Body Meta Playlist: Gear Up for Casa’s Monthly Smorgasbord of Grooves

If you missed our profile of Body Meta, Casa del Popolo’s monthly marathon of infectious, open-ended rhythms, you’re in luck. Nico Serrus and Dimitri Nasrallah, the tag-team behind the whole dancefloor emancipation business, have whipped up an inspired playlist for Nightlife.ca that runs the gamut from polyrhythmic, Afrobeat curiosities to Italo-disco obscurities. In sum, just the kind of imaginative, formula-averse set list you’re bound to vibe along to at their Casa monthly, whose May gig goes down tomorrow night. So let the Body Meta boys take you on an expansive, fusion-minded voyage reminiscent of the spirit of dance music, circa 1975-1995. They've Got The Love, indeed.
 
 
Dimitri’s Picks
1. William Onyeabor, “Good Name”
Everyone’s discovering William Onyeabor this year due to some choice Luaka Bop reissues. It’s with good reason too, as his synth-heavy version of Nigerian funk sounds so right at this moment.
 
2. Manu Dibango, “Sun Explosion” (12-inch version) 
I love and miss this record.  It’s the only record I ever lost while DJing, and it’s probably collecting dust under the floorboards at Casa. Most people know Dibango from his more popular and cheesy ‘80s phase, but in the ‘70s he could do no wrong.
 
3. Ignition, “Secret Sunday Lover (Greg Wilson Edit)”
There’s a certain subset of big-band disco that can make you feel like the best person alive for five minutes, and this Ignition track is a great example of that. Greg Wilson’s edit doesn’t stray too far from the original, but then again a good edit shouldn’t completely reinvent a track so much as give it the right progressions for a dancefloor.
 
4. Late Night Tuff Guy, “Glow”
This Australian producer is a recent discovery for me, and I love practically everything he’s released so far. He uses the melodic elements of a track instead of the break to pivot his edits, and the results build hypnotically toward irresistible peaks.
 
5. Marzio, “Phantom of the Opera (Marcello Giordani re-edit)”
A total Italo-disco obscurity from 1981, fantastically updated by Giordani, also Italian. Again, the edit only does what it needs to do to build upon the natural groove already buried within. The results are epically sci-fi!

Dimitri and Nico Sé (Photo by Maica Armata)

Nico Sé’s Picks
6. The Skatalites, “Herb Man Dub”
Quite different from the usual Skatalites output! The percussions, the flute, the keys… it’s so funky! And King Tubby's dirty, almost gritty production sounds like a ton of bricks.

7. Charles Earland, “Let The Music Play” 
This one was recently repressed, I think. A perfect example of a disco-funk track that keeps giving. Lovin' the drum break after each vocal hook!

8. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou, “Akue We Non Houme” 
This comes from a compilation on Analog Africa, a label I really dig. I picked this one, but I could have easily chosen any track from that record. Fela had his own way of singing, but I like the way OPRC combines a kind of more traditional African singing with an amazing afrobeat groove, and all those weird notes they decided to leave on the recording. Those guys were something else.
 
9. Nightlife Unlimited, “Peaches & Prunes (Ron Hardy Edit)”
I have several edits of the track, but this one is just dope. It sounds a bit rough, but that makes it even better, doesn't it?

10. The Police, “Voices Inside My Head (Ashley Beedle & DJ Harvey edit)”
I hesitate between the edit and the original! Such a classic track. The edit is amazing as well. Once you hear it, the lyrics get stuck in your head.
 
 
Body Meta
Saturday, May 24, 10pm–3am
Casa del Popolo | 4873 St-Laurent