BEATS AND PIECES
ROBBIE VINCENT will be one of the stars of London’s incremental dance music radio station KISS-fm, starting full transmission on September 1 with Capital FM’s reggae ruler David Rodigan another star recruit . . . KISS-fm has in fact been only temporarily assigned its distinctive 100MHz wavelength but is likely to have an audience streetwise enough to retune once the frequency changes after 18 months or so . . . A&M’s resolve not to have a separately named dance label has slipped already with the appearance of the clever new A&M/PM logo . . . Def Jam is launching several new labels, including Ruff House, JML, Rush Associated Labels (RAL), and True Blue Records . . . Channel 4 will be screening a new TV dance music series called Dancedaze, starting on September 2 (at 5.30pm), the 10 programmes featuring over 60 UK rap, rave, ragga and soul acts with the emphasis on those who don’t normally get much ‘overground’ exposure (most of the filming is at Brixton’s Academy during the three days of this coming weekend, but there is no word of an audience being needed) . . . BBC Radio 1’s specialist dance and soul output is being squeezed together all on a Friday night in the station’s new schedules, Andy Peebles being due to follow after the ‘Big Beat’ . . . ‘Big Beat’ presenter Jeff Young’s most recent appearance at Jeff Thomas’s heaving Monday in Swansea’s Martha’s Vineyard attracted as usual many pluggers all the way from London, this time A&M’s Bob Masters, WEG(UK)’s Fred Dove, eastwest’s Spencer Baldwin, Cooltempo’s Simon Dunmore and Sleeping Bag Records’ new boy Jamie Tee, plus PAs by Kenny Thomas and Tammy Payne . . . Barry based Alan Coulthard, whose megamix of the ‘Dance Nation 1814’ album’s tracks will couple Janet Jackson’s rocky ‘Black Cat’ here, is now similarly megamixing her old ‘Control’ album too and has also just remixed ‘Tom’s Diner’ with added piano and a different rhythm for imminent release . . . 50 copies of Monie Love’s forthcoming album have been serviced to selected jocks with all its tracks scratched to make them unplayable apart from her brilliant remake of the Motown Spinners’ It’s A Shame’, due as her next single in remixed form but not yet pressed on its own! . . . S*Express appear to be testing the market with successive different promos, the track reviewed two issues ago now being superceded by the tabla blooped and girl wailed vigorous jangling and chugging ‘Nothing To Lose‘ (120bpm) (Rhythm King SEXY 01 TX), still flipped however by ‘Find Time To Be Yourself (Vocal Mix)’ and ‘My Laser (just Won’t Function Anymore)’ . . . Lindy Layton’s commercial 12 inch of ‘Silly Games’ does have the dragging Danny’s Mix as A-side, flipped by the better wah wah accented chunkier Norman’s Mix plus, best of all and the one with which most people will be familiar, a brighter and tighter radio version . . . Steve Anderson’s remixes of Cherrelle’s ‘Affair’ (110¼bpm) turn out to be coupled commercially by his earlier remix of the Alexander O’Neal duetted ‘Saturday Love’ (115¾bpm) (Tabu 656202 6) . . . Tabu in fact is moving from CBS, who now just have the next Alexander O’Neal album to come Jazzie B has been producing Teena Marie . . . LL Cool J’s imminent ‘The Boomin’ System (Cars Drive By)‘ is bassed by En Vogue’s ‘Hold On’ . . . Rob Manley, Paul Witts and vocalist Terri Symon have signed to CBS as a group that was originally to be called Eastern Bloc, but following protests from the well established Manchester record shop of the same name will now be known as Western Block . . . Matt Gray plus Paul Doherty and other guests rave up a Storm audio-visual dance experience this Saturday (11) in two atmospheric areas at Sevenoaks’ Bligh’s Hall, 8pm-1am . . . Deee-Lite PA at Daisy Chain next Tuesday (14) in Brixton’s The Fridge . . . James Brown’s newly reissued classic album ‘Live At The Apollo (October 24, 1962)’ (Polydor 843 479-1) was never really usable by dance DJs but is still worth a close listen as it captures the stage show that originally made him so huge a star, staying high in the US album chart for over a year following its 1963 release — a then previously unheard of feat for such a raw R&B act, helped no doubt by his spreading popularity with the ‘Animal House’-type college crowd . . . KICKIN’!
HOT VINYL
Reviewed this week by James Hamilton and Chad Jackson
MASTER ACE ‘Take A Look Around’ LP: ‘I Got Ta’/‘Letter To The Better’/‘Me And The Biz’/‘Take A Look Around’
DR PHIBES ‘The Story Two’
R-EARTH ‘R-Earth’
SPECIAL ED ‘Come On – Let’s Move It’
SOUL FAMILY SENSATION ‘Don’t Know If I Should Call You Baby’
EARTH PEOPLE ‘Dance’
JUDIE TZUKE ‘God Only Knows (Mix 1/Mix 2)’
PHASE N’ RHYTHM ‘Swollen Pockets’/‘Hook-n-Sling’
A.S.K. ‘Dream’
HARDNOISE ‘Untitled’
VARIOUS ‘Dance Hall Of Shame’ LP
YELLO ‘Unbelievable (Dub Me Mix/Ford’s 12-inch/Ford’s Edit/X-rated Mix/Morales Mix/Techno Mix)’
STETSASONIC ‘Speaking Of A Girl Named Suzy’
THAT PETROL EMOTION ‘Hey Venus (Mad Thatcher Disease Mix)’
JAM ON THE MUTHA ‘Hotel California (Orb in Cali Mix 1)’ (91¾bpm) (M&G MAGXR 3, via Polydor)
Now remixed by The Orb and on a new label (at an inflexible 45rpm!), the remade Eagles oldie ploddingly jogs through muttering introed authentic enough strained vocals, flipped by an even more fully authentic sounding really pleasant gentler Like Joe Never Left Mix and a muttering introed then effects washed basically rhythmless Orbitally Ambient Mix.
TRICKY DISCO ‘Tricky Disco (Saxy Mix)’ (124bpm) (W.A.R.P./Outer Rhythm WAP 7R)
Fast becoming the biggest bleeper of all, as predicted, this smurfs punctuated electro leaper’s sparse remix now adds just a little bit of Guru Josh-ish spacey saxophone as the title suggests, with an atmospherically introed twittery Inner Space Mix (124¼bpm) flip.
MONIE LOVE ‘Monie In The Middle (The Remixes)’ (Cooltempo COOLXR 210)
Sadly not as big nationally as its club success suggested it should be (presumably because not gimmicky enough), Monie’s fast talker adds ‘Hollywood Swingin”-type brass in Ultimatum’s Brother Take The Hint Mix (117½bpm) and a nice late Sixties funk feel in their Lavender Hill Instrumental (116½bpm), while, as a total alternative, Massivo amazingly add bleeps to their The Orr-Some Remix (114bpm)!
BBG ‘Some Kind Of Heaven (Remix)’ (Urban/Hoax Recordings URBXR 59)
Building through a slow start (though not for long in comparison with its original Heavenly Mix) into a trickily tripped pattering jiggly tempo, the new Fundamental Mix (104¾bpm) again has Dina Taylor sultrily lisping a mushily multi-tracked weaving lyric but with less tinkling piano this time, flipped by also all new more easily wriggling Eternal and instrumental Infernal Mixes (105bpm), although another ‘Sn/appiness’ it still is not.
N.W.A. ‘Gangsta Gangsta’ (98bpm) (4+B’ 12 BRW 191)
Lifted from the Compton crew’s now quite elderly album, their latest three-tracker has this jerkily jittering angry word spitter (every other word being from Madonna’s vocabulary, so unsuitable for broadcast except on Radio 1!), flipped by the wordily chugging ‘If It Ain’t Ruff‘ (100bpm) and powerfully jolting ‘Dopeman (Remix)‘ (88bpm), the latter surely always more popular than the others?
THE FAMILY STAND ‘Ghetto Heaven (Celestial Experience Remix)’ (104bpm) (Atlantic A7861T)
Far hotter than the radio aimed A-side’s tortuous lurching breathy ballad, ‘In Summer I Fall’ (39¼/78½bpm), this exciting very different beefily thumping and loping Steve Anderson remix of their recent smash is already reviving it anew and making it a sizzler all over again!
CLUBLAND featuring QUARTZ ‘Let’s Get Busy (Pump It Up): Snap! The Remix! (Robomixed), introducing King Bee’ (121¾bpm) (Supreme Records SUPETX 171)
Hot on import, the now King Bee rapped strong remix by indeed Snap (no, not a ‘Power’ remix by someone else!) is here coupled just with Quartz’s original mix (121¾bpm), so get the better value Swedish BTECH pressing if you can.
DESKEE ‘Dance Dance’ (118bpm) (Big One VV BIG 22, via Rough Trade)
The WestBam produced Germany based rapper returns following the US club success of his ‘Let There Be House’ with another jauntily clichéd chunkily jiggling and jumping hip house chanter, borrowing the inspiration for much of its powerfully infectious groove (though not necessarily its actual beats) from Hamilton Bohannon’s ‘Let’s Start The Dance’, in three different white labelled mixes ahead of August 23 release. Get on up and dance, yeah!
THE CHIMES ‘True Love (Re-Mixes)’ (CBS CHIM QT 2)
Perhaps funky enough to generate further interest, the group’s own jiggly jolting The Basement Mix (94½bpm) has a chinking tambourine and sparser more soulful atmosphere, flipped by its piano plonked The Basement Dub Mix (92½bpm) and more lushly rumbling The Louie Louie 7″ Remix (95¼bpm).
DREAM IN GOA ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Rumour Records RUMAT 20)
The languid guitar pinged Pink Floyd tune, also recently used by Innocence’s ‘Natural Thing’, remade with a tapping and swaying Soul II Soul-ish tempo that caused a brief stir on Italian import, now out here in just its Club Long Version (99¼bpm) and separately titled ‘Chapora (Do It Yourself)’ basic rhythm track (99½bpm) — a pity the Radio Long Version isn’t included, as it was more tightly tuneful.
BEAT SYSTEM ‘Don’t Hold Back On Love’ (4+B’ 12 BRW 189)
Produced by Bath’s Derek Pierce and beautifully warbled by Joe Nye, a girl despite the spelling, this piano chords prodded superb sinewy strider is extremely classy in Bristol Baseline Productions’ Absolute Clubmix (119½bpm) and Absolute Dubmix, flipped by the unremixed wah wah wukka-wukked less slick Original Mix (120bpm) and jazzier Original Dubmix. Rushed out after a minimal time on promo, it deserves to be a club smash but in this era of bleeps may sadly be just too classy for the currently kids dictated pop chart.
RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE ‘Biting My Nails’ (121 bpm) (Mute 12MUTE 112)
A cleverly worded pop jitterer using some blaring ‘Knock On Wood’ chords to punctuate its Version 90, drily throbbing wukka wukked Instrumental 90, and more messily jiggling Original Version (120½bpm), with a repetitively looped drumming ‘African Hips’ rhythm track too.
JUNIOR GISCOMBE ‘Step Off (Dancin’ Danny D’s Slammin’ & Jammin’ Mix)’ (101¾bpm) (MCA Records MCAT 1432)
Possibly hampered by a trickily teasing intro that doesn’t exactly help one get into the abrupt start of Junior’s jerkily staccato vocal, this bass thrummed lurching nervy hyperactive jitterer builds nagging intensity between two bursts of ragged rap (7″ Version and rumbling The Boogie Pella too).
PHIL EDWARDS ‘La Vie En Vogue (House Of Vogue Mix) (113½-113¼bpm) (eastwest YZ514T)
Promoed as a single sider before it’s out fully here on August 28, this Austria released though New York recorded, long basically instrumental groove chugs in episodic spurts through several familiar old rhythm elements of a vaguely Leon Haywood ‘Don’t Push It Don’t Force It’/Steely Dan ‘Do It Again’ type, punctuated by some muttering and only brief bursts of vocal.
JILLIAN MENDEZ ‘Feel Like Making Love’ (4+B’ 12 BRW 181)
Although unfortunately there seems to be no guarantee of crossover chart success if you revive a Roberta Flack classic (witness Joanna Law), this particular Gene McDaniels penned example is in attractively sung jiggly swingbeat-ish Radio Mix (108¾bpm), more bouncily wriggling Lovehouse Mix (108¾bpm), and stark twittery jolting Rave Mix (104¾bpm) treatments by the erstwhile Bigshot Records artiste, whose old ‘Get Up’ is included in a sparsely urgent new Remix 90 (123¼bpm).
BEN E. KING ‘Supernatural Thing (Remix)’ (Atlantic A4903T)
Quite big in London (where it was championed by Greg Edwards) but otherwise only ever an underground club hit here when a US smash back in 1975, this slinkily nagging groin grinder still sounds timeless and appropriate for today, especially as it has now been given a bassily bumped Louie Louie remix, promoed ahead of August 28 release as another single sider just in its new Vocal Mix plus the original Part 1 (both a fractionally fluctuating 95bpm).
VARIOUS ‘Freedom To Party (Construction Mix) (Extended Version)’ (Big Wave BWRT 38, via BMG)
Reconstructed by Chad Jackson, as the credit puts it, his excellent megamix of dance hits from the label’s compilation album of the same name neatly and at times excitingly blends together a medley (in two virtually separate halves) of first Queen Latifah featuring De La Soul ‘Mamma Gave Birth To The Soul Children’/Princess Ivori ‘Wanted (Mantronix Remix)’/Jungle Brothers ‘Because I Got It Like That’/Chad’s own ‘Hear The Drummer (Get Wicked)’ (109-108bpm), dialogue then bridging into the more uptempo Pressure Drop ‘Feeling Good (Touch 1 )’/The Turntable Orchestra ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me (When I’m Gone)’/Man With No Name ‘Way Out West’/MCB featuring Daisy D ‘This Beat Is Technotronic’ (117½-118¾bpm), the flip having his percussively rattled and girls gasped lightweight cantering instrumental ‘Mellow Madness’ (121½bpm), by CJ’s Revenge.
MOVEMENT 98 (featuring Carroll Thompson) ‘Sunrise (Satori Mix)’ (64½/129bpm) (Circa Records YRT 51)
Not in fact due commercially until September 6, the latest Rob Davis/Paul Oakenfold/Steve Osborne creation is a lush though deceptively double tempoed pulsing reggae swayer starting in fierce raggamuffin style before cooing Carroll eases back sweetly, with a slower introed and then harmonica led more starkly dubwise Satori Mix instrumental as flip, plus the owl hooted, Andean pipe blown and fruity trombone honked UB40-ish swaying instrumental ‘Ninety 8 (Complete)‘ (98bpm, appropriately!).
THE CLUB CHART – August 11, 1990
This week’s Club Chart was torn out of the copy which I have to hand. Places have been calculated, where known, from the following week’s chart.
01 02 TOM’S DINER DNA featuring Suzanne Vega, A&M 12in
02 03 TRICKY DISCO Tricky Disco, W.A.R.P/Outer Rhythm 12in
03 01 LFO (THE LEEDS WAREHOUSE MIX) LFO, W.A.R.P/Outer Rhythm 12in
04 13 PORTRAIT OF A MASTERPIECE The D.O.C., East West 12in
05 14 GROOVE IS IN THE HEART (MEETING OF THE MINDS MIX) Deee-Lite, Elektra 12in
06 21 WHAT TIME IS LOVE? (LIVE AT TRANCENTRAL) The K.L.F., KLF Communications 12in
07 15 BONITA APPLEBAUM (WHY VERSION) A Tribe Called Quest, Jive 12in
08 04 PURE (PURE ENERGY) G.T.O., Cooltempo 12in
09 17 HARDCORE UPROAR Together, ffrr 12in
10 19 NOBODY (MIXES) Tongue ‘n’ Cheek, Syncopate 12in
11 09 LIES (EXTENDED FUNKY REMIX) En Vogue, Atlantic 12in
12 07 FIRST TIME EVER (MELLOW GROOVE) Joanna Law, Citybeat 12in
13 05 SILENT VOICE Innocence, Cooltempo 12in
14 27 DON’T BE A FOOL (EXTENDED VERSION) Loose Ends, 10 Records 12in
15 10 FACTS OF LIFE (DANCIN’ DANNY D’S MIX) Danny Madden, Eternal 12in
16 16 OUTSTANDING Kenny Thomas, Cooltempo 12in
17 18 TRUE LOVE (LOUIE LOUIE REMIX) The Chimes, CBS 12in
18 11 DOIN’ OUR OWN DANG (DO IT TO THE JB’S MIX) Jungle Brothers, Eternal 12in
19 06 FREE Tammy Payne, WEA 12in
20 08 WASH YOUR FACE IN MY SINK (RADIO MIX) Dream Warriors, 4+ B’way 12in
21 23 I WISH Ben Liebrand (featuring Nasty Chat), Epic 12in
22 52 LET’S GET BUSY (PUMP IT UP): SNAP! THE REMIX! (ROBOMIXED) Clubland featuring Quartz, Supreme 12in
23 46 EASY LIFE Cabaret Voltaire, Parlophone 12in
24 30 ANOTHER SLEEPLESS NIGHT Mike ‘Hitman’ Wilson featuring Shawn Christopher, Arista 12in
25 20 LAMBORGHINI Shut Up And Dance, Shut Up And Dance 12in
26 — HARD UP (HARD CORE MIX) Awesome 3, A&M PM 12in
27 22 NO MORE THE FOOL/BOW WOW WOW/COOLER MOMENTS OF VIVALDI/WAM BAM Elaine Hudson with B.S.O.G., RCA 12in twinpack promo
28 — SUN WORSHIPPERS (POSITIVE THINKING) Diana Brown & Barrie K. Sharpe, ffrr 12in
29 67 DANCE DANCE Deskee, Big One 12in
30 — SOME KIND OF HEAVEN (HEAVENLY MIX) BBG, Urban 12in
31 — IN SYNC/THE CALLING Fade II Black, Network 12in
32 29 IT’S A JUNGLE OUT THERE (DEF CLUB MIX) Julian Jonah featuring Billie Ray Martin, Cooltempo 12in
33 — SPIRITUAL HIGH Moodswings, white label 12in
34 34 COOL WITH NATURE (MIXES) Carlton, ffrr 12in
35 68 TOUCH ME UP (CLUB VERSION) Body, MCA 12in
36 — COMING BACK FOR MORE (FULL LENGTH VERSION) L.A. Mix, A&M 12in promo
37 unknown
38 38 NAKED IN THE RAIN (EXTENDED MIX) Blue Pearl, Big Life/W.A.U.! Mr Modo 12in
39 — WHERE ARE YOU BABY? Betty Boo, Rhythm King 12in
40 50 RAISE (63 STEPS TO HEAVEN) (REDSKIN ROCK MIX) Bocca Juniors, Boys Own 12in
41 24 LA RAZA Kid Frost, US Virgin 12in
42 unknown
43 32 GOTTA TURN THE MUSIC UP M.C. Showbizz and The Lap 1 Crew, 1st Bass 12in
44 unknown
45 — HEY VENUS (MAD THATCHER DISEASE MIX) That Petrol Emotion, Virgin 12in promo
46 — SIMPLE RHYTHM (THE JZJ REMIXES BY JAZZY M & JULIAN JONAH) Soul Rebellion, Cardiac Records 12in
47 77 BOY I NEED YOU (SENSITIVE MIX) Deruvo, SBK.One 12in
48 51 WHY? Moccasoul, Tam Tam 12in
49 unknown
50 — I LIKE YOU (LONDON MIX) Culture Beat (introducing Lana E & Jay Supreme), Epic 12in
51 unknown
52 62 LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE (GROOVE MIX) Coldjam featuring Grace, Big Wave 12in
53 39 ROCKIN’ OVER THE BEAT (LP VERSION) Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K, Swanyard 12in
54 94 ANYONE . . . (FULL LENGTH MIX) Smith & Mighty feat. Jackie Jackson, ffrr 12in
55 56 TUNES SPLIT THE ATOM M.C. Tunes, ZTT 12in promo
56-58 unknown
59 58 SILLY GAMES (EXTENDED VERSION) Lindy Layton, Arista 12in
60 unknown
61 40 OCEAN TO OCEAN (JUAN’S MAGIC MIX) Model 500, KoolKat 12in
62 unknown
63 — FAST FISH AND LOOSE FISH (THE RAPPER’S TALE) QRZ featuring Stepz, 10 Records 12in
64 — HOTEL CALIFORNIA (IBIZA 90 MIX) Jam On The Mutha, W.A.U! Mr Modo 12in
65 unknown
66 28 RAGGA TRIP/HOOLIGAN 69 The Ragga Twins, Shut Up And Dance 12in
67 — FOREVER IN YOUR DREAMS T.A.S. (The Altered State), Profile 12in
68 45 ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK Sting, A&M 12in
69 — MIND BLOWING DECISIONS (REMAKE) Heatwave, white label 12in
70-72 unknown
73 43 FEEL LIKE MAKING LOVE (RADIO MIX) Jillian Mendez, 4 + B’way 12in
74 41 WE’VE GOT OUR OWN THANG (PEACE LOVE & HEAVINESS REMIX) Heavy D & The Boyz, MCA 12in
75 — SUMMERHOUSE (NORMAN COOK MIX) Martay-N-DBM, Cooltempo 12in
76 — NOTHING TO LOSE/FIND TIME TO BE YOURSELF (VOCAL MIX)/MY LASER (JUST WON’T FUNCTION ANYMORE) S’Express, Rhythm King 12in promo
77 — OVER YOU (12” EXTENDED) Taken featuring Helen Bruner, 4+B’ 12in
78-79 unknown
80 49 INTO THE NIGHT/WILDLIFE K Klass, f.r.o. 12in
81 — SUPERNATURAL THING (LOUIE LOUIE REMIX) Ben E King, Atlantic 12in
82 — LA VIE EN VOGUE (HOUSE OF VOGUE) Phil Edwards, East West 12in promo
83 unknown
84 — I NEED RHYTHM (REMIX) Splash, East West 12in promo
85-88 unknown
89 — LIVE THE LIFE The Sindecut, Virgin 12in
90 unknown
91 59 STEP OFF (DANCIN’ DANNY D’S SLAMMIN’ & JAMMIN’ MIX) Junior Giscombe, MCA 12in
92 unknown
93 87 COME TOGETHER (WEATHERALL MIX) Primal Scream, Creation 12in
94 unknown
95 — KITES – REMIX (FANTASY FLITE PART ONE) Ultraviolet, Big Life 12in
96-97 unknown
98 78 MAKE YOU SWEAT (NORMAN COOK REMIX) Keith Sweat, Vintertainment 12in
99-100 unknown
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