Description

Herman Kelly & Life – Percussion Explosion! (LP/CD) [Mr Bongo MRB311]

***PRE-ORDER – Est. 7 March 2025***

Percussion Explosion! was the brainchild of drummer, percussionist, producer and arranger, Herman Kelly and his percussive disco-funk group from Miami, ‘Life’, that featured Aaron McCarthy, Oliver Well, John DeMonica, Michal Cordoza and Travis Biggs.

The album houses a collection of disco, funk and Latin-inspired cuts that were destined for greatness. Nestled within the grooves is the B-Boy and B-Girl’s anthem, ‘Dance To The Drummer’s Beat’, which contains a now legendary break. A cursory glance at Whosampled will show that it has been sampled in over 125+ songs. These include Double Dee & Steinski on their groundbreaking 1985 production ‘Lesson 3 (History Of Hip Hop Mix)’, as well as by DJ Shadow, N.W.A, Masters At Work, Run D.M.C. and a whole host of heavyweights across hip-hop, dance and pop music.

When the album was released in 1978 it came out on two different labels, Alston Records and Electric Cat. Each label pressed different versions of ‘Dance To The Drummer’s Beat’, with the former featuring a 4:12 version and the latter a longer 5:09 version that has a different structure, crowd noise at the start and overdubbed percussion. For this Mr Bongo reissue, we have chosen the classic 4:12 version from the Alston Records release, which would later find its way onto the illustrious Ultimate Breaks & Beats compilations.

Aside from the much celebrated ‘Dance To The Drummer’s Beat’, the album includes a range of other fantastic overlooked cuts. From the percussive soul stepper ‘Share Your Love’, to the beautiful Latin-favoured ‘A Refreshing Love’ or the party disco-funk groover ‘Who’s The Funky D.J.?’. This wonderful and inspirational record features an important piece of hip-hop heritage and deserves a place in every collection.