Mixed Signals burst into life with impossibly rare music from Eros

The new label explore underexposed gold from the esoteric dance canon

Eros

Written by Rocco Universal

Mixed signals is a new project curated by Henry Jones of Smiling C and Séance Centre's Brandon Hocura. Here the duo offer a platform to underexposed compositions from dance music's esoteric backstory, helping to join atomic dots from the complex dance narrative. Some of the music they've unearthed comes from obscure vanity pressings, while some, sourced from unreleased archives, has never before seen the light of day.

The label launches with rather a loud bang, offering three instalments in rapid succession. Proto-house sounds from Harold Lucious and new-wave house from LITIA=LOE are joined on the grid by our favourite from the triad, the Paradise Garage inspired disco of 'Go For It' by Eros, and it's this record we've chosen to preview here.

Comprised of New Jersey High School friends Assanouan G’Bado, Fletcher Gaines, Bobby Jones, and Mike Freeman, Eros formed to channel a shared love of soul, funk, rock and disco – playing together in after-school jams and occasional gigs in New York City. The band took a break following graduation – when Assanouan and Bobby undertook military service and Fletcher went to university – but reformed with serious intent in the late '70s, when they set to work producing an album's worth of demos which they hoped to sign to Motown. Upon completion, Eros flew out to Detroit to present their work to the label, and though they indeed received an offer, it didn't feel right for the group and the album was never signed. Eventually, the songs were shelved, and Fletcher and Bobby left the band to pursue other ventures.

In 1985, remaining band members Mike and Assanouan self-released a reincarnation of the disco-inspired demo 'Go For It' on their own DAP Records. Drum machines, over-dubs and delays took the place of the missing bandmates – in the process adding futurist production sensibilities in keeping with the evolved musical landscape. The result is a dubbed-out epic, something of an errant classic that never quite took full flight from the J-horns to fill the Paradise Garage. The song's infectious chorus may well be deserving of hit status, but the music really powers into life at the half-way point, when the raw-but-spirited verse vocals make way for a spaced-out epilogue – the stripped arrangement allowing the emotive guitar chords, funk-bass motifs, and sultry ad-libs ample room to breathe. As the Mixed Signals team rightly point out, the sound is something akin to a sacred production hybrid of Mad Professor and Walter Gibbons. 

The original DAP release is extremely scarce, and, if found, exchanges hands for hefty sums, so this release represents a golden opportunity to own an otherwise barely obtainable un-classic. Completing the 12” is the original demo version which, aside from being highly collectable, is a surprisingly refined production and an excellent piece of music. Mixed Signals have the remaining songs from the demo album Eros recorded for Motown scheduled for release later this year, something that's worth looking out for.

Eros 'Go For It' is coming very soon, you can order it here