Month: September 1988

BEATS & PIECES

The first DJs have been busted for ecstasy, police swooping as they left an acid house gig loaded with the stuff … Johnnie Walker is now club promotions manager just for London/ffrr, his matey Chris Butler taking over Polydor/Urban (however, neither can pass “Go” or collect £200) … ‘Sure Beats 2’, free with next week’s rm, turns out to be the truly essential one, with a special stuttered and muttered synth frequency fluttered thumping bubbly 120½-0bpm remix of Coldcut featuring Sweet-Toothed Sonny ‘Acid Drops (Bomb The Mix)’, catchy hooting effect punctuated lurching remorseless clipped rapping (0-)92bpm Cold Crush Brothers ‘The Bronx’ and nervily jumping 0-119⅓-119¼bpm Fourth Floor All-Stars ‘(Fourth Floor) Goin’ Up’ megamix by DJ Mixmaster Tee of various Break Boys, Four Play, Masters At Work and O.N.I.T. (Oh No, It’s Them) tracks … I was so inundated with messenger delivered records right up to my deadline that there was no time to review the week’s two hottest rap albums, Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock ‘It Takes Two’ (US Profile PRO-1267) – would you believe a ‘Joy And Pain’ rap?! – and Ice-T ‘Power’ (Sire 925 765-1), so check The Club Chart for BPMs as they’re sure to hit … FON Force’s now promoed (0-)111-0bpm remix of Eric B & Rakim ‘Put Your Hands Together’ overlays the jittery fast talker with resonant synth tones … Steven Danté’s new single is just called ‘Imagination’ after all but is in so many differently available mixes you need a guide: the previously reviewed promo (Cooltempo DANTEP 2) was the Clivilles & Cole mixed 113⅓-0bpm LP version (flipped by the otherwise unavailable 117-0 Acid Mix and 120⅓-120-0bpm Dub versions), the commercial 12 inch (DANTEX 2) having Clivilles & Cole’s rattling 116-0bpm remix, Dancin’ Danny D’s over busily jiggling murkily dense 0-115½bpm remix and the lurching husky 111⅓bpm ‘It Makes You Feel Good’, but also on another promo (DANTEC 2) are these two commercial remixes plus, on the wrongly labelled flip, Danny D’s throbbing instrumental (0-)116bpm Yardee Groove and tapping 116-0bpm Slam Acappella – while the seven inch is different again, with Bryan ‘Chuck’ New’s more percussively trotting 113bpm mix! … PWL’s recently obtained Workhouse Studio and accounts office in London’s Old Kent Road were totally destroyed in a fire last week (they’re nowhere near the main studios and headquarters in the Borough), the master tape of Rick Astley’s new album going up in flames – however, this mishap only set it back by a few days’ work as thanks to modern recording technology most of its ingredients were on separately stored digital computer discs … ITV’s ‘The Hit Man And Her’ was marginally less chaotic in its second show, but managed to mis-spell the Pete Waterman co-owned Lisson Records as “Listen” in a caption for Cocoon’s ‘Timerider’ (soon to be reissued as the show’s theme) … Robbie Vincent has hired a recorded announcement telephone line on 0836-404478 to give callers the details of his move to LBC, and plugged it continuously as “the Robbie Vincent information line” throughout his final show on Radio London! … Greg Edwards is “still talking” to GLR about a possible soul show … Ichiban Records appear also to be still only “talking” to the Manhattans, but the Three Degrees are definitely now signed to the label … Ralph Tee has signed the Cool Notes to his Risin’ label … Chillin Krew turn out to be animated cartoon or puppet characters from a presumably imminent TV series! … Chris Hill looks like starting a ‘Soul Train’-type TV show in Munich come the new year … Younger Generation ‘We Rap More Mellow’ will finally be out here, some time after its big revival buzz, on RePublic Records – who tracked down the master tape in South Africa … Les Adams’ remix of the Funky Worm ‘Hustle’, originally created just for the Disco Mix Club, will be its commercial A-side in the USA – Les incidentally celebrates his last night jocking at Norbury’s Sussex Tavern this Friday (23) before moving on to bigger and better things … Gilles Peterson and Baz Fe Jazz celebrate the BGP jazz label’s first anniversary with a beat bash at London’s 100 Club on Friday (23) too … Sundays at South Harrow Bogarts with Tim Westwood and Jon Jules laying down the rap tracks attract crowds for all over the South-East plus all the UK and US rap stars you can think of who happen to be in town … Bomb The Bass’s remix, to give its correct title, is ‘Megablast Rap (Version)’ featuring Merlin The New Rap Messiah! … The Pasadenas’ commercial 12 inch of ‘Riding On A Train’ includes an earlier much more gentle 0-106bpm Clapham Junction Demo Mix that’s more London than Philly in sound, plus the gospel introed jerky (0-)100bpm ‘A Little Love’ (very like a slowed down Olympics ‘Good Lovin’’) … Andy Sojka, who produced Projection’s new ‘What’s Your Problem’ with no thought of anything else in his mind, afterwards had it pointed out that of course it sounds like Rufus & Chaka Khan ‘Ain’t Nobody’, so no wonder it seemed naggingly familiar to me! … Shep Pettibone’s remix of the Thompson Twins ‘In The Name Of Love’ rhythmically owes most to Ten City ‘Right Back To You’ … Royal House ‘Yeah Buddy’ is based largely on Exodus ‘Together Forever’ and even on some of Atmosfear ‘Dancing In Outer Space’, amongst other bits … Freddie Jackson grew up only four blocks from Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, and hopes to be able to play there over this coming New Year’s Eve … Freddie could be recording a duet with Audrey Wheeler, who with Cyndi Mizelle stood out more strongly than fellow backing singer Sandra St Victor during their brief solo spot in Jackson’s London show … DJs, don’t forget you can FAX us your charts (by Wednesday afternoon) on 01-388 9576, as the mail may take a while to get back to normal … NANU NANU!

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HOT VINYL

D. MOB (FEATURING GARY HAISMAN) ‘We Call It Acleed (The Matey Mix)’ (ffrr FFRX 13)
Due commercially on October 3, unquestionably THE acid house anthem is this now slightly wrigglier Danny D produced “acieed!” chanting frantically churning 124¼bpm twittery jittery jumbled jumpy joyous cavorting craziness (‘matey’ instrumental and beats flip), the original version of which exploded initially on limited promo before becoming the only real standout on ‘The House Sound Of London, Vol IV’ LP.

THE BRAT PACK ‘So Many Ways (Do it Properly Part II)’ (US Vendetta Records VE-7008)
Robert Clivilles and David Cole (of 2 Puerto Ricans A Blackman And A Dominican, who of course created the original ‘Do It Properly’) now make another even more dementedly frantic jack track, its (0-)122¼-122bpm Worldwide DJ Anthem mix having a shouting “Oh you bastard, come here by my side, listen honey, listen baby, don’t be so f***in’ serious!” intro that’s obviously not for air play but could become a real disco motto, while there are also scratching 123½-0bpm TT’s Bitten Again Dub and fiercely percussive 122¼-122-0bpm Pump It One More Time Mix, 122⅓-122¼bpm World Wide B-Boy Killer Anthem and 122¼bpm Percussion Of Death Mix versions. I think this is going to be hot.

JUNGLE BROTHERS ‘I’ll House You (Richie Rich Version)’ (Gee St Records GEE 12003)
Due fully on October 10, this is the (0-)123bpm slightly more open sounding UK remake by Richie Rich and group member Michael ‘Afrika’ Small of the hot import rap treatment of Royal House’s ‘Can You Party’, now no longer using Todd Terry’s production as its backing track (to which Marshall Jefferson could well object in turn!) coupled here with its 122⅔-0bpm Instrumental and Houseappella, plus their album’s title (and best) track, the weavingly rapped bassily grooving ‘The Message’-cutting 99⅚bpm ‘Straight Out The Jungle’. Continue reading “September 24, 1988: D. Mob featuring Gary Haisman, The Brat Pack, Jungle Brothers, Blow, M-D-Emm”

ACID

I hope that by pointing out a few things I may persuade any doubters that perhaps I do know what I’m talking about in my stand against the totally unnecessary but fashionable and commercially exploited connection between the drug called ecstasy and the music called acid house. In common with so many who grew up during the Sixties, I have had first hand experience of what you might call the ‘fun’ drug scene for 25 years, both socially and professionally, which includes jocking every weekend at Soho’s legendary mod club The Scene at the height of the purple heart craze (the floor underfoot would suddenly get crunchy whenever there was a police raid!), and running a psychedelic disco in an air tent at, amongst other major hippy gatherings, the massive 1970 Isle Of Wight festival (where I spent 12 days — it only lasted five! — and, incidentally, grew the very same beard that I still wear). Nearly all of the people of my generation who I used to know, but who are now dead, and I only recently realised with horror that it is quite a number, died from drugs related causes. They too began by thinking some harmless seeming substance was trendy. Obviously, not everyone who pops a pill, smokes a joint, snorts some coke or drops a tab is going to progress to the hard stuff. Most people set out to be careful, and have relatively harmless fun . . . if they’re lucky. It is the insidious way in which drugs are promoted to the impressionable and vulnerable young as a fashion accessory that is most dangerous. This process is now being used, often I am sure unintentionally, to link ecstasy with acid house — which began innocently enough as a musical form, the title of Phuture’s ‘Acid Trax’ supplying an appropriate term to help describe the strain of synth sizzled house that was then emerging. OK, maybe some dancers in Chicago always were high on more than just the music, but this was largely unknown here and had no bearing in Britain on the usage of the purely music categorising name, ‘acid house’ — until it all got confused by the cross pollination of such different trendy London nightclub fashions as Balearic beat and born again hippy, so that the word ‘acid’ was taken at face value as meaning LSD, or its more accessible relative, ecstasy, and waving your arms about self consciously in front of your face in a trance dance and chanting ‘acieed!’ suddenly took on a sinister overtone. Doing this is of course big fun, and acid house nights are full of exciting energy. Most of the music, as you must be aware, I have reviewed or at the very least monitored in a positive way with varying degrees of enthusiasm. In the current polarisation of musical styles, my own black rooted taste may be more towards rap, which I have no difficulty in seeing as the logical modern continuation of age old black music traditions, but many (especially the more soulfully grounded) US house productions I like a lot — and, as regards the ease of reviewing it, I’m all for the simplicity of acid house! What I do dislike, and what my stand is against, is the cynical marketing in this country of uninspired material by giving it a questionable commerciality through spurious association with the drug meaning of the words acid and ecstasy, and the like. Agreed, this may lead to a subjective judgement on my part, but then I am meant to be a critic, and, as the preceding sentence should show, it is in any case more a matter of the packaging rather than the actual music to which I may be objecting. (However, as has been pointed out a few times before, I do equate much of the more mindless acid house material with the disco dross of the late Seventies — which doesn’t necessarily stop you loving it, as it’s all down to personal taste!) It is in the interest of drug pushers to increase their market by encouraging the use of soft drugs, in the hope that they can then hook people into a harder habit from which the profits are even higher. The tabloid press’s spectre of the pusher lurking outside schoolyard gates comes more realistically alive when one considers the dreadfully misguided way in which Bros have tagged their new single’s different versions as The ‘Turn On’ Mix and The Acidic Mix. There’s nothing cute and cuddly about those terms, not that one really expects even their most impressionable fans to go rushing out in a quest for practical knowledge as a result! Even so, from innocent experimentation unbreakable habits can be formed, and you can be sure that, if the kid who supplies you at an acid gig isn’t himself rich, someone in the chain who supplied him is laughing all the way to the bank and rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of all the new suckers that slavish devotion to the acid ethic has brought into the market. Make sure the dope that’s being taken isn’t you, for a ride. Don’t don’t do it. Let’s just enjoy the music on its own.

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BEATS & PIECES

Postal strike disruptions have caused headaches for everyone, and unless they end soon seem likely to make rm’s dance charts turn into sales charts (now that would reveal a thing or two!); however, if DJs have access to a FAX machine we would really appreciate it if they could FAX us their weekly chart returns by no later than Wednesday afternoon on (01-)388 9576, marked “RM Disco Chart – attention Alan Jones” (this is not a regular telephone number, it will give you a pain in the ear if you try to talk to it!) – we do not unfortunately have time to take down individual charts in the normal way over the phone … Red Star rail freight is being used by several record companies to get promos to central distribution points around the country, from which DJs can collect them, the main specialist stores in major towns being used like this by such as MCA Records while Rush Release are building a network of their centrally located mailing list DJs to act as local agents – we could see the American record pool method of promo distribution catch on here finally as a result, while another might be that some DJs will suddenly rediscover the advantages of being able to pick and choose, and actually buy just the material that they really need! … ‘Sure Beats 1’, the seven inch 33⅓rpm vinyl EP that is given away free with rm next week (issue w/e September 24), contains the Wee Papa Girl Rappers’ funky break beat cutting brightly lurching 98⅓bpm ‘You Got The Beat’ from their forthcoming LP, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s excellent jazzily undulating 102⅙bpm ‘Here We Go Again’ (instead of the track mentioned last week) from their current LP, Bomb The Bass featuring Merlin’s unavailable original 0-111½bpm rap version of ‘Megablast’, and a tempoless “conceptual” deep breathing exercise by S’Xpress called ‘Coma’ – place your order now, and remember ‘Sure Beats 2’ is free the following week too … Richie Rich has re-recorded in London with the Jungle Brothers a brand new version of ‘I’ll House You’ which will be on Gee St Records for officially sanctioned UK release in four weeks – Richie’s own solo recordings will also again be on that label rather than on Club, while a Gee Zone house label will be launched next month … Alexander O’Neal ‘What Can I Say To Make You Love Me’, inevitably now that it’s already been out here as a single, has just been remixed in the US! … MC La Kim ‘The Posse Is Large’ is produced by DJ Mark: The 45 King – last week’s copy confused his name by omitting some crucial capital letters … Ecstasy’s anti-drugs ‘Ecstasy (Don’t Do It)’ appears to be on Syncopate … Les Adams’ remix of Inner City will indeed be out commercially, although altered from the Disco Mix Club version … LA Mix have recruited Newport Pagnell multi-instrumentalist Mike Stevens as a collaborator on future recordings, separate from his own solo career – he was, for instance, support act to Freddie Jackson in London this last weekend … Jeff Young loses an hour from his Friday night dance music show in Radio 1’s upcoming reshuffle … Greg Edwards would appear to be confirmed for a weekend soul show on GLR (Greater London Radio), as BBC Radio London will be called after its relaunch next month – a lot of people are being surprisingly naïve if they seriously think that the sad disappearance of Radio London’s daytime soul shows should be compensated for by new ones on Capital Radio, as both stations obviously know how to target the audiences that they now respectively want (if pirate radio can pull up its socks and present itself more listenably, it is that which ought to fill the gap) … ‘The Hit Man And Her’ made its chaotic debut on ITV at 4am on Sunday morning two weekends ago, live from Mr Smiths in Warrington, with Pete Waterman shouting at the turntables and TV-am’s ‘Wacaday’ girl Michaela Strachan screaming “woooo!” through everything – everything in fact consisting of all Pete’s own current product shamelessly plugged to the practical exclusion of all else, the whole televised “best disco in town” concept being a total mess without the advantage of properly staged set pieces, as a crowded disco environment does not come across as good TV (unfortunately) … Zoe Glitherow leaves WEA at the end of this month after nine and a half years of helping Fred Dove promote their disco releases … Terrajacks ‘Houseplan’ for some reason has a strong following in the East Midlands and next to none anywhere else, according to our chart returns, one of the few truly regional breakouts we’ve spotted in ages … George Benson was slow to hit The Club Chart, largely because, prior to DJs’ charts coming in (there’s always an inevitable delay even without strikes, unless of course they FAX ‘em!), our sales survey these days shows that buyers’ tastes are so polarised that if it isn’t either house or rap they aren’t terribly interested (in London, anyway) … Womack & Womack’s follow-up will be a remix of their album’s standout ‘Life Is Just A Ballgame’ … Marshall Jefferson is producing a comeback album by the Trammps … Ichiban Records were obviously too busy to send me records as they’ve been signing the Manhattans and Three Degrees to the previously “southern soul” orientated label … Johnnie Wilder, now no longer singing with Heatwave, has just recorded his own solo LP in the US, of gospel-ish inspirational songs (he’s still wheelchair-bound) … Peter Royer, who did a version of ‘Love Is In Season’ a couple of years back, is Erroll Kennedy’s replacement alongside Leee John and Ashley Ingram in Imagination now … Graeme Park has teamed up with Mike Pickering playing house at Manchester’s Hacienda on Fridays and other selected venues together … Andy Carroll, Mike Knowler and Davy bring Balearic beats and acieed to Liverpool’s The State every Monday now … Tim Westwood joins Disco Gary VanDenBussche rocking the house at Annerly Town Hall’s The Effect next Tuesday (20), for under 18’s … ‘A Groovy Kind Of Love’ first surfaced here, ahead of the Mindbenders’ hit version, by Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles as the better B-side to their London-released ‘Over The Rainbow’ … Rick Astley’s newie is being compared by some to Jeffrey Osborne … Carrie Grant is the perhaps surprising new name of David’s wife, their wedding at “London’s International Charismatic Church”, Kensington Temple being an interesting ceremony, with a wisecracking Welsh preacher wired for sound via a tieclip radio mic, and some great singing from the London Community Gospel Choir among others, the happy couple’s very swank reception in a marquee on a lawn beside the Thames in Putney being climaxed when, in a surprise for his bride, David whisked her away through the night in a launch on the moonlit millpond smooth river – one of the most romantic scenes imaginable! … Colin Hudd is one DJ who loves house and is high on the music but is dead worried that people now think he’s high on something else … Ian Levine makes the valid point that, even at its most banal, late Seventies disco dross was at least tuneful, which is more than can be said for most of acid house … Radio 1’s Newsbeat programme made the surprising report last week that wholemeal bread and muesli contain traces of LSD, found in the wheatgerm, which opens up all sorts of joke opportunities, like people taking packed sandwiches to acieed gigs (it gives a whole new meaning to “Allinson’s, the bread with nowt taken out!) … “Bet you can’t eat three Weetabix without falling over!” … “Hey man, got any Alpen?” … “No, but I’ve got some red hot Country Store” … NANU NANU!

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HOT VINYL

BILL WITHERS ‘Lovely Day (Sunshine Mix)’ (CBS 653001 6)
Already a smash before I know it was even out, Ben Liebrand’s latest excellent revamp of an oldie has his usual newly added augmenting 98⅓-0bpm go-go-ish beats and samples, coupled with 1977’s swaying 98bpm original version, 1972’s sombrely soulful 0-36½/73-75¼-73¾-0bpm ‘Lean On Me’ and 1971’s attractively croaking 75¾-79¾-0bpm ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, essential classics all.

ROYAL HOUSE ‘Can You Party?’ (US Idlers WAR-2706)
Already white labelled for eventual release here by Champion (CHAMP 1017), this often terrific though patchy album of totally lunatic over the top house and hip hop created by cult New York producer Todd Terry has the crazed samples crammed jerkily 123¼-122¾-123½-0bpm ‘Yeah Buddy’, ‘Stone Fox Chase’-based jerky 0-106⅔-0bpm ‘The Chase’, ‘Funky Drummer’-cutting rambling hip hop instrumental 100⅚-100⅔-101-0bpm ‘The Journey’ (yes, it’s “into sound”!), exciting acid house anthem 123-0bpm title track, its drily percussive jittery dubwise 0-122¾bpm ‘Dirty Beats’ and stuttery bounding (0-)123-0bpm ‘Party People’ original version, a short edit of the earlier tumbling 123bpm ‘Key The Pulse’, husky Ian Star nagged disjointedly lurching 120-0bpm ‘A Better Way’, grunting and scratching 101-0bpm ‘This Is Royal House’, and rather flat oddly haunting plaintive girl moaned and wailed 0-92⅚-0bpm ‘No Way No Way’.

KRAZE ‘The Party’ (MCA Records MCAT 1288)
Promoed ahead of commercial release nearer the end of the month, when presumably this 33⅓rpm five track duplication of the US 12 inch will have to lose some versions to fit the UK’s chart laws, this is the very simple raucously shouted exciting here 120½bpm piano nagged house leaper about which I appear to have been the first to rave, long before it managed at last to hit The Club Chart following the concerted efforts of such jocks as Paul Oakenfold, Jeff Young and Pete Tong (all of whom were on it from the off). It ain’t subtle, but it’s heavy! Continue reading “September 17, 1988: “My stand against the totally unnecessary but fashionable and commercially exploited connection between the drug called ecstasy and the music called acid house””

BEATS & PIECES

SO FAR, nothing but support has been flooding in from all sides for my comments two issues ago about “acid house” now being cynically created for an audience too drugged to care about the quality of the music — at the time of writing now, before this week’s Gallup chart was known, it was still very noticeable that not one actual acid track had cracked the Top 40, a hopeful sign that the majority of the population have kept their musical sense in the face of the subversive hype … Champion Records successfully threatened an injunction to prevent Gee St Records releasing the Jungle Brothers ‘I’ll House You’, because it is of course blatantly based on Champion’s now reissued and fast selling Royal House ‘Con You Party’ … PLASA’s annual equipment exhibition, this year called 88 Light + Sound Show, is at West London’s Olympia 2 this Sunday-Wednesday (11-14), 11am-6pm, £5 admission on the door if you failed to pre-register in time for a discount … rm is about to be sold with two more totally free seven inch vinyl EPs of hot dance music, even better than the last pair, the one available with the issue dated September 24 containing an original rap version of Bomb The Bass ‘Megablast’, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince ‘New Kids On The Block’, plus the brand new S’Express ‘Coma‘ and Wee Papa Girl Rappers ‘You Got The Beat‘, while October 1’s has a special Coldcut remix of Sweet Toothed Sonny ‘Acid Drops’ plus the brand new Cold Crush Brothers ‘The Bronx‘ and Mixmaster Tee created ‘Fourth Floor All-Stars‘ mix of Four Play, Break Boys, Masters At Work, and O.N.I.T. (Oh No, It’s Them) – place an order with your newsagent now so as not to be disappointed! … Top Billin’s long since reviewed single is now finally released commercially, the hotter ‘Never’ B-side turning out to be the old Kleeer song … Electra’s ‘Jibaro (Spectrum Remix)’ sleeve says “This record is dedicated To The Memory of Steve Walsh” … Jolley Harris Jolley’s remix of Pieces Of A Dream ‘Rising To The Top’ should be due next week … Les Adams was guest mixing DJ with Nick Addams at David Grant’s wedding last Saturday — what, incidentally, does Les have in common with Carrie, the new Mrs Grant?! … Brass Construction’s main man Randy Muller has finally set up his own Plaza Records label, as yet unsigned here … Ian Levine is cockahoop at having Seventh Avenue picked up for a five year/five album US deal by Atlantic — who have also just snapped up from him a four years old Hi-NRG hit that he only ever mixed, but recently obtained from its defunct Bronze label, Vikki Benson ‘Easy Love‘, following its sudden much played Latin hip hop success on Miami radio! … Japan’s highest radio jock, Yuki Iwata hosts a four day televised Hi-NRG festival in Tokyo during November, including two separate nights devoted to Stock Aitken Waterman productions and the apparently locally popular Nightmare label, presented respectively by Pete Waterman and Ian Levine … TV makes people look fatter … Charly Records’ catalogue deal with New York’s long established Fania and Vaya Latin labels has resulted in a flood of salsa albums and interesting compilations on the new UK Caliente label, worth checking by jazzier jocks … Impulse Club Promotions’ new main men (on 01-459 8866) Glasgow hard case Kenny Macleod and Bromley (South London) soul boy Nick Gordon Brown “aim to straddle the much-mythologised North/South divide” — to my mind, the ones at top and bottom are fine, it’s those in between who sometimes seem to have chips on their shoulders (stir, stir!) … BAD boy Mike Shawe reckons that three pirate radio stations have shaken up Bristol’s appreciation of dance music, even the largest Mecca venue being more aware of acid while record shops are incorporating large dance music sections and stocking current imports, nearby Bath being very black music orientated too, says he … London Electric Ballroom DJ Glen Gunner boasts that he too has just bought an “F” reg car — from the last time around, 1968, a VW split-screen cam-per, for £150! … NANU NANU!

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HOT VINYL

PHASE II ‘Reachin’ (Brotherhood Mix)’ (RePublic Records LICT 006, via Rough Trade)
Typically excellent Blaze-produced soulfully sung and piano plonked creamily thumping smooth 0-121-0bpm hustling New York “deep house” churner building powerful nagging tension, with lyrics full of timeless joy and hope, a real grower as The Club Chart has been proving (more sparsely percussive instrumental 121bpm Stand Firm Mix, piano backed acappella 0-120½-0bpm Redemption Mix, and 120½-0bpm Radio Edit). Don’t miss this, it’s so satisfying!

M.C. LA KIM ‘The Posse Is Large’ (US Tuff City TUF 128031)
Officially flip to the murkily dragging 92⅔bpm ‘We Got The Funk‘ (in two mixes), this DJ Mark The 45 King-produced 106’⅙bpm rap (acappella too) is set to the nagging oboe and drums break beat from his own ‘The 900 Number‘, a real underground hip hop groove for a few mixers in the know, so that consequently this is now massive at rap gigs!

JESSE JOHNSON ‘Every Shade Of Love (Keith Cohen Remix)’ (Breakout USAT 637)
Keith Cohen and Steve Beltran-mixed sax squealed ultra jaunty go-go hip hop jiggled largely instrumental 0-97⅔-97½-97⅔-0bpm swaying soul jitterer, with a more vocal 97½bpm Original Version and the self-remixed old bashing purple tinged 114¼bpm ‘Love Struck (House Mix)‘, now out here hard on the heels of US imports. Continue reading “September 10, 1988: Phase II, M.C. La Kim, Jesse Johnson, Steven Danté, Mica Paris”

BEATS & PIECES

ANDY PEEBLES, now he’s toned down his stentorian Radio 1 vocal modulation, has been doing a good job as Tony Blackburn’s weekday 9am-noon replacement on BBC Radio London, the show being markedly more “soul”-ful than before — however, there’s bad news for all soul fans, as from mid-October the station is adopting an AoR format, leaving soul to the pirates (although ‘Black Londoners’ will be broadcast every evening, 7-10pm, combining black affairs and music), possible new presenters including the likes of Johnnie Walker, Greg Edwards, Tommy Vance and even Jonathan King, while Robbie Vincent is leaving of the end of the week to move his ‘phone-in show to LBC, as of September 26 replacing Mike Allen (who in turn moves to weekends) in the top rated Monday-Thursday 10pm-1am slot on London’s “talk” station … Pres Jam 4 at Prestatyn is likely to feature Salt-n-Pepa, Steven Danté and more, in addition to Keith Sweat’s debut UK concert appearance, the November 4-6 weekender this time attracting the broadest spread of people yet from all over the country (£45 Access/Visa bookings and details on 01-364 1212) — Martin Collins has returned to the LiveWire DJ fold, Tim Westwood will host an extended (and exclusive) rap session, while acid, rap, jazz and doubtless a bit of funk and soul are being offered in three clearly defined “dance zones” … Upnorth Promotions hold their third soul-funk-jazz weekender, the second Blackpool one, on October 7-9 at Fleetwood’s Cala Gran Holiday Park, presenting Jean Carne in concert plus such DJs as Richard Searling, Colin Curtis, Martin Collins, Jonathan, Bob Jones, Hutchy, Norman Jay, Bob Jefferies, Billy Davison, Simon Dunmore, Ian Clark and more (£45 ticket info on 091-389 0317) … Steve Walsh’s family benefiting fund appears to have raised £30,000 from the star-studded special (and final) Radio London Soul Night Out … ‘DiscEyes’ is the best conceived video programme for disco use that I’ve seen, a great deal of clever thought having gone into the musical and visual links between each track of the non-stop segued two hour stereo hi-fi tapes, available on subscription for professional disco use only — details from Diamond Time Ltd on 01-586 7056, ask for Graham Gold (who does the sequencing with Steve Kemsley, video jock at Video Cafés around the world) … Swan Lake’s ‘In The Name Of Love’ shares a title (and to these ears, not much else) with a Thompson Twins oldie, which is now getting London pirate radio play in its new Shep Pettibone created ‘In The Name Of Love ’88 (Railroad Mix)‘ (US Arista ADI-9731), a pulsing bass driven funkily lurching 116⅓-0bpm remix, not at the moment due out here until an album of Twins remixes is released in November … Rick Astley’s upcoming (and long awaited) ‘She Wants To Dance With Me‘ single is self-penned and co-produced by Rick with Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, deliberately to show that he can cut it without any direct Stock Aitken Waterman involvement … ‘Night Of The Living Baseheads‘ is inevitably the next Public Enemy single … Bassment Records’ first UK single through Westside Records will be the Diaz Brothers ‘Here We Go Again‘ … T.I.C. is pronounced as separate initials, their ‘Popcorn ’88 Remix’ indeed being due from Arista this week, flipped by the original Woodstock Mix … Les Adams has created an “industrial” flavoured juddering re-production (rather than remix) of Inner City ‘Big Fun’, specifically for Disco Mix Club subscription service release although a commercial version may be due too … Chris ‘Bam Bam’ Westbrook has also remixed Brass Construction ‘Ha Cha Cha’ … Kool Kat are currently promoing ahead of 10 Records release their Liaz ‘House Sensation (Master Reese Mix)‘, a Kevin Sanderson remixed bustling (0-)126bpm frantic formless rambler with vacuous cooing girls, the epitome of late Eighties disco dross aimed at people too drugged to care about music, while likewise WEA have promoed indie band Beloved’s ‘Acid Love’ in two Mike ‘Hitman’ Wilson mixed trite “it feels like ecstasy” muttered and synth twittered 118bpm versions, flipped by cymbal shushed busier 119⅓bpm Love & Ecstacy and 121¼bpm Original Mixes, two of which will eventually be chosen as a commercial B-side to something else … Jay Strongman’s currently promoed ‘East West‘ (Rhythm King) is, I fear, easy to dismiss now as yet another bass bombing sampler, chugging along at a possibly too monotonous (0-)109bpm jitter despite being built from interesting old funk grooves, the Red Army Choir, disembodied voices, and just a bit of song featuring Maureen … Yazz And The Plastic Population’s horny horn blast is sampled from Sharon Redd’s ‘Beat The Street’ … Gordon Mac’s newly renamed Graphic Records label has released a compilation of ‘Boogie Tunes‘ (LIPS 2) with no discernible common link other than they’re all old, from 1975’s Milton Wright ‘Keep It Up‘ to the relatively recent John Wayne-impersonating Rappin’ Duke’ ‘Rappin’ Duke‘, other cuts being by Derrick, Michele, Taana Gardner, Black Ivory and Melba Moore … Double Trouble guest at London Charing Cross Road Busby’s new Wednesday The Exchange night this week (August 31), while Leroy Burgess and Tyrone Williams, performing as El Bee & Tee, are next door at the Astoria the following night (September 1) with Chris Forbes, Simon Goffe, Madhatter Trevor, Paul Anderson Bobby & Steve of The Zoo … Steve Roberts and Keith Diamond revive “good old soul” (rather than “rare groove”!) on Thursdays at Kingston-upon-Thames Hoofers now that the adversely publicised link between acid house and ecstasy has put paid to the proposed night with Jasper and Jazzy M … Russ Dewsbury and Baz Fe Jazz recently started the Saturday Night Fish Fry for classic jazz and Latin dance in Nash’s Basement on Marine Parade, and now on Fridays also run The All New Jazz Room upstairs at Downbeat in Dyke Road, both in Brighton — where Balearic beats and acid are to be found on Thursdays at Slam in the Savannah, Old Steine, with Paul Clark and Warwick, next week (September 8) seeing a Shoom special starring Danny Rampling and a PA by Baby Ford … Queensgate Leisure open the flashy Discotheque P’Zaz this weekend in Grays, Essex (on Orsett Road in the Queensgate Centre) … Camden Lock’s Dingwalls having stopped live music on Saturdays, that night is now the solidly funky Second Base, with Paul Anderson and a rota of regulars including Gordon Mac, Madhatter Trevor, DJ Tee, Norman Jay, Colin Dale, Steve Jackson, Bobby & Steve of The Zoo, Jazzy B, Jay Strongman, Jules from Family Funktion (dress to sweat, but no trainers) …  John Douglas, Ray Keith, Dave Malone, Guy Palmer & Turbo take turns to tear the root off this Sunday (4) at Castle Hedingham’s Memories in Essex … Charles Dickson of Northern Ireland Dance Factory and DCR 100.2fm is organising a Sudan flood victims benefiting ‘DJs Change The World’ day for next Saturday afternoon (September 10, noon-5pm) in Ballymoney Town Centre, County Antrim, with loadsa DJs working hard to raise loadsa (bally?) money for the cause … Teesvalley Roadshow requires a part-time DJ able to work weekends and travel the country — contact Graham Murray on 0642-226270 … I recently mentioned my still functioning 20 years old disco equipment, the very first purpose built mobile disco unit ever, the prototype of a production run marketed by pioneering sound installer Pepe Rush — who, amongst other international projects, is currently building a new mixing desk for London’s Tramp nightclub (if you too want something designed to last, call him on 01-889 2200!) … Gary and Martin Kemp might like to note that the club where I began my DJing career in 1963, The Barn in Knightsbridge, was owned by Ronnie and Reggie Kray, should they want any further first hand insights for their movie! … ssshh — “static house” … NANU NANU!

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HOT VINYL

MICHAEL JACKSON ‘Another Part Of Me (Extended Dance Mix)’ (Epic 652844 6)
While ‘Dirty Diana’ could never be regarded as a genuine club cut, this Bruce Swedien-remixed pent-up nervily urgent (0-)110-0bpm jittery jerky really is full of floor filling rhythm in Jacko’s best classic style (in four mixes).

TONY TERRY ‘Young Love (Acid Remix)’ (US Epic 49 07874)
One of his last album’s hot cuts given an exciting house-style jiggly jumpy driving 117bpm nervy Steve Peck remix that – possibly a first for a major label US release – is actually called an Acid Remix (not that it’s truly “acieed!”), in similar Extended and Radio Versions, a very different Bohannon-ish bassily bubbled bounding 114½bpm 7” Version, jaggedly juddering 115-0bpm DJ Shock-scratched samples studded Charlie Dee’s “Not Just Sex” version, Omar Santana-edited violently jittering 116½bpm Oh Oh Omar Dubb, and Acappella, adding up to lots of beats for your money (over 35 minutes).

THE PASADENAS ‘Riding On A Train (Extended Version)’ (CBS PASA T2)
Another Philly Soul inspired (no, not ‘Love Train’!) lavishly arranged 111⅙-0bpm surging jiggler with an ever shifting full orchestration and much vocal interplay, a good follow-up to ‘Tribute’ although had it been heard in isolation possibly not as punchy (reviewed off promo, release date unknown). Continue reading “September 3, 1988: Michael Jackson, Tony Terry, The Pasadenas, Sweet Obsession, Biz Markie”