PRICE:
$17.50
LOW STOCK LEVEL
ARTIST
TITLE
Keep In Touch
FORMAT
12"

LABEL
CATALOG #
PINKY 001EP PINKY 001EP
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
1/7/2022

Far Out Recordings present reissues of Brit funk classics. Keep In Touch and Stay (PINKY 002EP) were the first two 12" singles by the iconic Freeez, both self-funded passion projects of its founding member John Rocca, for his own Pink Rhythm imprint. It all started over the counter at Derek's Records on Petticoat Lane, London in the mid-70s. Rocca -- at the time a budding teenage percussionist -- met the prolific guitarist, composer, producer and all round brit funk fixer Jean Paul "Bluey" Maunick (also the father of Far Out producer Daniel Maunick). Best known as the founding member of Light of the World, Incognito, and more recently Str4ta, Bluey's involvement in the origins of Freeez are lesser known, but no less crucial. Bluey invited Rocca to a weekly jam session in an East London basement, where they would develop their craft, form their first band Freeez and develop the idea for "Keep In Touch": "Back in the basement there was this one particular track we were playing that I really loved. It had a groove that I thought I could sell" Rocca reminisces. Going against the advice of all the musicians involved, who thought he was mad and set to lose all his money, John decided to go full DIY, hire out a high-end studio in the West End to record "Keep In Touch" and release it as a private press, birthing his now famed Pink Rhythm label. Featuring Bluey on guitar, Peter Maas on bass, Paul Morgan on drums, Jason Wright on keyboards, and John Rocca on percussion, Keep In Touch was a surprise underground hit selling over 5000 copies and reaching #49 in the UK, leading Freeez into a record deal with Pye / Calibre.