Professor Eddy

The Smooth Operators  (=Martijn Soetens & Professor Eddy) celebrate their upcoming 10th anniversary (October 14, 2025) with some superb seventies jazz-funk! 😀 One of the tracks is Summer Madness by Kool & the Gang. Khalis Bayyan of the band arranged the track that was originally called You Don't Have To Change . It was composed by trumpet player Robert "Spike" Mickens and Elton Taylor. Bayyan gave the track the significant sound with the Arp 2600, a new instrument at the time. After working for Motown, Larry and Alphonso (Fonce) Mizell started their own production company Sky High in the early 1970s. They began to work for several artists, like Donald Byrd, Bobbi Humphrey and Johnny Hammond. The two brothers created a unique multi-layered sound that shimmered somewhere between funk, jazz, soul and disco. After having huge commercial success with A Taste of Honey ( Boogie Oogie Oogie ) at the end of the decade, the Mizell brothers suddenly stopped producing and p...

Jerry Butler A seventies follow-up to our first Soulful Sunday edition, uploaded by Martijn a few weeks ago. Enjoy! Tragically the career of singer Gwen McCrae who passed away earlier this year was overshadowed by her husband George's success. His million seller Rock Your Baby was originally meant for her to be recorded. On the other hand, she managed to pursue a solo career after their divorce and released a few so-called "rare groove classics": “Affectionately known as the "queen of the rare groove", McCrae had a 1975 soul smash with Rockin' Chair. Her catalogue - which also includes the dancefloor anthem All This Love That I'm Givin', as well as other tracks like 90% of Me Is You, Keep the Fire Burning and Funky Sensation - has been heavily sampled by artists including Lady Gaga, Cassius, Avicii, Madlib, Cypress Hill and Mobb Deep.” (BBC) Tracklist:  Jerry Butler – (I'm Just Thinking About) Cooling Out (1978) The Chargers – You Gotta Be A ...

Unsplash The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) play yacht rock songs that you must have heard at least once in your life! We present some real yacht rock classics and yacht rock songs that we think should have been classics. Enjoy! Yacht rock flourished on the radio in the late 1970s, when the video era was just a small dot on the horizon, nothing to be scared of yet. As I wrote earlier, the next decade flashy MTV stars kicked all the yacht rock artists out of office. Only good looking guys who could handle electronics, like Daryl Hall and John Oates were able to compete with British new wave and would survive in the 1980s. Next up is Mixcloud Exclusive , followed by a special episode of Sunshine Radio for all listeners!🌲😊 Tracklist: The Doobie Brothers – It Keeps You Runnin' (1976) Ned Doheny – Guess Who's Looking For Love Again (1979) Randy Crawford – Half Steppin' (1977) Bill Champlin – Fly With Me (1978) Seals & Crofts – Summer Breeze (1972) England ...

Unsplash Isn’t that what everybody wants? A smooth weekend? We deliver the soundtrack to it with our West Coast Weekend Special! Released in March 1977, Easy by The Commodores reached number one on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart and number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is a slow ballad about a man's emotions at the end of a relationship. Singer Lionel Richie states that he is not depressed about the break-up and claims that he feels "easy like Sunday morning". Jonathan Coulton did a good job to sound exactly like the original, which was his intention. Next up is a Mixcloud Exclusive for subscribers, followed by one for all listeners.  Enjoy your weekend! 😊 Tracklist: Yellowjackets Feat. Bobby Caldwell – Lonely Weekend (1985) Lil Albert – My Girl Friday (1976) Doobie Brothers – Another Park, Another Sunday (1974) John Mayer – Love On The Weekend (2017) Garrett Adair – Saturday (2024) Kacey Musgraves – Lonely Weekend (2018) Vance Joy – Saturday S...

Unsplash The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) play yacht rock songs that you must have heard at least once in your life! We present some real yacht rock classics and yacht rock songs that we think should have been classics. Enjoy! 😊 Fire On The Water by Jesse Colin Young is a timeless blend of his signature folk-rock sound, supported by Michael McDonald’s iconic piano and voice. The song from his 1982 album The Perfect Stranger is a reflection on life’s challenges and the resilience of the human spirit. Young told about playing with Michael McDonald: “What can I say… Michael McDonald is a genius… What a pleasure it was to work with him.” Tracklist: Jesse Colin Young – Fire On The Water (1982) James Taylor – Woman’s Gotta Have It (1976) Pure Prairie League – I Can't Stop This Feelin' (1980) Robert Byrne – Pretend He's Me (1979) Ambrosia – Livin' On My Own (1980) Larry Carlton – Wavin' And Smilin' (1977) Nielsen/Pearson – If You Should Sail (1980...

Unsplash Imagine yourself at a beach club late in the evening, enjoying some drinks at the bar, the atmosphere is relaxed, the guests are having a good time, while watching the sunset and listening to the Smooth Operators who play in the background. Tracklist: Party Jacket – Isabella (2023) Leisure ft. Muroki – Summer Season (2023) Nicholas Cangiano – Little By Little (2022) Flo Naegeli – In My Mind (2022) Say She She – Wrap Myself Up In Your Love (2022) Hush Moss – Many Hearts (2023) Oilly Wallace – Flowers Of Your Youth (2023) BowAsWell – Something Else (2023) Rainee Blake – One More Night (2023) Kids Return – Lost In Los Angeles (2022) Meeka Kates – Laredo (2022) SuperGOODThings – Hottie & The Yachty (2022) Charles Watson ‎Feat. Pearl Charles – Figure Skater (2022) Bad Colours – Maybe I Should Move To L.A. (2022) James Wyatt Crosby – Is There A Reason (2022) Dawn Patrol – Bring On The Good Times (2022) JIM – Don’t Let Me Down (2023)

Pexels Enjoy this exclusive disco night created by the Smooth Operators ! The tracks by L'Impératrice, Françoise Hardy and Beckie Bell were recorded in France. The French have always been at the forefront of disco, ever since its beginning in the 1970s. Artists like Cerrone, Patrick Juvet and Sheila B. Devotion set the pace. And later on, dj’s like Martin Solveig, Dimitri From Paris and Bob Sinclar took over. Nowadays L'Impératrice are the new representatives of French disco. Next up is a Mixcloud Exclusive ! Tracklist: Game – Gotta Take Your Love (1982) Full Flava Feat. Beverlei Brown – After The Dance Is Through (2008) L'Impératrice – Me Da Igual (2024) Françoise Hardy – J’Écoute De La Musique Saoûle [Woody Braun Remix] (1978) Al Johnson & Jean Carn – I’m Back For More (1980) Tyra Levone – Keep Steppin' (2019) Taana Gardner – Heartbeat [Eddy’s “Hotstepper” Edit] (1981) Mary Jane Girls – All Night Long (1983) Soul II Soul – Back To Life (However Do You Wa...

Unsplash 22 modern tracks inspired by the sound of classic soul music. Modern soul that gives you retro feels. Tracklist: The Sextones – Beck & Call (2023) Junior Scaife – When My Heart Beats (2023) Bobby Oroza Ft. Cold Diamond & Mink – The Otherside (2022) Adi Oasis – Red To Violet (2023) Thee Sacred Souls – Love Is The Way (2022) The Charities – Bring Your Love (2023) Object Heavy – For The Better (2023) Jalen N’Gonda – If You Don’t Want My Love (2023) Alanna Royale – Fall In Love Again (2023) Angels of Libra – Curtis (Do You Wanna Be A Star?) (2022) The Regime & Pro Uno – Sunny Day (2023) Les Imprimes – If I (2023) Jonny Benavidez – My Echo, Shadow And Me (2023) Aaron Frazer – Bad News (2021) Thee Marloes Rhythm – Love Potion (2021) Skinshape Ft. Andy Platts – The Longest Shadow (2023) Lexsoul Dancemachine – Lazy Breeze (2022) José James – 38th & Chicago (2024) Glam Sam & His Combo – Lost In The Art World (2023) Sunset Rollercoaster – Coffee’s On...

Unsplash The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) introduce you to yacht rock songs that you must have heard at least once in your life! We present some real yacht rock classics and yacht rock songs that we think should have been classics. Harden My Heart by American pop/rock group Quarterflash was written by guitarist Marv Ross and included on the band's debut album, Quarterflash (1981). The song was originally released as a single in early 1980 by Seafood Mama, Quarterflash's predecessor band. Quarterflash's version became a top-10 hit in the United States, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982. Guitarist and songwriter Marv Ross remembered that a friend of his had given him the title and that he came up with the lyrics very quickly. Last Monday Michael McDonald, front man of the Doobie Brothers, celebrated his 72th birthday: "Emerging from the laid-back California rock scene of the '70s, McDonald found his niche in a unique blend of...

Unsplash The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) selected some sweet sunshine pop from the late 1960s and early 1970s. Dream away on such a winter's day, to paraphrase California Dreamin' . Enjoy! Tracklist: The Love Generation ‎– Love Is A Rainy Sunday (1968) The Zombies ‎– Care of Cell 44 (1967) Tommy James & The Shondells ‎– Crystal Blue Persuasion (1968) Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends ‎– The Drifter (1968) The Lovin’ Spoonful ‎– Do You Believe In Magic (1965) Triste Janero ‎– Rene De Marie (1969) Brewer and Shipley ‎– Dreamin’ In The Shade (1968) Dennis Yost & The Classics IV ‎– Pick Up The Pieces (1970) Joe & Bing – Come And Bring The Sun Again (1971) Erasmo Carlos – Sorriso Dela (1972) Claudine Longet ‎– Who Needs You (1968) The Everly Brothers – Bowling Green (1967) The Four Seasons – Watch The Flowers Grow (1967) Del Shannon – Colour Flashing Hair (1968) David McWilliams – I Love Susie In The Summer (1969) Sérgio Mendes ...

Pexels Look outside and watch the falling leaves and early sun downs: this is the AOR soundtrack to this year’s autumn by The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) 😊 Enjoy some soft rock with a touch of soul! Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel are best known for their UK number one hit (Come Up And See Me) Make Me Smile in 1975. The song came from their album The Best Years Of Our Lives and was co-produced by then relatively unknown engineer Alan Parsons. Their pretty funky track White, White Dove was released a year later as the final single from their next LP Timeless Flight . The track was written and produced by Harley himself.  White, White Dov e was the second single from the album , after Black Or White had failed to chart. White, White Dove came out shortly after Timeless Flight , but despite the album's top 20 success in the UK, the single did not reach the UK top 50 either. However, the same year Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel would return to the UK top 10, ...

The Smooth Operators present Jazz-Funk & Mellow Soul, your perfect soundtrack to a smooth summer evening.  Tracklist:  Patrice Rushen – Remind Me (1982) Arthur Verocai ft. Azymuth – Bis (2007) Weldon Irvine – I Love You (1976) Roy Ayers – Searching (1976) Marlena Shaw – Look At Me, Look At You (We're Flying) (1977) Marvin Gaye – Heavy Love Affair (1981) The Jones Girls – Nights Over Egypt (1981) The Blackbyrds – Walking In Rhythm (1974) Idris Muhammad ‎– For Your Love (1980) Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly ‎– Too Many Games (1980) Sun – Be My Lady (1982) Chocolate Milk – Time Machine (1975) Harvey Mason – Never Give You Up (1979) George Benson – Give Me The Night (1980) Tony Sylvester & The New Ingredient ‎– The Magic Touch (1976) Banda Black Rio – Expresso Madureira (1978)

Jeremy Bishop A selection of AOR Disco and Mellow Soul by The Smooth Operators , perfect for a drive along the beautiful Californian Coast. Enjoy! One of the tracks on this new cloudcast is Drift Away by Mud. After their very successful glam rock years in the mid-seventies, this British band started to search for new directions. In 1978 they tried to jump on the West Coast bandwagon for one single only. Drift Away was originally recorded by John Henry Kurtz on his 1972 album Reunion . Kenny Loggins, Jim Gordon and Michael Omartian were some of the well-known musicians who played on the record. A year later Dobie Gray made a very soulful cover of the track, which reached #5 on the Billboard pop chart. Mud made some kind of combination of the two versions, but they did not reach a new audience and the song failed to chart. The single is on the recently released compilation album Mud: The Singles 1973-80 on Cherry Red Records. I will write more about it soon. Tracklist: Future Flight –...

The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) pay tribute to the early days of disco, before The Bee Gees helped disco explode when they released the soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever. Most of the first disco hits were initially picked up by clubs, before radio-dj’s discovered them as potential hit records, like Rock The Boat by Hues Corporation. The influence of club-dj’s started to grow and it became even bigger, when disco took over the pop industry by the end of the decade. At that point dance music was not a niche market anymore, but a new, lasting value in popular music. Tracklist: The Spinners – I’ll Be Around (1972) Andrea True Connection – More More More (1976) Barry White – Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe (1974) The O’Jays – For The Love Of Money (1973) Eddie Kendricks – He’s A Friend (1976) The Three Degrees – Can’t You See What You’re Doing To Me (1973) Frankie Valli – Swearin’ To God (1975) Billy Paul – Thanks For Saving My Life (1973) George McCrae – Rock...

Pexels The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) are taking it slow on a lazy afternoon😊 Enjoy!  First formed as a backing band, Con Funk Shun became one of the premiere party-funk groups of the 1970s before turning to a more slick R&B sound the next decade. Aside from being the primary musicians on all their albums, the band also contributed to each of their albums as writers, arrangers, and producers. Signed to Mercury in 1976, Con Funk Shun hit the top of the R&B charts one year later with Ffun , written as a tribute to funk band Brick. Over a ten-year span, they released one hit after another (including Shake And Dance With Me , Chase Me and Got To Be Enough ) and were a popular concert attraction as well. California 1 is from their 1981 album Con Funk Shun 7 . Tracklist: Antena – Seaside Week End (1985) Jessie Ware – Hello Love (2023) The DMX Affair ‎– One Time To Make It Right (1985) Wham! – Blue (Armed With Love) (1983) Rhye – Hunger (2013) Michael Franks ...

The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) will take you on a journey to the seventies: the golden era of pop music, inspired by the heyday of FM radio! Turn it on and enjoy the Sunshine 70s, as if you are driving through L.A. back in the day. Tracklist: Todd Rundgren – I Saw The Light (1972) Looking Glass – Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl) (1972) Nicolette Larson –  Lotta Love (1978) David Bowie – Golden Years (1975) Crosby, Stills & Nash – Fair Game (1977) Linda Ronstadt – You’re No Good (1974) Electric Light Orchestra – Evil Woman (1975) Raydio – You Can’t Change That (1979) Fleetwood Mac – You Make Loving Fun (1977) Steely Dan – The Caves of Altamira (1976) Michael Jackson – Off The Wall (1979) Doobie Brothers – Long Train Runnin’ (1973) Carly Simon – Tranquillo (Melt My Heart) (1978) Sly & The Family Stone – If You Want Me To Stay (1973) Steve Miller Band – Fly Like An Eagle (1976) Aretha Franklin – Until You Come Back To Me (That What I’m Gonna Do) (197...

Pexels We all need some sunshine in these dark days of winter, don’t we? That’s why I put together this mix from the parts that I made for the Sunshine 70s series that was created by Smooth Operator Martijn Soetens a couple of years ago. The show was broadcasted on KX Classics, a channel founded by Dutch radio-DJ and TV-presenter Rob Stenders. This tribute to Sunshine 70s is the first part of a new series, called Sunshine Radio . The next episode will be something completely different 😊 Frontman of Raydio, Ray Parker Jr. composed many great songs, but early in his career he wrote You Make Me Feel Like Dancing for Leo Sayer. Unfortunately producer Freddie Perren did not give him the credits, because Ray Parker Jr. had given him a tape without his name on it. Until this day he did not receive a penny for the song that went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. When the glam rock years had come to an end for British band Mud, the four members started to search for new directions. The...

C-Heads Magazine The long-awaited return of The Smooth Operators ! 😊 Martijn Soetens and I have tried to catch the vibe of a warm summer’s day, just before a heavy thunderstorm breaks loose… Enjoy! Leon Huff is known as one half of legendary songwriters duo Gamble & Huff, but he’s a brilliant organist as well. You can hear him play on Do It Anyway You Wanna by People’s Choice, for instance. The song was a mess at first and was on the shelves for quite some time, according to the king of disco mixes, Tom Moulton. After he had laid his hands on it, the track became what it is today, a disco classic. Uno Esta by American R&B flautist Bobbi Humphrey is from her 5th studio album Fancy Dancer . It was recorded in 1975, produced by the wonderful Mizell Brothers and released on the legendary Blue Note label. The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars, stating: "There isn't anything approaching a middling moment here -- this is all killer, no filler. Jazz cr...

Get on the boat and join The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) for a trip along the West Coast. We are spinning yacht rock gems on deck in front of a small, but enthusiastic crowd, while the sun slowly disappears. Be sure to be there! Tracklist: Robbie Dupree ‎– Saturday Night Craig Ruhnke ‎– Give Me The Nighttime Greg Phillinganes ‎– Lazy Nina Toto ‎– Waiting For Your Love Michael Franks ‎– All Dressed Up (With Nowhere To Go) Leon Ware ‎– Why I Came To California Photoglo ‎– Steal Away Diane Tell ‎– Je Suis En Amour Carl Anderson  ‎– Keep It Alive Bobby Caldwell ‎– To Know What You’ve Got Brenda Russell ‎– New York Bars Larsen/Feiten Band ‎– Who’ll Be The Fool Tonight Young Gun Silver Fox – Saturday Addrisi Brothers – We’ve Got To Get It On Again R. B. Hudmon ‎– This Could Be The Night George Benson – Give Me The Night Chicago – Saturday In The Park The Brecker Brothers – Sneakin’ Up Behind You

Unsplash On this warm and sunny day T he Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) are leaving L.A. for a drive along the Californian coast. We have put together a selection of breezy Yacht Rock and Westcoast Pop.  Dutch musician and producer Phil Martin has always been interested in the West Coast music scene and distinctive sound from the late 1970s. Albums from Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, The Doobie Brothers, Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles were on heavy rotation on his record player when he grew up. Lo van Gorp is a well-known Dutch backing singer and saxophonist and has worked with artists such as Paul Carrack, Roger Hodgson, Chaka Khan and Al Jarreau. We selected Martin & Garp's latest single Not Into You . Enjoy the ride! Tracklist: Stylus - Live It On Up (1979) Jakata - Golden Girl (1984) Heat - Follow You Home (1981) Dusty Springfield - You Can Do It (1979) Dane Donohue - Can’t Be Seen (1978) Sneaker - Jaymes (1981) Kimiko Kasai - Mmm Mmm Good (1984) Pages - Com...