BEATS & PIECES
NETWORK PRESS’s Hamburg party for DJs featured a long acid house session by the now truly international London jock Colin Faver, before slumping into boring doldrums until the London lads came to the aid of the party again, Les Adams and Simon Harris following each other with 15 minute mixing sets that they made sure everyone could hear — Les had taken to use in Germany a prototype set (the first in Britain) of Stanton’s 890AL DJ Pro cartridges and styli, designed with his and other DJs’ input especially for scratch mixers, both he and Simon remarking that they performed superbly with not a single jump or miscue during fierce use … Ben Liebrand’s remix of Bill Withers ‘Lovely Day’ is called the Sunshine Mix with good reason, it borrows the drums from San Antonio, Texas, born but now Germany based Sydney Youngblood’s similar earlier treatment of ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’! … Charles Edward Shaw, from Houston, Texas, although based in Mannheim for the last 10 years, actually did the rapping bits in Milli Vanilli’s ‘Girl You Know It’s True’, and says his own imminent ‘Does Your Mother Know‘ on German Musicolor “will tell the truth” … Les Adams, confronted by a D and an H on two separate doors when looking for the loo, had to come back and ask which was Ladies and which was Gents (Damen and Herren)! … Simon Harris ‘Here Comes That Sound’ has actually come out in Germany on Metronome ahead of the UK, where its commercial release will eventually be as a total remix … Adrenalin M.O.D.’s slightly retitled ‘O-O-O-O‘ has been promoed as a (0-)122¾bpm seven inch radio version (MCA Records RAGA 2) ahead of new 12 inch pressings, now featuring vocals by Rose Windross (of Soul II Soul fame) as well as its Serious Intention derived title line hook chant … Wee Papa Girl Rappers ‘Wee Rule’, now that it’s finally released, turns out to be subtitled the Ragamuffin Mix — and I realise should actually be 0-94-95¾-95½-0bpm instead of the constant speed originally assumed — with the funky 0-114bpm ‘Rebel Rap‘ as flip … Hot Mix 5 Inc’s various artists import ‘Acid’ LP has been released here as ‘Acid House‘ on Jack Trax (DOT 1), with the same tunes apart from Fingers’ ‘Ecstasy’ being replaced by Armando’s smurfs started twittery 124½bpm ‘Confusion’s Revenge‘ … K-tel’s ‘The Coolest Cuts’ Shakatak compilation LP (NE 1422) includes a ‘Down On The Street’-based 121¾-0bpm ‘Shakatak Megamix’ bonus 12 inch … Pete Tong’s soul show on Capital Radio now runs from 5-8pm every Saturday, incorporating a realistic “street sales” top 10 (about time too), while Tim Westwood follows from 8-10pm (plus he has an extended midnight-1.30am Friday night slot) with his rap cuts, David Rodigan’s reggae filling 10pm-midnight before Alex ‘Anders’ George spins funk/soul/jazz through Sunday’s wee small hours from midnight-4am, Chris Forbes starting a new house show on Saturday mornings 1.30-4am (following on from Tim) … Greg Edwards has recorded a rap revival of Instant Funk ‘Got My Mind Made Up’, due out as by the Ambassadors Of Funk initially in the US on Next Plateau Records Inc! … Fourth & Broadway have signed up the Delicious Vinyl label here and are rush releasing Young MC ‘Know How‘ as UK A-side, with a live showcase of the label’s acts being planned to follow … Westside Records appear to be releasing The Todd Terry Project’s double-sided import smash here … Blaze ‘Can’t Win For Losin’’ turns out not to be released commercially here until November 7 … Public Enemy could be heading for a personnel change, inside sources suggest … Mantronik is looking for a new rapper now that his Mantronix partner MC Tee has joined the US Air Force … Graham Central Station have reformed to make a comeback album on Preston Glass’s label, Gourmet Records … Tricky Dicky Scanes is selling so much Balearic material (to all types of DJ) at his Trax record shop in Soho’s Greek Street that he can compile an accurate and genuine sales chart, the big hits over the last fortnight being 1 William Pitt ‘City Lights‘ (Sierra), 2 Code 61 ‘Drop The Deal‘ (German BCM), 3 Bappi Lahiri ‘Habiba‘ (Hi-Hat), 4 Fantasy Ten ‘Big Bang‘ (Greyhound), 5 Mandy ‘I Just Can’t Wait (Cool & Breezy Jazz Mix)‘ (PWL), 6 Tijeritas ‘Bamboleo‘ (Spanish Epic), 7 Electra ‘Jibaro (Remix)‘ (ffrr), 10 Project Club ‘Dance With The Devil‘ (Supreme) [#8 & #9 not printed – see comments] … ffrr’s ‘Balearic Beats Vol. 1‘ compilation LP (FFRLP 5) contains previously reviewed (and some charted above) material by Electra, Code 61, Beats Workin’, Mandy Smith, Nitzer Ebb, Fini Tribe and the Thrashing Doves, plus unreviewed (although doubtless I’ll get around to them all, especially if, as seems likely, the set hits The Club Chart) tracks by the Residents, Woodentops, and Enzo Avitabile … Vanessa Holmes has taken over from Zoe Glitherow at WEA as Fred Dove’s club promotion co-ordinator — Zoe is joining Mike Olivier to help run the new Middlesex Sound Installations in Rayners Lane, Harrow … Marie Birch of Sound Promotions has been suffering from chicken pox, which has kept DJs at more than arm’s length, and, seemingly always on the move, she’s now based at 17 Scott Crescent, South Harrow. Middlesex (01-723 8092) … Dean Meredith is updating the DJ mailing list at Blue Chip, 4 Gaol Mews, Gaol Road, Stafford … Imagination are live this Wednesday (5) at Darlington’s Zhivagos, where DJ and promotions manager Jack Wood offers (on 0325-463647, office hours) to organise club tours in the area for record companies trying to break new acts … Fantasy Mondays now at Brighton’s Pink Coconut feature acid, Balearic, house and garage with Paul Clark, Warrick and Craig … Will Downing has been added to the bill for the Blackpool soul weekender … Les Adams has remixed Blow ‘Change (Makes You Want To Hustle)’, bringing out the tune more … Rayners Lane’s Record & Disco Centre salesman Wayne Boyce came up with a killer mix, repeatedly flicking the synth bits from This Ain’t Chicago’s Acid Not Placid mix through Inner City’s ‘Big Fun’ … Paul Rutherford seemed to begin, so far as The Club Chart was concerned, as another East Midlands breakout … Disco Mix Club boss Tony Prince has finally followed my lead and bought a Cannon EOS 650 autofocus camera for trouble free shooting in the dark! … 1988 looks like being a vintage year for future rare grooves, as you can be sure that in a few years’ time, when the second hand bins will be jammed with drastically dated sounding and unwanted acid house, everyone will be paying inflated paces for all the good non-acid stuff that they missed at the time, now, just like the Seventies were later plundered by the first wave of rare groove seekers … Royal Mail deliveries are still far from back to normal, so don’t forget you can FAX us your DJ charts on 01-388 9576… NANU NANU!
RITZY CRACKER
PHIL FRANCE, resident DJ at The Ritzy in Nottingham, celebrated the Mecca venue’s second anniversary by once again honouring some of the previous year’s most important contributors to dance music. Last year it was Stock Aitken Waterman who were honoured, Pete Waterman and Matt Aitken turning up with Rick Astley, Sinitta and Mandy Smith, all of whom put on crowd pleasing performances, as you might imagine.
This year, for excellent musical reasons, Phil chose to honour Coldcut along with the Ahead Of Our Time and Big Life labels. Unfortunately, these fledgling labels do not so far have much of an artist roster, and, as Yazz (whose appearance would obviously have been greatly appreciated by the Nottingham crowd) was tied up in the studio that night recording her album, it was just Coldcut’s Jonathon More and Matt Black who appeared fleetingly to collect their award. Installed only hours before, a 25 screen video wall was able to show their singles, but this was a poor substitute for live performances.
JOHN PAUL BARRETT
Luckily Westside Records artiste John Paul Barrett was on hand for a vigorous personal appearance. Sabrina had been expected, but (as the tabloid press had already announced) was laid up ill, while Germany’s chart-topping Milli Vanilli had come along for the bus ride incognito, without their stage wear, and refused to go on. So, a bit of a damp squib in comparison with last year’s glitzy affair, the night turned into a regular disco session despite the resplendent presence of both the Mayor and Sheriff Of Nottingham, plus all the Mecca bigwigs. It’s bad luck Phil didn’t manage to get Yazz, at least.
HAMBURG HI-JINKS
NETWORK PRESS, Germany’s fortnightly DJ magazine (in which I write a column), celebrated its 50th issue last Monday with a party in Hamburg at a dub called Base. I wasn’t thinking of going to it until I discovered just the night before that Les Adams and Emma Freilich of LA Mix were doing a mixing set there, so we flew over together —and discovered on the same plane Simon Harris, Steven Danté, Baby Ford, and Colin Faver! As you can imagine the British contingent had a fine old time, joining up also with Simon’s Music Of Life label partner Chris France, and BCM Records owner Brian Carter, while Jellybean was also hangin’ out. For further titbits, see Beats & Pieces.
BRIAN CARTER – the Germany based Englishman whose two years old BCM Records pioneered the Compact Disc release of “house” and other dance music styles, before securing a German number one and European smash with B.V.S.M.P.
HOT VINYL
THOMPSON TWINS ‘In The Name Of Love ’88 (Railroad Mix)’ (Arista 611 808)
Shep Pettibone’s spurtingly smacking and funkily rolling 116¼-0bpm remix of this early Thompsons track borrows its pulsing bassline from Ten City’s ‘Right Back To You’ and has surprised everyone (Arista included) by being snapped up by house jocks the instant it appeared on import (only the Railroad Dub flips it here). A national smash!
PUBLIC ENEMY ‘Night Of The Living Baseheads (Anti-High Blood Pressure Encounter Mix)’ (Def Jam XPR 1389)
Due for full review when out properly on four-track 12 inch, their album’s hottest floor-filler is initially on just this violently scratched jiggly churning 104¼-104½-0-104½bpm new version on white label promo.
kc FLIGHTT ‘She’s Sexxxy’ (US RCA 8730-1-RD)
With a tempo that’ll help it in house venues too, this jazz-funkily bounding drawlingly conversational rap, about foxy fine ladies and the fun you can get into with them, is in kc’s own 122½-0bpm mix and Blaze’s more dubwise 121½-0bpm Rated X Mix, flipped by the Blaze co-produced similar bounding (0-)123½bpm ‘Dancin’ Machine‘ and the more messily wriggling urgent 0-122½bpm ‘Let’s Get Jazzy‘. Continue reading “October 8, 1988: Thompson Twins, Public Enemy, KC Flightt, The Mack featuring Tim Bryant, Luther Vandross”
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