Up & Down (Something Else! 7/14/11 on Wtnr Radio.com)

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Starting us off is \”No Name Bar\” by Isaac Hayes, an instrumental from one of the most successful movie soundtracks of all time, Shaft.  Naturally, this is followed by \”Rankin\’ #1,\” Latyrx funky boast explaining why they are the best!  Although this always has to be taken with a grain of salt (or two) I enjoy the braggadocio element of hiphop music when it\’s done cleverly.  80s Brazilian superstar, Djavan brings us \”Aquele Um.\”  I remember him practically being a household name in the 80s with the \”smooth jazz\” crowd and you can see why with his lovely voice and solid songwriting.  I still love his collaboration with Manhattan Transfer, \”Soul Food To Go.\”  The next tune is a well done cover version of another 80s legend, Oliver Cheatham\’s \”Get Down Saturday Night.\”  That track has wound up on European compilations from the UK & Spain.  This version is by The Wonderful Sound Of Induce! and even though it\’s not slavishly faithful to the original, it still has that 80s \”boogie\” vibe, \”Get Down Saturday Night (Renzo Remix.)\”  Keeping it retro, the next two tracks are heavily influenced by vintage music, \”Lights (Shook Remix)\” by Ellie Goulding with slowjam elements and \”Frantic Moment (Boogie Mix)\” by Quango openly stating it\’s boogie influence, which makes sense as the original version of this song is from the P-Funk family\’s legendary guitarist, Eddie \”Maggot Brain\” Hazel.  Speaking of P-Funk, \”Pumpin\’ It Up\” by P-Funk All Stars adds even more weight to the boogie/P-Funk connection with the fat bass lines and funky keyboards.  Usually, I can\’t stand \”funny\” songs, i.e., music with primarily on the idea of being humorous rather than stellar music that also *happens* to be comical.  I can\’t imagine that Indian Ropeman\’s \”Dog In The Piano (Danielsan\’s Pet Rescue Mix)\” was made without trying to induce laughter, but fortunately it\’s also a great track without the comedy.  The vocals are from a routine from the Jerky Boys, who did whole albums of recorded prank calls with ridiculous (false) premises–this one, of course, is about a dog stuck inside a piano.  One of the things that seems to be disappearing in the iTunes single-oriented digital music world is the \”maxi-single\” with alternate versions of a track.  \”Blast Jam (Percussion Jam)\” by Konk is from a vinyl single I\’ve had for ages.  I never liked the original tune (cheesy post-punk art-dance from NYC) but the percussion track always worked for me.  \”Earth Is The Place (Restless Soul Peaktime Mix)\” by Nathan Haines is a soulful house track with remix duties by Phil Asher.  \”Baby Laser Love (Dapuntobeat Remix)\” by Ursula 1000 feat Ms. G is one of those email box promos that I love!  Ursula 1000 going electro-style again with a fun grrl-rap (think Peaches, but safe for work.)  The closer downshifts for an easy glide home with Jeff Beck\’s \”The Final Peace.\”