close
Funky Seoul Corner 6

Hello and welcome to Funky Seoul Corner! My name is Scott Freeman (aka DJ Free).

I have been living in Seoul, Korea now for many years teaching English, but one of my hobbies is to collect records, especially jazz, soul, and funk 45s. I currently have 550-plus 45s in my collection, and occasionally I have the opportunity to spin these tunes in various locations around Seoul. In so far as I know, I am the ONLY one in this city of millions who plays this kind of music out on vinyl. (I wish this weren’t the case because I would love to meet and collaborate with like-minded people!)

Thanks to the kind folks at Three Wise Monkeys, I now have the chance to share some of my 45s with you. Every week I will select and present a different 45 from my collection. You will be able to view the actual 45 being presented, you will be able to read my little blurb about that 45, and you will be able to hear one-side from that 45. Guaranteed these 45s are all original pressings—no reissues and no bootlegs—so you will be seeing and listening to the real thing. You can email me at stf5966@hotmail.com if you have any questions, comments and/or suggestions about Funky Seoul Corner. Now on to the music!

__________________________

So many people during the 60s and 70s were laying down tracks for unknown labels. That’s what makes digging for soul and funk records so special! Sometimes 45s are so obscure that you just can’t find much information about them. This is the case with this week’s 45. I present to you, Larry Ellis.

I could tell you that the Larry Ellis on this 45 is the same Larry Ellis from Larry Ellis and the Black Hammer. Larry Ellis and the Black Hammer recorded a legendary track back in 1969 entitled “Funky Thing.” “Funky Thing” is one of those 45s that goes for beaucoup bucks if you can find an original pressing. You can easily do a YouTube search to listen to it. It’s a heavy hitter with Larry Ellis on the Hammond B3, I believe.

Now, Larry Ellis and the Black Hammer were from New York, and as you look at this 45 you see that it was also produced in New York. I also know that the label of the 45, “Sounds of Black Feeling,” was also located in New York. And Al King, the producer of this 45, was a noted New York 60/70s soul-funk producer. So is this the same Larry Ellis? I wish I knew….

If I had to guess, I would that this 45 was cut somewhere in the mid-70s. I would like to say 1974 because of the funky yet mature sound to it. It’s a little too polished and too clean to be much earlier than ’74, I think. Anyway, the 45 you will listen to now kicks soul butt! An all-around groover with a bit of pimp to it. My kind of sound. Turn it up!!!

DISCLAIMER: Sound files are posted for educational purposes only.