Recycled Funk is back in action. This episode is dear to me for a couple of good reasons. The music world recently lost one of its icons. His name is Patrick Adams. Not really known to the mainstream masses but do yourself a favor and look him up if you’re not familiar with him. His heyday spans from the mid 70’s thru the 80’s, but his overall body of work runs much farther than that. A native NY’ker from Harlem, his imprint on NY’s classic Dance music era is undeniable.
I’m very fortunate to have professional connection to Mr. Adams. Back in ’98 I was given an incredible opportunity to be an engineer apprentice aka intern at the legendary (now defunct) Unique Recording Studios. Till this day it’s one of the best experiences I’ve had in music. As an apprentice you’re basically an errand runner/fly on the wall for whatever studio session you’re assigned to. If you’re lucky, you get paired with an engineer who’ll take the time to show you a few things, how things work, what they do. Engineers aren’t required to do this, hence the “if you’re lucky” part. I was not only lucky, but blessed! I had more than a few mentors showing me the ropes, but the very first Engineer/Producer to enlighten & educate me was Patrick Adams. I can easily remember the day I met him. Nothing flashy or really noticeably outstanding about him on appearance, just an older gentleman here to do some work. I introduce myself to him, and when he introduces himself to me he asks “if I’d ever heard of him”. At that moment I had no idea who he was. In a very humble tone he says “look me up when you have time”. Later that day that ‘s exactly what I did. I think my initial reaction was “oh shit!”. I didn’t know him by name but I certainly knew and loved a lot of the music he had a hand in creating. His resume as a writer, producer, arranger, engineer, speaks volumes! Lucky for me, he regularly did sessions at Unique and I did whatever I had to, to make sure I was his assistant when he came through. He never hesitated to educate me about the functionality of the mix board, or certain studio tools he used to enhance his sound. As an engineer, a producer, I saw him as a father figure, a mentor that I could learn a lot from, and I did. I’m eternally grateful for the experience and the time I was able to spend with him. Being able to watch him work was an incredible experience. He’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in any industry.
Recording this mix is a very small token of gratitude in his honor. Most of the featured music in this mix has his name attached to it, but not every single track. I Included a couple of classic NY dance era songs, favorites of mine to compliment the set, and there’s definitely plenty of other Patrick Adams songs that didn’t make this mix, so stay tuned for a follow-up at some point. I wanted this mix to feel like a preeminent NY club in the mid 80’s and I think I pulled that off. Fyi I wasn’t old enough to go clubbing in the 80’s but my pops was a DJ so I was exposed to the music all the time! I hope you enjoy it! Rest in paradise to my friend, my mentor Mr. Patrick Adams.
DOWNLOAD Recycled Funk Episode 32 (Tribute to Patrick Adams)
Tracklist:
1. Cloud One – Patty Duke
2. Personal Touch – It Ain’t No Big Thing
3. Bumblebee Unlimited – The Bumble Bee Rap
4. Universal Robot Band – Dance and Shake Your Tambourine
5. Feel – Let’s Rock
6. Black Ivory – I Keep Asking You Questions
7. Eruption – I Can’t Stand The Rain
8. Linda Clifford – Runaway (Danny Krivit edit)
9. Golden Flamingo Orchestra – The Guardian Angel is Watching
10. Bohannon – A Happy Song For You
11. Inner Circle – I’m Caught Up
12. Vicki “D” – This Beat is Mine
13. NYC Peech Boys – Don’t Make Me Wait
14. Unlimited Touch – Searching To Find The One
15. Black Ivory – Mainline
16. Cloud One – Atmosphere Strut
17. Tony Cook and The Party People – On The Floor
18. Exodus – Together Forever
19. Skyy – Here’s To You (Dimitri From Paris edit)
20. First Choice – Let No Man Put Asunder (Dimitri From Paris edit)
21. Inner Life – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough “stripped mix” feat. Jocelyn Brown
