‘It’s Passion’ (Instrumental) by The System (1982)

This record is pure fire. David Frank was and is a sick producer and arranger. I originally thought that Frank and singer Mic Murphy called their group ‘The System’ because Frank used the Oberheim System to write and produce. Apparently Frank was using these units, but Oberheim only re-branded the product line after The System had released records and had success. Frank has produced and or arranged such hits as ‘I Feel For You’ by Chaka Kahn, ‘Juicy Fruit’ by Mtume, ‘Sussudio’ by Phil Collins, ‘Higher Love’ by Steve Winwood, and ‘Genie In a Bottle’ by Christina Aguilerra. The dude is a hit maker.
Singer Mic Murphy got his start working for notorious record producer Jacques Fred Petrus at his Little Macho publishing company in New York. David and Mic met while both were on tour with the funk band Kleeer, David playing keyboards, and Mic working as the band’s road manager. ‘It’s Passion’ was The System’s first single, getting the duo signed to Mirage records. Pre-fame Madonna was originally supposed to sing on the record, but she and David had creative differences. David then invited Mic over, and the magic began. The System went on to record a few albums and had a couple of hit singles with ‘You Are In My System’ and ‘Don’t Disturb This Groove’. I’d also like to note that they performed the theme song for one of my favorite movies, ‘Coming To America’.
I can never get enough of this record, so for me, it really is passion.

‘Coda’ by Amin Peck (1982)

Amin Peck. Man, I love this record, but I don’t know much about these guys. I have another record of theirs called ‘Suicidal’ that’s also pretty cool. Coda is an instrumental track with basic but well thought out elements. Even the guitar at the end sounds great.
I was given this record by my old friend Barry Lederer back in 1999 or 2000. Barry passed away earlier this year. When I met Barry I was just beginning to get into deep disco and italo. I would ask him about a record that I had heard, and he would respond by playing me 10 other records that blew my mind. In his old office/studio there must have been at least 80,000 records. There was a dedicated record room that was staggering. It had rows and rows of floor to ceiling shelving units, packed with disco, soul, and rock records. It was paradise. I remember looking for Moroder's 'E=MC2' LP and he literally had 10 unplayed promos. That's one small example. We would hang out for entire days just listening to records. Barry would tell me stories from the earliest days of disco. He was there. He not only Djed, but wrote the ‘Disco Mix’ column for Billboard magazine (which he took over from legend, Tom Moulton) and was 1/2 of the Graebar sound system team, famous for designing and building the sound systems for such famous venues as the Trocadero Transfer (San Francisco), The Saint (New York), and Probe (Los Angeles). I miss Barry. I’m thankful for the time that I had with him, and all that he taught me.
Take a few minutes to read more about Barry here.  This one’s for Barry.

‘Another Life' (Instrumental) by Kano (1983)

Kano. How do I love thee? Let me not count the ways right now. I’m a huge Kano fan. I picked up the self titled 1980 LP with “I’m Ready” and “It’s a War” on it while still in space high school and was floored by it. The arrangements, vocals, and synth patches were unique and really caught my ear. The writing/production team of Stefano Pulga and Luciano Ninzatti was a dancefloor force that rivaled any of the disco greats, in my opinion. ‘Another Life’ was a single from the 1983 album of the same name. The album also featured ‘Ikeya-Seki’ and ‘Dance School’, two more great Kano jams. The vocal version of ‘Another Life’ features an American singer, Glen White, on vox. Glen’s heart-felt vocals soar over the track, and the 80’s dancefloor power is in abundance. It’s really an exciting record. While I love that version and blast it in my space-cruiser often, I tend to play the instrumental out more because the chorus on the vocal version is a bit much for the typical space party. Kano fans would love it, but how many Kano fans are really out there at a civilian dance party? The vocal version is all over the web, so here is the instrumental.

Take a second to watch this amazing lip-synced performance of ‘Another Life’ from 1983:

Zartek Heading Back To Earth

Humans. Sorry to have left you. I've been quite busy on all sorts of space journeys. While I love records, sometimes other things such as Feldercarp cleanup can take up all of my time. It looks like the harvest is just about over and I will post soon. In the meantime, tune in to the best internet radio station for disco and electro lovers: Intergalactic FM. Much Love! - Zartek