Soulmusic Records is proud to present the worldwide CD debut of two classic albums by popular U.S. funk band, Mass Production – 1982’s In A City Groove and – released the following year, ’83 both written and produced by the self-contained band. The 10-piece group (Tyrone Williams, Ricardo Williams, LeCoy Bryant, Agnes Kelly, James Drumgole, Larry Marshall, Kevin Douglas, Gregory McCoy, Emmanuel Redding and Rodney Phelps) initially formed in Norfolk, Virginia, signed to Atlantic’s Cotillion imprint in 1976 and enjoyed R&B chart success via their first six albums, achieving a commercial breakthrough in 1979 with ‘Firecracker’ from the LP “In The Purest Form” (reissued alongside the follow up album “Massterpiece” in a 2CD set by Soulmusic Records in 2016). In A City Groove with string arrangements by renowned arranger/conductor Gene Orloff – kept the momentum going for the band with the single, ‘Inner City’ achieving R&B chart status alongside the LP, with standout cuts such as ‘Rock,’ ‘Solid Love’ and ‘Weird.’ Mass production’s final Cotillion album, the musically solid ’83 included the standouts ‘Sun Dancer,’ (ever popular among funk/groove music fans) and ‘Time Bomb.’ This exciting 2CD set features a total of nine bonus tracks including four 12” singles; informative notes by renowned U.S. writer Kevin Goins including new quotes from key members of the band; and superb remastering by Donald Cleveland.
