Herman Kelly & Life – Percussion Explosion

Herman Kellyによる1978年の名作『Percussion Explosion!』がMr Bongoからリイシュー。ヒップホップの歴史に刻まれた“Dance To The Drummer's Beat”を収録し、Ultimate Breaks & Beatsシリーズ（1986年）にピックアップされたことでサンプリング・ソースとして不動の地位を確立した一枚。  

ドラマー/パーカッショニストのHerman Kellyを中心に、MiamiのグループLifeのメンバーと共に制作された本作は、ディスコ、ファンク、ラテンの要素が詰まった傑作。“Dance To The Drummer's Beat”はB-Boy/B-Girlアンセムとして広く愛され、Double Dee & Steinskiの“Lesson 3 (History Of Hip Hop Mix)”をはじめ、DJ Shadow、N.W.A、Masters At Work、Run D.M.C.など、125曲以上にサンプリングされた歴史的ブレイクを持つ。  

本作は1978年にAlston RecordsとElectric Catの2レーベルから異なるヴァージョンでリリースされ、Alston盤には4:12、Electric Cat盤には5:09の別ミックスが収録。今回のMr Bongoリイシューでは、Ultimate Breaks & Beatsにも収録されたAlston盤のクラシックな4:12ヴァージョンを採用。  

もちろん、“Dance To The Drummer's Beat”だけでなく、ソウルフルな“Share Your Love”、ラテンの風を感じる“A Refreshing Love”、グルーヴィなディスコ・ファンク“Who's The Funky D.J.?”など、埋もれた名曲が満載。ヒップホップ、ディスコ、ファンクを愛するすべてのリスナーにとって欠かせない一枚。高品質なTip-Onスリーヴ仕様。

A1. Dance To The Drummer's Beat
A2. Time After Time
A3. A Refreshing Love
B1. Who's The Funky DJ?
B2. Share Your Love
B3. Do The Handbone

 

Source of an all-time 'Breaks and Beats' classic, Mr Bongo reissue Herman Kelly’s timeless 1978 album Percussion Explosion!. Immortalised in hip-hop folklore, when the anthemic 'Dance To The Drummer's Beat’ was featured on the influential Ultimate Breaks & Beats compilation series in 1986.

Percussion Explosion! was the brainchild of drummer, percussionist, producer and arranger, Herman Kelly and his percussive disco-funk group from Miami, 'Life', that featured Aaron McCarthy, Oliver Well, John DeMonica, Michal Cordoza and Travis Biggs. The album houses a collection of disco, funk and Latin-inspired cuts that were destined for greatness. Nestled within the grooves is the B-Boy and B-Girl’s anthem, 'Dance To The Drummer's Beat’, which contains a now legendary break. A cursory glance at Whosampled will show that it has been sampled in over 125+ songs. These include Double Dee & Steinski on their groundbreaking 1985 production 'Lesson 3 (History Of Hip Hop Mix)', as well as by DJ Shadow, N.W.A, Masters At Work, Run D.M.C. and a whole host of heavyweights across hip-hop, dance and pop music.

When the album was released in 1978 it came out on two different labels, Alston Records and Electric Cat. Each label pressed different versions of 'Dance To The Drummer's Beat’, with the former featuring a 4:12 version and the latter a longer 5:09 version that has a different structure, crowd noise at the start and overdubbed percussion. 

For this Mr Bongo reissue, we have chosen the classic 4:12 version from the Alston Records release, which would later find its way on to the illustrious Ultimate Breaks & Beats compilation. To make matters even more confusing the Alston version art on the back cover also states the track length as 5:09, whilst the centre label lists it correctly as 4:12. 

Aside from the much celebrated 'Dance To The Drummer's Beat’, the album includes a range of other fantastic overlooked cuts. From the percussive soul stepper 'Share Your Love', to the beautiful Latin-flavoured 'A Refreshing Love' or the party disco-funk groover 'Who's The Funky D.J.?'. 

This wonderful and inspirational record features an important piece of hip-hop heritage and deserves a place in every collection.

Housed in a tip-on sleeve.