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8.21.1991
Quite an update this time around, too much happening and too little bloggening. I've missed you. Why are all dog breeders' websites so incredible? If anyone knows code to make it rain hearts and kitties, do tell. Maybe some ragtime audio without a mute option?
Finished black vinyl copies of LPP 004 are now available, $7.99/each + shipping. If you aren't the mail-order type then please buy from stores I like.
Jody Finch is not dead! He's very much alive and thoroughly embarrassed by photos I have of him in cut-off tank tops. He's also thankful for all the acclaim, albeit 23 years in the making. Every bit of press is appreciated, even if some people sadly aren't around to enjoy the feedback.
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British electropoppers Hot Chip have included Armando's 'Don't Take It' on their new Bugged Out! Mix, fresh from the compilation-meisters at New State. This is a major release so it's available quite literally everywhere. As in Wal-Mart everywhere. As in it has its own Wikipedia page. And a Pitchfork review to boot. Speaking of which, there is quite simply no way that the Chipsters put more effort into their mix than Mr. Gaerig put into his 'critique'. Oh, Pitchforkers. Some fun tracks on the first CD of the set though('Bugged Out' disc I think).
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Marcus Mixx's wicked 'Without Makeup (Ron Hardy Mix)' was selected by Tama Sumo for the forthcoming Panorama Bar 02 Mix, out soon on the celebrated OstGut Ton imprint. Congrats to Miss Sumo for being the first person to (legally)license this masterpiece. I said it.
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As some of you may have already noticed, the first four Let's Pet Puppies releases are now available for digital download in both WAV and mp3 formats. Now before I get my car tires slashed or bricks thrown through my window, let me first say that this project has always been and will continue to be a vinyl/analog-centric operation. I WAS captain of the record nerd team for pete's sake. My hope is that the new digital medium will not only allow the music to reach entirely new audiences abroad, but also serve to further showcase Fiasco's superb audio restoration work.
Ever experienced 'Without Makeup' on a packed floor with a serious sound system?
The process has admittedly had a few snags, the most annoying of which is the title swap of 'Without Makeup' and 'The Spell'; one would think 3 months is long enough to fix an administrative goof (apparently not).
Again please buy from sites I like. And although I like Soulseek, let's pretend you didn't read that.
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Great video from the 'How It's Made' series including a clip of Carl from Trutone cutting a record. M+M = Music + Motion....LPP 005 a comin'.
Really, ASCAP? REALLY?!?!?
4.19.1963
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To think too long about doing a thing often becomes its undoing.
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--Eva Young
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And on that note....das LPP 004!
side one:
side two:
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Jody Finch - Jack Your Big Booty (mp3 clip)
Jody Finch - Whistle Worm (mp3 clip)
Jody Finch - Jack Your Big Booty (BHQ No Acid Vocal) (mp3 clip)
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1986, Chicago. Jody "Fingers" Finch is 18, not yet able to gain access to all of the spaces in which his first production will soon get airplay.
He saves up the cash himself and records it in the basement of Staple Singers member Bob Murphy, who prefers the moniker 'BM Recording Studio'.
One 8-track reel-to-reel machine, one afternoon, $200 cash. A handful of cuts are recorded, including a stripped-raw, bare-bones track Jody calls 'Jack Your Big Booty', an undercover piéce de résistance about his friend's mother's backside.
Another is dubbed 'Whistle Worm', a meandering, experimental ride, riddled with strange noises and staccato high hats. Bob Murphy is likely confused. The tracks are brutally raw, lo-fi at best.
At times there is audible talking in the background.
Similar sessions will be repeated citywide hundreds of times this year alone; this is Chicago, and in 1986, Chicago is House.
More cash is saved. This time it's a mail-order record deal from Discmakers, a vinyl plant in the suburbs. The price is right. Jody checks a box next to a large lightning bolt for the artwork design.
Bob Murphy writes in Tenya Records as the label, lists his address on the form.
Exactly 40 blocks south, a young Marcus 'Mixx' Shannon checks the same artwork box for his new label, which he will call Missing Records.
1987. A few boxes of shiny black vinyl records finally arrive. A self-proclaimed 'shy guy', Jody gives copies of his record to a few neighborhood friends, to his family. There is no distribution. The city's downtown vinyl mecca, Importes Etc., takes a small stack.
One week later. Jody sits in his bedroom, listening to the radio. Someone is playing it on WBMX, manually scratching out "booty" each time. Damn it. ('Da Butt' will spark similar controversy and suffer the same fate next year)
Meanwhile, in a pitch black concrete cavern underneath Wacker Drive punctuated only by strobe lights and lighters, a DJ named Ron Hardy is playing the copy Jody managed to slip him.
Forward. Then backward.
Again and again.
2008, Chicago. Derrick Carter sits at the mammoth console of BHQ Studios in his limited edition underwear, hungover, surrounded by miniature dogs. He sends me a nasty email, obviously annoyed by this blog posting. Scene.
'Jack Your Big Booty' has been hailed as "the original Ghetto House track" by Chicago's infamous DJ Deeon, Southside pioneer of the pulsing, raunchy, uniquely-Chicago genre. This EP includes the original 1986 versions of 'Jack Your Big Booty' and 'Whistle Worm', as remastered by Johnny Fiasco directly from the BM Studios reel, flipped with Derrick Carter's wicked re-decorranged 'No Acid Vocal', a brilliant Chicagoist interpretation with, appropriately, a firm slap on the rear.
Promo sheet.
Very limited number of test pressings now available, $9.99/each + shipping. As always, wholesale pre-orders for finished copies of LPP 004 can be placed through Crosstalk, our Chicago-based global distributor.
L.I.A.M. COME HOME.
11.16.2000
12.12.2002
Received a bevy of requests for links to the old site's 'sold' page; GO NUTS, but remember.... Sold = s'old = it's old = I DO NOT HAVE THESE RECORDS ANYMORE.
Booties are jacking at B.H.Q....including that of T'Erykah, the kennel's newest (and coldest) addition. Auctions are jacking at eBay, WOW. For many years, Benji from DJ International had a store in the burbs called DJ Records, and at one point in that store he had a dollar bin full of 'Missing Dog Vol 2' EPs. Full. A dollar bin. Ahem, nerds: long gone now, leave the Benj alone.
Oh and whoops, did I say 300 white vinyl copies of LPP003? I meant 250.
7.4.1985
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Thrilled to announce that 'Don't Take It' has been chosen by Âme for the new Fabric 42 mix, due out in September. Release date is 9/15, or 10/15 if you're a yankee(booo). Kristian and Frank have put together quite the interesting tracklisting, looks to be a great project.
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4.9.1966
The sabbatical is going well, thanks for asking. Also a big thanks to Guillermo at Planeta Modular, HE WANNA HOUSE! Even Youtube loves puppies these days, who knew? And finally a huge thankyou goes out to whoever updated my Discogs profile with the intentionally bad picture from my Myspace page, LET'S DO LUNCH.
Mr. Flowers, please keep an eye on your mail. Please reconsider, you won't regret it.
10.14.1914
Today was puppy appreciation day over at Resident Advisor, even if ol' Mr. Burns does rip on my "poorly constructed Geocities-esque" website. 1995 was a hot year, people. Links to any other online rants can be sent to my consonant-heavy email address.
3.16.1945
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LPP 003.....Better Spite on White!
WHITE vinyl copies of LPP 003 now available, $9.99/each + shipping. LIMITED TO 300 COPIES.
For a label that was basically unknown except among extreme record geeks, the Armando release has generated quite a bit of gossip, albeit mostly the same short snippet. Can something be a 'classic' if noone has ever heard it? Can someone be 'legendary' if only a few select music nerds know who they are? LPP 003 is not a re-issue, and Marcus Mixx still needs beer money! All praise is welcomed nonetheless. Thanks to Peter Chambers for the kind words, even if the Trax association made me shudder.
Oh, and a special thankyou to all 3 stores in North America that carry our releases. OK, USA!
Better late than never: thanks to Luke "The English Pickle" Solomon for including LPP 003 on his excellent July 2007 mix for Ibiza Voice. And for the Euro nutters, Marcus Mixx has a new collaboration out with Wolfram of Diskokaine, supposedly limited to 300 copies. For our ghetto/juke constituency, the beginnings of a large Dance Mania collection are being added to the Discogs sale pages. Many more titles and test pressings to be added in the coming weeks.
LPP 004 gears are turning...and I'm happy to announce the return of Jody "Fingers" Finch! Jody is a cult Chicago favorite with only 2 mega-obscure records to his name, but much more up his sleeve. Reels are out of the oven and will soon speak for themselves, Fiasco has his work cut out for him!
ATTENTION: Paris has swallowed L.I.A.M. alive, ZOOT ALLURE!
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9.3.1977
PABAM! Finished black vinyl copies of LPP 003 have finally landed and are now available, $7.99/each + shipping.
Bitchin' new LPP logo courtesy of Chicago's hungriest artist, Derek Erdman. BUY HIS PAINTINGS, and be sure to mention Let's Pet Puppies for a super secret makeout party. Please appreciate the new navigation buttons at the top of the page, then try to pretend that they lead somewhere.
Much, much more to come very soon.
5.30.1926
It's out of my hands, love's taken over..... and love better not screw up this time! I'm proud of this one.
2.11.1978
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At long last, from deepest, darkest Chicago....it's LPP 003!
side one: Armando - Don't Take It (Thomos Edit) (mp3 clip)
side two: Armando - Don't Take It (Johnny Fiasco Mix) (mp3 clip)
From the lost archives of Head Studios comes a long-forgotten and previously unheard acid opus from Head Studios friend and Chicago legend Armando Gallop.
An improvised, one-take afterparty session from 1988, featuring quite the ever-relevant public service message from Sharvette (using the adjacent bathroom as a makeshift vocal booth, sitting on the toilet lid).
Sublime relic of Armando's unparalleled agility in acid production from the developmental cradle of his signature (and oft imitated) avant-garde style.
Flipped with an unbelievable extended instrumental re-rub from Johnny Fiasco himself, currently in heavy rotation with Chicago's drinking elite.
Promo sheet.
Limited number of test pressings now available, $9.99/each + shipping. As usual, wholesale pre-orders for finished copies of LPP 003 can be placed through Crosstalk, our Chicago-based global distributor.
Spencer Kincy come home.
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11.29.2003
YOSH! Finished black vinyl copies of LPP 002 are now available, $7.99/each + shipping. Refined label artwork for our finer clientele, same arrogant message.
3.8.1965
Men/babes/nerds/whiskey:
I really dragged ass on this one, mainly due to the fact that my regular pressing plant REJECTED this project, claiming to be "thoroughly offended and embarrassed" by my artwork (all female staff, naturally). Instead of clean up my act and settle, I switched plants altogether and accordingly there was a bit of a delay. Thanks to everyone for all your support and for staying on my case!
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LPP 002.....Better Spread on Red!
Transparent RED vinyl with alternate labels and lyric sheet, LIMITED TO 500 COPIES.
Finished red vinyl copies now available, $9.99/each + shipping. I also still have a very small number of unexpected LPP002 test pressings from when I switched plants, black vinyl with blank labels, $9.99/each.
Keep an eye out for the main black vinyl pressing of LPP 002, out soon with 'proper' artwork and the usual improper subject matter. New Let's Pet Puppies T-shirts coming as well, just in time for summer (this batch may even be non-homemade). Near-future masterpieces to include an unreleased vintage beast from the legendary ADONIS and modern re-vamps courtesy of Chicago's #1 dog-hoarder, Derrick Carter of B.H.Q. Studios/Kennel!
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9.28.1982
Hold your horses Missing Doggers, the heat is in the mail. If I'd known every online shop/distributor in the world was going to get all copy-and-paste-y with this website then I would have made my blurbs hotter! Let's try that again:
Holy whiskey it's LPP 002!
The heavens have parted and a gift of light has been bestowed upon the undeserved scourge of mankind, behold the almighty LPP 002! Two genre-defying masterpieces of vintage electronic magic from the legendary and reclusive Marcus Mixx, three time Grammy-winner and undisputed Grand Master of Chicago House Music. The tender, heartwarming touch of 'T.A.P.' will....
....and blah blah blah. Now back to the real:
"Imagine a wasteland of buildings, destroyed by a single demo cassette. You dig beneath the rubble and you find it! The basement party that beat it so hard, it shook the earth. You find the cassette. You find the tape machine and miraculously the power's still on! So you do the only thing you CAN do in that situation....you beat it one more time."
--Gitano Camero, 1987
11.10.1995
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Holy whiskey it's LPP 002!
side one: Marcus Mixx - T.A.P. (mp3 clip)
side two: Marcus Mixx - Psychousic (mp3 clip)
Two resuscitated monsters from the Mixxer that may sound familiar to a few of my biggest record nerds (snort snort)......about as twisted as Chicago gets and originally recorded in 1987! Although these barely surfaced on a tiny local pressing, they still managed to have heavy influence on an entirely new breed of emerging Chicago producers (Ron Trent/Rush/Gemini etc). Once again Johnny "The Ears" Fiasco has blessed us with some superb pre-mastering work, off to the plant this week! Better spread on red....
LPP 003 is going to hurt, get some rest. Supremely-heavy Armando Gallop unreleased acid nugget, flipped with an unbelievable re-rub from Johnny Fiasco himself. Full details/clips to come soon, and after that we move on to Mr. Music Box himself, Chicago's own Gene Hunt! I'm thrilled to be working with one of Chicago's true originators, spent the majority of last week harvesting some gorgeous throwback material off reel, some tracks 15:00+!
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6.26.1934
Finished label copies of LPP 001 are OUT! Distributors and stores abroad are already lurvin' on it and the US gets its fix this week. 12"s are $7.99/each + shipping, or to find a wholesaler/retailer near you to harass please see the links page. Also currently available at all Harold's Chicken Shacks and participating Moo & Oinks.
Whiskey thanks to all my Missing Dog nerds for the support, but Frankie says R-E-L-A-X! I won't be re-pressing any of Marcus' early EP's in their original form, and only a fraction of the originally-released material will be reborn in the form of puppies. $500 for a clean 'I Wanna House' on eBay? Go nuts! I still need a clean one myself.
12.9.1989
LPP 001 test pressings are gone! Thanks to all 3 billion people who inquired this week, it seems someone here in Chicago listed a copy on eBay that I gave them and accordingly my inbox has been crammed. To make it fair for all I've listed the last few remaining test pressings on eBay myself, pabam!
Marcus turns 40 years old tomorrow and is being a huge baby about it. He's got much to be pumped about, and a swanky new office/studio in Lake Pointe Tower of all places (Oprah's digs); anyone who needs a "cheap but not cheap" music video made can contact him through his budding new website, www.marcusmixx.com.
1.18.1961
Wholesale pre-orders for finished copies of LPP 001 can now be placed through Crosstalk, our Chicago-based global distributor.
8.29.2001
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Extremely excited/relieved to announce details for LPP 001 (finally!):
side one: Marcus Mixx - Without Makeup (Ron Hardy Mix) (mp3 clip)
side two: Marcus Mixx - The Spell (Ron Hardy Mix) (mp3 clip)
Two brilliant and never-before heard mixes courtesy of Chicago's own legendary Ron Hardy, recorded at the infamous Head Studios circa 1988! Ron did very little production work that ever saw daylight, and these are magnificent examples of his legacy. Please see the newly added about page for full details, and you can view the promo sheet here.
An extremely limited number of test pressings now on hand, $9.99/each + shipping and it's first-come first-served. Could be a minute before final copies are around so be quick!
I feel extraordinarily lucky to have the immensely talented Johnny Fiasco handling all the pre-mastering for this project. He is House Music Royalty here in Chicago, and has managed to re-animate and re-invigorate some terribly deteriorated tracks, as evidenced by the phenomenal-sounding vinyl pressings! Johnny also recently contributed an amazing mix for an upcoming unreleased Armando Gallop acid freakout, keep an eye out....HEAT!!
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4.13.1893
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'Shake That Thing' has been licensed to Clone Records out of Holland for their 'Box Jams' compilation, available on mixed CD and unmixed 2x12" vinyl. The track originally appeared on the sought-after orange label 'Missing Dog Volume 2' EP from 1988, and has recently generated some much-welcomed acclaim. Clone has also released it via digital download.
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'House Flashback' has been licensed by DJ Deep for his 'City To City' compilation on the highly reknowned BBE Records out of the UK, available on mixed CD and unmixed 2x12" vinyl.
This was a rather awkward situation as I first learned of the compilation by finding it in the record store! 'House Flashback' originally appeared on the b-side of 'The Best Of Ron Hardy Vol. 1' EP on Streetfire Records, an amazing EP with misleading label info (thanks to the infamous Larry Sherman). BBE incorrectly credits 'House Flashback' to Ron Hardy (the Chicago Mix of 'Liquid Love' was the only Ron Hardy Mix on the 12"), when in fact the track is 100% vintage Marcus Mixx & L.I.A.M. material.
Apparently the record has been a long-time favorite of DJ Deep, who tried unsuccessfully to find the original producers. BBE has been fantastic since I contacted them regarding the license, and my only qualm is their failure to post a clarification of the artist info on the BBE website (it was obviously too late to amend the printed media).
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12.17.1998
This project has been about 2 years in the making, and I'm extremely excited/relieved to announce the first release is finally coming to fruition. Spent the majority of the last few months arguing with the pressing plant about quality control, I was receiving batch after batch of warped test pressings and finally had to switch plants altogether. A small number have already gone out to local drunks and I'm hoping to get another batch out to distributors and long-time Missing Dog heads this week.
Got the chance to test some of the new material on December 3rd at Streetside Cafe in Chicago, Marcus came out and we had a good time. People seemed to either love the new stuff or be totally weirded out, surprise.
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VERY Limited Edition Missing Dog T-shirts available NOW! Whiskey fast!
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2.1.1906
Finally posted a much-needed revamp of the site, which is now completely free of all frames and stupid fonts. For anyone who hasn't already noticed, there's alot of non-sensical Japanese garbage on this site, and oddly enough Marcus Mixx is incredibly popular in Japan. For all our Japanese guests who may stop by, please don't take anything too personally, and if you do then at least send me a nasty email so I can post it for all to enjoy.
Some very sad news today, last week Gitano's (L.I.A.M.) mother passed away unexpectedly. He is understandably upset and I intend to get him super-jazzed about this project, which HE SHOULD BE.
For all label-related inquiries, drop an email. Girl, let's talk.
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