Last night the LA Lakers put the Spurs out of their misery and advanced to the NBA Finals. To celebrate the occasion, Funk Deli’s breakin’ out an old school electro jam that celebrates the exploits of the 1982 Showtime LA Lakers.
The 1981-82 Showtime Lakers
The 1981-82 Lakers won the Pacific Division with a 57-25 record. With the help of newcomer Bob McAdoo, new coach Pat Riley and a squad that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, Michael Cooper and current GM Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers swept the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and went on to the NBA Finals, defeating the 76ers in six games. Before the age of 23, Magic Johnson secured his second NBA title and his second NBA Finals MVP Award. The Lakers continued to dominate throughout the 80s.
Mighty Fire
With the Lakers rising up once again, I thought it was only fitting to share this gem of a track that Mighty Fire put out on Elektra Records in 1982. Mighty Fire was a funky/electro/disco act out of LA that put out two albums: No Time For Masquerading in 1981 and the self-titled Mighty Fire in 1982. The band split up after the release of their second album.
We couldn’t close this electro binge out proper-like without including the best electro jam of all time - Hashim - Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)! So much goodness. I came up on this 1983 Cutting Records classic like eight years ago while I was sifting through $1 record bins in a Santa Cruz Flea Market. The great thing about this non-video YouTube video is that it has that two-minute extra bonus beat at the end of Side A. Wait for it…
We can’t stop. There are just too many sick electro tracks wasting away on YouTube, when they should be living right here. This electro video isn’t even a video, but if you ever have an emergency Davy DMX - One For The Treble situation, you know where to go.
When you think of this classic electro track, it conjures up images of b-boys breakin’ back in the day. The video that first accompanied this super-influential 1983 jam is way different. Man Parrish may look fruity, but no one can take away the impact this song had hip hop culture and countless other electronic music genres. The electro label gets tossed around frequently these days, but whenever I think of funky electro music, Hip Hop Be Bop always comes to mind.
At Funk Deli, we promote all things worthy of a funky label, because let’s face it — there’s just not enough funk going around anymore. Now when it comes to music, Funk Deli isn’t limited by the constraints of one genre. Sure we love James Brown, the Bar Kays and other classic funky acts, but at Funk Deli, we think that other forms of funky-like tunes also deserve some love.
Well, we love disco music, and we’re not afraid to say it. Disco gets a bad rap, but there are some quality disco gems out there that deserve to be featured in your iPod, on your turntable or in your CD player during your ride to work.
A Brief History of Italo Disco
When disco was dying in the States, it found new life in Europe. Euros have always had a soft spot for disco grooves. And really, who can blame ‘em? Read the rest…
The 1981-82 Lakers won the Pacific Division with a 57-25 record. With the help of newcomer Bob McAdoo, new coach Pat Riley and a squad that included Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Kurt Rambis, Michael Cooper and current GM Mitch Kupchak, the Lakers swept the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals and went on to the NBA Finals, defeating the 76ers in six games. Before the age of 23, Magic Johnson secured his second NBA title and his second NBA Finals MVP Award. The Lakers continued to dominate throughout the 80s.
