Chambers Bros - Uptown

A rare live clip of the Chambers Brothers' paean to New York living, "Uptown". This particular performance is notable for the appearance of Brian Keenan, their original, stellar --but rarely captured on film-- drummer.

Gallagher & Lyle - Breakaway

Our good friend from the bay area, Tony Johnson, put us on to this recently. The original version of the hot Art Garfunkel song.

Charles and Ray Eames

Watch Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter - Preview on PBS. See more from American Masters.

Watch the full presentation on PBS.com. Looks like the Woody Allen one is there too.

Habibi

I don't know much about graphic novels, but I just got this one by Craig Thompson and I'm really into it. Wiki delves into some of the controversy over the work, but I'm sold.

Japanese Razor

These were in our hotel in Osaka. I was happy they seemed to know that my life was fresh.

The Millionaires--And The Rains Came

The Music Machine - The Eagle Never Hunts The Fly

RIP Sean Bonniwell, Part 2. The (Bonniwell) Music Machine on Shebang, introduced by a young Casey Kasem.

The Music Machine -Talk Talk

RIP Sean Bonniwell, lead singer and songwriter, who died on December 20th.

Esmeray - Ayrilik Olsa Bile

I wish we could say we found out about this from one of our recent trips to Istanbul, but the truth is we heard it on Baris K´s incredible Istanbul 70 compilation. Stunning.

Yamasuki Singers - Aieaoa

Early work from Daniel Bangalter, pka Daniel Vangarde, who, along with Jean Kluger produced the pseudo-Japanese concept album, Le Monde Fabuleux Des Yamasuki in 1971. This song went on to be a hit for African band Black Blood as "Aie a Mwana", which in turn was an even bigger hit for Bananarama in the early 80s.

The Unknown Faces at Father James Park

This is the new video clip for our new single.

Who's Who - Hypnodance

This hot number brought to you courtesy of Daniel Vangarde, a legend in his own right, in addition to being Thomas Bangalter's father.

Reparata - Shoes

This one charted in the UK in '75 but we're just hearing about it now.

Iron Knowledge - Show-Stopper

One of a kind progressive soul music from Youngstown, Ohio.

Nile Rodgers Fan on The A Train

I was reading the above book today on the A train today when some guy across from me starts laughing. His laughter was moving my way and I looked up. He was laughing because I was reading the Nile autobiography. I was kind of into the attention for some reason, but looking back, it's stupid to laugh at something so obviously not funny.
"Nile Rodgers, man. He's the best!" he says.
"Yeah, I agree." I say and I continue reading. Dude starts mumbling something and once I look up he says, "YOU a freak!" The name of the book is Le Freak, but I don't get it really and I go on reading the book. Later, guy was preaching the gospel of Islam, Christianity and Mormonism to anyone who would listen.
In related news, I recommend this book to anyone who has a serious or passing interest in Chic. Turns out Nile Rodgers can write.

Piero Umiliani - "Mahna Mahna"

I never knew about this one. Read about The Muppets use and its movement into our consciousness here.

Spin - "Grasshopper"

Steve Martin

Too much to say about this guy for me. So please just enjoy.

Pendulum

Horse Meat Disco

These guys are djaying at our show at Hiro Ballroom next week. This is their excellent remix of "You'll Disappear"--their first foray into remixing!

Nina Simone - Ain't Got No

happy Sunday, weirdos!

Soraya - "If"

Baris Manço - "Trip Fairground"

Our Turkish friend Nilufer sent this over this morning, taking a wild guess that we'd like it.

Richie Havens - Indian Ropeman

There are many great versions of this song, specifically Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll's and Frumpy's, but the original is great, too.
The eight day mill, it might grind slow, but it grinds fine.

Phenomenal Handclap Band "Following"

Please go to our website to download "Following"

Chicago "Beginnings" at Tanglewood, MA

Daptone, Dunham, Misty and Truth and Soul

Some of the best soul music in the country comes from these fantastic musicians. We've worked with some of them, but they've been front and center inspiration-wise for us for a long time. My initial impression of their sound was that they got all the recording techniques down when the conventional wisdom was that it was impossible to re-create the sound of the great soul records from the 60s and 70s. The thing was, they wasted no time actually making fantastic music not long after they dialed in their recording style.

Gabe Roth is the head of Daptone and a brilliant songwriter, producer, and musician. Leon Michels, Victor Axelrod and Tommy Brenneck are three other leaders in the New York soul scene and are all over these records. Luke O'Malley (guitar) and Nick Movshon (bass) have both played with many bands on the labels mentioned above and also have contributed tons to our records and to our live shows. You can find our single "Baby" on Truth and Soul pressed nicely on 45.

NEW SINGLE "FOLLOWING"!!!

We're releasing a song this week. Please check back here for the release info and how you can get your hands on it.

Grace Jones and the Citroen CX 2

PHB Show at Tip Top

If you're in NY, please stop by Tip Top this Sunday September 18 at 4pm to hear Brazilian Beat Brooklyn djs and Phenomenal Handclap Band.

Fatback Band - Bus Stop

Sweetwater - Motherless Child

Imaginative rendition of the Negro spiritual by the very unique and controversial Sweetwater, introduced by Bing Cosby, no less.

Earl Young

Breaking down the nuances of the Philly disco sound and the Uptight beat!!!!

Boney M - Rasputin

We've always been casual fans of Boney M, but lately they've really been striking a chord with us, no pun intended. This pair of videos rely heavily on footage from Boney M's famous trip to Russia to promote this ode to the titular enigmatic faith healer.

Boney M - Dancing in the Streets

Aug & Jools - Indian Rope Man

There are few better organ players than Brian Auger, if there are any at all. Here he is on the Tom Jones Show with his long time accomplice, Julie Driscoll, performing what appears to be an exclusively pre-recorded version of their mod dancefloor classic, Indian Rope Man.

Abbe May - Mammalian Locomotion

I'm not sure what they're putting in the water in Australia, but we need some of it here in NY.
This video does look suspiciously familiar, however.

Stevie Wonder on Musikladen

Nickolas Ashford (1942 – 2011)

Nick Ashford and his wife, Valerie Simpson, were prolific songwriters before becoming recording stars in their own right. Together they wrote the Ray Charles hit "Let's Go Get Stoned" which got the attention of Berry Gordy, who hired them as staff writers. This led to such Motown classics as the Supremes' "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing".
Later, as independent songwriters, they came up with one of our favorite songs of all time, "California Soul" for one of our favorite groups, The 5th Dimension.

Jerry Lieber (1933 - 2011)

Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller were responsible for many of the songs that have made American pop music what it is. Lieber, who died last night, was responsible for writing lyrics to such classics as "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock", as well as "Love Potion #9", "Poison Ivy", and this song, "Down Home Girl". The most famous version might be the Rolling Stones', but to us, the definitive version was recorded by the Coasters in 1966.

Fanny - Blind Alley

We really can't say enough about Fanny. Led by the Filipino Millington sisters-- Jean on bass and June on guitar-- Fanny was the first all female band to break into the top 40 with their 1971 hit "Charity Ball"
This performance features the original line up of Nickey Barclay on piano and organ, and Alice de Buhr on drums.

Fanny on the Old Grey Whistle Test

Great back to back live performances by our favorite all-female band, Fanny, from 1971.
"You're the One" and "Special Care".

Celebrity Funk pt 1. - Laura Yager

When we started DJing years ago, we had a loose genre we referred to as "Celebrity Funk". The only real criteria was a crooning lead vocal by a singer who may or may not be known outside of the music world, and an incongruently funky backing arrangement, generally provided by studio musicians who were trying to approximate the psychedelic rock sound.
This indepth study of a made-up subgenre begins with "Where's Your Love Been" by Laura Yager, a relative unknown who delivers her vocals with the swagger and panache of Nancy Wilson or Peggy Lee (both of whom we'll hear from later on).

Rubble Kings

Our friend (and fellow Filipino) Freddy Anzures was involved with the graphic design of this upcoming movie

Yugolslavian Battle Memorials

Our good friend Sarah Krasley recently turned us on to these marvels of cold war architecture.
Their full story here.

Booker T & the MGs - Time Is Tight

Great footage of the band during the Melting Pot era, doing a very dramatic rendition in 1970 at a show that apparently also featured CCR.

Michael Kiwanuka - Tell Me A Tale

We'll spare you the superlatives and poor comparisons. This is good. Listen.

Minnie Riperton - Come To My Garden

Some great stills from and nice words about the making of Minnie Riperton's first solo record, which came out while she was still in Rotary Connection. Check out Dick Rudolph's Chase shirt, btw.

The Sylvers - Wish That I Could Talk To You Baby

We love these early Sylvers songs, most of which were written by the teenaged Leon Sylvers III. This is the second part of their first Soul Train appearance, which includes an interview by Don Cornelius.

Michael Jackson & Donny Osmond host the 1974 AMA's

This is pretty weird. The look MJ gives Donny Osmond at :34 sums up his feelings about his involvement in this whole affair.

Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys - The Equals

Ok, so they're not playing live, but whatever. It's good to see these fellows doing their thing on television. Check out Eddy Grant, hamming it up on far left.

Memphis Soul Stew - King Curtis & the Kingpins

Unreal footage with almost all of the original Kingpins (Jerry Jemmott, Cornell Dupree, Bernard Purdie) as well as Truman Thomas and Warren Smith.

Unsung--The Sylvers

The first two Sylvers albums are fantastic. This bio on them is pretty great too.

Hard Ticket to Hawaii

It's summer and it's time for summer movies! These clips are a little violent for many and unwatchable for most.

Mundo Deserto by Elis Regina or Erasmo Carlos

I'm crazy about both versions of this song. Which one's better?

Wilson Pickett - Fire & Water

It's Simon Kirke's birthday, and Andy Fraser's earlier this month. Their band, Free, originally recorded this song in 1970. Here's Wilson Pickett working it out on Soul Train a year later. Keep your eyes peeled for Damita Jo Freeman, front and center, just to Wilson Pickett's left, in the maroon hot pants suit.

A Hundred Birds - Jaguar

hot cover of the DJ Rolando classic. We actually know this version best, but kinda forgot about it until we heard the original on our recent trip to London.

Handclap and Bryan Ferry

We're opening for Bryan Ferry on his U.S. tour in the fall. Please come!

Honda Rock Ads

Ohmygoodn3ss Tumblr

It is not the right angle that attracts me, nor the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. What attracts me is the free and sensual curve — the curve that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuous course of its rivers, in the body of the beloved woman.
- Oscar Niemeyer
This blog is a bit over the top, but Niemeyer would talk about beauty and he could never trump the beauty of a woman.

Bob Dylan Goes Electronica

NEWPORT, RI—Audience members at the Newport Rock Festival were "outraged" Monday when rock icon Bob Dylan followed up such classic hits as "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Maggie's Farm" with an electronica set composed of atonal drones, hyperactive drumbeats, and the repeated mechanized lyric "Dance to the club life!" "We came here to see the authentic Dylan, the one with the Stratocaster guitar and signature wild blues-rock band behind him," audience member Robert Hochschild said. "Then he walks out with these puffy headphones, some turntables, and a laptop? The guy's a Judas." When asked later about his musical transformation by reporters, Dylan said he had nothing to say about the beats he programs, he just programs them.

Lindsay Buckingham

Mim Suleiman -- "Mingi"

Francios K played this at the London Loft the other day.

Stallions "Tears Remix"

The Phenomenal Handclap Band - Tears (Stallions Remix) by ESP Institute
Doug Lee and Andrew Lovefingers have done incredible work on this remix. Get the 12" before it sells out. David Mancuso played this recently.

Residency

We're doing 4 weekly shows in August at this venue in NY. Small venue and guest deejays. Please come!

Marcos Valle and Phenomenal Handclap Band

Phenomenal Handclap Band & Marcos Valle - Tudo o Que Você Podia Ser by iRieFicus
It's an honor for us to have recorded this track with Marcos Valle for the new Red Hot comp. Marcos is one of our idols and it's great to share time with him on this song. It's a bit odd that we didn't cover one of his songs as he's an incredible songwriter. But Lo and Marcio Borges are not slouches either.

Gil Gunderson

ARP

First Boner

One of our favorite blogs.

Xavier -- "Do it to the Max"

My motto

Recording at RAK

We recorded our second album at legendary RAK Studios in St. John's Wood, London in January. They've asked us back to record some songs from their storied catalog. Below are a couple photos and a few videos that pertain to their history.


Mickie Most built this studio in 1977. The photo below features Mr. and Mrs. Most along with members of The Arrows, Mud, and our favorite, Hot Chocolate.

John Leyton - Johnny Remember Me

It might be that we've been recording in London for the past two and a half weeks, or maybe it's our current fascination with Joe Meeks. Either way, this song has been sounding particularly good of late.

Telstar - The Joe Meek Story

Because of this movie, lent to us by Robbie Baby, we're now obsessed with Joe Meek. Very good indeed.

Voices of East Harlem -- Run Shaker Life

Manfred Mann -- "One Way Glass"

Bubbalicious

Arzachel - Queen St. Gang

Deetron - Isotope

Eric Burdon & WAR - Love Is all Around

Stunning live version of one of DJ Daniel's signature tracks.

Eric Burdon & WAR - Tobacco Road

Still can't believe the footage of this band