Any questions for...fanfare: Boris Midney?

[JussiK]

Yes, the Maestro is now considering to answer some questions, so send them asap.

[Bernie]

I would like to know how he made the tranzition from jazz in the '60s to disco in the '70s and then techno in the '90s?

Also, what does he consider to be his best work?

Would he consider reworking some of his classics as Cerrone has done.

Thanks Jussi, I can't wait to read this one.

[Cdnbob]

Where did he get his inspiration from?

What was the quickest song he ever composed?

One of my all time favourite albums by him is the USA-European Connection second album. Any information he can depart on the recording of this album would be appreciated.

[STEPHEN L FREEMAN]

When "Come Into My Heart / Good Lovin'" was released, I recall thinking it was unlike anything I'd heard, to that point. Particularly "Love's Comin' / Baby Love".
Was the project a hard sell? Or was TK the first label he presented it to.

If it's possible to do in answering a single question...
Where did the MiSound come from? Was it heavily influenced from his Jazz experience? Or, was it a completely organic evolution?

And thanks, Jussi! This interview is wonderful news!

[SandraDee]

Jussi, I would very much like to know whether Boris visited any of the legendary NYC clubs & which records/artists inspired him most. Thanx.

[BrunoRepublic]

I'd be curious to know if he was treated fairly by the business.

[the disco kid]

Jussi

Awesome! This is a dream come true for you, and for all of us Boris Midney fans here at DiscoMusic.com.

His Jazz Background is very evident in his free flowing disco arrangements, how when and why did he decide to make the jump from jazz to disco?

His musical landscapes are incomparable to anyone else, one of my favorite LP's is "Caress", The child like vocals and the unrelenting groove he builds in "Catch The Rhythm" are such a great juxtaposition, and the piano bridge in "Make That Feeling Come Again" is one of the most beautiful moments in disco music history, period!


Hope to be reading your interview very soon!

[Disco Funk]

I have a few:

1. Is he the same Boris Midney who is credited as engineer on the Smooth Talk LP by Evelyn Champagne King?

2. If he was the engineer on Smooth Talk, an LP recorded in Philadelphia, did that inspire him to do USA-European Connection 'Come Into My Heart' LP, using members of Instant Funk and MFSB @ Alpha studios? Did he see Bunny Sigler while working on that LP with his proteges Instant Funk? And were there other cuts from that session that didn't make the LP, as the LP seems to run much shorter than the standard 20 minutes per side.

3. Does he have control over his master tapes from that period in time, and was that how he was able to do the reissues of his songs on CD? Or are they owned by whoever took over the labels (TK, RSO, etc..) or studios?

Disco Funk

[remicks]

*****

It seemed like Boris Midney just dropped in from another planet in 1978 .... not only was he totally unknown and without ties ....he immediately took us to disco places never experienced before.
I know Boris is from Russia .....but at what age did he come to America?

COME INTO MY HEART : a home run first time at bat :icon_biggrin: :icon_cool:...similar to Stephen's question .. .how does this happen .... how does an unknown get the financing it must have taken to achieve such an ambitious project??

Does Boris feel like it all passed much too quickly? Even though he hit his stride right off and was quite prolific..... he entered the scene rather late and in two or three years it was all but over . His EVITA was sort of the era's swan song of the great epic disco projects ... did he sense that at the time ??

Honestly can not thank Boris enough for those memories ... during the downtown lunch hour, would play the entirety of COME INTO MY HEART for the SF financial district's shirt and tie crowd and would sell many many copies doing so :icon_cool: That record sold tons in SF. Not to mention its intoxicating effect in the clubs ....


This last question -
.... applies only if it fits in comfortably within your discussion Jussi ...
if Boris has any comments on his two contributions to a compilation CD in '96 called GAY FREE & HAPPY :icon_cool:.


Thanks again
remicks

[JussiK]

Thanks folks, I'll be using all of the stuff above, and will send the preliminary intro text and the questions to Boris as soon as I'm back from - ahem - seeing Grace Jones live again the coming weekend :-)

[the disco kid]

Jussi

Does Maestro Midney still pursue Photography? He photographed all but one of his LP covers as far as I know, and they are striking, especially the "Companion" LP photo.

Have fun at the Grace Jones concert! AGAIN!!!

[Paulo]

FIRST QUESTION:
I would like to know why he didn't use his real name on his albums (back then). Instead he chose to use fake band names for each project. Why?

(I know others did it too.... Rinder & Lewis for example).

The second is not a proper question, but I would like to see if he could compile his discography from his jazz works, up through his disco works, up to his techno period, or wharever...

[Disco Funk]

I think with Rinder & Lewis, maybe it had to do with things like paying fees or tax breaks? Maybe they also wanted it to look like AVI had a lot of artists, instead of the same two guys churning out 3 or 4 LPs per year? Midney did get distribution from at least two different labels of his material (TK and RSO), so maybe that figured into his decision to have multiple artist names.

Disco Funk

[Paulo]

I think with Rinder & Lewis, maybe it had to do with things like paying fees or tax breaks? Maybe they also wanted it to look like AVI had a lot of artists, instead of the same two guys churning out 3 or 4 LPs per year?

Well... if this is so, then Rinder & Lewis made sure all of their projects had a distinct sound from one another.

What I mean is this: there is a logical flow in the evolutive sequence of El Coco's albums : MONDO DISCO / BRAZIL / LET'S GET IT TOGETHER / COCOMOTION / DANCING IN PARADISE / LOVE EXCITER / REVOLUCION ...etc...

It would be unlogical to place SEVEN DEADLY SINS in between COCOMOTION and DANCING IN PARADISE and call it an EL COCO record...... the musical direction is very different in sound.

The TUXEDO JUNCTION album is another example: it would not fit as an EL COCO, a LE PAMPLEMOUSSE or even a SAINT TROPEZ record.

EL COCO has a melodic lenghy club-oriented orchestral disco sound (or deep-disco as some (now) say).
LE PAMPLEMOUSSE is funky-disco.
SAINT TROPEZ has more commercial disco sound.
TUXEDO JUNCTION is jazzy disco
RINDER & LEWIS The duo has an experimental approach to disco music
RINLEW ALSTARS sounds like philly-soul
ELOISE WHITAKER is R&B
IN SEARCH OF ORCHESTRA is progressive rock
JOSHUA is psychedelic acid rock
DAVID BENOIT plays modern jazz

The ones which sound alike:

The second album from EL COCO (BRAZIL) and the first LE PAMPLEMOUSSE. These really sound from the same band (both are early disco).

DISCOGNOSIS sounds like a transition from the first LE PAMPLEMOUSSE album to the second (LE SPANK).

I consider the CHEETAH album an EL COCO one, since it is built upon EL COCO backing tracks.

The SWEET POTATO PIE 45 RPM single (Ode To Billy Joe) could be a LE PAMPLEMOUSSE 7 inch.