Counterpoint's
Disco Juice compilations (later combined by Landspeed as
Super Disco) and disciple-like support from most major disco/house DJs born before 1970 have ensured that
Patrick Adams and
Peter Brown have maintained their status as cult superheroes.
Adams surfaced in the mainstream with
Musique's "In the Bush," worked as an engineer on several
Eric B. & Rakim albums, and put in extensive time with larger labels like Salsoul and Prelude, and
Brown can lay claim to the production on some of
Spoonie Gee's earliest releases. But the two also operated a series of Harlem-based labels, often organized for the sake of convenience under the P&P umbrella, that released a plentiful number of rap and disco singles. Many of them stand as
Adams' and
Brown's most imaginative, inspiring, and flat-out wild works, involving their input as songwriters, arrangers, producers, musicians, talent spotters, and businessmen. Few DJs could summarize the best of the duo's labels as well as
Masters at Work's
Kenny Dope, who provides an unsurprisingly educated and skillful mixed set on the first disc of this package. Starting with a handful of early rap tracks,
Kenny Dope's tour allows a couple minutes for most of the selections, with a little added emphasis on the P&P basics --
Clyde Alexander's "Gotta Get Your Love,"
Cloud One's "Disco Juice" and "Atmosphere Strut" -- and a nearly full, nine-minute airing of
Lanier's constantly unfolding "25 Hours." The unmixed second disc, billed as a rarities and re-edits affair, features four tracks that haven't before appeared on CD; most of the others can also be found on the
Disco Juice comps. Out of the previously rare-vinyl-only tracks, Wayne Ford's 13-minute "Dance to the Beat Freakout" sticks out most, resembling a loose, extended mix of Atmosphear's "Dancing in Outer Space."
Marta Acuna's "Dance, Dance, Dance," another rarity, is also worth singling out for
Adams' sweeping Moog runs. While never made with a recording budget on the level of
the Chic Organization, these songs are as musical and intricately arranged as anything produced by
Nile Rodgers and
Bernard Edwards, and even when it's apparent that the singers and musicians don't possess slick professionalism (or when the pressings don't provide the cleanest of sounds), the spirit, feeling, and bliss-injecting qualities are more-than-fair trade-offs. P&P's elegant grit remains powerful enough to withstand any disco demolition, especially
Dope's trademark detonations that assist the track transitions on disc one.
–
Andy Kellman, Rovi