iTricky

Well Travelled Brother Living Life To The Fullest @ An Ol' School Beat!!

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

Eyes wide open . . . . 👀 #lifechanging #theprogramisnotcomplete

[Misan Harriman @misanharriman]

9 years.

And STILL no justice.

Grenfell.

[Trillary Banks 🏦🩷 @trillarybanks6]

RIP QUEEN
KANYA KING

Thank you for all that you did for
the British black music scene!
🤍🕊️

[Eugene Holley, Jr. @eugeneholley]

If Philadelphia International Records were a sports team, Dexter Wansel was its Most Valuable Player, as keyboardist, composer, arranger, vocalist and producer. His music traveled from the star-crossed Nights Over Egypt to Life on Mars. R.I.P. https://t.co/HFgmfGYzuT

[ウーゴ・アルーダ。 ᯓ★ @spacecowboyhash]

Safe travels, Dexter Wansel. 🎹🙏🏿🕊️

[Melodies & Masterpieces @SVG__Collection]

Rest in peace, Dexter Wansel…

Philly soul & jazz fusion pioneer, masterful keyboardist, producer & arranger whose cosmic vision shaped the Sound of Philadelphia.

From “Love T.K.O.” & “Nights Over Egypt” to the cult classic Life on Mars, his grooves left an indelible mark.

[#BMH365 🎶🎤 @BlackMusicHstry]

Remembering Dexter Wansel
(@dexterwansel)
(Tuesday, August 22, 1950 – Sunday, May 31, 2026)

Lineage, Origins, and Formation: Philadelphia-born Black American composer, keyboardist, arranger, producer, singer, synthesist, conductor, A&R (artists and repertoire) director, Army veteran, and Philadelphia International Records architect.

Born on Tuesday, August 22, 1950, in Philadelphia, Dexter Gilman Wansel came up through one of the city’s great cultural classrooms: the Uptown Theater, where he worked backstage as an errand boy for his step-uncle, radio personality Georgie Woods, from 1959 through 1963. That early exposure placed him around major performers and helped shape the discipline, movement, and instincts he later carried into the studio. By high school, he was already building musically, playing in bands with Stanley Clarke before his path moved through Army service, Sigma Sound Studios, synthesizer programming, and the Philadelphia International Records orbit.

By the mid-1970s, Wansel was writing, arranging, producing, playing, conducting, and helping expand the Sound of Philadelphia into something more cosmic, electronic, jazz-rooted, and future-facing. His solo debut, “Life on Mars,” released in 1976, established his signature sound: soulful, richly arranged, groove-heavy, and full of Black futurist imagination. He followed with “What the World Is Coming To,” “Voyager,” and “Time Is Slipping Away,” while also shaping work connected to Billy Paul, MFSB, Lou Rawls, The Jacksons, Teddy Pendergrass, The Jones Girls, Patti LaBelle, Phyllis Hyman, and others.

His work with Cynthia Biggs and Kenneth Gamble on Patti LaBelle’s “If Only You Knew” helped give LaBelle her first solo No. 1 on the U.S. R&B chart. His production work on Lou Rawls’s “Unmistakably Lou” was tied to Rawls’s 1978 Grammy win for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. From 1978 to 1980, Wansel also served as A&R director at Philadelphia International Records, giving him influence not only as a musician and producer, but as a decision-maker inside one of the most important Black American music institutions of the 20th century.

Wansel’s place in #BlackMusicMonth history is also especially meaningful. In 1979, as conductor of the world-famous MFSB Orchestra, Wansel served as music director and conductor for the historic White House celebration marking the first Black Music History Month observance under President Jimmy Carter. That moment connected Philadelphia soul, Black music institution-building, and national recognition of Black American musical excellence in the same room.

Wansel’s music also traveled far beyond its original era. “Theme from the Planets” became one of the most important sample sources in hip-hop memory, later heard through records connected to Eric B. & Rakim, J. Cole, Ice-T, and many others, while songs connected to Teddy Pendergrass, The Stylistics, The Jones Girls, and Wansel’s own catalog continued feeding producers, DJs, and crate-diggers.

His son, Grammy-nominated producer Andrew “Pop” Wansel, (@PopWansel) shared via Instagram that his father fought illness for 17 years before transitioning at age 75, writing that “the space man finally made it to Mars” early on May 31, 2026, and adding an instruction his father would have loved: “KEEP SAMPLING HIS MUSIC!”

Dexter Wansel’s story is the story of a musician who could do almost everything: write, arrange, produce, play, sing, conduct, direct, and imagine. He did not just contribute to Philadelphia soul; he helped shape, stretch, and move the music straight into the future.

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

A late 90s lick for ya listening pleasure . . . . 💿
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast #90s #RnB #oldschool #classics #featuring #Brandy #EricBenet #Mya #Omar #andmore #music #podcast #Mixcloud #iTricky #pressplay

LINK⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.co/nouF5h5B32

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

Fancy a late 90s trip, Kelis, Eric Benet, Mary J. Blige & Omar are just a few names who’ll be jogging those musical memories . . . . 💿
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast

Available on Mixcloud tomorrow ⏯️

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

@Telegraph Who cares about the truth when you can get a salacious headline #lies

[Amnesty UK @AmnestyUK]

The current noise and distraction surrounding @misanharriman’s questioning of recent media reporting is straight out of the authoritarian playbook. Misan is a dedicated human rights defender who uses his platform to challenge injustice.

A healthy society must allow space for constructive discussion and a pluralism of views. When we attempt to silence those who speak out, we erode the very foundations of a free and fair society.

As Amnesty UK’s Chief Executive, Kerry Moscogiuri, stated today:

“I believe we must stop this race to the bottom of division and move past the reflexive attempts to silence those who challenge power. In my view, a healthy society must allow space for constructive disagreement. Human rights are not a zero-sum game; our shared humanity is the only thing that will truly make us all safer.

The escalation of hate speech and violent incidents against Jewish and Muslim communities across the UK is a direct assault on fundamental human rights and must be tackled urgently.

However, when we allow one community’s trauma to be played off against another’s, we weaken the foundation of safety for everyone. To me, that should not be a controversial position to hold.”

[🚫📻❤️‍🩹 @NoRadioLuv]

Loose Ends - Slow Down (1986)

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

Press play on your Sony Walkman & take a trip back to the 80s . . . .⏯️
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast #HighSchoolDaze #80s #RnB #OldSchool #classics #music #podcast #Mixcloud #iTricky #PressPlay

LINK⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.co/I6wvzWmqTe

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

Who doesn’t love a trip to the 80s and those “High School Daze” soundtrack provided by Skyy, Vesta Williams, The Cool Notes, Switch & a whole host of others . . . . 💿
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast

Available on Mixcloud tomorrow ⏯️

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

Those Classics never go out of style . . . . 💿
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast #classicconnoisseurs #RnB #Soul #RareGroove #OldSchool #classics #Music #Podcast #Mixcloud #iTricky #PressPlay ⏯️

LINK⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.co/xGwXWQ874c

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

A classic soundtrack for the connoisseurs featuring Atlantic Starr, Debra Laws, Leon Ware, The Jones Girls and more . . . . 💿
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast

Available on Mixcloud tomorrow ⏯️

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

Time to get your boogie on and “Dance Dance Dance” 🕺
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast #DanceDanceDance #80sBoogie #Disco #RnB #OldSchool #classics #music #podcast #Mixcloud #iTricky #Pressplay ⏯️

LINK⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.co/kMIUoAHYKI

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

After a small hiatus we return to our regular schedule and we “Dance Dance Dance” with Unlimited Touch, Sharon Brown, Double Exposure, Roy Ayers and a whole host of others . . . . 💿
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast

Available on Mixcloud tomorrow ⏯️

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

Let us get “Mellow Mellow” on this here Valentines Day . . . . ❤️
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast #MellowMellow #80s #RnB #soul #oldschool #classics #music #podcast #Mixcloud #iTricky #PressPlay ⏯️

LINK⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.co/YzBFDTEjRV

[iTricky @TRICKYPFE]

Calling all lovers ❤️
We get “Mellow Mellow” for a Valentines Day Special, the likes of Sheena Easton, Ray Goodman & Brown, Anita Baker & Will Downing will be helping Cupid set the mood ❤️
#Tricky #AGrooveThang #SoloCast

Available on Mixcloud tomorrow ⏯️

[Be A King @BerniceKing]

👋🏾