Song of the Day: Black Ivory “Mainline”

Black Ivory‘s irresistible 1979 disco single “Mainline” is a carefully constructed time-bomb designed to inflict maximum dancefloor madness. The song is built around a bouncing disco beat, bright horns, soaring strings and features, count ’em, 3 different breakdowns for maximum exposure. The song is one of those largely lost disco classics that is ripe for reappraisal and remixing. This cut has more bounce to the ounce than is at all reasonable or fair. Dig it!

Black Ivory was formed in 1969 by Russell Patterson and Stuart Bascombe. The duo were shortly thereafter later joined by singer Leroy Burgess III. The group initially went by the name Mellow Souls and started out as more of a soul group. After an association with producer/ musician Patrick Adams, they were persuaded to change their name to Black Ivory and pursue a more funk and later disco direction. The group were mainstays of the then newly formed Today records. They recorded a steady run of records from 1972 and concluding in 1984 with the end of the first wave of disco.