AUTOMATON
EXPOSING THE ANTI-FUNK
THE ORIGINAL SOULHEAD TALES-JAMIROQUAI Influences on Jamirotalk fansite.
JAY KAY, Who like all the Jamiroquai members had an account on the old Jamirotalk site was clearly watching the Original SOULHEAD TALES.
When people tried to Join they were asked by the Website Owner Why do you want to join Jamirotalk. Now why would you ask such a question on would ask. Well the reason became apparent after AUTOMATON album was debunked like the rest of their albums totally destroying the credibility of Jamiroquai to Forum members. The Jamiroqiuai Acid Jazz gangstalking cabal including Jamiroquai band members obviously were all present on The Jamirotalk website as the Original Soulhead tales Jamiroquai’s Influences was being dreated right in front of them.
Going back to 2017. As Jamirotalk members (The old Jamiroquai fansite) will recall Automaton was suddenly announced on the forum by fake dis info account Vintage 73 whilst I was completing the list you see on this blog. “Vintage 73” Pretending to be an old Funkster claimed that he had stopped listening to Jamiroquai but yet strangely was the first to announce the new album. That’s becuase he is part of their crowd.When it was released he then panned the album trying to mimic the behavior of less polite Soulheads who call Jamiroquai out for plagiarism. His other account Honeybee then praised the album calling some of it unique whilst another one of their accounts “Mr Mr” told us that Jamiroquai were never a retro band! Jamiroquai influences had somehow been wiped from the search engines overnight. It should also be mentioned that the Album was released the very next day after I declared the list finished and the site went down (DDOS) not long afterwards.
They will do whatever they can to hide the truth. And some of you will know that a group of them have been trolling, harassing and even trying to threaten people who quite rightly complain about Jamiroquai not giving credit to any of the bands they plagiarised. They operate just like the cabal. They use exactly the same tactics.
Automaton review
I looked at some of the reviews of this album and as you would expect they leave a lot to be desired. One of the reviews I read refereed to this album as a Daft Punk tribute album.Total rubbish and Daft Punk are nothing more than a tribute band themselves.Nothing on any Daft Punk album is original. Daft Punk are the other half of this Cultural appropriation Scam. Writers who refer to Daft Punk as EDM are rather like writers who refer to Jamiroquai as acid jazz. EDM and Acid-Jazz are both totally meaningless 1990’s terms invented by people to appropriate a sound they didn’t invent. The same with silly names like Nu acid jazz. Outsiders trying to re-classify Black music and take ownership of it.
Acid jazz never existed in the first place it’s a lie. listen to these mixes and all you will hear is a mish mash of Jazz funk, Blue note, new jack swing and so on. So don’t be fooled by fake naming conventions invented by Eddie Pillar, Gilles Peterson and the Synagouge of Satan. So called Music critics and writers who refer to Daft Punk as 1990’s EDM simply don’t understand 1970’s Euro Disco, or Electrophonic-Phunk, they don’t Know Clinton and Parliament or Roger Troutman and Zapp Let alone Mandre, The Isley Brothers or Dexter Wansel. they didn’t experience Electrophonic Phunk or the breakdancing era of the early 1980’s. They don’t know what Dace offs were or the Graffiti associated with Electro/Rap culture was.
They have never heard of Tyrone Brunson, The Soul Sonic Force, of D-Train and or the early 1980’s Electro Phunk bands like Midnight star, Starpoint, Atlantic star and all the rest. They don’t know who Kashif, Leon Sylvers or Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are. I mean have they ever heard Atomic Dog by Clinton? They know nothing of the 1980’s. They don’t have a clue. They are in these jobs because of who they know not because of what they know. So they think Daft punk invented Electro Phunk in the 1990’s. It’s just like those who refer to 1970’s Jazz Funk and Soul as acid jazz don’t understand 20th Century Soul Music. Nothing on this album belongs to Daft Punk. We heard all of this in the 70’s and 80’s. Ask your elders.
What type of album is Automaton
AUTOMATON is a Synth Pop and Soul Album. In the 1980’s it would have been classified as such. It’s commercialized SOUL. A Funk band would not have produced an album like this. Tracks such as Nice and Spicy would have made it into the Soul singles charts but that’s because they are pastiches of old Soul tracks. The Album would not have been classified as Soul. In discussions on the Wikipedia talk page Jamiroquai, who should not be reviewing their own music.(It’s a conflict of interests) remarked that they were not sure if they could use acid jazz as the overall genre on the grounds that it was loaded and contentious. Well It’s loaded because it’s a cynical attempt to Appropriate Black music. But it is in no way contentious. Its doesn’t exist. It’s a lie. It’s just Rare Groove
As for the reviewers the only thing they got right was when they called the album consistent. Well certainly it’s the most consistent album since Funk odyssey but it’s consistent for a completely different reason. Jamiroquai Soul albums and all the music on them is basically a summary of the funk time line of the 70’s and 80’s. Funk odyssey is consistent because it mimics a post disco album.1980 to 1983. To generalise slightly, albums leading up to that period, between 1977 and say 1980 at the very height of the Disco-era were hell for leather roller-coaster rides with many different styles of Jazz, Funk, Soul, Latin and Disco all crammed into one album.
Synkronised equates to albums like MJ’s Off the Wall or The Brothers Johnson’s light up the night. A Funk Odyssey’s which overlaps and would have followed Synkronised in the post disco period 1980 to 1983 equates to the Next Brothers Johnson Album, (Winners) Stevie and Jermaine Jackson’s (Lets get serious) or even The (Ladies Night) album by Kool and the Gang. Calmer softer, melodic, all on one level. One or two fast tracks then peace and tranquillity. Albums in this period left you feeling like you were back in the 70’s listening to an old Marvin Gaye album Or the calm softness of Kool and the Gang’s (Open Sesame) Album. It was a brief period of calm before the Electro-Funk storm in 82/83. It’s often quiet for long periods when a major storm is being planned.
Automaton on the other hand is consistent because its basically the same groove stretched over an entire album. It’s something they have done in the past but not across a whole album. Deeper Underground for example takes the groove of Black Britain’s (Ain’t no rocking in a police state), stretches it back to the original drumbeat and synth of early 80’s Prince’s (Lady cab driver), then back to the 70’s with The Isley Brothers, ( Stevie Wonder and his old Motown buddies The Jacksons) Johnny Guitar Watson completes the groove with (Funk beyond the call of Duty) as I see it.
Another example is Hooked up which as I see it takes the Terrance Trent D’arby’s (Dance little sister) and stretches it back to the original sound of ten years previous with Chuck Brown’s Go Go beat and Roy’s Ubiquity album with (Cincinnati), (Tongue Power) and (Brother Green) grooving away in the background. Planet Home takes the Punk funk groove of the mid 80’s, stretches back and picks up the originator Rick James, merges the Barkays take on Punk Funk (Night Cruising) adds a bit of Shalamar (Right in the Socket) then ends like a classic Earth Wind and Fire track. (Imagination) for example. It bases part of the template on Knee Deep by Parliament which kick started that deep Moog sound adding the choir into the mix E.W.F style. All Jamiroquai Soul tracks are without exception pastiches of pre-existing grooves. They are retreads and re-runs of old Soul tracks. What they do is pick a particular sound, look for common denominators , create a Musical Pastiche then sign their names to it. They have basically hoovered up almost all of the sound frequencies of 70’s/80’S FUNK for Eddie Pillar and his mob to claim as Acid jazz.
So having copied all the sounds of 70’s and Early 1980’s FUNK unless you’re going to create something new which they have shown they are incapable of, then there’s nowhere left to go in the 1980’s other than past 1987 into the New Jack Swing sound which was pretty bad. After that, well we’re in the 1990’s were they started by plagiarizing Rare Groove. So I woulds suggest they have taken the sound ambience of 1987 and stretched it they other way back to about 1979. The starting point I would say is Loose Ends and not just because the album cover colors match. At the time The SOS Band had a similar dark sound. Anyway lets go through automaton, And it should d be noted that Jay Kay in addition to stealing Music from the original Soulhead tales also use stolen artwork he obtained from hacking on his album.
.
Nice and Spicy
acid jazz
(1980’s Synth Funk)
[Manhattan Rhythm/The Bar-Kays/Fatback]
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
, That guitar and the groove sound like it’s copied from Manhattan Rhythm’s (Sweet Lady) which I had already recommended on jamirotalk for (So good to feel real). It’s that dreamy late 70’s Gamble and Huff type sound. You can hear similar on tracks like (Boogie Ooogie) By A taste of Honey. Little L copies the bassline on that track The Keyboards sound like Fatback (She’s a go getter) another track I’ve already recommended. The chorus basically copies the groove of The Bar-kays (She talks to me with her body) They haven’t been in Barkays/Commodores territory since (Feels just like it should). Another Pastiche of other peoples sounds from someone who clams that taking other peoples music is Plagiarism.
Lyrics; “I’ve been thinking about you” that was the London Beat who did a track by the same name. I call this FUNK. Other than some of the keyboard sound which is synth pop. It has a similarity to the old Brit Funk sound of Second Image (Searching but not finding) or (There she goes).
Recommendations
A Taste Of Honey (Do It good),
Commodores (Brick House),
Lukk (On the one),
Champaign (Off and on Love),
Rene and Angela (I’ll be good)
Vertical Hold (Summer time)
Vitamin
(Late 1980’s Synth Funk)
acid jazz
[Loose Ends/ Roy Ayres/ Stevie Wonder]
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
The intro’s something played backward. There were literally thousands of tracks with short electro style intro’s (Something special) E.W.F or Marta Acuna (Dance Dance Dance) for example. The song comes over a bit like the start of (Party Train) by the Gap Band. Dexter Wansel’s (Life on Mars) album is a recommendation. The groove is basically Loose Ends (A New Horizon) If you were jammin in Soul clubs in 1986/87/88 this is what some of the music sounded like. It has the feel of the era. We have Roy Ayres style keyboard’s and vocals In this track as well, all that’s missing is the vibraphone. The unintelligible lyrics are in the style of another Loose Ends track that I can’t remember. I thiink he was yodelling in the intro. The sax sounds like the intro to (Choose me rescue me) also Loose Ends.
At the end we go from the late 1980’s back to the golden year 1979 and MJ’s Off the Wall. It’s that (I can’t help it) groove again, the one that Stevie left off of the (Songs in a key of life album) yet another previous recommendation form my list. The lyrics “You got that magic touch” confirms the Loose Ends connection. (Magic Touch) is a Loose Ends track. There is a Roy Ayres track in there somewhere but I can’t remember it. So the overall feel for me is what I remember from 1987 to 1988. When British Soul was dominant.
The Loose Ends (So where are you) Album or The Roy Ayres (You might be surprised) albums are recommendations. So as you see they they haven’t changed a bit. They take other peoples music then claim ownership of it.
Automaton
acid jazz
(Early 1980’s Synth pop)
[Wayne Henderson/Stevie Wonder/ Blondie/CHIC]
Alphaville; Sounds like a melody and Stevie Wonder; All day sucker
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
This is a synth-pop track obviously. I recognised Stevie Wonders (All Day sucker) at the end of the track but not the rest of it. After I had listened to all the sounds and written a painstaking review It turned out that Jamiroquai plagiarised Alphavilles sounds like a melody from 1984! Below was my original review. I have included it so you can discover new music and similar grooves if you like Automaton. All these sounds predate the Alphaville track. So once again they have taken a copy and copied it.
Original review.
No this is not a FUNK track but it contains FUNK.. People kept claiming that Automaton is FUNK. It isn’t Funk. It’s Synth Pop. There is more to Funk than just a beat. Lets take for example track like (I wont let the sun go down on me) by Nick Kershaw. It’s Funky but it’s a synth pop track. The intro is pure Funk but the chorus is pop. That’s how synth pop songs were composed and many of these synth pop artists were closet Soulboys. They also grew up with MOTOWN and FUNK in the 60’s and 70’s and you can hear all those influences in Synth Pop of the early 1980’s. Synth pop is funky by default. The reason being is that synth pop was essentially watered down Funk played by pop bands. It’s different from normal run of the mill pop music. During interviews all of these bands would mention James Brown and or Stevie alongside their Rock idols as inspiration. They all credited MOTOWN and Soul music.
The intro sounds like classic 70’s Electronica as people call it nowadays, along the lines of Dexter Wansel, George Duke, Cerrone, Jarre, Mandre, Morroder etc. There were loads of others. It’s that bubbling synth sound which was around in the mid1970′. It was much used in early 80’s UK synth pop, Yazoo (Only you) for example. An fantastic old Brit Funk track (Running with the River) by Dave Roach has a similar intro. And (Magic Man) by Herb Alpert has a similar feel to it as well. It’s an old Groove which goes back past Stevie’s (every time I see you I go wild) and back to Original Jazz as I’ve mentioned before. (Rush over) by bassist Marcus Miller, Who you can hear delivering justice on Tom Browne’s (Thighs High) is a recommendation. I think it’s Marcus but it may be Sekou.
The track progresses and we launch into a synth bass. Lets split the bassline in two. The first part sounds like a more funked up version of a Wayne Henderson with Roy Ayres on (No deposit no return) another previous recommendation of mine, for the horns on (Blow your mind). Strip away the piano intro and the horns and there you have it. Another similar Henderson bassline is (Hot stuff). Wayne Henderson’s (Mysterious maiden) was one of my recommendations for (Black crow). Earth Wind and Fire (Turn into something good) is another candidate for the bassline.
The second part of the bassline has the “stutter” of Johnny the “Hammond” Smith’s bassline on (Tell me what to do), my recommendation for the 2nd half of the bassline of (Hooked up). So unless it’s based on something else, I see the bassline as Wayne Henderson meets Hammond Smith.The Groove of the bassline in part reminds me of old school UK Soul Man Tom Jones’s (What’s new Pussycat) as well. Again Strip away the the chaff and hear the groove. The Piano/Bassline Intro to (Holiday) by Mandrill (Which I see as the origin of the “Swan Call” on Love Fool) Is similar as well. Automaton skips a few beats but people will recognise the feel of the groove in all the above.
The chorus is Pop and the style is familiar from the first half of the 80’s, especially the way “Eyes without a face” Is sung. It may come from Billy Idol. Similar to Neil Tennant of the Petshop Boys. Synth pop isn’t my specialty but it sounds like the way He used to sing. There’s something perhaps of Men at work, an Aussie pop group who made a track called (land down under) or maybe Erasure who made a track called (sometimes). I recognise the style but I can’t say who it might be as I don’t have the knowledge of synth pop. Some of the vocal delivery sounds like The Supremes (You keep me hanging’ On) “Set me free why don’t you babe” and you “keep me hanging on” specifically.
Then groove changes. At first I thought it was Rick James/Stone city bands (All day and all of the night) That would have been the third dip into the Punk Funk as I see it. The first being (Tin Soldier), the closest track to (Music of the mind). At the time some may have seen Tin soldier as a tribute to the Johnny Hammond sound of our youth. And music of the mind is the Johnny Hammond sound. The second track they copied from The Stone City band was (Freaky), the track any Rick James/Stone City fan would have thought of when listening to (Planet Home) for the first time.
More Stevie Plagiarism; After a couple of listens I remembered (All day sucker) The ever present Stevie Wonder. Replace “Automaton” with all day sucker and there you have it. The style of singing sounds like Blondie’s rap and there’s a hint of Nile Rogers somewhere in the background maybe from (Good times). There will be other closer tracks from the synth pop world. It’s Funky but it ain’t the Funk.
EDIT; Well now I know that other track was Alphaville. And so do you!
So that confirms what I said about this being a synth pop track. Yes it’s Funky but that keyboard sound was used by synth pop bands. Compare it to the synth of The Gap Band, CAMEO and Rick James or The SOS BAND & Change at the time. THAT was the FUNK synth. Lots of people listen to Funk but not everyone can feel it. And It is a feeling. Blues and Soul magazine used to refer to it as an energy or an attitude. Its the fever. A phrase that was in existence before the film. It’s what some of you will feel when discovering the bands on my list. The FUNK was and is there to lift and guide you. It can help raise you to great heights and when things go wrong it helps Funksters cope with loss, tragedy, breakups or what inverted beings mock as soliloquies of sadness. It bought people of all races, creeds and colors together, which is exactly why the powers that be want it to die out. Or re-classify it as Acid Jazz so they c an claim they invested it.They would rather have people listen to meaningless rubbish like rap. Have communities destroyed and create friction amongst the different races and religions. That way they can get us fighting amongst each other. The excuse they need to impose their order on us. Then sometime in the future they will bring it back these sounds and claim that they invented this Energy. And then try and say it’s called Acid Jazz.
Something about you
acid jazz
(1980’s Synth pop/Commercialsed Soul)
[Junior Giscombe/Michael Mc Donald/CHIC/Barry White]
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
Another Pastiche. The four strikes at the intro switched to a piano and the four “knocks” in the background takes me back to Streatham boy Junior Giscombe and (Too late) The follow up to his transatlantic hit (Mama used to say). Yet another track I previously recommended on the Jamirotalk list. This is the very start of the 1980’s Brit Funk invasion of America. Overlaying the groove I also get the feeling of Michael MC’ Donald’s (Keep forgetting). The bassline in part also gives me Starpoint (Don’t leave me) . I recognize the guitar @ 11 from somewhere in the rock or pop world. The next part where the synth comes in I also recognize but I can’t remember if it was a Funk or Pop track. So it might be a Funk groove using synth pop keyboard’s like Fatback’s (Go Getter) on Nice and Spicy, but that’s just a guess.
The Chorus. I absolutely know that synth sound. I Recognize the singing style “it’s so tragic to loose that magic,” it’s possibly from someone like the Pet shop boys again, I can hear the song in my head but cant place it as yet. I suppose I should mention George Michael and Prince as well. And Howard Jones. Maybe it’s from a Paul McCartney and Wings Album. The singing style also reminds me of (Let em in). Macca used to mess around with the synth in his post Beatles days (Wonderful Christmas time) which I previously recommended for the (Runaway) Intro is similar.
This bit I recognise. A strike of the Violin and we go back to Nile Rogers again with a bit of that chopping guitar in the style of CHIC’s M.M F.T.C.F”. The familiar 1970’s bassline they constantly use makes a return again this time with violins. I hear this as being that of the original early 1970’s violin genius.
So its Barry White & Gloria Scott (Just As Long As We’re Together) 1974. I think there’s another track In there somewhere but I can’t remember it. It’s similar to the intro of Boney M’s disco-tised version of (sonny) one of my recommendations for the end of (Revolution 93) which I see as mostly as being based on Ronnie Laws (Momma). Maybe it’s (watching you) by Loose Ends.
Another old Brit-Funk track (Something about you) by Level 42 isn’t the same groove or bassline but it kind of gives me the same kind of feel so lets just call it a recommendation. Overall the track sounds like the sort of stuff George Michael would have done. Being a London Soulhead he knew all these 70’s sounds and combined them together in the 80’s. You can even hear The Gap bands (Burning rubber) towards the end of one of his tracks. Complex but all familiar grooves from original Funk. Knowing them we can’t rule out that they copied another track.
The Gap Band (I owe it to myself)
Dr Buzz
(1980’s Synth Pop)
[Cymande /Incognito / Loose Ends/ Barry White/ Van Mc Coy/ D-Train]
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
A slow burner, one of the reasons I never make snap judgment or do reviews of albums until I’ve listened to the tracks over and over again. I dismissed it at first but it’s quite interesting. A lot of thought has gone into this track. The intro is similar to Shokk (Amazing). The “Ooooh” sounds like Aquarian dream; (You’re a star). Another groove which incorporates the bassline of choice. British again. The drum beat sounds like the start of the classic Brit Funk drumbeat from Cymande, (Brothers on the side) There’s another closer drumbeat in the 70’s. I know that other bassline from somewhere. It’s similar to the start of (Super Woman) by Stevie. Or (Don’t be Lonely) by Cameo. “Till it’s shining bright”. It’s that “dynamite dynamite” tone of CHIC’s “Dancin, Dancin” or Kano’s (Can’t hold back your lovin) “She’s Dynamite, Dynamite”
Again I half recognise the pop chorus part. I can’t really say who if anyone it’s based on. That guitar “twang” Is familiar. Then there’s a switch in groove. …“ Can’t you see the colours”… Okay, the next part of the bassline is familiar. It sounds a bit like Part of Incognito’s (Parisienne Girl). The part they sing in Spanish (I think it’s Spanish), just before they go into the George Duke (Brazzilian Love Affair) type groove. Or maybe the chorus of another old Brit Funk track by Savanna (I can’t turn around). The keyboard sounds a bit like Jeff Lorber’s (Warm Springs) when the song gets underway not the groove but just the sound.
Another switch in groove towards the end “can you feel me…” Okay, now we’re in 1980’s London With the Sax we were all obsessed with going on in the background. Very British. Loose Ends meets George Michael. The Female vocals sound like Jane from Loose Ends or Pepsi and Shirley with George Michael. (I think they followed him from Wham but I’m not sure)
.,..Now here come SO19 (London’s armed cops). That’s the Loose Ends (Emergency Dial 999) voice in the background. (Gonna Make you mine) by Loose Ends is also recommendation for this part. “Balababa Balababa” Cameo: (Sound Table) or Parliament’s (No head no backstage pass), Ultimately Stevie as ever. George Michael did that somewhere I think.
Deep in the background I can just about hear the groove to Van MC Coy (Do the hustle).
I think he got it originally from Barry White. Which leads us into the most emotionally charged ending since the sound of the universe on Planet Home.
“Strains got a hold on me. Can you feel me and it’s hands up don’t shoot”!….Then it’s that sad heart wrenching post disco melancholy sound again. That part sounds like Big Bad James “D Train” Williams, It mimics the emotion of songs like (Trying to get over), the start and the end of (Shadow of your smile) or also (There’s something on your mind) Designed to arouse emotion like (Keep on) one of his most popular tracks.
That style wasn’t confined to D-Train of course. The Manhattan Rhythm’s groove and chorus might fit in sideways somewhere. One particular version of (Body Music) by the Strikers, a massive hit in the London Soul Underground, has a nice ending with the synth tailing off into the ether. It’s not the same groove but the same kind of feel done with the synth. It’s probably the last spectacular ending I remember.
More sad post disco melancholy type tracks with a similar emotional feel are; Maxx Trax; (Don’t touch it), Mystic Merlin; (Rock the World) and Ozone; (Strut my thang) Komiko: (Feel alright) and (Hard Times it’s gonna be alright) by Change. I’ve already recommended on the Soulhead tales. Not sure about the drum roll at the end. It sounds a bit like the end of an early 80’s Cameo Track. The new 3 man Cameo sound that is. Not the Cameo of old. Different sound. Something like (She’s strange or Single Life) would have appeared in this particular moment of FUNK history but they could have lifted it from anywhere. (Step out of my dreams) by the Strangers and Midnight express (The Danger zone) two tracks I’ve already recommend will take you back to the era the ending of this track reminds me of.
CARLA
(Synth Pop)
acid jazz
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
Just a standard 1980’s Synth pop track. It sounds a bit like the bassline of Denise William’s (lets hear it for the boy). Unlimited Touch (In The Middle) as well comes to mind. CHIC/Change style vocals in there somewhere again. It’s fairly nondescript and doesn’t go anywhere. It’s what we used to call an album filler. I would say the singing style is George Michael again. “Look what you’ve done” sounds like George Michael.
The mention of Daddy Cool. That was a track by Boney M. There is something vaguely familiar about the guitar licks in the background but it’s only very vague. Similar to Jamiroquai track (Feels so good) maybe, which I see as basically Beverly Johnson’s (Can you feel it). If it’s based on a particular track you might find it on one of George Michael’s albums but that’s just a guess. Obviously there were many doing the same Pop/Funk style during the 80′ like Culture Club. The singing Style on Stillness in Time sounds like Boy George. I don’t know. Can’t place it. Level 42 at the time of (Starchild) or Beggar and co at the time of (Mule Chant2) perhaps. It not their style but it has the same Britfunk type ambiance. Again we can’t rule out that they didn’t plagiarize it from somewhere else.
We Can do it
(Early 1980’s UK commercialised Reggae/Pop)
acid jazz
[James Brown/ The Police/ The Specials/ Fun boy 3/ Blondie]
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
This sounds like London and the UK in the very early 1980’s. Maggie Thatchers 3 million. The Specials (Ghost town) and Fun boy three (The lunatics) came into my head straight away. It’s got that “eerie/spooky” keyboard sound of the era. The Funk bassline sounds like James Brown’s (Payback) or Mandrill’s (fat city strut). The Reggae sounds like UB 40 before they became famous with their cover of (Red Wine) Or maybe Sting and the Police at the time of (Walking on the Moon). When I say reggae I mean British commercialised Reggae. Old school Roots Rockers don’t consider this to be true Reggae music. They were as fussy as SOULHEADS when it came to Oldschool vrs the commercialised stuff. However the commercialized sound made Reggae more popular and won it many many fans all over the world. Blondie’s rap/rapture is in there somewhere think as well. The singing style is really The Wailers style. They were Bob Marley’s girls. I don’t know enough about reggae to say if they invented that style though. There was plenty of it in the Lovers Rock camp. Singers Like Janet Kay for example.
So if we go back to Synkronisd, (Canned heat) is a musical snap shot of 1980/82 George Duke/Imagination/ Brothers Johnson and the last days of the CHIC empire. (Where do we go from here) is also a pastiche of the same time period with Skyy, Tom Browne, The Whispers, Confunkshun, Gwen Mcrae, The Isleys ect all merged into one track. This song sounds like another pastiche of the era. Fans of Reggae, Popsters, Skinheads or kids who were into bands such as Madness & Bad Manners would maybe have bought this one. Soulboys and Girls around this time would have been celebrating Juniors no1 hit in America, listening to D-train and the new E.W.F album (Raise). In London brave Soulheads have would be climbing to the tops of buildings putting up Ariel’s to broadcast the Funk over London Town. Solar Radio, LWR, Invicta and the like are Heroes of the British Soul Movement.So this song belongs in that era. If it’s based on a particular track then I don’t know it. UB40 or Sting and Police maybe. Try the albums of The specials and explore the other bands I have mentioned for more of this early 80’s sound.
Shake it on
(1980’s Synth pop)
acid jazz
[Moroder/Nile Rogers/Beverly Johnson/Herbie Hancock/Yazoo]
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
An old school synth sound. It’s the bubbling synth sound of Moroder/Cerrone/Mandre again though it sounds more like the British version of it. (I feel love) by Donna Summer was the first big hit with that sound that I remember but others were doing it in the 70’s as well. (Only you) by Yazoo and (Vienna) by Ultravox spring to mind. Pop band Soft Cell as well. I would say this is based on (Spacer) a famous track Nile Rogers did with Sheila B Devotion but synthesized up.
As the groove heats up the rhythm guitar sounds like Beverly Johnson’s (Can you feel it)….again. There is the groove ambiance of (Twilight Clone) by Herbie Hancock, yet another track that I previously recommended on the SOULHEAD TALES You can tell Kay was Watching. I think there is a lead guitar lick from Herbie in there as well from around the time of (Ready or Not). It might be on that album. It’s the same lick you can hear on Canned heat @ “Hey dj let the music play”, (Drop the Bomb) by Trouble Funk one of my recommendations for the underlying groove on (Hooked up) has it as well. Gayle Adams (Love Fever) is another one. Some of the bassline sounds like the intro to (Go all the way) by The Isley Brothers and an old James Brown song I can’t remember.
Now we switch to Funk and It’s the ever repeating bassline slapped like “Thunder thumbs” Johnson on George Duke’s (Funkin for the thrill), then at the three strikes and the flutter of the violins we’ve got the Brothers Johnson’s intro to (Stomp!). Thats what I can hear and there’s nothing new here at all.
Delegation (In the Night) and (69 Times) By Rick James and Seduction by Rick and Val Young would be a recommendations. Other than that go to my recommendations for Mr Moon for this moody sound.
Nights out in the jungle
(1980’s Commercial Soul/Pop)
acid jazz
[Blondie/Ray Parker junior/Queen/Herbie Hancock]
(Credited to)
Jay Kay
Stevie Wonder’s Part time Lover . Again the bassline is split into two. Again a pastiche of 1979/81. So a Ray Parker Junior/Queen/Herbie song sung in the style of Blondie. Interesting. The first three bars sound like the intro to (You Can’t hurry Love) by The Supremes. (The 60’s Motown era girl band that gave us Diana Ross). The other half of the graft sounds like the second part of Ray Parker Junior’s (You can’t fight what you Feel ) Copied by Queen on (Another one bites the dust), although I think they give credit to Bernard and Nile Roger’s (Good Times) as being their inspiration. We got the old Pint dodgers “chink” “chink” going on in the background again ie Liston Smith’s ever re-appearing (Expansions groove). They have used that groove over and over again.
That’s the “Ding dong” and sound of Blondie (Rapture and Heart of glass) or perhaps Brian Ferry’s (Love is a drug) going on in the background. Ultimately CHIC on (I want your love).
There’s something from FUNK band Pleasure in there somewhere in there as the horns start to rise (Cant turn you loose) maybe. Pleasure are never far from jmq track…
…now there’s an immediately recognizable synth rift from the 1970’s TV program Ironside by Quincy Jones Or (Lucky fellow) by Leroy Hutson…. The song gets darker. There’s something of the (Sexy MF) groove by Prince or maybe (Dancing now) by The Bee Gees..
…..Now we are outside in the night and the title of the song begins to makes sense. That’s the Pan pipes from Herbie Hancock’s (Watermelon man). It makes sense to me at least because songs like this,(Razzia) by Patrice Rushen, (Ife) by Miles Davis and (Hornets) by Herbie Hancock were in the 1970’s often interpreted as the jungle at night.
It’s similar to how the Latin sound of the mid 70’s like Deodato’s Superstrut and especially Stevie Wonders Latin stuff was always played when images of Brazil flashed up on Telly. The Herb Albert sound was associated with UK TV game shows, like It’s a knockout, The Manhattan Skyline with the sound of David Shire or the 1970’s Car chase “Blaxploitation” type movies with early 1970’s Jazzfunk. Tracks like Shaft. As I think I mentioned elsewhere there is a whole lot of great 1970’s Orchestral instrumentals which featured in films and in TV shows of the era. There’s lots of stuff along the lines of MFSB/Salsoul/Barry White etc. Do some exploration on afternoon and you will uncover many gems.
So,In conclusion, The Pan pipes and the Intro to Herbies (Watermelon man), Patrice Rushen‘s (Razzia), The Jungle at night another musical pastiche. Blondie and Queen (Another one bites the dust) or Ray Parker Junior (You can’t fight what you feel) ending in the experimental Jazzfunk of the early 1970’s. The same thought process/template as used on previous album tracks I mentioned like Hooked up and Planet home and indeed the bulk of “Jamiroquai” Soul tracks throughout the years. Find something, find something else, find a common denominator if possible, then merge them all together adding a few “bells and whistles” or using different production values. Then tell everyone we wrote it and it’s acid jazz!
Summer Girl
acid jazz
(1980’s commercialized Soul)
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
The bassline sounds like Harvey Mason (Groovin’ you) from the late 1970’s. The sound ambiance though is that of the 1980’s. This sounds British again. The singing style takes me back to Brit Funk band Mirage and (Summer Groove). This track is more like the darker side of Brit Funk. Atmosfear, Freeeze, Shakatak and early Incognito The type of stuff I have already recommended for (Mr Moon). The dark Brit Funk Bass pick ‘n slap groove like Atmosfear‘s (Xtra Special) or Level 42 (Sandstorm). I say British ultimately all funk is American this is just our take on it. They lead the way we followed regardless of what the likes of Eddie Pillar and Giles Peterson try and tell you.
The groove changes… now we’re in the1970’s…there’s a bit of what sounds like that transcendental bridge and link to the second half of Herbie’s (Hang up your Hang ups). The part where the clavinet ends and we go off flying like the second half of (Brazilian Love Affair) by George Duke.
You can hear the same groove right at the beginning of Cameo’s nod to EWF (Sound Table) which I previously recommended for fans of (Stillness in time). The congas at the start of summer girl are more or less the same so I would say Cameo play a part in the track. The strings sound like the end of (I want your love) CHIC but just for an instant. Overall this is the sound of the mid1980’s and once again the singing style here sounds like George Michael especially the Female vocals.
Lyrics? Rick James (Money Talks)…..“She works the Corner”…
Superfresh
acid jazz
(Early 80’s synth pop)
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
Unknown, The tone is once again is familiar and I recognize the singing style. The rest of It sounds like something out of the mid to late 1970’s. The track might be aimed at the Daft punk crowd but this sound was around over a decade before they arrived. The Voice box was around in the 1970’s. Stevie Wonder, Mandre, The Isley Brothers, Cerrone, Moroder, Jarre, Zapp and the rest. Electro is late 70’s and early 80’s. Stevie Wonder was the first man with the Vocoder in the 1970’s. Not Daft Punk in the 90’s. The chorus has the classic Electro disco sound a bit like 202 machine’s. (Get up rock your body). I don’t know enough about this sound to say who it’s specifically based on if anyone. I do however know what this sound is and it can be correctly classified as Funk and Synth Pop.
Hot property
acid jazz
(1980’s Funk/Synth pop)
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
This sounds a bit like part of the intro to (Music in the streets) by Unlimited Touch looped. And yes it’s yet another one of my recommendations on the Soulhead Tales for (You give me something). Also In the mid 80’s there was a FUNK band who’s name escapes me right now. They were on UK Soul Train or Solid Soul. They did a groove with a Cameo style chorus which has a similar bassline. The Keyboard’s sound like (Don’t you want me baby) by the Human league. They were a UK Synth Pop /Funk band. They were also known in the US and were produced at some stage by Jam and Lewis. You can hear the famous Jam and Lewis drumbeat on their tribute to the Minneapolis sound (Prince, Morris and the crowd as well as Jam and Lewis) on a track of the same name. (I’m only Human) is another great Jam and Lewis penned track…..now the wowowowow” sounds like the intro to one version of Heatwave’s (Groove Line) but there’s lots of that sound all over the 70’s. The groove switches to Prince and the second half of (Batdance.) Bee Gees (You should be dancing now) is similar. Yes all three were previous recommendations on the list!
Now I can hear Africa Bambaata and the Soul Sonic Force’s (Planet Rock) keyboards somewhere in there. There is something of (Don’t stop the love) by Booker T in the groove as well. The bit that sounds like “Tell me why do you do it to me” on Main Vein. There’s some foreign language in there which sounds eastern European or Russian. Kleeer sang in German on (Taste the music). We were used to European sounding accents in the 70’s because of Euro disco and bands like Abba. There’s more in there that I recognize but can’t place. It has a sort of a British feel to it. I think I have heard this groove before though and the lyrics were something to do with a detective or the track had detective in it’s title. It had a woman on the cover of the album. I think thats where the voice comes from. But I can’t remember the tracks name. Ask Jay Kay where he stole it from.
Cloud 9
acid jazz
(Early 1980’s Commercialized Synth pop/Funk)
(Credited to)
Jay Kay & Matt Johnson
So we’ve got the Gap Band (Burning rubber intro…… again). The next part is a synth pop sound similar again to (Only you) by Yazoo or Laurie Anderson’s (Oh Superman) which I recommended for (Runaway) fans is also along the same lines. Its on other synth pop tracks as well. Maybe check Yazoo’s albums.
I absolutely remember that synth bass and those sultry keyboards from somewhere in the 80’s. I know this groove. I think it was a Funk track possibly an instrumental. It was song which sounded a bit similar to (I’ll be a freak for you) by Royalle Delight a major hit in the UK Underground. Johnny Rocca’s (Melodies of Love) is similar. Johnny came from Freeeze who laid down some of the nastiest Bass-slap grooves in the true Brit Funk period (1975-1982) The chorus is synth pop and sounds a bit like George Michael or Elton John but I don’t recognise it. Nick Kershaw, Howard Jones, Fun boy 3 or someone like that may provide some answers. (Steppin Out) by Joe Jackson isn’t the same groove but had a similar warm fuzzy feeling to it. You would have heard this on Radio 1 but not on a Soul station at least not in the UK.
So there you go THAT CONCLUDES AUTOMATON.MORE COMING……
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