This Saturday will be the first Robotsound event of 2009. What better way to ring in the New Year than with some stellar sounds of the last few decades. Come be a Midnight Moroder at:
Barcade
371 N. Western
8am - 2pm.

And of course, as always, it is FREE.

So don't waste your money on mediocre DJs when you can get the real deal for nothing (although we won't turn down free drinks =P).

As the end of the year quickly approaches, it's as good a time as any to reflect on the past. And what better way to do that than to flash back to that glorious decade of excess, the 80s. This month's RobotSound Jukebox celebrates the sleazy, coke-fueled sounds of my adolesecent fantasy world (not that I grew up doing drugs or hookers mind you). There's plenty of action to go around, so fret not automatic lovers...your pleasure is our business...whether it's the sultry sounds of Prince's or Rick James' protégés (Vanity 6 and Mary Jane Girls, disrespectfully), the raunchy abandon of Divine, the freak-a-holism of Egyptian Lover or the synthetic seduction of SSQ, we've got your favorite naughty flavors in stock. Rock 'N Roll strippers, synthesizer fetishists, and trashy punk sluts are equally welcome here. So strap on those head-phones for some Aural servicing, because you're about to get all kinds of nasty. You know you love it you little freak.

Thee robots got fonky this past Saturday night, with Georgio and myself throwing down a number of Prince [or Prince-related] jams. Getting prime billing was Dez Dickerson's [I Want 2 B A] Modernaire. Dez, who played guitar for Prince in 1979/80 [before leaving after becoming Born Again and getting replaced by Wendy], performed with his Modernaires for a scene in Purple Rain, but only 18 seconds of his song ever made it into the film. The track was supposed to get released as a single and appear on the Purple Rain soundtrack (which eventually became a Prince-exclusive affair), but Dez's song got shelved, multiple label offers fell through and a solo career failed to materialize.

Fast forward 25 years and the long-lost Modernaire finally gets a proper single release, mastered from a newly discovered tape recording. Put out by the fine folks at Citinite and pressed on translucent red vinyl, it also contains 5 funked-up mixes/remakes from DMX Krew, Luke Eargoggle [Faceless Mind], Hot Persuasion, Complexxion, and the ever heavy-breathing Egyptian Lover. Check Citinite's Modernaire page for online retailer/distributor links or go to Bleep.com to buy the mp3s. I suggest buying the vinyl pronto since it is a limited edition and I'm sure once those collectors find out, they'll be snapping them up like Prince at a high heels sale. So in the words of Morris Day, "I wanna see some asses wigglin'...I want some perfection."

Another act to look out for on the Prince/Midnight Star/Cameo/Zapp-inspired tip is Bumper, side-project of Mr. Pauli with Geoffrey T. Their sound incorporates LinnDrum, vocoders, and funky basslines, blending vintage Minneapolis genius with early Jedi Knight electro fuckery. Stream their Never Stop EP here to get a taste of new jack electrofunk, because when it comes to all things Prince, It Takes An Erotic Village...