Month: May 1989

BEATS & PIECES

ATLANTIC RECORDS are now rumoured to have signed up Vaughan Mason’s whole Groove St. label, including Doug Lazy and presumably Raze (for certain territories, at least!) … Johnny Walker spends so much time partying with Chris Butler that now not surprisingly he’s moving from ffrr two floors down at Polydor/London to join him as head of Urban’s A&R, with Dave Pearce still a part-time consultant … Omar’s excellent ‘I Don’t Mind The Waiting‘ (which turns out to be on Kongo, rather than Congo, and features none other than the Scratch Professor!) was intended to be last week’s lead review, but somehow the entire Hot Vinyl section came out in completely arbitrary order — sorry if it messed up your shopping list … Mystique might turn out to have closer links with M-D-Emm than merely its remixers Mark Ryder and Dave Lee, who incidentally have added the useful info that its samples include not only The It ‘Donnie’ (DJ International) but also Sylvia Smith ‘Heartbreaker’ (Qwest), Jackie Silvers ‘If You Want Me’ (MCA LP), Echo ‘I Can’t Live Without Your Love’ (Bassment), Fingers Inc ‘Mystery Of Love’ (DJ International) — so no wonder the vocals sound like Robert Owens! — while the ‘Salsa Party’ side samples Bravo ‘Feel It’ (Quark) … Paul Oakenfold, despite several telephone conversations and promises of a messenger delivery, still hadn’t got his label’s debut releases to me by press time — however, Profile is launched in the UK with a party at Sin in London’s Astoria this Saturday (27) starring Sweet Tee, Kechia Jenkins, Chanelle, and guest DJ Gail ‘Sky’ King … Graphic Records, not content with compiling rare groove albums, are now seeking black music-type demos with a view to signing up their own artist roster — send cassettes to Lindsay Wesker and Heddi Green-wood at Graphic Records, 14 Blackstock Mews, Blackstock Road, London N4 2DR … Monie Love’s newie, due fully on June 5, is the Afrika Bambaataa dedicated ‘Grandpa’s Party‘, a frantically churning 125bpm hip house racer produced by Dancin’ Danny D with Ritchie Fermie of Adrenalin MOD — my only criticism being that every time I hear it on the radio its corny title makes me think of the considerably less def Paul Nicholas’s ‘Grandma’s Party’ from 1976! … Cookie Crew’s follow-up will be the more hardcore, Curtis Mayfield percussion sampling and ‘Tramp’ rhythm prodded, 96bpm ‘Come On & Get Some (Superfly Mix)‘ … Paul Dakeyne, in the wake of the Cookies’ use of its break beat, has created an 124-124⅓-124-124¼-0bpm remix of Edwin Starr’s ’25 Miles’, with an overdubbed fluttering hi-hat and some modern style edits, for upcoming Motown release … Johnny Kemp ‘Birthday Suit‘ was promoed in Keith Cohen’s vigorously chugging 120⅕-0bpm Extended Mix and starker so-called House Mix but is apparently out commercially (CBS 654838 8) in the Extended Mix flipped by a Club Dub and Percapella — whether the House Mix and Club Dub are the same is unclear until a finished pressing reaches me … RCA have promoed Imagination ‘Love’s Taking Over’ in David Morales’s bass thrummed striding deep house-style 124⅘-124½-0bpm Sensitive Mix … Arthur Baker’s remix of the Gipsy Kings ‘Bamboleo’, the existence of which was first exclusively revealed by rm, is due for UK release with white labels to be promoed this week … Joyce Sims ‘Looking For A Love‘ will be on ffrr here in a fortnight (Andy ‘Panda’ Tripoli is the full name of her co-producer!) … ‘ffrr — silver on black‘ (ffrr 828 155-1) is a double album compilation of the label’s releases, the only inclusions not already on UK 12 inch being the (0-)121bpm Richie Rich ‘Salsa House (Remix)‘, (0- )115⅗bpm Rockers Revenge featuring Donnie Calvin ‘Walking On Sunshine 89‘, riotously ragamuffin 95⅚bpm Simon Harris featuring Asher D & Daddy Freddy ‘London’s Finest‘ … Chaka Khan’s follow-up will be a Frankie Knuckles remix of ‘Ain’t Nobody’, from the now finally released ‘Life Is A Dance — The Remix Project‘ (Warner Bros WX 268) double album, which I had no time to BPM this week … WEA are re-releasing Carly Simon ‘Why‘ to satisfy demand created by London’s still trendy Balearic jocks … Kariya ‘Let Me Love You For Tonight‘ (Sleeping Bag Records) has been ticking over steadily since it came out last October yet only ever spent three weeks in The Club Chart, peaking at 35 largely due to sales when it was released here in February, but is now turning into a huge underground cult hit with more DJs charting it than when new … US imports that I had no time to review fully this issue include the hit-bound ‘Monkees Theme’ introed then ‘Stone Fox Chase’ and other scratching Todd Terry-type samples backed exciting rap Twin Hype ‘Do It To The Crowd‘ (Profile); strong slickly speeding huskily soulful house Forte (featuring Leon Evans) ‘I’ll Set Ya Free‘ (Pet Project) good rare groove-type funky break beats woven jogging rap Nu Sounds ‘Condition Red‘ (UNI); Bobby Glover ‘Your Spell’ rewording Roger produced teasingly started then soulful high pitched harmonies washed rolling Lynch ‘Magic Spell‘ (Capitol); Crown Heights Affair “dada dada, dip dip dip” scat-based and many other funkily chugging break beats woven The Dynamic Duo ‘In The Pocket‘ (Nugroove); Frankie Knuckles remixed beefily thumping and bounding busy house Lost Boys ‘It’s Time For A Change‘ (4th + B’way); Todd Terry-type samples woven raucously rapped somewhat untidily frantic hip house Brooklyn Funk Essentials ‘Change The Track‘ (Minimal); rawly mixed bright dated jazz-funkily jiggling Walter P.P.K. ‘Get On Board‘ (Bassic); Full Force created spikily jolting swing-beat Cheryl Pepsii Riley ‘Seein’ Is Believin’ (The Pepsii Dance Remix)‘ (Columbia) … Alton ‘Wokie’ Stewart is pleasing “real soul” fans with his gruff dated “D” Train-type swingbeat and slowies oriented import album, ‘All Our Love’ (Epic), but significantly none of the jocks supposedly playing it have listed any specific tracks in their charts … D Mob ‘We Call It Acieed’/’Trance Dance’ has topped the US Club Play chart in Billboard, but is still struggling comparatively in the actual 12-inch Singles Sales chart (last week at 30 with a bullet) … Glyn Prince has just left Swindon Brunel Rooms’ Amphitheatre to take over the same town’s brand new Hardings from this week on Thursday and Saturday nights, spinning upfront and old soul for smart over-21s … Jules, Jasper and Johnny S host a Soul Underground Seaside Special this Friday (26) at Brighton Old Steine’s Club Savannah … Jeff Young, Tim Westwood, Chris Hill, Chrissie Jackson, Eddie ‘Disconcerning’ Gordon, Steve Wren and more slam dunk this Sunday’s Great Yarmouth Beach Ball Alldayer, 6-12pm at Gt Yarmouth Tiffanys … I wonder if Britain’s “black music” jocks will get behind Michael Jackson again when ‘Liberian Girl‘ (the album track they most liked when it was new) is soon out on single? … I’m outta here — BUT NOT FOR LONG!

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HOT VINYL

FRANKIE KNUCKLES presents SATOSHI TOMIIE featuring Robert Owens ‘Tears’ (ffrr FX 108)
The Tokyo recorded fascinating result of a meeting between Japanese jazzer Tomiie and New York’s Knuckles is this Owens whispered, wailed, sobbed and growled beautiful sinuously subtle sparse tuneful deep house galloper in 121⅓bpm Classic Vocal and Instrumental (the latter especially haunting), and 121¾bpm Percussion mixes, massive already on promo and not to be missed when it’s out fully next week.

RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE ‘The Phantom (It’s In There)’ (Mute France MF 19364)
Perhaps the wildest rhythm workout since ‘Burundi Black’, this fantastic mesmerically monotonous though gradually shifting extremely powerful percussion jittered 121⅓-0bpm intense instrumental, with some Arabic chanting and other wordless vocal noises at times but no actual lyrics, is designed to drive dancers into whirling dervishes once they’re hooked by the groove (less effective 0-119⅕bpm ‘Ozone Breakdown‘ flip). Find it if you can!

GREEDY BEAT SYNDICATE ‘This Is London’ (Greedy Beat Records 12 GREED 8, via Revolver)
Great gently attractive lazily undulating dated jazz-funky “doo be doop doo wah”-type jogging 0-97⅙-0bpm street soul instrumental with some sampled break beats, radio announcements, and title line repetition (alternative longer flip with tube train sound effects at the end), reminiscent of Light Of The World’s ‘London Town’ and highly recommended. Continue reading “May 27, 1989: Frankie Knuckles/Satoshi Tomiie/Robert Owens, Renegade Soundwave, Greedy Beat Syndicate, Norman Cook, Precious”

BEATS & PIECES

ATLANTIC are insisting that they have signed Raze presents: Doug Lazy ‘Let It Roll‘ for the world, including the UK: however, the situation is complicated here as Champion (who have already promoed the single) have exclusive UK rights to all products created by Vaughan Mason using his studio “group” name Raze, but not automatically to other artistes’ releases on his Grove St. US label — which, it could be argued, in this case has only used the established Raze name, as the wording suggests, to help draw attention to and introduce protégé Doug Finley, who to all intents and purposes (other than that Raze always features normally anonymous guest vocalists) performs the self-penned single as a separate solo signing – the problem being that Raze still owes Champion an undelivered although paid for album and the UK label’s Mel Medalie was unwilling to fork out yet more money when Mason suggested that the Doug Lazy project was a separate deal (he subsequently nearly signed it to PRT until Medalie got heavy!), Mason now allegedly agreeing that right is on Medalie’s side (although there is talk of change to Vaughan Mason presents: Doug Lazy on future pressings!) and saying that he’ll sort things out with Atlantic is the States … watch this space … Champion owner Mel Medalie, incidentally, was the hairdresser for the original film of ‘Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey’ (his name is in the credits)! … Lamya, the female singer on Razette’s ‘Ready 4 Love’, is the traffic stopping Arabic origin girl who was with Vaughan Mason on Raze’s UK visit last month … Mike Shaft’s winning of the incremental (“community of interest”) radio licence for Manchester with his now at last to be a reality Sunset Radio, and ex-pirates FTP (For The People) winning the Bristol licence (both being black music stations of course), plus the Asian-aimed piratical West London Radio not too surprisingly winning the Hounslow licence, hopes are high that maybe sense will prevail and the mightily united KISS/SOLAR/S.O.U.L. consortium’s bid for the London FM licence will succeed and finally give the capital city a badly needed legal black music outlet (I can anticipate complete airwave anarchy breaking out if a black station doesn’t win!) … ‘The Two Billys’, Russell and Carruthers, are retiring to their Scottish castle and have sold to the Disco Mix Club their three London BlueBird record shops, which will retain the same name and carry on trading as usual (this deal excludes the Luton branch, where there has been a management buy-out) … Freddy Bastone has done some most unlikely Corporation Of One-style remixes, and vocal-less dubs, of — wait for it! — Bananarama’s ‘Cruel Summer’ and ‘I Heard A Rumour‘, for future separate UK 12 inch release as well as inclusion in a remixed greatest hits album (the latter seemingly scheduled for the US if not also here) … Westside Records have now also released here the US mixes of Tyree ‘Hardcore Hip House’ (DJ International Records DJINX 11), the now 123⅕bpm Tyree’s Mix Hard, 123⅕bpm Deep Housetramental, 123¼-123-123⅕-0bpm Julian ‘Jumpin’ Perez Mix and 123⅖bpm Joe Smooth’s Too Deep Mix, originally reviewed on import and all totally different from the initial alternative UK mixes … Pressure Zone, whose excellent deep house revival of the O’Jays’ ‘Backstabbers’ was reviewed off white label last week, turn out to feature Juliet Roberts along with Nat Augustin, plus Marco Perry and Dave Clayton (the different mixes being labelled quite simply, in reviewed order, as Stab 1, 2, 3) … The Style Council’s commercial A-side turns out to be ‘Long Hot Summer 89 Mix’, relegating their instantly accepted new ‘Everybody’s On The Run’ to the flip … Timmy Regisford’s remixes of D Mob ‘Trance Dance’ are exclusive to the UK, Dancin’ Danny D’s mixes being out in the US as flip to ‘We Call It Acieed’ … Polydor have promoed a mystery white label called ‘Back In The Groove‘, an amazingly blatant Rick Astley soundalike 118⅘bpm cheerful canterer that is actually by ex-dancing champ Frankie Johnson (for June 12 release on Hand) … LA Mix’s repeated “get loose” sample of Aleem on their upcoming newie will only be included on instant collectors’ item promo pressings, Mike Stevens having re-recorded a close vocal facsimile as “everybody get loose” for commercial release … Mystique featuring Kid Valdez ‘Heartbreaker (I Can’t Understand)’ apparently samples the much sought The It ‘Donnie’ … US imports also include the ‘I’ll House You’ rewording girl group hip house Dopestyle ‘I’ll Bass You‘ (Bassment Records); Todd Terry remixed though UK originated acid house Funtopia ‘Beautiful People‘ (Idlers); Public Enemy Hammersmith concert sampling jittery muttering hip house Brickhouse featuring MC Joe ‘Feel The Bass‘ (Requestline Records); overly juddery rolling swingbeat Leotis ‘On A Mission‘ (Mercury) — his identically titled album being in dated early Eighties style … UK newies include the reissued classic if not by now over familiar Maze featuring Frankie Beverley ‘Joy And Pain’ (Capitol); PP Arnold souled superb classy if specialist burbingly drifting jazz-funk Pressure Point ‘Dreaming‘ (Viceroy Records); late Sixties style brass and organ funk instrumental The James Taylor Quartet ‘Breakout‘ (Urban); fairly routine hip house Cybertron ‘The Deliverance’ (WA) while on UK LP are the Delores Springer sung gentle calm sparse slow street soul Deluxe ‘Just A Little More‘ (Unyque Artists) and, to my mind tiresomely pitched over such long length, rapping Cookie Crew ‘Born This Way‘ (ffrr) … The Club Chart currently requires a higher points total than possibly ever before for records even to hit it at number 100=, there being such a crush of stuff struggling to get in: roadblocked just below last week’s with enough points normally to qualify were (the yo yo-ing) Dave Collins & Jacqui Jones, Velma Wright, Rickster presents KLE, Royal House featuring Ian Star, The Controllers LP, Coldcut LP, Tone Loc, Diskonexion, LaKim Shabazz 12 inch, Taravhonty, Candi McKenzie, Omen, Levert, Kidzstuff — meanwhile, chart completists should note that the positions of previous entries making perhaps their last appearance in the “Missing” Club Chart of two weeks ago were: 25 Corporation Of One, 28 Chanelle, 30 Bobby Brown ‘Cruel’, 34 Joyce ‘Fenderella’ Irby, 37 Gerald Alston, 48 El DeBarge, 49 Richie Rich, Deja, 51 Sharon Dee Clarke, 53 Guy, 57 Longsy D’s House Sound, 59 A Guy Called Gerald (US mixes), 60 Paul Simpson/Candi Staton, 62 K-9 Posse, 65 Cookie Crew, 74 Tyree (Double Trouble Mix), 77 Natalie Cole, 81 Today, 82 Cookie Crew (Danny D Remix), 91 Baby Ford, 96 Diana Ross, 97 Stezo, 100= Yazz, Dino, Jungle Wonz (armed with this info plus the “last week” positions in last week’s chart, if you really want to you can reconstruct the whole missing chart for yourself!) … Umbrella Seminar III at Hammersmith’s Novotel this Saturday/Sunday (20/21) is being put on by independent record labels, with the likes of Jon Jules, Simon Harris, Dave Lee and myself on the Dance Market panel at 3.15pm Sunday (it costs £60 to register, details on 01-226 3261, so I don’t expect to see many of you there!) … KISS-fm’s fourth Record Fair is at Highgate’s Jacksons Lane Community Centre this Sunday, 10am-4pm … South Eastern Discotheque Association’s disco exhibition SEDA 89 is at Gravesend’s Woodville Halls on Sunday, June 4, from noon-6pm … Dartford’s Flicks closed down a couple of Saturdays ago with a nostalgic final night featuring such old regulars as Colin Hudd, Chris Hill, Robbie Vincent, Tom Holland plus the more recent John Rush, Cosmic, Gary Sutton and Russell Melford — having been purchased by Premier Leisure it is being totally revamped into a so-called “up-market’ new venue for September reopening (I don’t recall it being exactly downmarket before!) … Robert Clivilles and David Cole have opened their own studio on New York’s 28th Street, hence The 28th St. Crew … Damon Rochefort points out that Nomad (as in his production of The Ragamuffin Number’) is of course Damon spelt backwards! … ‘Get Up Offa That Thing’ is the nation’s favourite James Brown recording of all time — at least, that was the result of Robbie Vincent’s poll on Radio I, with ‘Sex Machine’ and ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’ runners up! Profile, with a UK launch imminent, appear to have promoed their current Kechia Jenkins and Sweet Tee import hits here but have yet to get them, or anything else, to me – it seems Paul Oakenfold has lost my correct address … I’m outta here – BUT NOT FOR LONG!

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HOT VINYL

INNER CITY ‘Paradise’ (10 Records DIX81)
The label’s ploy of separately promoting three tracks in advance of this eagerly anticipated and obviously big selling album maybe made sense after all, as in truth it’s a disappointingly patchy set with only the attractive wriggly strong 123⅓bpm ‘Do You Love What You Feel’ approaching the dancefloor power of the included 121⅓bpm ‘Good Life’, 120⅕bpm ‘Big Fun’ and 119⅓bpm ‘Ain’t Nobody Better’ hits, while the plaintive swirling 121⅔bpm ‘Set Your Body Free‘ and chunkily scurrying 121bpm ‘Secrets Of The Mind‘ are pleasant too, leaving the jerkily shuffling routine 121½bpm title track, philosophically muttered moodily spurting 0-127bpm ‘Inner City Theme‘, dull sparsely slinky 77⅔bpm ‘Power Of Passion‘ and flurryingly frantic 133½bpm ‘And I Do‘ frankly as fillers.

LEVERT ‘Gotta Get The Money (Extended Remix)’ (US Atlantic 0-86422)
The guys who, back on ‘Casanova’, were chiefly responsible for adding hip hop’s new jack swing to soul now return with an incredibly infectious jerkily jiggling 108½bpm swingbeat jumper that really leaps along with excitingly smacking syncopation, sampling James Brown and other rhythm elements through four excellent mixes.

SUPREME DJ NYBORN ‘Versatility’ (US Payroll Records PR-732)
Charted for months now by a few DJs who managed to find it when apparently flipped by MC Capone’s ‘Smoove Style’, this elusive languidly chatted funkily rolling unhurried 101⅙bpm rap ‘n’ scratch (dubwise semi-Inst. too) is — in this edition, anyway — flipped by an amusing conversationally started then scrubbingly scratched jigglier still 101⅙bpm ‘Versatile Extension‘ remix, plus the Freda Payne ‘Band Of Gold’ bass looping wordy fast 126½bpm ‘Rhymes From A Swift Mind’ (in three mixes). My thanks to ‘Jocks’ editor Tim Jeffery for the loan of his copy! Continue reading “May 20, 1989: Inner City, Levert, Supreme DJ Nyborn, The 28th St. Crew, Miles Jaye”

BEATS & PIECES

THE CLUB CHART last week somehow got lost in transit between me and the printers, which was thoroughly frustrating as I’d gone without sleep for nearly 48 hours to get both it and the DJ Directory done before going on holiday (to sunny North Wales again, of course!) — however, just in case any have dropped out this week, new entries were [omitted here, as these have all been added to the chart in the previous week’s post] — incidentally, while on the subject of charts, DJs do please try to list the individual album tracks and different specific mixes you are using … 10 Records have circulated a lavishly gatefolded “limited edition DJ only promo album sampler” of just three tracks from the imminent Inner City LP, which seems a bit silly as it’s a fair bet that these three will continue to dominate recipient DJs’ charts even after the actual LP has long been out, the attractive strong 123⅓bpm ‘Do You Love What You Feel‘, fairly typical 120⅚bpm ‘Secrets Of The Mind‘, and moodily spurting (0-)127bpm ‘Inner City Theme‘ … Simon Harris ‘(I’ve Got Your) Pleasure Control’ did indeed hit The Club Chart last week on promo, way ahead of May 29 release, the Club Mix as previously detailed being (0)-121⅗bpm while the flip’s Street Mix is also 121⅗bpm, the Instrumental 122bpm and Bonus Beats 121⅘bpm — and, similarly hitting on ffrr promo ahead of May 29 release is the Tokyo recorded, very tuneful sinuously subtle deep house Frankie Knuckles presents Satoshi Tomiie featuring Robert Owens ‘Tears’, in 121⅓bpm Classical Vocal and Instrumental (the latter especially haunting), and 121¾bpm Percussion mixes … Nomad featuring Daddae Harvey ‘The Ragamuffin Number’ turns out to be on Rumour Records, released fully next week, its flip’s break beats being titled ‘It Really Doesn’t Matter’ and ‘Bonus Beats’, while the oddly spelt Daddae is from Camden Town’s Soul II Soul Basement Store — and the whole thing is yet another opportunistic production by Damon Rochefort! … Candi McKenzie’s follow-up on May 29 will be the Jocelyn Brown-ish jiggly swingbeat 0-107⅔-0bpm ‘Honesty‘, with a bumpier 107⅚bpm Dub … US imports I had no time to review in full this week include the Ted Currier produced quite calmy lurching and trotting (but with some Todd Terry-type samples) Tony Terry ‘Forget The Girl‘ (Epic, 113⅗bpm in at least its Extended Remix); intense girls supported piano jangled jaunty New Jersey house Gordon Nelson Jr. ‘Pump Up The Music’ (Spin City); Patrick Adams created but Marley Marl remixed impassioned male group’s bounding garage/house Mark IV ‘It’s A Mean World‘ (Tuff City); Richie Weeks created nervy guys nagged cymbal schlurped urgent jittery jangly stuttery pushing Kidzstuff ‘Wanting You’ (Renee Records); repetitive “te quiero” (“I love you” in Spanish) girl muttered and cowbell clonked jiggly burbling New Blood ‘Touch Me (Te Quiero)‘ (Smokin’); excellent cleverly worded juvenile delinquency morality tale telling slow rap Slick Rick ‘Children’s Story‘ (Def Jam); unexceptional jogging soul Eugene Wilde ‘I Can’t Stop (This Feeling)‘ (Magnolia Sounds/MCA Records); crawling mellow soul ballad Miles Jaye ‘Objective‘ (Island) — this preceding his eagerly anticipated largely downtempo but very classy ‘Irresistible’ LP … US albums also include the midtempo and slow soul The Controllers ‘Just In Time’ (Capitol), while on LP here is the soulfully sung late Seventies/early Eighties-style superb Marc V ‘Too True’ (Elektra) … Teddy Riley & Gene Griffin’s own swingbeat epitomising group’s previously reviewed (last year) album is finally out here, Guy ‘Guy’ (MCA Records MCG 6043) … ‘Lean On Me’, the more recently reviewed (very) various artists soundtrack album that sold on import for its now 12-inched Big Daddy Kane ‘Rap Summary’ track, has been issued here (Warner Bros 925 843-1) … ‘Friends‘, a probably Whodini inspired jaunty 100bpm swingbeat jiggler featuring some uncredited male rap (by producer Andre Cymone?), is emerging as the standout track on the otherwise commercially competent new album by Jody Watley, ‘Larger Than Life’ (MCA Records MCG 6044) … UK singles yet to be properly reviewed include the Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley remixed and reissued (in full commercial form for the first time) catchily tumbling house Culture Clash Dance Party ‘Love Fever‘ (Jive); Paul Scott created Turntable Orch-ish repetitively nagged Ulysses ‘Come Into My Life‘ (Garage Trax); limited edition pre-release gently chugging exotic sax instrumental (nothing to do with Clarence Reid’s foul mouthed similarly named alter ego!) “Blowfly” featuring Gary Barnacle & Brendan Beale ‘Blowfly’ (W.A.U/Mr. Modo Recordings); London girl rapper’s murkily jiggling bumpy Private Slim ‘There I Go Again’ (Rhyme ‘n’ Reason Records); Hamilton Bohannon “everybody, get on up and dance” prodded samples scrubbing frenetic jumbled rap Company 2 ‘I’m Breaking Thru This‘ (Tam Tam); organ chorded jerkily lurching mournful Tony Lewis ‘Let My People Go‘ (Garage Trax) … Manchester’s Stu Allan (061-224 7990) has details of an alternative The Last Resort package trip to New York’s New Music-Seminar, including flights and a less expensive hotel for £599, but this excludes registration at the seminar (which costs far more than it’s worth — as I always say, don’t register, just hang out in the revolving bar for free and you’ll meet everyone!) … Creole Records, based in North West London’s Harlesden district since at least the mid-Seventies, have just moved to Blackpool — quite a hop! … Simon Goffe has indeed gone to Desire as label manager — no gaffe! … Coldcut can go hang, The Dynamic Guv’nors actually namecheck me in the rap of their new ‘Movin’, Doin’ It’ — I’m not too sure about that “unlike James, never out of fashion” bit, though (I’m just well dressed!) … WOOO! YEAH!

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MANDY SMITH is much in the news at the moment, so now seems a good time finally to reveal this exclusive snap of here with none other than DAMON ROCHEFORT, currently building a new reputation as producer of such as Sharon Dee Clarke, Omen, and Nomad featuring Daddae Harvey!

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HOT VINYL

SOUL II SOUL ‘Back To Life (Club Mix)’ (10 Records TENX 265)
Totally remixed from their album so now without Caron Wheeler’s acappella and Jazzie’s groove, this terrific chunky unhurried percussion jiggled 100⅚bpm sinuous jogger does again have Caron’s coolly weaving vocals and (presumably) the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra’s strings, combining with the hypnotic beat to make a truly haunting mood, flipped by a more slinkily rolling 0-101bpm Jam On The Groove treatment and its 101bpm Back To The Beats percussion (not, though, as good as the A-side’s backing track). Too hot to hold, this isn’t out fully until May 22 but is reviewed now to coincide with the biggest import seller from the middle of last week, the US pressing of ‘Keep On Movin’ (US Virgin 0-96556), which combines the previously released 93⅓bpm Club Mix, 0-93½bpm Big Beat Acappella, 93½bpm Nellee Hooper 7″ Mix and 0-93bpm The First Movement with — check this! — Teddy Riley’s samples backed much more emphatically jiggling faster 99⅔bpm Rubba Dub and sharper 100bpm Bonus Beats, obviously essential for completists!

ILLUSION ‘Why Can’t We Live Together (Love & Unity Remix)’ (Rumour Records RUMAT 1, via PRT)
Last week’s highest new Club Chart entry, this Timmy Thomas remaking pre-new beat 1982 Belgian oldie has been a revived Balearic beat for trend setting London DJ Danny Rampling, who now has also created this superior lightly pattering dynamic 0-113⅕-113-0bpm remix, far better than the flip’s more stolid 112⅘-113⅗bpm Original 12″ Version (which you may remember from the Forrest ‘Rock Your Boat’ era).

JOYCE SIMS ‘Looking For A Love (Club Version)’ (US Sleeping Bag Records SLX-40142)
Self penned/arranged/co-produced for the first time, this long overdue and eagerly awaited return is a flute tootled lightly Latin-style 109⅔-109¾bpm naggingly attractive pattering and jiggling swayer which should prove to be quite a haunting “grower” if it doesn’t grab you immediately (109¾bpm Instrumental and 109⅔bpm Radio Versions too), very pleasant. Now, who really is co-producer Andy Panda? Continue reading “May 13, 1989: Soul II Soul, Illusion, Joyce Sims, Pressure Zone, Kraze”

BEATS & PIECES

BELIEVE THIS or not, but for some reason BBC-TV is not now showing the Royal Albert Hall filmed Technics World DJ Mixing Championships and Awards show until the end of July! … Circuit featuring Koffi ‘Shelter‘, far from being a scam (which I always doubted), merely turns out to be another creation by Jolley Harris Jolley … Arthur Baker’s twinpack-promoted ‘It’s Your Time‘ will be commercially released here as the first, “a”, record in the pack (with the NYC Vocal/Jazz Version/Peech Dub), the remaining promo mixes not coming out because Lenny Dee & Victor Simonelli of the Brooklyn Funk Essentials have instead created two very different new remixes to follow … Steve Wren’s previously promo-only but vastly superior The Slammer Mix of Lisa M ‘Rock To The Beat’ is now due out commercially thanks to DJ-created demand … Samantha Fox ‘I Wanna Have Some Fun’ has been promoed with, as flip, Kevin Saunderson’s ‘Can You Feel It’ quoting instrumental solidly smacking techno 121bpm Fun House Mix and even more samples-stuffed 0-121⅕-0bpm Alternative Fun Mix, neither due commercially — yet, that is! … Simon Harris’s brightly forceful (0- )121⅓bpm remake of On The House’s ‘(I’ve Got Your) Pleasure Control‘, featuring sassy female vocals by Brooklyn’s Lonnie Gordon, isn’t due until May 29 but is likely to have hit The Club Chart as an initially very limited promo … Urban have picked up The Real Roxanne ‘Roxanne’s On A Roll’, with a Norman Cook remix to follow, and BSBi have picked up Amy Jackson’s ‘Let It Loose’ … Cappella’s initial UK pressings were found to be faulty but, after a delay, perfect ones should now be fully available at last … Big Bang’s Hi-NRG revival of Abba’s ‘Voulez Vous?‘, white labelled and favourably reviewed several months ago, is finally out commercially on a new label launched by the recording studio of the same name, Swanyard Records Limited (SYRTR I, via RCA/BMG) … LA & Babyface created the not surprisingly swingbeat-ish jittery rolling ‘Nothin (That Compares 2 U)‘ — 104⅚bpm on edited seven inch — due here imminently by The Jacksons (minus Michael) … Sharon Dee Clarke’s Beat The Street Mix of ‘Something Special’ emphasises the elements of Sharon Redd’s old juddery throbbing ‘Beat The Street’ beat that one now realises were evident all along in the original ‘Urban House’ album version — to clarify last week’s elision … I think it also needs clarifying that my occasional factual comment that something happens to be selling well in Central London is not always to be taken automatically as a recommendation! … Lyndon T has taken over Secret Promotions now that Simon Gaffe has apparently gone to Desire as label manager … Les Adams’ remake of Maurice ‘This Is Acid’ having just about single-handedly, and belatedly, launched “acid” in the States — surprising though this may seem to people here, where it comes too late in the then dying craze — D. Mob ‘We Call It Acieed’ is also now fast becoming a monster in US clubs! … ‘Life Is A Dance‘, the Chaka Khan remixes album, will be out here at last on May 22 … ‘Where Do We Go?‘, not perhaps their LP’s most obvious single choice, will be the Ten City follow-up … The Time are evidently recording a comeback album on Warner Bros, one side produced by former mentor Prince and the other by former members Jam & Lewis … Quincy Jones’s long awaited next album under his own name will be loaded with superstar guest vocalists … Teddy Riley has produced Heavy D’s upcoming ‘We Got Our Own Thang‘ … Pete Tong joins Steve Wren on Friday (5) at Gravesend’s The Slammer … Glen Gunner (of the Camden Slammer/Electric Ballroom) and Nigel Hayes are at Ealing Broadway’s Haven Stables on Monday (8), to be weekly if response is good, except that the following Monday (15) the same venue has been booked by Justin Smith for a Salsoul/Philly/jazz-funk/boogie Metro night with Carlon and guests … Jerry Dammers and Rhythm Doctor spin “stinky sounds from a farty bass” on Stink Thursdays at Manchester’s Precinct 13, where Love Is The Message Fridays have garage and Seventies/Eighties “disco” … Noel H and the Young Guns spin soul/funk/house/rap/garage Wednesdays at Streatham Zigis … Jeff Thomas of Swansea soul fame has started no dress restriction, solidly black music In Full Effect Thursdays at Merthyr Tydfil Charbonniers … Noel Watson hosts Freestyle 90 Thursdays at London’s Camden Palace … I had taken ambitious jockette Kirsty B for an upmarket Chinese celebration birthday dinner at Hampstead’s ZenW3 last Tuesday when in walked George Michael and his Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley to sit down opposite us, then out walked Mahesh Bajaj, and on leaving we found dining downstairs Pete Tong, Johnny Walker and Clare Shave — does that qualify for Babble?! … James Brown played a “Sixties singer” called Lou De Long in last week’s ludicrously far fetched episode of ‘Miami Vice’, his own old ‘I Got You (I Feel Good)’ being credited to his fictional character but packaged in its original album sleeve with just his name changed! … M-D-Emm member Dave Lee recently discovered by chance that the nagging “wheeee” noise from Nitro Deluxe’s old ‘The Brutal House’ was actually sampled from Loleatta Holloway’s ‘Love Sensation’ … MC Jammy Hammy once again provides a “male sample” on the upcoming, June released, LA Mix single, ‘Get Loose’ … WOOO! YEAH!

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HOT VINYL

KECHIA JENKINS ‘Still Waiting’ (US Profile PRO-7250)
Fly Guys-produced superb, powerfully wailed, bass-snapped and drums-smacked timelessly trotting strider with some sneaky quotes from ‘Ring My Bell’, in 115⅕-115bpm Fly Guy Mix, 115⅕bpm Fly Guy Dub, jerkily bounding 116⅔bpm Kechia’s House and Piano Beats, and 116⅗-116⅔-0bpm Damn, That Girl Can Sing Dub versions, due soon to launch at last the US label in this country and sure to be huge.

ALYSON WILLIAMS featuring Nikki-D ‘My Love Is So Raw (Extended Club Mix)’ (Def Jam 654898 6)
Her album’s standout dancer in a UK remix by Dave Dorrell & CJ Mackintosh of M|A|R|R|S, this terrific jittery jerky 0-106½-0bpm go go-hip hop-swingbeat fusion is wailingly worried by Alyson with bursts of rap by Nikki-D, and flipped by the Ted Mills of Blue Magic duetted 0-73bpm traditional squeaky sweet soul ‘We’re Gonna Make It‘, plus a previously unreleased rather good (and vocally accurate) 90⅚bpm swingbeat remake of Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ ‘I Second That Emotion‘, worth checking.

SWEET TEE ‘Let’s Dance’ (US Profile PRO-7246)
Hurby Luv Bug and the Invincibles-produced but Fast Eddie-remixed Cookie Crew-ish bumpily bubbling subdued hip house, an instant-import hit, the JB backing samples being varied for the two sides’ different 118⅔bpm Hip House and 114⅖bpm Hip Hop mixes (each with an instrumental too). Continue reading “May 6, 1989: Kechia Jenkins, Alyson Williams, Sweet Tee, Russell Patterson, Silicon Chip featuring the Turntable Orchestra”