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BEATS AND PIECES

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

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HOT VINYL

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

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

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

BEATS AND PIECES

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

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HOT VINYL
reviewed by Jay Strongman and James Hamilton

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

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

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

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

BEATS AND PIECES

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

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HOT VINYL
reviewed by Norman Cook and James Hamilton

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

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

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

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

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

BEATS AND PIECES

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

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HOT VINYL  
reviewed by DJ Streets Ahead and James Hamilton

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

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

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

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

BEATS AND PIECES

EN VOGUE return in full live concert to Prestatyn, the scene of their UK breakthrough, as stars of the November 2/3/4 Prestatyn 8 weekender, which will also feature a live performance by Light Of The World and other star attractions including guest jocks Dancin’ Danny D and Soul II Soul DJs Jazzy Q & Friends — booking details on 081-364 1212 from LiveWire, who are also collaborating with London’s Jazz FM radio station to stage the 1st Jazz FM Weekend at Camber Sands over November 23/24/25, with Roy Ayers, Pharoah Sanders, A Tribe Called Quest (really?!), Steve Williamson, Working Week, The Brand New Heavies, Galliano, Steve White, Incognito, Snowboys Descarga and more all playing live, plus many PAs, and the station’s Gilles Peterson, Jez Nelson and Chris Philips heading the DJ line-up (booking details for this event on 081-364 1666) . . . The 45 King’s original ‘The 900 Number’ (107¼bpm), having bubbled around the bottom of the chart for over a year before inspiring Chad Jackson’s ‘Hear The Drummer (Get Wicked)’ adaptation, could finally be the smash it’s always deserved to be in its own right now that it has been reissued (Dance Trax DRX 912, via Big Wave/BMG) coupled at last by a vocal version for radio — an, unfortunately not very good, extended remix of LaKim Shabazz’s ‘The Posse Is Large’ (110¼bpm) — plus still the dull ‘The King Is Here’ (100¾bpm), with even a CD single too this time . . . DNA’s ‘La Serenissima’, pre-released and reviewed as a phoney Italian import, is now chart climbing in its regular pressing (Raw Bass Records 12 RBASS 006) . . . Rumour Records have “snapped” up and are rush releasing here the hot Hi Power ‘Cult Of Snap’ (RUMAT 24), reviewed on import last week . . . Sha-Lor ‘My Love (Has Gone Away) (The Musto/Bones Remixes)’, also reviewed only last week on import, has been rushed out here by new label WGAF (NGY 12 101, via Castle Communications) in just its Tommy Musto NY Garage Mix  (122¼bpm) and Frankie “Bones” Belgium Freestyle Mix (122½bpm), both now slower . . . Lalah Hathaway’s excellent revival of Jaki Graham’s ‘Heaven Knows’, produced like the original by its writer Derek Bramble, was only promoed in its already reviewed import pressing and is now out commercially (Virgin America VUST 28) . . . ‘Who Dares Wins’ is the correctly titled extra track on Derek B’s newie . . . Linda Carriere is in fact the vocalist featured on Loose Ends ‘Don’t Be A Fool’, due next week also in a tinkling vibes and ‘Funkin’ For Jamaica’ trumpet accented jerkily jittering Twilight Mix (97¾bpm) (10 Records TENR 312) . . . Cooltempo, including the label’s dynamic club supremo Simon Dunmore and his new assistant Laura Barwick, have joined the record company exodus to West London and moved along with Chrysalis Records to the Old Phoenix Brewery at Bramley Road, London W10 6SP (telephone 071-221 2213), tucked under the Westway by Latimer Road tube . . . Power Promotions’ now four strong team are however moving in the opposite direction to Kentish Town on September 3, when their address becomes 32 Holmes Road, London NW5 3AB (071-482 0728) . . . Emily Leggatt is updating the DJ mailing list at independent pluggers IRP, 112 Talbot Road, London W11 1JR (071-727 3458) . . . Beats Per Minute that pop jocks might find useful include Bombalurina ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ (Remix/7 Inch Version) 126; Prince ‘Thieves In The Temple (Remix)’ 130-128¾/Thieves In The House Mix/ Temple House Dub’ 126¾; The Human League ‘Heart Like A Wheel (Extended Mix)‘ 119½; Bocca Juniors ‘Raise (63 Steps To Heaven)’ (Heavenly Rap/Piano Hoe Down/Philly House Skank) 104/(Redskin Rock Mix) 104½; Primal Scream ‘Come Together’ (Farley Mix) 96/(Weatherall Mix) 93¾; That Petrol Emotion ‘Hey Venus’ (Mad Thatcher Disease Mix) 113¾/(Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Mix) 113½; UB40 ‘Wear You To The Ball (Extended Mix)‘ 96¾ . . . The UK Voguing Championships are taking place to benefit AIDS research at London’s Charing Cross Road Busby’s tonight (Tuesday 21), the whole frothy event being filmed for future TV broadcast and video release (on Island Visual Arts), so hurry, hurry . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL  

MONIE LOVE featuring TRUE IMAGE It’s A Shame (My Sister)’ (108bpm) (Cooltempo COOLX 219)
This standout track from her upcoming album, already much played by specialist radio shows and now remixed three different ways, slots sections of rap between girls chorused quotes from the classic ‘It’s A Shame’ by the Motown Spinners (as they were known here in 1970, before a change of label made Detroit a more appropriate prefix), closest to its attractive guitar twanged melody with some added sax in Ultimatum’s catchy gentle Ultimatum Mix, or alternatively in John Waddell’s drier rolling Sister Sledge ‘He’s The Greatest Dancer’-type rhythm based Cool As Mix, and Pete Lorimer’s trumpet brayed wukka wukked jiggly tumbling jazz-funky Hot Shot Mix.

THE GRID ‘A Beat Called Love’ (123½bpm) (eastwest SAM 700)
Breathily whispered with breezy girl group support and a blazing trumpet break over an appropriately pounding massive beat, this gloriously soaring bright pop swinger by Richard Norris and Dave Ball is currently yet another single sided promo on EW’s generic label with no other details of its eventually released form, not that this version is entirely suitable for airplay (not being by Madonna)!

WENDELL WILLIAMS ‘Everybody’ (123¼bpm) (US Minimal Records QAL-251)
An Arthur Baker produced really exciting loose adaptation of the Black Box song (the Italians being credited as co-composers for supplying little more than its ‘Everybody Everybody’ title line), this forcefully charging hip house bounder is rapped instead by a gruff guy and samples much more besides to create its ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’ swirled (Everybody) Rap Your Body, (Everybody) Swing Your Body, Dub Your Body, and Guru Josh/Adamski inspired bleeping instrumental — get this — Disco Lives Saxophonic Acid Vibe Rock Don’t Stop It Rave Mix! Yes, by all means, do get this! Continue reading “August 25, 1990: Monie Love, The Grid, Wendell Williams, Culture Beat, Beats International”

BEATS AND PIECES

Kiss 100 fm, as the eagerly awaited London dance and black music radio station’s logo now reads, has moved at last into its headquarters at Kiss House, 80 Holloway Road, London N7 BJG (telephone 071-700 6100, fax 071-700 3752), finally ending the months of speculation about its for some reason quite closely guarded location . . . Stu Allan’s consecutively segmented ‘Bus’ Diss!’/’Souled Out’/’House Hour’ Sunday 7-10pm show on Manchester’s Piccadilly KEY 103 (the final hour always including a 40 minute house mix to fit in as much stuff as possible) has proved so popular that he’s been given an 8-10pm ‘Don’t Touch That Dial!’ show on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday too, playing current soul, dance, house and hip hop (no indie or pop) . . . Kid Frost’s excellent Chicano rap ‘La Raza’, recently reviewed off the import pressing that was promoed here, is now out commercially (Virgin America VUST 25) . . . Heather Austin, the original Cool Notes’ lead singer last heard solo on Urban, has signed now to Rhyme ‘n’ Reason Records and her first single ‘All For You’, featuring JB M.C., has already been snapped up by Vaughan Mason ahead of its release here for US release on his Grove St. label . . . Double Trouble, the UK group, are calling themselves Double The Trouble in the US so as not to clash with that country’s rapping The Original Double Trouble (as they are now calling themselves here) . . . London’s The Brain Club is currently up in Edinburgh, for the duration of the Festival, at the Playhouse Theatre’s studio, where Graeme Park and Dave Haslam from Manchester’s Hacienda guest over the next two Saturdays with Harvey and Chocci plus the likes of Jay Strongman, while bands there include Mr Monday and Ubik (August 18), The Shamen, Irresistible Force, Ramjac Corp, Sunsonic and Deep Joy (25) . . . Joy Barling Loyla (Theo’s missus) and her horse Hero did indeed get to Stockholm for the 100 mile endurance race, in which they came fourth and helped gain a gold medal for Great Britain as part of the overall winning team! . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL  

CANDY DULFER ‘Saxuality (Ben Liebrand Mix)’ (123bpm) (RCA PT 43770)
The attractive Dutch saxist coos and squawks through a lightly scampering hip house groove that’s sorta like Janet Jackson being produced by Prince in Fast Eddie’s basement while Jr. Walker practises some jazzy new licks next door — in other words, sizzling! — flipped by a more frantically jittery Susan Rogers Mix (124bpm) plus the ‘A House Is Not A Home’ paraphrasing tranquil slow soulful ‘Home Is Not A House’ (57/28½bpm).

CLUBLAND featuring QUARTZ ‘Let’s Get Busy’ (122bpm) (US Geffen Records 0-21609)
Selling anew in yet another combination, this US pressing has not only the current King Bee rapped Snap remix, now called The Snap Attack Mix, and the old Original Version, but also David Morales’ more jerkily episodic cantering The G Mix (which although unlabelled was secretly included, as the Def Dee Mix, on the Swedish pressing of Snap! The Remix!) plus — the only all new track, note — Morales’ brisk but basic repetitive The G Beats Mix, some Satoshi Tomiie organ chords eventually being all that breaks its monotony.

SHA-LOR ‘My Love (Has Gone Away) (The Musto/Bones Remixes)’ (US Fourth Floor Records FF-1116)
Shamelle and Lori Maynard’s wailed and muttered jerkily bounding “nasty house music” canterer is now in Tommy Musto’s keyboard stabbed thrumming frisky N.Y. Garage Mix (123¾bpm) and piano jangled more episodic instrumental Salsoul Dub Mix (124bpm), Frankie “Bones” buzzing jiggly Belgium Freestyle Mix and similar chugging instrumental New Beat Madness (124bpm), plus a full vocal driven tight Radio Edit (123¾bpm). Continue reading “August 18, 1990: Candy Dulfer, Clubland featuring Quartz, Sha-Lor, Roé, if?”

BEATS AND PIECES

ROBBIE VINCENT will be one of the stars of London’s incremental dance music radio station KISS-fm, starting full transmission on September 1 with Capital FM’s reggae ruler David Rodigan another star recruit . . . KISS-fm has in fact been only temporarily assigned its distinctive 100MHz wavelength but is likely to have an audience streetwise enough to retune once the frequency changes after 18 months or so . . . A&M’s resolve not to have a separately named dance label has slipped already with the appearance of the clever new A&M/PM logo . . . Def Jam is launching several new labels, including Ruff House, JML, Rush Associated Labels (RAL), and True Blue Records . . . Channel 4 will be screening a new TV dance music series called Dancedaze, starting on September 2 (at 5.30pm), the 10 programmes featuring over 60 UK rap, rave, ragga and soul acts with the emphasis on those who don’t normally get much ‘overground’ exposure (most of the filming is at Brixton’s Academy during the three days of this coming weekend, but there is no word of an audience being needed) . . . BBC Radio 1’s specialist dance and soul output is being squeezed together all on a Friday night in the station’s new schedules, Andy Peebles being due to follow after the ‘Big Beat’ . . . ‘Big Beat’ presenter Jeff Young’s most recent appearance at Jeff Thomas’s heaving Monday in Swansea’s Martha’s Vineyard attracted as usual many pluggers all the way from London, this time A&M’s Bob Masters, WEG(UK)’s Fred Dove, eastwest’s Spencer Baldwin, Cooltempo’s Simon Dunmore and Sleeping Bag Records’ new boy Jamie Tee, plus PAs by Kenny Thomas and Tammy Payne . . . Barry based Alan Coulthard, whose megamix of the ‘Dance Nation 1814’ album’s tracks will couple Janet Jackson’s rocky ‘Black Cat’ here, is now similarly megamixing her old ‘Control’ album too and has also just remixed ‘Tom’s Diner’ with added piano and a different rhythm for imminent release . . . 50 copies of Monie Love’s forthcoming album have been serviced to selected jocks with all its tracks scratched to make them unplayable apart from her brilliant remake of the Motown Spinners’ It’s A Shame’, due as her next single in remixed form but not yet pressed on its own! . . . S*Express appear to be testing the market with successive different promos, the track reviewed two issues ago now being superceded by the tabla blooped and girl wailed vigorous jangling and chugging ‘Nothing To Lose‘ (120bpm) (Rhythm King SEXY 01 TX), still flipped however by ‘Find Time To Be Yourself (Vocal Mix)’ and ‘My Laser (just Won’t Function Anymore)’ . . . Lindy Layton’s commercial 12 inch of ‘Silly Games’ does have the dragging Danny’s Mix as A-side, flipped by the better wah wah accented chunkier Norman’s Mix plus, best of all and the one with which most people will be familiar, a brighter and tighter radio version . . . Steve Anderson’s remixes of Cherrelle’s ‘Affair’ (110¼bpm) turn out to be coupled commercially by his earlier remix of the Alexander O’Neal duetted ‘Saturday Love’ (115¾bpm) (Tabu 656202 6) . . . Tabu in fact is moving from CBS, who now just have the next Alexander O’Neal album to come Jazzie B has been producing Teena Marie . . . LL Cool J’s imminent ‘The Boomin’ System (Cars Drive By)‘ is bassed by En Vogue’s ‘Hold On’ . . . Rob Manley, Paul Witts and vocalist Terri Symon have signed to CBS as a group that was originally to be called Eastern Bloc, but following protests from the well established Manchester record shop of the same name will now be known as Western Block . . . Matt Gray plus Paul Doherty and other guests rave up a Storm audio-visual dance experience this Saturday (11) in two atmospheric areas at Sevenoaks’ Bligh’s Hall, 8pm-1am . . . Deee-Lite PA at Daisy Chain next Tuesday (14) in Brixton’s The Fridge . . . James Brown’s newly reissued classic album ‘Live At The Apollo (October 24, 1962)’ (Polydor 843 479-1) was never really usable by dance DJs but is still worth a close listen as it captures the stage show that originally made him so huge a star, staying high in the US album chart for over a year following its 1963 release — a then previously unheard of feat for such a raw R&B act, helped no doubt by his spreading popularity with the ‘Animal House’-type college crowd . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed this week by James Hamilton and Chad Jackson

MASTER ACE ‘Take A Look Around’ LP: ‘I Got Ta’/‘Letter To The Better’/‘Me And The Biz’/‘Take A Look Around’
DR PHIBES ‘The Story Two’
R-EARTH ‘R-Earth’
SPECIAL ED ‘Come On – Let’s Move It’
SOUL FAMILY SENSATION ‘Don’t Know If I Should Call You Baby’
EARTH PEOPLE ‘Dance’
JUDIE TZUKE ‘God Only Knows (Mix 1/Mix 2)’
PHASE N’ RHYTHM ‘Swollen Pockets’/‘Hook-n-Sling’
A.S.K. ‘Dream’
HARDNOISE ‘Untitled’
VARIOUS ‘Dance Hall Of Shame’ LP
YELLO ‘Unbelievable (Dub Me Mix/Ford’s 12-inch/Ford’s Edit/X-rated Mix/Morales Mix/Techno Mix)’
STETSASONIC  ‘Speaking Of A Girl Named Suzy’
THAT PETROL EMOTION ‘Hey Venus (Mad Thatcher Disease Mix)’

JAM ON THE MUTHA ‘Hotel California (Orb in Cali Mix 1)’ (91¾bpm) (M&G MAGXR 3, via Polydor)
Now remixed by The Orb and on a new label (at an inflexible 45rpm!), the remade Eagles oldie ploddingly jogs through muttering introed authentic enough strained vocals, flipped by an even more fully authentic sounding really pleasant gentler Like Joe Never Left Mix and a muttering introed then effects washed basically rhythmless Orbitally Ambient Mix.

TRICKY DISCO ‘Tricky Disco (Saxy Mix)’ (124bpm) (W.A.R.P./Outer Rhythm WAP 7R)
Fast becoming the biggest bleeper of all, as predicted, this smurfs punctuated electro leaper’s sparse remix now adds just a little bit of Guru Josh-ish spacey saxophone as the title suggests, with an atmospherically introed twittery Inner Space Mix (124¼bpm) flip.

MONIE LOVE ‘Monie In The Middle (The Remixes)’ (Cooltempo COOLXR 210)
Sadly not as big nationally as its club success suggested it should be (presumably because not gimmicky enough), Monie’s fast talker adds ‘Hollywood Swingin”-type brass in Ultimatum’s Brother Take The Hint Mix (117½bpm) and a nice late Sixties funk feel in their Lavender Hill Instrumental (116½bpm), while, as a total alternative, Massivo amazingly add bleeps to their The Orr-Some Remix (114bpm)! Continue reading “August 11, 1990: Jam On The Mutha, Tricky Disco, Monie Love, BBG, N.W.A.”

BEATS AND PIECES

PLASA (the Professional Lighting And Sound Association) mounts the thirteenth annual disco equipment exhibition, Light + Sound Show ’90, at London’s Olympia 2 from Sunday to Wednesday September 9-12, a must as always for jocks and club owners who want to compare the latest gear, admission being £6 on the door unless you pre-register before August 17 by sending a cheque for £3.50 (payable to PLASA Ltd) with full name, address, telephone number and company or other relevant details to Light Sound Show ’90 Registration, Data House, Carriers Close, Tile Hill, Coventry CV4 8AW . . . Joan Armatrading’s old ‘Love And Affection’ has been given a trendily slinky 90bpm revival for release in four weeks, serviced on white label to DJs both by Rush Release, who coyly credit it to Renet, and by Pitstop, who comes clean and credits it correctly to Sinitta (very classy it is, too)! . . . Snap ‘Ooops Up’ is still wrongly being referred to (even in an answer to a Radio 1 quiz last week) as being based on the Gap Band’s ‘Oops Up Side Your Head’, when all that’s common to both are those five words, whereas its actual rhythm track is of course largely like Shirley & Company’s ‘Shame, Shame, Shame’ – incidentally, a little known fact is that the original US title of ‘Oops Up Side Your Head’ began by being the rather less memorable ‘I Don’t Believe You Want To Get Up And Dance’! . . . ‘A Knife And A Fork’ by Think Tank (who turn out to be the craftily disguised Information Society) lifts its hookline, as Norman Cook helpfully points out (and interprets as “A knife and a fork, a bottle and a cork, that’s the way we spell New York”), from Dillinger’s reggae-funk classic, ‘Cocaine In My Brain’ . . . Janet Kay, originator of ‘Silly Games’, sings back-ups on Lindy Layton’s new revival and then takes over from her to sing the actual lead on Beats International’s next single . . . Bobby Konders is coming to the UK specifically to produce reggae type dancehall talent, while KRS-One is among the growing number of Americans who plan to set up a London office . . . eastwest now becomes the even more latest logo to appear on a promotional slipmat! . . . BCM Records have snapped up for UK release the oddly credited featuring: C’hantal ‘The Realm (Love In D Minor Mix)’, hottest up North . . . Lowrell ‘Mellow, Mellow Right On‘ (OG 4183) could prove the most useful of the latest reissues in the Old Gold label’s 12 inch Gold series, which includes double-sided couplings of further oldies by Chic, Sister Sledge, Detroit Spinners, Modern Romance and the Cool Notes, while the label’s 5 Inch 3-Track CD Dance Greats series interestingly makes available on CD single three probably predictable oldies by each of Mtume, Herbie Hancock, Earth Wind & Fire, Aretha Franklin, Ritchie Family, plus several new album compilations . . . Pete Haigh’s street soul, house and hard tunes Bassix! night has been attracting so many people on Tuesdays that it’s added Fridays too at Blackpool’s Just Ji’s — he reckons that both rave and slow beat tunes are going down equally well in the North-West now . . . Robin ‘Lof’ Moorcroft clarifies that independent reports of his retirement were exaggerated: after running the disco there for 15 years he indeed no longer has any ties with Coventry’s Dog & Trumpet, which far from having closed in fact remains the city’s “best dance space” (to use his words}, while his disco still runs instead at Silvers, Park Lane and Tic Toc nightclubs . . . Coventry’s techno, house, freestyle and sometimes hip hop spinning DJ Shock-C, meanwhile, raves it up at Henley Green’s Chalkies on Atmosphere Sundays and Kollision Tuesdays, joined on the latter night by Technofreak and keyboard ace Lunacy, plus he joins Dobbo, Doc Scott and Technofreak on Fridays at Vine Street . . . Soho’s Milk Bar (next to the Astoria) starts a ‘Thursday Night Live’ season this week (August 2) with BBG, followed over the rest of the month by A Man Called Adam, The Farm, the James Taylor Quartet (invitation only), and the Brand New Heavies . . . Nicky Holloway, as well as several mentions here last week, also managed so be name checked by the Pretentious Music Journalist on Steve Wright’s Radio 1 show! . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL

LONNIE GORDON ‘Beyond Your Wildest Dreams’ (100bpm) (Supreme Records SUPET 167)
Rightly earning widespread praise, this “I’ll bring you joy” repeating superb sultrily soulful attractive gently undulating jiggler proves for those who might have forgotten that its writers/producers Stock Aitken Waterman can indeed create a classify sophisticated groove when they want, this one featuring another of Matt Aitken’s jazzy guitar breaks similar to ‘Mandy’s Theme’, with a good Senza Voce (literally, ‘Without Voice’) instrumental as flip. Following the sustained criticism from some quarters of their more facile commercialism maybe this switch to class will restore SAW’s chart fortunes, the former style not in fact having been quite so successful of late?

L.A. MIX ‘Coming Back For More (Full Length Version)’ (101¼bpm) (A&M AMYDJ 579)
The first taste of Les and Emma’s new LP, this cops a lick from Chad Jackson — so to speak! — by starting with an ‘Unwind Yourself/The 900 Number’ inspired but totally different fruity sax riff before lightly soulful Francesco elegantly agonises through a softly jiggling Soul II Soul-ish rhythm with some lovely little melodic twiddles, the fruity sax farting about again in the breaks while there’s a jazzier sweet solo too. Should you inadvertently play the 33⅓rpm promo at 45rpm as the label suggests, you’ll find the Instrumental (12″ Edit For Radio, 7″ Version and A Cappella too) comes out a just slightly too frantic 136½bpm!

THE RAGGA TWINS ‘Ragga Trip’ (101bpm) (Shut Up And Dance Records SUAD 5)
North London veteran sound system DJs/MCs, brothers Demon Rocker and Flinty Badman have instantly exploded with this Shut Up And Dance produced jiggly throbbing combination of frantic hoarse raggamuffin rapping and acidically twittering synth, with its Inst. (102¾bpm) too, flipped by the Prince-type “dearly beloved” introed/interspersed bleeping and rumbling ‘Hooligan 69‘ (126½bpm) plus a disjointed backwards tape fluttered and rock guitar droned, decelerating ‘Paro 69‘ loose variation. Continue reading “August 4, 1990: Lonnie Gordon, L.A. Mix, The Ragga Twins, House Of Venus, Keith Sweat”

BEATS AND PIECES

MECCA DJs will be compiling their own dance floor chart for use by Pete Waterman on his TV and radio shows, which promises to be an accurate reflection of their particular customers’ taste but — if the individual DJ’s charts featured by him on ‘The Hit Man And Her’ are any guide — is likely to be behind rather than ahead of even the pop chart . . . Partners In Kryme ‘Turtle Power (Single Edit)‘ (SBK 12 TURTLE 1), a gruffly rolling rap (105¼bpm) with an already ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ hyped up pre-teen market, wasn’t promoed to clubs but may cross over to them following its instant pop success . . . Prince contributes the song ‘If I Luv U Tonight‘ to Mica Paris’s next album, co-produced by Curtis Mantronik and featuring guest appearances by Rakim, Bobby Womack, Chaka Khan, and Nile Rodgers too . . . Nicky Holloway provided the groovy sounds for Madonna’s private disco party in London last week, where the champagne flowed without limit . . . Barry, South Wales, based Alan Coulthard has just completed a Janet Jackson megamix out of the tracks from her ‘Rhythm Nation 1814’ album, for creatively marketed release shortly . . . Graham Gold, giving up the compilation of the continuously segued DiscEyes video tapes to take up his key role at London’s KISS-fm, is however being retained by Diamond Time to sequence in smooth running order a new monthly Club Clips service of the 20 best current club music videos (subscription details on 071-433 3355) . . . Mike ‘Hitman’ Wilson featuring Shawn Christopher’s excellent already previewed ‘Another Sleepless Night’ turns out to be due on Arista (613 506) . . . Model 500 ‘Ocean To Ocean (Juan’s Magic Mix)’ is promoed on a single sided pressing which perhaps jokingly labels the totally blank flip as containing two tracks called ‘Sublime Ambient’ and ‘Silence’! . . . Trinidadian David Rudder’s Margareth Menezes supported ‘Dark Secret’ (from the motion picture ‘Wild Orchid’) not surprisingly was promoed to DJs in the joyfully fluid X-Rated RnB Mix reviewed last week, really the remix, instead of its ponderously lurching and chanting original version (also 119½bpm), which however is differently flipped by two much better Charlies Roots supported soca tracks, ‘One More Officer’ (110½bpm) and ‘Basement Party’ (99bpm) . . . Ice Cube’s album ‘AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted’, recently reviewed in full on import, is now out here (4th + B’way BRLP 551) — while Public Enemy’s older ‘Fear Of A Black Planet’ album has been repressed in the US as a special promo-only and ultra collectable “Limited Edition Rapp Control DJ 3-Album Set”, giving extra oomph to its many tracks as they are now spread more spaciously across three “Terminator X DJ Performance Discs” . . . Mystic Knights, whose ‘The Wrath Of Khan’ is finally out commercially, are Sheffield based Greg ‘Starburst’ Robinson and Lee ‘Mr Sheen’ Ho-Shing . . . James ‘DJ’ Sammon, jocking at Bradford’s Capricorn Club Fri/Saturdays, has his own ‘Transformer Dream’ single due on Greedy Beat Records . . . Danny Rampling, Fabio, Groove Rider, Nicky Holloway, Terry Farley and Nancy Noise with The Beloved live on stage are all at The Black & White Summer Ball this Saturday (28) at Brixton’s Academy (£12.50 ticket hotline on 081-392 2922), where black or white must be worn . . . Jeff Thomas, back funkin’ Swansea’s Martha’s Vineyard on Mondays, is joined once again by Jeff Young next week (July 30) — when Lisa Loud, Nicky Holloway (yet another name check!) and Leary Lynn start a Loud ‘N’ Leary night at Soho’s Milk Bar (next to the Astoria) . . . Lee James Ramsden, dance music editor of local paper The Visitor, spins mainly soul and funk on Mondays at Morecambe’s Mermaid fun pub . . . DJ Madhatter and guest jock Justin Robertson break the musical rules on no dress restriction Blush Wednesdays at Standish’s Mirage near Wigan . . . DJ Jumpin’ Jim (no sillier a name than Guru Josh!) does techno/acid/house/rap Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sundays at Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Cats Disco Bar (pub hours) . . . Jason Bushby is not only jocking now at Stockton’s Bianco’s but also running JAZ Promotions, and looking (on 0542-473208) for dance acts to work in the Cleveland area . . . 3 Stripe Productions/ffrr is the latest logo to appear on a promotional slipmat . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by Matt Black and Jonathan More of Coldcut, and James Hamilton

THINK TANK ‘A Knife And Fork’
PLEZ ‘Can’t Stop (Acid Rain Forest DMR Zone Mix)’/‘Miss Thing’
BDP ‘Love’s Gonna Get ‘Cha’
XPANSIONS ‘Elevation’
BOGUS ORDER ‘Zen Brakes (EP)’: ‘Granny Zen’/‘Zen In Africa’/‘Zen Bones’/‘One More Summer Of Zen’
BOOTSY’S RUBBER BAND ‘Disciples Of Funk’/‘Jungle Bass’
SHADES OF RHYTHM ‘Frequency (LP)’: ‘The Exorcist’/‘Carry The Swing’/‘Sweet Sensation’/‘Jackin’ Jamboree’/‘One Black One White One Brown’
THE JAZ ‘The Originators’/‘Doped Up’
VELVET TOUCH ‘Sunday Morning (Sat Nite Bass Mix/Bells Mix)’
REVELATION ‘Synth It’
THE YOUNG AND RECKLESS ‘If You Gave Me A Chance’

ELAINE HUDSON featuring Sydney Youngblood ‘No More The Fool (12″ Mix)’ (93bpm) (RCA PT 43440)
Not in fact due commercially until August 13, this Love Unlimited Orchestra ‘Love’s Theme’-like strings introed then Soul II Soul-ishly jiggled superb soaringly wailed jogging swayer is also in different teasingly introed Timmy Thomas-ishly underpinned Ambient Mix and fractionally slower funky drummered abrupt 7″ Mix (92¾bpm) versions, while on promo it has been twin-packed with — for eventual separate release — the ELAINE HUDSON with B.S.O.G. credited vigorously churning Betty Boo-type rapped/sung and samples studded ‘Bow Wow Wow‘ (119¾bpm) plus the similarly breezy hip house ‘Wam Bam‘ (116¾bpm), and B.S.O.G. alone’s Vivaldi meets Beats International-type funky drummer and rococo strings combining ‘Cooler Moments Of Vivaldi‘ (101bpm).

LOOSE ENDS ‘Don’t Be A Fool (Extended Version)’ (98½bpm) (10 Records TENX 312)
Produced by the group’s Carl McIntosh, this eagerly awaited (due fully on August 13) return to vinyl sidesteps neatly from their old SOS Band influence to the now inevitably appropriate Soul II Soul style of drily rumbling wriggly groove for a Jane cooed repetitive chunky jiggler, which may not be the strongest actual song ever but should fill funkier dance floors, flipped by its more jazzily flavoured Instrumental (98¾bpm) plus the little smurfs punctuated snappily chugging sparse instrumental ‘Let’s Wax A Fatty‘ (120½bpm), whatever that means!

G.T.O. ‘Pure’ (125bpm) (Cooltempo COOLX 218)
Finally out here after already hitting hard on the same Dutch label that gave us D-Shake, and obviously now a crossover smash of similar stature, this possibly more Bizz Nizz like bounding instrumental galloper has whistles and other enthusiastic rave effects increasing the simple excitement of its Pure Energy main treatment, or a gentler Arabic flavoured Journey Mix and short slow ambient Beautiful Mix (47/94bpm). Continue reading “July 28, 1990: Elaine Hudson/Sydney Youngblood, Loose Ends, G.T.O., Ben Liebrand/Nasty Chat, S*Express”

BEATS AND PIECES

IN CASE you’re wondering why nobody in the UK dance music business has been answering their telephone lately, just about everyone is in New York at the New Music Seminar! (I however have taken the more sensible option, and been to Devon!) . . . A&M’s pressing of the ‘Oh Susanna’ version of ‘Tom’s Diner’ is revealingly credited to D.N.A. featuring Suzanne Vega — yes, it seems that its remixers were the same team responsible for the Rondo Venezziano adapting supposedly Italian ‘La Serenissima’, which thus obviously also came from no further afield than Bristol! . . . Stepz meanwhile has really been out in Italy supplying a guest rap for the next Black Box single — do you bet it comes two-thirds of the way through? . . . ‘Easy Life’ is being lifted from the Cabaret Voltaire EP as their next single . . . Glen Goldsmith’s current A-side will soon be relegated to the flip of a brand new duet by him with MC Hammer . . . Gary Mayo, Paul Lyons and Maxi Million are split between two rooms with apparently slammin’ sound systems at Cardiff’s Tom-Tom Club and urgently need guest PAs on 0222-342234 . . . Cheltenham’s The Prom Club now has Upfront ’90 Tuesday nights (10pm-2am) with Paul Anthony playing nothing but hot newies . . . Doyado is every other Saturday (including this week’s, July 21) at Woodys in Westbourne Green’s Woodfield Road, off the Harrow Road, with DJs Femi, Shake & Fingerpop, Lacelles, Eddie Piller and Mannaseh spinning funk, rap, jazz and reggae . . . Digger Elias’s swingbeat, purple and hip hop Bounced night has indeed bounced successfully from Wednesdays at Mayfair’s Legends to Fridays at Soho’s W1 Club, and now also as of this week to Saturdays in Moscow at 62 Frith Street (where board games seem to be played too) . . . Coventry’s Dog & Trumpet having closed as a leading dance venue, Robin ‘Lof’ Moorcroft has retired from its DJ team leaving Toby Davis and Paul T now playing their upfront eclectic toons at Browns . . . Paul French at last has a telephone in his new home on which to receive offers of another upfront gig to follow his six years at Gillingham’s The Avenue, the number being 0634-50894 . . . Herb Alpert’s ‘Rise’, not ‘Rotation’, is the beat I meant in last week’s Lalah Hathaway review (I got my R’s mixed up!) . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by Graeme Park and James Hamilton

DEEE-LITE ‘Groove Is In The Heart’/’What Is Love?’
BOCCA JUNIORS ‘Raise (63 Steps To Heaven) (Redskin Rock/Philly House Mixes)’
SUBSONIC TWO ‘We Go Subsonic’
BODY ‘Touch Me Up’
CISCO FERREIRA ‘Why Don’t You Answer?’/‘The Feel’/‘Cisco’s Groove’
DEE HOLLOWAY ‘I Won’t Surrender’
SEX AND PASSION ‘One More Time’
TOO KOOL CHRIS ‘Gotta Make Some Noise (Bad Boy Mix)’

THE PASADENAS ‘Reeling’ (96bpm) (CBS PASA T5)
Apparently combining the three mixes that were split between two promos, the commercial pressing of this pleasantly plaintive jogging soul swayer therefore presumably has David Morales’ lushly harmonised (with an exciting guttural outburst) Daytime Dance Mix, Joe Dworniak’s sparsely rumbling and tapping DW Mix, and the previously separate juddering jittery Bruce Forest Mix.

JOY SALINAS ‘Stay Tonight’

MAUREEN WALSH ‘Thinking Of You (Rough & Ragged Mix)’ (96-96¼bpm) (Urban URBXR 55)
The Sister Sledge revival given a sax introed mushily pleasant more reggae-ish Steve Travell remix, still with rapping Kev Won’s raggamuffin outburst, which is also in the flip’s jolting tougher JB grunt and repetitive smurf punctuated different Ren Swan mixed Rough & Ragged Dub (96¼bpm) but not the A-side echoing attractive Dubwise Without Rap (96-96¼bpm).

BBG ‘Some Kind Of Heaven’
NAYOBE ‘I Love The Way You Love Me’
THE DOC ‘Portrait Of A Masterpiece (CJ’s Ed-did-it Mix)’
BANG THE PARTY ‘Release It ‘90’
RYDIMS ‘Rydim #1 (Mello Mix/Deep And Nice Mix)’/‘Rydim #2’/‘18 & Under’
JULIAN JONAH ‘It’s A Jungle Out There’
BIG HARD EXCELLENT FISH ‘Imperfect List’
MODEL 500 ‘Ocean To Ocean (Juan’s Magic Mix)’
KAOS ‘Gonna Get Over U (Komix Smooth Club Mix)’
ART SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ‘A.S.T.’/‘Esus Flow’
SCRAM ‘I Believe’
THE IT ‘On Top Of The World’ LP Sampler: ‘Brazilian Love Dance’/‘Rain Forest Serenade’/‘When Will We Learn’/‘Never Let You Down’/‘State Of The World’
FIERCE RULING DIVA ‘Whipped Kream (Aural Excitement Mix)’
STEPPFORD WIVES ‘2,000 Light Years From Home’
MOODSWINGS ‘Spiritual High’

ORIGINAL CLIQUE ‘Ten To Midnight E.P.’ (Chill TUV 1, via 0582 493380)
Not from Sheffield, not from Leeds, but from Luton — and it out bleeps the lot of ’em! — this electro instrumental four tracker has the bubbly bounding ‘Come To Papa’ (123½bpm) which apart from some muttered title line repetition consists of nothing but bleeps, the effects and samples washed sturdily cantering ‘Mayhem‘ (120bpm), the hustling and blipping electronically percussive ‘U = Underground‘ (121 bpm), plus the percolating ‘Xamax‘ (119¾bpm) which briefly loses the beat near the start in a confusion of cross rhythms, but it’s not bad considering they were apparently recorded in something akin to a coal hole!

JAM ON THE MUTHA ‘Hotel California’ (91¾bpm) (W.A.U! Mr. Modo Recordings MWS 027T)
Taking a while to surface since my original warning and in fact still not out fully until August 6, this revived Eagles’ FM rock oldie gets a ponderously jiggling Promised Land type rhythm backing on a 33⅓rpm 12 inch in its vocal Ibiza 90 Mix, but which perhaps more interestingly in its similar though vocal-less Instru-Mental Mix when played at 45rpm (as I did at first by mistake!) comes out in a perfectly credible and undistorted percussively scrubbing Italo house style (123½bpm) that to my mind is a lot brighter, there being an unrelated short basic thumping instrumental ‘Jam’ (110¾bpm) too. Continue reading “July 21, 1990: The Pasadenas, Maureen Walsh, Original Clique, Jam On The Mutha, Wildski”