Soul-Funk

Keep the Fire Burning and Funky Sensation by Gwen McCrae, two tracks synonymous with the soul, boogie, rare groove and modern disco scenes, are finally being reissued on Expansion Records after a long-anticipated wait. Keep the Fire Burning, originally released in 1981, is a remake of the Willie Hutch original. This reissue of the U.S 12” pressing at its full length - 6:54 - is sure to galvanise any dance floor and lift spirits immeasurably. After achieving relative notoriety within the underground scene, notably after being played by Danilo Plessow - a.k.a Motor City Drum Ensemble - during his London Boiler Room in 2015, Keep the Fire Burning has since been one of the most sought after records of the past decade, seamlessly bridging the gap between rare-groove and underground dance-music. Whats more, recent price-hikes on online vinyl-distribution websites denote the way in which the market for this record has grown exponentially, a testament to its new-found popularity among the worldwide dance-music diaspora. Funky Sensation, moreover, possesses a timeless and universal groove, a song which has cemented itself as a darling of the boogie-scene, while gaining traction from the likes of Dam Funk and Nu Guinea. Furthermore, Funky Sensation is a traditionally popular record amongst the UK Soul scene, after seeing airtime on London Pirate-Radio stations during the 1980’s. Keep the Fire Burning has since been sampled by Star Slimlinger, Marcus Gauntlett and the Hustlers Convention among others and has seen heavy rotation within the underground circuit, owing to its popularity among certain U.S and European DJ’s such as Ron Trent, Marcellus Pittmann, and Sam Shepherd. Funky sensation is well-affiliated within the Hip-Hop scene, after providing the musical framework for songs produced by Africa Bambaata, Ghostface Killah and L.L Cool J to name a few. Own both original 12” versions for the first time this January as licensed in their entirety by Atlantic Records.

Having co-compiled two albums, The Real Sound of Chicago and The Real Sound of Chicago and Beyond for BBE, DJ and producer Mark Grusane steps out of the shadows to present ‘The Real Sound Of Mark Grusane’. A highly personal selection of modern soul, disco and a little touch of boogie, these rare tracks have all been respectfully edited, chopped up or extended by Mark himself. Apart from the odd private vinyl pressing, or occasionally handing an edit over to close friends and DJs such as fellow BBE artist Sadar Bahar, Mark has never before made these tracks available (despite the throng of people waiting around to ask each time he fnishes a set).Mark Grusane frst came to the attention of BBE Music back in 2010 when he was running specialist Chicago record shop Mr Peabody. He and his partner went on to create two of the label’s most sought-after soul compilations, thanks to the unmatched combination of rarity and quality expressed in the duo’s selections. Still living in Chicago, still buying and selling records, Mark has also built up a sizable discography of edits and original productions on various labels, now fnding his prodigious DJ skills in high demand across the globe. Each track on ‘The Real Sound Of Mark Grusane’ has a tale to tell, precious treasures unearthed by one of the hardest working and dedicated crate diggers in the game. From an edit he made at the age of 21 to a record he discovered last year whilst in London for a gig at The BBE Store, this collection is testament to a life spent completely immersed in music.