El Coco

Profile:El Coco was the best-known of several projects by cult disco favorites W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder, who produced, arranged, wrote, and played all the instruments on the vast majority of their material.
Their distinctive sound was partly a result of their jazz training, which showed up not only in their arrangements and chord progressions, but in the overall musicality and sonic imagination. Rinder had been a longtime session and touring drummer for rock and soul artists, and played on sessions at Motown and Muscle Shoals.
He met keyboardist Lewis in Los Angeles during the late '60s at an audition for the Standells; the two went on to play in a rock band called Joshua, and in 1973 were hired by the AVI label to play on some extended RB remixes geared for danceclub play.
Thus hooked into the emerging disco sound, Rinder and Lewis began producing and recording their own tracks in 1975, issuing the LP Caravan under the fictitious group name El Coco (a drug reference).
Mondo Disco followed in 1976, as did Let's Get It Together, the point where they really hit their stride.
The title cut was co-written by singer Merria Ross and was a substantial club hit, breaking El Coco on the disco scene.
The title tracks on 1977's Cocomotion and 1978's Dancing Paradise were also successful, with the former (again co-written by Ross) ranking as El Coco's best-remembered outing. By this time, Rinder and Lewis were producing TV theme music as well, and began issuing side projects on the Butterfly label as well; these alternate guises included Tuxedo Junction, Saint Tropez, le Pamplemousse, Rinder Lewis, and the Rinlew Allstars. Following 1979's Dance Man, the duo retired the El Coco name to concentrate on their other projects; in the wake of the anti-disco backlash, they remained in television for a time during the early '80s before retiring from music.
Aliases:Discognosis, In Search Of Orchestra, Le Pamplemousse, Rinder & Lewis, Rinlew Allstars, Saint Tropez, Sweet Potato Pie, Tuxedo Junction
Members:Laurin Rinder, Michael Lewis
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Releases:
Brazil (LP, Album)   AVI Records 1975
Mondo Disco (Album) ◄ (4 versions)   AVI Records ... 1975
Let's Get It Together (Album) ◄ (3 versions)   AVI Records ... 1976
Let's Get It Together / Fait Le Chat (Do the Cat) (Single) ◄ (4 versions)   AVI Records ... 1976
Mondo Disco (Single) ◄ (4 versions)   AVI Records ... 1976
Cocomotion (Album) ◄ (5 versions)   AVI Records ... 1977
Cocomotion / I'm Mad As Hell ◄ (2 versions)   AVI Records 1977
Cocomotion / Love To The World (7")   Derby 1977
Cocomotion / Love To The World ◄ (3 versions)   AVI Records ... 1977
I'm Mad As Hell ◄ (2 versions)   AVI Records ... 1977
Just Be You ◄ (2 versions)   AVI Records 1977
Yakety Yak ◄ (2 versions)   AVI Records 1977
Coco Kane (12", Promo)   AVI Records 1978
Dancing In Paradise (Album) ◄ (5 versions)   AVI Records ... 1978
Dancing In Paradise / Love In Your Life ◄ (5 versions)   AVI Records ... 1978
Cocomotion '79 (12", Promo)   AVI Records 1979
Dance Man (12", Single, Mixed)   AVI Records 1979
Love Exciter / Dance Man ◄ (2 versions)   AVI Records ... 1979
Let's Get It Together (Re-Mix) (12")   AVI Records 1980
Revolución ◄ (3 versions)   AVI Records ... 1980
Cocomotion / Let's Get It Together ◄ (2 versions)   Unidisc ... 1984
I've Got To Dance / Willie And The Hand Jive / Mondo Disco (12")   Unidisc 1986
Cocomotion / Le Spank (12")   Hot Classics 1990
One Step Back For Love (12")   Expansion 1993
Greatest Disco Hits (CD)   MCA Records 1998
Tracks Appear On:
Black Magic Disco (Vinyl, Smplr) Mondo Disco Metronome 1976
Hot Disco Fever (LP) Ugly People AVI Records 1978
Hot Disco Night Vol. 1 (LP) Let's Get It Together,... AVI Records 1978
Love Express (LP) Cocomotion Quality Records Ltd. 1978
The Stud (LP, Comp) Cocomotion Ronco 1978
Direct From Studio 54 (LP) Love Exciter Derby 1979
Hot Disco Night Vol.2 (LP) Cocomotion '79 (Parts ... AVI Records 1979
Hot Nights & City Lights (2x12") Cocomotion K-Tel International (USA), Inc. 1979
Calibre Cuts (12") Cocomotion Calibre 1980
Last Night At Studio 54 Vol. 3 (LP) Carry Me Derby 1981
Original Funkers - Good Funky Tonight (LP) Let's Get It Together Disco 1981
The Best Of AVI Records ◄ (2 versions) Cocomotion, Let's Get ... Hot Associated Label 1989
Original Motion Picture Sound Track: Young Soul Rebels (Comp) ◄ (2 versions) Let's Get It Together Big Life 1991
Young Soul Rebels (CD, Comp) Lets Get It Together Scotti Bros. Records 1991
Expansion Soulsauce Volume Two (CD) One Step Back Expansion 1993
Promo (12") Cocomotion (Re-Edit Ve... Noid Recordings 1995
Spaced Out (Comp) ◄ (2 versions) Cocomotion '79 Disorient 1997
Thump's Flashback Disco (CD) Cocomotion Thump Records 1997
Venerdì '70 (2xCD, Comp) Cocomotion Dig It International 1997
Disco 54: The AVI Collection (CD, Comp) Let's Get It Together,... Hip-O Records 1998
Dis'ko Tek'ä (CD) Cocomotion Max Music & Entertainment Inc. 2000
Grass Roots (2xCD, Mixed) Delicado (Danny Krivit... Strut 2001
Dance Your Pants Off Vol. 1, 2 & 3 (3xCDr, Ltd + Box) Afrodesia Panama Racing 2006
Dance Your Pants Off Vol. 3 (CDr, Mixed) Afrodesia Panama Racing 2006
For Dj's Only (Rare Extended Versions) 03 (CD, Comp) Let's Get It Together Universal Music (Italy) 2006
DJ Selection 225: 70 Mi Da Tanto 4th Party (CD, Comp) Cocomotion Do It Yourself Entertainment Strategic Marketing 2009
32 Super Hits (2xLP, Comp, Gat) Mondo Disco Disques Vogue  
Big Sin (12", Comp) Afrodesia (Re-Mix Vers... MGM Records  
Discomania (Vinyl, Comp) Zanzibar Pye Records  
Grass Roots Sampler EP Vol. 2 (12", EP, Smplr) Delicado (Danny Krivit... Strut  
Unofficial Releases:
Woman / Let's Get It Together (12") Let's Get It Together 12" Classics 1989
Loft Classics Volume VIII (12") Delicado (Breakdown Mix) Loft Classics 1995
Cocomotion / Space Bass (12") Cocomotion (Remix) Ballroom Records 2002
Afrodesia/Coco Kane / First True Love Affair (12") Afrodesia/Coco Kane (E... Disco Deviance 2007
As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 12 (CD, Comp, Mixed) Mad As Hell Waxedhead Recordings 2009
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