We came across this strange funk/soul 12″ single by CJ Surge on Boston Heights a while ago.  We sold it for about $40 to a European DJ.  I couldn’t find any info on it, but someone just commented and said that it was a recording by Charles Johnson aka The Electrifying Mojo of Midnight Funk Association fame.

It turns out, the Electrifying Mojo was a Detroit DJ who was instrumental in turning people on to the Detroit techno sound that is now legendary and has influenced the entire genre of the music.  This DJ - real name Charles Johnson - aka The Electrifying Mojo - aka CJ Surge, ran the late night segment of The Midnight Funk Association, an “eclectic” program that aired on Detroit stations WGPR, WHYT, and WJLB (I got the tour of WJLB’s studio and met Bushman when I worked briefly for Clear Channel) that blended funk, soul and techno. 

The intro to the show was given by The Electrifying Mojo, over a track called Momento by the art of noise.  It went like this:

“Will the members of the Midnight Funk Association please rise. Please go to your porch light and turn it on for the next hour to show us your solidarity. If you’re in your car please honk your horn and flash your lights, wherever you are. If you’re in bed, get ready to dance on your back, in Technicolor. And get ready for the MFA. The word is… Don’t say no, say triple-whammy-whoa. Hold on tight, don’t let go. Whenever you feel like you’re nearing the end of your rope, don’t slide off. Tie a knot. Keep hanging, keep remembering, that it ain’t nobody bad like you. This session of the International Midnight Funk Association is being called to order. Electrifying Mojo presiding. May the Funk be with you. Always…”

Anyway, I had no idea this was CJ Surge.  Whoever left that comment - thanks for the info and shedding light on this historical radio show and Detroit techno pioneer.  It aired from 1977 through the mid 80s - so I was just a youngster then.