The Salsoul Influence
Salsoul Records was founded in New York in 1974 by the Cayre brothers. Salsoul became known for a distinctive style that mixed Philadelphia Soul (lush strings and big arrangements) with latin percussion (congas and timbales), funky basslines and disco grooves. Over time it developed a varied roster and became king of the disco 12" record.
Salsoul released around 300 singles, and helped popularise the 12-inch single format, which became standard in dance music. Salsoul wasn't just another disco label, it helped shape modern dance music. It was a club culture pioneer, and tailored music specifically for DJs and dancefloors.
Joe Bataan
Joe Bataan released his landmark album called "Salsoul" in 1973. Salsoul Records formed in 1974, and was named after this album. The album was released on Mericana, which was a label owned by the Cayre brothers.
Latin Strut By Joe Bataan (1973)
The term Salsoul was coined by Joe Bataan as a portmanteau of “salsa” and “soul”, reflecting his hybrid sound. Bataan pitched the concept of Salsoul Records to the Cayre brothers. The original concept of the label was to release the crossover sound of Spanish Harlem, which blended Latin influences with funk and soul.
When Salsoul Records was founded, Joe Bataan had the same stake as each of the Cayre brothers. He was originally a partner with a 25% stake and was head of Artists and Repertoire (A&R). As the Cayre brothers each owned a 25% stake, this gave them a combined majority stake and therefore control of the company. Joe Bataan left the company after early Salsoul releases and a fallout with the Cayre brothers.
The Cayre Brothers
Salsoul Records was founded by Joseph, Kenneth and Stanley Cayre, in a collaboration with Joe Bataan. The Cayre brothers were wealthy businessmen who had already made their fortune before founding Salsoul Records. Joe Bataan was previously on Fania Records and was well known as an artist making Latin Soul. When they formed Salsoul Records together, they each owned a one-quarter share of the label.
In the late 1960s, the Cayre brothers ran a successful business importing hosiery and consumer goods from Asia. When the eight-track tape market took off, they pivoted to distributing pre-recorded budget tapes. From their tape business, they founded a company to licence Mexican and South American music for the US market. By the early 1970s they had a multi-million pound business and owned music manufacturing and distribution businesses.
Ken Cayre discovered the New York club scene in the early 1970s. He was inspired by clubs like Le Jardin and The Gallery. As a businessman, he understood that the new club scene was not catered for by any of the existing major labels, and he came to believe there was a gap in the market for a club-focussed record label. He convinced his brothers to take shares in creating a new label with Joe Bataan, Salsoul Records. Joe Cayre took responsibility for finance. Stanley Cayre took responsibility for operations. Ken Cayre took responsility for creative direction, and Joe Batann ran A&R.
Ken Cayre's immersion in the New York club scene gave him a competitive advantage over the legacy music industry. The traditional music industry thought what mattered was radio, album sales and touring. Although P.I.R. had invented disco, P.I.R. had a legacy mindset, and Salsoul was able to blaze a trail for the disco 12" record.
The vision of the Cayre brothers was based on clubbing. They introduced 12" vinyl and DJ tools because they understood the needs of club DJs. After the Nuyorican and Philly phases of Salsoul, they brought in DJs like Walter Gibbons, Larry Levan and Shep Pettibone to develop the logic of making records for clubs.
The First 12" Singles
Salsoul Records were the first company to sell extended dance mixes directly to the public on 12" records. Salsoul also introduced the concept of DJ tools on the B sides of their 12" releases.
Tom Moulton had recently invented the 12" single and the extended remix but these weren't being sold to the general public. Extended promo mixes were only going to a small number of DJs as acetates, and it wasn't for sale. Salsoul gambled that ordinary people would want to buy the same mix that they heard in nightclubs.
When Salsoul released Ten Percent by Double Exposure in 1976, the 7" single release was too short for clubs. Salsoul hired New York DJ Walter Gibbons to rework the master tapes into an extended club mix. Salsoul initially released this mix as a limited acetate promo, but people were trying to buy the extended mix in record shops, where it wasn't for sale. Salsoul then released the nine minute extended mix on a 12" record with the title "Special Disco Mix". This was a massive financial success, selling hundreds of thousands of copies, and this proved that the concept of a 12" disco single release was viable.
Ten Per Cent By Double Exposure (1976)
Philadelphia International Records had disagreed with Tom Moulton when he wanted to extend their Philly disco tracks. P.I.R. felt that remixes lacked integrity. Salsoul embraced Tom Moulton's extended mix concept, took it to market, and proved it could be a commercial success. Salsoul's first 12" extended mix wasn't by Tom Moulton, but he did make several remixes for them, including Doctor Love by First Choice.
Doctor Love (Extended Mix) By First Choice (1977)
When Salsoul got DJs involved in production, that also led to the concept of DJ tools. Salsoul standardised the DJ tools included on 12" releases to include an acapella, the instrumental mix and bonus beats. These additional mixes allowed DJs to make live remixes using two copies of a release.
The Salsoul Orchestra
The Salsoul Orchestra was the house band of Salsoul Records. After Joe Bataan left Salsoul Records, the Cayre brothers hired Vincent Montana Jr. and recruited disaffected members from MFSB. This shifted Salsoul's identity from its original raw Nuyorican Soul to a polished, orchestral Philadelphia-inspired disco.
Mother Father Sister Brother (MFSB) was the house band of Philadelphia International Records. in the mid 1970s, key members of MFSB became involved in financial disputes with P.I.R. over royalties. Ken Cayre approached them and offered them lucrative contracts with Salsoul Records. The members of MFSB who mutinied became the founding members of The Salsoul Orchestra. The band grew to around 50 members, including a massive string section. This allowed Salsoul to mimic the luxury sound of Philly Soul, while adding their own emphasis on club friendly extended length tracks.
Getaway By The Salsoul Orchestra (1977)
Some of the MFSB members who left to become The Salsoul Orchestra where Vince Montana Jr. (vibraphonist, arranger, conductor), Ronnie Baker (bass), Norman Harris (guitar), Earl Young (drums) and Bunny Sigler (singer, songwriter). The Salsoul Orchestra initially continued to record at the same Sigma Studios that P.I.R. and MFSB were using. While working out of the same studio, Salsoul and P.I.R. would try to spy on each other. As this was incredibly awkward, Joe Tarsia eventually opened a second Sigma Sound Studios NYC, and Salsoul moved a lot of the production there.
Chicago Bus Stop (Ooh, I Love It) By Salsoul Orchestra (1975)
The Salsoul D.J. Era
Salsoul wasn't content to just copy Philly Soul, and was highly reactive to how the dance music scene was changing. It wasn't long before Salsoul pivoted again by bringing in innovative DJ remixers.
Vincent Montana Jr. clashed with the Cayre brothers about money and this new direction. He left Salsoul in 1978 to form The Montana Sextet and sign with Atlantic Records (initially just Montana and later renamed as The Montana Sextet). The Montana Sextet later released a dis track called "Who Needs Enemies (With a Friend Like You)" about their experience of Salsoul Records.
Who Needs Enemies (With A Friend Like You) (Club Mix) By Montana Sextet Featuring Nadiyah (1983)
Tom Moulton had invented the extended disco remix format, which was ideal to keep people dancing in clubs. Control of producing tracks at Salsoul shifted from the orchestral conductor to the club DJ. Salsoul brought in Shep Pettibone and Larry Levan to produce club friendly remixes. These remixes often had a stripped-down dub sensibility instead of the luxury Philly sound.
Hit And Run By Loleatta Holloway (Walter Gibbons 12" Remix) (1977)
Disco reached peak market saturation when the Saturday Night Fever movie was released in 1977. There was a disco backlash after this, and Salsoul dropped the term disco in 1979. Salsoul then shifted to post-disco, garage, boogie, electro and other genres of dance music.
International Artists
Salsoul also diversified by releasing artists from outside of the USA, including: Candido, O.R.S. and Bebu Silvetti.
Spring Rain By Bebu Silvetti (1975)
In the late 1970s Canada developed a booming disco scene, and Salsoul licensed many of Canada's era-definining tracks. The first major track that Salsoul licensed from Canada was Kebekelektrik's "War Dance" in 1977. This track became a big Ron Hardy favourite.
Loleatta Holloway
Although Loleatta Holloway was signed to Gold Mind Records, her releases were pressed and distributed by Salsoul. Loleatta Holloway released records on Salsoul between 1976 and 1982, and was Salsoul's biggest star.
Run Away By The Salsoul Orchestra Featuring Loleatta Holloway (1977)
Salsoul introduced the concept of DJ tools, which were released on the B sides of their 12" releases. This included vocal stems from Loleatta Holloway. These DJ tools were intended to allow DJs to create live extended remixes on the fly using two vinyl records. When the sample era came in during the 1980s, Loleatta Holloway's vocal acapellas became the most sampled vocals in music history. The most famous example is Black Box's Ride On Time. This was released without crediting Loleatta Holloway, and got to number one in the UK.
Love Sensation By Loleatta Holloway (1980)
The Influence On House
Many of Salsoul's releases are considered classic tracks of the early culture era of house. Many of them were staple tracks in constant Rotation by Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy.
Let No Man Put Asunder (12" Extended Mix) By First Choice (1983)
Salsoul pioneered the 12" record, which was a foundational infrastructure allowing house music to spread around the world in its early days. Salsoul also introduced the practice of releasing DJ tools on B sides. In the early years of the house genre, house music took the DJ tool to its logical conclusion and made it the main product. Many of the early early releases of house music are EPs packed with DJ tools and no A side. This makes Salsoul an essential ingredient of house music from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s.