A Little Pleasure for Your Pleasure

Lord have mercy, it’s been a hell of a few weeks up in the Morebounce empire. If it wasn’t horrible tragedies, it was work drama, or the everyday fuckery we see around these parts. (Yes, you may use that word, please and thank you.)

Which is why it’s time for some of those joints that make you think you’re in some alternate universe where everyone is happy, lives on the beach and works at a record store.

Pleasure just might be the most perfect happy music. For all the funk in their collective trunk, they have an incredibly light and melodic sound. With the fat-assedness of Brick and light touch of L.T.D., they’re a funk crate-diggers’ naughty dream.

Coming out of Portland in the early ’70s, Pleasure put out at least seven solid albums (if you know of more, get thee to gmail and hit me up!) without ever really gaining any widespread recognition. Why? I dunno. I guess folks have no damn taste. But today, true heads know about Pleasure’s genius and dance floor magic. Flip one of these on and just try to keep that mean mug:

Pleasure
Let’s Dance
Accept No Substitutes, 1976
Damn, nobody is better at building anticipation than Pleasure, on the real. Sometimes, in the beginning of their songs, you think you can’t wait another bar for the stank to start. But they always pay off with some stank horns or nasty bassline. Also, I love a good wocka wocka.

Joyous
Joyous, 1977
A friend introduced me to this when I was having a shitty-ass day. He sent it to me and simply wrote: “go to 1:05.” He was so right.

Glide
Future Now, 1979
Straight ahead low-bottomed disco. Does what it says – try it on roller skates.