THE RITZY in Nottingham last year celebrated its birthday by ferrying a coach load of PWL stars and staff to its party, and likewise this last Friday it was the turn of the Big Life and Ahead Of Our Time labels’ entourage to head north, with myself in tow (so there could be a picture story about it all next week) … Clubnet are updating. area by area, their club, radio and specialist record store promotional lists (on 01-968 9661) … 18-years-old Jason Davies of the Mixbusters has just joined Champion Records in A&R, production and promotion capacities (someone else makes the tea!) … ‘Sharp As A Knife (Acid Attack)‘ is the official title of Jon Williams’ Remix 88 Update now that Brandon Cooke featuring Roxanne Shanté is on proper Club black label promo … Eric B & Rakim’s commercial 12 inch here will have the already promoed FON Force mix of ‘Put Your Hands Together’, the about to be also separately promoed Humphrey Bogart “play it!” introed and then acieed siren overlaid jittery (0-)112bpm alternative Parkside Mix by Graeme Park, and (the US A-side) a Red Alert mix of ‘Microphone Fiend‘ … Stetsasonic’s Brooklyn Mix is indeed still ‘Expansions’ based but also drops in some organ from ‘Love is The Message’, not that it’s very obvious … Arista have woken up to the import buzz on Shep Pettibone’s Railroad Mix of the Thompson Twins ‘In The Name Of Love’, and have promoed it here ahead of the now brought forward UK release … Stevie Wonder’s ‘My Eyes Don’t Cry‘, the now Timmy Regisford remixed track from ‘Characters’ (one of the two which were only ever on CD and cassette versions of the album), was reviewed as an import last week and is already on 0-115⅔bpm UK promo (Motown ZT 42260) … Champion have snapped up Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk presents Ricky Dillard ‘As Always‘ before even the US Trax imports have come in, be advised … Super Lover Cee & Casanova Rud’s BPMs got confused in last week’s review, 102bpm ‘I’m Back’ and 105½bpm ‘Girls Act Stupid-aly’ being correct … US albums reviewed on import and now out here include Perri ‘The Flight’ (MCA Records MCF 6035), Scott White ‘Success … Never Ends’ (RCA PL90246), Chapter 8 ‘Forever’ (Capitol EST 2073), and Vanessa Williams ‘The Right Stuff’ (Wing Records/Polydor WNGLP 1) … Adonis ‘Acid Poke‘ will be third of the house releases on Fiction Records’ new label, Desire … New York’s Tuff City label is re-releasing the back-to-back “old school classics”, T-Ski Valley ‘Catch The Beat‘/Grand Groove Bunch ‘Catch The Groove‘, and Jimmy Spicer ‘Super Rhymes‘/Maximus Three ‘Rock It Out‘ … Westside Records here have just acquired UK rights to veteran Harlem record store owner Bobby Robinson’s influential Enjoy label and promise that a four album boxed set will include every one of its rap releases in original 12 inch versions … Janet Jackson is now definitely back in the studio with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis recording her follow-up LP, scheduled tentatively for Easter release … Paul Hardcastle confesses to being behind the recent ‘Listen To This!‘ sampler by The DTI, one of the better ones, if you remember my review, not that many people bothered with it … Blaze apparently are not now signing to Warner Bros but seem likely to join either Motown or MCA Records … Aswad ‘The Message’, previously reviewed, is only their 12 inch A-side, the seven being topped by the former’s flip, the actually much more “message” like anti-apartheid South African flavoured disjointedly rambling 106⅔/53⅓bpm ‘Set Them Free‘ … Jim Mullen guests at the opening party night this Tuesday (27) of Stoke Newington High Street’s LA Prison, promising a policy of jazz, Latin, African and soca Tuesdays to Fridays every week … Thursday (29) is launch night at Harlow Mill’s Cheeks of the weekly Subculture, a new night for the old Sweat Box crowd with Kev Hill spinning funkier beats and female DJAJ the jazz and soul … London pirate DJ Darren Fogel got onto TV’s ‘Blind Date’ using his real name Darren James and daytime car dealer occupation, but subsequently has been planting sensational stories in the ‘The Sun’ exposing himself as a supposed sex fiend — all good publicity, of a sort, I suppose — in order to get extra disco gigs out of it! … M-D-Emm members Dave (Calling All Blonde Haired Lovelies) Lee and Mike (Attention You Dark Haired Darlings) Chill appear to be after penpals, or something, on 01-837 2322! … NANU NANU!
I’m sorry if anyone read too much between the lines last week in the ‘Beats And Pieces’ item about Johnnie Walker and Chris Butler. My apologies for any embarrassment caused to both parties.
HOT VINYL
THE TODD TERRY PROJECT ‘Just Wanna Dance’ (US Fresh Records FRE-80125)
Reaction seems fairly evenly divided for both excellent sides of this instant import smash, the nominal A-side being a Third World ‘Now That We Found Love’-pulsed 121⅔-122-0bpm jittery leaping instrumental groove overlaid by Afrika Bambaataa’s “naaaa” noise and much more in Todd’s typical sample-zapping style, while the Jimmy Castor introed B-side is a girls wailed jerkily cantering and jumping (0-)122¾-123-122¾-123-0bpm revival of Class Action’s ‘Weekend’, both very exciting (with radio versions too — and labels on the wrong sides, beware!).
ROB BASE & D.J. E-Z ROCK ‘It Takes Two’ (US Profile PRO-1267)
Hot though not entirely consistent rap album with the standout Todd Terry-ish (0-)118⅓bpm ‘Get On The Dance Floor’, a terrific house compatible combination of Black Riot’s ‘A Day In The Life’ and the Jacksons’ ‘Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)’, and Maze-based infectiously jumpy 109⅚bpm ‘Joy And Pain‘, well worded about being the new kid but no copyist, plus the Teddy Riley-arranged Marshall Jefferson ‘Move Your Body’-based 0-111bpm ‘Check This Out‘, Steve Miller Band ‘Fly Like An Eagle’-based sinuously jogging 100bpm tick tick tickin’ ‘Times Are Gettin’ Ill‘, ‘Ma Baker’ introed and Thin Lizzy ‘Johnny The Fox’-scratching enthusiastically lurching 0-99⅚bpm ‘Make It Hot‘, Lyn Collins ‘Think (About lt)’-based (0-)111½bpm title track hit, aggressively jolting 110⅓bpm ‘Don’t Sleep On It‘, frenetic 0-111bpm ‘Keep It Going Now‘, embarrassingly drippy rap ballad 36¼/72½bpm ‘Crush‘, and throwaway 113bpm ‘Creativity‘, a funky drummered tape looping tribute to Profile’s Brian Chin.
The first DJs have been busted for ecstasy, police swooping as they left an acid house gig loaded with the stuff … Johnnie Walker is now club promotions manager just for London/ffrr, his matey Chris Butler taking over Polydor/Urban (however, neither can pass “Go” or collect £200) … ‘Sure Beats 2’, free with next week’s rm, turns out to be the truly essential one, with a special stuttered and muttered synth frequency fluttered thumping bubbly 120½-0bpm remix of Coldcut featuring Sweet-Toothed Sonny ‘Acid Drops (Bomb The Mix)’, catchy hooting effect punctuated lurching remorseless clipped rapping (0-)92bpm Cold Crush Brothers ‘The Bronx’ and nervily jumping 0-119⅓-119¼bpm Fourth Floor All-Stars ‘(Fourth Floor) Goin’ Up’ megamix by DJ Mixmaster Tee of various Break Boys, Four Play, Masters At Work and O.N.I.T. (Oh No, It’s Them) tracks … I was so inundated with messenger delivered records right up to my deadline that there was no time to review the week’s two hottest rap albums, Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock ‘It Takes Two’ (US Profile PRO-1267) – would you believe a ‘Joy And Pain’ rap?! – and Ice-T ‘Power’ (Sire 925 765-1), so check The Club Chart for BPMs as they’re sure to hit … FON Force’s now promoed (0-)111-0bpm remix of Eric B & Rakim ‘Put Your Hands Together’ overlays the jittery fast talker with resonant synth tones … Steven Danté’s new single is just called ‘Imagination’ after all but is in so many differently available mixes you need a guide: the previously reviewed promo (Cooltempo DANTEP 2) was the Clivilles & Cole mixed 113⅓-0bpm LP version (flipped by the otherwise unavailable 117-0 Acid Mix and 120⅓-120-0bpm Dub versions), the commercial 12 inch (DANTEX 2) having Clivilles & Cole’s rattling 116-0bpm remix, Dancin’ Danny D’s over busily jiggling murkily dense 0-115½bpm remix and the lurching husky 111⅓bpm ‘It Makes You Feel Good’, but also on another promo (DANTEC 2) are these two commercial remixes plus, on the wrongly labelled flip, Danny D’s throbbing instrumental (0-)116bpm Yardee Groove and tapping 116-0bpm Slam Acappella – while the seven inch is different again, with Bryan ‘Chuck’ New’s more percussively trotting 113bpm mix! … PWL’s recently obtained Workhouse Studio and accounts office in London’s Old Kent Road were totally destroyed in a fire last week (they’re nowhere near the main studios and headquarters in the Borough), the master tape of Rick Astley’s new album going up in flames – however, this mishap only set it back by a few days’ work as thanks to modern recording technology most of its ingredients were on separately stored digital computer discs … ITV’s ‘The Hit Man And Her’ was marginally less chaotic in its second show, but managed to mis-spell the Pete Waterman co-owned Lisson Records as “Listen” in a caption for Cocoon’s ‘Timerider’ (soon to be reissued as the show’s theme) … Robbie Vincent has hired a recorded announcement telephone line on 0836-404478 to give callers the details of his move to LBC, and plugged it continuously as “the Robbie Vincent information line” throughout his final show on Radio London! … Greg Edwards is “still talking” to GLR about a possible soul show … Ichiban Records appear also to be still only “talking” to the Manhattans, but the Three Degrees are definitely now signed to the label … Ralph Tee has signed the Cool Notes to his Risin’ label … Chillin Krew turn out to be animated cartoon or puppet characters from a presumably imminent TV series! … Chris Hill looks like starting a ‘Soul Train’-type TV show in Munich come the new year … Younger Generation ‘We Rap More Mellow’ will finally be out here, some time after its big revival buzz, on RePublic Records – who tracked down the master tape in South Africa … Les Adams’ remix of the Funky Worm ‘Hustle’, originally created just for the Disco Mix Club, will be its commercial A-side in the USA – Les incidentally celebrates his last night jocking at Norbury’s Sussex Tavern this Friday (23) before moving on to bigger and better things … Gilles Peterson and Baz Fe Jazz celebrate the BGP jazz label’s first anniversary with a beat bash at London’s 100 Club on Friday (23) too … Sundays at South Harrow Bogarts with Tim Westwood and Jon Jules laying down the rap tracks attract crowds for all over the South-East plus all the UK and US rap stars you can think of who happen to be in town … Bomb The Bass’s remix, to give its correct title, is ‘Megablast Rap (Version)’ featuring Merlin The New Rap Messiah! … The Pasadenas’ commercial 12 inch of ‘Riding On A Train’ includes an earlier much more gentle 0-106bpm Clapham Junction Demo Mix that’s more London than Philly in sound, plus the gospel introed jerky (0-)100bpm ‘A Little Love’ (very like a slowed down Olympics ‘Good Lovin’’) … Andy Sojka, who produced Projection’s new ‘What’s Your Problem’ with no thought of anything else in his mind, afterwards had it pointed out that of course it sounds like Rufus & Chaka Khan ‘Ain’t Nobody’, so no wonder it seemed naggingly familiar to me! … Shep Pettibone’s remix of the Thompson Twins ‘In The Name Of Love’ rhythmically owes most to Ten City ‘Right Back To You’ … Royal House ‘Yeah Buddy’ is based largely on Exodus ‘Together Forever’ and even on some of Atmosfear ‘Dancing In Outer Space’, amongst other bits … Freddie Jackson grew up only four blocks from Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, and hopes to be able to play there over this coming New Year’s Eve … Freddie could be recording a duet with Audrey Wheeler, who with Cyndi Mizelle stood out more strongly than fellow backing singer Sandra St Victor during their brief solo spot in Jackson’s London show … DJs, don’t forget you can FAX us your charts (by Wednesday afternoon) on 01-388 9576, as the mail may take a while to get back to normal … NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
D. MOB (FEATURING GARY HAISMAN) ‘We Call It Acleed (The Matey Mix)’ (ffrr FFRX 13)
Due commercially on October 3, unquestionably THE acid house anthem is this now slightly wrigglier Danny D produced “acieed!” chanting frantically churning 124¼bpm twittery jittery jumbled jumpy joyous cavorting craziness (‘matey’ instrumental and beats flip), the original version of which exploded initially on limited promo before becoming the only real standout on ‘The House Sound Of London, Vol IV’ LP.
THE BRAT PACK ‘So Many Ways (Do it Properly Part II)’ (US Vendetta Records VE-7008)
Robert Clivilles and David Cole (of 2 Puerto Ricans A Blackman And A Dominican, who of course created the original ‘Do It Properly’) now make another even more dementedly frantic jack track, its (0-)122¼-122bpm Worldwide DJ Anthem mix having a shouting “Oh you bastard, come here by my side, listen honey, listen baby, don’t be so f***in’ serious!” intro that’s obviously not for air play but could become a real disco motto, while there are also scratching 123½-0bpm TT’s Bitten Again Dub and fiercely percussive 122¼-122-0bpm Pump It One More Time Mix, 122⅓-122¼bpm World Wide B-Boy Killer Anthem and 122¼bpm Percussion Of Death Mix versions. I think this is going to be hot.
JUNGLE BROTHERS ‘I’ll House You (Richie Rich Version)’ (Gee St Records GEE 12003)
Due fully on October 10, this is the (0-)123bpm slightly more open sounding UK remake by Richie Rich and group member Michael ‘Afrika’ Small of the hot import rap treatment of Royal House’s ‘Can You Party’, now no longer using Todd Terry’s production as its backing track (to which Marshall Jefferson could well object in turn!) coupled here with its 122⅔-0bpm Instrumental and Houseappella, plus their album’s title (and best) track, the weavingly rapped bassily grooving ‘The Message’-cutting 99⅚bpm ‘Straight Out The Jungle’. Continue reading “September 24, 1988: D. Mob featuring Gary Haisman, The Brat Pack, Jungle Brothers, Blow, M-D-Emm”
I hope that by pointing out a few things I may persuade any doubters that perhaps I do know what I’m talking about in my stand against the totally unnecessary but fashionable and commercially exploited connection between the drug called ecstasy and the music called acid house. In common with so many who grew up during the Sixties, I have had first hand experience of what you might call the ‘fun’ drug scene for 25 years, both socially and professionally, which includes jocking every weekend at Soho’s legendary mod club The Scene at the height of the purple heart craze (the floor underfoot would suddenly get crunchy whenever there was a police raid!), and running a psychedelic disco in an air tent at, amongst other major hippy gatherings, the massive 1970 Isle Of Wight festival (where I spent 12 days — it only lasted five! — and, incidentally, grew the very same beard that I still wear). Nearly all of the people of my generation who I used to know, but who are now dead, and I only recently realised with horror that it is quite a number, died from drugs related causes. They too began by thinking some harmless seeming substance was trendy. Obviously, not everyone who pops a pill, smokes a joint, snorts some coke or drops a tab is going to progress to the hard stuff. Most people set out to be careful, and have relatively harmless fun . . . if they’re lucky. It is the insidious way in which drugs are promoted to the impressionable and vulnerable young as a fashion accessory that is most dangerous. This process is now being used, often I am sure unintentionally, to link ecstasy with acid house — which began innocently enough as a musical form, the title of Phuture’s ‘Acid Trax’ supplying an appropriate term to help describe the strain of synth sizzled house that was then emerging. OK, maybe some dancers in Chicago always were high on more than just the music, but this was largely unknown here and had no bearing in Britain on the usage of the purely music categorising name, ‘acid house’ — until it all got confused by the cross pollination of such different trendy London nightclub fashions as Balearic beat and born again hippy, so that the word ‘acid’ was taken at face value as meaning LSD, or its more accessible relative, ecstasy, and waving your arms about self consciously in front of your face in a trance dance and chanting ‘acieed!’ suddenly took on a sinister overtone. Doing this is of course big fun, and acid house nights are full of exciting energy. Most of the music, as you must be aware, I have reviewed or at the very least monitored in a positive way with varying degrees of enthusiasm. In the current polarisation of musical styles, my own black rooted taste may be more towards rap, which I have no difficulty in seeing as the logical modern continuation of age old black music traditions, but many (especially the more soulfully grounded) US house productions I like a lot — and, as regards the ease of reviewing it, I’m all for the simplicity of acid house! What I do dislike, and what my stand is against, is the cynical marketing in this country of uninspired material by giving it a questionable commerciality through spurious association with the drug meaning of the words acid and ecstasy, and the like. Agreed, this may lead to a subjective judgement on my part, but then I am meant to be a critic, and, as the preceding sentence should show, it is in any case more a matter of the packaging rather than the actual music to which I may be objecting. (However, as has been pointed out a few times before, I do equate much of the more mindless acid house material with the disco dross of the late Seventies — which doesn’t necessarily stop you loving it, as it’s all down to personal taste!) It is in the interest of drug pushers to increase their market by encouraging the use of soft drugs, in the hope that they can then hook people into a harder habit from which the profits are even higher. The tabloid press’s spectre of the pusher lurking outside schoolyard gates comes more realistically alive when one considers the dreadfully misguided way in which Bros have tagged their new single’s different versions as The ‘Turn On’ Mix and The Acidic Mix. There’s nothing cute and cuddly about those terms, not that one really expects even their most impressionable fans to go rushing out in a quest for practical knowledge as a result! Even so, from innocent experimentation unbreakable habits can be formed, and you can be sure that, if the kid who supplies you at an acid gig isn’t himself rich, someone in the chain who supplied him is laughing all the way to the bank and rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of all the new suckers that slavish devotion to the acid ethic has brought into the market. Make sure the dope that’s being taken isn’t you, for a ride. Don’t don’t do it. Let’s just enjoy the music on its own.
BEATS & PIECES
Postal strike disruptions have caused headaches for everyone, and unless they end soon seem likely to make rm’s dance charts turn into sales charts (now that would reveal a thing or two!); however, if DJs have access to a FAX machine we would really appreciate it if they could FAX us their weekly chart returns by no later than Wednesday afternoon on (01-)388 9576, marked “RM Disco Chart – attention Alan Jones” (this is not a regular telephone number, it will give you a pain in the ear if you try to talk to it!) – we do not unfortunately have time to take down individual charts in the normal way over the phone … Red Star rail freight is being used by several record companies to get promos to central distribution points around the country, from which DJs can collect them, the main specialist stores in major towns being used like this by such as MCA Records while Rush Release are building a network of their centrally located mailing list DJs to act as local agents – we could see the American record pool method of promo distribution catch on here finally as a result, while another might be that some DJs will suddenly rediscover the advantages of being able to pick and choose, and actually buy just the material that they really need! … ‘Sure Beats 1’, the seven inch 33⅓rpm vinyl EP that is given away free with rm next week (issue w/e September 24), contains the Wee Papa Girl Rappers’ funky break beat cutting brightly lurching 98⅓bpm ‘You Got The Beat’ from their forthcoming LP, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s excellent jazzily undulating 102⅙bpm ‘Here We Go Again’ (instead of the track mentioned last week) from their current LP, Bomb The Bass featuring Merlin’s unavailable original 0-111½bpm rap version of ‘Megablast’, and a tempoless “conceptual” deep breathing exercise by S’Xpress called ‘Coma’ – place your order now, and remember ‘Sure Beats 2’ is free the following week too … Richie Rich has re-recorded in London with the Jungle Brothers a brand new version of ‘I’ll House You’ which will be on Gee St Records for officially sanctioned UK release in four weeks – Richie’s own solo recordings will also again be on that label rather than on Club, while a Gee Zone house label will be launched next month … Alexander O’Neal ‘What Can I Say To Make You Love Me’, inevitably now that it’s already been out here as a single, has just been remixed in the US! … MC La Kim ‘The Posse Is Large’ is produced by DJ Mark: The 45 King – last week’s copy confused his name by omitting some crucial capital letters … Ecstasy’s anti-drugs ‘Ecstasy (Don’t Do It)’ appears to be on Syncopate … Les Adams’ remix of Inner City will indeed be out commercially, although altered from the Disco Mix Club version … LA Mix have recruited Newport Pagnell multi-instrumentalist Mike Stevens as a collaborator on future recordings, separate from his own solo career – he was, for instance, support act to Freddie Jackson in London this last weekend … Jeff Young loses an hour from his Friday night dance music show in Radio 1’s upcoming reshuffle … Greg Edwards would appear to be confirmed for a weekend soul show on GLR (Greater London Radio), as BBC Radio London will be called after its relaunch next month – a lot of people are being surprisingly naïve if they seriously think that the sad disappearance of Radio London’s daytime soul shows should be compensated for by new ones on Capital Radio, as both stations obviously know how to target the audiences that they now respectively want (if pirate radio can pull up its socks and present itself more listenably, it is that which ought to fill the gap) … ‘The Hit Man And Her’ made its chaotic debut on ITV at 4am on Sunday morning two weekends ago, live from Mr Smiths in Warrington, with Pete Waterman shouting at the turntables and TV-am’s ‘Wacaday’ girl Michaela Strachan screaming “woooo!” through everything – everything in fact consisting of all Pete’s own current product shamelessly plugged to the practical exclusion of all else, the whole televised “best disco in town” concept being a total mess without the advantage of properly staged set pieces, as a crowded disco environment does not come across as good TV (unfortunately) … Zoe Glitherow leaves WEA at the end of this month after nine and a half years of helping Fred Dove promote their disco releases … Terrajacks ‘Houseplan’ for some reason has a strong following in the East Midlands and next to none anywhere else, according to our chart returns, one of the few truly regional breakouts we’ve spotted in ages … George Benson was slow to hit The Club Chart, largely because, prior to DJs’ charts coming in (there’s always an inevitable delay even without strikes, unless of course they FAX ‘em!), our sales survey these days shows that buyers’ tastes are so polarised that if it isn’t either house or rap they aren’t terribly interested (in London, anyway) … Womack & Womack’s follow-up will be a remix of their album’s standout ‘Life Is Just A Ballgame’ … Marshall Jefferson is producing a comeback album by the Trammps … Ichiban Records were obviously too busy to send me records as they’ve been signing the Manhattans and Three Degrees to the previously “southern soul” orientated label … Johnnie Wilder, now no longer singing with Heatwave, has just recorded his own solo LP in the US, of gospel-ish inspirational songs (he’s still wheelchair-bound) … Peter Royer, who did a version of ‘Love Is In Season’ a couple of years back, is Erroll Kennedy’s replacement alongside Leee John and Ashley Ingram in Imagination now … Graeme Park has teamed up with Mike Pickering playing house at Manchester’s Hacienda on Fridays and other selected venues together … Andy Carroll, Mike Knowler and Davy bring Balearic beats and acieed to Liverpool’s The State every Monday now … Tim Westwood joins Disco Gary VanDenBussche rocking the house at Annerly Town Hall’s The Effect next Tuesday (20), for under 18’s … ‘A Groovy Kind Of Love’ first surfaced here, ahead of the Mindbenders’ hit version, by Patti LaBelle & The Blue Belles as the better B-side to their London-released ‘Over The Rainbow’ … Rick Astley’s newie is being compared by some to Jeffrey Osborne … Carrie Grant is the perhaps surprising new name of David’s wife, their wedding at “London’s International Charismatic Church”, Kensington Temple being an interesting ceremony, with a wisecracking Welsh preacher wired for sound via a tieclip radio mic, and some great singing from the London Community Gospel Choir among others, the happy couple’s very swank reception in a marquee on a lawn beside the Thames in Putney being climaxed when, in a surprise for his bride, David whisked her away through the night in a launch on the moonlit millpond smooth river – one of the most romantic scenes imaginable! … Colin Hudd is one DJ who loves house and is high on the music but is dead worried that people now think he’s high on something else … Ian Levine makes the valid point that, even at its most banal, late Seventies disco dross was at least tuneful, which is more than can be said for most of acid house … Radio 1’s Newsbeat programme made the surprising report last week that wholemeal bread and muesli contain traces of LSD, found in the wheatgerm, which opens up all sorts of joke opportunities, like people taking packed sandwiches to acieed gigs (it gives a whole new meaning to “Allinson’s, the bread with nowt taken out!) … “Bet you can’t eat three Weetabix without falling over!” … “Hey man, got any Alpen?” … “No, but I’ve got some red hot Country Store” … NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
BILL WITHERS ‘Lovely Day (Sunshine Mix)’ (CBS 653001 6)
Already a smash before I know it was even out, Ben Liebrand’s latest excellent revamp of an oldie has his usual newly added augmenting 98⅓-0bpm go-go-ish beats and samples, coupled with 1977’s swaying 98bpm original version, 1972’s sombrely soulful 0-36½/73-75¼-73¾-0bpm ‘Lean On Me’ and 1971’s attractively croaking 75¾-79¾-0bpm ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’, essential classics all.
ROYAL HOUSE ‘Can You Party?’ (US Idlers WAR-2706)
Already white labelled for eventual release here by Champion (CHAMP 1017), this often terrific though patchy album of totally lunatic over the top house and hip hop created by cult New York producer Todd Terry has the crazed samples crammed jerkily 123¼-122¾-123½-0bpm ‘Yeah Buddy’, ‘Stone Fox Chase’-based jerky 0-106⅔-0bpm ‘The Chase’, ‘Funky Drummer’-cutting rambling hip hop instrumental 100⅚-100⅔-101-0bpm ‘The Journey’ (yes, it’s “into sound”!), exciting acid house anthem 123-0bpm title track, its drily percussive jittery dubwise 0-122¾bpm ‘Dirty Beats’ and stuttery bounding (0-)123-0bpm ‘Party People’ original version, a short edit of the earlier tumbling 123bpm ‘Key The Pulse’, husky Ian Star nagged disjointedly lurching 120-0bpm ‘A Better Way’, grunting and scratching 101-0bpm ‘This Is Royal House’, and rather flat oddly haunting plaintive girl moaned and wailed 0-92⅚-0bpm ‘No Way No Way’.
SO FAR, nothing but support has been flooding in from all sides for my comments two issues ago about “acid house” now being cynically created for an audience too drugged to care about the quality of the music — at the time of writing now, before this week’s Gallup chart was known, it was still very noticeable that not one actual acid track had cracked the Top 40, a hopeful sign that the majority of the population have kept their musical sense in the face of the subversive hype … Champion Records successfully threatened an injunction to prevent Gee St Records releasing the Jungle Brothers ‘I’ll House You’, because it is of course blatantly based on Champion’s now reissued and fast selling Royal House ‘Con You Party’ … PLASA’s annual equipment exhibition, this year called 88 Light + Sound Show, is at West London’s Olympia 2 this Sunday-Wednesday (11-14), 11am-6pm, £5 admission on the door if you failed to pre-register in time for a discount … rm is about to be sold with two more totally free seven inch vinyl EPs of hot dance music, even better than the last pair, the one available with the issue dated September 24 containing an original rap version of Bomb The Bass ‘Megablast’, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince ‘New Kids On The Block’, plus the brand new S’Express ‘Coma‘ and Wee Papa Girl Rappers ‘You Got The Beat‘, while October 1’s has a special Coldcut remix of Sweet Toothed Sonny ‘Acid Drops’ plus the brand new Cold Crush Brothers ‘The Bronx‘ and Mixmaster Tee created ‘Fourth Floor All-Stars‘ mix of Four Play, Break Boys, Masters At Work, and O.N.I.T. (Oh No, It’s Them) – place an order with your newsagent now so as not to be disappointed! … Top Billin’s long since reviewed single is now finally released commercially, the hotter ‘Never’ B-side turning out to be the old Kleeer song … Electra’s ‘Jibaro (Spectrum Remix)’ sleeve says “This record is dedicated To The Memory of Steve Walsh” … Jolley Harris Jolley’s remix of Pieces Of A Dream ‘Rising To The Top’ should be due next week … Les Adams was guest mixing DJ with Nick Addams at David Grant’s wedding last Saturday — what, incidentally, does Les have in common with Carrie, the new Mrs Grant?! … Brass Construction’s main man Randy Muller has finally set up his own Plaza Records label, as yet unsigned here … Ian Levine is cockahoop at having Seventh Avenue picked up for a five year/five album US deal by Atlantic — who have also just snapped up from him a four years old Hi-NRG hit that he only ever mixed, but recently obtained from its defunct Bronze label, Vikki Benson ‘Easy Love‘, following its sudden much played Latin hip hop success on Miami radio! … Japan’s highest radio jock, Yuki Iwata hosts a four day televised Hi-NRG festival in Tokyo during November, including two separate nights devoted to Stock Aitken Waterman productions and the apparently locally popular Nightmare label, presented respectively by Pete Waterman and Ian Levine … TV makes people look fatter … Charly Records’ catalogue deal with New York’s long established Fania and Vaya Latin labels has resulted in a flood of salsa albums and interesting compilations on the new UK Caliente label, worth checking by jazzier jocks … Impulse Club Promotions’ new main men (on 01-459 8866) Glasgow hard case Kenny Macleod and Bromley (South London) soul boy Nick Gordon Brown “aim to straddle the much-mythologised North/South divide” — to my mind, the ones at top and bottom are fine, it’s those in between who sometimes seem to have chips on their shoulders (stir, stir!) … BAD boy Mike Shawe reckons that three pirate radio stations have shaken up Bristol’s appreciation of dance music, even the largest Mecca venue being more aware of acid while record shops are incorporating large dance music sections and stocking current imports, nearby Bath being very black music orientated too, says he … London Electric Ballroom DJ Glen Gunner boasts that he too has just bought an “F” reg car — from the last time around, 1968, a VW split-screen cam-per, for £150! … NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
PHASE II ‘Reachin’ (Brotherhood Mix)’ (RePublic Records LICT 006, via Rough Trade)
Typically excellent Blaze-produced soulfully sung and piano plonked creamily thumping smooth 0-121-0bpm hustling New York “deep house” churner building powerful nagging tension, with lyrics full of timeless joy and hope, a real grower as The Club Chart has been proving (more sparsely percussive instrumental 121bpm Stand Firm Mix, piano backed acappella 0-120½-0bpm Redemption Mix, and 120½-0bpm Radio Edit). Don’t miss this, it’s so satisfying!
M.C. LA KIM ‘The Posse Is Large’ (US Tuff City TUF 128031)
Officially flip to the murkily dragging 92⅔bpm ‘We Got The Funk‘ (in two mixes), this DJ Mark The 45 King-produced 106’⅙bpm rap (acappella too) is set to the nagging oboe and drums break beat from his own ‘The 900 Number‘, a real underground hip hop groove for a few mixers in the know, so that consequently this is now massive at rap gigs!
ANDY PEEBLES, now he’s toned down his stentorian Radio 1 vocal modulation, has been doing a good job as Tony Blackburn’s weekday 9am-noon replacement on BBC Radio London, the show being markedly more “soul”-ful than before — however, there’s bad news for all soul fans, as from mid-October the station is adopting an AoR format, leaving soul to the pirates (although ‘Black Londoners’ will be broadcast every evening, 7-10pm, combining black affairs and music), possible new presenters including the likes of Johnnie Walker, Greg Edwards, Tommy Vance and even Jonathan King, while Robbie Vincent is leaving of the end of the week to move his ‘phone-in show to LBC, as of September 26 replacing Mike Allen (who in turn moves to weekends) in the top rated Monday-Thursday 10pm-1am slot on London’s “talk” station … Pres Jam 4 at Prestatyn is likely to feature Salt-n-Pepa, Steven Danté and more, in addition to Keith Sweat’s debut UK concert appearance, the November 4-6 weekender this time attracting the broadest spread of people yet from all over the country (£45 Access/Visa bookings and details on 01-364 1212) — Martin Collins has returned to the LiveWire DJ fold, Tim Westwood will host an extended (and exclusive) rap session, while acid, rap, jazz and doubtless a bit of funk and soul are being offered in three clearly defined “dance zones” … Upnorth Promotions hold their third soul-funk-jazz weekender, the second Blackpool one, on October 7-9 at Fleetwood’s Cala Gran Holiday Park, presenting Jean Carne in concert plus such DJs as Richard Searling, Colin Curtis, Martin Collins, Jonathan, Bob Jones, Hutchy, Norman Jay, Bob Jefferies, Billy Davison, Simon Dunmore, Ian Clark and more (£45 ticket info on 091-389 0317) … Steve Walsh’s family benefiting fund appears to have raised £30,000 from the star-studded special (and final) Radio London Soul Night Out … ‘DiscEyes’ is the best conceived video programme for disco use that I’ve seen, a great deal of clever thought having gone into the musical and visual links between each track of the non-stop segued two hour stereo hi-fi tapes, available on subscription for professional disco use only — details from Diamond Time Ltd on 01-586 7056, ask for Graham Gold (who does the sequencing with Steve Kemsley, video jock at Video Cafés around the world) … Swan Lake’s ‘In The Name Of Love’ shares a title (and to these ears, not much else) with a Thompson Twins oldie, which is now getting London pirate radio play in its new Shep Pettibone created ‘In The Name Of Love ’88 (Railroad Mix)‘ (US Arista ADI-9731), a pulsing bass driven funkily lurching 116⅓-0bpm remix, not at the moment due out here until an album of Twins remixes is released in November … Rick Astley’s upcoming (and long awaited) ‘She Wants To Dance With Me‘ single is self-penned and co-produced by Rick with Phil Harding and Ian Curnow, deliberately to show that he can cut it without any direct Stock Aitken Waterman involvement … ‘Night Of The Living Baseheads‘ is inevitably the next Public Enemy single … Bassment Records’ first UK single through Westside Records will be the Diaz Brothers ‘Here We Go Again‘ … T.I.C. is pronounced as separate initials, their ‘Popcorn ’88 Remix’ indeed being due from Arista this week, flipped by the original Woodstock Mix … Les Adams has created an “industrial” flavoured juddering re-production (rather than remix) of Inner City ‘Big Fun’, specifically for Disco Mix Club subscription service release although a commercial version may be due too … Chris ‘Bam Bam’ Westbrook has also remixed Brass Construction ‘Ha Cha Cha’ … Kool Kat are currently promoing ahead of 10 Records release their Liaz ‘House Sensation (Master Reese Mix)‘, a Kevin Sanderson remixed bustling (0-)126bpm frantic formless rambler with vacuous cooing girls, the epitome of late Eighties disco dross aimed at people too drugged to care about music, while likewise WEA have promoed indie band Beloved’s ‘Acid Love’ in two Mike ‘Hitman’ Wilson mixed trite “it feels like ecstasy” muttered and synth twittered 118bpm versions, flipped by cymbal shushed busier 119⅓bpm Love & Ecstacy and 121¼bpm Original Mixes, two of which will eventually be chosen as a commercial B-side to something else … Jay Strongman’s currently promoed ‘East West‘ (Rhythm King) is, I fear, easy to dismiss now as yet another bass bombing sampler, chugging along at a possibly too monotonous (0-)109bpm jitter despite being built from interesting old funk grooves, the Red Army Choir, disembodied voices, and just a bit of song featuring Maureen … Yazz And The Plastic Population’s horny horn blast is sampled from Sharon Redd’s ‘Beat The Street’ … Gordon Mac’s newly renamed Graphic Records label has released a compilation of ‘Boogie Tunes‘ (LIPS 2) with no discernible common link other than they’re all old, from 1975’s Milton Wright ‘Keep It Up‘ to the relatively recent John Wayne-impersonating Rappin’ Duke’ ‘Rappin’ Duke‘, other cuts being by Derrick, Michele, Taana Gardner, Black Ivory and Melba Moore … Double Trouble guest at London Charing Cross Road Busby’s new Wednesday The Exchange night this week (August 31), while Leroy Burgess and Tyrone Williams, performing as El Bee & Tee, are next door at the Astoria the following night (September 1) with Chris Forbes, Simon Goffe, Madhatter Trevor, Paul Anderson Bobby & Steve of The Zoo … Steve Roberts and Keith Diamond revive “good old soul” (rather than “rare groove”!) on Thursdays at Kingston-upon-Thames Hoofers now that the adversely publicised link between acid house and ecstasy has put paid to the proposed night with Jasper and Jazzy M … Russ Dewsbury and Baz Fe Jazz recently started the Saturday Night Fish Fry for classic jazz and Latin dance in Nash’s Basement on Marine Parade, and now on Fridays also run The All New Jazz Room upstairs at Downbeat in Dyke Road, both in Brighton — where Balearic beats and acid are to be found on Thursdays at Slam in the Savannah, Old Steine, with Paul Clark and Warwick, next week (September 8) seeing a Shoom special starring Danny Rampling and a PA by Baby Ford … Queensgate Leisure open the flashy Discotheque P’Zaz this weekend in Grays, Essex (on Orsett Road in the Queensgate Centre) … Camden Lock’s Dingwalls having stopped live music on Saturdays, that night is now the solidly funky Second Base, with Paul Anderson and a rota of regulars including Gordon Mac, Madhatter Trevor, DJ Tee, Norman Jay, Colin Dale, Steve Jackson, Bobby & Steve of The Zoo, Jazzy B, Jay Strongman, Jules from Family Funktion (dress to sweat, but no trainers) … John Douglas, Ray Keith, Dave Malone, Guy Palmer & Turbo take turns to tear the root off this Sunday (4) at Castle Hedingham’s Memories in Essex … Charles Dickson of Northern Ireland Dance Factory and DCR 100.2fm is organising a Sudan flood victims benefiting ‘DJs Change The World’ day for next Saturday afternoon (September 10, noon-5pm) in Ballymoney Town Centre, County Antrim, with loadsa DJs working hard to raise loadsa (bally?) money for the cause … Teesvalley Roadshow requires a part-time DJ able to work weekends and travel the country — contact Graham Murray on 0642-226270 … I recently mentioned my still functioning 20 years old disco equipment, the very first purpose built mobile disco unit ever, the prototype of a production run marketed by pioneering sound installer Pepe Rush — who, amongst other international projects, is currently building a new mixing desk for London’s Tramp nightclub (if you too want something designed to last, call him on 01-889 2200!) … Gary and Martin Kemp might like to note that the club where I began my DJing career in 1963, The Barn in Knightsbridge, was owned by Ronnie and Reggie Kray, should they want any further first hand insights for their movie! … ssshh — “static house” … NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
MICHAEL JACKSON ‘Another Part Of Me (Extended Dance Mix)’ (Epic 652844 6)
While ‘Dirty Diana’ could never be regarded as a genuine club cut, this Bruce Swedien-remixed pent-up nervily urgent (0-)110-0bpm jittery jerky really is full of floor filling rhythm in Jacko’s best classic style (in four mixes).
TONY TERRY ‘Young Love (Acid Remix)’ (US Epic 49 07874) One of his last album’s hot cuts given an exciting house-style jiggly jumpy driving 117bpm nervy Steve Peck remix that – possibly a first for a major label US release – is actually called an Acid Remix (not that it’s truly “acieed!”), in similar Extended and Radio Versions, a very different Bohannon-ish bassily bubbled bounding 114½bpm 7” Version, jaggedly juddering 115-0bpm DJ Shock-scratched samples studded Charlie Dee’s “Not Just Sex” version, Omar Santana-edited violently jittering 116½bpm Oh Oh Omar Dubb, and Acappella, adding up to lots of beats for your money (over 35 minutes).
THE PASADENAS ‘Riding On A Train (Extended Version)’ (CBS PASA T2)
Another Philly Soul inspired (no, not ‘Love Train’!) lavishly arranged 111⅙-0bpm surging jiggler with an ever shifting full orchestration and much vocal interplay, a good follow-up to ‘Tribute’ although had it been heard in isolation possibly not as punchy (reviewed off promo, release date unknown). Continue reading “September 3, 1988: Michael Jackson, Tony Terry, The Pasadenas, Sweet Obsession, Biz Markie”
Take this how you like, but it’s worth bearing in mind that the frantically empty disco music of the late Seventies was created (not that we in Britain necessarily realised it at the time) specifically to keep drugged gay New Yorkers dancing on a high, and now the frantically empty acid house of the late Eighties is likewise being created specifically to keep ecstasy motivated trendy Londoners dancing on a high (a fast beat and surface excitement being so common to both styles that many acid DJs are now mixing in Seventies disco oldies without anyone noticing the difference!) – my point being that if the music is appreciated primarily by people speeding on drugs, who are in the minority, why isn’t more being done at the moment to cater for the tastes of the majority, who don’t need artificial stimulants to appreciate a good tune? … Gee St Records have picked up the Jungle Brothers here, ‘I’ll House You’ possibly being due a for UK remix but definitely out on 12 inch and added to UK pressings of their album before they visit for gigs here next month … Maze were mooted but now, as well as fireworks, November the 5th at the Prestatyn weekender will see the first ever exclusive UK concert by Keith Sweat instead … Gullivers DJ Graham Gold is the latest jock to become a recording artiste, co-producing himself with Phil Harding and Ian Curnow on ‘Shikisha’, described as “more Yazz than LA Mix with a touch of Todd Terry” … “They really like acid here”, Kevin ‘Reese’ Saunderson remarked drily, in the understatement of the night, when DJing at Nicky Holloway’s most recent “doo at Kew” (actually the venue’s in Brentford, across the river, but that doesn’t sound so good!) … Nicky Holloway, amongst an armoury of slick acidic tracks, plays the start of Tyree ‘Acid Over’ at 33⅓rpm before jacking up to the correct 45rpm precisely as the main impetus kicks in, and also dramatically shifts the vari-speed during different phases of Donna Summer ‘I Feel Love’ (the Eighties remix version), to ecstatic reaction … I haven’t time this week to BPM the slew of strong acid house albums that are out, including two rival double LP sets, ffrr’s ‘The House Sound Of London Vol IV – The Jackin’ Zone’ and Breakout’s ‘House Hallucinates – Pump Up London, Volume One’, plus two hot import compilations, Hot Mix 5 Inc Records’ ‘Acid’ and the Junior Vasquez remixed mainly Arthur Baker productions on Minimal Records’ ‘Rough House Vol 1’ … Westside Records are countering Serious’s 10 album boxed house set with a 14 album, 120 track, limited edition ‘House Of Hits’ box set! … Ace Records have just released a whole slew of old Stax albums in their original late Sixties/early Seventies sleeves, including Isaac Hayes ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ … Westside Records have signed New York’s Bassment Records for the UK … Andrew Beer is building a DJ mailing list at Warrior Records, PO Box 798, London W14 9NT (01-801 0254) … Bill Medley’s new version reminds me, which now exalted national radio executive, when a producer on local radio, asked the record library for copies of “those two old Hollies hits, ‘He Ain’t Heavy’, and ‘He’s My Brother’?! … Island have signed the Leslie Drayton Orchestra … Chrysalis picked up City Heat’s ‘City Heat’, real “yuppy soul” considering the song is set in a city cocktail bar after work … Raheem the rapping vigilante’s ‘Dance Floor’, reviewed as an import last week (when the fact it’s based on Eddie Kendricks ‘Keep On Truckin’’ was left out), is already on 96⅔-0bpm UK 12 inch (Breakout USAT 642) and getting perhaps more pop than hardcore attention … Kool G Rap & DJ Polo ‘Poison’ (US Prism) only ever hit The Club Chart for one week at number 90 at the end of May, but has been selling steadily for the last 14 weeks – and while we’re talking longevity, Shy Rose ‘I Cry For You’ (US JDC) has been bubbling around the Hi-NRG chart since late last October, without ever getting higher than number seven, so will it last for a whole year? … Nicky Holloway and ecstatic Johnny Walker “Balearic” The Devil May Trip this Tuesday (23) at Uxbridge Regals … Sunday (28) sees Jeff Young, Pete Tong, Chris Hill, Chrisse Jackson, Colin Hudd, Eddie Gordon, Danny Smith and more at Great Yarmouth Tiffany’s 6pm “alldayer”, and Stu Allen, Rob Manley and Steve Woolfe at Manchester Legend’s allniter … Bank Holiday Monday (29) has DJs Huge, The Klass, David T and more at No Sell Out 9 in Liverpool’s Mardi Gras, also Steve Allen, Nick Graham and more plus Chapter + The Verse at Peterborough’s Millionaire Club, a noon-midnight alldayer at Putney’s Micawbers with Jazzy M, Jasper, Nigel Wilton, Steve Roberts and more, and Chad Jackson cutting up Preston’s The Place … Neil Fincham, awarded a gold disc on his departure from Styx, has moved across Edinburgh to continue his funk, soul, jazz policy on Thurs/Fri/Saturdays at the new Morrisons in Morrison Street … Bloxwich’s Flix has become the refurbished Starlight Club, with DJs Ray Young Tues/Fri, Shaun Sullivan Thurs, Scott Brazil Sat … Gary Steel souls Chesham Stages every Thursday … Phil Simmons, recently at the Empire in London’s Leicester Square, has now moved actually to Leicester to jock Thur/Fri/Sat at The Studio … East Midlands club jock Glen Ross writes a weekly music column in Leicester’s The Times … Mark Hughes is excited at the prospect of being the club jock involved in a live link up between Worthing’s Sterns Nightclub and Southern Sound radio on Saturday, September 3 … RSW, creators of the already reviewed funkily drummed ‘Biting My Nails’ on Mute, turns out to be Renegade Sound Wave (with a dreadful vocal version as commercial A-side!) … NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS ‘Stop The Violence (Extended Mix)’ (US Jive 1121-1-JD)
Brand new tougher (0-)91⅙bpm “hard” remix of KRS-One’s reggae-ish bass thrummed sombre anti-drugs and violence message rap (only ever out here in its LP version), with some plinky plunky African kalimba, and a dubwise style false finish (instrumental/edit too), flipped by the amusing 0-102bpm ‘Jimmy’, a thinly disguised warning to wear a condom! Meanwhile, KRS-One’s new UK release is the bass jolted wordy unremixed 91bpm ‘I’m Still No. 1’ (Jive JIVE T 179), also flipped by the here 0-101⅔bpm ‘Jimmy’ plus the previously oddly disjointed 76½bpm ‘Essays On BDP-ism’ with Scott La Rock.
M.C. SYN-DEE ‘Best 2 B A Girl’ (Virgin VST 1111)
Promoed for ages to great acclaim and finally out properly (still at 33⅓rpm despite the label saying 45), this is the correct nomenclature for the now subtly remixed and more smoothly rounded jiggly bass throbbed go-go-ish 108⅓bpm infectious female rap, sure to be big (scratching 108⅔bpm Instrumental and funky JB drummer sampled 100bpm ‘Low Down Bonus Beats’ flip).
The Urban All Stars, rather than its creator Norman Cook, turns out to be the correct label credit for the terrific ‘It Began In Africa’ megamix, finished 12 inch copies also including the Jackson Sisters’ ‘I Believe In Miracles’ and ‘When Your Love Is Gone’, and Maceo & The Macks ‘Cross The Track’ … Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis will again be producing the long awaited new Janet Jackson LP … London Leicester Square’s Empire Ballroom has had another fatal stabbing, during a privately staffed function – this will not affect the Steve Walsh family benefiting Soul Night Out there this Thursday, when the myriad of PAs will include Joyce Sims, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Wee Papa Girl Rappers, Derek B, Glen Goldsmith, Princess, Steven Danté, Rick Clarke, Mica Paris, Pasadenas, LA Mix, Tongue In Cheek, Ruby Turner, Phil Fearon, David Grant, Sid Haywoode, Total Contrast, Krush, Jazz & The Brothers Grimm, Mirage, Simon Harris and many more (including surprises), Edwin Starr being due to lead them all in an ‘I Found Lovin’’ finale for the Radio London broadcast, the evening’s presenters including Tony Blackburn, Jeff Young, John Sachs, Mike Shaft, John Saunderson, John Ceccini, Gary Crowley and Dave Pearce … Paul Oakenfold filmed the video for Electra on Ibiza without mishap, Ben Liebrand having done a Spectrum Remix of ‘Jibaro’ … Eric B & Rakim ‘Put Your Hands Together’ has initially been remixed for the UK by Sheffield’s FON Force, apparently just one of several remixes … Longsy D + Cut Master MC have been signed by Cold Chillin’ in the US, Marley Marl remixing their earlier ‘Hip Hop Reggae’ for release there … MCA Records picked up The Kraze ‘The Party’, the exciting Balearic house raver about which I enthused some time ago, only a few (albeit major) jocks playing it so far … Republic Records have signed Phase II ‘Reachin’’ and Blaze ‘Can’t Win For Losin’’, both being remixed for the UK (along with Kikkit ‘Love Fixation’) by Blaze, who have left Quark in the States for Warner Bros … Sweatbox DJ Steve Wren has quit his day job at Polygram to become club plugger at Jive, taking up the position Jon Williams left vacant on his move to Phonogram … PRT Distribution is starting its own Nite Shift Promotion service for the benefit of contracted labels, Darren Ensom setting up the DJ mailing list on 01-648 7000 (extension 207) from September 3 … Criminal Records, the UK label that releases Tongue In Cheek, has started a club mailing list at 22-23 Red Lion Street, Holborn, London WC1R 4PS … The Dance Yard Recording Corporation has also moved to Unit 7, Grand Union Centre, West Row, Ladbroke Grove, London W10 5AX (01-969 2296) … RJ’s Latest Arrival’s import LP is due here imminently (EMI-Manhattan MTL 1035), Najee’s is already out (MTL 1026), as is Gregory Hines’ (Epic 461027 1) … Jeffrey Osborne’s LP is out here next week (Breakout AMA 5205), its first single here being a Gail ‘Sky’ King remix of the, to my mind not that special, ‘One Love – One Dream’ title track … Syn-Dee is touring Stockton’s Mall Tuesday (16), Sheffield’s Leadmill Wednesday (17), Manchester’s International Thursday (18) and Segers Friday (19) … Gordon Mac is Tony Monson’s guest DJ this Wednesday (17) at Chelsea Sloane Square’s Roberto’s … Double Trouble in its roadshow form consists of mainman Leigh Guest with Michael Menson and Carl Brown, mixing it up this Friday (19) at Southend-on-Sea’s Mr B’s … Gerald G Holley is acidic Saturdays at Aberdare’s Deckers (due for a £250,000 refit in the new year) … Jeff Young is so well supplied with pre-releases these days that at his Swansea Martha’s Vineyard gig he earned the nickname “JAY” (to go with Pete ‘Acetate’ Tong’s “PAT”!), his guest appearance at Jeff Thomas’s Monday soul night attracting not only myself but also MCA’s Eddie Gordon, Island’s Nigel Wilton, Jive’s Steve Wren, Virgin’s Mervyn Anthony, Marshall Arts’ Ray Edwards, Kool Kat’s Neil Rushton and Everton Webb, plus a Hotline PA, most of the “taffia maffia” including Barry Island’s Steve Wiggins and megamixing Noise Boyz – one incredulous observer wondering why Youngie attracted so much attention, a question he answered for himself when I asked if he was having a good time, as he replied, “Yeah, he’s playing great stuff!” … NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
DIAZ BROTHERS ‘Here We Go Again (Diaz Mix)’ (US Bassment Records BM-0073)
Great for DJs in a jam, this instantly exciting 0-112¾-0bpm Craig Bevan creation combines the Lyn Collins ‘Think (About It)’ break beat popularised by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock and then Roxanne Shanté, Public Enemy’s continuously repeated title line (and some “boyee”), plus Clint Eastwood’s “do you feel lucky, punk?” dialogue (acidic Instrumental), flipped by the Zapp ‘More Bounce To The Ounce’-based 111bpm ‘We Bad (Bad Mix)’ (inst too).
TINA B ‘Bodyguard’ (US Vendetta Records VE-7004)
A&M’s US equivalent of the Breakout dance label features Arthur Baker & David Cole producing Arthur’s wife on a nastily noisy US-aimed (0-)112⅔-0bpm Janet Jackson-ish cranker, but luckily it’s in five mixes and the flip’s samples based ultra funky infectious Vocal Hip Body Mix and Hip Body Beats are just right for the UK, well worth checking.
EPMD ‘Strictly Business (12” Vocal)’ (Cooltempo/Ensign COOLX 172)
Helped immensely by ‘I Shot The Sherriff’ being slotted through it, this stutteringly remixed sinuously rolling (0-)96½-96⅓-0bpm chatting reggae-rap jiggler is in four mixes, due out fully on August 30. Continue reading “August 20, 1988: Diaz Brothers, Tina B, EPMD, Nu Shooz, Johnny Kemp”
HASTILY ARRANGED so that a date could be announced, the Steve Walsh tribute Soul Night Out will no longer be at Hammersmith’s Le Palais where its Mecca owners (who never supported the Walsh-fronted Dance Aid nights either) have decided that their regular Thursdays are doing quite well enough now that the venue’s been refurbished, so, still on the some date – Thursday, August 18 – the Radio London-relayed event will instead be held at Leicester Square’s Empire Ballroom, where the First Leisure management have welcomed this benefit night for the late DJ’s family (nowhere will it be the same without Steve actually being there, although one thing that might revive the authentic atmosphere would be a PA by Aswad) … Marshall Jefferson has remixed Chris Paul ‘Turn The Music Up’ … Jolley Harris Jolley are remixing Pieces Of A Dream ‘Rising To The Top’, to coincide with the group’s UK visit next month — in fact their import LP is now out here (EMI-Manhattan MTL 1030) … Derek B is producing a rap by basketball stars the Harlem Globetrotters, for release on Beatmaster Records! … S’Express, still with an apostrophe but with the “E” back in place, now appears to be the way in which the name is officially spelt … BlueBird Records finally did take over the old Record Shack shop in Soho’s Berwick Street, and are now open there … Les Cokell has opened his own “High Energy” specialising shop (stocking rare oldies including those hard to find Hot Tracks and Disconet subscription discs from the States), called Energhighs Records in the Clone Zone, 37-39 Bloom Street, Manchester 2 (telephone 061-236 1398) … Sylvester is widely reported by US trade papers to be suffering from AIDS … Dave Randall’s disco promotion service Clubnet has moved to Unit 7, Grand Union Centre, West Row, Ladbroke Grove, London W10 5AZ (01-968 9661) … No Strings Attached is the name by which South London remix DJ Perry Daniels now is credited (on such as the new Natalie Cole medley, see her review), Perry handling samples and mixing while colleague King Enri programmes the drum machines and produces, and Enri’s brother ploys keyboards and engineers — their latest total production being their own ‘House On The Hill’, a ‘Hill Street Blues’ soundtrack dialogue sampling house chugger that’s set for release soon on a major label … Chapter 8’s keenly awaited new LP will be out here on Capitol at the end of the month, as close as possible to its US release (there are already cassette promos in circulation) … ‘Put Your Hands Together‘, emerging as the hottest cut or their new album, will be Eric B & Rakim’s follow-up single in about three weeks … ‘Talkin’ All That Jazz’ will likewise be Stetsasonic’s follow-up on September 5, while the next Rose Royce reissue is ‘I Wanna Get Next To You’ … Beats Workin’ ‘Sure Beats Workin’’ would appear to have been withdrawn by ffrr, presumably in the hope that it might eventually build up the consumer demand that so far has yet to materialise — Balearic being all talk and ecstacy rather than a real chart force despite the hype … Robin King from Jack Trax points out that the Night Writers ‘Let The Music (Use You)‘ has been something of an anthem for the last 18 months or so, at London’s more seriously trendy Balearic-type venues (except, he hastily adds, it’s much more solid and soulful than that might suggest!) … Sound Assassins buyers seem to prefer the flip’s more percussively spacious (0-)117¾-0bpm Spectrum Edit version of ‘Get Out Of My House!’ (reviewed last week) … Loose Ends’ latest album has so far sold a quarter of a million copies in the US during its first six weeks … Desa, with guests DJ Trix and DJ A-Ski, has opened The Bassment on Fridays in Merseyside’s rendezvous for serious groovers, inside Birkenhead’s Comet Car Park (this bizarre address being behind Hamilton Square sta-tion in Argyle Street) … York’s seriously crucial Sweatbox hosts a cruise on the river Ouse this Saturday (13), leaving Kings Stoith at 7pm with DJs Bri G, Rockie and Soul Pete then getting down (or off?) at the Bonding Warehouse … Norman Scott is back doing one hour guest spots most Mondays at the reopened gay Bang disco in London Charing Cross Road’s Busbys … Johnny Walker guests next Wednesday (17) at Tottenham Websters’ weekly acid house Buzz night – acieed! … Kingston-upon-Thames Hoofers has pure acid Thursdays with Jazzy M, Jasper (The VJ) and Steve Roberts … Rayners Lane Record & Disco Centre owner Jon Jules, not to be outdone, bought an “F” reg white Vauxhall Astro GTE convertible, while poor Les Adams is only able to drive his Toyota Supra for short distances while his bum heals — he had a huge cyst cut out of it just as his “F” reg dream car was delivered … NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
D.J. JAZZY JEFF & THE FRESH PRINCE ‘A Nightmare On My Street (Extended Mix)’ (US Jive 1125-1-JD)
Another slow talking vignette of contemporary American teenage life — about the perils of horror movies! — this ‘Amityville (House On The Hill)’-type 85¼-0bpm rolling “spooky” rap is the duo’s new US single (Instrumental/Edit too, and slippery scratching 0-127½-0bpm ‘Rhythm Trax — House Party Style‘), while here we get again ‘Parents (Just Don’t Understand) (Danny D Remix)’ (Jive JIVE R 169), Dancin’ Danny D speeding up the amusingly chatted US smash to a more usefully jiggling 92⅚bpm tempo with rare grooving piano and brass, its main appeal though still being as a potential pop crossover once enough people have seen its popular video (and provided Derek B hasn’t already satiated the market here for first person story telling raps!).
JEFFREY OSBORNE ‘One Love — One Dream’ (US A&M SP-5205)
Faithful fans will immediately lap up this overdue return on LP by the soulful baritone — seemingly more given to singing the American national anthem than making records these days! — although there’s not an awful lot on it for the dance crowd. Best bets there are probably the vigorously lurching 112½bpm ‘(You Can’t Get) Love From A Stone’, pleasantly swaying 96⅓bpm ‘Can’t Go Back On A Promise‘ and spikily leaping and kicking happy Brazillian style 119½-0bpm ‘La Cuenta, Por Favor‘, otherwise the joltingly rolling 116bpm title track and gruffly sincere slow 65bpm ‘Cindy’, 0-33-0bpm ‘My Heart Can Wait Forever’, 0-37½bpm ‘All Because Of You’, 29-58-0bpm ‘True Believers’ and 75/37½bpm ‘The Family’ are radio aimed, while the tensely jerking 111¼bpm ‘She’s On The Left’ is a tighter vocal version of his new import 12 inch, reviewed separately in Hot Vinyl.
CHUBB ROCK ‘Caught Up (Remix)’ (US Select FMS 62317)
Maybe not quite so innovative as ‘Follow The Leader’ but just as excitingly different, this urgent rap is based in spasmodic spurts on James Brown’s ‘I Got Ants In My Pants’ beat, with “man – woman – earth – infinity” pauses and rhythm shifts breaking up the momentum and making it so unusual, in 108-108̿⅓-108⅙bpm Remix, 109-109⅓-109⅙bpm Instrumental, 108⅓bpm Bonus rapid re-edit and 95bpm Original mixes, the latter completely unlike the rest and quite funny in sexist Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince style, bragging about the stiffness of his Johnson and other attributes! Continue reading “August 13, 1988: “Enough ACIEED already! Remember soul?””
BOBBY BROWN has been given The Mac Band featuring the McCampbell Brothers treatment by MCA Records, import copies of ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ being sold here now at UK 12 inch price (as MCAT 1268) … Disco Mix Club founder Tony Prince blagged his way into New York’s MK club by telling the receptionist he was one of the directors — she mentioned this to someone who knew better, and six burly bouncers tracked down Tony just as he was giving an impromptu flamenco display on stage! … Betty Wright reportedly was the sensation of the New Music Seminar in New York, preaching as if in church to ecstatic crowd response in a 40 minute diatribe during the ‘Soul Souled Out’ seminar session, describing how she got her record deal for ‘No Pain, No Gain‘ (which proved to be a big black hit) — after being turned down by 36 different record companies, she did a reverse payola and borrowed the money from a disc-jockey to put it out herself! … Paul Kindred is starting a club mailing list at CityBeat, 17-19 Alma Road, London SW18 1AA, while both Froggy and Sean French seem to be handling the mailing list at Circle City Records, PO Box 244, Barnet, Hertfordshire EN4 0EW … Ensign picked up EPMD ‘Strictly Business’ for a remixed UK 12 inch … T-Coy are the latest remixers of the Funky Worm … Supreme have still not released the Project Club ‘Dance With The Devil‘, presumably in the hope that accumulated advance orders will give it a high chart entry — the trouble is that, although I have indeed been mentioning it a bit within the Balearic context recently, it really isn’t THAT outstanding, so don’t get too frustrated at not being able to get it! … Serious are unbelievably compiling all ten of their previous house music albums into a box set called ‘Serious…The House Story So Far‘, but no price is mentioned! … M|A|R|R|S managed to hit the US in a big way but now the word from there is that “volume pumping” samplers are dead, thus dashing the hopes of such as S’Xpress, LA Mix, Simon Harris and Bomb The Bass … Jazz & The Brothers Grimm ‘(Let’s All Go Back) Disco Nights’ is rumoured not to have had Radio 1 play because the title contains that dreaded word “disco” —which didn’t stop Steve Wright from digging out the original GQ ‘Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)’! … Florida’s B.V.S.M.P. already have a follow-up out in the States, ‘Be Gentle‘ … Chris Hill, original “godfather” of the old jazz-funk “mafia” jocks, would indeed have attended Steve Walsh’s funeral had he not been in Texas at the time … N. Dorsett (Letters page last week) has a mistaken idea about the small amount of money that’s paid to most soul presenters on local radio (they have to make their living from the gigs that result), and about the cost of a council flat — we also purposefully didn’t mention the expense of maintaining a dual lifestyle, leaving that to the tabloids … Channel 4 of the end of this month start what should be a fascinating four part series, ‘Brown Sugar’, tracing on film the careers of great black female entertainers from the early 1900’s to the present, featuring such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Adelaide Hall, Josephine Baker, Ethel Waters, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, Eartha Kitt, Dorothy Dandridge, the Shirelles, Crystals, Ronettes, Marvelettes, Martha & The Vandellas, Supremes, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, Pointer Sisters, Donna Summer, Tina Turner and more, beginning on Saturday, August 27 … ‘Can’t Get You Out Of My Head‘ will be Narada’s follow-up … Morgan Khan these days sports a full head of wavy hair instead of his customary skinhead cut, making him look so much older that at first I didn’t realise it really was him! … Jeff Young wrenches himself away from his new Banstead home to join Jeff Thomas next Monday (8) at Swansea’s Martha’s Vineyard, upon which so many record companies’ dance music pluggers also look like descending that — if the weather’s good — I may well end up there too … Plymouth Sound presenter Chris Dinnis hosts Humdinger 2 at Exeter Quay’s Boxes next Wednesday (10), planned as a three-monthly upfront event, advance bookings on 0392-39477 after 6pm (ask him to play Kanu Sukalagwun’s rare groove!) … Lyndon T and Chris Johns boogie down at Paddington’s Starlight Club every Fri/Saturday … Barry & District News dance music columnist Steve Wiggins now jocks and VJs at Barry Island’s brand new Warehouse, with over 30 video monitors at his disposal … Les Adams got so fed up with my Japanese car having more nifty “extras” than his cherished Audi that he’s just bought an “F” reg Toyota Supra, with air conditioning and the works (but he still doesn’t have an illuminated keyhole, na na na-naa na!) … I’m afraid a flying visit to sun-drenched Jersey (and day trip to France) last week kept me from reviewing the Hot Vinyl in as great a depth as I’d have liked, so check The Club Chart for extra BPMs as usual (everyone else takes several weeks’ holiday, so don’t complain) … NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
ERIC B. & RAKIM ‘Follow The Leader’ (MCA Records MCG 6031)
Possibly nothing on this eagerly awaited album stands out as startlingly as did its revolutionary 109⅔-0bpm title track hit on first hearing, in similar swirling style being the slippery scratching 117¼bpm ‘No Competition’, slow piano preambled then scrubbing (0-)111⅓bpm ‘Put Your Hands Together‘, funky drummered 106-0bpm ‘Lyrics Of Fury‘ and rumbling 111½-0bpm ‘Musical Massacre‘, plus there are the jazz-funky 99½bpm ‘The R‘, freakily throbbing and scratching 0-103½bpm ‘Eric B. Never Scared‘, moodily meandering 93½bpm ‘To The Listeners‘, jinglebells backed chatting then jolting 94bpm ‘Microphone Fiend‘, jogging instrumental 97bpm ‘Beats For The Listeners‘ and even more makeweight 0-114bpm ‘Just A Beat‘. Like it or not, they’ll need a Coldcut-type remix to go Top 20 here again with anything else off this.
PHASE II ‘Reachin’ (Brotherhood Mix)’ (US Movin’ Records MR003)
Blaze-produced typically excellent soulfully sung and piano plonked creamily thumping smooth 0-120½-0bpm hustling churner building powerful nagging tension (in four mixes), full of timeless joy and hope, well worth checking. This may not be the most hyped newie of the week, but it sure is the best!
THE BROOKLYN FUNK ESSENTIALS ‘We Got To Come Together’ (US Minimal Records 4)
Arthur Baker created excitingly driving 0-123bpm instrumental, funkily drummed through chattering beats, anxious title line shouts and “alldayer” whistle blasts (in five mixes), hot for the likes of CJ Mackintosh but apparently not that widely distributed on import, although it’s now also on a StreetSounds album here. Check it, in some form! Continue reading “August 6, 1988: Eric B & Rakim, Phase II, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, Inner City, Swan Lake”
Urban have pressed on “promo” copies of a four-track 12 inch that contain two tracks each from their new ‘James Brown’s Funky People (Part 2)’ and ‘Urban Classics 2’ LPs, respectively 1972’s brassily burbling and tumbling (0-)96½-96-94½-97bpm Hank Ballard & The Midnight Lighters ‘From The Love Side’, 1970’s piano nagged rolling and preaching 0-99½-100-100½-0bpm Myra Barnes ‘The Message From The Soul Sisters (Parts 1 & 2)’, 1972’s squeaky early Jackson 5-style Foster Sylvers ‘Misdemeanour’, 1971’s glorious blue-eyed Philly soul swinging 117½-115½-115-116bpm The Mob ‘I Dig Everything About You’… WEA have now promoed Terrajacks ‘Houseplan’, a frenetic samples studded choppily jumping jangly 0-122¾-123-0bpm volume pumper that’s already been white labelled around Merseyside for months… Double Trouble (his mum knows him as Leigh Guest) has created a megamix for Syncopate, the 0-118-117½-117-117½-0bpm INSYNC 1, combining Brass Construction ‘Movin’’, Chris Paul ‘Turn The Music Up’ and Carol Cayne ‘What My Love Can Bring’… Warner Bros are preparing an album of remixed oldies by Chaka Khan, ‘I’m Every Woman’ being remixed by Dancin’ Danny D, ‘Ain’t Nobody’ by Frankie Knuckles, ‘Slow Dancin’’ by Hank Shocklee amongst others… Steve Walsh, always one to say things for effect, actually confirmed to me that he was born in Walsall, but quite rightly his mum should know and she tells me that he was London born and bred – however, his Irish born dad did live for years in Walsall… Les Adams at Norbury’s Sussex Tavern, only a music pub and not a vast great place, raised £1,310 in just two hours for Steve Walsh’s family trust – mind you, he sold even the shirt off his back to do so!… Les has also just created a full 24 track remix of the Funky Worm ‘Hustle! (To The Music)’ but for Disco Mix Club release only – a bit of a breakthrough, the very first mix they have featured done from master tape rather than disc… Marshall Jefferson is doing a house remix of ‘Somebody Save Me’ as the follow-up for By All Means… Jellybean’s still only promoed ‘Coming Back For More (Part 1)’ is now also in a more smoothly jiggling 114½-0bpm vocal version gruffly nagged by Richard Darbyshire from Living In A Box… 88 Light + Sound Show, the annual PLASA equipment exhibition this year is at Olympia 2 in West London’s Hammersmith Road from Sunday to Wednesday, September 11-14, discount £2 advance booking forms having to be returned by August 19 – to get yours, contact PLASA, 7 Highlight House, St Leonards Road, Eastbourne, Sussex BN21 3UH (otherwise it’s £5 on the door)… Edinburgh DJ Donald Hughes, the Steve Walsh lookalike ‘Shuggy Bear’ pictured by this column back in January, still presents the Radio Forth Dance Chart on Saturdays 8-9pm, and now hosts a Sunday 2-4pm ‘The Scottish Chart’, compiled from retail sales in – you guessed – just Scotland… Lindsay Wesker has moved with Kiss Records and Goodfoot Promotions to Unit 14, Backstock Mews, Backstock Road, London N4 (01-359 2969)… Marie Birch’s new Sound Promotions address is 31 Norfolk Place, London W2, and not as misprinted last week (when it should also have been Gipsy Kings, Yello, Dave Ball, Blue Moderne, S’Xpress, Fon Force, etcetera – well, it’s probably my fault for delivering the copy late!)… Monday (August 1 – what, August already?) finds Liverpool’s Mardi Gras having another No Sell Out night, number 8, the monthly pack jammed underground house/rap/funk/reggae/soul event, while up at Darlington’s Zhivagos a £3 North East Frontline jam has the Wee Papa Girl Rappers and a DJ cast list including Hutchy, Alex Lowes, Herbie Mack spinning jazz/soul/rare groove… Swansea’s soul boyo Jeff Thomas also now hikes on Tuesdays to 5th Avenue at Torquay… Dorothy turns out to be two white girls and their reggaefied single is of Prince ‘Still Waiting’ rather than Diana Ross’s ‘I’m Still Waiting’ – which latter is what the white label promo called it… NANU NANU!
HOT VINYL
STEVE WALSH ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now (Party For The World)’ (A1 Records 12A1 304, via PRT)
Quite a revelation, the late and sadly missed giant amongst DJs sounds far more polished than before on a tasteful and really excellent long smoothly flowing (0-)111bpm revival of McFadden & Whitehead’s singalong soul anthem, starting off with doodling piano before being presented as a live performance with the crowd support increasing as Steve breaks halfway into some rap and a “party for the world” call and answer session (including an inevitable though brief “you wot, you wot?” exchange), so good that it would have been a smash regardless of the circumstances – the flip’s jiggly lurching 97bpm ‘I’ll Keep On’ is less remarkable but especially ironic.
JO ANN JONES ‘Share My Joy’ (Champion CHAMP 12-81)
Sybil’s producer James Bratton has followed the example of Jellybean and Hurby ‘Luv Bug’ Azor by assembling an upcoming ‘The James Bratton Project’ on which his creations are performed by individually credited different artistes, first UK release from it being this excellent striding 116½bpm bubbly kicker (dub/edit too) with rippling vibes and cooing girls behind the superbly soulful unhurriedly wailing Jo Ann, a voice that’ll drive those with a taste for the old style wild!
LONGSY D. + CUT MASTER M.C. ‘To The Rhythm’ (Big One VV BIG 10)
Creating the maximum rhythm from the minimum ingredients of a resonant bass thrummed madly jaunty 93⅓-93½-93¾bpm syncopation, cutting in the Upsetters’ ‘Return Of Django’ and James Brown’s ‘Funky President’ amongst others (Dub Rap Mix/Bonus Beats flip), these beat bouncing reggae hip hoppers claim to be “like Zanussi, the appliance of science” – I’ll drink to that! Stay still if you can! Continue reading “July 30, 1988: Steve Walsh, Jo Ann Jones, Longsy D + Cut Master M.C., Rick Clarke, James Brown”
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