Brass Construction

In the 1970s and 1980s Randy Muller, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist skilled on keyboards and flute, steered two influential East Coast funk and disco outfits: Brass Construction and Skyy. He assembled Brass Construction with drummer Larry Payton, trumpeters Wayne Parris and Morris Price, lead guitarist Joe Arthur, vocalist and conga player Sandy Billups, saxophonists Michael Grudge and Jesse Ward, plus bassist Wade Williamston. Their 1975 debut album, helmed by producer Jeff Lane, achieved platinum status and featured the enduring dancefloor anthems “Moving” and “Changin’.”

Subsequent releases Brass Construction II, III, IV, and V explored comparable territory, yet only the 1977 single “Ha Cha Cha (Funktion)” and 1978’s “L-O-V-E-U” approached comparable commercial success. The group remained with United Artists through 1980 before switching to Liberty, where they recorded until 1983. During the early 1980s Muller assumed production duties and steered the band toward a densely synthesized sound. They continued on Capitol from 1983 to 1985 without recapturing earlier momentum. In the late 1980s EMI’s Syncopate label remixed and reissued the ensemble’s classic tracks internationally, prompting Brass Construction to reenter the English charts in 1988.