Electric Blue | 02

"Feel Alright (Extended Disco Version)" - Komiko

"So Glad Mark Wayward Edit" - Mark Wayward

"Let's Talk About Love" - SLMDNK

"When You're Standing On The Top (SoulSeduction Stand On Mix)" - Super 3

"Give Me (U.S Remix)" - I Level

"I Love You" - Karriem

"Theme For Someone Special" - Aged in Harmony

"Play It By Ear" - Cojo

"Too Tight (Long Version)" - Con Funk Shun

"Let Me Show You" (Extended Version) - Larry Wu

“Feel Alright (Extended Disco Version)” — Komiko

Komiko’s short-lived studio project on SAM Records brought together producer Gary R. Turnier of Gary’s Gang and New York club auteur Darryl Payne, with a song penned by Queens songwriter Nick “Nicky” Braddy; the 12 inch was mastered by Herb Powers Jr. at Frankford/Wayne, which helps explain the outsized low end synth-bass. Payne’s fingerprints link Komiko to the same New York post-disco ecosystem that produced Sharon Redd and Sinnamon for SAM and Prelude.

“So Glad (Mark Wayward Edit)” — Mark Wayward

London editor Mark Wayward’s early-2010s cut-and-extend approach on “So Glad” trims fat and leans into the pocket; circulated on his SoundCloud. Respectful rather than revisionist, the drums are strengthened, phrases looped to extend the sweet spot, and enough runway added for the long blend.

“Let’s Talk About Love” — SLMDNK

A chrome-bright boogie edit to serve as a late-set connector. Sydney-based SLMDNK’s edits surface in Australia’s community-driven series That’s Not An Edit, Vol. 14, with “Let’s Talk About Love” slotted among like-minded boogie and radio-soul reworks; his footprint lives primarily through SoundCloud and local crews. The TNAE compilations function as a running chronicle of the scene and a showcase for edits that rework early-80s arrangements for today’s dance floors.

“When You’re Standing On The Top (SoulSeduction Stand On Mix)” — Super 3

A 1982 12 inch on Street Beat by Super 3, an old-school disco-rap hybrid prized by breakers living a second life through 12 inch rips and private edits; this version was produced by Athens-based SoulSeduction (aka Nikos Tsifis), whose SoundCloud and Bandcamp catalogs deliver recuts that tighten drum imaging, extend breaks, and bring overlooked B-sides into rotation. The title’s echo of the Temptations and Rick James collaboration “Standing On The Top” helps situate Super 3’s bass-forward, post-Parliament swing in the 1982 club vernacular.

“Give Me (U.S. Remix)” — I Level

London trio I Level—Sam Jones, Jo Dworniak, Duncan Bridgeman—brought Brit-funk subtlety to “Give Me”, then handed the U.S. club remix to Boston-born John Luongo; the American 12 inch carries Luongo’s extended and dub versions that pull the bass out front and lace percussion edits throughout. Collectors will find the U.S. Remix on Arthur Baker Presents Dance Masters: John Luongo.

“I Love You” — Karriem

A cult mid-tempo 1979 single from Oakland’s Pashlo Records, “I Love You” was reissued by Favorite Recordings in 2016, was originally a rare local one-off produced by Pashlo founder Leroy Smith, who also ran Ocampo Records and worked early with Darondo. Sincere in the best way, the original 7 inch is scarce, which made the 12 inch and digital reissue a small event in modern-soul circles. The Favorite Recordings edition revives both short and long versions while preserving the roomy drum sound and electric-piano lead.

“Theme For Someone Special” — Aged In Harmony

Perhaps my favorite track on the mix, featuring Detroit soul, string-sweetness, rhythm-section discipline and gorgeous guitar. Private-press trio Aged In Harmony cut their Mor-Tones singles in the mid-to-late 70s, written and produced by Arnold Moore; the catalog returned via the Melodies International “You’re A Melody” 3×7 inch box (2016 and 2021), which paired “Theme For Someone Special” with “I Feel Like Dancin’” and helped move the group from collector lore to DJ nugget. “You’re A Melody” party history fed the reissue’s momentum and primed the Detroit sessions and Mor-Tones run for a new audience.

“Play It By Ear” — Cojo

Originally issued in 1984 as “Play It By Ear” b/w “Heads Up,” this indie boogie 12 inch resurfaced on Serge Gamesbourg’s archival project Boston Goes Disco!, a BBE compilation dedicated to obscure disco and modern soul from Boston and surrounding Massachusetts scenes between 1977 and 1985. Gamesbourg’s notes point to Berklee-era connections and a web of small studios and bespoke labels, placing Cojo in a regional continuum of 7 and 12 inch dance records that rarely traveled beyond local radio or club circuits at the time. Dry drums, rubber bassline, and guitar figures that leave space for the sincere vocals.

“Too Tight (Long Version)” — Con Funk Shun

“Too Tight” opens the 1980 album Touch, recorded at The Automatt in San Francisco and produced by the band, with veteran arranger Jerry Peters handling strings and horns while guitarist Michael Cooper penned the tune whose bassline and clipped rhythm guitar became a live set piece. As a single, “Too Tight” peaked at 8 on Billboard’s R&B chart, 25 on the Dance Club chart, and 40 on the Hot 100 in 1980–81, sealing it as a crossover funk classic, and it now sits alongside “Ffun” and “Shake And Dance With Me” in the group’s canonical run.

“Let Me Show You (Extended Version)” — Larry Wu

Cut for Atlantic in 1984 and produced by Amir Bayyan, the 12" Extended Version is the original long vocal mix (6:30) issued on a US promo, and later reissued digitally under the ‘Extended Version’ title. UK columnist James Hamilton tagged it a “Kashif-ish bass-synth” “113 bpm swayer,” a useful period earprint. The groove files neatly next to De-Lite and Prelude material from the same window. A consummate boogie closer.

Listen to: Electric Blue | 01