The Philly Issue

I can't front, I've never even been to Philadelphia. Though it's not too far from New York, and I know more than a few cats from there, I still haven't made the trip to the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia has been holding it down for centuries; it's almost as though the place has always been there and always will be. So for now, I have to live without ever having enjoyed an authentic cheesesteak or cleaned up at Val Shively's spot. Along with Detroit and Chicago, Philadelphia has birthed or hosted a long list of some of the finest musicians the world has ever heard, whether from the realm of jazz, soul, or hip-hop. Philly remains one of the top musical cities in America, having cemented a sound that defines the city more so than possibly any other in America. If there's anything that Philadelphia is known for other than its cheesesteaks, it's "The Sound of Philadelphia," crafted by the musical genius of both Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and a group of very talented arrangers, songwriters, and musicians. Distinct from Motown, but also picking up where the Detroit label left off, Philly soul combined lush string arrangements with a funky backbeat—a combination that was heaven sent and dominated airwaves and dance floors worldwide for well over a decade. In my early days of record digging, I slept hard on the Philly Sound. Looking for beats with blinders on, the Philly joints always sounded too much like "disco" to me, which was not a good thing at the time. Little did I know, the Philly sound is the blueprint for disco, and it wasn't that Philly soul sounded like disco, but disco sound- ed like Philly soul. Just listening to the four-CD box set, Love Train: The Sound of Philadelphia, you begin to under- stand just how important Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label was. If it can keep my wife dancing over the course of four CDs, you know these cats were putting in work! What Gamble and Huff were able to do is provide the city with an unmistakable sound that would give the city its musical identity-one that still stands tall to this day. It was an honor and privilege to finally get the opportunity to sit with these musical masters and get a little insight into how they made it work. Again, one of the few musical success stories, these cats not only turned out hit songs by the dozen, but were able to handle their business so that they're still eating well off those same hits over three decades later.

Before we jump in too deep, I should preface this issue with a disclaimer. What we've assembled is not a complete representation of Philly; just like most of our themed issues, this is merely a slice of life. Cut short because of the holidays, we hoped to include both Thom Bell and the Delfonics but weren't able to. Rest assured, they will be appearing in these pages soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy another banger that still provides a window into the very talented musical city of Philadelphia.

Much like how Philly had its own sound and style, so do we here at Wax Poetics. Seven years and running, we continue to get our Gamble and Huff on, adding lush design over funky text, turning out hit after hit. As I mentioned last issue, they're running scared in 2009, but we're feel- ing better than ever. Even though '08 fizzled out, we did our best year yet and look to an even brighter '09. We're looking to really come out blasting on many fronts as we continue our reach into new media. We have some especially interesting things lined up for Wax Poetics Films this year, and we'll be premiering our first short film, East of Underground, this month. In addition to the regular slew of issues, we've got a couple of more books and records lined up for release. Stay tuned, we're about to pull some real power moves this year.