Tuesday, July 01, 2003

V/A : Miami Sound -- Rare Funk and Soul from 1969-74 : Soul Jazz Records

First of all, let me start off by saying that its unbelievable that no one has heard this before. (Well, almost no one. Don't be that pretentious record-collector asshole.) This is summer music. Hot yet cool like a nice breeze. I can only imagine how fun it could've been if I was in a club (pre: discoteque) rocking to these jams. So, so smooth.

Miami, as much as I do not want to admit it, is responsible for many dance music trends. See, I hate Miami. It's all plastic, neon, and pink. But damn, this record makes me want to move to Miami, buy a Cadillac, and rock a light blue suit. It's so easy to swallow, but doesn't make you sick to your stomach like some lite-R&B jizz. This is the real deal. This sounds like Miami always was supposed to look.

Dance music these days is a hot commodity in the independent music world. Lots of chugga-chugga rhythms and fat bass. From even a cursory listen of Miami Sound it's obvious where all this started. This is the beginning of angular rhythms and melodies that stick to your ribs. Only thing is, this is so much more sincere than the its-ironic-to-pretend-we're-not-ironic dancepunk scene. And the vocals are gorgeous.

The greatest treasure on this disc are the songs by James Knight. Hands down. These songs have been overlooked for 30 years, and only now do they sound just as fresh as they did at their conception. "Save Me" really should rank up there with Sex Machine-era James Brown, only replace the animalistic grunts with blacksploitation funk-and-speak. Hot.

Miami Sound is the soundtrack for a summer by the beach. If there only were field recordings of seagulls, waves, and ice-cream trucks I would get tan from listening to this.

Rating: 9

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