Pure Disco was the name of this compilation CD my aunt gave me back around 6th grade. It had all the “greatest disco hits of the 1970s”, you know: ‘Y.M.C.A.’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘I Will Survive’, ‘Funkytown’ - it was pure disco. But the swinging beat and soul-based dance music that all our parents loved to get down to was proud to return this year, and not in the form of a Kool & The Gang reunion concert. It was Hercules and Love Affair, the producer-lead group out of Brooklyn that took the basics of disco and ran with it. The group kept with the general idea of a clean bass and orchestra, but morphed the sound, turned it upside down, added some electro, shook it a bit, threw some vocals on top, and landed themselves something cool. Last Friday, Hercules and Love Affair did not dissapoint at the Metro in Chicago.
It was pure energy and disco. The stage was packed full of performers and instruments that produced the most insane pulsating disco rhythmic beat known to my ears. The only time anyone in the crowd took a break from dancing was to holler for the group to return for their encore. Commanded by DJ Andy Butler in the background, a keyboardist to his right, drummer to his left, and a bass player and two horn players in front, Hercules and Love Affair was all about the sound. On top of that, Nomi Ruiz and Kim Ann Foxman provided the vocals. I can’t stress enough the intensity of the energy I felt standing there. Everyone could feel it.
Hercules wasted no time stopping between songs. They slid right into the next track as easily as the last one began. Andy Butler took the only break to do an introduction of all the band members. The two horn players received the largest applause, rightfully so. The horns added a layer of texture and power on top of the music I really have never experienced. And I won’t forget when Butler called the drummer a “human drum machine”, or something along those lines, but the dude really was. I swear he played thirty-second notes.
I feel like I gained something from this show, not that most concerts don’t deliver those ideas, but I felt more involved and connected to the sound. It was something not easily forgotten. Hercules debuted a new track at the show it sounded better than ever. Sorry if the photo kind of blows, my camera stopped working after about a minute of being there. Watch for more exciting stuff from this group as they wrap up their first American tour in the next two weeks.
