Cashmere was an electro-funk group from the city of Brotherly Love who found their way onto the dance charts with a song that shared a title with an earlier Philly classic.
People’s Choice, one of the newer acts on Philadelphia International Records’ TSOP sub label, struck it big in early 1975 with the Leon Huff-penned “Do It Any Way You Wanna”, climbing all the way to the top of the Billboard Black Singles charts, 11th on the pop charts and third on a new chart, called Disco.
The People’s Choice original was the typical four-on-the-floor drum pattern/thundering bass line/electric guitar/with strings and horns formula that would mark Disco’s brief reign at the top of the charts. There’s no real lyric other than the song’s title, repeated often by the members of the band.
Fast forward to 1982. Philadelphia International’s deal with Columbia Records is winding down but Philly’s music scene remains active. A new label, Philly World Records, surfaces to pick up the pieces after Disco’s Demolition.
Cashmere, a group made up of Keith Steward, Dwight Dukes, McKinley Horton and Darryl Burgee, was one of the first acts signed to Philly World and paired with a record distribution agent turned music producer named Nick Martinelli, their first single echoed Philly Soul’s glorious past.
Well, in name, anyway.
Cashmere’s “Do It Any Way You Wanna” starts off with a synth bass that is bouncier than it is banging.
The drum pattern has a slightly different shuffle but remains true to the four bars to a beat that makes dance music great.
Finally, the guitar work goes from a slight chink in the verses and choruses to a searing, growling solo at the song’s bridge.
And yes, lyrics. Lead vocalist Keith Steward invites listeners to “touch the flame, feel the fires…feel the magic in the groove” while the hook is sung in a different cadence from People’s Choice, but the message still applies.
The 1982 electro version of “Do It Any Way You Wanna” didn’t climb as high as the 1975 disco hit, finishing at No. 35 on the Billboard R&B chart and 21 on the Dance charts, but it gave Philly World records a solid base to continue on.
Listen to Cashmere’s version of “Do It Any Way You Wanna”:
