Month: September 1990

BEATS & PIECES

SOUL II SOUL appear not to be releasing ‘People’ here at all, going with ‘Missing You’ in time for Christmas instead . . . Nigel Webb, previously at BMG, has replaced Eddie Gordon as head of club promotions at east west, where he will be running his own new DJ mailing list (WEA, Electric Lighting Station, 46 Kensington Court, London W8 SDP) . . . ‘Pal Joey’ Longo reveals that he looped Carl Bean’s ‘I Was Born This Way’ through the Earth People’s ‘Dance’ (along, of course, with Chic) — so that is what it is! . . . Nightmares On Wax’s “There’s something going round inside my head, I think it’s something I feel, it’s something unreal” acappella vocal hook in ‘Aftermath’ (as their newie turns out to be titled) sounds like Cuba Gooding’s remake of Main Ingredient’s ‘Happiness Is Just Around The Bend’ — thanx to Dave Lee at RePublic Records for the memory jog . . . US Cutting Records have remixed Hashim’s seminal ‘Al-Naafyish’ for imminent import release . . . Rhythmatic, Nottingham’s Mark Gamble and Leroy Crawford, have revived their ‘scam’ Sheffield telephone code 0742 Records label for a 10-inch pre-release pressing of ‘Frequency‘ (124½bpm), a twittery bleeping and spurting East Midlands techno bounder, coupled with the bassily throbbed jerkier Detroit style ‘Demons‘ (121¼bpm), due for eventual 12-inch release on Network (NWKT 13) . . . T.A.S. The Altered State’s B-side ‘Make Some Noise‘ is turning into the hot side thanks to play on guess which new radio station . . . Professor Griff & The Last Asiatic Disciples’ ‘The Verdict’, reviewed on import this issue, is due for UK release on October 15, when some alternative remixes by none other than Norman Cook will also be separately 12-inched — and there is a strong possibility that Griff will be touring here next month, too . . . October 22 looks like a busy date, most of the current promos seeming to be scheduled for release then! . . . Buffalo Soldiers are a new US rap group featuring Cameo leader Larry Blackmon’s son . . . The Boys enliven their video for ‘Crazy’ with impersonations of George Michael, Bobby Brown, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson (a brilliant send-up of his ‘Thriller’ video), and Milli Vanilli (possibly funniest of all) . . . MTV has been showing the video of Virginity 99’s ‘Kiss My Cherry Lips‘, a girl sung translation set to a hip hop-ish beat of ‘Das Erdbeermund’, rather late after Culture Beat’s German treatment but still interesting if anyone can find it . . . Diamond Duel Discotheques, no sooner had I finished writing last week’s mention, had the van containing their Cruisin’ Caraoke and other disco equipment stolen from right outside their shop — but Steve Crosby managed to get another set of gear in time to continue their Bishopsgate B.B.’s Thurs/Friday residency without a break (information leading to recovery of the missing property is however welcomed on 081-393 6265) . . . Superstition, “the original legal West End rave” (actually, a carefully disguised activity for University Of London students, open to the public) returns with DJs CJ Mackintosh, Marco and guests plus live musicians this and every second Saturday (Sept 29, Oct 13 and 27, etc), 10pm-4am, in Thornhaugh Street off Bloomsbury’s Russell Square . . . Innocence featuring Gee Morris perform a 30 minute live PA for Ben & Andy (the Boilerhouse boys) at Reasons To Be Cheerful this Saturday (29) in Brixton’s The Fridge, while over the road at the same time, Brixton’s The Academy hosts The Hats ‘N’ Roses Autumn Ball (wear either or both) with Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway, Terry Farley, Fabio, The Grooverider, Mark Webster, Steve Lee plus PAs by Bass-O-Matic, Movement .98 and Spider (£12.50 advance credit card bookings on 081-392 2922) . . . Chris Forbes gets upfront for the over-20s (smart dress) every Friday at Welwyn Garden City’s West 1 Nightclub . . . Chad Jackson, once renowned for his slashed jeans, is these days sporting a moptop hairstyle and wickedly thin goatee beard as his new beatnik look . . . BOOMIN’!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by Graeme Park and James Hamilton

RIO RHYTHM BAND ‘Carnival De Casa’
UNIQUE 3 (featuring KARIN) ‘Rhythm Takes Control’
DEBRA LEWIS ‘New Love Affair’/‘Don’t Change Me’
TRU FUNK ‘4am’
RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE ‘In Dub’ (‘Thunder’/‘Deadly’/‘Women Respond To Bass’/‘Transworld Siren’)
JAH WOBBLE AND THE INVADERS OF THE HEART ‘Bomba’ (Andrew Weatherall and Hugo Nicholson remixes)
TONY! TONI! TONÉ! ‘Feels Good’ (US remix by Ken ‘Dr Shaft’ Kessie)
2XL ‘Destruction’
RHYTHMATIC ‘Frequency’
L.U.P.O. ‘Keep It Up’
CAMACHO’S PROJECT featuring REGINA WILSON ‘Slave’
AZTECH ‘Symphony Of Brotherhood’/‘Symphony Of Ska’
VOICES ‘Give Me Your Body’/‘I’m Your Freak’

A HOMEBOY, A HIPPIE AND A FUNKI DRED ‘Total Confusion’ (123bpm) (Tam Tam Records TTT 031)
From the Rising High Collective, this word spittingly rapped rumbling frantic thunderer is in excitingly blazing Confusion Mix, aptly titled less frantically throbbing instrumental Mellow Mix and a shorter Reprise, hot on white label already ahead of release next week.

ED TERRY ‘Show Me Love’
EVOLUTION BRIDGE ‘Simplicity’/‘Meree In Two’
RON WILSON ‘Prove It To Me’
THE RHYTHM METHOD featuring RUBBER RONSKI ‘The Call Of The Wild’
EXTORTION featuring DIHAN BROOKS ‘How Do You See Me Now’
ELEANOR JOHNSON ‘Reach Out’
KUSTOM MADE ‘Too Busy’
RALPHI ROSARIO featuring SK-TA ‘Running Away’
MOE-WET featuring KAREN WAITE ‘In The Heat Of The Night’

WENDELL WILLIAMS ‘Everybody’ (122bpm) (de/Construction Records PT 44072)
Outrageously prodded by swirling bursts of what sounds like Michael Jackson’s Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’, among other things including Black Box’s (credited) ‘Everybody Everybody’ title line, the Arthur Baker produced fantastically exciting hip house leaper has not surprisingly exploded in British clubs while still on US import, the biggest import in a long time, here slightly slower in just edits of its (Everybody) Rap Your Body and Disco Lives Saxophonic Acid Vibe Rock Don’t Stop It Rave Mix versions, and full (Everybody) Swing Your Body version.

WESTERN BLOCK introducing Terri Symon ‘Right Here Right Now’ (100bpm) (Epic 656182 6)
Renamed from Eastern Bloc to prevent confusion with Manchester’s record shop and label distribution set-up of the same name, Paul Witts and Rob Manley’s group debuts with an excellent Terri Symon wailed, familiar bass burbled jiggly jogging street soul groin grinder initially circulated in Alternative Twelve and Extended Twelve mixes, and now not necessarily improved but also due separately in Creative Source’s more Latin flavoured jittery Society MIX (Epic 656182 5), flipped by Witts & Manley’s jerkily pattering Jazzy Mix. Continue reading “September 29, 1990: A Homeboy A Hippie And A Funki Dred, Wendell Williams, Western Block/Terri Symon, Zoe, The Intelligent Hoodlum”

BEATS AND PIECES

KISS 100 fm’s free launch party at Highbury Fields turned into such an instant roadblock that by early afternoon, before the star PAs had even begun, the station was already warning people to stay away in order to prevent the danger of injury from the crush — overcrowding backstage too meant that the stars were not allowed to linger after doing their PAs, but everything otherwise appears to have gone off well enough . . . Mark Webster and Graham Gold, the station’s breakfast show presenters, have a novel way of “breaking” records on air, records they don’t like, literally into pieces — smashed last week was the Saint Etienne newie, described as “a piece of poo”! . . . Les and Emma Adams of LA Mix didn’t have a honeymoon after their wedding, instead the next day they drove up to Manchester to appear on Piccadilly KEY 103, Sunset Radio, and ‘The Hit Man And Her’ (however, they did manage to have two separate wedding receptions, three days and 60 miles apart)! . . . Steve Crosby of Worcester Park’s Diamond Duel Discotheques (081-393 6265) doesn’t only do mobile discos, he has a mobile Cruisin’ Caraoke — karaoke (the correct spelling, meaning “empty orchestra” in Japanese) being the sing-a-long to backing tracks craze currently popularised by Steve Wright on Radio 1 — which is both available for hire and also in residency on Thursday and Friday evenings at B.B.’s in Bishopsgate, near London’s Liverpool Street Station . . . de/Construction Records have snapped up the Arthur Baker produced Club Chart storming Wendell Williams ‘Everybody’ here . . . Samuelle ‘So You Like What You See’, already reviewed twice on import, has been promoed here way ahead of eventual UK release (Atlantic A6151 T) in the same, superior, Extended LP Mix (99¾bpm), Teddy Riley 12-inch Remix (104¾bpm) and Club Remix (108¼bpm) . . . Ann-Marie Smith is the singer who sounds so much like Adeva in A&M/PM’s new duo New Life, in which she partners Justin Phil-Ebosie . . . ‘Summer‘, in its commercially released Full Blog Version (as it turns out to be called), is credited as being by Ben Chapman’s Loop De Loop featuring J. J. . . .  Eric B. & Rakim’s ‘In The Ghetto‘ (94bpm), briefly introed by the very start of Donny Hathaway’s live version of ‘The Ghetto’ as a separate nice little tribute, has lovely repeated lush piano notes like those from Barry White’s ‘I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby‘ — thanks for the memory jog to Jon Jules at Rayners Lane’s Record & Disco Centre, where Jesus Jones keyboardist lain Baker is the latest addition to the counter staff! . . . Jamie Bromfield, who previously often partnered YoYo as remixing engineers at the PWL studios, is now partnered by Dan Lycett at their own Crucial Dance label for which he is building a DJ mailing list on 071-403 9658 — initial releases have been by Grand Plaz (before it was signed to Urban) and King For A Day . . . Richard Lowe, leaving Rough Trade/RePublic to go freelance doing press promotion for Tam Tam Records/Savage among others, is building not a DJ mailing list but a specialist black/dance music journalist mailing list on 071-837 2655 . . . Warriors Dance is starting a sister label called Addis Ababa Records for “sweeter” soulful types of music, while Pacific is launching a more pop oriented Planet Pacific label for which demos are invited at Pacific House, Vale Road, London N4 1QB . . . Submission Records, home of East Midlands house music, has moved to The Square Centre, 389-394 Alfred Street North, Nottingham NG3 1AA (telephone 0602 417272, FAX 0602 412277) . . . Florida based Luke Skyywalker Records, home of US notoriety attracting foul mouthed rappers 2 Live Crew, is now called just Luke Records to prevent confusion with the ‘Star Wars’ character of similar though slightly differently spelt name . . . Bob Jones’s ears must have been burning recently, to judge from all the praise his Sunday 3-5pm (when last heard) real soul show on Kiss 100 fm has been getting . . . BOOMIN’!

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HOT VINYL

SLAM SLAM featuring DEE C. LEE ‘Something Ain’t Right’ (116¾bpm) (MCA Records MCAT 1444)
Paul Weller, Dr Robert and Dee C. Lee get together for a sturdily bounding galloper throatily moaned mainly by the latter with mixer Dancin’ Danny D joining in soulfully on his Slammin Club Mix, flipped by a more thinly skittering Jammin Urban Mix, out next week.

SNAP ‘Cult Of Snap (World Power Mix)’ (110bpm) (Arista 613 596)
Already promoed in a strictly limited single sided Ibiza ’90 Edit (109¾bpm), merely re-edited from the LP as a temporary stop gap to hold off the cover version by Hi Power, this now properly remixed (and, unusually for the UK, 33⅓rpm) corny but catchy “zoombah yay” Afro chanted jiggly throbbing chugger has twiddly Middle East sax effects by Bobby Sattler and newly permanent group member Pennye Ford (Sharon Redd’s kid sister) chorussing between gruff MC Turbo’s bursts of butch rap, flipped by a percussively thundering (like a slowed down ‘Burundi Black’) Ibiza ’90 Mix — totally different to the Ibiza ’90 Edit, note — plus its original, Pennye-less and less punchy, Album Version.

THE SHE PROJECT featuring Jenni Evans ‘Summer Reprise’ (103½bpm) (SHE Records SHE 12002, via 081-421 2478)
Previously the standout from their otherwise house filled ‘Technofusion’ album of last December, created and remixed by Sahara’s Steve Sinclair, Peter Hinds & Kevin Ellis (link up their surname initials to see that it’s not the feminist project one might at first glance have supposed), this Jenni sung sweet sultry street soul jogger now jiggles perhaps just a little bit too deliberately in sort of Soul II Soul stylee through its Sound System Mix, flipped however much more sympathetically by a sparser gently jiggling Warm Bass Mix and similar Album Remix. Continue reading “September 22, 1990: Slam Slam/Dee C. Lee, Snap, The She Project/Jenni Evans, Mica Paris/Rakim, Caron Wheeler”

BEATS AND PIECES

BEATS INTERNATIONAL’s actual vintage classic blues reviving ‘Burundi Blues‘ (Go.Beat GOD X 45) in its commercial version is just like its initially promoed (and also included) ‘Burundi Dub’ (105bpm) but with full vocals by Janet Kay, while now also separately promoed is a new very different gentler percussively tapping and shuffling Boilerhouse Mix (104¾bpm) (GORDJ 45) by Ben & Andy the Boilerhouse Boys, coupled with their Boilerhouse Guitar And Vocal Mix plus Norman Cook’s alternative Sixties blues riff and ‘Mr Bass Man’-ishly based chugging Traditional Version (120bpm) . . . Maxi Priest featuring Jazzie B’s ‘Peace Throughout The World (Remixes)’ (Ten Records TENR 317) has been updated by the busy Boilerhouse Boys’ calmly tapping soulful timely ‘Peace In The Middle East’ and ‘Beats Around The World’ (100½bpm), plus John Gallen’s more smoothly swaying The Video Remix (100¾bpm) and Abbey Shah’s totally different bass thrummed lurching Abbey’s Treaty Remix (101bpm), while Movement •98 featuring Carroll Thompson’s oddly slow moving ‘Sunrise’ has been given a more jauntily cantering Ragga Mix and Ragga Dub Mix (129¼bpm) by Aswad’s Drummie Zeb, due next week (Circa Records YRTX 51) . . . Pianonegro’s ‘Roots’-ish piano jogged, afro and ragga chanted ‘Pianonegro‘ (93bpm), having been huge throughout the summer in hotspots like Tenerife and Ibiza, is being relaunched here on September 24 in a more smoothly rolling Honky Tonk Remix (Epic 656081 8) flipped by an also new sparser fluttery Nix Renegade Dub . . . Sinitta’s ‘Love And Affection’ (Fanfare 12FAN 31) appears now to have come straight out commercially in its murkily jiggling D.N.A. Remix (89¾bpm) instead of the version originally reviewed . . . Melba Moore’s ‘Do You Really Want My Love’ (Capitol 12CL 592), reviewed on import but not apparently promoed, is now out here — as also is B.S.O.G. featuring Elaine Hudson’s ‘Bow Wow Wow’ (RCA PT 44008), reviewed when part of a twin-packed promo although now separated . . . Quincy Jones’s youthful protégé, Tevin Campbell sings lead on the next single scheduled for remixed release from Prince’s ‘Graffiti Bridge’ double album, the usefully Soul II Soul/SOS Band-ishly tempoed cool jiggly ‘Round And Round‘ (107bpm) . . . Motown are boosting the separately reviewed soundtrack album from the hip hop/new jack swing movie ‘House Party’ with a strictly promo only 12 inch (MPR- 19) containing the previously imported L.L. Cool J ‘To Da Break Of Dawn (Remix Version)‘ (104¾bpm) and Artz & Kraftz ‘What A Feeling (12″ Mix)‘ (112¼bpm) plus the album’s Flavor Flav ‘I Can’t Do Nothing For You, Man!’ (116¾bpm) and Full Force Family ‘House Party’ (114bpm) . . . TV-am last Thursday by mistake played the otherwise Bombalurina compatible “wooh yeah” driven ‘Let It All Hang Out ’90’ (121½-119½bpm) Sanny X remix of Jonathan King’s 1970 oldie — now credited as being by JK25 (MCA Records MCAT 1439) — at an incorrect 33⅓rpm so that it came out sounding rather more interesting (if just a tad too slow, although of course vari-speedable, at around 89bpm) in a Mancunian ‘nouveau hippy’ funky drummer stylee with definite re-remix possibilities! . . . Paul Oakenfold’s now fully launched PerfectO Records’ latest signing, joining Gary Clail and Lynda Law, is Bristol based The Corporation featuring singer Jane Hamlin . . . Brixton’s Fridge this Thursday (September 13) starts a new Jelly In The Fridge night with DJs ‘Evil’ Eddie Richards, Jon Cox and Nils Hess joined by LFO and the Forgemasters both appearing live, while Bass-O-Matic similarly guest next week and The Shamen Sound System the week after — the same venue’s Reasons To Be Cheerful Saturday this week features a 30 minute exclusive set by the Dream Warriors . . . Hip Joints play live this Saturday (15) at Windsor’s DDC with Seventies/Eighties soul/funk/jazz-funk jocks Chris Brown, Dave Morrison and Lee Drummond, in the town centre’s The Old Trout the first and third Saturday of every month . . . The Dream II at Andover Sports Centre next Saturday (September 22), 8pm-2am, promises a bouncy castle, inflatable maze, lots of noise, DJs Jumpin’ Jack Frost, Grooverider. Trevor Fung, Alex Hazzard, Martin Phippen and more (a tickets in advance from various outlets) . . . L.A. Mix partners Les Adams and Emma Freilich finally get married this week, with MC Jammy Hammy as best man and the disco by none other than Jazz FM’s “P.Y. The Pork Pie”, Peter Young! . . . Tony ‘Mayhem’ Monson (now at Kiss 100 fm) has been replaced on Saturday nights at Essex Radio by his old Solar Radio colleague Mark ‘Sparks’ McCarthy, whose new 10pm-2am ‘Rhythm Of Life’ show features dance and soul both ancient and modern . . . London’s brand new black and dance music Kiss 100 fm sounds best when, with the honourable exception of a few such obviously experienced radio presenters as Dave Pearce, David Rodigan and Graham Gold, most of its other DJs shut up and let the music do the talking: their enthusiasm for and knowledge of the music cannot of course be faulted but enthusiastic amateurs are still to be found on the many remaining pirates, to whom kids will tune if that’s what they want, while unfortunately the big budget advertisers the station needs in order to pay the bills now that it’s legal (it currently carries a lot of youth aimed education and semi public service ads) are not particularly interested in that young demographic and could well be frightened off completely by an overly amateurish approach regardless of the size of the audience — already, maybe as a consequence, the published roster of daytime presenters is proving to be fluid, and, just a mischievous though serious suggestion, would become even more listenable with the recruitment of such former pirate rivals as the well seasoned CJ Carlos! . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL
reviewed by Jay Strongman and James Hamilton

ERIC B & RAKIM ‘In The Ghetto’
COOL C ‘Life In The Ghetto’
SKATEMASTER TATE ‘Justice To The Bass’/Dub/‘Joe’s Jam’
CANDYMAN ‘Knockin’ Boots’
MELLO C ‘House This Out’
KENYATTA ‘I Wanna Do Something’
LAKIM SHABAZZ ‘No Justice No Peace’
TAIRRIE B ‘Murder She Wrote’
KINGS OF SWING ‘Nod Your Head To This (Norman Cook/Original/Audio Two Mixes)’

INNOCENCE ‘Let’s Push It’ (Cooltempo COOLX 220)
Only just promoed so probably not out fully for a while, this presumably again Gee Morris wailed and Jolley Harris Jolley created jiggly throbbing thudder again has an attractive slinkily sinuous vocal (and a catchy sax tone twiddled break) but builds a beefier groove than usual in its Big Beat Mix (105½bpm), with a Pink Floyd-ish guitar washed alternative gentler swingbeat Belief Mix (103-102½bpm) plus a drily juddering Sax Urbana dub of the old ‘Silent Voice’ (102¾bpm).

NENEH CHERRY ‘I’ve Got You Under My Skin’ (103½bpm) (Circa Records YRT 53)
Spearheading an AIDS research benefitting charity album, Cole Porter’s sophisticated lyrics suddenly assume a new significance in this message rap augmented strange stark bassily chugging adaptation, co-produced by Baby Afrika Bambaataa of the Jungle Brothers with its Instrumental and a more squidgily jolting David Z Remix (102¾bpm) as flip, due commercially next week. “Share your love, don’t share the needle.”

NUMARX ‘Do It Good’ (112bpm) (US MBR MARX 1002)
On their own Marx Brothers Records (not that Marx is necessarily the real name of anyone involved!), this infectious ‘In The Bottle’ rhythm and “let’s do it” prodded conversationally narrative rap jiggler actually seems to be proving hottest in its largely Instrumental Mix, with vocal Hip Hop, orgasmically started Extended, and two Basement Boys remixed slicker Basement Mixes too. Continue reading “September 15, 1990: Innocence, Neneh Cherry, Numarx, The Chimes, Mimmo Mix/Valerie Etienne”

BEATS AND PIECES

TONY COCHRANE, well known north o’ the border for many years as a Dundee based DJ, promoter, and promotional tour organiser, has now recruited Scotland’s 40 top club jocks to form a record pool along US lines, possibly the first here since the Seventies, members paying just £4 for a weekly box of not only the best new UK dance releases supplied by record and promotion companies but also some imports supplied by two US record pools (in an exchange product deal), companies already confirmed as using the Scottish Professional DJ Pool’s service (costing them only £50 per mailout, details on 0382 644003) being MCA, CBS, AVL, BMG, Big Life, eastwest, 4th + B’way, Rhythm King, Cooltempo and Debut, with more signing on all the time . . . Kiss 100 fm’s launch party at North London’s Highbury Fields this Sunday (September 9) features festive fun for all the family plus a string of appearances (listed in planned running order at 15 minute intervals between 2.15 and 8.30pm) by Roots, Heatwave, Caron Wheeler, Maureen Walsh, Movement .98, Slam Slam, Laquan, Innocence, Robert Owens, Titiyo, Richard Rogers, Jomanda, Tony! Toni! Toné!, Dream Warriors, Diana Brown & Barrie K. Sharpe, Loose Ends, The Rebel MC, Double Trouble, Beats International, Black Box, The Pasadenas, Maxi Priest, The Chimes, LL Cool J, Ten City, Aswad — some show, huh, and all for free! . . . Eddie Gordon and Suzanne Jeoffroy are about to quit plugging for eastwest to become, from September 17, respectively divisional general manager and club promotions manager at Urban, where the addition of the Dave Dorrell owned Luv Records and two other brand new labels will be swelling the Polydor dance outlet into a self contained operational group . . . Steve Mason, owner of record distributors Pinnacle as well as a pressing plant, an import/export company and several labels, has bought the London based dance music shop chain Red Records’ main Soho branch in Beak Street, now renamed Unity without any change of music policy (he was originally negotiating for all four shops) . . . D.N.A. turn out to be EMI’s West Country sales representative Neal Slateford and studio engineer Nick Batt, while the whole white label scam behind their ‘Tom’s Diner’ remix was masterminded by veteran South London DJ ‘King Enri’ Yori, co-owner of Raw Bass Records (and until recently an EMI rep too) . . . ‘Tom’s Diner’ re-remixer Alan Coulthard meanwhile, ironically, has just followed D.N.A. again in re-remixing Sinitta’s ‘Love And Affection’, with more jazzily plonking piano . . . Bazza at Oxted based Box 52 Records (named after the post office box number of their address, PO Box 52, Oxted, Surrey RH8 9YJ), looking for new artistes on 07374 3992, aggressively warns that the label will be taking risks to break away from the rut of current record company thinking, no free promos for DJs and shops being one tactic — so, don’t bother applying for a mailing list there! . . . Non Fiction Records is launched this week as the “independent” wing of Fiction Records (home of indie band The Cure), alongside their specifically “dance” label Desire . . . Brixton’s Blacksmith, the first outsiders ever to do so, are remixing the next Public Enemy single, promoed here initially as a (no doubt very collectable) seven inch in just its original LP mix, the angrily bounding ‘Can’t Do Nuttin’ For You Man‘ (117½bpm) — like it says, “get that shit!” . . . Soul Family Sensation’s superb Soul II Soul-ish ‘I Don’t Even Know (If I Should Call You Baby)‘ (One Little Indian 42 TP 12, via Rough Trade) has Full Mix (100bpm) and even sultrier slow starting The Karen Carpenter Late Night Mix (99½bpm) versions, plus the stabbing organ and piano prodded jittery ‘Beat, Author!‘ (114¾bpm) . . . J.T. & The Big Family’s ‘Foreign Affair’ in its Guys Mix is, as inadvertently omitted last week, a significantly faster 108bpm to suit its totally different sweetly chugging Italo style . . . Channel 4 in their Friday 6-7pm ‘The Word’ series are planning two, separate, future features about Northern Soul and weekenders . . . Tashan, A Tribe Called Quest, Ronnie McNeir, Brand New Heavies, and the reformed Dramatics featuring Ron Banks, LJ Reynolds, Willie Ford, Lenny Mayes and Steve Boyd are among the live acts scheduled for the Blackpool Soul & Dance Weekender 7 at Southport Pontins over November 23/24/25, with DJs Tim Westwood, Colin Curtis, Richard Searling, Bob Masters, Bob Jeffries, Bob Jones, Jonathan, Norman Jay, Simon Dunmore, Ian Clark, Yogi, Billy Davidson, Tom Jackson, Graeme Ellis, Steve Hobbs, Sylvester, Hewan Clarke, The Educated Jazzman, Simon Mansel, Gary Dennis and more — £55 ticket details on 091-389 0317 . . . Light + Sound Show ’90, the disco equipment exhibition, is this coming Sunday to Wednesday, September 9/10/11/12 at London’s Olympia 2, £6 admission on the door (if you missed early bird registration), 11am-6pm . . . Kiss 100 fm’s very first playlist meeting listened to and rejected (rather more interesting than the records they actually chose!) current club hits by Electribe 101, Lynda Law, David Grant, Wendell Williams, Elaine Hudson, Mike ‘Hitman’ Wilson featuring Shawn Christopher, Movement .98, T.D.P., History featuring Madeleine Jo, and a whole lot more — they did in fact chose a fair number of other club hits, which is probably just as well for “London’s black and dance music” station . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL
reviewed by Norman Cook and James Hamilton

CURTIS MAYFIELD & ICE T ‘Superfly 1990 (Mantronix Remix/Fly Mix)’
MASSIVE ATTACK ‘Daydreaming’ / ‘Any Love’
THE INTELLIGENT HOODLUM ‘Back To Reality (Drum And Bass Mix)’

MAESTRO FRESH WES ‘Drop The Needle’ (121bpm) (US LMR 2661-1-RD)
Debuting the RCA distributed new Lefrak-Moelis Records, this DJ Mark The 45 King remixed infectious jauntily jumping hip house-ish fast talker is in drily tapped and thrummed The 45 King Remix, The 45 King Dub (121½bpm), strong jiggly thumping Manu Dibango-ishly driven samples swamped The Throwdown Club Mix, Beethoven’s Fifth introed wordy Radio Edit, and mumbling started less hip more MC Hammer type unremixed LP Version, instantly large in London and Manchester. Are you ready for the drop?

MAXI PRIEST (FEATURING JAZZIE B) ‘Peace Throughout The World’
STEREO MC’S ‘Elevate My Mind’ / ‘Message From The Motherman’
SOUL FAMILY SENSATION ‘Baby’
AFRICAN BUSINESS ‘In Zaire Business’
SAMUELLE ‘So You Like What You See (Extended LP Mix/12” Remix/Club Remix)’
REBEL PRINCESS, COCOA TEA AND SHABBA RANKS ‘Just Be Good To Me’

ADAMSKI ‘The Space Jungle’ (120½bpm) (MCA Records WMCAX 1435)
Brilliantly setting the words of Elvis Presley’s 1957 classic ‘All Shook Up’ to an episodically pausing and surging new wriggly electro track, this inspired stroke of cheeky fun filled genius deserves to be an even bigger pop smash if possible than his last number one (it seems that Adamski tackles the vocals himself now, Seal having moved on), this particular limited edition promo pressing being flipped by a much more beefily bounding ‘Instrumental All Shook Down’ version.

SEDUCTION ‘Breakdown (Clivilles/Cole Club/Dub Mix)’ (107bpm) (US Vendetta Records 75021 7040 1)
Leading off an instantly massive twin-packed double 12 inch from Robert Clivilles & David Cole’s girl group, this violently jittering bright rap judderer is excitingly scratched and washed with familiar samples (strident short reprise too) but isn’t necessarily as hot here as the accompanying ‘Iko Iko’-type nursery chant started then infectious stark fiercely chugging and scrubbing ‘Groove Me’ (121bpm) in its Club Mix and separately pressed different more house-ish Dub Mix (also with a short reprise), the latter flipped by the at first music box-like then rippling keyboard tinkled jazz-funky instrumental ‘One Mistake (Master Mix)‘ (118bpm). Continue reading “September 8, 1990: Maestro Fresh Wes, Adamski, Seduction, Lost Entity, N.W.A.”

BEATS AND PIECES

SNAP’S ALBUM version of ‘Cult Of Snap‘ was merely re-edited, with increased repetition of its chant, to create the Ibiza ’90 Edit that crashed into The Club Chart last week as a strictly limited edition of only 400 pressings, distributed to key shops rather than direct to DJs (many of whom, however, by then were doubtless already playing the original album track) in an effort to stave off the cover version by Hi Power that is now out in UK, Italian, Belgian and bootleg pressings — commercial UK release of the Snap original is still not scheduled until September 10, by which time newly permanent group member Pennye Ford’s vocal will have been added to a proper 12 inch remix, although this is not yet confirmed as the mix that will be released first . . . Kiss 100 fm started their continuous test transmission last Wednesday and, within hours, they and all of London’s other ILR stations went off air, the joke immediately doing the rounds being that, just from force of habit, the DTI’s pirate busters by mistake had raided the IBA’s FM transmitter (where in fact a fuse had blown!) — the black and dance music station’s full service begins at noon this Saturday (September 1) . . . Robbie Vincent, still hosting a nightly ‘phone-in on LBC, will be presenting a Sunday lunchtime show for Kiss 100 fm, all of whose original DJs will have specialist evening shows while the more generally aimed weekday slots will be filled through the day by Dennis O’Brien (5-7am), Graham Gold & Mark Webster (7-9am), Dave Pearce (9am-noon), David Rodigan (noon-2pm), Trevor ‘Madhatter’ Nelson (2-4pm), just the ‘drive time’ 4-7pm slot having yet to be filled, probably by (so the whisper has it) a mystery figure who might not be free to start for a few weeks — the station celebrates its launch with a massive open air party for all the family next Sunday afternoon (September 9) in Highbury Fields, where, among star appearances by such as the Chimes, Pasadenas and many more, Tony! Toni! Toné! are scheduled to make their live UK debut . . . Lindon T is the lynchpin at new “no restrictions/no pretensions” Redemption Saturdays in Paddington’s The Starlight (under the Great Western Hotel, Praed Street), joined in weekly rotation by guest jocks Bryan Gee (this week), Trevor Madhatter, Rocky ‘n’ Diesel, Femi, Fat Tony . . . LiveWire and The Incredible Organisation present another Kaos 3 rave weekender at Gt. Yarmouth Pontins over October 19/20/21, featuring “a major American act” plus DJs Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, Nicky Holloway, Pete Tong, Dave Dorrell, Fabio, Groove Rider, Graeme Park. Fat Tony, Marvin Connor, Johnnie Walker, Lisa Loud, Nancy Noise, Phil Perry, Glen Gunner, Steve Bicknell, Rocky ‘n’ Diesel, Steve Lee, Dean Thatcher and Carl Cox (£50 tickets and train booking details on 081-364 1666) . . . Camber Weekenders meanwhile have Camber 5 at Camber Sands Pontins over November 2/3/4 with guest PAs plus DJs Greg Edwards, Carl Cox, Bob James, Stuart Vant, Rob Huntley, Richie-D, Simon Grant, Trevor Hadley, Dave Reeves, DJ Sheff, ‘J-D’, and the full Sunrise FM team including Bad Boy West, Tony White, Peter Stapleton and Andy M (£45 credit card bookings on 0233 633652) . . . Piccadilly KEY 103 main man Stu Allan and Cee host house/soul/hip hop nights at two different Shades nightclubs, in Reddish (Stockport) on Mondays and in Stalybridge on Thursdays, both with no dress restrictions . . . Premier Leisure promise 3D laser lighting, apparently the first of its kind in the country, when they open their new £4,000,000 The Palladium in Ponders End, Enfield, on October 5 . . . Mellow Man Ace and the Ruthless Rap Assassins are the latest acts to be featured on promotional slipmats . . . Sheffield’s W.A.R.P. Records, in a bit of a tizzy, point out that a track called ‘Brainstorm‘ currently white labelled as being by LFO has no connection with their own ‘LFO’ hit makers, apparently being a revived old recording by a different act who already happened to have the same name . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL  
reviewed by DJ Streets Ahead and James Hamilton

SNAP ‘The Cult Of Snap (Ibiza ’90 Edit)’
HYPNOTONE ‘Dream Beam (Danny Rampling Remix)’
GRAND PLAZ ‘Wow Wow – Na Na’
SPIDER ‘Together As One’
TACKHEAD ‘Class Rock’
THE SHAMEN ‘Make It Mine’
LAQUAN ‘Now’s The B Turn’/‘Witness The Drift’
A CERTAIN RATIO ‘Shack Up (Machine Mix/Norman Cook Mix/Man Mix)’
SALT ‘N’ PEPA ‘Independent (Independent Funk Mix/Rhyddim Mix)’
ORBITAL ‘Omen’/‘2 Deep’/‘Open Mind’
THE CURE ‘Let’s Go To Bed (Remix)’

CABARET VOLTAIRE ‘Easy Life (Remixes)’ (Parlophone 12RX 6261)
Remixed by co-producer Robert Gordon of Sheffield’s FON Force, the synth instrumental is now slower in new gently bleeping attractive so-called Vocal Mix (120½bpm), Very Strange Mix (120¼bpm) — which is breathily vocal, a labelling mix up? — and just plain Strange Mix (120½bpm) versions.

THE K.L.F. ‘What Time Is Love? (Moody Boys Vs. The KLF Mix)’ (125-104¼bpm) (KLF Communications KLF 004Y)
Last and now this summer’s rave fave in a new ragga quotes introed and punctuated much more electronic bleeping faster though unrushed remix, flipped by also new lopingly pulsing bubbly Echo & The Bunnymix (119bpm) and Asdic pinged tempoless ambient Virtual Reality Mix versions.

ELECTRIBE 101 ‘You’re Walking’ (Mercury MERX 328)
Much plugged already on Radio 1 by Jeff Young and now at last promoed, probably well ahead of commercial release, this excellent loosely striding cool sparse chugger is expressively warbled by wailing Billie Ray Martin in its Corporate Def Mix (110½bpm), with Maze ‘Twilight’/Wally Badarou ‘Chief Inspector’-type “blink-blink” noises, flipped by faster though less urgent more slinkily wriggling Peeping Tom and gently thumping atmospheric instrumental Ambient Groove Mixes (114½bpm). Continue reading “September 1, 1990: Cabaret Voltaire, The K.L.F., Electribe 101, Lynda Law, Tony! Toni! Toné!”