The HEAVYbreathing! project is an ambitious four-volume compilation of “erotic” music compiled by Munich-based DJ/amateur sexologist/archivist of Kinseyian proportions, IntimDJ Cpt. Schneider. Spanning 69 (naturally) tracks and four-and-a-half hours of music, this collection, which includes music recorded between 1951 and 2006, features meticulously preserved recordings from a variety of source material and comes lavishly packaged in four high-gloss digipacks that include individual fold-out mini-posters and, impressively, extensive commentary on each track that, despite the occasional solecism, is remarkably translated from the original German. By and large, and due to copyright and monetary constraints, the collection focuses primarily on obscurities and relatively lesser-known acts (that frequently border on the arcane), which are more or less of a piece with the concept of the anthology.
The volume’s first disc, Bite It!, subtitled “Greasy Listening/Exotica/Obscure Beats/Curious Sextronica,” focuses on the roots of ‘erotic’ music, ranging from the easy listening end of the spectrum of lounge and exotica to rock 'n' roll and, finally, to '70s electronic music. The disc possesses a distinctly European flavor, from the accents to the vocals themselves, which, surprisingly, are mostly sung in English, although the majority of the tracks are instrumentals. Furthermore, numerous disparate styles are present on this first volume, and the pieces range from the bizarre (Erotica’s “Bedspring Symphony”) to the cleverly droll (Suzie Seacell’s “Me and My Vibrator”). At times, the disc is inclined toward heavy-handedness, peppered as it is with an abundance of orgasmic grunts and squeals. But for all its silliness and kitsch, the effectiveness of Bite It! is in the sheer strength of many of the tracks. Once the listener moves beyond the superfluous introduction, a church organ-led piece with a German-spoken caveat emptor of sorts, Bite It! gets off to a rousing start with two pleasantly trashy European easy listening tracks by Lene Renaud and Jean Seburg, respectively.
The unusual “Wet Lips,” by Joy Bamgbola, is an a cappella piece, with Bamgbola’s vocals juxtaposed against a backdrop of breathy moans. Other highlights include “Come With Me,” a wah-wah-laden psych piece from Rare Earth, and “Little Girl,” a '50s rock 'n' roll obscurity from John and Jackie (no, not that John and Jackie). Also worthy of note is the album’s final cut, “Scented Wind,” a seductive, pre-Kraftwerk example of early electronic music from Sensuously Synthesized. HEAVYbreathing! Vol. 1 features a generally well-assembled cast of tracks and has the effect of whetting the listener’s appetite for the rest of the series.
The second HEAVYbreathing! disc, Thrill Me!, with its tagline “Funky Pleasures/Soulfull Body Languages/Bouncy Buttshakes,” focuses on black music (both African and African-American) of various genres. The compilation opens with “Ooh Midnight,” a fantastic selection from Pete “Guitar” Lewis and Little Esther Phillips. Dating back to 1951, the piece is both striking and provocative, almost sounding like a precursor to Tricky with its latent sensuality and use of repetitive figures. The second track, “Doin’ It,” from Ike and Tina Turner, is an excellent lesser-known track from the duo. Two pieces, by Big Joe & Fay and Charlie Ace & Fay represent the reggae genre. An abundance of hip hop is manifest on this album as well, in the form of exceptional tracks from N.E.R.D., Lil’ Kim, and De La Soul. On the downside, Thrill Me! also features the superfluous “Lick My Ass” from Kool Keith.
In this reviewer’s humble opinion, the compilers could have made much better use of Kool Keith’s propensities toward deviant sexual expressivity than this short sketch. Elsewhere, the record provides the listener with some divine wah-wah from Swamp Dogg, and the bluesy swagger of James Rivers’ “Thrill Me” provides another outstanding cut. An infectious disco groove from Intimate Strangers and an inspired, clavinet-led instrumental from The Sisters Love are two other extraordinary tracks that bear mention and demand repeated listens. Additionally, though Thrill Me! contains considerably less in the way of oohs and ahs than its predecessor, it is nonetheless more overtly sexual. On the whole, the collection represents an imposing assortment of cuts that certainly lives up to its name.