When you think of a DJ named Morales out of New York City, you can be forgiven for thinking of David first. John Morales - half of the famous M & M production team - has been out of the music industry for some years, and the sort of remix niche he carved out of the hindquarters of the music industry in the 1980s doesn't really exist anymore. But as a producer and the archetypical man behind the console of some of the greatest club hits of the 1980s, Morales and his remix partner Sergio Munzibai burned out the wilderness for the super producers and remix masters that came after them. This double CD collection is a fascinating retrospective focusing on his more underground edits (much like Steve Hurley's ID Productions later, the "M & M sound" was such an in-demand commodity that the duo would be hired for a wide variety of pop remix gigs, earning more than three dozen gold and platnium records for them). CD1 is a peek into the reportedly huge vault of unreleased acetates and reel-to-reels spliced together with tape and a straight razor that John still owns, including Ronnie Dyson's "All Over Your Face" and two cuts from Universal Robot Band. CD2 contains a number of John's unreleased cuts from his days remixing for Salsoul, from "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" to Instant Funk's "No Stoppin' That Rockin'". Something like 35 years after following Jellybean Benitez at the Stardust Ballroom in the Bronx, Morales is still a DJ at heart: you can sense the consideration that went into this selection and even the order of the tracklisting. No underground disco head should be without this collection.

 

+ Where Can I Find It?

Online at Traxsource. Every track can be previewed at BBEMusic.com. -tm

 

+ Track Listing	Duration	Recommended
01: Tony Adderly - I Ain't Mad At You (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	7:53
02: Ronnie Dyson - All Over Your Face (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	7:14
03: Curtis Hairston - I Want You (All Tonight) (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	7:25
04: Julia & Company - Breakin' Down (Sugar Samba) (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	8:56
05: Cubie Burke - Down For Double (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	6:58
06: Universal Robot Band - Wanna Be Your Lover (Demo Version)	4:08
07: La-Rita Gaskin - Never Can Say Goodbye (Demo Version)	5:17
08: Bumblebee Unlimited - Lady Bug (I Just Wanna Be Your Lady Bug)	7:08
09: Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even (Club Version)	12:45
10: Inner Life - Ain't No Mountain High Enough (JM 4AM Mix Pt. 1)	10:46
11: First Choice - Happy Love Affair (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	7:27
12: Logg - Lay It On The Line (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	11:17
13: Logg - (You've Got) That Something (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	10:24
14: Skyy - Because Of You (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	8:13
15: Inner Life - (Knock Out) Let's Go Another Round (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	9:58
16: Logg - I Know You Will (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	9:14
17: Funk Deluxe - This Time (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	5:39
18: Instant Funk - No Stoppin' That Rockin' (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	6:49
19: Margie Joseph - Move To The Groove (JM After-Session M&M Mix)	7:43
20: Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even (Demo Version)	6:35
21: Inner Life - Ain't No Mountain High Enough (JM 4AM Mix Pt. 1&2)	17:12

 

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:: posted jan 14 by terry matthew in music reviews, december 2009 issue