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LP
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BEWITH 054LP
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2024 repress. Be With Records presents a reissue of Vaughan Mason and Butch Dayo's Feel My Love, originally released on Salsoul in 1983. If ever an album could transport one to the hazy sunshine and imagined halcyon paradise of Southern California in the mid-1980s, or could capture the early evening warmth of hanging at an inclusive boogie jam as it approaches "magic hour" in Santa Ana or Anaheim, then it's Feel My Love. A brilliantly produced deep slung, low rider funk classic, it's a masterpiece of "funk love music." A perfectly formed five track mini LP of unparalleled heat, there's one song here that, above the rest, represents Orange County boogie-funk. A straight killer beloved by all that have had the pleasure of moving to it. A track that can fill up a dance floor within seconds of its starting. That song is the eternal title track, "Feel My Love". This is a work of art that made people fall in love with the funk -- it transcends the limitations of genre. "Feel My Love"'s deceptive simplicity makes it perfect to drop during a house set, a classic funk party or at a west coast rap jam. It's sexy, deeply emotional, melancholic, hopeful, passionate and just radiates so much raw energy -- this is music. The rest of the record is hardly filler though. Opener "Oh, Love" is a dizzying, emotional slow jam. With heaven-sent vocals riding gorgeous, sweeping keys that alternate between sweet twinkling lines and funk-fuelled stabbing -- it's sensational. A rollerskating jam named "Rollalong Songs" is an ultra-swish piece of dance floor dynamite; its slick drums, staccato piano, and neck-snapping claps underscore Dayo's buoyant vocals. It's essentially "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll Part II". The flip begins with "Party On The Corner" with smoother-than-silk vocals, day-glo synths, a bubbling bassline, and guitar licks that would surely receive the Prince seal of approval. It's another example of how Mason and Dayo flirt with perfection so routinely. The majestic closer, the kaleidoscopic, cow-bell-assisted synth-funk heater "You Can Do It" is a proto-rap groover that truly smokes. This LP is a stone-cold jam and finding original copies on vinyl at affordable prices has been tough for years. Mastered by Simon Francis, cut by Pete Norman, with lovingly reproduced artwork, this Be With reissue ensures this legendary LP now sounds, looks and feels as sensational as it should. 180 gram pressing.
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