Ennio Morricone - Molto Mondo Morricone (197x)

I'll start off this mondo madness with an album full of torrid, love-fueled, dripping-with-desire Ennio Morricone. Check this groovy cabaret-ish walking bassline track with some nasty horns and scatty vocal.





Morricone is a fitting starting point. Everything that draws me to the Euro lounge groove/cinematic funk genre starts and ends with Morricone. He is easily the most prolific and important pop musician Italy has ever produced, and along with the handful of British and American artists of the same era, among the most influential popular musicians of all time. Certainly when it comes to scoring a film, the man has no peer.

This album collects tracks from various Morricone-scored films from the late 1960s and early 1970s. This era of Morricone's work is some of the most glorious music you'll ever lay ears on, so incredibly sexy, and undoubtedly the soundtrack to the lives of thousands of lovers.

In addition to Morricone's mellow, unforced eroticism, there's also some very cool uptempo stuff, like the infectious "Intermezzino Pop" from Luciano Ercoli's Giallo film Le Foto Proibite Di Una Signora Per Bene (Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion).





Essential listening from a genius of our time.

Molto Mondo Morricone

Euro Lounge Groove

I DJ-ed my friend Oliver's wedding last week. Had a blast first spinning some cocktail and jazz, a bit of Pachabel's D Minor for the bridal march, followed by erotic rare groove revelry at the Well Bar after dinner. Tales of extreme drunkeness and unique behavior... Props to Olly for putting on an excellent time. Best. Wedding. Ever.

In the next month High Plains Drifter will feature some of my favorite sleazy European albums from the '70s. Much of it will derive from sexploitation flicks, Library music, downtempo, lounge groove... I never know what to call it, but generally think of it as The Right Side of Cheese. Before that I thought I'd start by getting peeps in the mood with a custom compilation of some of the tunes from Olly's wedding reception party, mostly erotic Italian cinematic stuff, heavy on funky bass and breakbeats from the early to mid '70s with one or two non-Euro tracks thrown in. Here be the fruits...


First a little sample:

DOWNLOAD EUROPEAN LOUNGE GROOVE & ELECTRO SOUL