Month: January 1990

BEATS & PIECES

RECENTLY REVIEWED imports now out here include Tribal House ‘Motherland – A-fri-ca‘ (Cooltempo COOLX 198), here in its Freedom, Radio, and Africa Dub Mixes, without the Instrumental; Alternations ‘Feel It For You‘ (RCA PT 49304), here in Indian Summer, Jungle, and Planetary Access (Edit) Mixes; The Gap Band ‘All Of My Love‘ (Capitol 12CL 558), which recently topped the US Black Charts is out here only in its Extended and Just Coolin’ Mixes (106½bpm) and Bonus Beats (107¼bpm); Morenas ‘Hazme Sonar‘ (BCM Records BCM 380 X), here much slower than its Italian pressing in the promoed Massimino & Cutmaster-G Club Mix, Angelino Vocal Dub Mix, Pianopella (120½bpm), Cutmaster-G Techno Trip Mix (117¾bpm), not all necessarily being on the commercial UK version — nor likewise are all the mixes reviewed last week of the same production team’s Sueno Latino ‘Luxuria’ (BCM Records BCM 379 X) . . . Vernell Foster ‘Love, Joy And Happiness‘ (SBK.One 12SBKDJ 7005), an Adeva-ish garage treatment of Al Green’s oldie, has exploded in the Club Chart on mailing list promo but despite such encouraging initial reaction, is not due commercially until it has been remixed further . . . Electribe 101’s now nearly year old ‘Talking With Myself’, something of a trend setter at the time as has been subsequently shown, is on a double-sided promo (Mercury HIP 3) ahead of reissue in its new Frankie Knuckles mix (113½bpm) . . . Massive Attack’s Big Beat Mix (100¾bpm) is considerably slower than the Blue Zone mixed A-side of Lisa Stansfield’s ‘Live Together’, due commercially next week . . . Breakout have only now just released fully the current US Top 10 hit Seduction ‘Two To Make It Right‘, promoed since the autumn . . . Alan Coulthard, despite already remixing it for commercial release, has done an even better re-remix of Mel & Kim’s ‘Showing Out’ for the Music Factory subscription service (DJs wishing to subscribe should call 01-960 2739) . . . Dionne’s ‘Your Lies‘ when its released here on CityBeat next week will be flipped by a Trevor Fung and Nick Halkes created ‘Bassed On Dionne’ megamix of various dubs and other not necessarily related overlays . . . Centerfield Assignment’s ‘Mi Casa’, from getting on for a year ago, is finally due here in a fortnight with new remixes on XL Recordings, as is, a week earlier, Ellis D’s ‘I Will Survive’ . . . Silver Bullet appears with DJs Pete Smith, PHI and Treble D this Saturday (27) at ‘Sensateria’ in Norwich’s University of East Anglia . . . Frankie ‘Bones’ and Tommy Musto, soon to be known as Musto & Bones rather than the Flowmasters when they have a brand new album of actual songs on CityBeat in March, are currently touring the UK at Bristol Buzbys (Jan 24), Blackpool Sequins (25), Edinburgh Spanish Harlem (26), Manchester Hacienda (27), Glasgow Choke (28), Luton Colosseum (Feb 1), Braintree The Barn (2), London She-Nola (3) — a really well worked out itinerary in its earlier stages, just so long as it doesn’t snow! . . . Jeff Young on Radio 1 is having rapidly to retitle his ‘National Fresh’ rap segment, not previously having realised that this was the name of Mike Allen’s syndicated ILR show, the rights still being owned by sponsors TDK . . . John and Shaun, jocking at the weekend in Players and Kiko’s nightclubs, work at Wakefield’s EGS Records shop and hope that between them they helping build that town’s black/dance music market . . . The Dance Corporation have a number of PA tours on offer, including A Man Called Adam. Call Tim Rudling on 01 878 5022 . . . Kym Mazelle is currently in the studio with Jazzy B, though no-one’s revealing what they’re working on —the Soul II Soul single perhaps? . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton, Norman Cook and Graeme Park

ROB BASE ‘Turn It Out (Go Base) (New Age Meltdown)’ (114¼bpm) (Profile PROFT 275)
Remixed here by Chad Jackson and punctuated throughout by Sueno Latino/808 State-type whippoorwill warbles (the ‘new age’ ingredient?), this now DJ E-Z Rock-less enthusiastically churning frisky canterer alternates word spitting fast rap with a catchily sung “doo doo doo, do-do” chant, and is far from routine hip house, flipped by Chad’s “go, go, go” prodded more hardcore hip hop rapping Full Control Meltdown (114¼bpm) and sparser scratching Out Of Control Mix (114½bpm). Rob’s import album may not have been so hot, but — having hit The Club Chart purely on mailing list response ahead of full release next week — this certainly is!

MICROGROOVE ‘What It Is?’ (Norman Cook)

D-A DON ‘Keep Movin’’ (Norman Cook)

MOTHER F**KA ‘I’m Not Satisfied’ (Norman Cook)

GINO LATINO ‘Welcome’ (116¾bpm) (ffrr FX 126)
Now as big as it was always gonna be, this funky samples prodded jiggly chugging phonetically muttered catchy Italo pop-rap dates from 1988 — it’s actually by Jovanotti in his earlier incarnation as the original Gino Latino — but, despite gay attention when new, didn’t hit most clubs until last September as a US pressing, biding its time as a floor-filling ‘sleeper’ since then to explode on UK release (here without the import’s “turn it up” intro though otherwise much the same as that Long Version, followed immediately by a twittery reprise rather than the Radio Version and flipped by Vocal and Instrumental edits). Continue reading “January 27, 1990: Rob Base, Gino Latino, Mr. Monday, Earth People, Beats International”

BEATS & PIECES

RECORD MIRROR’s recent DJ survey revealed that most jocks aren’t too concerned whether Beats Per Minute are calculated with finely detailed accuracy, so (and you only have yourselves to blame!), starting this issue, you will now find the BPMs are in brackets and calculated to the nearest ¼bpm with a “v” following the figure to show if the speed varies fractionally, any major shift in tempo being denoted by the intro’s BPM followed only by the highest or lowest speed reached during the course of the track (you’ll have to check for tempoless intros/outros yourselves as there will be no 0bpm, and only significant discrepancies between different mixes will be indicated) . . . Hot Vinyl starting this week also will include a number of reviews by star guest DJs, which together with the BPM streamlining should help get more quickly through the vast amount of dance product being released at the moment . . . Norman Cook, one of this week’s guests, has followed Jazzie B’s example in setting up a Soul II Soul-type organisation-cum-group called Beats International, debuting with a January 29 released though already white labelled reggae-ishly undulating revamp of The SOS Band’s old ‘Just Be Good To Me’, now called ‘Dub Be Good To Me‘ (Go! Discs GODX 39) with a girl wailed slinky A-side (95¾v bpm) or chunkier raggamuffin guys toasted and, possibly strongest of all, truly dubwise separate B-side mixes (95½v bpm) . . . Jungle Brothers’ Done By The Forces Of Nature’ LP, reviewed last week on import, turns out to be due as the first release on Pete Edge’s new WEA distributed label Eternal (WX322), rather than on Warner Bros here . . . Public Enemy ‘Welcome To The Terrordome’, likewise reviewed last week, is already out here on Def Jam (655476 6), as also now is the recently reviewed good rapping 3rd Bass ‘The Cactus Album’ (466003 1) . . . Carle Richards of Hackney’s street soul/reggae biased Hands and Heart label has set up Full Force Promotions at 45 Tudor Road, Unit 02, London E9 7SN (01-985 1512), plugging the funkier type of dance music to DJs who prove they can handle it . . . Gilles Peterson helps launch the weekly jazz, soul, funk ‘n’ fun Reelin’ with Feelin’ this Saturday (20) at Mayfair’s The Academy Wine Rooms in Cork Street . . . County Durham’s ‘real soul’ specialising Ardent Enterprises have licensed ex-Motown musical director Choker Campbell’s Detroit based Campo International label here, debuting next month with ‘I Don’t Just Want Your Body‘ by former Soul Brothers Six leader Willie John . . . Dusty Springfield’s current Pet Shop Boys created ‘In Private’ (apparently intended as the theme for the film ‘Scandal’) somehow slipped through the net before Christmas, but its rattling and galloping Shep Pettibone remix (Parlophone 12RX 6234, 127bpm) is so exciting that it shouldn’t be missed — I actually wasted three hours waiting for it to arrive by bike so that we could use it in the Capital FM New Year’s Eve party tape (synched between ‘Left To My Own Devices’ and The Communards ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’) . . . ‘The Vagabond King’ was an early Fifties movie musical about the 15th century French poet and rebellious people’s hero Francois Villon, the very one whose words are translated into German by Culture Beat’s ‘Der Erdbeermund’ — if the single’s a smash here, as seems likely, can we expect to see the film on TV? . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton, Norman Cook and DJ Streets Ahead

LIL LOUIS ‘I Called U’ (ffrr FXDJ 123)
This is my favourite record of the moment but it’s the review I’ve been putting off, for reasons that will become apparent! Basically, ‘I Called U’ is a fascinating, haunting, weird, War ‘Galaxy’-ishly backed jazzy wriggler full of ringing telephones with Louis philosophising to a deadpan voiced disturbingly obsessive ex-girlfriend who just isn’t listening. On the 33⅓rpm twinpack promo it is in Original Mix (118-119bpm), 0898 Mix (117¾-118¾bpm) and midway pausing Saxy Version (117¾-118¾bpm), and tempoless Over The Edge treatments, while its more ‘French Kiss’-ish coupling ‘Blackout’, bubbling and pumping through monotonous religious tracts, is in Original Mix (121¼bpm), Phase 1 (121bpm), Phase 2 (The Night The Club Lights Went Out) (121¼bpm) and ‘Tempramental’ Dub Mix (120¾bpm) treatments. Commercially, three separate 12-inchers contain respectively ‘I Called U (Original Mix/0898 Mix)’/’Blackout (Phase 1)’ (ffrr FX 123); ‘I Called U (Saxy Version)’/’Blackout (Phase 2)’ (ffrr FXR 123); ‘I Called U (Over The Edge)’/’French Kiss (US Jazz Mix/Full Length US Mix)’ (ffrr FXRR 123). Frankly, I reckon all one needs is ‘I Called U (Original Mix)’, and that’s on the album anyway!

JANET JACKSON ‘Come Back To Me (I’m Beggin’ You Mix)‘(78/39bpm) (Breakout USAT 681)
Although this crawling mushy sweet ballad is the A-side, all the excitement centres around the flip, the Shep Pettibone remixed and — get a load of this! — rapping Heavy D duetted ‘Alright’, her album’s best dance track, here bouncily leaping in its hip house-style 12″ House Mix and Hip House Dub (113bpm). However, the promo was a 33⅓rpm twinpack with three mixes of the A-side and a total eight mixes of ‘Alright’, largely further dubs and edits but including a jauntily jiggling swingbeat 12″ R&B Mix (111¾bpm).

(E’-ALLORA) ‘So What’ (123bpm) (Italian Dischi Dovero GOSSX 1)
Likely to be big, this exceptionally powerful piano and organ jangled pounding instrumental has currently familiar melodic strains from other Italian grand piano bashers, so it’s not one of the most original ones, but it will whip you along with its enthusiasm (in two untitled mixes). Continue reading “January 20, 1990: Lil Louis, Janet Jackson, E’-Allora, Tony Scott, The Beloved”

BEATS & PIECES

BEN LIEBRAND’s previously promoed 0-110¼-110⅓-114⅓-114¾-118-119¼bpm ‘The Megamix‘ (of ‘Never Too Much/Sugar And Spice/I Really Didn’t Mean It/The Glow Of Love/Super Lady’) has turned up commercially at last (now called just ‘The Mix’) as 12 inch flip to Luther Vandross ‘Here And Now’ (Epic LUTH T13), one of his dead slow 37½-0bpm ballads, also coupled with the tenderly weaving 93⅞bpm ‘For You To Love’ . . . Champion are soon releasing the sizzling J.T. And The Family ‘Moments In Soul’ here, while ffrr have snapped up Mr Fingers ‘What About This Love’ for February 12 release . . . Norman Cook’s Hallelujah Mix of Fidelfatti featuring Ronnette ‘Just Wanna Touch Me’ appears to have got lost in the Christmas rush and is re-released next week . . . London’s other new incremental radio station (in addition to KISS-fm) will be Lord Hanson’s apparently US styled MoR/easy listening Melody FM . . . Birmingham’s much travelled Des Mitchell, three times a Technics UK DJ mixing finalist (in ’86/7/8), was during that time based in the Canary Islands but now, after brief stints this year in Toronto, Chicago and Majorca, is in Italy at Perugia’s Red Zone (owned by Keith Giles of Gravesend’s Slammer), with his brother Funky Bunny jocking upstairs — Des also spins house on Perugia’s Astra Radio 91 . . . Suffolk ‘underground’ DJ Nikky K (jocking at Ipswich’s La Dolce Vita Wednesdays, Woodhall Country Club Thursdays and Woodbridge’s Slam! at the Waggon & Horses Sundays) reports that breakdancing is making something of a comeback in his area, almost exclusively among skateboarders . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

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HOT VINYL

KYM MAZELLE ‘Was That All Was (Def Mix)’ (Syncopate 12SY 32)
Sturdily bounding in David Morales’ 122⅓-0bpm remix (with an Edit and more stolid twittery 119⅓-0bpm Dub too), this Jean Cam classic reviving Marshall Jefferson produced canterer is soon to be followed by Les Adams’ remixes, amongst other marketing alternatives.

CULTURE BEAT — FEATURING JO VAN NELSEN ‘Der Erdbeermund (Get Into Magic Mix)’ (German CBS Dance Pool 655429 6)
Francois Villon translating — the 15th century French ‘Vagabond King’ poet, most famous for “Ou sont les neiges d’antan?” (“Where are the snows of yesteryear?”) — German muttered tempoless then gorgeous languidly tinkling and pulsing Sueno Latino/Mr Fingers-ish 0-117¾-0bpm haunting ambient house (Pacific State’-type (0-)118-0bpm Instrumental Magic flip), not to be confused with a ‘French Kiss’-style German track of the same name by Sigmund Und Seine Freu(n)de. Massive!

DR. MOUTHQUAKE ‘Love On Love (Mouthquake Master Mix)’ (More Protein PROT3- 12, via Virgin)
Possibly best described as Terence Trent D’Arby sings house in Ten City style, this Bruce Forest & Paul Wright remixed superb classy 121-0bpm Jeremy Healy co-creation is breathily falsetto each side of a gruffer rap break by the E-Zee Possee, with an impressively vocal Dub Of Death flip. Not to be missed! Continue reading “January 13, 1990: Kym Mazelle, Culture Beat, Dr. Mouthquake, Tribal House, Public Enemy”

BEATS & PIECES

KISS-fm’s ceaseless campaigning has finally paid off and has been awarded one of the two new incremental radio licences for London meaning legal 24 hours a day black dance music radio will be coming to the capital at last. For the full story see page 33 in rm Dance . . . Manchester of course already has the country’s first black music incremental station, Sunset 102FM, while, less well publicised, the Milton Keynes based Horizon Radio (a localised recent offshoot of Chiltern Radio) is programming mellow soul and dance music to meet the demand that market research interestingly revealed among the mainly young population of this rurally scattered new town area . . . BBC Radio 1, however, is dropping (hopefully only temporarily) Robbie Vincent’s Saturday show, a valuable rarity we can ill afford to lose in that it has kept faith and pace with modern developments in the sort of soul that is heard on US radio, rather than following dance music fashion . . . Neneh Cherry’s slinkily jogging Soul II Soul (and, midway, De La Soul)-ish 98¾bpm ‘Inna City Mamma (Completely Re-Recorded Extended Version)‘ (Circa Records YRT 42) is coupled commercially by the similar 97⅛bpm ‘Kisses On The Wind (Lovers Hip Hop Extended Version)‘, urgently jittering 0-116bpm ‘The Next Generation‘ and funkily jiggling 110⅓bpm ‘So Here I Come‘, but is also in a confusion of separate promo combinations and remixes that will be detailed fully next week . . . K.A. Posse ‘Dig This’, reviewed last issue, is indeed now out here (D.J. International Records 655518 6) . . . Hijack’s label turns out to be called Rhyme $yndicate Records, not made clear on the promo . . . Adeva’s promoed K-Y-ZE rap mix has been released commercially as ‘Beautiful Love (Remix)’ (Cooltempo COOLXR 195), coupled with other unheard mixes . . . Chad Jackson has remixed Rob Base ‘Turn It Out’ for imminent UK release, in contrasting house and rap styles . . . Kev Roberts, the veteran northern soul DJ/producer who now runs Stafford’s Blue Chip Recording label (as well as jocking on Manchester’s Sunset FM), is the uncredited creator of the current clever ‘hip house’ remix of Andy Stewart ‘Donald Where’s Your Troosers?’, and would love to see it in The Club Chart! . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

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THE HAMMY AWARDS

“OH, NOT AGAIN!” Yo, MC Jammy Hammy here, and as the potted ranks of Rocking Flowers wriggle and nod to yet another Loleatta Holloway sampling piano driven Italian house pounder, it’s time once again to present the annual club music awards that show what really happened in 1989. All performance statistics are derived from the year-end Club Chart that you will find in the last (December 23/30) issue of Record Mirror.

THE CLUB CHART HIT OF 1989: Soul II Soul ‘Back To Life’ (10 Records), year end number one.

RUNNERS UP: Doug Lazy ‘Let It Roll’ (Atlantic), Black Box ‘Ride On Time’ (de/Construction)

NUMBER ONE FOR LONGEST: Soul II Soul ‘Keep On Movin’ (10 Records), eight weeks (yet only number four in the year end ranking) Continue reading “January 6, 1990: The Hammy Awards 1989, Quincy Jones, Mr. Fingers, Flowmasters, 2 In A Room”