Chaz Jankel & Ilija Rudman

Photo courtesy of embellezca on Flickr

Chaz Jankel - You're Too Funky (Ilija Rudman Remix)

Back in March we saw the release of Chaz Jankel's "Get Yourself Together" single on Tirk Records with remixes by disco house denizens Hercules & Love Affair and Todd Terje. Despite being a native of Croatia, not exactly a stone's throw away from the ground where Paradise Garage once stood, producer Ilija Rudman has been dropping records that hearken back to the original days of disco. His work has caught the ears of everyone from Greg Wilson to the Rong Music crew.

Rudman's remix is taken from the Burning of the Midnight Minds EP which appears on the Electric Minds label. He's got a new single on Bear Funk, "Dance Disorder", that's scheduled for release on the 19th and he'll be DJing alongside Metro Area's Darshan Jesrani on January 23rd in Zagreb.

Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3

English artist/producer Chaz Jankel has had an extensive career in music stretching back to 1971. In 1977, prior to embarking on his own solo career, Jankel and Ian Dury formed the band Ian Dury & The Blockheads (often regarded as an art pop group that fused elements of rock, funk, jazz and reggae), with Jankel on keyboard and guitar. That same year, the Blockheads toured alongside soon-to-be big name labelmates Elvis Costello & The Attractions as well as Nick Lowe. Resident Advisor sums up the rest:

"Chaz Jankel had a number of dance smashes hit the charts. But, for some reason, his work was soon forgotten—none of the four albums released on A&M made it to CD. Enter Strut Records. In the middle of this decade, the label stepped in and started the long process of compiling a greatest hits from Jankel’s extensive back catalogue. When Strut went under, Tirk came in and finished the job."

Jankel only recently reappeared after the release of a restrospective of his work, Music is My Occupation.

"The weird thing about all this hype, is that Jankel is as surprised as anyone. Born in 1952, he hasn’t followed the disco re-edit scene and was oblivious to the emergence of cosmic disco. He’s an old-school singer-songwriter, a craftsman that works to excel across all genres."