Author: Mike A

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

MORGAN KHAN, “Britain’s Berry Gordy” still looking for “Britain’s Michael Jackson”, offers aspiring black music acts an instant talent assessment and the chance of cost-price use of Westside Records’ recording studio (if not an actual contract) if they turn up between 6-7pm any Mon/Wed/Friday at his new Ealing office in Springbridge Mews (just around the corner off Haven Green from the old Streetwave office): incidentally, Westside is indeed the outlet for his own artistes — debuting on June 1 with Faze One’s lispingly spoken sinuous bubbly 89⅔bpm ‘Good Friends‘ — but in fact his first singles, including Cultural Vibe, are out next week on the Hardcore label, the outlet for licensed product … Bobby Womack would appear now actually to have covered Living In A Box for US release anyway … BBC Radio Bristol’s previously announced 1987 West Of England Rapping & Mixing Contest is now on June 18 so as not to clash with election day, hosted by Tristan Bolitho at Bristol’s Studio in Frogmore Street with prizes of equipment and appearances — to enter, send in the application form that’s widely available at the area’s record shops and BBC local stations, then turn up for preliminary heats at 2pm that afternoon, DJs with their records for a seven minute set, rappers with a backing cassette for a three minute session … Mike Rice and Andy Rolfe’s habit of playing local mix fans’ home-produced megamix tapes on their Friday nights at Downley’s Masters has grown into a proper Mastermix ’87 contest to find the best mixer in Bucks and Berks — get your eight minute mix tapes to Mike at The Masters, Belfield Shopping Parade, Downley, nr High Wycombe, Bucks, so that over the next few Fridays they can be whittled down to Just four for the finals on Wednesday June 24, when the finalists will be judged live as well as on tape for a first prize gold disc donated by Nine O Nine (Mike himself hopes then to beat the current record of mixing 16 song titles in two minutes) … Portrait’s subsidiary dance label Up Beat, although used already on some promos, will actually be launched in July with a reissue of the O’Jays’ ‘My Favourite Person’ rare groove … ‘Rare Grooves’ is an obvious marketing concept under which labels can repackage any old material, and Jam Today has done just that with a six-track unremixed album of old Elite singles (CHIL LP 1), including Atmosfear of course, the only one actually attracting interest being Touch’s 126¾bpm bounding synth instrumental ‘Keep On‘ and Dave Chambers’ 102⅚bpm jazz saxing of Jean Carn’s ‘Don’t Let it Go To Your Head’ … Arista are reissuing Tom Browne ‘Funkin’ For Jamaica’ to meet demand … Jesse James, who back in the Seventies had soul hits like ‘Believe In Me Baby‘ on 20th Century Fox, is the singer and not Harvey Scales on ‘I Can Do Bad By Myself’ (reviewed last week) … Maxx Kidd tells me Trouble Funk have done vocals for Bootsy Collins on a “computerised funk” record, not go go … Jonathon More cold cuts KISS-fm’s Saturday afternoon ‘Meltdown Party’ show, and this Saturday (23) Meltdown meets Shake & Fingerpop with special Northern guests Colin Curtis and Pete Haigh in Brixton’s St Matthew’s church crypt from 11pm … Sunday (24) The Stammer at Northfleet’s Red Lion has a 6pm funk ‘n’ jazz barbecue with such as Pete Tong, Nicky Holloway, Eddie Gordon, Gilles Peterson … Bank Holiday Monday (25) New Brighton RJ’s hold a noon-2am charity soul all-dayer with Pez Tellett, Jon Jessop, Desa, Steve Proctor, Greg Wilson and more, while a bit later Livewire’s 5pm-1am ‘long-dayer’ at Great Yarmouth Tiffanys stars Chris Hill, Robbie Vincent, Froggy, Pete Tong, Jeff Young, Kev Hill, Trevor Fung – is this a “Caister reunion”?! … Monday also actually sees an up-to-date Caister reunion at St Ives Recreation Centre in Bedfordshire with Graham Gold, Bob Masters, Chris ‘Charlie’ Brown and more … Monday too, Keith Williams’ fortnightly Soul Spectrum covers the past 25 years’ black music at Nantwich Cheshire Cat … Tuesday (26) Brian Davies hosts a house party at the heart of house nation, Stourport-on-Severn Plato’s … Chris Hill, in a low key way, returns with Kev Hill to Canvey Island’s Goldmine on June 12 to start a Friday soul season … Croydon’s ex-Skyline Radio DJ Nik Love is now successfully souling in South Wales at Blaenavon’s Imperial Club (normally known as Imps) Hammersmith Palais when it reopens after a £2½m refit will be known, very posh, as Le Palais, Hammersmith (or should that be ‘Ammearsmeeth?) … East Anglia has its own ‘Groove Weekly’-like soul fanzine, complete with spelling mistakes, the monthly issued ‘The Gap’ by post from 225 Queen Ediths Way. Cambridge CB1 4NJ), May’s copy including interesting observations about rare grooves, and a visit to Cleveland, Ohio … Ray Young (Great Barr) is among many who always want to know how to find record company addresses: easy, buy the Music Week Directory 87, available for £12.50 (payable to Music Week) from Sylvia Calver, Morgan-Grampian plc, Royal Sovereign House, 40 Beresford Street, London SE18 6BQ … Capital Radio’s evening drive time man Peter Young joins me in suggesting again to A&M that a reissue of Chris Montez ‘The More I See You‘ could “do a Tom Jones” … LAH DE DAH DE!

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HOT VINYL

ALEXANDER O’NEAL ‘Fake’ (Tabu 650891 6)
Jam & Lewis stir together their current production tricks, season them with a hefty dose of purple pepper and then pour them into a mould that was originally cast 30 years ago by the 5 Royales’ equally emphatic ‘Think‘ (better known by James Brown). The result is a dynamically burbling jittery 111½bpm chugging lurcher (in five mixes), a jauntily driving groove but with too monotonous a muttered, moaned and roared vocal line to have real crossover penetration — except that, as every O’Neal fan is going to be buying this brand new fresh biscuit as soon as it hits the shops on May 26, it’ll probably be one of those unexpected instant top 20 entries that takes Radio 1 by surprise!

DEREK B ‘Rock The Beat’ (Music Of Life NOTE 3)
In the UK’s most credible hip hop effort to date, London DJ Derek Boland cuts up James Brown beats into an infectious jiggly 101bpm rap – and all the rapping is by him too, multi-tracked! — that’s right in there now with his confusingly near namesake Eric B (three dubs too). FFFFurrresh!

LL COOL J ‘I’m Bad’ (Def Jam 650856 8)
Borrowing some ‘Shaft’ and ‘Dragnet’ resonances complete with cop car radio effects (and a “mother” that radio will never play!), this aggressively rapped scratching violent dense 0-89½bpm bass pusher is a sonic whirlwind of excitement, flipped by the live frantic 101 bpm ‘Get Down‘ and older emptily jittering 89½bpm ‘Dangerous‘. Baaaad! Continue reading “May 23, 1987: “‘Rare Grooves’ is an obvious marketing concept under which labels can repackage any old material””

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

INVICTA RADIO, having lost Pete Tong from the Sunday soul show, is still getting taped programmes from its other soul DJ, The Dude — sent from New York City, where he’s currently on WBLS following the expiry of his UK work permit! … Alexander O’Neal’s upcoming ‘Fake‘ single has some more of that Jam & Lewis gospel organ and a mellow ‘Love Bizarre’ purple funk groove driven by chugging Timmy Thomas-ish rhythm, excitingly insistent more than a song … Shep Pettibone has remixed Janet Jackson ‘The Pleasure Principle’ … Cooltempo snapped up the Rappin’ Reverend here, and Champion has Sweet Heat … Cultural Vibe ‘Power‘ will be amongst the imminent first releases on Morgan Khan’s new Westside label, while Dance Music turns out to be the actual name of the label that is about to continue the ‘Streetsounds’ LP series … Serious Records’ ‘Upfront 6‘ compilation includes current hits by Sybil, Eleanore Mills, Mel & Kim, Kenny ‘Jammin’ Jason, Zushii, TC Curtis, Full House, On The House plus LP cuts by Millie Scott and Keni Stevens — hot or what? … Chris ‘CJ’ Mackintosh’s previously promoed ‘CJ Scratch’ mix of ‘Boops’ is now commercially available as B-side to the Sly & Robbie 12 inch (4th + B’way 12BRWX 61), while Les Adams’ ‘Throwdown Medley’ has cropped up again as a Kool & The Gang flip, this time to try and sell ‘Stone Love’ … Diana Ross’s percussively tapping breathy swaying ‘Dirty Looks‘ (108⅔bpm off acetate) may be too ramblingly disjointed a song for huge pop success but could help restore her soul credibility when it’s on EMI here soon … Miles Davis’s recent ‘Tutu’ LP’s Marcus Miller-created ‘Full Nelson‘ has been given a Herb Alpert-inspired snappily jolting 110¼bpm industrial funk remix, on US Warner Bros promo … Club Nouveau’s follow-up is merely a straight reissue of their ‘Rumors’-answering (0-)110bpm ‘Jealousy‘ (Warner Bros W8551T), too late surely to mean much now? … Pepsi & Shirlie haven’t figured much in this column before, but a more house-style 123bpm Dot & Daisy’s Club Remix of their ‘Heartache’ hit has been promoed ahead of it being B-side to the follow-up (well, if Mel & Kim can fit!) … Gloria Gaynor ‘Be Soft With Me Tonight‘ never meant much in its original mix and now is in a new more tightly compressed 88bpm Stock Aitken Waterman remix (still on Fanfare 12FAN 11, merely over-stickered) … Andy Carroll and ‘Rare Grooves Master’ Mike Knowler joke that although ‘Urban Guerrilla’ Steve Proctor may have left to join Polydor, they’re still holding the fort at Liverpool’s The State (where some of ‘Letter To Brezhnev’ was filmed) … Tony Jenkins souls Mondays at Covent Garden’s ultra-trendy Browns … Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis will be producing Patti LaBelle on a song called ‘Just The Facts‘ from a new ‘Dragnet’ movie … Big Al Butler, the huge but gentle Washington DC-a go go security guy photographed two years ago dancin’ the Happy Feet with Steve Walsh, was recently killed while capturing a supermarket robber … Prince ‘Sign ‘O’ The Times’ topped US 12 Inch Sales and Kissing The Pink ‘Certain Things Are Likely’ topped Club Play in Billboard … Georgio, whose ‘Sex Appeal‘ failed to appeal here but is big in the US, was picked up by Motown from the independent Macola label … I spent the last bank holiday weekend in a North Wales houseparty with Matt Johnson of The The – the thing is, so did my father, and you could call it a culture clash! … I wonder which of today’s unplayed newies will be the rare grooves of tomorrow? … LAH DE DAH DE!

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TRISTAN BOLITHO now mixes it up at Bristol’s brand new Parkside Club, in Bath Road’s Amos Court, and also has a little featurette on BBC Radio Bristol’s ‘Close Up’ programme, relaying the area’s club news. For this, he’d like to hear about any mixing and scratching-type gigs, which he’ll plug (write to him at ‘Close Up’, BBC Radio Bristol, PO Box 194, Bristol). The station is also running a West Of England mixing and rapping contest on June 11, details to follow.

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HOT VINYL

DONNA ALLEN ‘Perfect Timing’ LP (Portrait 450888 1)
My original faith in (the obviously included 110⅕bpm) ‘Serious‘ seems at least to have been justified, powerfully wailing Donna being even more soulful on the impassioned cool rolling 116⅕bpm ‘Satisfied’ (now on import 12 inch too), bubbling (0-)113⅕bpm ‘Sweet Somebody‘, Howard Johnson-duetted drifting 94bpm ‘Perfect Timing‘, tortuous 70bpm ‘Daydreams‘, trotting 122bpm ‘Another Affair‘, jerky 108⅕bpm ‘Bit By Bit’, murky 109½bpm ‘Wild Nights’, and her jolting 116⅕bpm ‘Bad Love’ B-side.

THE WHISPERS ‘Rock Steady’ (MCA Records MCAT 1152)
Excellent typical catchily trotting 116⅓bpm singalong swayer with clipped choruses in vintage style (instrumental flip, plus 1984’s lovely Philly-style 66¼bpm ‘Are You Going My Way‘). A smash!

JAZZY JEFF & FRESH PRINCE ‘A Touch Of Jazz’ (Champion CHAMP 12-47)
As well as their LP’s original jazz-funk scratch medley, there are three dynamite much re-scratched and extended remixes, at 103⅓bpm here apart from the 103⅙ Collapsed In The Street Mix, which is the most altered of all with added rap. The shape of things to come? Continue reading “May 16, 1987: Donna Allen, The Whispers, Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, Herb Alpert, Joyce Sims”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

2 PUERTO RICANS, A BLACKMAN AND A DOMINICAN have created quite a rumpus as their ‘Do It Properly!’ slots samples from other house hits into what’s basically Adonis ‘No Way Back’ — and that latter will soon be released here commercially by London with their version on the legal flip, but here called ‘The Adonis Bootleg’ … Steve Walsh has reassembled all the original members of Freeez, apart from John Rocca, to remake ‘Southern Freeez 87’ for his Total Control Records, now with four new “freeze” pauses prompted vocally by Steve himself on the flip’s Avenger Mix in an attempt to make the old Rodney Franklin-started dance craze a summer hit again … Sybil ‘Let Yourself Go’ (actually rather reminiscent of ‘Southern Freeez’, isn’t it?) is being creatively marketed as a remixed 120½bpm Champion Mix (Champion CHAMPX 12-42), with conversational chat at the start followed by almost more digital chipmunks than proper singing … Swing Out Sister’s ‘Twilight World’, bouncing back into our Disco chart, is also in a new 0-113bpm Outer Limits Mix (Mercury SWING 422), with a dialogue-like diatribe break usefully early on, while Dancin’ Danny D’s 119¾-0bpm Observation Mix of Patrice Rushen ‘Watch Out’ (Arista RIST 12R), as warned, adds clodhopping almost Hi-NRG percussion to destroy the original’s delightful airiness, and Frankie Knuckles ‘You Can’t Hide From Yourself’ (here given its proper full title) is also in the dubbier chugging 121-0bpm Chip E’s House Remix (Portrait PARTY Q1) … Peggi Blu actually had a theatrical training, appearing as a child in ‘The Wiz’, and recorded a disco album on MCA Records in 1980, although currently her success in the States is as a multi-winner of TV’s ‘Star Search’ talent contest, like Durrell Coleman and Sam Harris — let’s hope her fame is less meteoric than theirs … Susie Barnes may find she has a hard act to follow on her return from an around the world trip, as in her absence Dave Pearce has been turning Radio London’s weekday afternoons into the best and most crucial daily soul show on radio … ‘Solid Soul’ has begun taping its new season of 18 shows for Channel 4, ultra smart dancers (who said posers?) being able to apply for tickets in person at Concorde House, 1 Barb Mews, Brook Green, Hammersmith … Robbie Dee is still taking entries at Southend-on-Sea’s Rain Discotheque (0702-333277) for the remaining Wednesday heats of a Disco Dance Competition 1987, the £250 first prize final being on May 20 … Concorde Artistes are promising a cleaner Miss Wet T-Shirt Contest for this its tenth year of touring UK clubs, with less female flesh and more T-shirt on show under the shower, huge new video monitors allegedly making up for this! … Thursday (7), def dude Graeme Park starts the weekly Sweat Box at Derby’s Blue Note, while Simon Dunmore, Dean Thatcher, Steve Saunders and Les Fisher soul (and rare groove) the Rhythm Zone at Northolt’s C&L Country Club … Neil McKenzie and Warren Thompson are most upfront ‘n’ funky on Thurs/Fridays at Dunfermline Johnsons, having weaned their receptive crowd away from the area’s still otherwise prevalent Hi-NRG, and in fact they launch a really hard crucial weekly Def Club there this Sunday (10) … Monday (11) Chad Jackson cuts it up at Jeff Thomas’s weekly soul night in Swansea’s Martha’s Vineyard, while 30 miles away on Tuesday (12), Bridgend’s brand new Aston’s launches a weekly soul night with James Lewis and special guest Robbie Vincent (first of many regular attractions) … Georgie Fame plays Dagenham’s Beacon Leisure Centre with Steve Wren next Friday (15), advance tickets on 01-593 5000 … Franklin Sinclair, fairly funky at Accrington Maximillians on Wednesdays, was persuaded with the promise of some Technics SL 1200 decks to stay on at Manchester’s Richfields instead of moving as previously announced (threatened?) to the new Applejacks — power to the DJ! … Catterick’s increasingly funky Kim Jacques now jocks at Darlington’s revamped Walking Cane … TKO DJs Roberto and Toni Forzoni run the Italians disco on Sundays at Clerkenwell Turnmills … Gaz Anderson has moved to London’s Regines after four years at Bootleggers … Terry Adams is promotions manager at Kingston-upon-Thames Cinderella’s Rockerfella’s, where he’s after class PAs on 01-541 1515 (Tues/Thurs afternoons) … Mike Shawe (0272-554246 days), one of Bristol’s few funk DJs at the city centre Hollywood, is desperate for Cloud One ‘Flying High‘ (US Heavenly Star) and will swap such as Oneness Of Juju … Ripple ‘I Don’t Know What It is But Is Sure Is Funky‘ (US GRC seven inch) seems to be building into a “rare groove” hit — four DJs were charting it this week … Vaneese Thomas, daughter of Memphis R&B veteran Rufus Thomas and sister of Sixties soul queen Carla Thomas, has been signed by Geffen Records from Hush Productions … Eddie Kidd ran into a real life enactment of his Levi 501’s commercial when a bouncer barred him from Romford’s plush new Hollywood because, you guessed it, he was wearing jeans — even when Eddie said who he was the bouncer replied, “Yeah, and l’m Peter Stringfellow” (the club made up for this boob by booking him for a PA the very next night)! … Jody Watley topped US 12 Inch Sales, Club Nouveau and then Kraftwerk ‘The Telephone Call (Remix)‘ having topped Club Play in Billboard … Steve Hodge has done a stuttery-started 111¼bpm remix of Herb Alpert ‘Diamonds’, due here in a fortnight, which despite Janet Jackson’s vocal contribution is still pretty pedestrian … Loose Ends’ latest US hit is the two and a half years old ballad, ‘You Can’t Stop The Rain‘ … MCA Records in the States have signed Sahara (remember ‘Love So Fine’?), Timmy Regisford remixing their ‘How Long’ US debut … Gigolo Tony’s rap version of the Hokey Cokey, ‘Hoki Poki‘ (US 4-Sight) surprisingly failed to intrigue DJs here but is selling in the States … Champion Records are now distributed by RCA/Ariola … Hi-NRG chart contributors, it would help immensely if you could include label details of anything new in your charts each week, as they’re often not known to us… Rhythm King’s upcoming ‘Rob Olson’s Chicago Jack Beat Volume II‘ compilation LP will include Duane & Co ‘Hard Core (On The One)’, MG² ‘My House Is Bigger Than Your House’, Matt Warren ‘Bang The Box (Remix)’, Kevin Irving ‘Ride The Rhythm (Remix)’ and Denise Motto ‘Tell Jack’ … Sheila E’s next single will be ‘Koo Koo‘, rather than one of her LP’s dance tracks, while The System’s now finally happening ‘Don’t Disturb This Groove‘ is set for UK release in four weeks … Bobby Womack was apparently flattered to find Living In A Box using his vocal style, which makes one wonder if Bobby himself would be more likely to hit the top 10 if he recorded something with a more modern beat … LAH DE DAH DE!

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PETE TONG has already quit the Sunday soul show on Kent’s Invicta Radio so that he can increase his radio profile in London, where most of his club work now lies — and indeed he has made his debut as special guest presenter the last Friday of the month on Radio London’s 10pm-midnight NITE FM slot.

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CHRIS BROWN, contrary to rumours, is still spinning his inimitable soul and jazz at Ascot’s Belvedere, but on Wednesday nights rather than at Sunday lunchtimes, which are the popular sessions that had to be discontinued due to their very popularity … the neighbours were complaining about all the illegal parking!

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HOT VINYL

MACEO & THE MACKS ‘Cross The Track (We Better Go Back)’ (Urban URBX 1, via Polydor)
At last legally available, in an extended Simon Harris re-edit to boot, the James Brown-produced saxist and his band’s extremely nagging see-sawing jiggly old funker has a mind numbing repetitive piping siren-like tone and girls ‘n’ guys-alternated chants, making it by far the biggest record at Prestatyn as well as of course (in its also included basically 101⅓-103½-102¾-102⅓-102⅔bpm original seven inch version) the hottest “rare groove” bootleg for the last few months. In monitoring the extended version I actually logged 28 shifts in the Beats Per Minutes, fluctuating around 100¼-103¾bpm at both extremes but which I averaged at 100⅘bpm (not that it’s ever exactly that)! In addition the 12 inch includes the “parrty”-chanting wicky wacky 106-104½-105bpm ‘Soul Power 74‘ sax instrumental and, likewise from 1973, the title-chanting burbling afro-flavoured steady 114bpm ‘Parrty – Part 1‘. Party hardy, y’all!

LILLO THOMAS ‘I’m In Love (Longer Love Mix)’ (Capitol 12CL 450)
Considerably beefed up from his hot LP version with overdubbed rhythmic human bass and a tabla break — to the regret of some although I think it’s really bright now — this rolling and soaring 114-0bpm chugger (in three mixes) isn’t due fully for over a week but is too big a secret to keep until then!

VOICES IN THE DARK ‘Keep It Warm (Remix)’ (Champion CHAMP 12-46)
Gradually unfurling through chipmunk effects, remixed specially for the UK from the less good import, this shrilly nagging girls sung and sax squalled, chiming 115½-114¾bpm shuffling strider has the simple dated appeal of a ‘Ring My Bell’ and could easily now cross over (Edit/lnstrub flip). Continue reading “May 9, 1987: Maceo & The Macks, Lillo Thomas, Voices In The Dark, Norwood, The Whispers”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

LIVE WIRE’s Easter weekender at Prestatyn Pontins seems to have been an unqualified success, a bit long at four days (a sense of routine sets in), with the superior camp site already booked for a three day return weekender on October 30-November 1 — but before then there’s a 5pm alldayer on Bank Holiday Monday, May 25, at Great Yarmouth Tiffanys with the usual “mafia” stars … OK, so it was Exit 20 on the M6 after all (three separate maps said Exit 9), but otherwise my route directions for finding Prestatyn seemed much appreciated by all except Tim Westwood, who couldn’t handle the duckpond details! … Prestatyn apparently wasn’t considered “credible” enough an audience for the Tashan/Chuck Stanley/Oran ‘Juice’ Jones tour, after all, although Bobby Womack came specially as a surprise guest to play to the 4,000 soul fans (who, as promised, kept shaving foam and water fights to a minimum this time) … Robbie Vincent’s live show on Radio 1 unfortunately helped perpetuate the old ‘soul boy’ image, the crowd chanting and whistle-blowing along (they booed the News!) … Chad Jackson (repeating his snooker cue stunt) and Chris ‘CJ’ Mackintosh were star turns in the hip hop-orientated Warehouse venue (all halls being in the same smart building), while the Jazz Village was a haven of Sixties jazz and soul … I hear that Bob Masters’ Bournemouth weekender went well, too … Mason’s dad looks so like Chuck Brown that that’s who I thought he was at first — their album was actually completed two years ago … Tom Jones’ ‘It’s Not Unusual’ is being reissued as an extended mix flipped by his live medley of it with ‘Land Of 1000 Dances’, always huge at jazz gigs (like ‘Bossa Nova Baby’) for the likes of Chris Brown! … Germany’s BCM label has been at it again, compiling a 10 track CD ‘Chicago Trax — Volume 1‘ (BCM T.X. 50-5001-44) from its (and London’s here retitled) Trax Records double LP, with the addition of Farmboy’s ‘Jackin’ Me Around’, while on vinyl their again confusingly retitled version of the US ‘The House Sound Of Chicago — Volume 2‘ (BCM/DJ International Records DJ 33-3003-43) substitutes Darryl Pandy s storming 122-0bpm ‘Work Your Body’ for the Frankie Knuckles track … TC Curtis’s widely promoed next single, not due for over a fortnight and oddly not on his new LP, is the drily pattering go go-ish repetitive 0-103⅔bpm ‘Love Got Me On A Merry-Go-Round’ … Club Nouveau ‘Lean On Me’ is being creatively marketed as a (0-)90½bpm Club Edit Nouveau (Warner Brothers W8430TX), which seems rhythmically cleaner … Level 42 ‘To Be With You Again’ has already been trickily remixed by David ‘O’ Ogrin as the 114¾bpm A.D.S.C. Mix (Polydor POSPA 855), with a dub replacing the flip’s ‘Lessons In Love’ remix to make the whole exercise fairly pointless … One Way’s commercial B-side appears to be the (0-)75¼bpm ‘Oh Girl’ … Lee Prentiss, whose UK recorded 114½bpm cover version of Rainy Davis’ US hit sleeper ‘Sweetheart‘ is out on May 11, is currently midway in a marathon 17 date PA tour mainly of Scotland and the North … Isley Jasper Isley’s datedly Steely Dan-ish 130½/132bpm ‘8th Wonder Of The World‘ seems only to be on seven inch (Epic 650750 7) … I came back from Prestatyn with a streaming cold, so recuperative sleep filled some of the time in which I would normally have BPMed the Sly & Robbie LP, strong sets by the Whispers and Norwood, plus the trickily varying four-track 12 inchers of (THE Prestatyn smash!) Maceo & The Macks ‘Cross The Track‘ (Urban URBX 1) and War ‘Low Rider (Remixes)’ (LA International XLAX 100, via PRT) – as usual, check the Disco chart in case they hit … Simon Harris is doing a weekly half-hour megamix between 1-1.30am on Chris ‘Trog’ Forbes’ Saturday night-Sunday morning Capital Radio soul show, and will be following his War ‘Low Rider’ B-side mix (Arthur Baker did the A-side) with a house mix of ‘Galaxy’ … CBS tried unsuccessfully to jam Music Of Life Records’ ‘Def Beats 1’, album, claiming the name could be confused with the Def Jam label, little realising that the word “def” is in such common usage that it’s listed in Collins English Dictionary — and what about Def Leppard?! … Graeme Park, who packs out Nottingham’s Barracuda on Saturdays following his photo appearing in rm, is now featuring oldies (Sixties/Seventies soul, Seventies disco-funk) every second Friday there, May 1 being next … Sunday (3) lain Norman and Def Stef soul-funk-rap-jazz Stowmarket’s Stag Tavern, weekly if this one’s a success … Polygram in the US has revised the Wing label, with such dance artistes as Atlantic Starr’s former vocalist Sharon Bryant … LL Cool J’s new album uses rock ‘n’ roll breaks by Bill Haley … LAH DE DAH DE!

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Jeff Young was the roving reporter, out in the crowd with a mike, during Robbie Vincent’s live Radio 1 soul show from Prestatyn.

Bobby Womack’s appearance on the first, Friday, night at Prestatyn was such a well kept secret that nobody in the much teased crowd knew who the mystery guest was going to be until he actually hit the stage for a full live set!

Chris Forbes’ main appearance at Prestatyn was in a double-header with Chris Hill on the Friday night, but he was so keen that after returning to London for his Saturday night show on Capital Radio, he came right back to North Wales just for the finale!

Chillin’ at Prestatyn were the Soul Splash crew, who’ve been known to promote their own alldayers and similar events too, with ambitious plans for the future.

Live Wire Television, the special close circuit channel at Prestatyn, on the Sunday night was hosted by Robbie Vincent (centre), with his assistant Cathy O’Brien and the omnipresent ‘Dr Ruth’ Maggot, who gave sexual advice about the use of condoms and other such timely contraptions.

ROY AYERS played two full live concerts at Prestatyn, the climax of each being a breakneck challenge on the vibes by his percussionist Unfortunately, during Sunday’s simultaneous Radio 1 broadcast, he got bogged down on some new unfamiliar instrumentals and only played such hits as ‘Poo Poo La La’ after he’d gone off air.

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HOT VINYL

DJ JAZZY JEFF & FRESH PRINCE ‘A Touch Of Jazz’ (US Jive 1040-1-JD)
Much rescratched and extended with a title line vocal drop-in, Jazzy Jeff’s 103⅙bpm vintage jazz-funk medley of Marvin Gaye ‘T Plays It Cool’, Bob James ‘Westchester Lady’, Donald Byrd ‘Change’ (and now ‘Places And Spaces’), Bobbi Humphrey ‘Harlem River Drive’, Grover Washington Jr ‘Mr Magic’ is in three new mixes (the flip’s with added rap and some Chic ‘Good Times’) plus the LP’s original, beautifully packaged.

ERIC B AND RAKIM ‘I Know You Got Soul’ (US 4th + B’way BWAY-438)
Casually though insistently chatted jiggly 104bpm rap ‘n’ scratch set to Bobby Byrd’s 1971 soul hit of the same name (in three mixes), so naturally massive already in this “rare groove” era. Considering somewhere I’ve got the complete recorded works of James Brown and all his associated acts up to the mid-Seventies, I wonder what they’re worth now?

DUANE & CO ‘Hard Core (On The One)’ (US Dance Mania Records DM 004)
Marshall Jefferson programmed drums with presumably Jesse Saunders cutting in James Brown to blatantly commercial effect, as before, on the new 121bpm ‘J.B. In Heat’, 121bpm ‘J.B. Traxx II‘, 118¾bpm ‘Lowdown ‘N’ Funky‘, 118⅔bpm ‘At The Organ‘ variations on the rare groove goes house theme. Continue reading “May 2, 1987: Prestatyn Easter Weekender, DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince, Eric B & Rakim, Duane & Co, Black Britain, The O’Jays”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

DISCO AID may only have raised £50,000 from its co-ordinated national charity night last November, but now a Disco Aid Trust is being set up as the disco industry’s charitable organisation to run further events, hopefully with even greater success and public awareness … Somerset Sound & Light are promoting the Disco West 87 equipment exhibition this Sunday (26), 11am-6pm, at Glastonbury’s Tor Sport & Leisure Centre on the A39 … Phyllis Hyman’s new 96bpm US remix of the Loose Ends-penned, Julie Roberts-originated sultry ‘Ain’t You Had Enough Love’ has been white labelled here and will be twin-packed with her ‘Screaming At The Moon‘ 12 inch (to which the LP version is flip. anyway), this new mix being even more exaggeratedly typical of Nick Martinelli’s production style … Prince’s follow-up will be the sexily muttered sinuous squeaky 96bpm ‘If I Was Your Girlfriend‘, which in my rush I missed from his LP review (presumably the end will be faded as it’s too hot for radio!) … Debut picked up The Movement ‘Magic’, and are putting out a ‘Jack Mix II‘ remake (rather than remix) of Mirage ‘Jack Mix’ … Keni Stevens’ LP appears to be selling most strongly to the slow slinky “heartbeat” tempo loving black market as there’s nothing fast enough on it for white dancers … Five Star’s house tempoed newie, although it hit nationally quite high, is proving to be too “hard” for the kids and the wrong group for DJs to buy … Paul Lekakis’ suggestively worded frantic Hi-NRG 129¾bpm ‘Boom Boom (Let’s Go Back To My Room)‘ (Champion CHAMP 12-43), a long established Euro smash now climbing fast in the US, could well be the next ‘Male Stripper’ if you’re into that type of thing … Sheffield vintage soul purist Mike Ward and industry veteran Alan Bellman have set up the Timeless Records label dedicated to hard core soul, launched with brand new albums by Ike Noble, Barrett Strong, The Controllers, Frederick Knight, Tyrone Davis, plus Anita Ward, C L Blast, Tommy Tate, Lynn White to follow … Nick Ratcliffe’s Dance Show has been discontinued in County Sound Radio’s spring schedules, but he’ll be hosting another new show in the future … BBC Radio Merseyside soul DJ Kenni James and Hott Waxx Records shop owner Kev Edwards joined Alan Gaskell in St Helens recently for a soul night to raise money for Mark Eccleston, hospitalised with spinal injuries that’ll leave him paralysed for life — that seems a far more worthy exercise than any number of Sun-glorifying charity singles … Tricky Dick Scanes runs his own gay discos around London and has no connection with Bolts, other than in his knee, currently held together by bolts and a plate following a skiing prang … Ben Liebrand’s sister Rita is a mixer too, jocking in Germany at Essen’s Librium, and has been asked by CBS there to create a continuously mixed album … Friday (24) Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince (if they bother to turn up) should be with Pete Tong and “Beastie Boyz” Tony Wilson, Trevor Fung and Paul Oakenfold at the Project Club in Streatham’s Zigis, where next Friday (1) its Jeff Young’s turn … Saturday (25) Chris Hill heads a Prestatyn reunion (what else?) with Kev Hill and Maggot at Harlow Whispers’ weekly Sweat Box (the club’s half million pound refit isn’t now due until mid-summer), the next few weeks’ guests being Bob Jones (2), Froggy (9), Jeff Young (16) … Monday (27) Desa starts a weekly upfront night at Liverpool Atmosphere’s with Damon Rochefort and Sharon Dee Clarke as special guests … Belfast’s burgeoning Soul In The City Saturday club in Robinson’s Top Floor Bar is running a mystery tour on Sunday May 3, taking 200 soul fans to an undisclosed special nightclub booked for their exclusive use, buffet and transport included for the £8.50 non-members’ price — call Belfast 661761 after 6pm to see if any tickets are left … Northern Ireland’s Traks in Portrush sponsors the International North-West 200 motorcycle race on Saturday, May 9, which every year draws 180,000 people from around the world — and, to DJ Brian Moore’s delight, the track is right on Traks’ doorstep … Gary Hickson funks Tuesdays at Blackpool’s newly refurbished Adam & Eve, using the sound and light system that he was contracted to install as well … Steve Wren and Big Al Parker house ‘n’ funk Dagenham’s Beacon Leisure Soul Club in Raynham Road South on Friday evenings, buffet included, and Steve also has a Sunday house party at Walthamstow’s Racers Chingford Road … Scottish PA circuit organiser Tony Cochrane is now manager of Dundee’s brand new Tokyo Joe’s, with Ian Robertson as DJ … Andy Baker (Rhyl Downtown/Octagon) finds with a bit of vari-speed that Living In A Box synchs forever with ‘Set It Off’ … Steve Ogley (Oulton Broad Chequers) wonders whether, in JMO ‘Jack Is The Message’, the constant dog bark featured throughout is by a “Jack” Russell! … LAH DE DAH DE!

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SIMON HARRIS has launched a new hip hop compilation LP series on his label with ‘Def Beats 1‘ (Music Of Life Records MODEF 1, via Pinnacle), continuously edited rather than mega-mixed — although, in his alter ego of NOMIS SIRRAH, he climaxes it with a 0-93-0bpm ‘Powerplay Megamix‘. London’s Derek Boland contributes a viable UK answer to Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince in the James Brown break-cutting 99bpm DEREK B ‘Rock The Beat‘, and also previously unreleased anywhere are the beat-cutting female rap 91bpm SPARKY D ‘Sparky’s In The Place‘, fast-talking youthful 93⅓bpm FATHER MC ‘My Beat‘, rock-guitared 0-83½-0bpm BEWARE AFFAIR ‘Def Beat‘, MC-popping 95bpm BLUZ BROS ‘Bluz Bros‘, while already known are the story song 0-91 bpm DANA DANE ‘Delancey Street’, scratching 86½bpm SPYDER D ‘My Whole Life Flashed’, US original 102½bpm VICIOUS RUMOR CLUB ‘Whole Lotta Love’, 90⅔bpm THE MICROPHONE PRINCE ‘Who’s The Captain’.

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HOT VINYL

2 PUERTO RICANS, A BLACKMAN AND A DOMINICAN ‘Do It Properly!’ (US Fierce Records FR 1000)
Really, that’s the name on the label! Their speedily snicking 124¼bpm jack track kicks off with terrifying rippling and romping piano, the same player then pumping an organ before “jack your body” gets sampled and things keep getting crazier — very exciting (the same track repeats as flip).

ULTRA MAGNETIC MC’s ‘Traveling At The Speed Of Thought’ (US Next Plateau NP5008)
Excellent singsong chanting and scratching 111bpm jaunty sparse rap which keeps cutting the Kingsmen’s ‘Louie Louie’ into its ‘Honky Tonk Woman’-type tempo, great fun and sure to be big (dub too, plus the disjointed jittery 0- 104⅓-0bpm ‘MC’s Ultra (Part II)‘ and break beat-cutting short 106⅓bpm ‘B-Boy Bonus Break’).

WHISPERS ‘Rock Steady’ (US Solar V-71153)
A much used title over the years, although here a new song, this jauntily trotting 116⅓bpm singalong swayer is vintage Whispers, with clipped choruses and a lean arrangement so immediately recognisable as their timeless style that, cleaner recording apart, it sounds little different from their revived oldies (inst flip, and 1984’s lovely Philly-ish 66¼bpm ‘Are You Going My Way’). Continue reading “April 25, 1987: 2 Puerto Ricans A Blackman And A Dominican, Ultra Magnetic MC’s, Whispers, Kinkina, Eleanore Mills”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

POLYDOR are starting a new dance label called Urban as a replacement for, and expansion of, Boiling Point — first release at the end of April will be Maceo & The Macks, followed by Cindy Valentine, Jackson Sisters ‘I Believe In Miracles’, Manu Dibango ‘Makossa 87‘ … Circa Records have circulated key shops with pre-release copies of the instantly strong-selling Hindsight ‘Heaven’s Just A Breath Away (The Bliss Mix)‘, a gentle jiggly 105½bpm tugging swayer due commercially in a different format on April 27, without the pre’s 104⅚bpm Paradise Lost dub mix flip … London are promoting their ‘The House Sound Of Chicago Volume 2’ double LP with a strictly promo-only 33⅓rpm four-track 12 inch containing two 126bpm mixes of last summer’s Adonis ‘No Way Back’, the 0-120bpm Hercules ‘7 Ways’ (here retitled ‘7 Ways To Jack’), and the slowed down 114⅔bpm Mr Fingers ‘Can You Feel It’ … Ben Liebrand’s more meatily altered 107bpm Extended Groove Mix of Hot Chocolate ‘Every l’s A Winner’ (EMI 12EMIX 5607) seems to be the better seller with DJs now it’s on 12 inch, and includes its own new powerfully lurching Bonus Beats … Shep Pettibone’s 113bpm remix of ‘Lessons In Love’ is, as warned, now on the B-side of the typical wordily jittering 114¾bpm Level 42 ‘To Be With You Again‘ (Polydor POSPX 855), maybe slightly more relevant to soul clubs than their last one, although I still don’t see why soul DJs continue to chart stuff like this yet ignore Dire Straits … Les Adams has given Jaki Graham a 0-79¼-83⅐-73¼bpm Megamix (EMI 12JAKI X10) that’s probably too late to salvage ‘Still In Love’, sandwiching it briefly between the Derek Bramble-duetted more soulful ‘Let’s Get Blue’, and ‘Love Under Moonlight’ … Dancin’ Danny D might have blown it this time by making his upcoming Patrice Rushen remix clodhoppingly Hi-NRG, while his Chinese-flavoured lurching 116¼-0bpm Radical Remix of the Taurus Boyz ‘Looking For A Lover’ (Cooltempo COOLS 141) is, unusually, a 33⅓rpm seven inch — too unusually, as DJs are reluctant to buy it so far … Epic look like creatively marketing Luther Vandross with Les Adams’ megamix from the Disco Mix Club … Patrice Rushen’s ‘Watch Out!’ LP is now out here (Arista 207 831), and Jody Watley’s US hit ‘Looking For A New Love‘ is finally due too, months after finished UK copes were originally circulated … Robert Brookins’ excellent value three-track UK 12 inch turns out to be only a promotional sampler, from which just ‘If I Only Knew‘ is scheduled as a future commercial A-side — MCA do it again! … Serious Records are starting another label called Needle Records, to carry a new ‘Dance Mania‘ compilation LP series, as a supplement to the ‘Upfront’ series, plus they’re releasing a beefed-up US revamp of ‘Rock The House (Medley)’, which in their version will no longer be credited to Mr K Mix by Special K … Morgan Khan actually had to buy a copy of his own original StreetSounds label’s limited-release ‘Jazz Juice 4′ LP for reference purposes, in readiness for its reappearance on his new label of the same name, all copies held in stock by the original label now of course being tied up by the bankruptcy proceedings of its parent company, Brazendown Ltd — hopefully this doesn’t mean the new pressing will be dubbed from disc? … Elite, with the release of Keni Stevens’ LP, is metamorphosing with a label name change into Jam Today … Phyllis Hyman, during a sequence of songs from her starring role in ‘Sophisticated Ladies’, at her London concerts suddenly went into a whistling solo, soon followed by a harmonica solo — only this latter turned out to be actually by one of her sound men, harping away at the control console in the middle of the auditorium while she was miming at the mike! … Epping Forest Country Club had its disco burnt out by an electrical fire, only the function suite being left operational at the moment … Roy Ayers’ second show will be broadcast live from Prestatyn on Radio 1 as part of Robbie Vincent’s extended programme this Sunday, the other live act at the soul weekender being the good-time R&B Boogie Brothers Band during Saturday lunchtime, while PAs will include Mason, Chuck Stanley, Tashan, Oran ‘Juice’ Jones, Cheryl Glasgow, David Grant — the largest ever DJ team promises plenty of new music will be played, with a minimum of shaving foam, while instead of the usual radio service this time there will be live on-site studio shows, videos and movies relayed to every chalet’s colour TV set by LWT (this one being Live Wire Television!) … I see that even some of the DJs appearing there think that Prestatyn is in South Wales, so it was just as well we did print my directions last week for finding it (in North Wales!) … Lillo Thomas and Phyllis Hyman were the latest stars to be spotted grooving at Gullivers, which finally moves from Mayfair in July to even more central London premises, where Graham Gold will still DJ at the weekends — plus he’ll be doing PR for the club by day, and is looking for other possible users of his many contacts (on 0923-42983, office hours), should any plugging-type people be interested … Tilly Rutherford, working now on acts like Hazell Dean out of Pete Waterman’s studio, is setting up a DJ mailing list to be run by ‘Aitch’, at PWL Empire, 4/7 The Vineyard, Sanctuary Street, London SE1 1QL … Paul Quinton is starting a mailing list for Hi-NRG/house-type DJs at Big Top Music, 66 Mollison Road, Meir, Stoke-On-Trent ST3 7AG … Jeff Thomas, the soul man at Swansea’s Martha’s Vineyard even on Mondays, has started a Wednesday Hi-NRG night and is after the right sort of guest DJs (good looking mixers) and PAs for it on 0792-702034 … Chris ‘Connie’ Crooks now Hi-NRGises Derby’s gay Rising Sun Fri/Sat/Sun/Wed, and Dimensions at Derby’s Fifth Dimension the third Monday of every month (I presume Bank Holiday makes no difference?) … Ian Levine’s various artists Hi-NRG compilation LP ‘That Nightmare Sound Volume 1‘ (Nightmare MARELP 1) confusingly shares not only some artists but also almost exactly the same sleeve design as ZYX Records’ US-issued ‘The Best Of Eurobeat Volume 1‘ … Sharon Redd’s kid sister Pennye Ford has replaced Mary Davis as lead singer in the SOS Band … Club Nouveau topped Billboard’s US 12 Inch Sales … Maze broke ZZ Top’s T-shirt sales record at Wembley Arena … Brighton’s Rhino reopens this Friday (17) in the seafront’s West Beach Hotel, def beats being spun by Steve Clancy, Warrick McGinty and rm’s own ace design editor Graham ‘Beastie’ Black (the Rhino Bro’ himself!) … Easter Day (19) Bolts returns to Boscombe’s Academy for a one-off special with Adrian Dunbar, while down the road on Bank Holiday Monday (20) at Bournemouth’s CoCo’s noon alldayer, Chris Dinnis heads the jazz ‘n’ soul DJ line-up … Monday lunchtime also finds Rick Robinson with a jazz and R&B session at Chertsey Bridge Cricketers — where Chris Brown does Sunday lunchtimes (when not at Prestatyn) now that Ascot’s Belvedere Arms has lost its music licence … Sly & Robbie are at Nottingham Rock City’s Easter Day alldayer, Birmingham Millionaires on Easter Monday, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Walkers Wed (22), Leeds Warehouse Thur (23), Manchester Hacienda (24), Brixton Fridge Sat (25) … LWR’s Gary Smith and Angela have named their baby James, and even considered asking my permission … LAH DE DAH DE!

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PHYLLIS HYMAN had the dubious pleasure of my company at dinner, during which the stunning six-foot soulstress proved a messy and enthusiastic eater who really likes upmarket UK cooking — she actually took up smoking last month just to lose weight, which seems a bit drastic! When the subject of her historic unrobing in ‘Oui’ magazine was raised, she ripped open her cleavage and declared, “I have great boobs, I’m not ashamed of what I did! They only showed my top half, and backside, and ran nine pages of photographs together with nine pages of interview, something which they never normally do.” (Mel & Kim, eat your hearts out!) These enjoyable aspects of the meal apart, she also revealed that she’ll be singing in Spike Lee’s next movie ‘School Days’, she was meant to have recorded (and still wants to do) ‘Passion And Pain’ with producer Nick Martinelli, she confessed to her original mentor Norman Connors that she thinks he’s a terrible drummer (but a better producer), she wants to record in different foreign languages, and do a one woman show like her friend Dee Dee Bridgewater (who took over her role in the Duke Ellington musical ‘Sophisticated Ladies’). Quite a lady.

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C.J. CARLOS – London’s original “CJ” – is back in the West End, on Tuesdays at Hombres and Thursdays at Le Beat Route, but he still rocks the house Saturdays at Norwood’s Limelight, and Fri/Sundays at his legendary venue, Dalston’s Oasis.

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Is this man the UK’s answer to Freddie Jackson? Taking the brave step of creating a soul album on which everything is delicately sinuous, with nothing raising a sweat, the somewhat Phil Fearon-ish toned KENI STEVENS ‘Blue Moods’ (Jam Today KENI LP1, via PRT) has the (0-)94bpm title track, 66bpm ‘Spend The Night’, 108⅕bpm ‘Night Moves’, 100bpm ‘Too Much Too Soon’, 91⅙bpm ‘Passionate’, 38⅝/77¼bpm ‘Shine’, 87bpm ‘Cannot Live Without Your Love’. Move over Alexander, tell Chuck Stanley the news!

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HOT VINYL

JIM BENNETT & HIS BUMPIN CREW ‘Bump & Roll (Give Up The Funk)’ (Bluebird BRT 36)
Apparently due for rush release in competition with Go Go Lorenzo & The Davis/Pinckney Project’s disappointing follow-up, this similarly styled though far superior 102⅚bpm go go bubbler is really infectious and quietly commercial in the same well arranged mellow way as ‘You Can Dance (If You Want To)’, with simple catchy synth, nice piano, swaying jiggly beats, and rhythmically rambling Chuck Brown-style exhortations (inst flip).

CAREY JOHNSON ‘Real Fashion (Reggae Style)’ (10 Records TENT 170)
From Charlie Gillet’s Oval imprint, this fabulous happy calypso style (0-)95bpm dated reggae chugger can’t help but make all who hear it feel good, and is already hot on London’s radio (dub flip), a possible smash.

TRUE MATHEMATICS and the Invisible Empire ‘After Dark’ (Champion CHAMP 12-44)
Rapping Mr Mathematics (but to you, True) casually chats about the night people on a hauntingly weaving 95-94⅔bpm swayer with a tugging beat that surges through scratched-in go go percussion and bursts of siren-like synth — on its less gimmicky way almost another ‘Amityville’ – flipped by the more urgently jolting 96⅓bpm ‘Greeks In The House‘ (dubs too). Fresh! Continue reading “April 18, 1987: Jim Bennett & His Bumpin Crew, Carey Johnson, True Mathematics, Benetta & Kevin, Wired”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

MORGAN KHAN has retained the label name StreetSounds (its parent company Brazendown Ltd being what filed for bankruptcy), and with new backing and a distribution deal via PRT intends to continue the label’s previous activities as of the end of this month, re-launching ‘Jazz Juice 4‘, ‘Hip Hop 16‘, another in the ‘Anthems’ series, and a new limited edition ‘StreetSounds Preview‘ series containing unreleased US masters, the new sister label equivalent of Streetwave being called (as hinted last week) Westside, although no releases are scheduled for that yet — his entire operation will be scaled down and starting as if from scratch, out of new smaller Ealing premises (which include a studio though), and so as not to dissipate his money and talent he has had to cancel the live rap festival UK Fresh ’87 after all … Germany’s BCM label has released a house Maxi-CD, ‘House Sound Of Chicago (CD Jack Attack)‘ (German DJ International Records D.J. 50-1007-44), containing Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley ‘Jack Your Body (Monty Remix)’, Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk & Jesse Saunders featuring Darryl Pandy ‘Love Can’t Turn Around (Farley Remix 2)’, Raze ‘Jack The Groove’, and the Mic Mac Meyers-mixed ‘The House Sound Of Chicago Megamix (Latin Mix)’ … LPs now out here include, from the same German source and here confusingly re-titled, the Trax Records double album compilation ‘The House Sound Of Chicago Volume 2 (Chicago Trax)‘ (London LON DP 32), plus the recently reviewed Lillo Thomas ‘Lillo’ (Capitol TC-EST 2031), Full Circle’s re-named First Circle ‘Boys’ Night Out’ (EMI America TC-AML 3118), Juicy ‘Spread The Love’ (Epic 450480 1) … Champion won’t now be releasing Kinkina ‘Jungle Fever’ until next month, although enough white labels have escaped to the right people to chart it, the Chakachas-originated (theirs is still available on Old Gold) throbbing panter being in a Phil Harding & Pete Waterman-remixed new 100bpm Megamix, a DJ StreetsAhead-scratched fresh 100bpm Skratch Fever version, plus the 99⅔bpm Original from around four years ago … Mel & Kim ‘Respectable’ has been out for nearly a fortnight in yet another Phil Harding-remixed 122½-122-122½bpm Shop Mix (Supreme Records SUPETZ 111), beat switching and frantic without improving on the main hit version, which this remix more closely resembles … Lola’s complete US 12 inch mixes are at last out here (Syncopate 12SYX 1), always better to my mind than the UK concoctions … Shep Pettibone’s currently imported 113bpm remix of ‘Lessons In Love’ will be on the B-side of Level 42’s UK follow-up next week … Norman Harris, guitarist/arranger/producer and one of the main creators of the mid-Seventies Philly Sound (he was a member of MFSB), died of heart failure in Philadelphia on March 20 … Radio London, wanting to contribute more to London’s oldies-swamped night-life than yet more repetition of ‘I Found Lovin’’ at their Soul Night Out, start a Nite FM Club Night at Kentish Town’s Town & Country Club this Saturday (11), with Dave Pearce, Pete Tong, Nicky Holloway, Gilles Peterson, Roger Johnson, Julian Palmer and Gary Crowley spinning crucial upfront rather than rare grooves – on a more sombre note, their Soul Night Out last Thursday at Leicester Square’s Empire Ballroom had a stabbing fatality … North Sea-based Laser will be back by the end of the month on 576AM, with a daytime black station WEZE starting in June on both AM and 10 kilowatt stereo FM, which should reach East London, Kent, and through East Anglia in stereo with the AM (Medium Wave) signal obviously getting far further … Yomi presents a one hour non-stop mix party Saturdays at 11pm on LWR … Graeme Park, the def dude, has one of his funky Glint nights at Derby’s Blue Note this very Thursday (9) … Romford’s glittery Hollywood nightclub opens Friday (10), with resident jocks Gary Sutton, John Tingley and Cosmic … Simon Dunmore spins real soul (fairly rare) at Hayes’ Keats winebar Sundays and at Uxbridge’s Abrook Arms fortnightly Fridays (this week) … Jody Watley (still not out here) replaced Company B ‘Fascinated’ atop Billboard’s US Club Play chart, last week’s highest new entry being Kissing The Pink’s house tempoed ‘Certain Things Are Likely‘, which should have done more here … Larry Blackmon didn’t only produce Bobby Brown’s ‘Girl Next Door’, he’s also directed its video … The Soul Club ‘I Want Your Guy‘ sounds like Jocelyn Brown ‘Somebody Else’s Guy’ with reason: now it’s no longer just on white label, I see it too was prod/penned by Allen George & Fred McFarlane (while in the US, on MCA, it’s already been remixed by Timmy Regisford) … Champion picked up True Mathematics, and – rather than their pop label, Polo – the blatantly Hi-NRG Paul Lekakis … TV-am’s daily play behind Mad Lizzy’s workouts would appear to have helped Judy Boucher’s chart climb, which proves it’s an MoR hit … Rough Trade will be reissuing next month CeIlulOid’s old catalogue, including the Fab 5 Freddy source of that much-scratched “fresh” … Kool & The Gang appear to be the Hot Chocolate of the Eighties (think about it!) … LAH DE DAH DE!

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HOT VINYL

JUNIOR GEE & THE ‘A’ TEAM ‘The Terminator (Remix)’ (Fourth & Broadway 12BRWX 63)
Damon Rochefort’s reproduction of ‘The Terminator’ movie soundtrack is cut right down (minus all the amusing bits) in this UK rap’s rather brittle 96⅓bpm remix, with a spikily jittering new rhythm track and increased attention paid to Sharon Dee Clark’s ‘Mind Blowing Decisions’ hookline, plus some scratching by Chris Mackintosh, but for me its main appeal is now missing — even if it is allegedly better for dancefloors like this.

SYBIL ‘Let Yourself Go’ (Champion CHAMP 12-42)
Due here whenever Champion decide to switch from white label to full commercial availability, something they often delay for weeks if not months, this massive import smash is a haunting smoothly skittering and skipping soulfully warbled easily flowing flier in 121-120½-121¼-120½-120¼bpm Club and much more even 120¼bpm alternative Paradise Mixes, joined here by an 112½bpm remix of her older ‘Falling In Love’ hit.

PRINCE ‘Sign ‘O’ The Times’ LP (Paisley Park WX 88)
Still idiosyncratic though far more accessible than of late, this double LP’s dance tracks are the Paris-recorded live joyously bounding 114¾-114⅔-113-112-114-113⅔-113-113⅓bpm ‘It’s Gonna Be A Beautiful Night’ stomper, jauntily jumping 115¾-0bpm ‘Housequake‘ (actually led by someone called Camille with James Brown brass and paartaying background), lovely lazily swaying 63½-62½bpm ‘Slow Love‘, slinky chanting funk 109-108½bpm ‘Hot Thing‘, bouncily thudding 95½bpm ‘Strange Relationship‘, hoarsely strained tapping 120-0bpm ‘It‘, wailing vintage sweet soul-style 32-32¼/64½-0bpm ‘Adore‘, shuffling gently jogging Isleys-ish 102½bpm ‘The Ballad Of Dorothy Parker‘ (with wowing tones), fast striding rock (0-)122¼bpm ‘U Got The Look‘, and typically frantic (0-)197½-98¾-0bpm ‘Play In The Sunshine‘. Continue reading “April 11, 1987: Junior Gee & The ‘A’ Team, Sybil, Prince, Swing Out Sister, Jason”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

WESTSIDE STORY: Ealing entrepreneur Morgan Khan’s new label signs a distribution deal this week, so no details have been made public yet, although I understand its finance is largely from Indian and US sources … Pete Tong was indeed creating a scam, last week’s moody white label 128½bpm house instrumental credited as ‘The Bootleg — The Rare Grooves’ turning out to be commercially the B-side (actually subtitled ‘The Rare Groove Bootleg‘) from Arthur Baker’s 128¼bpm Club Senseless remix of – ulp! we’ve been had! – Fine Young Cannibals ‘Ever Fallen In Love’ (London LONXR 121) … Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis’s new (0-)114¼-114½bpm Manic Mix of Herb Alpert ‘Keep Your Eye On Me’ has indeed got chugging gospel organ, scratched-in girls going “funky” and just the Tijuana trumpet breaks, flipped on promo by an intro-less 114bpm instrumental of the hit version with, if anything, extra trumpet … Marshall Jefferson ‘House Music Anthem’ still has too many legal problems for RCA to release it here after all, despite pressing up 1,500 white labels … Charly won’t have Anita Baker’s ‘Angel’ here either, as they never clinched a deal – shame … Rhythm King’s £5.99 double album, Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers ‘Live ’87’ (Flame Records MELT LP3) includes as the stronger sides three and four, the previously imported jazzy ‘Go Go Swing‘ and ‘Here We Go Again‘ 12 inch medleys — and if you think I’m about to BPM a live go go double LP, I’m afraid you’ve another think coming! … Funkin’ Marvellous Records and Steinar share as main man George Hargreaves, who’s thus been able to promo back-to-back from both labels a teasingly introed 118⅔bpm Mark Berry remix of Lee Prentiss ‘U Me’ and a 0-112⅔-0bpm M&M remix of Mezzoforte’s chunkily jittering vocal ‘No Limit’ … Haywoode’s revival of ‘I’m Your Puppet’ was produced in Philadelphia by Nick Martinelli, a detail that might have helped had it been mentioned on the white labelled promos … Debut picked up Bobby McClure … Champion’s overdue reissue of Kinkina ‘Jungle Fever‘ will include a new scratch version by DJ StreetsAhead … Portsmouth label Domino Records’ next reissue will be the Michael Zager Band ‘Let’s All Chant’ … ‘Paul Revere’ for some reason has now replaced ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’ on the Beastie Boys’ 12 inch … UK 12 inch pressings may soon have to contain only a maximum 20 minutes of music, and twin-packed singles seem certain to be a thing of the past … MCA Records in the US have issued seven of their current black hits on cassette maxi-single, a test-marketed ploy being tried by other labels there too, fine for Walkman wearers but less so for DJs should this trend ever replace vinyl (or CD) … Fourth & Broadway label manager Ian Dewhirst sensibly suggests that, as well as standardised rules being applied to future Technics DJ Mixing Championships to prevent any ugly misunderstandings, the competition might also benefit from being split into two separate categories, for gimmicky showmanship and for scratch-type technique … Manchester mixer Rob Manley is now packing ‘em in and breaking new music at Wakefield’s Roof Top Gardens/Cassanovas, which has encouraged him to compile a mailing list of the North’s top club jocks in an effort to service them with new product and help break it further throughout that area — send full work details to him at 42 Emery Avenue, Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 2LF, provided you work either side of the Pennines and play more than the hits … Peter King (0675-63554) is updating the Midlands’ mailing list for SuperJocks, and after mid-week PAs for his own venue, Madisons … Nicky Holloway’s Rockley Sands soul weekender attracted a proper soul club crowd, with no shaving foam but a good atmosphere, and will be repeated on October 16-18 … Sunday (5) Birmingham Powerhouse’s 3pm alldayer has a DJ throwdown including UK finalists Scooby Swift and kitchen sink-toting Johnny Jay … Chuck Stanley, Tashan and Oran ‘Juice’ Jones, with busy duettist Alyson Williams in support, comprise a Def Jam US Soul Attack tour over Easter, hitting Manchester International Club (18), Nottingham Rock City (19), London Camden Palace (20/21) … Rick Robinson’s jazz plus lager at 60p a pint are packing Saturday lunchtimes at Chertsey Bridge’s Cricketers … Bournemouth Clouds’ Monday ‘Soul Train’ has new school Alan Matthews and old school Paul Anthony varying the vintages on the two back-to-back floors … Pete Haigh, souling Blackpool’s The Club on Fridays, above Talbot Square’s Rumours, is desperate for the seven inch Silk ‘I Can’t Stop‘ and will swop Randy Brown ‘Always In The Mood‘ on 0253-824156 … Shirley Murdock’s new US 12 inch of her crawling ‘Go On Without You‘ slowie is flipped by the just UK-issued ‘As We Lay (Horizontal Mix)‘ in a much louder pressing … Rob Moir says thanks and goodbye to all at his Chester and North Wales venues as he jets off to Spain for the summer season … James Lewis (Swansea Whispers Thursday) is probably not alone spotting similarities in the rhythm between Tullio De Piscopo and the early Seventies Italian hit, Adriano Celentano ‘The Language Of Love‘ … Peter Sievewright (Perth Yorky’s) wonders whether Jimmy Ruffin ‘What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted’ will make it onto a 501’s commercial … Lola’s ‘Wax The Van’ title in black American slang apparently means “going in by the back door”, if you get my drift … shoot me through the grease, LAH DE DAH DE!

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SIMON GOFFE (left) this Thursday (2) starts a new Across The Tracks night at Camden Lock’s Dingwalls in London, featuring all sorts of black music with the help of regular guests, beginning this week with rare groover Norman Jay (right), then funkster Nicky Holloway (centre left) and jazzer Gilles Peterson. Of course another name for the night could have been Canal Street Blues…

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GRAEME PARK built Nottingham’s The Garage into a legend but has now moved with his upfront funk to that city’s newer The Barracuda, in Hurt’s Yard, every Tues/Saturday, leaving him more time to gig on other nights around the country. The dude is def.

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Last week I mentioned how during some friendly banter with her, I gradually realised that it was none other than DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER (above, with yours truly) who was standing beside me at Maze’s Hippodrome party (not difficult to deduce, as there aren’t many Paris-based Americans currently appearing in the West End!) She’s playing Billie Holiday in the one-woman show ‘Lady Day’, which from April 10 is transferring from the Donmar Warehouse to the legit Piccadilly Theatre for a two month run. Also, just out here is her jazz trio-backed ‘Live In Paris’ LP (Affinity AFF172), not for dancing but great listening. Be like her number one fan, Steve Davis, and catch her if you can!

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Established as a soul DJ around Camberley for the last ten years, Phonogram’s new disco plugger (and Buddy Holly lookalike) now really does have to spell his name as JOHNNY WALKER, to prevent confusion between his proper spelling and Radio One’s prodigal son Johnnie Walker!

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HOT VINYL

CAMEO ‘Back And Forth’ (Club JABX 49)
Drastically remixed and opened out, their album’s hottest track now has a disjointedly jacking stereo title line vocal intro before the smacking 111⅔pm beat starts strutting jauntily through different phases to reach at last the catchily repeating roundelay lyrics, although the whole thing ends up overall with more instrumental than singing, gunshots and gurgling electronic voices punctuating the freakier dub (dustbins rattled and organ chorded itchy staccato 112¾bpm ‘You Can Have The World‘, too). Uniquely Cameo.

FLEETWOOD MAC ‘Big Love’ (Warner Bros W8398T)
I know it seems extraordinarily improbable, but this is house! Surging through 0-125¾-125½-125¾-125½bpm ‘Set If Off’ cymbal, pounding piano, jack track stutters and a typical episodic Chicago structure, its only prevented from being totally authentic by just a tiny bit of vocal early on. Honest! The irony is it’ll probably be the first crossover house hit in the States.

JIM BENNETT & HIS BUMPIN CREW ‘Bump & Roll (Give Up The Funk)’ (US Studio Records STU-1411)
Deserving to take over where Lorenzo Queen left off as easily the best and most commercial go go since ‘You Can Dance (If You Want To)’, this similarly well arranged infectiously weaving 103⅙bpm bumpy bubbler has a deadly simple synth riff and some nice neat piano fills behind Jim’s rhythm-riding exhortations (inst flip). Continue reading “April 4, 1987: Cameo, Fleetwood Mac, Jim Bennett & His Bumpin Crew, Lillo Thomas, The Whispers”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

HERB ALPERT has had most of his horn replaced by an organ sound on a new Manic Mix of his hit, likely to be marketed here in conjunction with (rather than replacing) the original … Pete Tong is circulating a rather fast 128½bpm house instrumental with a Creative Source-ish bassline and other vaguely familiar ingredients, credited on moody white label as The Bootleg ‘The Rare Grooves‘ (or should that be the other way around?), which although pressed independently at Lyntone must surely be some cunning scam to help boost an upcoming commercial release — isn’t it? … RCA, rather long after it was a “jazz” club hit, next week 12 inch Elvis Presley’s 106⅔/213⅓-212⅔bpm ‘Bossa Nova Baby‘ from 1963 (RCA ARON T1), while for variety — although interestingly the exact same BPM — the original from a year earlier is also out, by Tippie & The Clovers (you may recall my mentioning it) on the excellent double album ‘The Red Bird Story‘ (Charly CDX 15) … Fourth & Broadway for the DJ Convention specially pressed a Sly & Robbie promo 12 inch seguing the 103⅓bpm ‘Fire’ and ‘Boops’ with an 104-103⅔-0bpm Chris Mackintosh scratch mix of them as flip … Virgin, unable to shift commercial offerings by their group Well Red, have circulated a white label as by Double-U-R containing what amount to break beats mixed by Spikey, the 112½bpm 8.08 Mix and 112bpm Bass Drum Head Mix of something called ‘Honey‘ … Debut already have Eleanore Mills here, Champion have Sybil … Lola’s US mixes will be out here too, soon … US LPs now on UK release include Millie Scott (Fourth & Broadway BRLP 511), Herb Alpert (A&M AMA 5125), The System (Atlantic 7816911) … UK Fresh would appear still to be on, at the NEC on August 12, according to Morgan Khan — who’s filling me in on his new label plans too, this week! … Disco Mix Club’s DJ convention, as many observed, was less well attended than usual by record industry people, maybe because they opted for just the Monday’s more “glittering” Albert Hall bash instead of eating into their weekend time off on Sunday? … Technics world mixing finalists will be weeded down in preliminary heats the previous afternoon so that next year just the best eight will be in the main final showdown … Randy Muller, no longer put off by terrorist bombs, has been back in London remixing Full Circle, and was at the incongruous Hippodrome setting for Maze’s après-gig party —where I found myself chatting to someone who turned out to be Dee Dee Bridgewater, currently playing Billie Holiday on the West End stage in ‘Lady Day’ (she knew that her number one fan Steve Davis had been to see it, but he was too shy to go backstage and she’s really upset as she longed to meet him and get some snooker tips!) … Dave Pearce sits in for six weeks on Susie Barnes’ weekday 2.30-4.30pm Radio London soul show from next Monday, with Damon Rochefort supplying scandal and gossip on Fridays at 3.30 … Dave Gregory’s soul shows on Essex Radio have now expanded to Fridays 9pm-2am and Saturdays 6-10pm, the station’s Soul Night Special heading for the first time to Clacton Pier’s Oscars this Friday (27) … Friday also sees the opening of Manchester’s upmarket Applejacks, funked two nights weekly by Franklin Sinclair, and at Hemel Hempstead’s Heath Park a soul room with Joe Field, Graham Gold, Dave Ealand and jazz with Chris Bangs, Bob Cosby … Saturday (28) Pete Tong, Nicky Holloway and Gilles Peterson funk ‘n’ jazz The Slammer at Gravesend’s Red Lion, while Martin Collins, Graham Gold, Bob Jones and more warm up for Caister at Cambridge Corn Exchange … Chris Kaye (0732-356061) is running a fashion show-cum-disco called ‘It’s The New Style’ on May 22 at Tonbridge’s Angel Centre, and wants offers of anything relevant like PAs, demonstrations … Pillar Promotions are not interested only in rock and rap DJs, all types can apply for their mailing list on 01-735 8171 (ext 118) … “Bam Boo”, in the continued absence of more complete label details, is being credited by some to Bam Boo also as artiste while we join the majority in listing it as being by its writers/producers Lenny D. & Tommy Musto, on the Northcott Prod. Ltd. Label, which from the evidence that does exist seems reasonable … Jimmy Jam’s partner Terry Lewis introduced Pete Waterman to Janet Jackson as “the world’s best producer”, the guys having a mutual admiration society … Curtis Hairston’s previously reported US single of ‘(You’re My) Shining Star‘ is an extended 87bpm remix of the lazily sinuous title-repeated smoochy soul soarer … Cheryl Lynn, if you didn’t know, was evidently first discovered when competing on US TV’s ‘Gong Show’, the amateur talent series briefly shown here a while back! … Charly had better hurry up with Anita Baker’s ‘Angel‘, as the Style Council have already covered it! … LAH DE DAH DE!

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Hot producing/writing team (from right to left) MIKE STOCK, MATT AITKEN and PETE WATERMAN have been up to their remix tricks again! They’ve now, typically, put out MEL & KIM ‘Respectable’ in a much harder totally revamped semi-instrumental frantic scratched and freakily jack track-ed 0-122bpm Tabloid Mix (Supreme Records SUPETX 111), on for a full third of the record before anything recognisable from the hit version appears, while they’ve really excelled themselves by just about totally ignoring Bill Wyman’s little friend in turning MANDY SMITH ‘I Just Can’t Wait‘ into an aptly subtitled terrific breezily cantering 114bpm instrumental Cool & Breezy Jazz Version (PWL Records PWLTX 1), with jazz guitar by Matt Aitken. Well hard and credible!

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HOT VINYL

CINDY VALENTINE ‘In Your Midnight Hour’ (US Polydor 885-657-1)
The sleeve shot just doesn’t do justice to lovely Cindy (already seen with Mike Sefton in rm, 15/11/86), who whispers then plaintively chants over a jittery percussive 102⅓bpm chugging rhythm that seems self-consciously similar to the same label’s Gwen Guthrie approach. Beware the abrupt vocal fade, although the dub ends (edit too, and more Madonna-ish 116¾bpm ‘Work It Out‘). Continue reading “March 28, 1987: Mandy Smith, Cindy Valentine, Luther Vandross, Living In A Box, Patrice Rushen”

ODDS ‘N’ BODS

CHAD JACKSON’s win in the world final of the Technics DJ Mixing Championships, seen to be deserved by anyone paying attention (like us judges!), has created such an incredible controversy that all my ‘phone calls seem to be from people believing the lies spread by those who stood to benefit had someone else won … I, as a judge, initially rated Denmark’s Ken Larsen (who came third) as the likely winner thanks to the way he mixed dazzlingly without headphones, followed by the USA’s subtly double-beating Joe Rodriguez (who was second) and France’s vigorously scratching Dee Nasty (unplaced) – however, on last, Chad (who in fact I’ve never marked as a winner before) blew them away by using every current mixing technique without fault, topping the Dane by draping a Union Jack over the console’s controls while he mixed without using either headphones or faders! … Chad won on merit, there was no fixeroo, and he also took his place in the championship fairly, as last year’s runner-up to defend the title in the absence of 1986 champ DJ Cheese (who, contrary to rumour, was indeed invited, twice) … Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis had a hero’s welcome from a crowd just as impressed by their credentials as by Janet Jackson and Alexander O’Neal (if not more so), the Royal Albert Hall being the prestigious venue that had attracted such stars to fly in specially on Concorde – apart from the silly ugliness surrounding Chad’s win, it was a night about which the disco industry should be proud … Paul Dakeyne demonstrated the art of mixing Compact Discs using Technics’ vari-speed SL-P1200 CD players at the previous day’s International DJ Convention, which thankfully had as a new entertaining focal point a rapping contest in place of the mixers … Manchester’s rapping Prince Cool won this, with help from The Terminator’s incredible human beat box, after battling through vicious slanging matches with the other rappers, all of whom had their beats provided by two guys wielding “rhythm sticks” — keyless synthesizers worn and played around the neck like a guitar … Avtar Singh, whose home studio was recently robbed, won a contest by “mixing” 16 different records’ title lines in just two minutes … Music Week columnist Barry Layzell won the Pop Mastermind competition with 19 correct answers (Cliff Richard being his specialist subject), our own Alan Jones tying for second with radio DJ Mike Read at 13 points … Rikki Patrick was the most impressive PA – I missed the closing dance party with all the visiting Chicago house stars … Steve Walsh sent his chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce to collect Alexander O’Neal, and took him (a CBS artiste) to A&M’s launch party for the Breakout label at Soho’s Le Beat Route, where MC Double Def Sef was delighted to greet him in the absence of Janet Jackson … Groove Records just over the road did a roaring trade in back catalogue (rather than newies), snapped up by out-of-towners … C.J. Carlos — the “real” C.J. — was celebrating his engagement to Claire Boots with a private party at late nite eaterie Rockys following the Albert Hall, and Loose Ends were amongst the many who headed there next … Herb Alpert’s amazing vertiginous tightrope video should turn a hit into a smash … Micron’s rap ‘n’ scratch of ‘EastEnders’ won’t be about any more, the Beeb caught up with it! … Shep Pettibone is currently mixing it up in London … Arista belatedly picked up Marshall Jefferson ‘House Music Anthem’, while Flame have King Sun-D Moet … Helena’s ‘Be Soft With Me Tonight‘ turns out to be a cover, released ahead of a version by Gloria Gaynor … Jonathan Woss, chat show host of Channel 4’s Friday night ‘The Last Wesort’, used to be a researcher for ‘6.20 Soul Train’!  … Les ‘Mixdoctor’ Adams presents a two hour mixing show Saturdays at 11pm on Solar 93FM … UK pressings of Grandmaster Flash turn out to be 101½bpm, while White Knight ‘White Knight Jacks’ should be 124¾bpm … Nicky Holloway’s Poole weekender at Rockley Sands in Dorset is this weekend (20-22), practically rammed with room for just a few more on 01-439 2628 – DJs are Jeff Young, Pete Tong, Jay Strongman, Gilles Peterson, Paul Oakenfold, Chris Brown, Johnny Walker, Chris Bangs, Bob Masters, plus there’s a presentation of the current West End comedy ‘Bouncers’ … Dave Withers promotes a Black Music Record Fair this Saturday (21) 10.30am-5pm at Manchester YMCA … Gloucester’s crippled DJ Metal Mickey scratches using his crutches, given the chance by clubs un-frightened of his handicap, and will be doing that this Saturday (21) at Queens Club when Perry Jay presents bouncy Maria Whittaker there … DJ Danny and Kevin Ashton head a charity 3.30-11.30pm soul alldayer also this Saturday at Redruth’s Penventon Hotel, to benefit a local hospital (not the one there where I was born, though!) … Steve Ogley and David Superfly jack the house Thursdays at Oulton Broad’s Chequers, playing funk/house, electro with free admission and half price drinks — sounds too good to be true! … Colin Hudd, Chris Hill and Eddie Gordon soul Gravesend’s Waterfront every Friday … Luther Vandross did backing vocals on Nick Kamen’s debut album (don’t forget, he also sings commercials) … Terence Trent D’Arby, considering he’s just 25, seems to know a surprising amount about the typical stage acts of soul singers in the Sixties, which he does his best to recreate! … Company B ‘Fascinated’ topped US 12 Inch Sales too now, in Billboard … Eurobeat chart returns have greatly increased, in case the look of the current chart suggests otherwise, so maybe Ian Levine really is a popular producer! … Scott & Raven aren’t massive but are number one in nearly every chart that lists them … LAH DE DAH DE!

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JANET JACKSON was announced as winner of the best female singer award at the Albert Hall, but then the news was dropped that she hadn’t managed to make it to the ceremony and instead there would be a world exclusive preview of her new video. A big disappointment. However, as the video finished, crafty Tony Prince then announced that the video had arrived by ‘plane carried by a courier — and here was the courier, Janet Jackson!

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HOT VINYL

ELEANORE MILLS ‘Mr Right’ (US VinylMania VMR 007)
Co-created by Larry Woo and Gordon Worthy, this friskily bubbling 117-116½-116 (break)-116½bpm bounder has honking sax and wriggly Latin rhythms behind Stephanie’s nagging sister, a New York fusion of current Miami and Chicago influences with lots of oomph of its own (116½-116-116½bpm instrumental Right Mix, 117bpm Bonus Beats, 0-116½bpm Radio Mix). It sounds about right, too!

SLY & ROBBIE ‘Boops (Here To Go)’ (Fourth & Broadway 12BRW 61)
Featuring such as Bill Laswell, Bootsy Collins, Herbie Hancock, Grandmixer DST, Shinehead, Half Pint and Rammellzee, the fascinating 0-102⅔bpm P’funky bassline weaver is just one edited part of the Jamaican rhythm team’s imminent marathon LP exploration of the Ohio Players’ old ‘Fire’, using rap, reggae, funk and more (103⅙bpm instrumental, and their old 0-92½bpm ‘Don’t Stop The Music’ too). That was fresh!

MILLIE SCOTT ‘Love Me Right’ LP (US 4th + B’way B’WAY 4004)
A strong set by the quietly elegant lady, with the Loose Ends-ish sultry David Ball-duetted 99⅚bpm ‘Let’s Talk It Over’, brassily jaunty 104⅙bpm title track, brightly romping 115bpm ‘One Stop Lover‘, Earl Klugh guitared classy slow 0-74-0bpm ‘Don’t Take Your Love’, breezily striding 115bpm ‘2 Hot 2 Handle‘, ponderously lurching 105bpm ‘Can’t Stand The Heat’, plus her 102bpm ‘Every Little Bit’, 109⅕bpm ‘Automatic’, 110bpm ‘Prisoner Of Love’ hits. Continue reading “March 21, 1987: Technics DJ Mixing Championships, Eleanore Mills, Sly & Robbie, Millie Scott, Sybil, Dynasty”