Dinner Music 127: The weekly lineup
disco, california funk, "mischievous" synth-soul
Last week, I played some records at Gold Line in Los Angeles. They have a massive and extraordinary collection that I got to pick from. This week, we’re listening to some of the records and songs I played there, as well as others that I heard while I explored the city. Want to give a special shout out to Stones Throw Records, who sent me some records and introduced me to go the Gold Line folks.
We begin with Cloud One (54), a project from iconic disco producer Patrick Adams. Atmosphere Strut encapsulates what that era was about — disco, funk, early electronica, R&B. It’s sound is sweeping, with wide wah-wahs coming from a Minimoog to hearty, soulful piano chords that could’ve backed a Four Tops track from the decade prior. This album is an instant dance floor filler, complex enough to keep you listening and catchy enough to keep you dancing. We move into Blowout from John Carol Kirby, released by Stones Throw Records. The album, inspired by a stay in Costa Rica, “is about enjoying yourself even though life is touch, before the candle blows out,” so says Kirby. There’s jazz, funk, soul, campy synth work in this project, at once happy and a touch melancholy, as tropical life tends to be. Next, we have upbeat and funk-heavy record Flying Start from the Blackbyrds. I had dinner with a friend in LA and they said that “Love is Love” was one of the first songs they heard post-first wave vaccines, when the world seemed like it was coming back together. It’s a great track, full of life, and the rest of the record follows the same line. Then, we have Spanish new wave album No Es Pecado from Alaska Y Dinarama, an electropop duo from the eighties. With a high-gloss fusion of synth-pop and glam rock, the album holds camp and sincerity equally in its palm. This is an two-in-the-morning-windows-rolled-down-hair-blowing-in-the-wind kind of album. We end with a compilation of rare tracks from a Southern California funk group, Apple & Three Oranges.
Enjoy.
The playlist: Spotify / Apple Music
Paid subscribers have access to the full Dinner Music archive (via Spotify and Apple Music), an after hours playlist, a “New York Grooves” playlist and more — hundreds of hours of groove, soul, jazz, folk, samba, hi-life, disco, electro, post-punk, funk and more, lovingly selected.
Plus, paid subscribers get a monthly playlist and albums recs for new music.
Monday
Atmosphere Strut - Cloud One (1976)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Tuesday
Blowout - John Carol Kirby (2023)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Wednesday
Flying Start - The Blackbyrds (1974)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Thursday
No Es Pecado - Alaska Y Dinarama (1986)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Friday
Free and Easy - Apple & Three Oranges (1970s)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Pair with
Miso Mushroom and Leek Pasta. Very easy weeknight pasta recipe. Here’s a non-paywalled recipe in case you don’t have NYT cooking.
Citrus and honey focaccia. Spring time breads! The acidity here cuts the bread in just the right away, plus the sweetness of the honey gives this a little special something that pairs really well with the rosé below.
Rosato Frizzante. This winemaker also makes a very good white frizzante, usually for a very reasonable price, too!
Dirty Projectors’s profile in the New Yorker. ‘The album was a bid for universality; it was received as a self-portrait. “Either I was doing some sort of trance on myself or I was really naïve about the separateness of art and life,” Longstreth said. “Maybe I got into a tunnel with that album. I don’t love to talk about it.”’
A very good music video from a very good artist:
Thanks y’all. Have a great week.
Paid subscribers get access to the un-curated playlist each week, full of all of the tracks I considered for the weekly playlist. This week, it’s 2+ hours. Links below.