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Black Soul
Black Soul Music (7")
Import Disque (US) / 1976 / 045030276 AS
7" vinyl single, 45 RPM
Productions V M. T. Records
Licensed by Vogue P.I.P.
Written by : G. Musso and Black Soul
Side A:
Black Soul Music - Disco Mix - 5:41
Side B:
Black Soul Music - 3:42
After the previous success of Manu Dibango’s “Soul Makossa” other African music themed groups like Black Soul reached popularity on mid 70’s Discotheques.
Black Soul’s “Black Soul Music” as well as their better known hit “Mangous Ye” were both originally available on Black Soul’s 1975 Vogue LP “ Brasil Africa” ( SV-13003) and later re-released on Beam Junction’s “Black Soul” LP which includes different track listings as well as Tom Moulton’s extended versions previously available on 12” singles only.
However, before the Beam Junction releases this “Black Soul Music” original 7” single was first available to club DJs which quickly made it an “underground” hit at the time even reaching the Billboards Disco charts during the summer of 1976.
The extended alternative “disco mix” version found here is almost an instrumental only version omitting all vocals found on the original mix except for inclusion of limited background chants.
Submitted by mixmachine (107)
The extended track was also released on 12inch as a 'test pressing'. Both sides had the same 5:41 track.
When I first heard this long mix, and then the LP version, I thought all they did to make the long mix was to repeat edit the instrumental parts of the LP mix. But it actually contains elements of instrumentation that aren't in the vocal mix. I think they also sped it up a bit, because the LP version feels slower (maybe a different take, hence the different musical parts?).
It's still a nice edit job, completely reworking the song from an 'ethnic' sounding song to a clubby dance track.