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Atmosphere Strut [P&P]

Cloud One
1 disc

1. Spaced Out
2. Charleston Hopscotch
3. Dust to Dust
4. Atmosphere Strut
5. Disco Juice
6. Doin' It All Night Long
Additional Info

Manufacturer Part Number (MPN): 6103
Credits

Producer Patrick Adams
Engineer
Recording information: Minot Sound Studios, White Plains, NY.
Photographer: Patrick Adams.
Arranger: Patrick Adams.
Since the disco underground communicated through the 12" format, containing A-sides and B-sides that almost always surpassed the several-minute mark, full-length albums were a rarity. Cloud One's self-titled album (reissued on CD in the mid-'90s as Atmosphere Strut, and then included in its entirety on both The Best of Cloud One and The Very Best of Cloud One) is one exception to the rule. As with the remainder of Cloud One's material, each song on this LP was produced and arranged by Patrick Adams, a remarkably prolific cult legend whose name should be just as instantly recognized in dance music circles as Giorgio Moroder and Arthur Baker's. Not only was Adams an incredibly talented figure behind the boards (and a label operator on top), but he also revolutionized synth playing -- no one before, during, or since has played the synthesizer like him. Cloud One is one of several testaments to these facts, containing a handful of classic disco cuts that remain in DJ crates decades after being recorded. "Atmosphere Strut" and "Disco Juice" (the latter in a different mix from its longer, more popular counterpart) have the highest profile of these six songs. Both are euphoric but completely distinct from one another. "Atmosphere Strut" is a nine-minute drift carried by a light, winding groove, a repeated refrain of "We're gonna fly, fly away," crazy synth squiggles, human handclaps, and incidental exclamations of delight. "Disco Juice" is downright colossal; with its humid, nocturnal feel; shimmering strings; taut bassline; and a dazed, wordless refrain, it practically forces anyone within earshot to involuntarily twirl in a state of bliss. The delirious "Spaced Out," the smooth/easy "Dust to Dust," and the jubilant closer "Doin' It All Night Long" put a cap on this brilliant album. ~ Andy Kellman