We chat with Chicago disco savant Tone B. Nimble before he brings his soul-filled records to Le Bain's booth on Saturday, July 21st.
LE BAIN: You've been in the music game for 30 years. You've been a DJ, music buyer, artist, and label owner, but your latest move has been to go back to your roots: crate-digging and re-editing obscure, forgotten, amazing records. How did that last move happen?
TONE B. NIMBLE: I wasn’t really enjoying the music industry in the mid 2000s, so I decided to put more energy toward my roots in disco, digging, and collecting records. I also wanted to focus on something musically with no planned outcomes or expectations. The idea was to delve back into the disco culture and see where it went organically. During this process I started Al-Tone Edits with my partner Al Bumz and the “Soul Is My Salvation” series, which focuses on disco and boogie-oriented gospel. [The next limited cassette edition is out on July 14th.]
TONE B. NIMBLE: I wasn’t really enjoying the music industry in the mid 2000s, so I decided to put more energy toward my roots in disco, digging, and collecting records. I also wanted to focus on something musically with no planned outcomes or expectations. The idea was to delve back into the disco culture and see where it went organically. During this process I started Al-Tone Edits with my partner Al Bumz and the “Soul Is My Salvation” series, which focuses on disco and boogie-oriented gospel. [The next limited cassette edition is out on July 14th.]
"Soul is My Salvation" by Tone B. Nimble
Could you share three of your latest disco-gospel discoveries?
I don’t make it a habit of sharing too many gospel titles as it's a tedious and lengthy process to find or acquire these releases. That being said, here are three recent favorites: Servants of the Lord's "Shine On Me" (7”), a very nice, up-tempo, modern, gospel, soul jam from 1982; the Voices of Tabernacle's Hear Our Prayer O Lord (LP), a funky, gospel, soul album; and finally, Sensational Four's "Jesus Is Friend" (7”), another very nice up-tempo, modern, gospel, soul jam from 1985.
You've been called a "disco savant." What’s your definition of it?
I believe a disco savant is a individual who’s well-versed in the disco genre and all of its sub genres. No one knows everything, but there are definitely some collectors who possess a wealth of knowledge.
What's your approach to re-editing?
I try and keep my edits clean and creative with a certain level of consistency and obscurity. More importantly, I try and make edits that I’d like to hear in a dance setting. I’m also planning to hit the studio in the near future to create some original edits with live musicians.
Al-Tone Edits' "Groovin'"
Did your disco quest inspire a more spiritual quest?
I wouldn’t consider my quest spiritual, but I have imagined having a more spiritual connection with my audience when playing gospel or more spiritual music. A majority of the gospel that I play is uplifting, so if I’m in accord with the audience, we should sense some type of positive vibration or uplifted spirits.
On Saturday, July 21st, Le Bain present Tone B. Nimble
and Sonny Daze
The Standard, High Line | 10pm
