Friday on The AIR we offer up a momentus new episode of MIRRORBALL, followed by an encore edition of Sydney’s Big Electric Cat.  The AIR is PopCult’s sister radio station. You can hear these shows on The AIR website, or just click on the embedded player elsewhere on this page.

Friday at 2 PM The AIR transports you back to the Golden Age of Disco with a very, very special episode of Mel Larch’s MIRRORBALL.  This just happens to be episode 54 of Mel’s Disco showcase, and Studio 54 happened to be the most famous Disco of that classic era.  Piling another coincidence on top of things, back in April when we went to see The Minutes, on Broadway, it was actually playing at The Studio 54 Theater located at the former location of the world’s most famous Disco.

We had just debuted the 50th episode of MIRRORBALL, and were aware that we were just a few weeks away from episode 54.  We decided that it’d be cool for episode 54 of MIRRORBALL to present most of the classic album, “A Night At Studio 54,” one of the best-selling Disco LPs of all time.  Knowing this, and aware of Studio 54’s policy of not allowing recording devices to be used inside the theater, we decided to record Mel’s intro on the street, right outside Studio 54, at 254 West 54th Street, New York, New York!

We put Mel’s script on her phone, and recorded her audio using our Kodak Zi8, with me trying my best to be a human windscreen and block Mel from wind and traffic noise. Then we turned off our electronic devices and got in line for the show. After we got home all I had to do was assemble the show, excise one song to fit the timeslot (sorry Ms. Summer, but we have played “Last Dance” several times already) and wait until we got to our 54th episode.

And that happens today.

A Night At Studio 54 was a double album, with its music segued between tracks by disc jockeys Marc Paul Simon and Roy Thode for continuous playing, just like they did at the nightclub itself. Despite going Gold, and almost Platinum on it’s original release, the album has been out of print for decades, since the demise of Casablanca Records, the label that released it, and was never officially issued on CD.  So now MIRRORBALL brings you most of this classic album for our 54th episode, with introductions recorded at Studio 54. Check out the hit-laden playlist…

“Le Freak” (performed by Chic)
Let’s All Chant” (performed by Michael Zager Band)
“Y.M.C.A.” (performed by Village People)
“Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)” (performed by G.Q.)
“Take Me Home” (performed by Cher)
“I Love the Nightlife” (performed by Alicia Bridges)
“I Found Love (Now That I Found You)” (performed by Love & Kisses)
“Got to Be Real” (performed by Cheryl Lynn)
“I Got My Mind Made Up (You Can Get It Girl)” (performed by Instant Funk)
“Hot Shot” (performed by Karen Young)
“I Love America” (performed by Patrick Juvet)
“Souvenirs” (performed by Voyage)
“Hot Jungle Drums and Voodoo Rhythm” (performed by D.C. LaRue)
“In the Bush” (performed by Musique)
“Instant Replay” (performed by Dan Hartman)
“Shake Your Groove Thing” (performed by Peaches & Herb)

Not only do you get an hour of classic Disco music, you also get to hear Mel on Broadway, and the first-ever episode of MIRRORBALL recorded on location!

You can hear MIRRORBALL every Friday at 2 PM, with replays Saturday at  9 PM (kicking off a mini-marathon), Sunday at 11 PM, Monday at 9 AM, and Tuesday at 1 PM  exclusively on The AIR.

At 3 PM, Sydney Fileen graces us with an encore episode of Sydney’s Big Electric Cat that  salutes the genius of STIFF Records. You can find the full playlist HERE.

Sydney’s Big Electric Cat is produced at Haversham Recording Institute in London, and can be heard every Friday at 3 PM, with replays Saturday afternoon, Monday at 7 AM, Tuesday at 8 PM, Wednesday at Noon and Thursday at 10 AM, exclusively on The AIR. Look for The PopCulteer, featuring photos from The Marx Toy Convention, later today.