Month: March 1989

BEATS & PIECES

DISCO MIX CLUB’s 1989 International DJ Convention remained an unsurpassable meeting place for the world’s dance music business, but its two main days (held for the first time at the Empire in London’s Leicester Square) were a hard slog and many people expressed regret that the event was no longer at the now doubtless outgrown Hippodrome — itself criticised in the past, mainly about drink prices! — where, by being “in the round” with a central stage area, everyone could see what was going on without having to make a special effort, unlike at the cavernous new venue where the stage was at one end and usually obscured by people standing on stools to get a better view … Shep Pettibone (who wasn’t there) came out top of a poll to find the favourite remixer of the panel members in the interesting producers and remixers seminar debate, which featured Frankie Knuckles, Bruce Forest, Ben Liebrand, Les Adams, Phil Harding, Arthur Baker, Paul Dakeyne, Brian Harris, Dave Morales, Gail ‘Sky’ King, a taciturn (and in fact 27 years old!) DJ Mark ‘The 45 King’ James, and Derrick May — who Derek B himself made a very true criticism of DJs who buy records purely to impress other DJs, ignoring their customers (much of the “rare groove” vibe?) during a Chris Hill chaired “million pounds of experience” debate in which I hope I was as controversial as possible, along with Jeff Young, PWL’s Tilly Rutherford and veteran jock Ian Reading … Uncle B Nice (East London’s slow talking freestyle Brian Bennett) was the Shure Golden Mic winning rapper, much to the delight of co-sponsors Sleeping Bag Records who had fancied him from the start … Alyson Williams was joined by Chuck Stanley in a soul searing live showcase, while other live PAs at the Empire included Adeva, Jomanda, Paula Abdul and Black Rock & Ron … Technics World DJ Mixing judges at the Royal Albert Hall (where Tony Prince was aided by Jeff Young and Mike Shaft as comperes for the BBC TV-filmed event) were Bruce Forest, Ben Liebrand, DJ Mark The 45 King, Les Adams, Red Alert, Tim Simenon, Derek B, Paul Dakeyne, Cash Money and myself — I actually scored Finland’s DJ Eliot Ness as my winner, not only because I thought he was best on the night but also because I can’t help thinking that there will be no incentive for other countries to compete if the championship is always hogged by the UK and USA … Cash Money, last year’s champ (who remarked during the final, “These guys are all copying what I did last year”), had been due to perform as well and wanted to show people that “when you win you don’t just fall over, you go on and get better, and doors are opened to you, there is something more to strive for”, but he was told he would be “too good” and blow the actual competitors away if he did — hence his pointed remarks during the award giving! … Chaka Khan was the final live “surprise”, teasingly introduced except nobody recognised the new long intro of Dancin’ Danny D’s drastic remix of ‘I’m Every Woman’! … MCA Records’ private party at Kensington’s swank Roof Gardens, following the finals, was the hottest invitation in town and a grand finale for all who got in! … Gail ‘Sky’ King, Les Adams and Emma Freilich (LA Mix), Roger Tovell (Severn Sound), Rich Edwards (Radio Wyvern), ‘Mad’ Max Burns (Lincoln Cinderellas) and I went to a well known “after hours” Grecian restaurant for a late night meze after the MCA party, and had to leave in a hurry (luckily after eating) when the people a couple of tables away started trying to kill each other with broken bottles —just prior to this, the restaurant, by complete coincidence, had been playing a bootleg of Les’s and my Capital Radio New Year’s Eve party tape from 1987! … Bruce Forest, legendary New York club DJ/remixer, and Simon Harris discovered, during an earlier, Mexican dinner, that they both share a passion for new radio edits, which I wouldn’t have thought entirely necessary! … Heather Austyn turns out to be the Cool Notes’ Heather! … Martin Collins, now managed by Adrian Webb, will be broadcasting vocally on Capital Radio by mid-April … LNR ‘Work It To The Bone‘ (US House Jam), reviewed last August but never hot enough to hit the Club Chart, is finally taking off in the wake of being much sampled … WEA’s club plugger Fred Dove included in the “goodie bag” that all DJ convention-goers received, “the world’s first CD slip mat” —think about it! … WOOO! YEAH!

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Continue reading “March 25, 1989: N.W.A: “Shocking and loathsome though most of it may be, I haven’t enjoyed an album so much for ages””

BEATS & PIECES

WHO WILL the surprise superstars be at the Royal Albert Hall tonight (Tuesday)? — photos and full details about the International DJ Convention and Technics World DJ Mixing finals next week! … Alyson Williams’ ‘Raw’ LP, reviewed in full on import last week, is inevitably now out here too (Def Jam 463293 1) … The 45 King’s The 900 Number’ has apparently spawned a new sliding and jumping dance dubbed the “chill” at Mr B’s in Southend-on-Sea — the same neck of the woods where “rowing” began to the Gap Band’s ‘Oops Up Side Your Head’, if you remember … Graham Gold, further to last week’s mention of his SOUL-fm bid, suspects that the move of former Capital Radio managing director and IBA director general John Whitney to the Really Useful Group as managing director is not unconnected with this Andrew Lloyd-Webber company’s upcoming bid for the solitary Greater London FM community radio licence, to run a classical music station — could well be, and isn’t that just like big business? … Inner City’s next single, due on April 3, is another Paris wailed jittery chugging techno smacker, with similarities but slower (circa 120bpm monitored off cassette) than their first two hits and actually mixed for A-side purposes by Duane Bradley, with though Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins mixes as flip … Kevin Saunderson’s faster House Mix turns out to be the A-side of the commercial 12 inch of Paula Abdul ‘Straight Up’ (Siren SRNX 111), flipped just by the Marley Marl mix … Wee Papa Girl Rappers’ commercial 12 inch leaves off the ‘Puff The House Down’ version, being A-sided by the Demolition Mix of ‘Blow The House Down’ (Jive JIVE X 197) … Blue Magic ‘Romeo And Juliet’, despite being on Def Jam in the States, really will launch that label’s new OBR “soul” logo when it’s released here … Severn Sound’s happy hippo Jerry Hipkiss points out that Jazzy Jason ‘M.U.S.I.C. (Use It)’ uses Paul Simpson’s 1983 import-only ‘Use Me, Lose Me’ over the riff from Colonel Abrams’ ‘Music Is The Answer’, as well as the beats from my remix of ‘The Smurf! … Malu Halasa last week mistakenly credited ‘I’m Into Something Good’ as having been originally by the Beach Boys, when in fact it was by Earl-Jean, soloing leader of popular girl group of the time (1964) the Cookies — I know only too well, as in a roundabout way that’s too embarrassing to explain, I was indirectly responsible for the song getting to Herman’s Hermits, whose leader Peter Noone has just re-recorded it! … Orchestra JB ‘On A Love Groove‘ (Metro Music) will be reissued imminently following the already reported resurgence of interest in it … Seventh Avenue has had such a fluid membership that it is impossible to categorise any individuals as being the main members, the boys now signed to Jive (for production by Marshall Jefferson) under the new name of Big Fun all being singers in their own right, I’m assured … Maxwells in Stirling needs DJs (not as exciting maybe as “Mars needs women”!), contact 0786-72619 during office hours, 0506-883608 evenings … Harrogate’s hobbyist mixer Tim Garbutt could have had time off work to go to Sheffield as a semi-finalist in the Technics UK DJ Mixing Championships but not to go to Leigh (past Manchester on the motorway over the Pennines) when the venue was switched to there, his slightly strange reason for being unable to compete! … Cash Money & Marvelous are touring at Rayleigh Pink Toothbrush Thursday (16), Northampton Roadmenders Friday, Norwich Arts Centre Sunday, Brixton Fridge Monday, Manchester Legends Wednesday (22), Bristol Bierkeller Thursday (23), Colchester University Friday (24), Tonbridge Angel Centre Saturday (25) … Simon Goffe brings upfront sounds to Soul On Ice in Dublin’s McGonagles on Saturday (18) … Gary J and Zippy pump upfront trax Wednesday at Club Jazzbo in Wrexham’s Mr C’s … Mark King has upfront Fridays at Burnham Beeches Henry’s near Slough … Steve Wren is funky downstairs, Bob Wilton soulful upstairs on Fridays at Gravesend’s famed The Slammer … DJ Le Carioca plays “Brazilian house” Saturdays at Café De Brazil in Manchester’s Precinct 13 … John Lengthorn has been given a month to establish Sunday as a “house” night at Bermondsey Old Kent Road’s Dunn Cow … ‘Night Network’ sadly going off the TV screens, will London at last get to see both parts of ‘The Hit Man And Her’? … Disco Mix Club master of ceremonies par excellence, John Saunderson surely isn’t touring with the Monkees under the guise of Davy Jones?… WOOO! YEAH!

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[Elsewhere in this week’s issue, Alan Jones writes as follows:]

rm’s Hi-NRG Chart bites the dust this week — and it won’t be revived.

We finally pulled the plug on a chart that both myself and James Hamilton have spent numerous hours compiling after a concerted attempt to manipulate it (partly successful) by an individual whose only aim would appear to be to boost his personal favourites to unrealistic heights.

Though we had been suspicious that this was the case for some time, we continued to put together the chart, believing that it was important to reflect what was happening in this particularly specialist area. But the recent history of the Hi-NRG chart has been a stormy one, with enormous amounts of flak flying in all directions.

We’ve had allegations that the chart is rigged by a prominent songwriter/producer who owns his own record label, that the SAW content of the chart is unrepresentatively high, that it is full of highly priced European imports placed there on the instructions of an import shop owner who had therefore a vested interest in giving these records a boost, and various other petty accusations.

Enough, we say. All we ever did was to compile the chart on the basis of specialist returns with scrupulous honesty.

Appearing in rm, the chart gave Hi-NRG (basically gay disco music) a visibility it has nowhere outside specialist publications. Its passing means that such charts will no longer get any prominence in the overground press. That is to no-one’s advantage, and all those who sought to distort the chart by making false claims on behalf of their own/friends’ records or by casting stones at others must share the guilt for its demise.

On a brighter note, though it was the most undynamic chart in history the Pop Dance Chart did mirror what was happening in thousands of clubs up and down the country, as well as helping our esteemed but hard-pressed Mr Hamilton decide what pop records he should review. As such, it served a purpose, and will be re-instated as from next week.

[As it turned out, the Pop Dance chart was not re-instated, and it did not appear in rm again.]

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HOT VINYL

NEW EDITION ‘Crucial (Dance Remix)’ (US MCA Records MCA-23934)
Jellybean Johnson, Spencer Bernard, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis together created this very uncharacteristic joltingly edited, funky bashing and jumping youthfully enthusiastic (0-)104⅙-104⅓-104⅙-104⅔-104⅙-0bpm P’funk-style jiggly remix — and maybe it’s a case of too many cooks, as the edits keep losing the beat (don’t these guys know how to measure the space between beats on tape?) — much livelier than the usual “swing beat” (104⅓bpm vocal dub and percapella too).

DJ DZIRE featuring JC 001 & Glory B ‘Bad Place To Get Hit’ (Furious Fish FFD002)
Rarely can there ever have been such a massive scratcherama as this four tracker, committed to vinyl by 18-year-old West London DJ Darren Galea from White City, with a flurry of flying fierce styli and toasting dread chat in the jittery exciting 113-115¼-114⅓bpm Freestyle, drier more staid dubwise 11 4bpm PA Mix and fast talking slithery 114-113¾-114¼bpm Sunday Night Live Mix (another that slips in my Tyrone Brunson/COD remix!), plus the slurring, rumbling and skanking 0-123⅔-124bpm ‘Rebel Sound Parts 1 & 2‘ (which fades halfway). Massive? Large!

kc FLIGHTT ‘Planet E’ (US RCA/Popular 8897-1-RD)
Although his last import, ‘Let’s Get Jazzy’/ ‘Dancin’ Machine’, sold steadily for months it never managed to hit The Club Chart, but this newie has instantly exploded! Sampling (by permission) the Talking Heads’ Once In A Lifetime’, it’s a hip house-ish leaping conversational rap that’s proving oddly hotter in its 121¼bpm percussive House and burbling Acid Drop Mixes than the more urgent 121⅛bpm actual Hip Hop Mix, coupled for added appeal with a bumpily pattering and twittering fiercer 123¾-124¼-124½-124⅔-124¼-123¾bpm Acid House Remix of that last single’s ‘Dancin’ Machine’. Continue reading “March 18, 1989: “rm’s Hi-NRG Chart bites the dust this week — and it won’t be revived””

BEATS & PIECES

BIG LIFE are rush releasing the De La Soul album here this week, largely as a result of its appearance in The Club Chart despite their attempt to get US imports banned — they had originally scheduled its UK release for later in the month, March 27 now instead being the release date for Richie Rich’s remix of the set’s hottest track, ‘Me Myself And I‘ (which on reflection is perhaps more ‘Knee Deep’ than ‘One Nation Under A Groove’!) … Merlin is featured rapper on the Beatmasters’ early April released jerkily tumbling 124-0bpm ‘Who’s In The House‘, this paraphrased but blatant remake of ‘Turn Up The Bass’ being a dig at Tyree as they claim to have originated the very first “hip house” record in 1986! … Eddie Gordon has called his new dance department at BMG the apt Dancin! In The Streets — it embraces the Bertelsmann Music Group’s labels RCA, Arista and Motown plus subsidiaries (on 01-636 8311, ext 2266) … Everton Webb of Birmingham’s Sidestep Promotions (021-643 6584) has taken over the club promotion of Big Life (aided by the label’s Tessa Lewis), which includes Ahead Of Our Time too … Graham Gold, veteran jock at Soho’s Gullivers and co-compiler of the excellent monthly Disc-Eyes music video service, is preparing a heavyweight bid for the Greater London FM community radio licence, his proposed station being tentatively titled Sound Of Urban London (SOUL-fm) … ‘Joy And Pain’ will be Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock’s next “new” single, both here and in the States … Bonnie Byrd here will be on the new BsBi label, presumably a Mahesh Bajaj venture … Desire have picked up Corporation Of One ‘The Real Life’, while Fourth & Broadway have Keyman Edwards … I began BPM-ing the UK pressing of Deniz ‘You Were The One’ and, on finding that our Metro Mix equivalent of the import’s Club Mix appeared to be much the same, assumed that the other mixes ,were unchanged in speed too — however, on closer examination I find that they’re not, so adjust last week’s review to make the House Mix 118½-118bpm, Shameek’s House Mix 118⅙-118⅓bpm, Metro Club Mix (0-)116⅖-116⅗-116⅖bpm, Deniz-A-Pella 116½bpm (drat, that’s another half hour out of my life!) … Radio Clyde’s mix master Paul Welsh actually threw me a wobbler by suggesting my BPMs have been getting inaccurate over the last few months, but by recalculating several using a different stopwatch and then re-BPM-ing records from way back I found no divergence — so maybe it’s Paul who needs a new watch or deck (don’t forget there are discrepancies between different pressings and mixes, which I monitor separately, the given Beats Per Minute only applying to the particular version stated) … DJs who return charts would in fact do Alan Jones and myself a great favour if they could detail the different mixes they might be using of individual tunes (incidentally, we do not supply printed chart forms — use your own paper unless serviced with chart forms from other sources) … Graphic Records have released a descriptively titled ‘Past, Present & Future‘ album of Darryl Payne productions (LIPS 4), for full review later, with tracks by such as Brian Keith, Sinnamon, Marc Sadane, Dino Terrell and NV … N.W.A.’s ‘Straight Outta Compton’ album (US Ruthless), apart from a revival of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band’s ‘Express Yourself‘, is a particularly filthy rap set full of repetitive obscenities and the glorification of gang violence — yet I heard one “mutherf***ing”-filled track being played on a European radio station when tuning my new car’s radio! … 12 inch imports for future full review include the Talking Heads ‘Once In A Lifetime’ — sampling hip house KC Flightt ‘Planet E‘ (RCA); jaunty girls chanted and samples studded early Eighties-style electro Domino ‘Cuties Get Connected‘ (Profile); frantic Todd Terry-ish samples-crammed LNR ‘Work It To The Bone’-based Casanovas Revenge ‘Let’s Work‘ (Invasion), which includes the “wooo”/”yeah” driven ‘Here We Go‘; Jungle Brothers ‘I’ll House You’ rudely remaking No Face ‘Hump Music‘ (Mess); Glenn ‘Sweety-G’ Toby created percussively driving pop aimed The Klub ‘Stand Up‘ (Smokin’); Philly recorded superb weaving soulful guy sung Theryl ‘Open Up Your Heart‘ (Hot Soul); breathily tender slow swaying blue eyed soul Dino ‘24-7‘ (4th + B’way); Jocelyn Brown-ishly wailed bashing backbeat jolted jogging Towanna Sheppard ‘The Stronger The Love‘ (Renown International Records); ‘You Don’t Know’ rearranging stuttery jittery Serious Intention ‘We Know‘ (Easy Street); MFSB adapting jazzily chugging and bubbling MFM Orchestra ‘Love Is The Message’ (MFM); Tommy Musto produced squeakily “street soul”-ish bounding Arlene ‘Who Will It Be?‘ (Midnight Sun); urgently rapping and scratching Sir Fresh & DJ Critical ‘Sit’em Down (Git’em & Hit’em)‘ (Solid Goals Records); Master Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane rapped, Joe Tex piano sampling murky slow Marley Marl ‘The Symphony (Remix)‘ (Cold Chillin’); Reggie & Vincent Calloway produced strangulated guys sung juddery uttering Sharp ‘Playboy‘ (Elektra) — and there are more! … Orchestra JB ‘On A Love Groove‘ (Metro Media Music) is becoming a big “cover-up” secret for several trendy jocks who considered it to be a naff volume pumper when new, while 1977’s Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers ‘Egyptian Reggae‘ (Berserkley) is much revived by more pop orientated trendies around London … Tim Westwood and Max ‘n’ Dave are joined next Wednesday (15) at London Camden Lock’s Dingwalls for a Rap Review 3 by DJ Pogo, Monie Love, Top BiIlin’, London Posse, Trouble, plus probable guests from the previous night’s World Mixing final … Ket Shah, Stewart Eden and DJ Lewis play hard tackle Fridays at The Harlem Shuffles in London Edgware Road’s Jools Wine Bar … London’s Hippodrome has apparently re-started gay Monday nights … Daryl Stafford ended up as only a temporary stand-in at Southampton’s Magnum, where the resident DJ is still Richard Hunt — who has also taken over from emigrated Adrian Dunbar at Bournemouth’s Bolts … Soul II Soul’s latest vocalist, Caron Wheeler, was formerly in La Famille, and the rock stars backing vocal trio Afrodisiak … LA Mix’s album, currently in mid-production, is likely to surprise everyone with its variety of styles, and emphasis on real instruments as well as machines! … North Wales, looking lovely in the sun last week (between occasional snow flurries), is already about as advanced vegetationally as a normal April and, even should things only stay the same until Easter, will be well worth exploring by Prestatyn weekender visitors if the weather is good — head for the hills, to the west and south-west across the Vale of Clwyd, and get lost on purpose! … I seem to have stumbled on a pattern for finding good value, ex-garage director’s slightly second hand cars in Wales, a swap between my 1986 “C” registered red Nissan Silvia and an “F” reg white one (with air conditioning and other luxury refinements) only costing me a difference of £4,000 last week … Disco Mix Club’s international DJ convention starts this Sunday, you hardly need reminding, so I’ll see you all there? … WOOO! YEAH!

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HOT VINYL

JUNGLE BROTHERS ‘Black Is Black (Ultimatum Mix)’ (Gee Street GEE T15, via Demix/Rough Trade)
Vocally augmented by Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest and totally remixed here by the Stereo MC-associated Ultimatum, this buoyantly jiggling 117½bpm calmly stated Malcolm X quoting anti-segregation rap is followed by the more sparsely bubbling vibes prodded jazzy 0-117½bpm ‘Ultrablack’ version, and double AA-side flipped by DJ Soul Shock’s previously imported 0-99⅔-100-99⅔-0bpm remix of the slinkily weaving ‘Straight Out Of The Jungle‘ (which drops into Grandmaster Flash’s similar ‘The Message’ amongst other funkily rumbling quotes), plus the languidly muttering 0-99⅚bpm ‘In Time‘ featuring Q-Tip again.

HEATHER AUSTYN ‘Bad Attitude (Extended Mix)’ (Urban URBX 33)
Martin Freeland created soulfully wailed and fast phrased chunkily jiggling strong UK recorded 110⅘bpm funk jolter (instrumental flip), not due commercially until March 20 but proving too hot to hold back.

THE MINUTEMEN ‘OK, Alright’ (US Smokin’ TAI 126615)
Norberto ‘Norty’ Cotto-created typically Todd Terry-type drums thrashed and guys chanted dated jack track-style nervy jumper, in 121bpm Club Mix, (0-)121-0bpm Spago Mix, 121-0bpm Bonus Beats and Radio Mix (the latter mislabelled in place of the Acappella), selling well. Continue reading “March 11, 1989: Jungle Brothers, Heather Austyn, The Minutemen, Bobby Brown, Alyson Williams”

BEATS & PIECES

THE 1989 International DJ Convention’s opening party on Sunday, March 12, will include an Alyson Williams live showcase plus PAs by such as De La Soul, Jungle Brothers. Cash Money & Marvelous, MC Lyte, Black Rock And Ron, Audio Two, Brian Keith, Jomanda, and Funky Worm, while the following day’s producers panel session will feature the likes of Clivilles & Cole, Frankie Knuckles, Hank Shocklee, Bruce Forest, Gail ‘Sky’ King and DJ Mark The 45 King — no rubbish, eh? (full booking details from the Disco Mix Club on 06286-67276, 63227, 67124) … De La Soul and Chanelle look like being added to the Prestatyn Easter weekender’s line-up (late bookings may still be available from LiveWire on 01-364 1212) … EMI have closed down their in-house dance promotion department, the Syncopate label however remaining as before with Tim Rudling still as club plugger and consultant but in an independent capacity, through his new The Kipyard Consortium … MCA Records’ UK pressing of Vicky Martin ‘Not Gonna Do It’, due commercially in four weeks but widely pre-released, turns out to be totally different from the US import with a brand new (0-)121½bpm Bam Bam House Mix as main A-side, 121½bpm 7″ Edit, Acapella and 121¼bpm Marshall Jefferson Radio Mixes being new too … Candi McKenzie’s ‘Wanna Be Good Tonight’, now I’ve finally seen properly printed finished copies, turns out to be a Jolley Harris Jolley creation, with no Dancin’ Danny D involvement after all! … RCA have picked up Jomanda ‘Make My Body Rock’, while Champion snapped up the new Lake Eerie … Diana Ross is returning to Motown, not only as an artiste but also as a shareholder in the label … Blaze are also now indeed signed to Motown, but Kevin Hedge has started his own Ground Level label “to bring a bit of black ownership into the current garage music scene” — Kevin, whose remix of Chanelle will be separately marketed as it arrived too late for inclusion on the main UK pressing, has also remixed the upcoming new Coldcut single … RePublic Records’ second compilation album of ‘The Garage Sound Of Deepest New York’ will be subtitled ‘Paradise Regained‘ and contain nothing but brand new unreleased New Jersey productions primarily by Blaze, with some by Smack Music Productions, Paul Scott and others … ‘Magic Juan’ Atkins has remixed the now Sharon Dee Clarke credited ‘Something Special’ for March 27 release, from the ‘Urban House’ LP on which this wailing 124½-0bpm skipper (the set’s main highlight) is confusingly billed as being by its producer Damon Rochefort … ffrr are plugging their Belgian new beat product with a supposedly promotional but fast selling — if you know where to look — 12 inch sampler (NBSAMP 1) coupling the ominous muttered chugging Dirty Harry ‘D’Bop’ (in 0-110bpm vocal and 0-108bpm instrumental) with the more thinly jittery rolling Taste Of Sugar ‘Hmm, Hmm’ (0-113¾bpm vocal and 0-113⅔bpm instrumental) … Chris Phillips and Paul Bennun’s monthly G.O.D. (Get On Down) night next Thursday (9) at Exeter Quay’s Warehouse Club features solid purple, P’funk, punk-funk and swing beat … Jay Strongman and a rota of guests including Bob Jones, Julian ‘Slack’ Palmer and Gilles Peterson spin all sorts and vintages of black music at Low Rider Thursdays in Soho’s Borderline (off the Charing Cross Road beside Foyles), where Madhatter Trevor hosts Upfront Fridays and jocks like DJ Mixmaster Tee, Colin Faver and Judge Jules have Garage Grooves Saturdays … Jazzy M, Steve Harris and Cut Master J mix up Chemistry on Thursdays at Brixton’s Fridge … Big ‘H’ hosts jazz ‘n’ soul Sunday evenings at Harry’s House in Slough’s Furze Hotel, on Uxbridge Road at George Green … Gary Mayo mixes Wednesdays at Cardiff Chicago’s … Steve Wiggins’ Saturday “70s Night” at Barry Island’s Warehouse has confused several flare-trousered Gary Glitter freaks — it’s all the drinks that are 70p! … Gt Yarmouth soul DJ Danny Smith had 500 of his most valuable records stolen from his car while it was parked outside his flat over the weekend (a silly place to leave them, it must be said), and offers a huge £5,000 reward for the conviction of the thief and return of the vinyl … John ‘JD’ Digweed, now he’s club promotions manager of the Sussex/Kent Playhouse group of venues, is looking for possible PAs and good DJs on 0424-421751 … WEA have made some promotional slipmats that advertise not only Ten City but also the company’s “man of the year”, club plugger Fred Dove! … Tyree Cooper and ladies’ man Kool Rock Steady by all accounts have found their brief moment of fame a heady experience while touring here … Ian Levine has actually gone to great expense to keep not only the legal right to the group name Seventh Avenue but also the group’s lead singer, now joined by two new members, Jive only having signed his past partners (who apparently didn’t sing on the records anyway) … Mick Brown & Pat Sharp’s next Stock Aitken Waterman-produced revival will be of Gonzalez ‘Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet‘, again to benefit Capital Radio’s ‘Help A London Child’ … GIVE IT SOME OF THAT, KID!

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HOT VINYL

CHANELLE ‘One Man (One Mix)’ (Cooltempo COOLX 183)
Reminiscent of the early Eighties’ Sharon Brown style, although largely based on Double Exposure’s ‘My Love Is Free’ from 1976, this Kevin Hedge of Blaze co-produced, Frankie Knuckles & David Morales remixed, superb cool girl gurgled and wailed smooth bass bubbled weaving here 118⅖-118¼-0bpm strider (118¼-0bpm Dope Dub and Intense Mix too) already is “the new Adeva”, instantly massive on import.

THE 45 KING ‘The 900 Number’ (Doctor Beat DRX 912)
DJ Mark The 45 King’s fruity baritone sax honked and dryly funked drums thumped repetitively looped 107⅙bpm break beat already drives hip hop crowds wilder than just about anything else at the moment, and is finally out here coupled with the similarly instrumental drum and bass thudded 102½bpm ‘Coolin’‘, and boringly rapped 100⅔bpm ‘The King Is Here!‘ — rather a waste considering two vocal versions of ‘The 900 Number’ could have been used instead, from his LP, and MC La Kim’s ‘The Posse Is Large’.

EPMD ‘I’m Housin’’ (Sleeping Bag Records SBUK 7T)
Long Island rappers Erick & Parrish Making Dollars’ jiggly shuffling lurcher from their last album is much brighter now in an exclusive UK-only 107⅓-107-0bpm Simon Harris remix, transformer scratching some “what it is, what it is” gospel wailing from Aretha Franklin’s ‘Rock Steady’ (107⅙-106⅚bpm semi-Instrumental too), flipped by a brand new echoingly drawled dedications started and Steve Miller Band ‘Fly Like An Eagle’ quoting 87⅔-0bpm treatment of ‘Get Off The Bandwagon‘ (Instrumental too), already hot on promo. Continue reading “March 4, 1989: Chanelle, The 45 King, EPMD, De La Soul, Gerald Alston”