Author: Mike A

BEATS & PIECES

The Beatmasters’ ‘Night In Action‘ (149¼/74¼bpm), only on promo to preview their upcoming album and not necessarily due as a single at all, is a Jah Shaka inspired skanking dub that can be vari-speeded anywhere between -/+8 on a Technics deck (and if played at 33⅓rpm instead of 45rpm undergoes an interesting shift in syncopation), flipped by a similar ‘After Dark In W.3.’ variation that really does sound too fast at the right speed (Rhythm King 12VIBE 1) . . . Reese’s ‘Funky Funk Funk‘/’Bassline‘ is initially in a gimmicky limited edition red vinyl pressing, cut in reverse so that you play it backwards from the centre out! . . . Jeff Young, contrary to all the rumours, is apparently not being replaced at A&M by anyone . . . ‘Love Thang‘, always the obvious hit from LA Mix’s album, will now never be out as a single! . . . New York DJ Roger Sanchez — in other words, Underground Solution —and Jasmine this week visit Manchester’s Pleasuredome (Wednesday 3), Blackpool’s Eureka (Thursday), Glasgow’s Sub Club (Friday), and Aberdeen’s Fever (Saturday) . . . April 19/20/21’s Up-North Soul Weekender at Southport’s Pontins Holiday Centre is due to star the likes of Teena Marie, Leon Ware, Gang Starr and Working Week, with four separate music venues and DJs including Tim Westwood, Graeme Park, Bob Masters, Norman Jay, Bob Jonas, Simon Dunmore, Cohn Curtis, Sylvester, Graeme Ellis: £55. For booking details phone 091-389 0317 . . . May 4/5/6’s sixth Camber Weekender at Camber Sands’ Pontins Holiday Centre near Rye likewise will have various interesting guest stars, with three separate music venues and DJs including Bob James, Carl Cox, Greg Edwards, Stuart Vant, Rob Huntley, Fabrizio, Dave Jameson, JD, Bad Boy West, Sacha, Lez, Aubrey, Simon Grant, Dave Reeves, Peter Stapleton, Andy M: £49. For booking details phone 0233-633 652 . . . Disco Gary VanDenBussche (Medway) reckons that King Bee’s ‘Must Bee The Music‘ simply borrowed its chorus and basic break from ‘Must Be The Music‘ by Secret Weapon, on Prelude in 1981 . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
This week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by Jay Strongman and James Hamilton

LAQUAN ‘Tear Your Soul Out’
WORD FOR WORD ‘Party People’
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO ‘We Love You’ (12″ Mix)
COOL 2 ‘Kind Of Groovy’ (Cool Breeze mix)
SBAM ‘Chica Boom’
MC SWAY & DJ KING TECH ‘Follow 4 Now’
LEE MARROW ‘To Go Crazy (In The 20th Century)’
DJ PIERRE ‘Get On The Floor’
RDS featuring SPI ‘We Can Do It’
WORKING WEEK ‘Holding On’
SUENO LATINO ‘Sueno Latino 1991 Remix’

DE LA SOUL ‘Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)’ (103¾bpm) (Big Life/Tommy Boy BLR 42R)
The daisy age rappers’ first new product since 1989 (so, in passing, how come they were nominated for a 1990 Brits award?), this debut single from their upcoming ‘De La Soul Is Dead’ album is currently promoed ahead of April 15 release as a CJ Mackintosh remixed single sider (with another of their laser etched pictorial flips), an ansaphone introed then typical drily chatted rolling jogger with a catchy Curiosity Killed The Cat-like “Hey, how ya doin’? Sorry you can’t get through. Why don’t you leave your name and your number, and I’ll get back to you?” chorus, driven through a doodling tenor sax by — in CJ’s mix at any rate—the bassline from Fat Larry’s ‘Act Like You Know’. To judge from its catalogue number, this promo seems more likely to be out as a remix rather than as the first commercial pressing.

SHAWN CHRISTOPHER ‘Another Sleepless Night’ (Arista 614 186)
Originally out last July, when credited to Mike ‘Hitman’ Wilson (its creator) featuring Shawn Christopher, and subsequently now a crossover hit in the US like it always deserved to be here, this multi-tracked soulful girl wailed and rapped terrific chunkily pounding attractive breezy bounder should hook you on first hearing in its Classic Mix (121½bpm), flipped by a sparser ‘D’ Train-ishly synthed wriggly latin style Extended Midday Mix (122bpm) and its piano jingled cantering Album Version (121½bpm), which sounds most like last year’s original but with an added ‘You Got The Love’-like segment.

N-JOI ‘Anthem’ (de/Construction PT 44446)
Another deservingly reissued floorfiller from last year, sure to fly following the crossover success of ‘Adrenalin’, this slow then bounding piano jangled jaunty raver in its The Original Mix (124½bpm) is now coupled with new more choppily wriggling The Mafia (124bpm) and twittery The Six Day Nightmare (125bpm) Mixes, plus— no relation — the fierce buzzingly bleeping ‘Malfunction‘ (124¾bpm). Continue reading “April 6, 1991: De La Soul, Shawn Christopher, N-Joi, Rumbledub, Wendell Williams”

BEATS & PIECES

FRANKIE KNUCKLES and David Morales apparently got back together specially just to create the remixes of Alison Limerick’s ‘Where Love Lives (Come On In)’ . . .True Faith With Final Cut’s positively final UK remix, ‘Take Me Away (Take Me Beyond Mix)’, slots Bridgett Grace’s a cappella over Rhythim Is Rhythim’s strangely phasing and scuffling ‘Beyond The Dance’ (with permission from Derrick May) . . . RePublic Records are setting up their own DJ mailing list, with room for just a few more on top: contact Gerry O on 071-837 2322 . . . ZYX Records are likewise developing a UK DJ mailing list: contact Alex Gold on 081-902 6398 . . . Nina Walsh is updating her alternative dance music DJ mailing list at London Records/ffrr, Chancellors House, Chancellors Road, London W6 9SG . . . Omen Recordings have picked up Hibrid’s ‘Twisted Tambourine’, two new versions being due as coupling for two fresh mixes of ‘Floorquake’, the latter originally having been on the label’s The Born EP’ promo twinpack credited to Doo Lally ‘D’, basically the same act under another name . . . Patti Day’s current UK club tour to promote ‘Drive Me’ is being accompanied by the chance to win a 1966 red convertible Ford Mustang worth £25,000, on view at her different venues, including Welling’s The Station and Uxbridge’s Regals (Thursday 28), Romford’s Hollywoods and Enfield’s The Palladium (Friday 29), Walton On Thames’s Elmbridge Leisure Centre, Deptford’s Champs, Central London’s Busbys and Astoria (Saturday 30) and dates in Scotland to come . . . Free The Soul, a new monthly soul-swing-ragga-rap night, starts this Wednesday (27) at Soho’s Jacquelines (corner of Wardour and Oxford Streets), with Taz Jay presenting DJ Haitch, George Kay, Bobby Gee, Prince Jammer, DJ Pino and Tony ‘Mix It Up’ Tee (no jeans or trainers) . . . Superstition, a “legal rave”, returns to the site of its Christmas Eve success for an Easter party this Thursday (28) at Westbourne Park’s Woody’s in Woodfield Road, with house DJs Noel Watson, Rhythm Doctor, Phil Asher, Ben (Groove) and Nick T upstairs, funk jocks Brian Norman, Stix and guests downstairs . . . Thursday also finds Mad Max and Ray Lock plus guests starting weekly Stress house-type nights at Norbury’s Enigma (side of Central Park, the old Metropolis), while the same duo this Saturday, and then the last Saturday of every month, launch a Mad-Lock Party at Lingfield’s Wire Mill, north of East Grinstead and Ray alone gets smart and trendy every Friday for The Gas Club at Soho’s Gass in Whitcomb Street, west of Leicester Square . . . Saturday (30) sees N-Joi hitting the weekly Ark night (no dress code for this one) at Southend On Sea’s Mr B’s, and Incognito appearing at Glasgow’s The Tunnel . . . Wally Badarou’s classic 1985 jazz-funk instrumental ‘Chief Inspector’ was — like its similar contemporary, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly’s ‘Twilight’ — a very influential and much sampled groove in its day, now jaunty enough to really get under the skin if it’s given a good chance this time, in Nomad Soul’s new mixes . . . Last week’s Record Mirror Single Of The Week, Gary Clail On-U Sound System’s ‘Human Nature (On The Mix)‘, is 110bpm, while ‘Rumours‘ is 90bpm . . . Michael ‘DJ Mike’ Mason in fact produced ‘Your Love Never Fails’ by Agapé Sounds featuring Richie Weeks . . . Femi Fem’s remixes of Wop Bop Torledo’s ‘Kissaway’ are 89bpm . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
This week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by New York’s DJ Moneypenny and James Hamilton

VOODOO CHILD ‘Permanent Green’ / ‘M4’
THE BASEMENT BOYS/THOSE GUYS ‘Tonight’ (Reverse Remix/Original Colored Girls Mix)
REESE ‘Bassline’ / ‘Funky Funk Funk’
MK ‘Get It Right’ / ‘Feel The Fire’
UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE Waveform EP: ‘Adrenalin’ / ‘Quadrosonic’ / ‘Back Road To Nirvana’
TRANSPHONIC Club Tools EP: ‘Every Day Of My Life’ / ‘Goddamn’ / ‘Incidental Meditation’ / ‘Bopa Loobop’
Z-FORMATION Intense EP: ‘Beyond The Bounds’ / ‘Deep Meditation’
STREETSIDE BOYZ ‘Do It To The Music’ / ‘Clap Your Hands’
INTELLECTUAL HARMONIOUS SANCTION ‘Influencia’ / ‘Drift & Dream’ / ‘Save The Whales’ / ‘Protagonistic Cry’
BLACK ORCHID ‘Techno Dreams’ (Dream Mix/Industrial Techno Mix) / ‘Baby Baby’
THE RHYTHM FACTOR ‘Phase 1’ / ‘Lose Control’
STATIC ‘The Native Dance’ / ‘Touch Me Baby’

ADDAMS AND GEE ‘Chung Kuo (Revisited)’ (102¼bpm) (Debut Records DEBTX 3108, via Pinnacle)
Without even so much as a matrix number to give any clues on its promoed white label, this, in fact, London DJs Nick Addams & Mike Gee created potentially smashbound if clichéd concoction runs — yawn, yawn (but it really works well!) — the funky drummer “rhythm” behind the hauntingly familiar melody from Vangelis’ ‘Chung Kuo‘ (you might not previously have known its name although you’ll recognise the tune immediately), flipped by the ’70s snippets-plundering tranquil tinkly trotting ‘Bless The Funk‘ (115bpm).

WAY TO GO ‘Fever’ (99½bpm) (US Tommy Boy TB 958)
Although out first in the States, this surging UK soul loper is a Chris Paul produced creation by nervily anguished South Harrow singer Robbie Chandler, in walking bass thumped and hi-hat chattered Radio Edit and Extended Version, or Justin Strauss’ tubular bells and piano punctuated cleaner more jittery but also more calmly rolling Remix, Remix Edit, and Version. From the way it’s printed, you are likely to think that the title is ‘Way To Go’ by Fever, right up until you hear the actual lyric!

RAPPIN’ IS FUNDAMENTAL ‘Rapping Is Fundamental’ (A&M/PM AMY 751)
Driven by a terrifically frisky sparse bluesy funk groove with good humoured backing harmonies reminiscent of ’60s soul if not ’50s doo-wop, and indeed called by them ‘doo-hop’, New York rappers Anthony (AB Money$) Mosley, Osten (Easy Mo Bee) Harvey and Darren (JR) Strand’s daisy age chugger is here in DJ Streets Ahead’s Brighton Daze and Ubiquity 12″ Remixes (109bpm), flipped more authentically by Easy Mo Bee’s Extended Remix and Radio Mix (108¾bpm) — such good fun it should be a smash, if there’s any justice. Continue reading “March 30, 1991: Addams And Gee, Way To Go, Rappin’ Is Fundamental, Alexander O’Neal, Ceybil”

BEATS & PIECES

JEFF YOUNG, having only recently given up DJing to concentrate on his day job, this week makes a surprise move to MCA Records as head of A&R, the hot rumour being that a nationally known DJ has been offered a directorship to replace him at A&M! . . . Jazz FM and Kiss 100 FM having just made changes to their DJ rosters, Capital FM also has revamped its weekday line-up following the sudden departure of John Sachs, apparently to pursue his new career as an author . . . Final Cut W/True Faith’s ‘Take Me Away’ (as it was originally credited) actually surfaced here on US Move The Crowd Records shortly before Christmas 1988, I now see from my records, while around August 1989 it was then credited just to Bridget Grace on US Atlantic — how many people knew that? — it being the mixes from both these that were combined on the recently mentioned US Paragon Records pressing credited to Bridgett Grace, a few copies of which are on offer to ‘trainspotters’ for £6 each (postage included) from Network, Stratford House, Stratford Place, Camp Hill, Birmingham B12 0HT. . . Monie Love vs Adeva’s ‘Ring My Bell‘, although a brisk and breezy instant dancefloor hit, unfortunately sounds a bit muddy and monotonous on radio, so might not become a real pop smash when out next week . . . Mantronix’s breezily lightweight ‘Don’t Go Messin’ With My Heart‘, like their import ‘Step To Me (Do Me)‘, is again nasally whined by new girl Jade Trini but with a burst of rap from Bryce Luvah, in Album Version plus more chunkily percussive US 12″ Mix and Dub treatments (113bpm) . . . Friends Of Matthew’s ‘Out There‘ now is on Pulse 8 (12 LOSE 8, via Total/BMG) . . . Femi Fem of the Young Disciples’ remix of Wop Bop Torledo’s ‘Kissaway (Soulamuffin Mix)‘ has a very pleasantly keyboarded instrumental Pt. II and 7″ Edit . . . Chad Jackson, hit maker and former world mixing champ, is just back from a DJing tour of sweltering Australia and between co-producing the next Yazz album is looking for fun clubs to play in here: offers to Justin Tunstall or Danny De Matos on 081-545 0111 at Contact Management . . . The Jelly Club, with indie grooves spinning DJ Dave and others dishing out free vodka jellies, opens this Thursday (21) at the Soho Theatre Club behind Charing Cross Road’s Astoria in London . . . Galliano are live at Brixton’s The Fridge this Saturday (23) . . . Sunday (24) should see Yogi Horton with Bradford’s DJ Sammon and more at a 1pm all day Scottish rave in Troon’s Pebbles Hotel . . . Frances Nero’s ‘Footsteps Following Me’ was definitely the soul anthem at Pwllheli, its “trust me, trust me” lyric having already wormed its way inside many soul fans’ brains . . . MC Jammy Hammy’s telephoned contribution turns out to be on a forthcoming Altern 8 rather than Nexus 21 single . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
This week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by Graeme Park and James Hamilton

ALISON LIMERICK ‘Where Love Lives (Come On In)’ (122bpm) (Arista 614 208)
A genuinely massive floorfiller for the last five months although it never hit the pop market, this pelvis-twitching sinewy girl’s piano jangled then sparsely pulsing attractive canterer rightly gets relaunched this week with a bracketed addition to its title in, their very last together, Frankie Knuckles and David Morales’ vocal Classic Mix, Frankie’s more gently tinkling (with a beat skipping shift of emphasis as it gets going) lush strings backed instrumental Cut To The Bone, and David’s drier more electro instrumental Red Zone Mix, which actually correspond with the original promo pressing’s Knuckles & Morales, Knuckles, and Red Zone Mixes. Further brand new remixes by the duo are due to follow.

DEEE-LITE ‘ESP (Oujee Extended Mix)’
A MAN CALLED ADAM ‘I Want To Know’ (The One Mix/Dogs Of Peace Mix)
AGAPÉ SOUNDS featuring RICHIE WEEKS ‘Your Love Never Fails’
GROOVE AND THE GANG ‘In The Mood To Party’
BLACK ART ‘Manifest’
BLACK TULIP AND WENDELL A MORRISON JNR ‘A Song Of Love’
LUCKY STRIKE featuring CHAMPAGNE ‘Body To Body’
LIVING COLOUR ‘Love Rears Its Ugly Head’ (Soulpower Mix/Hip Hop Mix) / ‘Elvis Is Dead’ (Elvis Is In The House Mix/Zans Is Dead Mix)
MIKKHIEL ‘You Can Make It Better (Craig Loftis Gut Bucket Mix)’
MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE ‘Reach Out For Love’
IRENE ORITZ ‘My House’
RARE ARTS ‘Boriqua Posse’
WALLY BADAROU ‘Chief Inspector’ (Nomad Soul remixes)
MARINA VAN ROOY ‘Solid Love’ / ‘Never Let You Go’
TONY MORAN ‘Same Sun, Same Sky’

REBEL M.C. (featuring Tenna Fly) ‘The Wickedest Sound’ (64-128bpm) (Desire WANTX 40, via Pinnacle)
Different and well wicked, this starts with a toasting intro in strange stately slow reggae before erupting into a frantic ragga rapped hip house shuffler with the same whistling bleeps piping through both parts, in a Don Gorgon Mix flipped at 33⅓rpm by a rap-less similar jaunty Soundclash Mix and Instrumental, out this week.

TARA KEMP ‘Hold You Tight’ (Giant/WB W0020T)
Finally out here in three brand new remixes by David Shaw & Winston Jones after being huge for ages on import in its seven original mixes, this squeakily plaintive attractive San Franciscan blonde’s unhurried repetitive jiggly jogging lurcher now has an acappella introed percussion clacking All Night Extended Version (100bpm), drier funky drum tapped lightly swingbeat Tight Mix (102¼bpm), and similar more chunkily percussive Hold It Now Hit It Mix (102bpm), all still monotonously mesmeric with much simple sweet appeal. Continue reading “March 23, 1991: Alison Limerick, Rebel M.C., Tara Kemp, Orchestra JB, Club House”

BEATS & PIECES

Record Mirror’s printed directions for finding The Main Event weekender near Pwllheli turned out to be much used, and all who made the journey in daylight raved about the mountainous scenery! The Butlins Starcoast World camp was such a nice place that people actually had respect for their surroundings, chucking less litter and beer than usual. In fact, the age group attending was older than at the last few Prestatyn events, with the perhaps odd result that the semi ‘chillout’ soul-jazz room was the largest venue on the camp. The venues were so far apart, and the night weather so cold and/or wet, that people were polarised in their taste and mainly stayed in the room of their choice, Nobody caught all the star PAs and DJs as they too appeared only in the one room that matched their music style. Jocks like Paul Oakenfold and Graeme Park whipped up a frenzy in the Red Zone warehouse, with vertiginous flashing lights and other gantry-mounted exciting effects. Tim Westwood and the rappers funked up the more basic Fun House, while Chris Hill had formation dancing and Kev Edwards for some reason kept letting off pyrotechnic thunderflashes in the massive ‘disco’ decorated Soul Mine (which cannibalised the little-attended Jazz Club when its sound equipment was needed). Eve Gallagher’s ‘Love Come Down‘ stood out as a much repeated floor pleaser. Three thousand and five hundred attended the relatively short-notice weekend. There’s room for twice that number, but 5,000 is the limit for the next one on November 1/2/3 . . . Gilles Peterson has been invited back to DJ on Jazz FM — it seems he had the station’s largest audience . . . Omar has been signed by Talkin Loud, who will first of all repromote his original Kongo Dance releases . . . Friends Of Matthew’s ‘Out There‘ is out fully in a fortnight on the Pulse 8 label . . . Epic launches Belgium’s A.R.S. Productions logo here with the UK release of the Quadrophonia import in three weeks . . . Rachel Turner is running a UK office and building a DJ mailing list to promote Italy’s Flying Records, at 45A Greenmeads, Woking, Surrey GU22 9QJ (Tel: 0483 766519, Fax: 0483 755949) . . . Sue Macauley and Angie Edwards have set up as independent club pluggers Press To Play, at 138B West Hill, Putney, London SW15 2UE (Tel: 081-780 9070, Fax: 081-780 9766), working some future releases from labels like Reachin’, Truelove, and Rumour . . . Paul James, having had a success promoting his first Shakedown soul-hip hop-house night at Wellington’s Rumours, near Telford, is back there every second Tuesday (starting March 12) and is looking for suitable PAs on 0691 658673 . . . Ben Howard and guest DJs spin classic house-garage-soul nostalgia on free admission at Reunion ’91 Wednesdays at Colchester’s The Venue, starting this week (13) . . . The Twelfth Hour noon-to-midnight alldayer this Sunday (17) at Plymouth’s Academy stars Nightmares On Wax, A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dredd, Shades Of Rhythm, LFO, Asmo and more with DJs like Kevin Scott, Martyn ‘The Hat’, North & South: £12 ticket details from Kicking Back Leisure on 0202 546093 . . . US soul legends Lenny Williams, Sam Dees, Terry Callier, David Sea and Harvey Scales all appear live at the Caister ‘Back To Our Roots’ Soul Weekend on April 5/6/7 in Great Yarmouth’s Vauxhall Holiday Park, with DJs Gary Dennis, Bob Cosby, Ian Clark, Chris ‘Charlie’ Brown, Tony Fernandez, Dave Anthony, Max Rees, Dave Morrison, Paul Clark, Steve Jackson, Andy Davies, Kevin Beadle, Jamie Trundle and Richard of Richard’s Parties (£55 booking details from TAC on 0702 347237, discounts if you take your own caravan!) . . . Camden Lock’s Dingwalls closed last weekend for redevelopment and could well be bulldozed flat by the time you read this . . . Definition Of Sound’s seven-inch and Extended Live Version of ‘Wear Your Love Like Heaven‘ are based on the Hombres’ original US version of ‘Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)‘ from 1967, covered here in 1970 (and recently re-recorded) by Jonathan King as just ‘Let It All Hang Out‘ . . . Stereo MC’s use the title ‘Lost In Music’ but Sinitta has just remade the whole Sister Sledge oldie of the same name . . . The Mixmasters are following their ‘Night Fever Megamix’ with a Wham! medley called ‘The Bad Boys Megamix’ . . . Herb Alpert’s next UK single will not be the import ‘North On South St’ . . . Love, the logo of Dave Dorrell’s label, now graces a promotional slipmat that’s so rigid and sticky from the ink on the topside that it may be more of a hindrance than help! . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
This week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by Streets Ahead and James Hamilton

MONIE LOVE Vs ADEVA ‘Ring My Bell’ (Touchdown Mix/Upper Cut Mix/L-Plate Mix)
S’EXPRESS ‘Find ‘Em Fool ‘Em Forget ‘Em’ (Stax Mix/Qwerty Club Mix) / ‘I Like It’
WOP BOP TORLEDO ‘Kissaway (Soulamuffin Mix)’
ROZALLA ‘Faith (In The Power Of Love)’ (Chic Mix/Doom Mix)
REDHEAD KINGPIN AND THE FBI ‘Get It Together’ / ‘Harlem Brown’
CONGRESS ‘Better Grooves’ / ‘40 Miles’
RUN DMC ‘Faces’ / ‘Back To Hell (Remix)’
INCOGNITO ‘Inside Life’ (Dealt Up Mix/Bluey Mix/Smooth Mix)
KATHERINE E ‘I’m Alright’
TRICKY DISCO ‘House Fly’ / ‘Fly Spray’

FRANCES NERO ‘Footsteps Following Me’ (105bpm) (Debut DEBTX 3109, via Pinnacle)
This Ian Levine & Rick Gianatos produced Sister Sledge ‘Thinking Of You’-inspired beefily pushing slinky roller is reissued next week, newly flipped by Steve McCutcheon & Darren Pearce’s plonking piano-introed more pedestrian Sole Mix (108bpm) and guitar chinked less different, so better, Lace Up Mix (105¼bpm). Frances, from Detroit, previously had one single on Motown’s associated Soul label.

GALLIANO ‘Nothing Has Changed (All Aboard Mix)’ (78bpm) (Talkin Loud TLKX 6, via Phonogram)
Produced by veteran jazz jock Chris Bangs, this superb sinuous stately slow roller features a gorgeous languidly meandering husky sly rap spiced by some amusing old nautical talk, weaving slinkily through delicate guitar, Roy Ayers’ vibes and chorusing girls, seagulls introing its jazzy Instrumental (78½bpm), coupled with the sombrely subdued but faster talking more juddery jogging ‘Little Ghetto Boy (Remix)’ (93bpm). A separate limited-edition promo only ‘Nothing Has Changed (Remix)’ (TLKDJ 10) is stripped down by Massive’s Johnny Dollar to the sparser sound of the drum and the bass in a Maiden Voyage Mix and Dub (78bpm), with — evidently taken from the follow-up — a girl moaned fast talking nervy Live Jazz Mix of ‘Power And Glory’ (116½bpm).

2 TUFF ‘Jazz Thang’ (Intrigue Records IGE 14T, via Panther Music)
The east London rap-swingers make their own friskily fingersnappin’ adaptation of the CFM Band’s ‘Jazz It Up’, with a sweetly scatting girl’s “it’s just a jazz thing, shooby dooby doo wah” repeatedly cooing through some quietly muttered suave male rap and bursts of light harmony vocalese, in The Rap and The Song (108¾/217½bpm), The Instrumental (217¾/109bpm) and more deliberately chugging The Version (109bpm) treatments. Great stuff. Continue reading “March 16, 1991: Frances Nero, Galliano, 2 Tuff, Jay Williams, Marva Hicks”

BEATS & PIECES

COLIN DALE has been using Bridgett Grace’s a cappella from True Faith featuring Final Cut’s ‘Take Me Away’ as an intro to his ‘Abstract Dance’ Sunday night show on London’s Kiss 100 fm for the last six months. It adds to the previously detailed list one other rare (and, he says, best) version, a white label of the original on Paragon with seven mixes, including two techno remixes . . . Chapter & The Verse’s terrific jiggly jumping jazz rap ‘Black Whip‘ (106¾bpm) reveals its pre-November origin with a reference to “Thatcher“, but its newer Part two-like less subtle, busier more enthusiastic The R&B Mix (Rham! VRSTX 1) overlays this with an updated “Major, I’m watching you“, too! . . . Paul Haig’s ‘Flight X’ (118bpm) was promoed and initially released as a funky pure percussion groove in the Boilerhouse boys’ relatively plain School Mix and Give The D.J. A Break (Circa Records YRTX 47), but is now also out with an added staccato rap by Doopie of the She Rockers as Paul Haig featuring The Voice Of Reason in the boys’ more fully textured bassily bounding New School Mix (YRRR 47), flipped by their piano jangled similarly bounding Music School Instrumental plus (presumably the original?) its synth jittered and washed much less freely flowing Mantronik Mix . . .Franschene’s commercial 12-inch of ‘Go Sister’ substitutes a jittery scratching ‘Not Half Baked’ instrumental (124bpm) instead of the white label’s buffalo gals introed alternative vocal mix (which doubtless will reappear as either the forthcoming JFX or Hip Hop Remix), the original Hip Hop Mix being ratified as ‘Go Sista (12″ Vocal Mix)’ . . . Deee-Lite’s ‘How Do You Say…Love’ is after all, in fact, out as only a song lacking Pal Joey Dub . . . The Creations featuring Debbie Sharp’s ‘Pay The Price’ (118¼bpm) — not the 1967 Al Kent oldie — was originally promoed with the suggestion that it might be on a new label called Loco but is, in fact, out now on the main Tam Tam Records logo (TTT42, via Sony Music) . . . Innocence’s ‘Remember The Day’ proves to be out next week, while Tribal House’s ‘Mainline’ is out now, a mournful guy and girl moaned wriggly rambling strider with a steadily loping bassline prodded by some Matt Bianco like “let’s go“, in Chep’s Mix, sparser Chep’s Dub Mix (119½bpm) and sinewy Winston’s Mix (119bpm) versions . . .Steve Hodge (Truro) reckons the guitar intro on MC Kinky’s ‘Get Over It‘ sounds like T.Rex’s ‘Cadillac‘, flip of the 1972 hit ‘Telegram Sam’ . . . Young Disciples’ ‘Apparently Nothin’‘ (102½bpm) sounds like it borrows its tuned tympani from Chuck Jackson . . . André Jacobs concedes that his neighbour Mark Ryder did precede him by etching details into label-less vinyl, but points out that it was, in fact, an earlier Clubland featuring Quartz Swedish pressing that inspired him (the first to do so in Britain) to etch label details and messages actually between the tracks of his D-Zone Records releases, something Mark is now doing too — OK? . . . Woodford Green-based Bannerama (read that carefully, not Bananarama!) both hire out ready made, and made to order customised, massive wall hanging banners of the sort that Nicky Holloway first popularised years ago. Ideal instant decor for raves and the like: details on 081 505 6041 . . . David Morales and Frankie Knuckles guest at Soho’s revamped The Milk Bar this Wednesday (6) . . . Sindecut and others appear with DJs Master Tone, Youngblood and Dauntless at the one-off Love this Thursday (7) in Yeovil’s The Studios . . . Weymouth’s big Bleepmouth Weekender 1991 No 1, snowed off last month, is rescheduled for this weekend (8/9/10) at Maximes, with N-Joi, Nexus 21, Nightmares On Wax, A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dredd, DJs Rule, Shades Of Rhythm, Asmo, Ubik and other acts plus DJs Darren Lee, Kevin Scott, Bob Povey, Johnny Walker, Fabio & Groove Rider, North & South, Martyn ‘The Hat’, Phil Perry, DJ Dance, Sean Holmes, Paul Gotel, Mac and many more, spread over Friday night/Saturday afternoon and night/Sunday afternoon — full booking and accommodation details on 0202 546093 . . . BBC1-TV’s ‘Holiday 91′ featured Butlin’s Starcoast World last week, days before The Main Event weekender there) . . . Andy Baker is busy Thurs/Fri/Saturdays at Rhyl’s Roxanne’s on the Promenade, with specialist dance Fridays really firin’. . . Zammo, Jimmy Mack and Wayne Dunbar run The Rhumba Club Fridays (10pm onwards) at Perth’s Roxanne’s . . . Praise’s ‘Only You‘ (90¾bpm), the music from the telly ad for Fiat’s Tempra, having further confirmed that TV commercials can sell records (if not cars), how long will it be before those Winalot dogs barking ‘She Loves You’ — much more fun! — make it into the chart too? . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
This week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by James Hamilton and Juan Atkins

METROPLEX/SLASH/INTERFACE PROMO SAMPLER EP:  SHAKIR ‘Sonar 1, 2, 3’ / PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS ‘Mind You Don’t Trip’ /  INFINITI ‘Sunlight’ / REEL BY REAL ‘Surkit’
TECHNO GROOVES ‘Mach 3’ (‘The Cry’ / ‘Ladies’)
STEAL ‘Love Is In The Air’
DATA BASS ‘Trip In The Night’
THE PROJECT ‘Understanding’
MASTER OC AND DJ DANO ‘No-Where’
STUKAS ‘You Make Me Feel So Good (Bxtaro Mix)’
ENERGIZE ‘Report To The Dancefloor (Robert Gordon Remix)’
DIRTY MIND ‘What Time Is It?’

The Remix Of RICHIE RICH’S SALSA HOUSE (featuring Ralphi Rosario) ‘You Used To Salsa’ (122¾bpm) (ffrr FX 156)
‘Evil’ Eddie Richards (Jolly Roger that was) had the bright idea of “doing a Candi Staton” and combining Richie Rich’s Salsa House’ with Ralphi Rosario’s ‘You Used To Hold Me’. This pounding, jangling, scurrying and wailing result snuck out as a limited white label before the boys at ffrr (who own the rights to the tracks) heard it and liked it so much that they gave Eddie a deal and put it out properly! Richie Rich’s unremixed original ‘Salsa House’ will follow on a second 12-inch (despite ffrr’s initial pressing being wrongly labelled to show it as flip already), this first one in fact being flipped by Ralphi Rosario’s catchy Xavier Gold (a girl) wailed and scolded, hi-hat pshta pshta-ed ultra vigorously bounding original ‘You Used To Hold Me’ (123¼bpm). The Source, True Faith, now this — what next?

TRUE FAITH featuring Bridgett Grace with FINAL CUT ‘Take Me Away’ (Network NWKT 20, via Pinnacle)
Everyone by now must surely know that this Bridgett (her correct spelling) wailed 1989 Detroit house track has been, as previously detailed, notoriously adapted and bootlegged in several guises. This first official UK release of Final Cut’s genuine article is here in three treatments, the A-side’s Kaos ‘Definition Of Love’ jangling piano started, beat skippingly surging then bubbly percolating Pinned Up Mix (122½-122¼bpm) being a new shorter version of the initially promoed legal remake of the Pin Up Girls label’s bootleg remix, flipped by a low frequency oscillation punctuated quietly tapping and bleeping Nexus 21 Remix (122¾bpm), plus an original nervily galloping and scurrying Extended House Mix (121¾bpm).

WOP BOP TORLEDO ‘Kissaway’ (89bpm) (Ten Records TENX 363)
It seems that, despite being white labelled (as by Wop Bop) and sounding superb, ‘Still Something Special‘ is considered to be just too sophisticated for release right now and instead we get the ambiguously husky Marianne Morgan’s also attractive although far less exceptional, breathily lisped timeless sweetly sultry swayer (a pity it fades so abruptly), flipped by the Frankie Knuckles & Dave Morales remixed jungle noises introed/outroed clicking and throbbing ‘Jungle Fever (Exotic Version)‘ (115bpm), not the promoed mix, plus the Marianne gurgled gentle then pent-up jiggly ‘Take Me While The Going’s Good (Daktari Mix)‘ (100bpm), all helped by some excellent searing sax. The good news is that ‘Still Something Special’ will be follow-up. Continue reading “March 9, 1991: Richie Rich/Ralphi Rosario, True Faith, Wop Bop Torledo, Awesome 3, Creative Thieves”

BEATS & PIECES

GEE STREET has been saved as a label in its own right after being signed to a six year worldwide licensing deal with Island by the latter’s legendary founder, Chris Blackwell, guaranteeing financial backing to further develop its acts like the Outlaw Posse, Queen Latifah, Richie Rich, PM Dawn, plus of course the Stereo MC’s, who are already signed to Island’s 4th & B’way logo (incidentally, the commercial release of their ‘Lost In Music’ is stickered, not with the usual ‘Parental Guidance Advised, Explicit Lyrics’ warning, but with ‘Spiritual Guidance Advised, Explicit Concepts‘ — like it!) . . . Frances Nero’s ‘Footsteps Following Me‘, the Ian Levine produced Sister Sledge-style underground soul ‘sleeper’, huge for months, has been picked up from Ian’s own Motorcity label for reissue on Debut as a harder more contemporary remix by Massivo member Steve McCutcheon . . . ‘What Is This Thing Called Love?‘, the standout from his ‘All True Man’ album, will be Alexander O’Neal’s new single . . . Jazz FM’s actual founder and guiding light, David Lee has now left his job as the station’s musical director (but remains a shareholder and company director) in a revamp of its programming style . . . Kiss 100 fm in London is following its New York inspiration, WKRS (Kiss FM), by recruiting top British dance music remixers-producers to create exclusive ‘master mixes’ of established dance classics for airplay on the station (and, no doubt, possible future commercial release?) — remixers/producers interested in getting involved should contact Lindsay Wesker on 071-700 6100 . . . Mark Kavanagh has launched a sponsorship financed, free news sheet for Irish DJs and dance fans, Remix, billed as “Ireland’s only independent dance update“, distributed by record shops in Dublin and Belfast or by mail, in return for a large (A4 size) stamped self addressed envelope, direct from Mark at 50 Granitefield, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin — with its second edition due this Friday, the first issue datelined February 9 was only a four page folded single sheet, but it was certainly up to (if not well ahead of!) date and future ones are sure to grow . . . MC Jammy Hammy returns to vinyl with a guest appearance, recorded via telephone answering machine, on the next Nexus 21 single, another “instantly massive UK techno rave stomper, in two mixes!” . . . Faith Sundays (9pm to midnight) have started at Bristol’s The Tube in Frogmore Street, with drum and bass selectors Daddy G. Tin Tin, Nick Warren, Deli G, Paul Morrissey, Dr Jam and Steve Aspey spinning funk-soul-house-rap . . . Tricky Disco’s long awaited follow-up, out in April, will be called ‘House Fly‘ — shades of ‘The Bee’? . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton and Tim Jeffery

BLACK BOX ‘Strike It Up’ (DJ Lelewel Mix/Sensitive Mix/Original Remix/Hard Core Remix)
JAM JAM ‘Everybody (Watcha Gonna Do)’
TERRACE In-Motion EP: ‘In-Motion’ / ‘Seventh City’ / ‘Bewitched’ / ‘Gratiot’
WILL DOWNING ‘The World Is A Ghetto’ (Universal Mix/Red Zone Mix/Ghetto Club Mix/Harlem Club Mix/Dreamy Mix)
KENNY LARKIN ‘Integration’ / ‘Colony’ / ‘Metropolis’ / ‘Colonize’
THE BINGO BOYS ‘How To Dance’ (Extended Radio Version/Ambient NY Mix)
GARY CLAIL ‘Human Nature’ / ‘Rumours Of War’
CANDI & THE BACKBEAT ‘The World Just Keeps On Turning’
THE MUNCH BUNCH ‘Chocolate City’

INNOCENCE ‘Remember The Day’ (Cooltempo COOLX 226)
Originally scheduled for mid-February release, but only just promoed, so probably not out fully for a little while yet, this moody slow organ, sax and vibrant electric piano notes-started then funkily jiggling subdued cool sweet Gee Morris-cooed jogger is perhaps even more attractive and atmospheric than usual, in Final (106bpm), percussively clopping bassy Dub (105¼bpm), and rhythmlessly drifting languid Ambient Mixes. Could it be the one to finally give them the crossover hit that their massive dancefloor popularity suggests is now long overdue?

DICK ‘Weekend’ (125½bpm) (Low Spirit/yo-bro 12 YOBR 17, via Total/BMG)
WestBam’s real life brother DJ Dick bursts onto the scene with an excitingly frantic, rampaging and rattling raver punctuated by self publicising shouts and bursts of phonetic rap, in a Club Mix followed continuously by its Beats, flipped by fractionally slower Instrumental and, linked through an electro lull, Zombie Mix versions, guaranteed to leave dancers breathless!

LISA M ‘Love’s Heartbreak’ (104¾bpm) (Polydor PZ 125)
Out this week but promoed with just one track, possibly flipped commercially by the seven incher’s electric piano bubbled catchily loping ‘Love Bug’ (120½bpm), this excellent continuously scratching slithery CJ Mackintosh remixed, Phil Chill produced rapping Brixton girl’s simple strong jiggly chugger has a nice telephone effect halfway and some counterpointing conversational male rap, plus a naggingly repeated jaunty little horn riff that’s instantly familiar (except I can’t place it!). The promo label, incidentally, says it’s 112bpm — shurely shome mishtake? Continue reading “March 2, 1991: Innocence, Dick, Lisa M, Massive Attack, Clive Griffin”

BEATS & PIECES

NETWORK RECORDS, following last week’s lead story, have initially promoed True Faith featuring Final Cut’s ‘Take Me Away’ (NWKT 20) as a single sider in just their own more jerkily spurting remake of the bootleg Pin Up Girl Remix, original singer Bridgett Grace echoingly wailing through its by turns jangling, pounding, bubbling and shuffling amalgamation with Kaos’s ‘Definition Of Love’ piano (123-122bpm), this pressing being a bit of a collectors’ item as the mix on it will not be out commercially . . . Jay Mondi, no longer on Ten Records, is another to add to the growing list of those who have actually covered rather than bootlegged ‘Take Me Away’, her Chris Paul produced piano and organ pounded bounding treatment in Raw, Smooth, and Acappella Mixes (121½bpm) being already out on Raw Bass (12 R BASS 010) . . . Yvonne Elliman’s 1976 UK and US smash slinkily jogging ‘Love Me‘ (75¼-75bpm) has obviously now become a rare groove as its original seven-inch version is bootlegged —credited to Evon Elemen! — on a currently fast selling 12-inch (Midnight Music WCC 116), flipped perhaps more unexpectedly by Rupert Holmes’s lurching 1979 US Christmas number one ‘Escape (The Pina Colada Song)’ (70bpm) — spelt, this side with no artist credit, as ‘Pinacolladar’! . . . Jazzy Jason is launching a “real hardcore dance music” Pure Bhoomie label alongside the more hip hop orientated Blapps! Records, and is building a DJ mailing list for it on 0860 797652 (only apply if you and your crowd are truthfully tuff!) . . . Sony Music Entertainment UK (formerly CBS) has completely stopped manufacturing vinyl records in this country, all its vinyl coming from its Dutch pressing plant. Already in the US it’s almost impossible to find anything new other than dance releases (thankfully) on vinyl . . . Ten Records have packaged Inner City’s ‘Till We Meet Again’ in a limited edition gatefold sleeve, its two pockets however holding only one record (TENG 337), with Kevin ‘Master Reese’ Saunderson’s muted trumpet introed resonant bass bumped but strange very disjointedly surging Reese In Rio Mix (103¼bpm), better bassily loping trumpet rasped instrumental Places And Spaces Mix (102bpm) and self descriptive Almost Acappella Mix, the second pocket being to encourage purchase of the now also due separate stronger Remix (TENR 337), with Kevin’s sitar plinked solid jiggly chugging Reese In London Mix, sparser Reese In Detroit Mix and original far from compulsively danceable Reese In Rio Mix (all 103¼bpm) — the song is whinneyingly duetted by Paris Grey with fellow Chicagoan Byron Stingily from Ten City, except she recorded in Detroit and he recorded in New York two months later, and never the twain did meet! . . . Optimism Records/Arista have reissued Xpansions’ ‘Elevation’, yet another revived club hit from last year with sales then that didn’t reflect its floor support, now retitled as ‘Move Your Body (Elevation)‘ (613 683) . . . The Redmen’s ‘You’re My Way’, reviewed on import last week, is out here on Rumour Records in three weeks . . . DJ Atomico Herbie’s jerkily pounding D.J. H. featuring Stefy ‘Think About… (12″ Mix)‘ (119¾bpm) is here coupled by just its totally different wukka wukked then reedy organ jittered rattling sparse instrumental Crazy Mix (120bpm) . . . Flav-A-Flav-A-Flav presents Son Of Bazerk Featuring No Self Control And The Band (to give them their full name!) “change the style” of ‘Change The Style‘ from its basic James Brown groove (114bpm) with abrupt slow reggae (80bpm), sweet soul (38¼bpm), and heavy metal outro (117bpm) interruptions — these could come as a surprise, so do be warned! . . . March 1/2/3 in fact finds three weekenders at different Butlins camps, The Main Event at PwIlheli’s Starcoast World, the gay CAMP camp at Skegness’s Funcoast World, and the Scottish/North Of England Unity at Ayr’s Wonderwest World, this being apparently the first full scale weekender ever in Scotland, with DJs Carl Cox, Sasha, Fabio, Groove Rider, Nightmares On Wax (yes, dee-jaying), Jackie Morrison, Joe Deacon, Scot Gibson, Zamo and Harri, plus appearances by Caveman, N-Joi, Sindecut, Xpansions, K-Klass and more (£50 booking details on 0382 644003) . . . DJ Tat, DJ Clifton and Martin C have just started free admission weekly Chill Out Tuesdays 7-11pm in Chesterfield’s The Spires (next to the Regal), promising a musical cross section (but no visible Y-fronts!) . . . New York’s Shag club opens in London this Thursday (21) and then weekly at Wall Street in Mayfair’s Bruton Place, with Pulse DJs, Humanoid and Mental Cube supplying split level sounds . . . Ubiquity takes place at the Horizon Club on Kilburn High Road in London this Friday (22) featuring DJs Tim Simenon, Streets Ahead and Morgan with a PA by Chapter & The Verse . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
The week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by James Hamilton and Paul Gotel

TOM TOM ‘Replay’
SPACETRAX (VOL. ONE) ‘Where Are You Now’
CLUBLAND ‘Pump That Sound (Like A Megablast) (Blow Your Mind Mix)’
DIGITAL BOY ‘OK! Alright’
DIGITALIS ‘Accepting’
BASS BUMPERS ‘Can’t Stop Dancing’

HERB ALPERT ‘North On South St.’ (US A&M 75021 2356 1)
The delicately tootling trumpeter’s hottest dance hit for years, on a massive seven track 12-inch (if you’re gonna use vinyl you might as well use it!), this starts out as a mumbling and giggling accompanied wriggly little jiggler in its LP Version (117¼bpm), before being remixed in Bobby Konders’s ambient effects backed whompingly striding lean Massive Sound 12″, Massive Sound 7″, and more sparsely smacking Late Night Massive Sound Remix treatments (all 117½bpm), flipped by Greg Smith’s 117.2bpm “c’mon let’s work” punctuated different funkily burbling Hip Housed Out 12″, Black Riot-type organ prodded pshta pshta-ing Deep Dub Version and similarly cantering Deep House Main Mix 12″ treatments (all 117¼bpm), the whole lot adding up to nearly 38 minutes. We’ll be lucky to get just three of these mixes on one piece of vinyl if it comes out here, thanks to UK chart rules.

FRIENDS OF MATTHEW ‘Out There’ (MCN 001, via Slammer)
A huge seller at Vinyl Zone already, this white labelled creation by three well known but, for the time being, anonymous club DJs from south of London is an ethereal choirboy-like “see me, feel me, hear me, love me, touch me” cooed and “is anybody out there” vocoder interspersed through a primarily instrumental thrumming frisky attractive electro shuffler, with some Kraftwerk ‘Autobahn’-type effects but no real bleeps, in Raw (125½bpm), “let’s go back to your childhood” introed Techno (125½bpm) and Garage (124bpm) Mixes, coupled also by the beefier leaping frequency oscillations and ‘TSOP’ brass combining ‘Obey‘ (126bpm), worth finding.

MC BUZZ B ‘Never Change’
JOHNNY PARKER ‘Love It Forever’
49ERS ‘How Long’
TARANTELLA ‘La Amor’
DEEP BLUE ‘Deep Blue’

L.A. MIX ‘Coming Back For More’ (A&M/PM 397 089-1)
Not quite as good an album for dancers as their variety-packed ‘On The Side’ debut set from 1989, Les & Emma Adams’ second LP is, however, more mature and designed to flow for consistent home listening, its two infectious floor-filling standouts being the already much mentioned Whispers’ ‘It’s A Love Thing’ title line adapting D. Marcus C. rapped jumpily chugging ‘Love Thang’ (109¼bpm), and the maddeningly catchy Pink Floyd meet Soul II Soul-type jittery swaying Angel C. chorussed ‘Live For Love’ (99bpm), not to be missed, while there are also of course the fruity sax farted and Leslie George souled slinkily rolling ‘Coming Back For More‘ (101¼bpm), Beverley Brown wailed and D. Marcus C. rapped current lovely ‘Mysteries Of Love‘ (101¼bpm), Juliet Roberts cooed pleasant shuffling ‘One Love One Touch‘ (104¼bpm), Juliet & Leslie duetted sinuously attractive (but what silly lyrics!) ‘We Shouldn’t Hold Hands In The Dark‘ (95¼bpm), Mike Stevens saxed jiggly instrumental ‘Slap‘ (105¼bpm), annoying acappella chant started Juliet sung (with a naturally held long note) gospel-ish undulating ‘Miss My Love‘ (103¼bpm), Juliet chanted jazz-funkily bounding deliberately dated ‘All Mine‘ (120¼bpm), and Zee (a strident girl) wailed repetitive slinky pop ‘Discover Reality‘ (111¼bpm). Continue reading “February 23, 1991: Herb Alpert, Friends Of Matthew, L.A. Mix, Asmo, The Born EP”

James Hamilton’s BEATS & PIECES
The column that DJs read

NETWORK RECORDS are rush releasing here the suddenly much talked about True Faith featuring Final Cut’s ‘Take Me Away’ (in three versions, its original 1989 mix from Detroit’s Paragon Records plus not only a remake of the current bootleg remix that incorporates Kaos’s ‘Definition Of Love’, to which Network conveniently has the rights as well, but also a brand new remix by Nexus 21), this logical looking successor to The Source featuring Candi Staton being the track that amongst other treatments was remade by The Mix Master (an alter ego of DJ Lelewel) as the Italian flip to ‘Grand Piano’, his adaptation being then bootlegged a year ago as part of the ‘Take Sting Away On Acid EP’ and now remixed on the Pin Up Girls label, while a cover version by Sweet Mercy featuring Natasha has already been about on Blip and another by the Awesome 3 is due soon on A&M:PM! . . . The DJ Mixing Championships UK Final is being held at Chippenham’s Golddiggers on Wednesday, March 6, while the World Final will presumably again take place as part of the International DJ Convention, due to run through the first weekend in April (venues and precise dates unspecified so far) . . . Ashley Waring has been joined at Island doing club and radio promotion for 4th + B’way by musical “know it all” Gavin Wright, previously at Balham’s Record Corner shop — 4+B incidentally have picked up the CFM Band’s enduring import hit ‘Jazz It Up’ for UK release in a fortnight, and are re-releasing Wally Badarou’s ultra influential old ‘Chief Inspector’ from 1985 (source of countless riffs and rhythm tracks since!) in a brand new remix by Nomad Soul . . . Under Cover Movement’s ‘Moonstompin” is being fully distributed via Pinnacle from the end of this week, its creator Mark Ryder (re the review two issues ago) clarifying that he started out by always etching messages into the vinyl of his Strictly Underground logo’s releases (which last summer, of course, included an otherwise totally label-less black pressing of TTO) and it was actually he who gave to his old mate and near neighbour André Jacobs this and other of the ideas used now also by the latter for D-Zone Records! . . . Mark meanwhile is launching another logo strictly for techno releases, Dance Movement Records, which will include “the ultimate bleep record” called just ‘The Bleep‘ plus ‘Crazy Techno‘, both by as yet un-named spin-offs of Under Cover Movement . . . York’s Ziggys this Thursday (14) again becomes The Sweat Box, with DJs Bri G, Rockee and Chris Sweet’s fast stuff downstairs plus Soul Pete and Bry Walker’s soothing soul upstairs . . . One World’s Beano this Saturday (16) at Belfast Art College has hypnotizin’ Hibrid playing live plus DJs Keith Connolly, Alan Ferris, Dee O’Grady & Paul McCourt . . . Euphoria ’91 Thursdays in Southampton currently see Gary G spinning sweet soul and swingbeat in the Moscow Bar 8.30-11 pm (£2 admission but cheap vodka and Fosters), with free entry from there before 10.30pm into the neighbouring Escape Club for Mark’O, DJ Sweet, DJ Ramos & Simon A’s hardcore house, rap ‘n’ ragga until 2am . . . Phil Jay’s Fridays at The Villagers in Blackheath, hidden in the woods south east of Guildford between Wonersh and Albury, are now into their fifth successful year and he has hopes of his restarted Tuesdays there being just as hot too . . . Howard Platt, the popular owner of Gt. Yarmouth’s Tiffanys, had a heart attack and died two weekends ago . . . The Main Event weekender’s guest acts at Pwllheli Starcoast World over March 1/2/3 now include Main Source, Gang Starr, Dream Warriors, Outlaw Posse, Daddy Freddy, Nomad, Nexus 21, Rhythmatic, LFO, Dream Frequency, Light Of The World, Brand New Heavies, James Taylor Quartet, Galliano, The Tyrrel Corporation and Donna Gardier, with more to be added — booking details from LiveWire on 081-364 1212 . . . Kaos 4 over the weekend of April 19/20/21, this the latest in a sellout series being now at Camber Sands Pontins, will feature DJs Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, Nicky Holloway, Andy Weatherall, Terry Farley, Phil Perry, Fat Tony, Fabio, Groove Rider, Jazzy M, Glen Gunner, Johnny Walker, Carl Cox, Rocky & Diesel, Nancy Noise, DJ Face, Steve Lee, Ray Keith, Darren Emerson, Marvin Connor plus appropriate live acts and PAs — booking details from LiveWire on 081-364 1666 or general enquiries from The Incredible Organization on 081-392 2922 . . . Capital FM DJs Pat & Mick’s fourth Stock Aitken Waterman produced annual Help A London Child charity single will be a revival of Jimmy Bo Home’s ‘Gimme Some’ . . . Tracy Ackerman, having impersonated Minnie Riperton for Massivo’s revival of ‘Loving You’, also supplied the Kylie style choruses for Rico’s ‘Mix Back In Time’ . . . Inner City have used for their video of ‘Till We Meet Again’ the choreographer Madonna used for her vid of ‘Vogue’, which may or may not be a coincidence as they reckon ‘Vogue’ borrowed a bit from their old hit, ‘Ain’t Nobody Better’! . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
The week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by James Hamilton and Graeme Park

URBAN SOUL ‘Alright’
TRIBAL HOUSE ‘Mainline’
GRACE FEATURING LORRAINE SCOTT ‘Ecstasy’ (Garage Mix/Hypnotech Mix/Crypt Mix/Original Mix)
THE BROTHERS OF THE HEAD ‘Brother Man’
CARMEL ‘And I Take It For Granted’ (Brian Eno 12 inch remix)
INNER CITY ‘Till We Meet Again’ (Reese In Rio Mix/Places And Spaces Mix)
ZZONE INC ‘Cosmic Dance’
EVILROY ‘Ecstasy (I Need Your Body)’
FIRE ‘My Love Is’ (DJ Pierre’s House Instrumental UK Edit/DJ Pierre’s In De House Mix) [Fire was a pseudonym for Donny Osmond]
LAND OF FUN FEATURING CAROL HALL ‘In The Basement’ (Deep Joy Remix/Original)
SLAM SLAM ‘Move (Dance All Night)’ (Slammin’/Red Zone Mixes/Original)
DREAMHOUSE FEATURING CAESAR ‘Jump And Prance’ (Club Mix/Dream Mix)

DEEE-LITE ‘How Do You Say . . . Love?’ (Elektra EKR118T)
Apparently rush released right now although only just promoed, this breezy sometimes bleeping but specialist strider has been serviced to DJs in merely its simple sparse drum tapped and jazzily chording keyboards driven bounding A Delicious Pal Joey Dub (121¾bpm), with Lady Miss Kier’s whispered repetition of its title line its only lyric (making a groove rather than a song, surely out in a more commercial mix too?), flipped by a Bootsy Collins conversational comments augmented ‘Groove Is In The Heart (Bootsified to the Nth Degree)‘ (121½bpm) remix of their earlier hit.

DREAM WARRIORS ‘Ludi’ (4th + B’way 12 BRW 206)
More straightforward without any speeded up double tempo this time (specially so King Lou Robinson’s mother, to whom it’s dedicated, can dance to it!), the Toronto rappers’ pleasant recreation of the cool harmony backed rolling ‘Rudi’ style of rock steady that preceded reggae during the late Sixties is in a Double Trouble Club Mix (92¼bpm) or penny whistle tones piped Original and Drop Out Mixes (91½bpm), coupled also with the staccato wordy ‘Very Easy To Assemble But Hard To Take Apart (Generation Gap Mix)‘ (108bpm) featuring rap and piano by Slim ‘Jazz Legend’ Gaillard (as they call the enigmatic 1930s veteran).

MC HAMMER ‘Here Comes The Hammer’ (124½bpm) (Capitol 12CL 610)
Driven at a lickety spit by blatantly exciting samples from James Brown’s ‘Super Bad’, a beat that cooler rappers haven’t considered hip to the hop for years, this therefore unsubtle but obviously very commercial frantic jerky leaper revolves around the title line slogan from Hammer’s TV commercial for Pepsi, promoed in 12-inch Remix and more percussive jittery frenetic Uh-Oh Here Comes The Hammer versions, apparently an instrumental version being due too on the released 12-inch along possibly with the old ‘U Can’t Touch This (LP Version)’ (133bpm) that alone couples the 7-inch Edit. Continue reading “February 16, 1991: Deee-Lite, Dream Warriors, MC Hammer, Caveman, George Michael”

BEATS & PIECES

MANCHESTER’S HACIENDA club, despite now having resolved the renewal of its licence, in a shock move reluctantly closed last Wednesday in order “to protect employees and members”, its management being “quite simply sick and tired of dealing with instances of personal violence”, the hope being that it will be able to re-open “in a better climate” (see News Plus for more details). That same city’s Precinct 13 re-opens from March 21, incidentally, still with a bleep-free black music policy . . . Backstreet Promotions (081 459 5545) are looking for another 800 DJs for their mailing list — most dance records these days don’t even sell that many! . . . Betty Boo, Lindy Layton and LA Mix are among the chart acts who have fared less well than usually expected with their most recent singles after releasing classy ‘sophisticated’ material — obviously, the kids don’t want class! . . . LA Mix however are persevering with the release of their Chimes-style remixed ‘We Shouldn’t Hold Hands In The Dark‘ ballad in order to build a more mature audience base for their imminent album, which for the time being it’ll be necessary to buy for the previously mentioned Whispers adapting dynamite rap, ‘Love Thang‘! . . . Frank “K” featuring Wiston Office’s elusive “everybody, let somebody love” hook line originated in Joe Church’s ‘I Can’t Wait (Too Long)‘ on US Sleeping Bag Records, according to the ever dependable Dave Lee — who ought to know, as he included the Church track on his own RePublic label’s first ‘The Garage Sound Of Deepest New York’ LP! . . . Ben Liebrand’s Re-Mix of Hall & Oates’ I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)’ has indeed proved so much more popular than the duo’s new tracks that Arista has now made a Single Edit the double A-side on 7-inch, which it previously wasn’t on at all . . . New Life’s ‘Keep Your Love’ on commercial 12-inch is in only its Cherry Pie (now nearer 119½bpm) and Donut Mixes, its promoed Maraschino Mix being replaced by a vigorously stirred Cappuccino Mix of their old ‘Got 2 Be Free’ (122¾bpm) . . . The Mixmasters’ ‘The Night Fever Megamix’ is being revamped with a more easily mixable extended ‘Disco Inferno’ outro . . . Cameroon’s crowd pleasing soccer side plays England at Wembley this Wednesday, and to celebrate, on Saturday (Feb 9), the Hackney Empire presents the current Cameroonian king of modern Makossa, Moni-Bilé, supported by the Sierra Leonean Abdul Tee-Jay’s Rokoto — there’ll be high life in Hackney that night, for sure! — while Cameroon’s here better known Manu Dibango teams up with Working Week at Kentish Town’s Town & Country Club on the same night, also likely to be a big blow! . . . Andrew ‘DJ Madhatter’ Holmes this Thursday (Feb 7) hosts the first of a monthly soul/funk/oldies night at Manchester’s Richfields, with a large hired sound system . . . DJs Kevin Bird and Russell People —known simply as Bird & People — are building an upfront house/Euro/techno/garage Saturday at Bournemouth’s Madisons . . . Kiss 100 fm’s regular London club nights, which include Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson’s Saturday 2nd Base at Camden Lock’s Dingwalls with a guest jock every week (Colin Faver this week), are joined by the return of the Upfront Club this Thursday (Feb 7) to the Borderline (off Charing Cross Road next to Foyles) with Gordon Mac and Trevor Madhatters spinning classics and upfront newies, and the return of Richie Rich and his Rap Review this Saturday (9) to Dingwalls with Max LX & Dave VJ . . . Active 3 next Monday (11) present Frenzy at St Albans’ Kiss Nitespot (no connection) with DJs K.C. & M.D., DJ Stumpy from the Boneshakers, Jazzie Q from Soul II Soul, and in fact Trevor Madhatters from Kiss 100 fm . . . Tony Dunne has just started an 8.30-11.30pm Ambidance pre-club venue every Thursday, as a meeting place where you can dance although the music’s mainly for listening, at Beshoff in London’s Trocadero Centre, Shaftesbury Avenue . . . BBC1-tv’s Tuesday 7.05pm ‘Holiday 91’ programme last week annoyingly postponed a feature about Butlin’s Starcoast World at Pwllheli, which hopefully will be rescheduled soon before The Main Event weekender takes place there on March 1/2/3 (details 081-364 1212) — the same date and number for details, coincidentally, as “the first ever UK gay weekender”, CAMP camp at Skegness in Butlin’s Funcoast World with live stars like Eartha Kitt, Dr Evadne Hinge and the Bay City Rollers! . . . Pwllheli’s live acts meanwhile, with more to be added, look like including Main Source, Gang Starr, Outlaw Posse, LFO, Nexus 21, Rhythmatic, Brand New Heavies and others . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by Chris Mellor and James Hamilton

SWEET MERCY featuring Natasha ‘Take Me Away’
RJ AND THE FAMILY ‘Gloria’
DATA BASS ‘A Piano In The Night’ / ‘A Trip In The Night’
LOS CHUNGUITOS ‘Corazon De Rubi’
A.S.H.A. ‘JJ Tribute’ (Space/?/ Primitive versions)
UMOSIA ‘We Are Unity’
THE COVER GIRLS ‘Funk Boutique’ (12-inch Remix/Dub Version)
THE CREATIONS featuring Debbie Sharpe ‘Pay The Price’
DJ PROFESSOR ‘Life Is Life’

ULTRA NATÉ ‘Is It Love?’ (111¾bpm) (Eternal YZ509T, via WEA)
The anguishedly pitched Baltimore, Maryland, soulstress sounds rather like Carla Thomas as she repeatedly asks the title line question through this apparently Danny Madden produced, piano started then beefily churning jumpy jiggler, another that has an LA Mix ‘Coming Back For More’/Marva Whitney ‘Unwind Yourself’-style sax breezily farting at times in its Club and instrumental Hump Mixes, coupled by the already separately promoed sparsely bounding jaunty garage ‘Scandal (Club Mix)‘ (119¼bpm), with a realistically ringing telephone to cause confusion!

CARLTON ‘Love And Pain’ (Three Stripe Productions Ltd/ffrr SNMXR 4)
Produced and co-written by Smith & Mighty, this stratospherically wailing semi-falsetto strange slow lurcher sounds as if it’s probably intended to take on Seal in the pop stakes, with swirling strings and an Andy Williams ‘Can’t Get Used To Losing You’ flavour in its Boilerhouse remixed 7 Inch Version (93¾bpm) or a spasmodically rumbling and tapping Drum & Bass Mix (94bpm), while the interestingly different although more routinely danceable flip was initially promoed alone on white label as a single-sider, the rave siren started whinneyingly moaned and chanted, jauntily churning and stomping Bristol house-style ‘Please Leave’ (117bpm), in Steve Jervier’s Good Groove Mix with a stuttery breakdown towards the end and more jokingly chugging Jerv’s Dub. The kids in Bristol are sharp as a pistol, they all do the Bristol Stomp!

THE SOURCE featuring CANDI STATON ‘You Got The Love’ (TRuelove TLOVE 1, via Total/BMG)
As warned it would be when the initially circulated D.J. L.T.D. promo pressing was reviewed, this the commercial version is very different, having only the blander although admittedly neater, Jamie Principle groans lacking more ponderously thumping less brightly plinky plunking Jolly James Remix (112½bpm, now no longer with its speaking clock intro) of the original Erens Bootleg Mix, which it does not really resemble despite being labelled as that still, freshly flipped by Olimax’s totally different quietly starting then increasingly beefily chugging Morning Time Mix (110bpm) with washing squeaky synth and an overdubbed Martin Luther King “it’s morning time” climax. Continue reading “February 9, 1991: Ultra Naté, Carlton, The Source/Candi Staton, FPI Project, The Ragga Twins”

BEATS & PIECES

KISS 100 FM, London’s black and dance music incremental station, can already boast a weekly audience figure of 1,078,000 listeners six months ahead of its anticipated target date, according to research conducted during October-December 1990 by RSGB on behalf of JICRAR, this figure representing a weekly reach of 27 per cent of London’s 15-24 year olds and 10 per cent of 25-34 year olds, two thirds of the total being male . . . Gulf War caused oil shortages, should they occur, could put up the price of vinyl so much that record companies would accelerate their shift to just CD and cassette formats virtually overnight – where would that leave DJs? . . . The S*n last Wednesday exposed (shock! horror!) the creative marketing practice of record companies rewarding certain shops with free product to sell it at an audience attracting cheap price in return for help in logging sales on chart computers – who would have believed such wicked things could go on? . . . Big Wave Records is the latest label to shut down, faced with rising costs . . . Cleveland Anderson has left Production House Records and set up his own The Tom Tom Club label, on 081-992 5792 . . . Chad Jackson and Jon Jules this weekend start a series of Antipodean gigs together, DJing around Australia in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne before heading north across the Pacific to Guam and then Hong Kong . . . Simon Dunmore’s eagerly awaited remix (not due commercially for another six weeks) of Monie Love’s ‘Ring My Bell’, only connected by its title line with Anita Ward’s oldie, replaces original duettist Ultra Naté with Adeva and uses the Madonna ‘Vogue’ rhythm . . . The Grid’s dub remix of Jesus Loves You’s upcoming ‘Bow Down Mister’, chunkily chugging along with some Indian wailing like the soundtrack for a hip tandoori restaurant, appears now not to be due for release – making the few cassettes circulated by Richard Norris into instant collector’s items? . . . The Beatmasters’ self composed new but naggingly familiar seeming rare groove style ‘Dunno What It Is (About You)’ (Rhythm King LEFT 44), an excellent urgently lurching jiggly dated pastiche strongly performed by soulfully wailing girls, has been promoed in two X and Y side mixes ahead of February 11 release, gradually winding up through Seventies strings in the wriggly surging X side’s mix featuring Elaine Vassell (102-101¾bpm) – the ‘Yes We Can Can’ Pointer Sisters soul side, if you like – while Simon Law’s The Funky Ginger Mix (100¾-100½bpm) on the Y side strips down to rumbling less cluttered percussion, making it more the Sister Sledge disco side . . . Ben Liebrand’s vibes tinkled although otherwise not noticeably drastic Re-Mix (110½bpm) of Hall & Oates’ distinctively plopping ‘Billie Jean’-ish classic ‘I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)’ (Arista 613 980) was actually only promoed as a single sider and is exclusive just to the 12-inch commercial pressing as flip to Daryl & John’s pop aimed new gloomily lurching ‘Everywhere I Look’ (93bpm) and gentler acoustic ‘Sometimes A Mind Changes’ (98¾/49¼bpm), but is by far the hottest track for which they’re selling anyway . . . Hans Valentin’s throbbingly jogging remake of Stephanie Mills’ oldie, Technomania featuring Emma Haywoode’s ‘(You’re Puttin’) A Rush On Me (Embrace The Bass Mix)’ (105½bpm) (Rumour Records RUMAT 28) features Sharon Haywoode’s strainingly wailing sister with a couple of brief rap breaks by South London’s 2 Brains Inc. and some nice tinkling vibes, coupled with its appropriately bassier ‘Embrace The Bass (Original Version)’ (106pm) basic instrumental rhythm track . . . Bomb The Bass’s (or should that be Tim Simenon’s –see page 27) slinkily swaying Soul II Soul-ish street soul ‘Love So True’ (90bpm) (Rhythm King DOOD 4T), sweetly breathed by nasally crooning Loretta Heywood, was labelled in the wrong order on promo but is flipped by the samples woven 1988-style jittery flurrying ‘You See Me In 3D’ (119½bpm) and raw funky drum jiggled gruff guy rapped ‘Understand This’ (111½bpm) . . . Richard Rogers’ steadily snicking urgent wriggly ‘Spread A Little Love (Club Version)’ (119¾bpm) (BCM Records BCM 489) is huskily soulful like a less exaggeratedly swooping Darryl Pandy, flipped by its similar Spread Your Love Dub plus the unconnected funkily bumping slow ‘RR Beats’ (88bpm) with “annihilating rhythm” repetition . . . Ray Lock (081-641 5340), every Saturday at Purley’s Temptations wine bar, had his cherished seven-years-old GLI PMX 9000 mixer (plus a pair of Technics SL 1210 turntables) stolen at a Christmas Eve gig in Croydon, and is offering a £200 reward for information leading to its recovery . . . DJs Phil C, Prone, Jazz T, C.J. and Bucks, having had a success with their first “intelligent” rap/ragga/swing night, present Intelligence (Part 2) this Friday (Feb 1) at Farnborough Recreation Centre (off the A325, two roundabouts south of Farnborough station), on Meudon Road then right on Westmead . . . Kiss 100 fm breakfast show co-presenter, Graham Gold spins house/rap/swingbeat/soul/classics this and every Friday through February at Grays’ Pzaz in the Queensgate Centre, and likewise this and every Sunday at Chalfont St Peter’s Chalfont Heights Country Club (formerly Winkers Farm) in Denham Lane, at the end of Joiners Lane off the A413 . . . Mr Clubman next Wednesday (Feb 6) presents a free admission/no dress restriction Damn Fine night, at Peterborough’s Shanghai Sam’s, with hot local act Shades Of Rhythm as star DJs amongst other guests – if this one’s a success, the next night in March will add Detroit’s States Of Mind to the DJ line-up . . . Frances Nero’s ‘Footsteps Following Me’ (Motorcity) is still number one for Uxbridge’s Dean Thatcher at all his trendy gigs, if proof be needed of the enduring underground appeal of this ‘Thinking Of You’-ish soul monster . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by Norman Cook and James Hamilton

STETSASONIC ‘No B S Allowed’
YOUNG DISCIPLES ‘Apparently Nothin’’
SOHO ‘Hippychick (Rhythm Stick Remix)’
REACH ‘That’s The Way Life Is’
BLVD MOSSE ‘U Can’t Escape The Hypeness’
KOCHI/REALITY ‘We Are Family’
GANG STARR ‘Take A Rest’ (Work, Rest And Play Mix/Take Five Mix)
PAUL HAIG ‘Flight X (School Mix)’
PROPAGANDA ‘Your Wildlife (Wet ‘N’ Wildlife Mix)’
FRAZIER CHORUS ‘Walking On Air (Youth Mix)’
2 MAD ‘Thinkin’ About Your Body (Chocolate Mix)’ / ‘Boogaloo’ / ‘Bonus Beats’

BLACK BOX ‘Bright On Time’ (123½bpm) (Italian Groove Groove Melody GGM 9018)
Yes, you read that right, it’s ‘Bright’ – a brand new blazing revamp of ‘Ride On Time’ that sets its ‘Love Sensation’ vocal to a breezily bounding blues riff in ‘Crosscut Saw’ style, like a 1967 Stax treatment of the ‘Tramp’ rhythm, unfortunately flipped for poor value here by Graeme Park’s UK hit ‘The Total Mix’ (118½-102¼bpm) of ‘I Don’t Know Anybody Else/Everybody Everybody/Ride On Time/Fantasy’. That apart, dy-no-mite!

OVAL EMOTION ‘Go Go’ (Canadian Hi-Bias Records HB-002)
The second hot release from “the DJ’s label”, this girl crooned and piano chorded Nick Anthony Fiorucci/Cissy Goodridge/Kenny Moran creation is in simple breezy disco Killer Club Mix (123bpm), terrific late Seventies style Classic Airwaves Mix (123¼bpm), chunkier instrumental Groovey MO-Mix (121bpm), and jerkily scratched Deep Destruction Dub (123bpm) treatments, coupled with the attractive vocally RAH Band-ish jazzily doodling ‘Lies’ (105bpm) in synthetic strings swamped gently burbling Classic Club Mix, acappella introed more sinewy Jammin D.J. Dub, and largely beat-less Deadly Intro Pianopella Boom Mix versions.

ALEXANDER O’NEAL ‘All True Man (Classic Club Mix)’ (104½bpm) (Tabu 656571 8)
Now selling even faster than the original, this superb tight-harmonies introed and underpinned, stark bass bomped cool chunkily jiggling Frankie Knuckles remix is flipped with terrific value by Frankie’s alternative even sparser, organ prodded languidly ticking Big House Mix and piano plinked attractive Big House Instrumental, essential for all who have an ear for class. Continue reading “February 2, 1991: Black Box, Oval Emotion, Alexander O’Neal, Johnny Gill, Lalah Hathaway”