All Things Deep - Reviews - Various Artists: Dazzle Me

Various - Dazzle Me: Disco De-Lites From New York City

The De-Lite label was one of the cornerstones of the New York disco scene, providing dancers with classic songs by Made In the USA, Kool and the Gang, and Crown Heights Affair. Dazzle Me is the first collection to celebrate their contribution to disco's legacy, with most songs making their CD debut.

Ranging between the years 1974 and 1981, the 16 selections illustrate disco's shift from a funk-based party music to a smoother, more commercial genre. Early tunes like "Dreaming A Dream" by Crown Heights Affair and the Kay Gee's "Get Down" crackle with the energy of a new-born genre, as riffing horns and squealing keyboards seamlessly merge with the syncopation of the disco beat. Dazzle's much sought-after "You Dazzle Me" and "Slip and Dip," by former Kool and the Gang background singers Coffee, are prime examples of elegant, late-period disco.

Also included are the heavyweight gems "Party Music" (Pat Lundy) and "It Really Hurts Me Girl" (The Carstairs), two songs familiar to disco aficionados. Obscurities by Shelley Black and Street People round out the track listing, demonstrating the depth of the label's roster, which included subsidiary labels Vigor and Red Coach. Although Kool and the Gang are conspiciously absent, this is a loving tribute to one of the dominant labels of its era.

Released 2001 on Castle Music
Click on cover to buy

Selected Tracks:

Dazzle - You Dazzle Me
Made In the USA - Melodies
Carstairs - It Really Hurts Me Girl
Kay Gees - Get Down
Pat Lundi - Party Music