Groove Line Records series of officially licensed disco / funk 12” reissues continues in 2019 with two fabulous cuts of gospel disco from The New York Community Choir (NYCC), “I’ll Keep My Light In My Window” & “Express Yourself”.
The New York Community Choir (NYCC) began in the early 1970s, a gospel ensemble which developed a style that also gave secular R&B, soul, and pop songs a spiritual dimension; bridging Saturday night and Sunday morning, as it were.
“I’ll Keep My Light In My Window” is a slice of joyful uplifting gospel disco, which is as needed in these times as it was when it was released in 1978. This was a great favourite of David Mancuso and Larry Levan at the time, and has remained a much loved dancefloor track for the disco cognoscenti ever since.
This came from NYCC’s second LP for RCA, Make Every Day Count, produced by Warren Schatz (who also produced The Brothers, which was Groove Line’s first reissue 12” in 2014).
NYCC released a self-titled debut album, also produced by Schatz in 1977 included the dance hit "Express Yourself," the B-side of this release in its 11m45s David Todd & Warren Schatz Disco Mix version.
All Groove Line Records releases are fully licensed and taken from the original master tapes, this 12” has been remastered and cut at half-speed by Matt Colton at Alchemy Mastering (Mastering Engineer of the Year 2013 & 2018). All vinyl is heavy weight 180g manufactured Optimal Media in Germany, one of the world’s finest pressing plants.
Groove Line Records cut no corners when making sure that each and every one of our releases has the highest quality performance possible.
Groove Line Records’ deluxe reissue of “I’ll Keep My Light In My Window” & “Express Yourself” is an essential purchase for any serious Disco, Gospel, Funk, or Soul vinyl collector who demands the very best in quality vinyl pressings. Find out more at www.groovelinerecords.co.uk More

Groove Line Records follows up the Change remix 12” from the summer with the latest instalment of our officially licensed disco remix 12”s. Next up are two exceptional disco remixes of The Salsoul Orchestra classics, “Tale of Three Cities” and “Tangerine”, by Mike Maurro, whose recent The Mike Maurro Peak Hour Remixes box set has cemented the New York producer’s reputation as one of the most respected disco remixers on the scene right now. Side A features “Tale of Three Cities” (Mike Maurro Disco Remix), one of The Salsoul Orchestra’s funkiest cuts, written by bass player Ron Baker for their debut LP. Maurro extends the arrangement to nine minutes, concentrating on the driving beat and rhythm section for the intro, subtly adding the guitar and keyboard parts before the first orchestral bridge at 1m36. Stripping back much of the orchestral elements throughout the mix he gives more space to the deftly executed solo guitar and keyboard passages and gives special attention to Vincent Montana’s vibes, taking the dancer on a beautiful journey through the Salsoul sound concluding with an instrumental, ethereal outro. Side AA features “Tangerine” (Mike Maurro Disco Remix), Vincent Montana’s skillfully rearranged version of the lilting Jimmy Dorsey pop standard which was the group’s biggest pop hit, also from their debut LP. Adding a further 6 minutes to the original version, again Maurro respectfully gives the orchestration more room to breathe over the propulsive rhythm section, gaining patient momentum throughout while exposing the best instrumental elements of the original and sprinkling just the right amount of The Sweethearts of Sigma’s vocal refrains on top. Both mixes were initially released on Groove Line’s 3CD 40th Anniversary Salsoul Orchestra Anthology as exclusive tracks.

More

Groove Line Records are proud to add to their 2015 releases of half-speed mastered re-issuesingles with The Pointer Sister's classic 1980 tracks We've Got The Power and Evil, taken from the Richard Perry produced album Special Things. This is the first time We've Got The Power has been released on a 12” single. The genre defying female family vocal group The Pointer Sisters during a critically and commercially successful career took in country, jazz, blues, soul and funk to pop, disco, dance, electronic music and rock.
More

Groove Line Records Autumn series of properly licensed rare disco / funk reissues continues with two superb slices of dance floor soul from the little known Candy Bowman - “I Wanna Feel Your Love” and “Since I Found You (Love Is Better Than Ever).” Released through RCA on 12” in 1981 under the production guidance of the team behind Stephanie Mills successful 1979 album “What Cha Gonna Do With My Lovin'” (James Mtume, Reggie Lucas), both these tracks exhibit the same smooth, subtle orchestration, instrumentation and soulfulness, and have found a loving home on dance floors and in record collections on both sides of the Atlantic and further a field ever since. “I Wanna Feel Your Love” opens with jazzy interplay between the guitars and synths then settles on the tight groove at 0m18 before Bowman's stunning, harmonised vocals build up with an intense yearning while the fluid bassline and Chic-esque rhythm guitars play with the drifting synth and horn lines all the way to the fade. The single version is also included on this release. “Since I Found You (Love Is Better Than Ever)” is incredibly smooth, mid-tempo R&B heaven, favoured by many UK DJs. The ascending piano riff which opens the track can't help but give you an immediate glow even before the beat kicks in and Bowman's joyful vocal hits the first verse. The heightened verses, in contrast to the smooth choruses, make this track perfect for the dancefloor, with a great chorus breakdown at 2m46 which rises back up and glides on the chorus to the fade. The innovative production on this track surely influenced many that came after. Due to the high quality of both of these tracks the original 12”'s are always in high demand by committed collectors. Making them the very definition of 80's Rare Groove!

More

Groove Line Records kick off our Autumn series of properly licensed rare disco / funk reissues with Mother’s Finest “Dis Go Dis Way, Dis Go Dat Way.” Hailing from Macon, Georgia, Mother's Finest were certainly not just another Southern Funk/Rock group. Taken from their Another Mother Further LP and represented here in it's 12” disco form, “Dis Go Dis Way, Dis Go Dat Way,” released as a single in 1977, exemplifies their raw, danceable Funk/Rock sound, raising them above many of their contemporaries. A true force of nature “Dis Go...” opens with a full on, dynamic afro-latin, and eminently danceable percussion sequence up to 0m46s. This sets the strong tone and tempo before making way for the Sly-esque heavyweight funk guitar and keyboard chops. From that point on the solid groove and incessant guitar riff grab hold tightly, only letting go for the oh-so satisfying ascending and desceding bridge sections which, along with the male/female synchopated vocal refrain of the title, ramp up the tension to a crescendo. At 5m30s the crescendo makes way for the dense afro-latin percussion to return for the final minute before this sometimes overlooked dance floor monster fades, leaving you thirsty for more. On the flip is another single from the same album, the funky mid-paced groover “Baby Love.” Featuring a tight, heavy, funk groove and the layered, passionate vocals of Joyce “Baby Jean“ Kennedy, “Baby Love” more than matches anything released by Rufus & Chaka. Check out the incredible synthesizer lead at 1m45s. All Groove Line Records releases are fully licensed and taken from the original master tapes, remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering, and cut by Matt Colton at Alchemy (Mastering Engineer of the Year 2013). All vinyl is heavy weight 180g manufactured Optimal Media in Germany, one of the world’s finest pressing plants. Groove Line Records cut no corners when making sure that each and every one of our releases has the highest quality performance possible. Groove Line Records’ deluxe reissue of “Dis Go Dis Way, Dis Go Dat Way” is an essential purchase for any serious Disco or Funk vinyl collector who demands the very best in quality vinyl pressings.
More

Groove Line Records completes the summer schedule with the third 12” in our series of properly licensed rare disco / funk reissues. Next up is another title from the collector’s holy grail, THE BROTHERS’ promo 12” for the 1976 album Don't Stop Now. This features one of the most sought after instrumental tracks of the 1970's, Under The Skin. A luscious disco orchestration with full horn and string sections playing alongside an infectious conga groove played and arranged by Warren Schatz and his band, THE BROTHERS. The second side has long versions of two tracks from the album, Brothers Theme and Make Love. Both tracks have the same hallmark of luxurious string and brass sections as Under The Skin with THE BROTHERS providing the driving grooves and Bhen Lanzaroni coming to the fore with his keyboard skills. All Groove Line Records releases are fully licensed and taken from the original master tapes, remastered by Nick Robbins at Sound Mastering, and cut by Matt Colton at Alchemy (Mastering Engineer of the Year 2013). All vinyl is heavy weight 180g manufactured Optimal Media in Germany, one of the world’s finest pressing plants. Groove Line Records cut no corners when making sure that each and every one of our releases has the highest quality performance possible. The next three 12s are due in the Autumn. Groove Line Records’ deluxe reissue of Under The Skin is an essential purchase for any serious Disco, Jazz or Funk vinyl collector who demands the very best in quality vinyl pressings. Find out more at www.groovelinerecords.co.uk
More