Playing Away

Playgroup - Model Noise

Ripped from a 12" vinyl single released on Virgin France (600 564) in 1983 to high resolution 24-bit flac audio.

A1 Model Noise
A2 Wooden Soldier
B1 Model Noise (Hip Mix)

Playgroup - Play Group

Ripped from a vinyl mini long player released on Virgin France/Mankin Records (70 269 in 1984 to high resolution 24-bit flac audio.

A1 Water
A2 Memories
A3 Love Goes Round (Edit Version)
A4 Water (New York Mix) (U.S. Version)
A5 Hip Left
B1 Love Goes Round (Maxi)
B2 Love Goes Round (Remix)

Here are two rarities from the early back catelogue of New York electro-pop funksters Playgroup. Eventually to team up with Mark Kamins for a one off Factory Benelux release, these boys snuck out their early product on to the French market only but their sound is very much in the early eighties New York pop groove. Perhaps they felt that particular market was congested, or more likely they just couldn't get a deal. Love Goes Round was also a single in it's own right, and the mini album appears just to be an expansion of the original French 12".

To this listener, I hear all those fabulous (but every so slightly dated) trademarks of the NY scene tinged with elements of New Order, early Quando Quango and blog favourites Set The Tone. Enjoy!

Jam On It

Playgroup - Epic Sound Battles Chapter Two

As promised here is the second Playgroup album in superb lossless quality. Like the first, this was originally planned as an On-U Sound release but then licensed out to Cherry Red. The line-up reduces in size from the first: Ras Levi (Dub Syndicate), Style Scott (Creation Rebel), Bruce Smith (The Pop Group), Steve Beresford (too many to mention), Bonjo I (African Head Charge), and Lol Coxhill all contribute - we all can guess who produces and blends the whole thing together.

The mix of styles and influences here is impressive - from dub to funky soca to urban jazz, this record packs them all in. It's the sound of a multi-cultural eighties London finding it's feet after being suffocated by a thatcherite smog - the wonderful Going Overdrawn sums everything up into one track, I don't recall ever hearing a track mixing Russian violin, steel drums and slap bass. Nobody makes records like this anymore. Enjoy!

Originally planned to be an On-U Sound release (ON-U LP26) but shelved. Ripped here from a 1983 vinyl album released on Cherry Red Records (BRED 52).

A1 Ballroom Control

A2 Going Overdrawn

A3 Going For A Song

A4 Haphazard

B1 Squeek Squawk

B2 Shoot Out

B3 Lost In L.A.

B4 Burned Again

B5 Night Shift

Play Hard

Playgroup - Epic Sound Battles Chapter One

Are we all sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin. Imagine members of The Pop Group, Rip Rig and Panic, Dub Syndicate, African Head Charge, London Underground, Crucial and New Age Steppers all collaborating on a highly charged album of heavily dubbed reggae beats, hard funk, and dark jazz. Sounds intriguing doesn't it? Most will likely have overlooked this 1982 gem as a planned On-U Sound release was aborted, and the end product licensed to Cherry Red Records instead . Adrian Sherwood produces of course. Another long lost classic from the On-U Sound team which sits comfortably alongside better known classics of the same era like Sextet and Seven Songs. Chapter two is ripped and will follow soon. You can read more about it here. Play Loud. 

Originally planned to be an On-U Sound release (ON-U LP11) but shelved. Ripped here from a 1982 vinyl album released on Cherry Red Records (BRED 28).

A1 Bomb Scare
A2 Epic Sound Battle
A3 Crunch
A4 The Slither
A5 Burn Up
B1 Deep & Mintyful
B2 Silent Mover
B3 Epic One Drop
B4 Shock Absorber
B5 No Speed Limit
B6 Hoggs Might Fly

Playgroup - Euphoria

Playgroup were a New York electro-pop dance trio affiliated with Latin Rascals. Factory snuck this catchy little number out in 1985 with absolutely no publicity (no surprise there then!). Considering that Factory mainstays New Order were about to despair us with State of The Nation and Shellshock, the label would have been better off giving this single a push. I think it is rather good .....oh and it sounds like New Order should have in 1985. This single deserved a re-rip on the new deck so here it is.

Remixed by Mark Kamins. Dub Mix by Latin Rascals. Re-ripped and re-posted by Blogmeister

Euphoria : re-ripped to lossless FLAC from a 12" single snuck out on Factory Benelux (FBN 49) in 1985
A. Euphoria (Dance Mix)
B. Euphoria (Dub Mix)

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