides Hidding - Hollywood Seven (Mike Simonetti & Johnny Jewel edit): I had first heard Alides Hidding's version at least a decade ago while going down a disco rabbit hole on YouTube. One of those things I had saved to various wantlists and then basically forgot about. A few years ago, DJ Elvin T from Philadelphia plays this one night while he was guesting at Wax Candy Disco here in Toronto. I was working behind the bar that night and racking my brain trying to figure what this song was. I had to go up and ask him afterwards, and he tipped me off to this edit by Mike Simonetti & Johnny Jewel, the guys who founded the Italians Do It Better label. Needless to day, ended up tracking down a copy for myself soon after. Released on their edit label, Perseo, the A-side is a straight-ahead extension of Alides Hidding's 1980 disco version, which remains my personal favourite. I'm a sucker for a tragic, melancholy disco song and this fits the bill perfectly. The B-side of the Perseo release has three other versions, including the original by Jon English, done as a ballad, from 1976. Alides Hidding would end up fronting the Dutch group Time Bandits, perhaps best known for their hit "I'm Only Shooting Love."

Five Special - Why Leave Us Alone (12” Version): The major disco hit from Detroit band Five Special, expertly mixed for disco by Rick Gianatos. While I enjoy this song, didn't play it all the way through here. I loved the synth in the break and thought that would be the ideal point to segue from the previous track, so this one comes in on the latter part of the song.

Rhetta Hughes - Angel Man (G.A.) (Downtown Version): A disco tribute of sorts to New York City's Guardian Angels from 1983. While I'm not necessarily aligned with all the politics surrounding Curtis Sliwa and his organization, there's no question that they provided a measure of safety for ordinary New Yorkers at a time when the city was perhaps at its most dangerous. This is one of two disco tributes to the Guardian Angels that I know of. The other being "The Guardian Angel Is Watching Over Us" from 1979, sung by Margo Wiliams and produced by Patrick Adams. This particular single was produced by Kenny Lehman, who had a hand in Chic's first singles, and politics aside, I find it to be a pretty killer record. This was released later enough in thto the 80s to probably be characterized as Hi-NRG, yet there are enough elements here like the live percussion that also elevate it above a lot of others in that realm. This song ended up being a nice dance hit for Rhetta Hughes who had been a professional singer and Broadway performer for the better part of the previous decade. There was even a video for this song which is in itself a great time capsule of early 80s New York.


Fancy Cake - Higher, Higher, Higher: Speaking of high octane, I came across this recently while doing a little bit of virtual record digging (ahem) on Discogs. Between its rock guitars and the opening verse - "sitting here and waiting for some lover to come," I feel like this certainly took more than a few cues from Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff." While I can't say the lyrics are quite as coherent on this song, they are nonetheless infectiously catchy and sleazy as all hell. I'm not sure of the genesis of the act Fancy Cake, but the picture of the group on the 7" sleeve was enough to seal the deal for me. Produced by Peter Giesecke AKA Patric Perquee, Goudy Heavyface whose work I've played before on the first Body Rhythm show in December.

Girly - Trouble: An obscure Bobby Orlando production possibly from 1984, but released in 1987. Had no idea about this one until a reissue came up a couple of years ago on I.D. Limited. Timely as original copies were starting to go for a pretty penny. It's classic Bobby O all the way through, he's even a little self-referential here with the lyric "yesterday was passion, today it's just excuse."

Barbara Mason - Darling Come Back Home: Thought I'd start bringing the tempo down here with one of my favourite songs by Barbara Mason. From her sole LP on Prelude, I Am Your Woman, She Is Your Wife from 1978, this was the opener and the tour-de-force on the record. It's still perhaps too slow to be full-on disco, but it certainly approaches disco. This song was originally done on Motown in 1973 by Eddie Kendricks and later by Philly group Love Committee, but Barbara's version is perhaps the best one for me. The moody instrumentation and production here is what takes this one a cut above. In particular, there's a haunting horn/synth trigger sound here which was created, I believe anyway, by something called the cromulizer, invented by album's producer, Weldon A. MacDougal III.

Judy Cheeks - Walking All Over My Love: One of her more underrated songs, this was from taken from an album Judy Cheeks had done with Giorgio Moroder's right-hand man Pete Bellotte in 1983 called Hard On The Heels of Love. That album only ever came out in Italy it seems, but one of the tracks, "Fascination" was released as a single in the Netherlands with this song on the B-side. Needless to day, consider this another instance of the B-side resonating with me more strongly. I've used the word 'melancholy' too much already, but it applies here just as well. It's that quality of the song, Judy's mournful performance and the synth hooks here - engaging without being overpowering, that really set this one apart. Sadly Judy Cheeks passed away late last year at the age of 71.


PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
another setting radio: body rhythm #3 (monday february 16, 2026)
another setting radio: body rhythm #1 (sunday december 21, 2025)
upcoming sister sledge reissues (friday august 10, 2007)

LINKS:
another setting radio
instagram: another setting radio
soundcloud: another setting radio archives
another setting radio: artist bio - thomas del pozo


CATEGORIES: BODY RHYTHM

Another Setting Radio: Body Rhythm #3

Photo: Melba Moore by Richard Avedon, 1979


February 15th brings episode number 3 of Body Rhythm.

Bringing a more straight-forward soul and disco selection to this month's instalment. It's February, Black History Month, in the aftermath of Valentine's Day and the depth of winter. In that spirit, I thought these selections all fit the bill in one way or another.

Archived episode posted below for those who want to listen back... Enjoy!


Another Setting Radio

Body Rhythm - Show #3
Tracklist:

Labelle - Goin' On A Holiday
William Bell - Your Love Keeps Me Going
Margie Alexander - Gotta Get A Hold On Me
Eloise Laws - Love Goes Deeper Than That (12" Version)
Paul Lewis - Inner City Blues
Melba Moore - Miss Thing
Peggie Blue - I Got Love
Cheryl Lynn - Love Bomb
Wilbert Longmire - Black Is The Color
Honey - Superhythm
Patience Africa - Sondela (Psychemagik edit)
The Montreal Synthesizer Orchestra - Disco Melody of ‘77
Céline Lomez - Vol de nuit

All the records played on show #3


Track Notes:

Labelle - Goin' On A Holiday: Opening with one of my favourite Labelle songs, from their 1974 Pressure Cookin' album. Written by Nona Hendryx, this is one song which clearly exemplified the point-of-view and emotional immediacy of Labelle's songs, especially the ones Nona wrote. Arranged by Stevie Wonder, who could only be credited on the record as "A Friend." Many people seek escape during winter, never more true than during the months of January and February. Some people seek literal escape, yet there are always other avenues of escape on offer. There's even escape in isolation. Ways to, as the song says, "let your own sunshine brighten up your day."

William Bell - Your Love Keeps Me Going: Picked up Bell's 1977 album It's Time You Took Another Listen at a small record fair in town recently. Was intitially taken by the back and front covers, and this particular song is my favourite on the album. Best known for his work on Stax, this was from the last of his two albums on Mercury before going independent.

Margie Alexander - Gotta Get A Hold On Me: Thought this was the perfect combination of soul and disco to cue up after William Bell. A one-off disco single from Margie Alexander on the Chi-Sound label. Alexander was originally a gospel singer, to which she'd return after some scattered secular singles in the 70s. This song just has a groove that hits hard and a soulful vocal with all the grit and force to match it.

Eloise Laws - Love Goes Deeper Than That (12" Version): A fine disco single from Eloise Laws, who along with sister Debra and brothers Hubert and Ronnie, is a member of the talented Laws family. This is perhaps one of my favorite tracks from her excellent 1977 LP, Ain't It Good Feeling Good. Produced by the Holland Brothers and released on their Invictus label, it was probably one of the last releases on Invictus, as part of their ill-fated pact with CBS. A nice keep-it-real disco valentine, I've always found their work in disco to be inventive and funky, bringing energy and feeling without sounding like anything else or falling into too many obvious genre clichés. I sometimes feel their work with Lamont Dozier casts such a wide shadow, their later work like this often gets overlooked.

Paul Lewis - Inner City Blues: An interesting production from Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch, credited to Paul Lewis, one of the other members of K.C. & The Sunshine Band. A single consisting of two Motown covers, Eddie Kendricks' "Girl, You Need A Change of Mind" on the A-side and my favourite of the two, this cover of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" on the B-side. It's not clear to me how much of Paul Lewis is actually on this single, I suppose he's in the chorus, yet it sounds more like female backing vocalists carrying most of lead here. Nevertheless, I love the Miami-meets-Motown disco sound on this single, as well as the dubby drum effects on this 12" version.

Melba Moore - Miss Thing: I wrote a whole Disco Delivery entry on Melba's 1979 album, Burn, which is something of an anomaly in her catalogue, yet one that I've always really enjoyed. Produced by Giorgio Moroder's main right-hand man, Pete Bellotte, with funky bass courtesy of the great Marcus Miller, this song is one of my favourites on the record. Not only a killer groove, but also somewhat ahead of its time. At least a decade before Paris is Burning and Madonna's "Vogue," this was clearly Melba's tribute to the ballroom scene. Iconic, even if only for that.

Peggie Blue - I Got Love: From one of the few albums of Peggi Blu, as she'd later be known, this was the title track of her first record which was written, arranged and produced almost entirely by legendary songwriter Jerry Ragovoy. Despite the calibre involved here and in later efforts, Blu's recording career never quite took off. Nevertheless, she went on to have a long career as a respected session/background singer and vocal coach. She'd even gain a measure of viral fame in the 2000s, jokingly dubbed American Idol's "Vocal Coach from Hell." Peggi Blu passed away recently in 2024 at the age of 77.

Cheryl Lynn - Love Bomb: One of the standouts from from Cheryl Lynn's 2nd album, In Love, from 1979. Produced by British producer Barry Blue and co-written by Blue and Lynsey de Paul, who did the original on her album of the same name in 1975. Compared to de Paul's original, Cheryl Lynn's version is a veritable monster. Bolder and punchier on the groove with vocals cascading from the stratosphere. While the metaphor was heavily influenced by the prevailing nuclear fears of the time, there's still something of an evergreen statement in there.

Wilbert Longmire - Black Is The Color: A disco-jazz classic from guitarist Wilbert Longmire and his 1978 Sunny Side Up LP that I love to play whenever I can. This is an adaptation of the folk standard "Black Is The Colour of my True Love's Hair," as recast and popularized further by Nina Simone. This particular arrangement and adaptation by producer Jay Chattaway and the great Bob James turns it into a bonafide disco burner. The relation to the original song isn't immediately obvious, the statement is stil there - condensed yet clear. Since it's Black History Month, one thing that emerges in any kind of study of music or musicology is that in nearly every society, wherever one goes, culture and cultural innovation is generally driven by those on the margins. And here, it has to be said, there is no disco music without Rhythm & Blues, Jazz and Gospel. The players may be from many backgrounds, but at its core, it's all driven by black music. Black is the color.

Honey - Superhythm: One of those singles in which the B-side won me over the A-side. An interesting British one-off by 10cc, Sad Café and Mandalaband keyboardist Vic Emerson and producer David Kent-Watson whose credits are mostly on classical records. While the A-side, "Superman! Superman!" is mostly a disco novelty, this B-side had a certain deep, dark sexy disco appeal that sold me on the first play.

Patience Africa - Sondela (Psychemagik edit): Meaning "come closer," this is an isiZulu cover of Donna Summer's groundbreaking classic, "I Feel Love" by South African singer/actress Patience Africa. Lovingly extended by Psychemagik on Volume 3 of their Undercover Lovers series, which is the version I play here. I played another great Psychemagik edit on the first Body Rhythm show and this is another one which they treat in all the right ways. Nothing gimmicky or cliché, just respectfully taking the best parts of the song and making the most of them.

The Montreal Synthesizer Orchestra - Disco Melody of ‘77: I don't think I'd be remiss in calling this yet another variation on "I Feel Love," but it's also a charming little bit of spacey disco from Montreal which I had picked up in the past year. Credits are basically non-existent on the 12" single, however Discogs and the SOCAN database mark the main player behind this single as John Brenner who would go on to produce Montreal disco records by Geraldine Cordeau and Suzy Q among others.

Céline Lomez - Vol de nuit: A single from Quebecois actress/singer Céline Lomez, produced by Yves Lapierre, who had also produced records for Patsy Gallant and Toulouse; music by André Gagnon and lyrics by Jean Robitaille. This song was inspired by (or at least cross-promoted with) a British/Canadian film adaptation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's second novel of the same name, a story based on his own experiences as an aviator delivering airmail to South America in the early days of commercial aviation. Lomez also starred in the film, entitled The Spirit of Adventure: Night Flight alongside Trevor Howard and Bo Svenson. Lomez also released an English version of this song entitled "Night Flight," but the French version here felt gentler, warmer and just a generally correct way to end things.


PREVIOUS RELATED ENTRIES:
another setting radio: body rhythm #1 (sunday december 21, 2025)
disco delivery #64: melba moore - burn (1979, epic) (saturday april 14, 2012)

LINKS:
another setting radio
instagram: another setting radio
soundcloud: another setting radio archives
another setting radio: artist bio - thomas del pozo


CATEGORIES: BODY RHYTHM

Another Setting Radio: Body Rhythm #2

Body Rhythm returns to Week 7 of Another Setting Radio!

Another Setting's lineup continues to grow, this past Sunday's broadcast lasted most of the day. So, do check out their Soundcloud and take a listen to their expanding roster of Toronto selectors!

This month's installment of Body Rhythm has some more disco in the mix, but starts off with some recently acquired boogie, a little early 80s funk and house that I've been itching to play.

The archived show is posted below with tracklist and track notes if you missed the broadcast or want to listen back... Enjoy!


Another Setting Radio

Body Rhythm - Show #2
Tracklist:

Kaiya - Scandalous
Natalie Cole - Winner (Take All)
Michael Wycoff - Looking Up To You
Margo Michaels and Nitelite - The Good Stuff’s Coming In
C + C featuring Carm - Go For It (Dance Mix)
Narada Michael Walden - Confidence
Stargard - Let Me Be Your Mindbender
Charles Rousseau - Now, Right Now
Jackie Moore - Don’t Knock My Love
Esther Phillips - Love Addict (12” Version)
Lalo Schifrin - Most Wanted Theme
Connie Case - Get Down
Screamin’ Rachel - My Main Man
Glass Pyramid - Better By The Minute
Shikane - Change Your Mind In Dub (excerpt)

All the records played on show #2


Track Notes:

Kaiya - Scandalous: Picked up this spare, slinky little groover from 1983 recently. Produced by 'Godmother of Detroit Soul' Johnnie Mae Matthews, Kaiya is actually her daughter Audrey Matthews. A later release on Juggy Murray's Sue Records, who broke the first Ike & Tina Turner hits in the 60s. Murray sold his earlier masters but would sporadically reactivate the name and label until his death in 2005. I thought this track was just mellow and catchy enough to start things off nicely here.

Natalie Cole - Winner (Take All): One of the outtakes from Natalie Cole's 1983 LP, I'm Ready, a one-off for Epic Records. Still in the throes of her drug addiction at the time, she'd eventually disown that entire album on the basis that she really wasn't as 'ready' as the title proclaimed. When she made a major comeback in the early 1990s, Epic would reissue the album on CD with 4 previously unreleased bonus tracks from the album's sessions, and this song is one of my favourites from those. To my ears, the unreleased songs were actually the best material from that much-maligned project. Produced by jazz fusion legend Stanley Clarke, this has an assertive, funky groove that would have made a nice release at the time. This song and the other bonus tracks from that album have not been pressed on vinyl yet, at least officially. However, there was a recent bootleg 12" with all four of them that I had acquired not too long ago which is how this song appears here. The mastering job on that bootleg release is not ideal, however it'll do until we get something legit.

Michael Wycoff - Looking Up To You: Recently got this soulful gem of a song on a recent 12" single, which sported a Mike Maurro Mix on the A-side. Maurro is one of those remixers whom I find to be one of the most reliable when it comes to remixing classics like this. As good as his mix was though, I ended up playing the standard mix on the B-side for this. Didn't need it to go on too long, but just wanted to have something soulful and uplifting to take things up a notch. Co-written by Leon Ware and produced by Webster Lewis, it's no wonder this song hits all the right spots.

Margo Michaels and Nitelite - The Good Stuff’s Coming In: I'd picked up the sole album by Margo Michaels & Nitelite late last year at a local shop. Was intriguied initially by the credits, her album being a later production by Holland-Dozier-Holland on their Real World Records label from 1981. As one of, if not the, biggest Motown hitmakers, Holland-Dozier-Holland have an enviable streak of classics to their name. While they would eventualy split in the 1970s, with Lamont Dozier realizing his long-held ambition to be a singer on his own, the Holland Brothers - Brian and Eddie would continue as independent producers. Personally, I'm always on the lookout for the Holland brothers' productions, their work with the latter-day Supremes remains among their finest, for example. Notably, this album (and this song too) marks a rare reunion with all three of them. Though it's not quite on par with their heights at Motown and Invictus, Margo Michaels' album is a decent record with some solid, funky, uplifting moments, like this particular song.

C + C featuring Carm - Go For It (Dance Mix): The sole Can-Con entry this time around, I had picked up this single while in Calgary earlier this year. There wasn't much online about this, but I was intrigued enough to take a chance on it. No word on who Carm is, but C + C was the production duo of Carl Harvey and Carl Otway, both Jamaican-born Toronto musicians with a number of major credits to their names. Both Harvey and Otway would be members of Crack of Dawn and Sweet Ecstasy, best known for their dance hit "Pull Our Love Together" which Harvey and Otway also produced. Like a catchy, uplfting PSA in the form of a hard-hitting dance track, this was a great pickup for $3 and fit perfectly here, thematically and musically.

Narada Michael Walden - Confidence: The title track from Narada's 6th album on Atlantic from 1982. He was just on the cusp of becoming one of the super-producers of the 80s and this song shows why. Hard-hitting, accessible and funky with all the power and groove that its title implies. I don't think this was among his major hits, I don't even think this was a single, but it's certainly a hit on my turntable.

Stargard - Let Me Be Your Mindbender: A later song from Stargard - Rochelle Runnells and Janice Williams, who started in the 70s as a trio with Debra Anderson but were reduced to a duo by the 80s. After a couple of albums on Warner Bros., they returned to MCA for what would be their last album, Nine Lives in 1982. Not sure if that record was done as a kind of contractual obligation, (their first couple of LPs were on MCA) but it seems like Nine Lives came and went without much of a trace. Nevertheless, this song is perhaps the highlight of the record for me. One of the funkiest, hardest tracks they had ever done which inexplicably remained an album track.

Charles Rousseau - Now, Right Now: Another Noel Williams/King Sporty production. I included one on the last show and I have two more here that I've been really into lately. This is the only record credited to Charles Rousseau on Discogs and it's a nice little late disco burner from 1981. Written by Miami soul legend Paul Kelly and released on Noel Williams' Konduko label.

Jackie Moore - Don’t Knock My Love: My favourite song from Jackie Moore's final full-length album, With Your Love from 1980. Fresh from her signature disco hit, her version of The O'Jays' "This Time Baby," this album follows in largely the same pattern. Produced by the ever reliable Bobby Eli and featuring a balance of solid R&B and disco, it was probably released a bit too late for the disco tracks to catch fire, but it has some solid selections, nevertheless. Her cover of The Four Tops' "Helpless" was the single but this song, her version of Wilson Pickett's "Don't Knock My Love" would have been my choice. Her and Eli succcessfully update Pickett's classic here with just the right amount of grit, soul and energy. Interestingly enough, a couple of years later in 1982, Moore would duet with Pickett himself on "Seconds," also produced by Bobby Eli and released as a single on the Catawba label. Not sure who did it first, but Loleatta Holloway and The Salsoul Orchestra would also record that song the same year, with Patrick Adams producing.

Esther Phillips - Love Addict (12” Version): Picked up this promo-only 12" mix of the lead single from the late Esther Phillips' first Mercury LP from 1977, You've Come A Long Way, Baby. After having a disco hit on Kudu with her version of "What A Diff'rence A Day Makes," it seems Mercury snapped her up but kept her sonic formula largely intact. Not to mention, this song and the album it was from seem to make clear reference to her storied history of drug addiction. Nevertheless, the allusion is both potent and convincing, her voice alone sounding like a perfectly weathered story in itself.

Lalo Schifrin - Most Wanted Theme: Some lovely disco that I wish were longer from the soundtrack master, Lalo Schifrin. I was tipped off to this track recently just as I've been exploring more music in that specific jazz/funk/disco intersection. There's a kind of electronic shuffle effect in this song that is just so damn cool and sweeps you in so brilliantly. I had recently picked up his 1977 Towering Toccata album not long before recording this, so it was nearby and begging to be included!

Connie Case - Get Down: The other Noel Williams/King Sporty track in the mix, and it's an update of a track he had originally done in 1979 as King Sporty & The Root Rockers. I love that single, but this updated version from 1982 is probably my preferred take. The vocals are more up-front here and those drums, which have a kind of proto-house sound to my ears, just hit a little bit harder.

Screamin’ Rachel - My Main Man: Speaking of hitting hard, I recently got this release from 1985 on Trax, one of the major Chicago house labels. I'd been after a copy of this ever since hearing it some 10 years ago and now that I have it, I still can't get enough of it. Screamin' Rachel Cain's story is legend in itself. She would eventually marry Larry Sherman, the founder of Trax and would assume control of much of the business. That again is it's own messy odyssey and perhaps best told elsewhere. Vice did a profile of her in 2013 called "The Punk Rocker Vho Made Chicago House Happen" by Vivian Host, which is still online and worth a read.

Glass Pyramid - Better By The Minute: Another piece of solid funk reissued by PPU back in 2024. Glass Pyramid were a funk band from Oklahoma City active throughout the 80s, and this particular track from 1988 is definitely one of their finest. Produced by the band with Mel Bolton who had a number of credits on Motown throughout the 80s, the track slaps and the vocal from Georgetta Funches really lights it up. With originals going for hundreds of dollars, grateful that PPU had made this one available again.

Shikane - Change Your Mind In Dub (excerpt): I needed to keep things exactly to an hour, so I only played part of this track. A little 12" I picked up recently by British act Shikane from 1984, and this was apprently their only single. To my ears, this is kind of in the vein of what Imagination were releasing at the time. I love the moody synth instrumentation on the track more than the vocals or the lyrics, so the more spacious dub mix was really what grabbed me here. Played just enough of it to bring things to a gentle close.

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CATEGORIES: BODY RHYTHM