James Hamilton's Disco Page

BEATS & PIECES

RADIO STATIONS have pruned their playlists and oldies to ensure that no records that might cause distress during the Gulf War are played: oldies you won’t be hearing include Adamski’s ‘Killer’ (even though the song’s title isn’t mentioned in the record), and Edwin Starr’s ‘War’ and Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘Two Tribes (Go To War)’. Meanwhile, The KLF’s ‘3am Eternal’ has been requested by radio stations as an edit without its gunfire intro, and A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘Can I Kick It?’ is being avoided in its Boilerhouse Mix because of the normally innocuous “This is the sound of an invasion, a musical invasion of America” intro (as for Iron Maiden’s ‘Bring Your Daughter…To The Slaughter’, forget it!) . . .  Bomb The Bass might not be the best name to have just now, as a consequence . . .  LA Mix’s upcoming album (out early February) has a dynamite adaptation of the Whispers’ ‘It’s A Love Thing’, the D. Marcus C. rapped ‘Love Thang‘, which A&M in the States have freaked over and which will be a sure fire crossover hit when out here — the trouble is, we look like getting instead the pleasant enough Leslie George and Juliet Roberts duetted lovey dovey radio ballad ‘We Shouldn’t Hold Hands In The Dark‘ as the immediate follow-up to ‘Mysteries Of Love’, a much greater gamble for the chart and hardly the guaranteed dancefloor smash that the rap would be . . . Sheyla Aslan moved this week from Tam Tam Records to replace the now radio plugging Bob Masters as dance promotions manager at A&M, but DJs need not reapply as she has taken her mailing list with her . . .  Belfast’s largest stockist of imports, white labels and dance material in general, The Gramophone Shop now re-opens after closing to the public every Tuesday evening between 6-8.30pm as a membership card controlled preview club for DJs and vinyl junkies, with the birdman Mark ‘Mk1’ Smyth and Dave spinning all the latest newies nice and loud — record companies interested in supplying upfront promos can contact them on 0232 321172 for details . . . Mark Archer’s previously mentioned percussionist father plays live bongos on Nexus 21’s just completed new ‘Nexus‘ and ‘No Statues‘, while ‘Why’, another techno bleeper completed by them in Stafford last week, is a collaboration with Jay Denham from Fade To Black — incidentally, despite all the tongue in cheek hype about ‘Techno City UK’, Mark’s C&M Connection partner Chris Peat advises that nothing much actually happens in Stafford (no, surely?), so don’t all flock there expecting too much! . . .  Gracie Fields’ real surname was Stansfield, but apparently she was no relation of Rochdale’s other more recently famous lassie from Lancashire, Lisa . . .  Love Inc. is the collective name for several of the separate signings to Dave Dorrell’s own Love Records, their ‘Love Is The Message‘ (EVOLX 1, via Polydor, out this week) featuring rapper MC Noise and vocalists Sylvia Mason James and Roman, an Italo-type frenetic jitterer created by Phil (United Funk Industries) Mills & Bruce Smith and remixed by — their first ever outside commission — Black Box’s Daniele ‘DJ Lelewel’ Davoli, Mirko Limoni & Valerio Semptici (hence the Italo sound!), in wheezy dry synth chords scrubbed Love Love Love and possibly preferable less cluttered fluttery synth driven Philadelphia Mixes (121½bpm), plus a piano backed thumping short Baby Love Mix (121¾bpm) . . . Kenny Thomas’s ‘Outstanding’ was produced by Adrenalin M.O.D. member Richie Fermié and DJ Glen Gunner, and remixed by DJ/Cooltempo dance music supremo Simon Dunmore, details missing from the white label promos previously seen . . . Frank “K” featuring Wiston Office’s ‘Everybody Let’s Somebody Love’ turns out here to be A-sided by its Chic ‘I Want Your Love’ strings swirled To Michael Mix, with the Club and Frank “K” Mixes as flip (all fractionally closer to 120bpm than before), but minus the import’s Bonus Conga break beat . . . Dee Dee Brave’s ‘My My Lover’ (US Movin’ Records MR010) was produced by the elsewhere Teulé assisting Kerri ‘Kaoz 6.23’ Chandler, a cooing and wailing stridently pitched girl’s title repeating but otherwise largely lyricless brisk garage strider in his episodically surging Kaoz Again Mix and more tightly bounding Original Mix (120¼bpm), or much better on the B-side (120bpm) in Glen ‘Paradise’ Pickney’s pipes tootled then sturdily whomping Just Like Paradise (with less of the title and more Madonna-ish muttering) and David Camacho’s vigorous 1986 style house instrumental Camacho Pumping Mix . . . Shep Pettibone has remixed ‘Rescue Me‘ as Madonna’s next single . . . VoiDOid this Wednesday (Jan 23) at the Octagon in Bangor, North Wales, start going weekly with their previously less regular Chaos rave (a name they’ve been using since before it became so clichéd — but, they say, it doesn’t matter much in Bangor, where flares are just catching on from the last time they were in!) . . . ‘Country Boy’ Lloyd and the band Visualize make their live debut also this Wednesday at London’s City University students’ union rave . . . Kid Smurf kicks off a Hive night next Monday (Jan 28) at London’s Borderline, due then to be the last Monday of each month, with himself and his sister Niki Da Silva (no relation to Jon!) spinning garage, soul and rap . . . Dave Wheeler and Charlie plus weekly guest jocks run a free admission house/soul Liquid Lunch every Saturday afternoon 1-5pm in Richmond’s Caines pub, on Lower Richmond Road (A316) . . . Jason Black has taken over from Craig Williams as resident jock at Flicks Nightclub in Brechin, near Montrose, Tayside . . . BBC2-tv on Mondays during its 6.30pm ‘Def II’ slot is now showing the US sitcom in which Monie Love is apparently due to become a cast member, ‘The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air’, sort of ‘The Cosby Show’ (or, more particularly, its spinoff ‘A Different World’) meets ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ (and isn’t that a good one, too?) starring DJ Jazzy Jeff’s partner Will ‘The Fresh Prince’ Smith as a Philadelphia rapper staying with his very upwardly mobile and respectable aunt and uncle’s family where the rich folks live in Los Angeles. Benny Medina, vice president of dance music at US Warner Bros Records, co-conceived and co-produces the series, while ‘Fame’ TV star Debbie Allen directed at least the first episode . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by DJ Streets Ahead and James Hamilton

TECHNOMANIA FEATURING EMMA HAYWOODE ‘(You’re Puttin’) A Rush On Me (Embrace The Bass Mix)’
THE BEATMASTERS FEATURING ELAINE VASSELL ‘Dunno What It Is (About You)’
CAUSE ‘N’ EFFECT ‘Hype’ / ‘That’s What It Is’
KING SUN ‘Be Black’
RICHARD ROGERS ‘Spread A Little Love’ / ‘R R Beats’
CUTTY RANKS ‘The Stopper (Main Attraction Remix)’
CHAPTER & THE VERSE ‘Black Whip’ / ‘Travelling Man’ (Part 1/Part 2)
BOMB THE BASS ‘Love So True’ / ‘Understand This’ / ‘You See Me In 3-D’

2 IN A ROOM ‘Wiggle It’ (SBK 12SBK 19)
A big US pop crossover since it was first on import back in August, selling fast now it’s finally out here, this George Morel produced jauntily bounding hip house galloper has a particularly catchy chantalong rap (originally credited to a guy called Dose Material although Rafael Vargas and Rog Nice are the names who currently front it), leaping here through just its original pressing’s short Club Edit (122¾bpm), instrumental Dub Mix (122½bpm), and a newer long episodic Def Wiggle Mix (123bpm) with a bleeping acid finale. Radio likes it, so it could be huge.

DESKEE ‘Kid Get Hyped’ (123bpm) (Big One VVBIG 27, via Rough Trade)
Excitingly produced by WestBam, this frantically leaping jaunty Euro hip house rap has the catchy (if inane!) refrain, “jump, stomp, kid get hyped, it’s just that type”, in hollow bass whomped chugging Vocal, Raydio, bubblier percolating Raw and Dub Mixes, instantly huge on promo and sure to explode now that it’s out, this week.

THE SOURCE featuring CANDI STATON ‘You Got The Love’ (Truelove TLOVE 1 DJ, via React)
Due by now with Olimax’s as yet unheard new Morning Time Mix on the commercial pressing, this previously bootlegged and much ballyhooed ‘Love/Rock’ combination of Candi’s 1986 vocal over Jamie Principle’s ‘Your Love’ has been initially promoed on a D.J. L.T.D. white label, coupling (on the B side if you examine the etched matrix number) the original plinky plunking Eren’s Bootleg Mix (114¾-115½bpm) with a new “12 o’clock precisely” speaking clock introed more ponderously thumping Jolly James Remix (112bpm). Continue reading “January 26, 1991: 2 In A Room, Deskee, The Source/Candi Staton, Lindy Layton, 808 State”

BEATS & PIECES

Soul II Soul’s mainman, Jazzie B, has founded a new Funki Dred Records label in conjunction with Motown, who have exclusive rights to its product in North America and Europe while Jazzie B retains rights for Japan and Australasia . . . DJs Jazzy M and Jasper VJ, owners of London’s New Kings Road Vinyl Zone record shop, in addition to their Oh’Zone Records electro house logo are launching a new label called Delphinius Delphis (the Latin for dolphin), especially for danceable “real music” – using “real” instruments – like soul, salsa, Philly, funk and jazz . . . ‘Delphis’ for some reason looks like becoming a trendy word, as an act called the Impossibles release a single of that name next month, too . . . CBS, as previously warned, since January 1 no longer exists as a name, the overall record company operation having become Sony Music Entertainment Limited UK, the words Sony Music replacing CBS in all its former applications apart from the actual CBS label, which now as in the US is called Columbia, while the dance music department is called just The Dance Division . . . Gee Street, still continuing in management and music publishing, have shut down their previously successful dance label following distribution problems and shrinkage of its market share last year . . . Manchester’s police have given The Hacienda club an additional six months reprieve, until July, in which to prove further its claim to have stamped out drug abuse on its premises and thus avoid the revocation of its licence . . . 2 In A Room’s jaunty hip house ‘Wiggle It’, reviewed on import five months ago before it became a US pop hit, is due here on SBK this week, while D-Shake’s ‘My Heart, The Beat’ is out next week . . . Monie Love’s next single, in March, will be her album’s Adeva duetted adaptation of Anita Ward’s ‘Ring My Bell’ . . . Deskee’s album, out here at the end of the month, unlike its import version will feature the full 12 inch mixes of all his past singles, produced by WestBam, Dave Dorrell & CJ Mackintosh, and Longsy D . . . Dave Lee & Mark Ryder’s complete UK revamp of Simphonia’s ‘Can’t Get Over Your Love’, only available on RePublic Records’ ‘Rewind’ album of remixes (reviewed w/e December 1), has become so hot in New York that it’s soon to be 12-inched there on Easy Street . . . The Scientist has been to Russia to appear on a TV show reputedly seen by more than 150,000,000 people, and has been invited back for more TV in February and a 40 date tour of the USSR in June/July! . . . Kevin Scott, once of Bournemouth’s Kevin’s House fame, has returned to the Dorset coast and teamed up with Martyn The Hat, Derren Lee, Kenny from the Blackburn Ravers plus various other jocks and live acts to run a rave every Saturday in Weymouth’s Maximes, where a three day ‘The Bleepmouth 91 Weekender No 1’ (culminating in a Sunday night homeward bound party at Bournemouth’s Valentino’s) over February 22/23/24 is scheduled to feature the likes of LFO, Rhythmatic, Nightmares On Wax and more – details of the £25 weekender tickets, £65 including two nights’ accommodation and Bournemouth return coaches, from Kicking Back Leisure Ltd on 0202 298350 . . . Gt. Yarmouth’s Rosies becomes Cell Block H every Saturday with convict DJs Richie, Richard, Curt Johnston, Mike Bolton and more, including fortnightly top guest jocks like Colin Faver, Carl Cox, Trevor Fung, Fabio and Groove Rider . . . Capital FM, in the face of increased radio competition within the London area from such as Kiss 100 fm, Jazz FM, Melody FM, Choice FM, Spectrum and other even more local new incremental stations, nevertheless has declared record audience figures for the last six months – which must mean that the arrival of these newcomers, and all the attendant publicity, has boosted radio listenership in general . . . Pete Tong, having replaced Jeff Young in BBC Radio 1’s Friday 7.30-10pm dance music slot, has himself been replaced on Capital FM by Tim Smith from Tyneside’s Metro Radio FM, who as well as taking over the Saturday 5-8pm dance show from this week, will also be behind Friday night’s ‘The Beat Goes On’, 10pm-midnight . . . Channel 4’s documentary last Tuesday about the making in 1948 of the classic Ealing comedy ‘Whisky Galore!’ merely mentioned in passing the translated title, ‘Whisky a Go Go!’, under which the film became so popular in France that during the Fifties a great many French nightclubs and then early discotheques were named after it, this name becoming a cliché that spread along with the disco fashion from France in the Sixties first to Britain (London’s Whisky a Go-Go was, for over 20 years, a Continental disco where The Wag is now situated) and then the US, the result being that “go-go” became equated with “disco” for a while, especially in the States, bringing about the expression “go-go dancing” . . . Washington DC’s go go music, rather later, was also of course named after the same source, not that any go go acts I met there realised it – they all seemed to think the name originated directly from the Miracles’ 1966 hit, ‘Going To A Go-Go’! . . . Angelo Badalamenti’s moody music remains the best thing about ‘Twin Peaks’, making his soundtrack album (Warner Bros 7599-26316-1), with useful cast list photos on the sleeve, essential home and in-car listening . . . DAMN FINE!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by Graeme Park and James Hamilton
[the first page of Graeme Park’s reviews is missing]

STATUS ‘Down’
BASS CULTURE ‘Facts Of Life’
THE STEP ‘Yeah You’
TUFF LITTLE UNIT ‘Join The Future’ / ‘Masterplan’
PRAISE ‘Only You’
DECLARATION ‘Declaration’
THE CREATIONS FEATURING DEBBIE SHARP ‘Pay The Price’

NOMAD featuring MC Mikee Freedom & Sharon Dee Clarke ‘(I Wanna Give You) Devotion (The Remixes)’ (Rumour Records RUMAZ 25, via Pinnacle)
Released in November – when I said it screamed out “smash hit!” every time I heard it, something I still believe – but then almost immediately deleted temporarily to prevent it from being buried by the pre-Christmas crush, this Damon (nomaD) Rochefort produced terrifically catchy sax honked hip house bouncer, tongue twistingly ragga rapped by a young Bristol MC over Sharon’s deadly catchy repetition of the old Ten City title line, is again separately available in the superior original mix described above (RUMAT 25) (116bpm), which did not need improvement but has had to be remixed four different ways for renewed marketing purposes, in a piano chorded and Sharon sung striding jazzy Soul Mix (119½bpm), Paul ‘Trouble’ Anderson’s rave sirens overdubbed and rap updated Trouble’s Club Mix (115¾bpm), flipped by Dave Lee’s percussively clacking cooled out The Joey Negro Mix (116½bpm) and sparsely thrumming The Rock Shock Mix (117bpm).

FRANK “K” featuring WISTON OFFICE ‘Everybody Let’s Somebody Love’ (119¾bpm) (Urban URBX 66, via PolyGram)
Out here this week in the same format as promoed on import, the already huge pop-aimed breezy Italian hip house rap (by Parma based DJ Francesco Pini, featuring MC Killiam, Sharon Blythe and Roberto Fontolan as the oddly named ‘Wiston Office’) is in piano jangled Club, swirling Chic ‘I Want Your Love’ strings spliced To Michael and more gently cantering Frank “K” Mixes, with a sparsely tapping Bonus Conga (120bpm) beat too, while out next week is Danny Rampling’s more immediately if only briefly Chic-ish (Nile Rodgers & Bernard Edwards get co-composer credit) then repetitively throbbing less vocal Pure Sexy Remix (119bpm) (Urban URBXR 66) and its jiggly clomping chantalong Pure Dub.

TEULÉ ‘Drink On Me (Club Version)’ (124½bpm) (Profile PROFT 321, via Pinnacle)
Pronounced “Tay-U-Lay”, mournfully moaning fellahs Teulé Brown and Kerri Chandler’s attractive James Bratton piano vamped smooth bubbly bounder has some oddly appealing vocal harmony discords, with one-sided chat-up lines giving way to a bleepy break two thirds through this A-sided version, or a different bleepily chugging After The Rave Mix, lisping fully vocal Radio Version, and fractionally faster brightly percussive Original Version (125bpm). Continue reading “January 19, 1991: Nomad/MC Mikee Freedom/Sharon Dee Clarke, Frank “K”/Wiston Office, Teulé, Quartz/Dina Carroll, Tara Kemp”

BEATS & PIECES

THE MAIN EVENT is the new North Wales weekender that completely replaces LiveWire’s already discontinued Prestatyn series, now only seven weeks away on March 1/2/3 (instead of over Easter as before), with a change of location a further 70 or so miles through scenic Snowdonia to Pwllheli’s far superior Starcoast World where the funfair rides, boomerang roller coaster and sub-tropical Water World are all included in the £55, £60 or £65 ticket cost (according to different accommodation grades, booking details on 081-364 1212), four separately themed music venues each having their own live concerts (acts yet to be confirmed), PAs, and DJ teams, with Frankie Knuckles, David Morales, Pete Tong, Paul Oakenfold, Graeme Park, Dave Dorrell, Nicky Holloway, Dean Thatcher, Orde Mickle, Stuart McMillan and Marvin Connor jocking in the Red Zone, Chris Hill, Bob Jones, Bob Masters, Simon Dunmore, Chris Brown and Gary Dennis in The Soul Mine, Tim Westwood, Soul II Soul DJs, Martin Collins, Madhatter Trevor, CJ Mackintosh, Stu Allan, Froggy, Ian Reading, Jeff Thomas, Eddie Gordon, Kev Hill and Chris Forbes in The Fun House, and Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge, Sylvester, Norman Jay, Kevin Beadle, Brother Marco, Tin Tin and Craig & Marcus in the talkin Loud Jazz Club . . . Allied Breweries are promoting their Hobec bier by sponsoring a Hobec Hot Wax recording competition and club tour (during which entrants’ tapes will be played for preliminary judging), the competition being open to over-18s not already signed to a record company — the prize is a contract with RCA — who should submit their own fully original dance music creations (on non-returnable tapes labelled with name and address) no later than February 15 to Brooks Senior, 142-144 New Cavendish Street, London W1M 7FG, the tour starting at Saltcoats’s Metropolis this Saturday (Jan 12), then visiting Newcastle upon Tyne’s Walkers (Friday, Jan 18), Manchester’s Man Alive (Wednesday, Jan 23), Sheffield’s The Palais (Wednesday, Jan 30), Nottingham’s Venus (Tuesday, Feb 5), Birmingham’s Coast To Coast (Friday, Feb 15), with the final at London’s Subterania (Friday, Feb 22), where judges should include the likes of Norman Jay, Derek B, Dave Dorrell and Barrie K. Sharpe . . . Subterania DJ Danny Gee (Griffiths) calls himself G Double E on ‘Fire When Ready‘ (129½bpm), ragga rapped frantic funky hip house flipped by the moodier deep house ‘Why Does It Hurt‘ (122½bpm) and Deee-Lite influenced thundering breakbeat ‘Gee Theme‘ (127½bpm), out commercially in a fortnight (Jumpin’ & Pumpin’ 12TOT 10, via Pinnacle Recuts) . . . Bologna based but Guadeloupe born Jean Claude ‘MC’ Killiam, Rimini based but London born Sharon Blythe and Turin based native Italian Roberto Fontolan make up the oddly named Wiston Office, who accompany Parma based Italian club DJ Francesco Pini as Frank “K” featuring Wiston Office on the hot ‘Everybody Let’s Somebody Love‘, already reviewed (and promoed here) as an Italian Unknown pressing ahead of UK release next week on Urban (URBX 66) . . . Izit’s again ‘Stories’-like old fashioned daintily but funkily half-steppin’ ‘Make Way For The Originals‘ (96½bpm), with a mellower instrumental ‘Make Way For The Solos‘ (95¼bpm) flip, was warm before Christmas on Pig & Trumpet Records (PT 002) but apparently is due on Optimism Records . . . Ralph Tresvant’s self-titled album, recently reviewed on import, is now out here (MCA Records MCG 6120), and his ‘Sensitivity‘ import single is due too . . . CJ Mackintosh’s Extended Club Mix (98bpm) of Three Times Dope (3xD)’s ‘Mr Sandman’ (CityBeat CBE 1258), out next week, is introed and interspersed by a snatch of the Four Aces’ 1954 version of the Chordettes’ similar vintage ‘Mr Sandman’ smash, not heard though in his other three remixes . . . D-Shake’s droning industrial raver ‘My Heart, The Beat‘ (122¾bpm) — not quite as remorselessly brutal as ‘Yaaaaaaaaaahl — is flipped (both at 123bpm) by its 7″ Edit and a much lighter jerkily bounding house-type ‘Dance The Night Away‘ variation (Cooltempo COOLX 228) . . . Adonte’s languid rollingly lurching ‘Feel It’ (RePublic Records LICT 041) is in soulful Carlotta wailed K.M.A.P.H. Mix and husky Akeef rapped Jazz-Dub Stylee versions (105¾bpm), coupled by the funkily drummed wrigglier ‘Good Times (Obzokey Mix)’ (118½bpm) . . . Pitstop has moved with his DJ mailing list from London to Manchester, where his address is now Pitstop Promotions, c/o Jellystreet, Grosvenor House, 94-96 Grosvenor Street, All Saints, Manchester M1 7HL (telephone 061-273 6522/6592) . . . DJ Tat, following up some successful Bassment Beats underground nights, presents dec-a-dan-ce (dress how ya like, but no visible Y-fronts!) every second Wednesday (this week, January 9, included) in Chesterfield’s La Mont Martre nightclub, with a cross section of old and new house, hip hop, ragga and soul to get away from the continuous bleep sessions that apparently pass for entertainment elsewhere in his area . . . Andrew ‘Madhatter’ Holmes has ‘bleep free’ non-stop garage and classic Eighties dance Keep The Fire Burning Mondays at Manchester’s Precinct 13, where he’s joined by hip hop DJs Kwartz for Intimate Connection Fridays and First Priority Sound for Wild Pitch Saturdays . . . DJs Phil C, CJ, Jazz T, Prone and Bucks launch the rap, swing and ragga Intelligence — motto ‘Intelligent Music, Intelligent DJs, Intelligent People’ — this Friday at Farnborough Recreation Centre (off the A325, two roundabouts south of Farnborough Station, on Meudon Road then right on Westmead) . . . Alyson Williams meanwhile appears this Friday (11) at Brixton’s The Fridge . . . DAMN RIGHT!

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HOT VINYL

KENNY THOMAS ‘Outstanding (The More Beef Mix)’ (102¾bpm) (Cooltempo COOLXR 215)
An ‘I Found Lovin”-like enduring ‘sleeper’ for first its originators the Gap Band during the early Eighties and more recently (since way back last June) London-based Kenny, neither act’s versions ever having made much pop chart impact despite their repeatedly proven dancefloor popularity, this naggingly grooving groin grinder still can’t quite rival the Gaps’ original for sheer power but is now much improved by this appropriately beefier bassily jogging remix, flipped by an also new, acappella and bass introed, sparsely jiggling Bust A Cone Mix (105½bpm).

C&C MUSIC FACTORY (featuring Freedom Williams) ‘Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) (Cole 1991 Hip House Club Mix)’ (122bpm) (CBS 656454 5)
Now making the pace in the sales race, this less Snap-like much thinned out and sometimes siren punctuated remix has an odd booming heartbeat outro, flipped by jiggly stark episodic The 1991 House Dub/Music Beats (122bpm) and punchily leaping The 1991 Radio Remix (121½bpm) versions, also new to Britain.

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST ‘Can I Kick It? (Extended Boilerhouse Mix)’ (96½bpm) (Jive JIVE T 265)
Already reviewed as a single sided promo, the Boilerhouse boys’ Ed Rudy commentary (about The Beatles’ first US visit) introed remix of this ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ bassed lethargically rolling muttered rap is now slightly faster and out commercially coupled by the import’s LP Version (96¼bpm) and totally different Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band ‘Fried Okra’ backed Phase 5 Mix (101bpm), plus the Afrika Baby Bam guesting slinky jazz organ backed wordily drawled ‘If The Papes Come (Remix)‘ (95¼bpm) — except now also there is yet another, strictly limited, single sided promo containing a real “do-re-mi-x”, a ‘The Sound Of Music’ dialogue interspersed ‘Can I Kick It? (The Von Trapp Mix)‘ (96½bpm) (Jive QUEST 1), very clever and witty, and not likely to be on commercial release! Continue reading “January 12, 1991: Kenny Thomas, C&C Music Factory, A Tribe Called Quest, v.i.m., Mariah Carey”

BEATS & PIECES

DISCO MIX CLUB has agreed to pay the PPL (Phonographic Performance Limited) a dubbing licence royalty of 17½ per cent, as demanded, on the full retail price of everything the club’s members purchase through their subscriptions, including not only the club’s megamixes (its original reason for existence) but also its magazines, a backdated amount to cover the latter being payable in instalments over the next few years (magazine-only sales, and promotions like the DJ Mixing Championships, are not involved) . . . Jive Bunny’s current ‘The Crazy Conga Mix’, incidentally, uses many of the same oldies and in the same order as a classic Disco Mix Club megamix, the Les Adams created ‘Laugh It Off’ from around five years ago (when it was set to the schlurping “pshta pshta” rhythm of the oddly spelt Harleqiun Fours’s ‘Set It Off’) . . . Phonogram Records have appointed Paul Martin as the new overall head of dance, co-ordinating all promotion of dance product on labels like Mercury, fontana, talkin’ Loud and Global Village, while Wendy K (recently at Sleeping Bag Records) has become the actual club promotions manager and is updating the DJ mailing list (especially for upfront, indie and soul playing jocks outside London) on 081-741 1212, extension 5476 . . . Mariah Carey’s ‘Someday’ appears to be out here too now (CBS 656583 6), although in how many of the import’s Shep Pettibone mixes (110bpm) is unclear . . . DJ’s Rule ‘Serious EP Vol-1’ (Canadian Hi-Bias Records HB-001), the four-tracker created by Nick Anthony Fiorucci (of former Bigshot Records fame) and Michael Ova on their Hamilton, Ontario, based new logo — which announces itself as “The DJ’s Label” — features the repetitive girls chanted jauntily skipping ‘Get Into The Music‘ (122bpm), jumpy Detroit techno style ‘That’s It‘ (122bpm), “you make my body hot” repeating girl moaned though passion lacking ‘Makes Me Feel Sexy‘ (120bpm), and ambient rippling water introed/outroed cantering ‘In Deep‘ (122bpm) . . . Mimmo Mix’s ‘My Way‘ (118bpm), the girl wailed and piano plonked cantering cheeky Italian rewrite of Phase II’s ‘Reachin”, has been creating quite a stir — but will any label dare to pick it up here? . . . Sweet Exorcist’s ‘Clonk‘ had a belated sudden sales surge just before Christmas, following the temporary hiatus caused while its Sheffield based W.A.R.P. label ended a fruitful association with Rhythm King’s logo Outer Rhythm and signed instead now to Pinnacle for independent distribution . . . Birmingham’s Network label has been given the rights to an exclusive Nugroove compilation of underground New York tracks, due soon along with a Retro-Techno series of remixed Detroit classics and other techno rarities . . . Stafford’s last claim to pop chart fame may have been the Climax Blues Band, back in 1976, but during an earlier even more primitive technological era in Techno City UK, as it is now fast becoming known, bleeping Nexus 21 member Mark Archer’s percussionist father played bongos and sang with the Bob Gough Sound! . . . Norman Wisdom isn’t Pete Waterman’s dad by any chance, they look awfully alike? . . . Nexus 21’s next release, by the way, will be called ‘Two Men, A Drum Machine & A Cornet’ — that’s cornet as in soft ice cream cone, Mr Whippy style! . . . DJ EZJ mixes up bleeps, house, hip hop, pop and lots of indie on freaky Dancin’ Fridays at Madchester’s 42nd Street . . . James Brown once sang (more or less, with one word changed to suit the season!), “It’s a brand new year so let a man come in and do the Funky Popcorn” . . . DAMN RIGHT!

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Funny what little gems you discover when rummaging through Record Mirror’s long and illustrious history. Take this corker of a pic of DMC’s boss Tony Prince in his lesser known role as editor of the Osmonds magazine and ‘big cheese’ in the Osmonds fan club, caught here scouring Record Mirror for useful titbits. Judging by the similarity of their haircuts, Tony was obviously a big fan of Donnie himself. Those were the days eh? — Donnie, David Bowie and Nazareth all in the magazine at the same time. And just to show there’s no malice involved here, Record Mirror would like to sincerely congratulate DMC for extricating themselves from their dispute with PPL and wish them a prosperous year ahead. Coming soon: more embarrassing pics of DJs from our photo library.

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton and Paul Gotel

ICE CUBE ‘Kill At Will’ (US Priority Records EVL7230)
AmeriKKKa’s most wanted, the angry N.W.A. rapper’s latest instantly big selling solo album is only a six (‘n’ a bit) tracker this time (so presumably a mini-LP?), with the “Los Angeles, gang capital of the nation” documentary quote introed, violently churning Chuck D guesting ‘Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside) (Remix)’ (108bpm), similarly churning ‘The Product‘ (110½bpm), street confrontation introed then sampled breaks weaving ‘Jackin’ For Beats‘ (104¼bpm), languidly but chillingly narrated ‘Dead Homiez‘ (84¼bpm), jolting romantic ‘Get Off My Dick And Tell Yo Bitch To Come Here (Remix)‘ (97¼bpm), and respects due namechecking ‘I Gotta Say What Up!!!‘ (88¼bpm). Radio jocks will need to be good tape reversing splicers before they can air any of it, as usual!

2ND AVENEW ‘It’s The New’ (US Alleviated Records ML-2211)
Yet another exceptionally classy Larry Heard creation, this gruffly drawling rap duo’s cooing Kriss Coleman supported friskily leaping but gentle joyous jazzy skipper is in vocal Club Mix and Short Versions (120bpm), and Mr Fingers’ breezily keyboarded Dub (120¼bpm), deserving to be big by now. Don’t miss it!

RISING HIGH COLLECTIVE ‘Magic Roundabout’ (128bpm) (Tam Tam Records TTT 038)
The Hippie from A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dredd goes it alone to produce this slow organ and ragga comments punctuated but mainly “come on” shouts exhorted, frantic thrumming and bleeping low frequency oscillated bounder, selling fast just before Christmas, flipped by the similarly tempoed but different drums throbbed bassily booming ‘Guess Who’s Back Jack‘ (125bpm), punctuated by some title answering “Jack The Ripper” stutters. Continue reading “January 5, 1991: Ice Cube, 2nd Avenew, Rising High Collective, Eve Gallagher, Trilogy, 1990 Year End Chart”

BEATS & PIECES

CAPITAL FM in London as usual on New Year’s Eve (10pm-2am) will be broadcasting a continuously megamixed ‘Capital Houseparty’ tape, created once again by Les ‘LA. Mix’ Adams and Record Mirror‘s own James ‘MC Jammy Hammy’ Hamilton, the crucial party period immediately following midnight (which many DJs relay live) being a promised “Jive Bunny-free zone” (nothing wrong with them, there are just better alternatives this year!), featuring instead Mad Jocks ‘Auld Lang Syne’, Bombalurina ‘ltsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’, Mad Jocks ‘Jock Party Mix’, John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John ‘The Grease Megamix’, Blues Brothers ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’, Status Quo ‘The Anniversary Waltz (Parts 1 & 2)’, Jackie Wilson ‘Reet Petite’, Bobby Vinton ‘Blue Velvet’, Righteous Brothers ‘Unchained Melody’ and ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling’, before easing back into a groove via DNA featuring Suzanne Vega . . .

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / (Part 4 missing) / Part 5 / Part 6

London’s Kiss 100 fm, who 24 hours earlier (December 30, 11pm-1am) will have run down the best selling dance records of 1990, is launching an in-store The Westside Basement radio station at Piccadilly Circus’s Trocadero, manned 10am-8pm seven days a week by Tee Harris and a rota of the main station’s DJs . . . Greg Edwards has left Manchester’s Sunset Radio to take over in a couple of weeks as programme controller at North London’s incremental station WNK 103.3fm . . . Chep Nunez, the Dominican from 2 Puerto Ricans A Blackman & A Dominican of 1987’s ‘Do It Properly’ fame, better known now as one of New York’s top remix tape editors, died two weekends ago in an apartment block fire, reportedly started out of malice by someone who had been evicted from the building Chep happened to be in . . . CBS will be called Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited as of January 1, 1991, when its dance department (covering all associated labels, like CBS, Epic, Def Jam, Ruthless, OBR, Solar, ral) becomes the CBS Dance Division, rather like AVL at Virgin . . . ffrr, responding to continued shop demand, have re-serviced the Steve Anderson Remix of Fatman featuring Stella Mae’s ‘Release Me’ (118bpm) (Cue Records FXR 140), the calmly rapped and wailed soulful hip house-ish jiggler that was first out during the summer, following its original Judge Jules & Roy The Roach mixes from back in the spring . . . Soho’s ‘Hippychick‘, recently huge in the US, is being reissued here in the new year . . . Jomanda’s ‘Share’, fully reviewed on import some time ago, appears now to be out here on the new Giant Records (YZ547T, via Warner Music UK) . . . Alexander O’Neal’s plaintively growled pleasant loping ‘All True Man‘ (circa 107bpm off cassette), flipped by the mumbling tender ‘Hang On‘ (76/38bpm ditto), is being released on Christmas Eve! . . . Paul Rutherford And Pressure Zone’s scatting Tammy Payne supported lovely breathily crooned jogging jazz-funky ‘That Moon‘ (Beat Farm Recordings BFR 001T, via 071-386 8934) is in Club, Radio, and Jazz Instrumental Mixes (101bpm), plus a different jerkily jolting dubwise ‘Swingin’ On (That Moon)‘ (101¼bpm), recorded at the group’s own Beat Farm studios in Soho . . . A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dredd’s frantic hip house ‘Freedom‘ (Tam Tam Records TIT 039), out this week, was white labelled in four unspecified mixes, 126½bpm including the instrumental flip’s techno alternative but not its second, funk riffs punctuated vigorously thrashing breakbeat treatment (some of the “free” repetition sounds like an edited “freeze” from Boney M’s ‘Ma Baker’!) . . . Mariah Carey’s Whitneyesque ‘Someday’ (US Columbia 44 73560), not perhaps the strongest of songs, is however remixed by Shep Pettibone in piano plonked striding New 12″ House, wriggling jiggly New 12″ Jackswing, early Eighties style New 7″ Straight, and (percapella!) self descriptive Pianoapercaloopapella versions (110bpm), coupled also by the smoochy ‘Alone In Love’ (69bpm) . . . The 28th St. Crew have joined fellow Clivilles & Cole created act C&C Music Factory on CBS too . . . Don White is building a DJ mailing list at Contagious Records, The Village Recorders, 4 The Midas Business Centre, Wantz Road, Dagenham, Essex RM10 8PS, first to be plugged being new act State Of The Rhythm . . . Andy Lysandrou (0831-277 376) and Danny Poli (0831-390 120) are building a DJ mailing list for their new Boogie Beat Records dance label, and want to hear especially from radio jocks . . . London’s Shaftesbury’s in Shaftesbury Avenue starts a weekly Colours night this Wednesday (19) with DJs Risky Business, Lenny Grooves, Kid Andy plus regular future guests DJ Spiker, Underground Technician, Hi Frequency, 2 Times, possibly Fabio and more . . . Nemesis 90 this Saturday (22), noon to midnight, at Leicester’s Granby Halls Leisure Centre promises Cyclone, 4 Hero, Ital Rockers, Juno and mix champ DJ Reckless live on stage, plus Fabio, The Grooverider, Carl Cox, DJ SS, Doc Scott, Keith Suckling, DJ Sy, MJP and more (£12.50 ticket details on 0533-627475) . . . Fabio will also be at Brighton’s Zap Club next Sunday (30), with Harvey, DJ Lix and Anton Yule for the first of a monthly in2dance night, following the Colin Hudd headlined one-off there just three nights earlier (Thursday 27) . . . DJs Ian Dark and Nick Warren spin 98 Proof funky soul grooves at Bristol’s Moon Club this (December 20) and alternate Thursdays . . . Mélange Sundays at Soho’s Gullivers in Gaston Street have upfront and ozone friendly dance DJs Steve Solo, KCC, Chris Bass and L.T.J. Bukem, this Sunday (23) with special guest jock from Detroit, Richie ‘Rich’ Hawtin . . . Belfast’s One World DJs Keith, Alan, David & Paul, hosting House/Euro/Balearic Sha-Boom! Fridays at Delaney’s in Lombard Street, are also at Belfast Art College on Boxing Day (Wednesday 26) . . . William Orbit’s sporadic new Ouch! club night will on New Year’s Eve be holding an outdoor beach party — at Hardrin, all the way in trendy Thailand (guest passes, but sadly no free airline tickets, on the Ouch! vibeline, 081-960 5236, quoting ref: “Ouch! Ouch! Aargh!”)! . . . The Big Bang on New Year’s Eve, 9pm-6am, is slightly nearer home, in Holland (at Breda’s Turfschip, £25 ticket details on 071-221 9943, likewise find your own way), with PAs by Fierce Ruling Diva, Liaison D, LFO and Xpansions among the many attractions, including — you guessed? — DJs Fabio and The Grooverider . . . The Video Pool (170a Holland Park Avenue, London W11 4UH; ‘phone 071-602 5935, fax 071-602 4338) is now selling Karaoke programmes in VHS format for just £57.50, instantly useable on any video/TV link-up without the need to rent or buy one of the rival very expensive (though faster cueing) laser disc systems, each hour long video tape containing 15 professionally produced tracks (preceded by a countdown clock for cueing) with “bouncing ball”-type progressively colourized lyrics and a guide vocal which can be controlled by the DJ: the starter programme combines classic and current material including ‘Blue Velvet’, `Unchained Melody’, ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’, ‘I’ll Never Fall In Love Again’, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, ‘When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going)’, ‘Groove Is In The Heart’, ‘U Can’t Touch This’, ‘Tom’s Diner’, ‘I Should Be So Lucky’ and ‘Birthday’, while programme two in the rapidly expanding series includes ‘Let’s Twist Again’, ‘It’s My Party’, ‘Hot Legs’, ‘Happy Talk’, ‘Nutbush City Limits’, ‘Fattie Bum Bum’, ‘The Smurf Song’, ‘I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down’, ‘Isn’t She Lovely’ and ‘Bad’ — wheee, what fun! . . . DJs doing Christmas parties might find the following Beats Per Minute of use: Righteous Brothers ‘Unchained Melody’ (66bpm)/’You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling’ (92½-97½bpm); Bobby Vinton ‘Blue Velvet’ (80¼bpm); Elton John ‘Sacrifice’ (55½bpm); Jimmy Somerville ‘To Love Somebody’ (76¾bpm)/Boilerhouse Remix (86½bpm); Rod Stewart & Tina Turner ‘It Takes Two’ (141¼bpm)/Extended Remix (127¾bpm); Belinda Carlisle ‘(We Want) The Same Thing (Extended Summer Remix)’ (131bpm)/’Summer Rain (Full Length/Justin Strauss Mixes)’ (128½bpm); E.M.F. ‘Unbelievable (Cin City Sex/7″ Mixes)’ (103¾bpm); The Proclaimers ‘King Of The Road’ (117-124bpm); Bombalurina featuring Timmy Mallett ‘Seven Little Girls (Sitting In The Back Seat) (12″ Remix/7″ Version)’ (132¾bpm); Pet Shop Boys ‘Being Boring (Extended Mix)’ (119¾bpm)/’So Hard (The KLF versus Pet Shop Boys)’ (118¾bpm); U2 ‘Night & Day (Twilight/Steel String Remixes)’ (118bpm); The Metal Gurus ‘Merry Xmas Everybody’ (137½-140½bpm) . . . KOOL YULE, Y’ALL!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton and Chris Mellor

TPE (THAT PETROL EMOTION) ‘Tingle’ (Hard Bop Instrumental/Christmas In Kreuzberg Mix)
E CULTURE ‘Tribal Confusion’ / ‘Unification’
TONY RANSOM ‘In The Name Of Love’ (Club Mix/Hip Hop Mix)
TKEYLOW AND THE CRIMINAL ELEMENT ORCHESTRA ‘Could It Be I’m Falling In Love’ (House Version/Jah Love Mix)
DJS RULE ‘Serious EP Vol 1’ (‘Get Into The Music’ / ‘In Deep’ / ‘That’s It’ / ‘Makes Me Feel Sexy’)
ADMINISTRATORS ‘I’m In The Mood For Love’
DJ H FEATURING STEFY ‘Think About…’
MIMMO MIX ‘My Way’
DEUTSCHE ENGLISCHE FREUNDSCHAFT ‘The Works’ (‘Autobahn’)
MECHANIX ENTERPRISE ‘Let’s Get Down’ (Black Mother Mix/Power Mix)
DR UMBARDI ‘One Day We’ll All Be Free’

THE KLF ‘3 A.M. Eternal’ (KLF Communications KLF 005X)
Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty’s oldie from last year, like ‘What Time Is Love’ before it, has been completely revamped for January 7 reissue, now featuring rapper Ricardo and mournful title wailing Maxine Harvey in the new disjointedly introed then jiggly dense, droning, spurting and chugging Live At The S.S.L. (117¼bpm), with a sustained applause outro, and much brighter breezily striding Guns Of Mu Mu (120½bpm) remakes, the latter with a fuller vocal by Maxine and continuous “Ancients Of Mu Mu” chant, while a sort of firebell effect that rings through both mixes is more evident too.

MAD JOCKS featuring JOCKMASTER B.A. ‘Jock Party Mix’ (SMP SKMX 21, via Pinnacle)
Inarguably the 1990 festive season’s most useful party megamix, produced by Nigel Wright with on both sides the same tempo and “ah yeah” type clichés that he used also for Bombalurina’s ‘Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’, this progressively accelerating medley of ‘The Conga’ (125¼)/’Knees Up Mother Brown’ (133)/’The Hokey Cokey’ (140-167bpm) has a 16 bar break between songs so that DJs can give voiced-over instructions to their dancers, while the flip’s Big Ben midnight chimes started (through a “wooh yeah” breakbeat) then bagpipes played ‘Auld Lang Syne‘ (126½bpm) is so good chat Les Adams and I have used it instead of a traditional version for Capital FM’s Houseparty on New Year’s Eve. It’ll date faster than ‘The Grease Megamix’, but for this year it’s essential!

ARTHUR MILES ‘Helping Hand (Incisive Remix)’ (106bpm) (ffrr FX 148)
Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery’s nephew, now domiciled in Italy, has deservedly caused an instant stir with this Pippo Landro produced superb mid-Seventies style tensely building jittery attractive swayer, mushily mumbled, throatily rasped and powerfully roared in nostalgic “soul” style, the gospel type chantalong chorus breaking into applause at the end, while on the flip is a slow Sam Cooke-ish then gloriously cantering cover version of A Way Of Life’s ‘Trippin’ On Your Love (Club Remix)‘ (119¾bpm). Will Downing, eat your heart out!

PSYCHOTROPIC ‘Hypnosis’ (118¼bpm) (O2 Records O2 002, via 081-690 7505)
An instantly massive seller, this catchily repeated organ-type synth chords underpinned percolating plinky bleeper shifts its emphasis from time to time as it builds an hypnotically nagging groove, flipped by the title squawking girl and air raid sirens punctuated more routinely techno ‘Get Your Thing Together‘ (122bpm), and “Bobby Lynett and his orchestra” announcement repeating more frenetically churning ‘Bobby Lynett‘ (123¾bpm). Continue reading “December 22, 1990: The KLF, Mad Jocks/Jockmaster B.A., Arthur Miles, Psychotropic, A Tribe Called Quest”

BEATS & PIECES

REVIEWED THREE weeks ago as ‘Love Odyssey’ by Where — and since charted variously as ‘Where’ by Love Odyssey and ‘Love Odyssey’ by Icehouse! — the above uninformatively labelled mystery track turns out to be the Rockhouse Love Odyssey Mix of Maureen’s now properly promoed ‘Where Has All The Love Gone’ (122¾-122½bpm), out on Urban at the very end of the year, which merely adds attractive nasal wailing to become the A-side’s main vocal Rockhouse Mecca Mix . . . Graeme Park’s much speeded up (and how, from its original 89bpm!) although still unhurried steadily clonking 110bpm Twilight Mix of Less Stress (featuring Katherine Wood)’s ‘Don’t Dream Its Over’ (Boy’s Own Productions BOIXR 4) has been so much in demand that it has apparently been bootlegged before ffrr could get their official pressing out . . . PKA ‘Let Me Hear You (Say Yeah) (Bass Bins At Dawn Mix)‘ (119¾bpm), reviewed off white label last week, is now out properly on Stress (SST 1) — which more “hardcore” logo is paired with the pop aimed fbi as the Disco Mix Club’s two new commercial outlets — flipped by the cheekily titled ‘Blipsync‘ (129¾bpm), a silly little bleep adaptation of (geddit?) Lipps, Inc.’s ‘Funkytown’! . . . M.C. Hammer’s unremixed much more ‘When Doves Cry’-like Radio Edit (121¼bpm) is flipped on seven inch by a Junior Vasquez & Shep Pettibone remixed wrigglier Jam The Hammer Mix (119¾bpm) that isn’t on the UK 12 inch, making the smaller format to my mind the better buy . . . York based Thomas Taylor’s “musician friendly” Lendaneer Music label, to be launched in January, optimistically promises that it will be a major chart force and proposes to charge a £40 registration fee (“to cut out the time wasters”) for its DJ mailing list, reckoning on servicing records and videos by brand new acts every week — send a stamped self-addressed envelope for details to Graham Cambridge at Lendaneer Music, 48 Linton Street, York YO2 4SA . . . Rushden based Full Effect Promotions, recently mentioned as building a DJ mailing list, have no connection with the London based business of the same name (new address PO Box 1823, London W10 4NA; ‘phone 081-969 1814, fax 081-9684184), already well established having done dance promotion for the likes of RePublic Records, WARP/Outer Rhythm and Bassic . . . Nomad featuring Sharon Dee Clarke give you devotion at Brixton’s The Fridge this Saturday (15) . . . Botany 5 should be PA-ing at a Space allniter on Boxing Day (December 26) in Glasgow’s The Champion Club (Oswald Street), with top local DJs Toni Scott, Stewart & Orde, Haul, Lars and Richard . . . Colin Hudd, Markie Mark, DJ Lix and Anton Yule bug out with live percussion, singers, dancers and visuals at an in2dance special in Brighton’s Zap Club on Thursday, December 27 . . . DJs Dick Tracy and Gordon meanwhile host Grooveyard Fridays at Brighton’s Escape Club . . . Leland did it, if you believe in dreams . . . DAMN’ FINE!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton and Paul Gotel

HEAVY SHIFT ‘Come Alive (Reanimating Remix)’
THE TYRREL CORPORATION ‘6 O’Clock’ (Philadelphia Mix/Anthem Mix)
BAD GROOVE ‘Bad Groove’
RHYTHM DOCTOR ‘Phuture’ / ‘Mister’
BEVERLEE ‘Set Me Free’ (The Tribe Mix/Rollin Rap)
MARIAH CAREY ‘Someday’ (New House Mix)
BOULEVARD MOSSE ‘U Can’t Escape The Hypeness’
RHYTHM FACTORY ‘Gotta Have Your Own Style’
EVOLUTION ‘Came Outa Nowhere’
PAUL RUTHERFORD WITH PRESSURE ZONE ‘That Moon’ (Club Mix)
RED NINJA (white label)
A HOMEBOY, A HIPPIE AND A FUNKI DREDD ‘Freedom’ (mixes)
U2 ‘Night And Day’ (Twilight Remix/Steely String Mix)
GAIL ‘N’ JAMES ‘I Don’t Care’

OFF-SHORE ‘I Can’t Take The Power’ (CBS 656570 6)
Created by top German club jocks Jens ‘Jelly’ Lissat & Peter Harder, this simple friskily pounding piano plonked Italo house-meets-Snap type instrumental thumper (hinting at, without actually quoting, the female title line from ‘The Power’) is finally out here in Riva (123¼bpm), Aronow and Dub (123¾bpm) Mixes, having been around for ages as a bootleg — possibly several times over, certainly one illegal version being coupled by “Action” AJ’s ‘The Action’ (see below).

SUBJECT: 13 ‘Eternity’ (Vinyl Solution STORM 23, via SRD)
Penned by David ‘D-Boy’ Stewart with production help from Secret Desire’s Danny O’Shea plus J. Saul Kane, this jittery exciting rave instrumental whips bleeps, low frequencies and flying funky drumbeats into frantically phased and scrubbed Spiritual Club (125¾-125½bpm), Spiritual Dub (125¼bpm), and rapping Breakdown (125½-125¼bpm) Mixes, yet another sizzling stormer from the label.

THE GREASE MEGAMIX featuring JOHN TRAVOLTA & OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN ‘You’re The One That I Want (125-214¼)/Greased Lightning (159¼)/Summer Nights’ (125-46½bpm) (Polydor/PWL Records PZ 114)
Brilliantly blended by Phil Harding & Ian Curnow, this exceptionally smooth segue of the biggest hits from the movie ‘Grease’ is a must for mobiles, and all sorts of other jocks at this time of year! Continue reading “December 15, 1990: Off-Shore, Subject: 13, The Grease Megamix, Doug Lazy, Frank “K”/Wiston Office”

BEATS & PIECES

4 HERO, despite already having the biggest selling house hit, hope also to see off a sudden rash of rival cash-ins by totally revamping their own ‘Mr. Kirk’s Nightmare’ as an alternative bassier drum fluttered ‘Kirk’s Back‘ remix, now with less emphatic integration of the actual “Mr Kirk” dialogue (the source of which they’re keeping secret!), this remix like the original being debuted as a Kiss 100 fm exclusive on Steve ‘Jacko’ Jackson’s house show . . . Roots # Soul’s untitled canterer on the flip of ‘Mr Kirk vs The Real Bassline’, reviewed last week, is 124½bpm — the lack of a title to put the Beats Per Minute figure behind made me forget it! . . . Graeme Park is now revealed as having created Black Box’s ‘The Total Mix’ (reviewed last week, out this), and Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley the flip’s ‘I Don’t Know Anybody Else’ US remix . . . Francois Kevorkian’s smash-bound bleeping and striding ‘Situation ’90‘ remix (118½bpm) of 1982’s Alison Moyet wailed classic Yazoo ‘Situation’ (Mute YAZ 4) — with a video that just consists of a psychedelic lightshow! — has his old 1982 US Remix (118½bpm) too plus Youth’s alternative new fluttery tumbling The Aggressive Attitude Mix (119¼bpm), and Paul DaKeyne’s synth burbled ‘State Farm (Play-Doh Dub)‘ (119½bpm) . . . Chris Peat & Mark Archer, Stafford’s C&M Connection, follow their recent success as Altern 8 by reverting to their best known Nexus 21 identity for the 33⅓rpm ‘Progressive Logic EP’ (Network NWKT 15), hottest for a bassily thrummed Mr Whippy Remix (126¼bpm) of their kinda ice cream van chimed ‘Self Hypnosis’ proto bleeper — its more breezily bleeping original (124¾bpm), from a ‘biorhythm’ compilation album, was only ever 12-inched as a much sought after promo (Network 810 DJ1) flipped by their Paris Grey ‘Don’t Lead Me (2001 Version)‘ remix (121¾bpm) — the new four track EP also having the girl cooed Rhythim Is Rhythim ‘Wiggin’ sampling jerky washing machine style ‘Real Love (Obsession)‘ (125¼bpm), twittery scampering ‘Together‘ (125bpm), and piano jangled then jittery bleeping ‘Techno Symphony‘ (122bpm) . . . Eternal has promoed The Basement Boys present Ultra Naté ‘Scandal‘ (119½bpm), a jaunty garage skipper that has already built a buzz in New York from club play by Tony Humphries but is not due commercially here until January 28, when it will make up just one “underground” side of her next single, flipped however until then by its instrumental Hump Mix plus the steadily decelerating old Piano Mix of ‘It’s Over Now’ (118¼-116bpm) . . . A&M has signed up Jam & Lewis’s label Flyte Tyme and all its acts, plus possibly the Tabu logo too in the future, but excluding Cherrelle and Alexander O’Neal for the time being . . . South London rapper Einstein has been recruited to join Technotronic, along with new girl Melissa, both replacing the now solo MC Eric and temporarily pregnant Ya Kid K . . . POP Promotions are flogging off (for only a fiver, full details on 081-968 8459) a few original US pressings of 1986’s Farley ‘Jackmaster’ Funk mixed The Source featuring Candi Staton ‘You Got The Love‘, original inspiration behind Paul Simpson’s ‘Musical Freedom’, ahead of full legal release (with remixes) in the new year of the marriage between its a cappella version and Frankie Knuckles’ Your Love’ that was previously white labelled as “Truelove” . . . Graham Gold is following The Video Pool’s lead by also listing the Beats Per Minute (calculated likewise off the finished video) on his monthly ‘Club Clips’ video compilations, which have always been sequenced in BPM running order anyway, the latest just completed edition being particularly up to date, he claims — subscription details for bona fide disco operators from Diamond Time on 071-433 3355 . . . Brian Mason is looking for an enthusiastic female DJ to warm up for him Fri/Saturdays at Cricklewood’s Ashtons (low pay but useful experience) — contact Mike Byrne at the venue on 081-452 1415 . . . Jeff Young’s very last live DJ-ing gig (unless something else crops up before Christmas, he says!) looks like having been his guest spot last Monday at Swansea’s Martha’s Vineyard, a night to remember after 18 years of jocking — from now on, he’ll be getting some sleep the better to concentrate on his “proper job” at A&M! — while the day after his very last BBC Radio 1 show on December 28 he’s off to India for a tiger hunt (only shooting film!) . . . Tim Westwood, in addition to his long established Saturday evening 8-10pm rap show on London’s Capital FM, earlier on Saturday morning (really, Friday night) from midnight to 4am also hosts what he reckons is an even more kickin’ four hour rap and ragga jam with live guests and scratch mixing, in the studio with him this week being Shabba Ranks and Nigel Benn . . . Adelaide, Australia, club DJ Jim Hadzantonis is desperate (on 010-61-8 298 4182) to trace Princess for an interview on his Radio 5MMM soul show — if anyone knows her, or brother Don Heslop, please put them in touch . . . Dave Haslam, following his dramatic resignation from the Hacienda in October after four and a half years, has started his own Freedom Saturdays at Manchester’s Boardwalk, presenting eclectic upfront music with positively no “summer of love” nostalgia . . . Kamikazee One 85 maybe should cover ‘Death Of The Kamikazeel . . . Laura Palmer’s murderer is finally revealed only during a dream, thus leaving it open for a further series of ‘Twin Peaks’ . . . DAMN’ FINE!

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HOT VINYL

MADONNA ‘Justify My Love (Remix)’ (99½bpm) (Sire/Warner Bros W9000T)
With an intro on 12-inch that’s definitely not for airplay (naughty girl, just like at Wembley!), William Orbit’s remix, probably the first here of several, is a mumbling, groaning and panting steamy judderer that’s very different from the Lenny Kravitz created original less slinkily jogging 7″ Edit, joined on the flip by Shep Pettibone’s twittery lurching ‘Express Yourself (Shep’s ‘spressin’ Himself Re-Remix)‘ (115½bpm).

CEYBIL ‘Love So Special’ (Atlantic A7779T)
By a nasally wailing lady pronounced “Say-bill” (although her real name is Sybil Jeffries), this “spec-special” repeating guy and piping organ chords prodded terrific madly jaunty little R&B jumper is finally out here — after being promoed for the last two months just in Tony Humphries’ Original Underground Club Mix (121½bpm), which now surprisingly is only available on seven inch as B-side to the Remix Edit! — on 12 inch in Tony’s Extended Remix and instrumental Funky Bass Mix (119¾bpm), and Original Underground Club Dub (120¾bpm) versions. It should be a smash, but, at this time of year, who knows?

P.K.A. ‘Let Me Hear You (Say Yeah)’ (120bpm) (PKA 1)
Massive in Manchester already as a single-sided white label, this ambient synth introed then jaunty bleeps jittered chugging and surging electro skipper has bursts of title line call and answer, “right here right now” repeating girls, jangling piano, throbbing bass and even some rock guitar, and is sure to be huge when fully released soon on Stress Records (with an unheard flip called ‘Blipsync‘). Continue reading “December 8, 1990: Madonna, Ceybil, P.K.A., C&C Music Factory/Freedom Williams, C.F.M. Band”

BEATS & PIECES

THIS COLUMN was the first to reveal back in October 1988, after I’d met him in Hamburg, that the rapping on ‘Girl You Know It’s True’ was actually by Charles Edward Shaw (from Houston, Texas, although based since 1978 in Mannheim, Germany), who is currently being named as one of the anonymous real vocalists behind Milli Vanilli now that their producer Frank Farian finally has confessed what has been suspected for the last two years, that prettily dreadlocked Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan. despite fronting the group with their fancy dance steps, never in fact sang a single note on any of their recordings — Farian reportedly said he was forced to disclose the deception when the duo insisted on singing their next single . . . Nomad featuring MC Mikee Freedom’s terrifically infectious ‘(I Wanna Give You) Devotion‘ has been deleted already after only two weeks of full release, but is scheduled for early January reissue in additional new mixes, Rumour Records reckoning that — despite rave reaction for the original — it was getting buried by the seasonal build-up of big name, disco megamix, and gimmick hits (new promos should be due before Christmas) . . . Double Dee featuring Dany’s ultra catchily galloping ‘Found Love’, now it’s out here (Epic 656376 6), is in its US released vigorously thumping Caipirina and slow starting more soulful MoZ-Art Remixes (123¾bpm), friskily leaping percussive International Mix (125bpm), plus the original Italian pressing’s retitled sparsely thundering Found Dub (124¼bpm) . . . Champion owner Mel Medalie obviously read the message to A&R men etched in the actual vinyl of D-Zone Records’ pressing, because he has snapped up and already rushed out Bassix’s ‘Close Encounters‘ (CHAMP 12-270), as before in Club, Bassix and Dub Mixes (now all 124¼bpm) . . . Massonix’s recently reviewed ‘Just A Little Bit More‘, now it’s out commercially (Noise Records NNR 512, via Rough Trade), is in speeded up more beefily remixed Denise Johnson Vocal (95½bpm) and Radio (93½bpm) Mixes, plus its original Electro Instrumental Mix (93¼bpm), coupled (without any Barrington Stewart) by the wukka-wukked jaggedly jangling instrumental ‘R.O.2.R.’ (121bpm) . . . Less Stress’s ‘Don’t Dream It’s Over’ seems naggingly familiar because of course it was originally a hit by Crowded House . . . Steve Wolfe has taken over club promotion at A&M, as well as dance music A&R there, now that Bob Masters just handles radio promotion . . . Maria Whittaker has been signed by Slamm Records (one of Urban/Polydor’s new dance labels), which may be why she was checkin’ the scene at the Prestatyn weekender! . . . Teddy Riley, apparently now no longer partnered by Gene Griffin, is starting his own The Future label . . . Network/Kool Kat owner Neil Rushton has opened a recording studio and office complex on Hudson Street in New York, base also of the new Hudson Street Productions who have already signed Pandella, Keia Weiss, and the cleverly named 2-NYC (“too nice”) . . . Lenny D, currently in London for a couple of weeks, during which he’ll be jocking at (amongst others) Soho’s Brain this Friday (Nov 30) and Colchester’s The Institute this Saturday (Dec 1), is open for remixing offers at Orinoco Mix on 071-232 0008 . . . Nexus 21 in turn tour the US during January, playing in New York, Detroit, Chicago. Dallas and Los Angeles . . . Capital FM presenter Mick Brown reports that as Mick & Pat’s ‘Use It Up And Wear It Out’ is currently at number four on a Boston radio station, it could become a US hit . . . Starpoint (Weekend) Radio this weekend celebrates its fifth birthday before closing down soon on 93.2fm to campaign instead for a legal black music radio licence in the Windsor, Slough and Maidenhead area . . . Eastern Bloc have defected, or, rather, moved as of this Wednesday (28) into two new side by side shops at 5/6 Central Buildings in Oldham Street, Manchester, one stocking all types of dance and the other both UK and US indie material . . . Max and Dave (not the Hardrock Soul Movement!) are running a branch of Rayners Lane’s Record & Disco Centre from an outdoor stall every Saturday in Ealing Broadway Market (behind the Cannon cinema), stocking upfront newies and exclusive rarities . . . Rocky & Diesel, Steve Lee and Brandon Block this Thursday (29) Break Free! at the Basement on Shepherds Bush Green . . . The Farm play live with Terry Farley, Johnny Walker and Phil Perry at Nottingham’s Venus this Friday (30) . . . Soul II Soul have left their residency at Brixton’s The Fridge, where instead Rose Windross and Ralph Chillin co-host Fridays as of this week . . . Soul II Soul, Rebel MC, Loose Ends, Deee-Lite, Unique 3, MA.C., Donna Gardier, Blue Pearl and T.D.C. all have remixes out . . . David Lynch & Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting smoochy ‘Twin Peaks Theme‘, the preferable instrumental flip of Julee Cruise’s ‘Falling‘ (Warner Bros W9544T), at around 36bpm might synch nicely over a 71¾bpm funky drummer track if such exists but in any case is real ambient — how long before someone does get around to recording it with an added rhythm? . . . DAMN’ FINE!

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THE YOUNG ONE RETIRES

Jeff Young, who presents Radio 1’s The Big Beat show every Friday, is to retire from DJ-ing completely at the end of the year to concentrate on his role as Head of A&R for A&M Records. Jeff has presented The Big Beat, the only national dance music programme, since it began three years ago, establishing it as essential listening for dance fans across the country. Pete Tong, who for the past three years has presented Capital Radio’s The Session show, has been appointed to take over presentation of The Big Beat from the beginning of January.

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by Graeme Park and James Hamilton

SIKE ‘Hit ‘Em Wit Dat’ / ‘Merge’ / ‘Intrigue’ / ‘Miditrip’
SNAP ‘Mary Had A Little Boy’
KENYATTA ‘I Wanna Do Something Freaky For You’ / ‘Good Vibes’
BELOVED Blissed Out EP: ‘Up Up And Away (Happy Sexy Mix)’ / ‘Wake Up Soon (Something To Believe In)’ / ‘Pablo (Special K Dub)’
DR TIMOTHY LEARY MEETS THE GRID ‘Origins Of Dance’
NEXUS 21 ‘Self Hypnosis’ / ‘Real Love’ / ‘Together’ / ‘Techno Symphony’
TEN CITY ‘Superficial People (Superficiality Remix)’
THE TODD TERRY PROJECT ‘If You Wanna Ride Kick Another Dope Rhyme’
YAZOO ‘Situation (Aggressive Attitude Mix)’ (Youth) / ‘Situation ‘90’ (Remix)’ (Francis Kevorkian) / ‘Situation (1982 US Remix)’ / ‘State Farm (Play-Doh Dub)’ (Paul Dakeyne)
TEST DEPARTMENT ‘Pax Americana’
PET SHOP BOYS ‘Being Boring (Remix)’ (Marshall Jefferson) / ‘We All Feel Better In The Dark (After Hours Climax)’ (Brothers In Rhythm)

KC FLIGHTT ‘Jump For Joy’ (US RCA/Popular 2629-1-RD)
The hip house pioneering rapper returns with this frenetically scurrying nervy galloper in Club Mix, Underground Dub (125½bpm) and Airwave Mix (125¾bpm), coupled also by the (surely older?) girls prodded wrigglier then sultry reggae dubwise halftempo ‘Hot Days Of Summer’ (126bpm).

4 HERO ‘Combat Dancin” (Reinforced RIVET 1203, via Pacific)
Introed and punctuated by chilling “Mr Kirk?” “Yes” “Your son is dead” “Dead? H-h-how?” “He died of an overdose, come down to the station house” dialogue that I can remember already having detailed in full several years ago (but of course I cannot remember now what it was from then!), the instant smash from this three tracker is the bleeping and booming ‘Mr. Kirk’s Nightmare’ (123½bpm), an obvious attention grabber that has exploded following Kiss 100 fm play, flipped by the bass farted funky drummered rapping ‘Move Wid The House Groove‘ (113bpm), and samples woven derivative sparse disjointed jittery ‘Combat Dance‘ (121½bpm). Meanwhile, there’s already a rival frequency response test introed then “Mr Kirk” dialogue repeating, bleeps and low frequencies filled

ROOTS # SOUL ‘Mr Kirk vs The Real Bassline’ (119¾bpm) (SBP 003),
white labelled with an untitled good bleeps and bass farts woven light tuneful instrumental canterer as flip. Continue reading “December 1, 1990: KC Flightt, 4 Hero, Cyclone, Seal, Innocence”

BEATS & PIECES

KAMIKAZE ONE 85 featuring The Beatles’ The Beatles Juice E.P.’, the record containing the funky drummer remix of ‘Yesterday’ that was reviewed two weeks ago, arrived on my doormat having been sent from I know not whom nor where, but it does exist and is being sold (probably under the counter!) by a select few specialist dance music record shops which you will have to locate for yourselves — please stop calling me about it, as I know no more than I’ve said! . . . fbi, the label on which Ben Liebrand’s remix of Dimples D ‘Sucker DJ’ appears here, is in fact the Disco Mix Club’s new commercial logo — the remix started out on July’s edition of the DMC subscription service, off which it was bootlegged in Italy before DMC had even obtained the rights to release it commercially, which they now of course have done, licensing it in the process to Media Records in Italy where it’s now both large and legal! . . . Snap’s next single is their album’s nursery rhyme adapting ‘Mary Had A Little Boy’, promoed in its Club Edit (121¼-120¾bpm), while Ten City’s will be the lurchingly loping ‘Superficial People’, promoed as a single-sider in Simon Law’s Superficiality Remix (104¾bpm) ahead of full release in a fortnight . . . Soul II Soul’s ‘Missing You’ on seven inch — completists note — is in a sexually healing The Healer Mix (93bpm), matched on the flip by its The Healer Instrumental, this latter being the only Healer version on 12 inch . . . P-X-U’s ‘The Scheme’, reviewed off white label last week, was indeed co-produced by Dave Lee and Mark Ryder, but with its Sheffield based performers, Mark McCormack and William Goring, who have a self-produced ‘Steel City’ EP due soon too . . . Alison Limerick’s jangling piano started then sparsely percussive pulsing attractive Knuckles & Morales Mix (122-121¾bpm) of ‘Where Love Lives’ is reputedly the last that Frankie & Dave will be doing together, flipped by their individual instrumental lush strings backed Knuckles and dry electro Red Zone Mixes (121¾bpm) . . . Monie Love’s A-side Touch Down Mix of ‘Down To Earth’ turns out to be the work of Cooltempo dance supremo Simon Dunmore, the flip’s mixes being by Pete Lorimer and John Wadell respectively . . . N.W.A.’s album, following their notorious ‘100 Miles And Runnin” EP, will be called ‘Efil Rof Zaggin’ (spell it backwards, with attitude!) . . . Rhyme ‘n’ Reason’s rapper Lex scratches up a storm on Orbital’s next single, ‘Satan‘ . . . Shades Of Rhythm, whose ‘Frequency Frequency’ album was hard to find on their own limited SOR Recordings private pressing back in July, have now signed to ZTT and both the LP and new remixes of its tracks ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘Homicide’ will be out properly come January . . . Soul II Soul recording engineers Howie Bernstein and Dobie Campbell have signed to 4th + B’way as recording act Nomad Soul . . . Blip label owner Eric Gooden and his Manchester colleague Melanie Williams, following respective production and vocal experience in Detroit, have formed their own group Temper Temper on Ten Records, for launch in the new year . . . Phil Wells of local shop The Record Basement (40 Station Hill) starts a weekly Nitrous rave at Reading’s Irish Club in Chatham Street this Thursday (22) . . . Run-D.M.C. headline a Kiss 100 fm soul night out this Friday (23) at Brixton’s Academy supported by Innocence, Donna Gardier, Double Trouble’s Collective Effort, MC Duke, N-Joi plus DJs Coldcut, Paul ‘Trouble Those Decks’ Anderson, MC Pugwash and more . . . UK mixing champ DJ Reckless guests at Welling’s The Station this Sunday (25) with resident Doug Hughes, who has a Wednesday guest night there too . . . Jeff Thomas celebrates an 8th Anniversary Party at Swansea’s Martha’s Vineyard next Monday (26) with a return visit by Jeff Young plus PAs by Kariya and more . . . The Sindecut guest the same night at Unique 3 DJs Cutz & Edzy’s Monday 10pm-2am Phase 3 night in Bradford’s Wall Street, with deep house, hard hip hop and selected grooves . . . Dave Charnley is joined at Blackpool’s Hackett’s on Central Drive by Bedrock DJs Sasha and Marcus on Tuesdays, the same plus John J. on packed rave Fridays, and by Paul Oakenfold alternating every other week with Sasha on Saturdays . . . Virgin in a fortnight releases a ‘Dance Energy‘ double album compilation, from various labels, featuring hits by 32 of the acts appearing on BBC2-tv’s series of the same name . . . Chris Brown wonders when the Pasadenas will do a Philly flavoured cover of Kylie Minogue’s ‘Step Back In Time’?! . . . DAMN’ FINE!

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HOT VINYL

EARTH PEOPLE ‘Dance’ (Champion CHAMP R12-258)
Still included on the flip in its original Club Mix (124bpm), this ‘Pal Joey’ Longo created wickedly catchy Chic ‘Dance, Dance, Dance’ quoting sax tootled summer floorfiller is now out here again as a Party Remix (122bpm) which, from the recently reviewed ‘DJ Breaks Classics Vol. 3’ US Underworld Records EP, is actually Reynald ‘Crazy Frenchman’ Deschamps’ excellent ‘Earth People Dance Party Mix’ (kicked off by a typically declaimed introduction to Pal Joey by James Brown’s valet Danny Ray), plus Reynald’s alternative here edited Party Remix Instrumental (122bpm), while the flip also features for added, already great, value the older jiggly snapping ‘Reach Up To Mars‘ (121bpm), the rhythm of which is used in the above remixes.

CARTOUCHE ‘Feel The Groove’ (123bpm) (The Brothers Organisation 12 BORG 21, via BMG)
Rushed out here hard on the heels of its fast selling Dutch import pressing, this Serge Ramaekers created tribute to a club called Cartouche is a simple Myrelle Tholen (daughter of R&B band leader Johnny Otis) chanted and piano pounded frantic Italo house type whomper punctuated by all sorts of familiar exhortations, with an Instrumental in which Jean Paul Visser’s vocoder snarled refrain shows up more, plus a new sparser thrumming B-side dub (123½bpm) that wasn’t on the import.

BOBBY McFERRIN ‘I’m Crazy About Your Body’ (97½bpm)
Apparently created by the team who also combined ‘The Power Of Human Nature’ back in the summer, this totally blank (apart from an etched “It wasn’t us your honour”!) label-less bootleg brilliantly sets Bobby’s original of his Cadbury’s commercial tune to funkily burbling beats woven from several sources, flipped by a terrific jazzy piano instrumental over the same rhythm track (97¾bpm), plus that rhythm in unadorned dubwise form.

RUM & BLACK ‘F*** The Legal Stations’ (123¾bpm) (Shut Up And Dance Records SUAD 8)
Repeatedly punctuated by a “Turn off that motherf***in’ radio” comment borrowed from Ice Cube’s ‘AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted’ album, which seems likely to get it banned like N.W.A. at many stores, this acid guitar looping angrily churning and scrubbing instrumental rumbler is already flying out of specialist dance music stockists, flipped by the bleeped and boomed frantically throbbing ‘I’m Not In Love‘ (127¼bpm) with an occasionally repeated female title line. Continue reading “November 24, 1990: Earth People, Cartouche, Bobby McFerrin, Rum & Black, Eon”

BEATS & PIECES

KISS 100 FM broadcasts a non-stop ‘Master-Mix’ show in London every Saturday 9-11 pm, in the New York style, totally megamixed without interruption for the whole of its two hours by a roster of DJs that includes Paul ‘Trouble Those Decks’ Anderson, Kid Batchelor, Judge Jules, Graeme Park, Richie Rich, Danny Rampling, Colin Dale, DJ Pogo, KC, CJ Mackintosh, Mike Pickering, Fabio . . . Brian Mason (081-440 4172), by coincidence, is looking for a mixing DJ to produce regular tapes of continuous upfront soul and dance music for a wine bar he’s opening . . . A Homeboy, A Hippie And A Funki Dredd’s ‘Total Confusion’ apparently was built up from a master tape originally created by Casper for producer Ian Levine . . . Turntable Overload’s ‘T.T.O.’ started out as ‘TTO’ by TTO on a mystery black label reviewed back in August, this “original” actually being a Dave Lee remixed dub of a still unreleased US remake by the Turntable Orchestra of — would you believe? — the Bee Gees’ ‘You Should Be Dancing’, stripped down by Dave around the time that LFO’s ‘LFO’ was breaking and so retitled as a joke, its current completely revamped re-remixes by Dave and, as had become obvious, Mark Ryder being out fully now on the RePublic Records associated Made On Earth label . . . African Business’s four mixes of ‘In Zaire’, promoed across two separate pressings, are all together on the single 33⅓rpm commercial 12 inch (Urban URBX 64) . . . King For A Day’s ‘Kick That Rhythm’, despite being promoed on Crucial Dance, proves to be out commercially on PWL Records (PWLT 67) . . . L.A. Mix’s ‘Mysteries Of Love’, reviewed last week, now looks like not being out commercially until December 8, or even after Christmas . . . Creation’s dazedly galloping Black Box ‘Ride On Time’-type ‘Give It Up’ turns out to be a UK creation by Barry Leng & Duncan Hannant . . . Eve Gallagher, statuesque and tall with a silver streak in her hair like a character from ‘Superman III’, is actually from Sunderland although she does indeed live in Switzerland (“It’s a long story!”, she laughs) . . . Ragga Twins’ ‘Spliffhead‘ appeared to be the track most played by Prestatyn punters at their own chalet parties . . . Andrew Beer is updating the DJ mailing list at Warrior Records, PO Box 775, London EC1A 4LB (‘phone 071-490 5475, fax 071-490 7920) . . . Moz Morris is building a mailing list of DJs who can use Hi-NRG and pop dance (like Lisa’s recent gay hit ‘Stand Up And Sing‘ and German act Ultramatix’s new dance version of Elton John’s ‘Sacrifice‘) at Manic Records, 10 Park Road, Blackpool, Lancashire FY1 4HT (enclose a stamped self-addressed envelope with your application) . . . Emily Leggatt and Ian Gotts’ correct telephone number at Power Promotions is 071-482 0728, and not as misinformed last week, so adjust your files accordingly . . . Kiss 100 fm breakfast show co-presenter Graham Gold has — for obvious reasons like sleep! — had to give up his full time nightclub residency at Soho’s Gullivers (only three months short of 10 years there, possibly a record for an unbroken soul residency in London?), but returns for one night only this Saturday (Nov 17), while he manages to jock with Jon ‘Gummo’ Jules every Wednesday at Ealing’s Broadway Boulevard, and is to be found over the next few Fridays guesting at Kingston upon Thames’s Options (23), Hackney’s Shenolas (30), Grays’ P’Zaz Nightclub (Dec 7) . . . Donna Gardier’s ‘I’ll Be There’ video is the living embodiment of the word “slinky” — phworr! . . . DAMN’ FINE!

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PRESTATYN 8

PRESTATYN 8 had a noticeably lower turnout than usual, mainly because of counter attraction weekenders like its promoter LiveWire’s own recent Kaos rave, and suffered from the last minute cancellation of En Vogue’s concert, but seemed to be retrenching its tradition with an increased emphasis by the DJs on slower soul amidst the house and rap. Innocence featuring Gee Morris (pictured below) were perhaps the most popular of the PAs, while a long live set by the specially reformed Light Of The World rivalled Public Enemy’s live show for many. To my mind the best PAs were by the dominatrix-like Eve Gallagher, oozing sensuality, and the excellent Master Ace, who was accompanied by scratching DJ Steady Pace and two tubby dancers, dressed and acting like winos to begin their act. Al B. Sure! (with a complete dance troupe) didn’t realise his US hit material was unknown here, other appearances being by pluckily swooping acappella Tammy Payne, tightly choreographed Alison Limerick, disappointing Diana Brown & Barrie K. Sharpe, Kenny Thomas, Bass-O-Matic, Unique 3, Sindecut, Ashley & Jackson, New Life, and Carlton. Not a classic maybe, but not bad. Prestatyn 9 next Easter is rumoured to be the last of this type of weekender at the present site, the soul event possibly moving elsewhere with a rave replacing it there.

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HOT VINYL

FRANCES NERO ‘Footsteps Following Me’ (104¾bpm) (Motorcity MOTC 24, via Pacific)
About for some time but now building support, this Sister Sledge ‘Thinking Of You’ inspired beefily pushing slinky soul roller, by an obscure ex-Motown artiste (she had one single on the associated Soul label) who was tracked down in Detroit by producer Ian Levine, could yet end up absolutely massive given the chance (Instrumental flip).

JOHNNY BRISTOL ‘Man Up In The Sky’ (102½bpm) (Motorcity MOTC 21, via Pacific)
Dating from last year but easily the anthem in the “chillout” real soul/jazz room at Prestatyn, this Ian Levine produced lovely late Seventies-style soulful swayer always was a soul boy fave and really proved itself, causing massed formation dancing and crowd demanded repeat plays (Instrumental flip).

808 STATE ‘Cübik’ (ZTT ZANG 5T)
Finally checked on 12 inch, this distinctive fruity fart tones and ‘Dr Who’-type spacey synth prodded instrumental hit is in its previously UK B-sided Jimi Hendrix-like guitar introed and freaky effects outroed jerky Original Mix (123¾bpm) plus a much more smoothly shuffling Pan Am Mix (123½bpm), as its hotter import’s Pan American Excursion becomes, flipped by the friskily flowing synthed and bleeped melodic house ‘Olympic’ (as the previously promoed ‘Olympic State’ is now called) in its jumpily driving Euro Bass Mix (122¼bpm), as the promo’s Heavy Bass Euromix becomes, plus a new attractive bell tinkling Flutey Mix (122½bpm). Continue reading “November 17, 1990: Frances Nero, Johnny Bristol, 808 State, Nomad/M.C. Mikee Freedom, Dimples D”