Sounding simultaneously from the past, the present, and the future, the debut album 'MLDE' by Marxist Love Disco Ensemble seeks to eradicate both the trite from disco and the sobriety from political music. Half poetic, half tongue-in-cheek, this stunning compact eight-track album is influenced by Eastern European and Mediterranean 70s disco records. In the words of band member Paolo, ''it was written in response to hearing 'I love America' by Patrick Juvet. The song prompted the question: why does disco, a genre originally created by oppressed minorities, eventually become synonymous with Western capitalist excess?" MLDE seeks to break this connection.

Merging disco, post-disco 80s pop, and boogie into the fold, 'MLDE' was recorded using only analogue instruments, giving it warmth and space. Recorded on cassette, ½ inch tape, this gives moments of lo-fi abstraction between the beats of an aggressive, tight drum kit. Instruments used for this recording range from saxophone, trumpet, harpsichord, guitar, and rare analogue synthesisers. The bass sound is shaped by early 80s boogie records, whilst the influence of artists such as Hamlet Minassian can be heard in some of MLDE's more driving-disco outings, such as 'Hues of Red'. In the tradition of Soviet vocal group records, which the band has studied, some songs are sung by a vocal quartet in homage to this tradition. 

Tracks such as '1905' and 'Brumaire' have a greater pop aesthetic, with Paolo's vocal style on these more pop-driven songs evoking early 80s bands such as Orange Juice and Chas Jankel. 

The format and message of pop and disco are commonly viewed just to entertain and move bodies around a dancefloor; however, lyrically, the subjects range from dialectical and historical materialism, class struggle, Marxist theory and praxis, as well as the concept of Marxist disco music. 

Adding the icing to the cake, mastering don Joker aka Liam McLean dusted the album with his magic, giving the songs space where the room is needed, as well as the kick and punch demanded by the modern dancefloor.

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Communique

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Recapitulate

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Engineers

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Hide And Seek

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Hues Of Red

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - 1905

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Manifesto

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Material

Tracklist
Ryo Kawasaki & The Golden Dragon – A Brief Message
Yutaka – Haiku
Teruo Nakamura – Morning Mist / Steppin’ With Lord
Mabumi Yamaguchi Quartet – Dawn (Edit)
Terumasa Hino – This Planet Is Ours
Ryo Kawasaki & The Golden Dragon – You Are The Sunlight
Katsutoshi Morizono – Space Traveler
Yutaka – The Rest Of My Life
Noriko Miyamoto with Isao Suzuki – My Life
Kazumi Watanabe – “Q”
Hiromasa Suzuki – Smash
Kimiko Kasai with Herbie Hancock – Sunlight
Ryuichi Sakamoto & The Kakutougi Session – You’re Friend To Me

Image: Terumasa Hino

You Are The Sunlight - A Bit More Jazz, Funk & Soul From Japan

Hi Everybody, I’m very happy to be back with a new MFT Radio show and a very special guest : Soul Supreme from Amsterdam. 

The great musician and producer known for his great Hip-Hop and Jazz-Funk Covers put together a great hour mix session featuring his favorite tracks and main influences which shows he’s a serious head; from 70’s Soul Funk (J.R. Bailey, Odyssey, Caesar Frazier), Soul Fusion Jazz (Tarika Blue, Brother Jack McDuff,Steve Kuhn, Don Blackman), Spiritual Jazz (Weldon Irvine, Gary Bartz) and a brazilian music lover. (Hyldon, Orlandivo)
As Usual I have started this new session with my best last digging tracks from Deep Jazz like the last Greg Foat, a brand new fusion French band called Jéroboam and the killer african jazz by Gyedu-Blay Ambolley to some great club jazz tracks incuded the Last Dego and K15 projects, Turbojazz and a killer Broken Beat Bomb by Szajna.
Enjoy !

MY FAVORITE THINGS — Show #42 w/ Soul Supreme (Hosted by Psycut)

Brasil 1990 - Reynaldo Peña

Record label. Record shop. Film label. Since 1989.

Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - Recapitulate

Mr Bongo

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