Dexter Wansel - Life On Mars

Dexter Wansel was the man Philadelphia International handed the synthesizers to. He wrote, produced and arranged for the label's roster through the seventies and ran its A&R department at the end of the decade, and in 1976 he made a record about outer space.

Life On Mars is Philly soul pointed at the sky. The title track rides a rhythm bed laid down by Instant Funk, MFSB supply the strings and horns, Bob Malach plays saxophone and flute, and Wansel covers keyboards and synthesizers throughout. "A Prophet Named K.G.," "Theme From The Planets" and "Rings Of Saturn" deliver exactly what their titles promise, and Terri Wells sings "Together Once Again." Cut at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, mastered at Frankford/Wayne.

The afterlife has been enormous. The drum figure that opens the title track has been called one of the foundation beats of hip hop, and Wansel's catalogue has since been sampled by Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar and Drake among many others. Jay Kay of Jamiroquai has credited this record with turning him toward jazz and funk as a teenager.

Original 1976 US pressing on Philadelphia International, catalog PZ 34079.

Used copy: VG+ vinyl / VG+ sleeve