James Hamilton's Disco Page

BEATS & PIECES

NEW YORK City’s ‘Dixie Drifter’ soul DJ, Frankie Crocker is currently guesting with Tim Westwood on London’s Capital FM broadcasting between 9pm-1am all this week until Friday in a live simulcast heard at the same time in New York (only there, of course, it’s 4-8pm, his usual slot) on WBLS — although he’s likely to be playing Soul II Soul-type British black sounds to intrigue his audience back home, it will be a chance for those here who have yet to experience American black radio to hear one of its leading and most legendary practitioners . . . Tim Raidl and ‘Evil’ Eddie Richards have revived the Soul On Sound cassette tape aural magazine idea by launching the limited 1,000 copy mail order only Pure (House), the C90 format featuring each month an exclusively recorded UK mixing DJ on one side, flipped by interviews with not only that DJ but also a well known DJ/producer from abroad, a selected record store’s Top 10 sales countdown, plus new music by unsigned talent: costing £6 (from 68 Sunningdale, Round Green, Luton, Bedfordshire, subscription discount details on 0908-647632), issue one has Paul ‘Trouble Those Decks’ Anderson as guest mixer, an interview with Todd Terry, a Vinyl Zone chart plus tracks by Irresistible Force, while future issues will include Eddie Richards, Judge Jules, Paul Oakenfold, Kid Batchelor as mixers plus Frankie ‘Bones’, Louie Vega, Ralphi Rosario, Kevin Saunderson as interviewees . . . Mel Appleby’s tragic death aged 23 from cancer last week has caused Supreme Records to withdraw Alan Coulthard’s previously mentioned ltalo House Remix of Mel & Kim’s ‘Showing Out’ and hits medleying ‘The Mel & Kim 1990 Mega-Mix’, originally scheduled for release next Monday . . . ‘Control Yourself Cousin‘, the white labelled hot megamix by Homeboy (who turns out to be ‘EastEnder’ Rob Keen), is at last due fully next week on CT Records (the newly abbreviated name of Cheque This Records, where Chris Checkley and Louise Chantrell are building a DJ mailing list on 01-229 7329), with a cleaned up more vocal remix to follow possibly on a major label . . . Suffolk DJ Mark Summers’ recent homemade ‘Melt Your Body‘ only ever had a limited UK release but has resurfaced as a US import, on Hillbilly House Records, in three mixes now . . . London based swingbeaters Way To Go, led by Baby Rico, have signed direct to Sire in the States and are currently recording an album featuring guests George Benson, Betty Boo, and hopefully Grover Washington Jr — way to go, indeed! . . . 808 State’s upcoming four-track ‘The Extended Pleasures Of Dance’ EP has been preceded on promo by just its jerkily churning ‘Cobra Bora (Call The Cops Mix)‘ (119¾bpm) and rambling slow jittery ‘Ancodia (Taters Deep Nit Funky Beat Mix)‘ (106¼bpm) . . . Chester based mobile DJ Del Farmer heads (with wife Michele as PR officer, on 0244-320421) a brand new breakaway Chester, Cheshire & North Wales DJ Association open to mobile, club and radio jocks, potential members being welcomed to the lunchtime meetings on the first Sunday of every month (so one’s just coming up) at the Bull And Stirrup pub in Chester’s Watergate Street — the following, March 4, meeting will be a disco jumble sale, all non-member DJs being invited to bring and buy, at the larger Southview Community Centre . . . Outer Limits start a weekly Juice hip hop night presented by Sindecut this Thursday (1) at Bletchley’s Rayzels . . . Thursday also sees Ray Lock start a new house night at Hoofers, in London Road on Kingston Hill, with guest DJ Robert Fung followed over the next two weeks by Carl Cox and Trevor Fung — Ray alone houses Purley’s Temptations Friday and Sutton Civic Centre’s Fu-Fu’s Saturday, both switched-on wine bars . . . Shut Up And Dance star at Brixton Fridge’s 2pm-midnight Eureka II alldayer this Sunday (4) . . . Clubnet have sent their mailing list DJs a pair of ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ slipmats to help plug Jamie J Morgan . . . Tyneside’s Nigel Atkinson (091-5657774) is desperate for a 12-inch of Deniece Williams ‘Heaven In Your Eyes‘ (CBS) from 1984 . . . Belfast’s informative ‘Bird Man’, Mark One (who sells dance trax at The Gramophone Shop opposite City Hall and spins them Fri/Saturday at Robinsons Bar), reckons the birds twittering on Sueno Latino’s new ‘Luxuria‘ this time sound more like oystercatchers, the large black and white waders to be found at the seaside (not to be confused with seagulls!) . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton, Graeme Park and Judge Jules

BLACK BOX ‘I Don’t Know Anybody Else’ (121bpm) (Italian Groove Groove Melody GGM 8909)
The hottest Italian team on vinyl follow the UK’s biggest selling single of 1989 with another wailing and jangling solid though perhaps less instant punchy chugger, featuring what seems like an original vocal in bassier Melody Mix and sharper House Club versions.

M.B.G. ‘This Is Paradise’ (Graeme Park)

TASHAN ‘Blackman’ (Club Mix) (Graeme Park) Continue reading “February 3, 1990: Black Box, Mondeé Oliver, Lisa Stansfield, Princess Ivori, Seduction”

BEATS & PIECES

RECENTLY REVIEWED imports now out here include Tribal House ‘Motherland – A-fri-ca‘ (Cooltempo COOLX 198), here in its Freedom, Radio, and Africa Dub Mixes, without the Instrumental; Alternations ‘Feel It For You‘ (RCA PT 49304), here in Indian Summer, Jungle, and Planetary Access (Edit) Mixes; The Gap Band ‘All Of My Love‘ (Capitol 12CL 558), which recently topped the US Black Charts is out here only in its Extended and Just Coolin’ Mixes (106½bpm) and Bonus Beats (107¼bpm); Morenas ‘Hazme Sonar‘ (BCM Records BCM 380 X), here much slower than its Italian pressing in the promoed Massimino & Cutmaster-G Club Mix, Angelino Vocal Dub Mix, Pianopella (120½bpm), Cutmaster-G Techno Trip Mix (117¾bpm), not all necessarily being on the commercial UK version — nor likewise are all the mixes reviewed last week of the same production team’s Sueno Latino ‘Luxuria’ (BCM Records BCM 379 X) . . . Vernell Foster ‘Love, Joy And Happiness‘ (SBK.One 12SBKDJ 7005), an Adeva-ish garage treatment of Al Green’s oldie, has exploded in the Club Chart on mailing list promo but despite such encouraging initial reaction, is not due commercially until it has been remixed further . . . Electribe 101’s now nearly year old ‘Talking With Myself’, something of a trend setter at the time as has been subsequently shown, is on a double-sided promo (Mercury HIP 3) ahead of reissue in its new Frankie Knuckles mix (113½bpm) . . . Massive Attack’s Big Beat Mix (100¾bpm) is considerably slower than the Blue Zone mixed A-side of Lisa Stansfield’s ‘Live Together’, due commercially next week . . . Breakout have only now just released fully the current US Top 10 hit Seduction ‘Two To Make It Right‘, promoed since the autumn . . . Alan Coulthard, despite already remixing it for commercial release, has done an even better re-remix of Mel & Kim’s ‘Showing Out’ for the Music Factory subscription service (DJs wishing to subscribe should call 01-960 2739) . . . Dionne’s ‘Your Lies‘ when its released here on CityBeat next week will be flipped by a Trevor Fung and Nick Halkes created ‘Bassed On Dionne’ megamix of various dubs and other not necessarily related overlays . . . Centerfield Assignment’s ‘Mi Casa’, from getting on for a year ago, is finally due here in a fortnight with new remixes on XL Recordings, as is, a week earlier, Ellis D’s ‘I Will Survive’ . . . Silver Bullet appears with DJs Pete Smith, PHI and Treble D this Saturday (27) at ‘Sensateria’ in Norwich’s University of East Anglia . . . Frankie ‘Bones’ and Tommy Musto, soon to be known as Musto & Bones rather than the Flowmasters when they have a brand new album of actual songs on CityBeat in March, are currently touring the UK at Bristol Buzbys (Jan 24), Blackpool Sequins (25), Edinburgh Spanish Harlem (26), Manchester Hacienda (27), Glasgow Choke (28), Luton Colosseum (Feb 1), Braintree The Barn (2), London She-Nola (3) — a really well worked out itinerary in its earlier stages, just so long as it doesn’t snow! . . . Jeff Young on Radio 1 is having rapidly to retitle his ‘National Fresh’ rap segment, not previously having realised that this was the name of Mike Allen’s syndicated ILR show, the rights still being owned by sponsors TDK . . . John and Shaun, jocking at the weekend in Players and Kiko’s nightclubs, work at Wakefield’s EGS Records shop and hope that between them they helping build that town’s black/dance music market . . . The Dance Corporation have a number of PA tours on offer, including A Man Called Adam. Call Tim Rudling on 01 878 5022 . . . Kym Mazelle is currently in the studio with Jazzy B, though no-one’s revealing what they’re working on —the Soul II Soul single perhaps? . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton, Norman Cook and Graeme Park

ROB BASE ‘Turn It Out (Go Base) (New Age Meltdown)’ (114¼bpm) (Profile PROFT 275)
Remixed here by Chad Jackson and punctuated throughout by Sueno Latino/808 State-type whippoorwill warbles (the ‘new age’ ingredient?), this now DJ E-Z Rock-less enthusiastically churning frisky canterer alternates word spitting fast rap with a catchily sung “doo doo doo, do-do” chant, and is far from routine hip house, flipped by Chad’s “go, go, go” prodded more hardcore hip hop rapping Full Control Meltdown (114¼bpm) and sparser scratching Out Of Control Mix (114½bpm). Rob’s import album may not have been so hot, but — having hit The Club Chart purely on mailing list response ahead of full release next week — this certainly is!

MICROGROOVE ‘What It Is?’ (Norman Cook)

D-A DON ‘Keep Movin’’ (Norman Cook)

MOTHER F**KA ‘I’m Not Satisfied’ (Norman Cook)

GINO LATINO ‘Welcome’ (116¾bpm) (ffrr FX 126)
Now as big as it was always gonna be, this funky samples prodded jiggly chugging phonetically muttered catchy Italo pop-rap dates from 1988 — it’s actually by Jovanotti in his earlier incarnation as the original Gino Latino — but, despite gay attention when new, didn’t hit most clubs until last September as a US pressing, biding its time as a floor-filling ‘sleeper’ since then to explode on UK release (here without the import’s “turn it up” intro though otherwise much the same as that Long Version, followed immediately by a twittery reprise rather than the Radio Version and flipped by Vocal and Instrumental edits). Continue reading “January 27, 1990: Rob Base, Gino Latino, Mr. Monday, Earth People, Beats International”

BEATS & PIECES

RECORD MIRROR’s recent DJ survey revealed that most jocks aren’t too concerned whether Beats Per Minute are calculated with finely detailed accuracy, so (and you only have yourselves to blame!), starting this issue, you will now find the BPMs are in brackets and calculated to the nearest ¼bpm with a “v” following the figure to show if the speed varies fractionally, any major shift in tempo being denoted by the intro’s BPM followed only by the highest or lowest speed reached during the course of the track (you’ll have to check for tempoless intros/outros yourselves as there will be no 0bpm, and only significant discrepancies between different mixes will be indicated) . . . Hot Vinyl starting this week also will include a number of reviews by star guest DJs, which together with the BPM streamlining should help get more quickly through the vast amount of dance product being released at the moment . . . Norman Cook, one of this week’s guests, has followed Jazzie B’s example in setting up a Soul II Soul-type organisation-cum-group called Beats International, debuting with a January 29 released though already white labelled reggae-ishly undulating revamp of The SOS Band’s old ‘Just Be Good To Me’, now called ‘Dub Be Good To Me‘ (Go! Discs GODX 39) with a girl wailed slinky A-side (95¾v bpm) or chunkier raggamuffin guys toasted and, possibly strongest of all, truly dubwise separate B-side mixes (95½v bpm) . . . Jungle Brothers’ Done By The Forces Of Nature’ LP, reviewed last week on import, turns out to be due as the first release on Pete Edge’s new WEA distributed label Eternal (WX322), rather than on Warner Bros here . . . Public Enemy ‘Welcome To The Terrordome’, likewise reviewed last week, is already out here on Def Jam (655476 6), as also now is the recently reviewed good rapping 3rd Bass ‘The Cactus Album’ (466003 1) . . . Carle Richards of Hackney’s street soul/reggae biased Hands and Heart label has set up Full Force Promotions at 45 Tudor Road, Unit 02, London E9 7SN (01-985 1512), plugging the funkier type of dance music to DJs who prove they can handle it . . . Gilles Peterson helps launch the weekly jazz, soul, funk ‘n’ fun Reelin’ with Feelin’ this Saturday (20) at Mayfair’s The Academy Wine Rooms in Cork Street . . . County Durham’s ‘real soul’ specialising Ardent Enterprises have licensed ex-Motown musical director Choker Campbell’s Detroit based Campo International label here, debuting next month with ‘I Don’t Just Want Your Body‘ by former Soul Brothers Six leader Willie John . . . Dusty Springfield’s current Pet Shop Boys created ‘In Private’ (apparently intended as the theme for the film ‘Scandal’) somehow slipped through the net before Christmas, but its rattling and galloping Shep Pettibone remix (Parlophone 12RX 6234, 127bpm) is so exciting that it shouldn’t be missed — I actually wasted three hours waiting for it to arrive by bike so that we could use it in the Capital FM New Year’s Eve party tape (synched between ‘Left To My Own Devices’ and The Communards ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’) . . . ‘The Vagabond King’ was an early Fifties movie musical about the 15th century French poet and rebellious people’s hero Francois Villon, the very one whose words are translated into German by Culture Beat’s ‘Der Erdbeermund’ — if the single’s a smash here, as seems likely, can we expect to see the film on TV? . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton, Norman Cook and DJ Streets Ahead

LIL LOUIS ‘I Called U’ (ffrr FXDJ 123)
This is my favourite record of the moment but it’s the review I’ve been putting off, for reasons that will become apparent! Basically, ‘I Called U’ is a fascinating, haunting, weird, War ‘Galaxy’-ishly backed jazzy wriggler full of ringing telephones with Louis philosophising to a deadpan voiced disturbingly obsessive ex-girlfriend who just isn’t listening. On the 33⅓rpm twinpack promo it is in Original Mix (118-119bpm), 0898 Mix (117¾-118¾bpm) and midway pausing Saxy Version (117¾-118¾bpm), and tempoless Over The Edge treatments, while its more ‘French Kiss’-ish coupling ‘Blackout’, bubbling and pumping through monotonous religious tracts, is in Original Mix (121¼bpm), Phase 1 (121bpm), Phase 2 (The Night The Club Lights Went Out) (121¼bpm) and ‘Tempramental’ Dub Mix (120¾bpm) treatments. Commercially, three separate 12-inchers contain respectively ‘I Called U (Original Mix/0898 Mix)’/’Blackout (Phase 1)’ (ffrr FX 123); ‘I Called U (Saxy Version)’/’Blackout (Phase 2)’ (ffrr FXR 123); ‘I Called U (Over The Edge)’/’French Kiss (US Jazz Mix/Full Length US Mix)’ (ffrr FXRR 123). Frankly, I reckon all one needs is ‘I Called U (Original Mix)’, and that’s on the album anyway!

JANET JACKSON ‘Come Back To Me (I’m Beggin’ You Mix)‘(78/39bpm) (Breakout USAT 681)
Although this crawling mushy sweet ballad is the A-side, all the excitement centres around the flip, the Shep Pettibone remixed and — get a load of this! — rapping Heavy D duetted ‘Alright’, her album’s best dance track, here bouncily leaping in its hip house-style 12″ House Mix and Hip House Dub (113bpm). However, the promo was a 33⅓rpm twinpack with three mixes of the A-side and a total eight mixes of ‘Alright’, largely further dubs and edits but including a jauntily jiggling swingbeat 12″ R&B Mix (111¾bpm).

(E’-ALLORA) ‘So What’ (123bpm) (Italian Dischi Dovero GOSSX 1)
Likely to be big, this exceptionally powerful piano and organ jangled pounding instrumental has currently familiar melodic strains from other Italian grand piano bashers, so it’s not one of the most original ones, but it will whip you along with its enthusiasm (in two untitled mixes). Continue reading “January 20, 1990: Lil Louis, Janet Jackson, E’-Allora, Tony Scott, The Beloved”

BEATS & PIECES

BEN LIEBRAND’s previously promoed 0-110¼-110⅓-114⅓-114¾-118-119¼bpm ‘The Megamix‘ (of ‘Never Too Much/Sugar And Spice/I Really Didn’t Mean It/The Glow Of Love/Super Lady’) has turned up commercially at last (now called just ‘The Mix’) as 12 inch flip to Luther Vandross ‘Here And Now’ (Epic LUTH T13), one of his dead slow 37½-0bpm ballads, also coupled with the tenderly weaving 93⅞bpm ‘For You To Love’ . . . Champion are soon releasing the sizzling J.T. And The Family ‘Moments In Soul’ here, while ffrr have snapped up Mr Fingers ‘What About This Love’ for February 12 release . . . Norman Cook’s Hallelujah Mix of Fidelfatti featuring Ronnette ‘Just Wanna Touch Me’ appears to have got lost in the Christmas rush and is re-released next week . . . London’s other new incremental radio station (in addition to KISS-fm) will be Lord Hanson’s apparently US styled MoR/easy listening Melody FM . . . Birmingham’s much travelled Des Mitchell, three times a Technics UK DJ mixing finalist (in ’86/7/8), was during that time based in the Canary Islands but now, after brief stints this year in Toronto, Chicago and Majorca, is in Italy at Perugia’s Red Zone (owned by Keith Giles of Gravesend’s Slammer), with his brother Funky Bunny jocking upstairs — Des also spins house on Perugia’s Astra Radio 91 . . . Suffolk ‘underground’ DJ Nikky K (jocking at Ipswich’s La Dolce Vita Wednesdays, Woodhall Country Club Thursdays and Woodbridge’s Slam! at the Waggon & Horses Sundays) reports that breakdancing is making something of a comeback in his area, almost exclusively among skateboarders . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL

KYM MAZELLE ‘Was That All Was (Def Mix)’ (Syncopate 12SY 32)
Sturdily bounding in David Morales’ 122⅓-0bpm remix (with an Edit and more stolid twittery 119⅓-0bpm Dub too), this Jean Cam classic reviving Marshall Jefferson produced canterer is soon to be followed by Les Adams’ remixes, amongst other marketing alternatives.

CULTURE BEAT — FEATURING JO VAN NELSEN ‘Der Erdbeermund (Get Into Magic Mix)’ (German CBS Dance Pool 655429 6)
Francois Villon translating — the 15th century French ‘Vagabond King’ poet, most famous for “Ou sont les neiges d’antan?” (“Where are the snows of yesteryear?”) — German muttered tempoless then gorgeous languidly tinkling and pulsing Sueno Latino/Mr Fingers-ish 0-117¾-0bpm haunting ambient house (Pacific State’-type (0-)118-0bpm Instrumental Magic flip), not to be confused with a ‘French Kiss’-style German track of the same name by Sigmund Und Seine Freu(n)de. Massive!

DR. MOUTHQUAKE ‘Love On Love (Mouthquake Master Mix)’ (More Protein PROT3- 12, via Virgin)
Possibly best described as Terence Trent D’Arby sings house in Ten City style, this Bruce Forest & Paul Wright remixed superb classy 121-0bpm Jeremy Healy co-creation is breathily falsetto each side of a gruffer rap break by the E-Zee Possee, with an impressively vocal Dub Of Death flip. Not to be missed! Continue reading “January 13, 1990: Kym Mazelle, Culture Beat, Dr. Mouthquake, Tribal House, Public Enemy”

BEATS & PIECES

KISS-fm’s ceaseless campaigning has finally paid off and has been awarded one of the two new incremental radio licences for London meaning legal 24 hours a day black dance music radio will be coming to the capital at last. For the full story see page 33 in rm Dance . . . Manchester of course already has the country’s first black music incremental station, Sunset 102FM, while, less well publicised, the Milton Keynes based Horizon Radio (a localised recent offshoot of Chiltern Radio) is programming mellow soul and dance music to meet the demand that market research interestingly revealed among the mainly young population of this rurally scattered new town area . . . BBC Radio 1, however, is dropping (hopefully only temporarily) Robbie Vincent’s Saturday show, a valuable rarity we can ill afford to lose in that it has kept faith and pace with modern developments in the sort of soul that is heard on US radio, rather than following dance music fashion . . . Neneh Cherry’s slinkily jogging Soul II Soul (and, midway, De La Soul)-ish 98¾bpm ‘Inna City Mamma (Completely Re-Recorded Extended Version)‘ (Circa Records YRT 42) is coupled commercially by the similar 97⅛bpm ‘Kisses On The Wind (Lovers Hip Hop Extended Version)‘, urgently jittering 0-116bpm ‘The Next Generation‘ and funkily jiggling 110⅓bpm ‘So Here I Come‘, but is also in a confusion of separate promo combinations and remixes that will be detailed fully next week . . . K.A. Posse ‘Dig This’, reviewed last issue, is indeed now out here (D.J. International Records 655518 6) . . . Hijack’s label turns out to be called Rhyme $yndicate Records, not made clear on the promo . . . Adeva’s promoed K-Y-ZE rap mix has been released commercially as ‘Beautiful Love (Remix)’ (Cooltempo COOLXR 195), coupled with other unheard mixes . . . Chad Jackson has remixed Rob Base ‘Turn It Out’ for imminent UK release, in contrasting house and rap styles . . . Kev Roberts, the veteran northern soul DJ/producer who now runs Stafford’s Blue Chip Recording label (as well as jocking on Manchester’s Sunset FM), is the uncredited creator of the current clever ‘hip house’ remix of Andy Stewart ‘Donald Where’s Your Troosers?’, and would love to see it in The Club Chart! . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

THE HAMMY AWARDS

“OH, NOT AGAIN!” Yo, MC Jammy Hammy here, and as the potted ranks of Rocking Flowers wriggle and nod to yet another Loleatta Holloway sampling piano driven Italian house pounder, it’s time once again to present the annual club music awards that show what really happened in 1989. All performance statistics are derived from the year-end Club Chart that you will find in the last (December 23/30) issue of Record Mirror.

THE CLUB CHART HIT OF 1989: Soul II Soul ‘Back To Life’ (10 Records), year end number one.

RUNNERS UP: Doug Lazy ‘Let It Roll’ (Atlantic), Black Box ‘Ride On Time’ (de/Construction)

NUMBER ONE FOR LONGEST: Soul II Soul ‘Keep On Movin’ (10 Records), eight weeks (yet only number four in the year end ranking) Continue reading “January 6, 1990: The Hammy Awards 1989, Quincy Jones, Mr. Fingers, Flowmasters, 2 In A Room”

BEATS & PIECES

Capital Radio House Party 1989: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6

LES ADAMS and I have once again put together the five hour continuously mixed party music show that will be broadcast only in the London area by Capital FM (95.8fm) on new year’s eve, between 9pm-2am Dec 31/Jan 1, and, although there isn’t room this year to print the full playlist as in the past to help the many DJs who normally relay it at their gigs, the all important midnight segment features some Scottish stuff leading up to the Big Ben Chimes, after which the next hour has John Anderson Band ‘Auld Lang Syne’/Technotronic featuring Felly ‘Pump Up The Jam (The Punani Mix)’/The Mix Master ‘Grand Piano’/Black Box ‘Ride On Time (The Original)’/The Rebel MC & Double Trouble ‘Street Tuff (Club/Scar Mixes)’/The Beatmasters featuring MC Betty Boo ‘Hey DJ I Can’t Dance To That Music You’re Playing’/Jive Bunny & The Mastermixers ‘That’s What I Like’/’Swing The Mood’/Dave Clark Five ‘Glad All Over’/The Beatles ‘She Loves You’/’A Hard Day’s Night’/Rolling Stones ‘Honky Tonk Women’/Tone Loc ‘Funky Cold Medina’/Free ‘All Right Now’/Bryan Ferry ‘Let’s Stick Together (Westside ’88 Remix)’/James Brown ‘Living In America’/Prince ‘Partyman (Video Mix)’/Miami Sound Machine ‘Dr Beat’/Gloria Estefan ‘Oye Mi Canto (12” Pablo Mix)’/Matt Bianco ‘Wap Bam Boogie (Latin Remix)’, many of them re-edited and with sampled overdubs – happy new year! … D Mob’s ‘Put Your Hands Together’, of course, is based confusingly on the O’Jays ‘Put Your Heads Together’ from 1983, rather than their 1974 ‘Put Your Hands Together’ oldie … Old Gold are now releasing their dance classics compiling Best Of 12 Inch Gold series on CD, each of the volumes containing eight separate various artists tracks in original 12” mixes … The London Powerplay next Friday, December 29, at Stonebridge Park’s The Complex (in Brent Field off the Harrow Road near the North Circular) features live on stage Chubb Rock, Hitman Howie Tee, Toni Scott, TDP, Rat Pack and “Superman In Control” from New York’s WBLS, DJ Klark Kent, plus other major names to be confirmed – get there early for the 9pm start (box office 01-961 5353) … CBS are promoting the ‘Lambada’ dance steps by circulating a large paper mat printed with numbered footprints, and a furry dice to give the dancing and contorting couples the random numbers they have to try and tread on! … The Hammy Awards will appear in the first Record Mirror of the new decade, there being too many outstanding reviews still to fit this issue, so until then, with thanks for all your cards and kind wishes, have a Merry Christmas … IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL

J.T. AND THE BIG FAMILY ‘Moments In Soul’ (Italian BHF Production 8620927-2)
Instantly massive, this Max Art of D.J. Co mixed chunkily jogging swayer is woven from the Soul II Soul ‘Back To Life’ beat, Art Of Noise ‘Moments In Love’ melody, O’Jays ‘For The Love Of Money’ bass, and some Led Zeppelin drums amongst other elements, the ways and order in which they’re combined varying between the (0-)102⅓-102⅝-0bpm side A and 102⅓-102½-0bpm side AA versions, a particularly wide stereo image causing the tapping percussion to come at you from all angles with disconcerting realism (especially from the far left of the left channel!). Duck!

BIG DADDY KANE ‘Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now’ (Cold Chillin’/Warner Bros W2635T)
Due on January 2, this McFadden & Whitehead soul anthem based 113bpm wriggly trotting rap is now enveloped by familiar old jazz-funk era synth sounds in its grumbling bass burbled new Brixton Bass Mix, the flip’s LP Version staying closer to the 1979 original with more of its chorus cutting through, while the actual rap dominates the percussively thumping ‘hip hop’ style UPSO Mix.

THE HOMEBOY ‘Control Yourself Cousin’ (Cheque This Records CTT6, via 01-229 7329)
‘Funky Drummer’ and other similarly percussive beats and riffs driven, ‘Street Life’ brass stabbed, cartoon characters punctuated, Eddie Harris-type sax squealed, excellent simple clean 112¼-0bpm white labelled mixer, flipped by an also funky drummered 108…0bpm untitled variation that spurts up briefly in tempo early on and then accelerates steadily into its guffawing finish. Continue reading “December 23, 1989: Year End Chart, J.T. and the Big Family, Big Daddy Kane, The Homeboy, Olimax & DJ Shapps”

BEATS & PIECES

DANCE AID TRUST, the disco biz supported charity fund raisers, organised another national Dance Aid Week back in October during which just £300 was the largest amount to be raised by a DJ from any single event, a sum that should be easy enough to top before New Year’s Eve, when the 1989 charity drive ends – and, as a bit of encouragement, the DJ raising the largest amount by then will win a trip to the New Music Seminar in New York next July (money already raised will qualify if sent by January 9 to Dance Aid Trust, c/o Stage 3 Promotions, Hook Norton, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 5NT, where you can contact the Trust’s secretary Tony Hickman if interested in organising an event) … Eternal is now confirmed as the official name of the new Warner Bros partnered label set up by Pete Edge, who has working with him here Cynthia Cherry, previously of New York’s Jump Street Records – whose act The Basement Boys she thus brought to the attention of WEA in their current role as producers of Ultra Naté … Lena Williams is expanding and updating the DJ mailing list for JetStar and distributed labels, like Sure Delight and WA, amongst many: send full work details to her at JetStar, 155 Acton Lane, Park Royal, London NW10 7NJ (although they specialise in ‘street soul’ and other funky stuff these days, the business was built on reggae, so it’s worth specifying if you truthfully can promote that at your gigs) … De La Soul’s commercial 12-inch turns out to include, in place of the T.Ski Valley ‘Catch The Beat!’ bass-ed ‘Buddy’ instrumental, the similarly jolting Bob James ‘Take Me To The Mardi Gras’ bass-ed 105⅝bpm ‘Ghetto Thang (Ghetto Ximer Mix)’ (sic!) … Queen Latifah & Monie Love’s ‘Ladies First’ remix, billed on white label as ‘US Version’, on finished pressings is instead confusingly now called ‘Extended ’45 King’ Mix’ – not much to differentiate it from the original 12-inch version’s ’45 King Mix’ … Raze featuring Lady J & The Secretary of Ent. ‘All For Love’ (Champion CHAMP 12-228) came storming into The Club Chart last week purely on mailing list promo response, not even pre-releases being due in the shops until January of this rapping overlaid 119⅞bpm ‘Break 4 Love 1990’ revamp (as its subtitle reads) … Ruby Turner’s brilliant ‘It’s Gonna Be Alright’ is gonna be out commercially at last in January, but has already been preceded by another promo pressing with a couple of Blacksmith remixes … ‘What U Waiting 4’, rather than the already established import hit ‘Beyond This World’, will be the Jungle Brothers’ UK 12-inch towards the end of January … PWL associated Lisson Records don’t release Sybil’s ‘Walk On By’ here until January 8, and her album until January 29 … Frankie ‘Bones’ proved so popular a draw that the venue wasn’t big enough for the guest list when he DJed in London last week at a reception to launch de/Construction Records’ album compilation of previous import singles produced by him and Tommy Musto, ‘Dance Madness And The Brooklyn Groove’, from with a four-track 12-inch promo sampler features Stacey Parris’s plaintive Latin hip hop-ish 120-0bpm ‘Feel It In My Heart (UK House Mix)’, The Break Boys’ episodic funky beats jiggled 121¾-0bpm ‘Listen To The Rhythm Flow (Notice The 808 Bass Mix)’, Eden Paradise’s only recently reviewed girl whispered juddery rumbling 119¾bpm ‘This Is The Dance (The Paradise Mix)’, and Frankie ‘Bones’’ own old oddly Belgian new beat-like (despite the title) 119¾-0bpm ‘Call It Techno (Technocolour Dub)’ … Glasgow’s £1½ million refurbished Tin Pan Alley this Saturday (16) starts a new ‘Unlimited Freak Out’ night on both floors with music to match by upfront DJs Lars, Orde, Harry, and (from the Hacienda in Manchester) Jon DaSilva, the latter filled in for once a month by Stuart McMillan from this concept’s forerunner, Slam … Jazzy Jason & The Dynamic Guv’nors are putting on a mini stage show this Saturday (17) for house spinning Doug Hughes at Welling Station (situated guess where!) … Gary Oldis and Ian Wright, not exactly lagging behind in what they play themselves, actually need an even more upfront jock to join them at Sunderland’s Chambers – contact club manager John Banwell on 091-565 1900 … University Of Sussex student Sev Burden, following in recent graduate DJ StreetsAhead’s footsteps, jocks three nights a week at the on-campus The Crypt (where Jackie Becker is after guest DJs on 0273-727681/604136) and has also ventured into Brighton itself to present Basshead Tuesdays at the Underground Club, mixing reggae, P’funk, deep soul with a smattering of bass-heavy house and hip hop – you can tell he’s into the heartbeat ryddim of the bass and drum! … Rob Faria, a keen bedroom mixer, recently arrived at Brighton’s Polytechnic to find he’d landed digs in a house full of dance fans – and already they’ve started promoting their own ‘Armageddon’ parties with guest DJs around the town’s clubs … Leon Roberts, jocking with Cineman at Manchester Poly’s Black Rhythms Wednesdays, is desperate to find someone who can sell him the Dancin’ Danny D remixed Cooltempo promo of Kid ‘N Play ‘2 Hype’ containing its House Instrumental (not on the phone, he’s at 10 Booth Avenue, Fallowfield, M14 6RB) … Hereward Radio Sunday afternoon dance jock Steve Jason, still packing Peterborough’s Gables pub on Tuesdays, amongst other gigs, has returned on Thursdays to the Jenyns Arms near Downham Market at picturesque sounding Denver Sluice (named after a feature of the Fenland drainage system!) … ‘Woody’ Woodruffe’s funky gigs include (as somehow only seems right!) the Woodpecker in Mansfield every Wednesday now … Edzy has got in early to point out that Unique 3’s next Sunday Soundyard nites at Bradford’s Club Rio just happen to be Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, 9.30pm-2.30am – good timing, guys, know what I mean?! … Joe Field is starting a new Sunday Arena night, with relaxed dress and what he hopes will be a “real” club atmosphere, next month at The Point in Milton Keynes, where he currently jocks downstairs Thurs/Saturdays (and at Watford’s Mirrabeau Mon/Fridays) … KISS-fm main man, Gordon Mac presents otherwise all female guest DJs at his Foot Loose Thursdays at Soho’s Gulliver’s, drawing on a roster that includes Mother Popcorn, Heddi, Mags, Sez, Chanelle and DJ Lizzy … Mark One, something of an ornithological expert who even calls himself ‘The Bird Man’ (he also gigs at Belfast’s Robinsons Thurs/Saturdays), has kindly and at last cleared up just what that pesky bird is that warbles all over the likes of ‘Sueno Latino’ and ‘Pacific State’ – he reckons it’s an American whippoorwill, or just possibly a slowed down sample of a loon (an American diving bird too, honest!) … IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL

MANTRONIX (featuring Wondress) ‘Got To Have Your Love’ (US Capitol V-15521)
At last something fresh (and instantly huge!) from Curtis Mantronik, featuring his new lisping rapper Bryce Luvah but mainly cooed by wailing Wondress (a girl), this funky drummer chugged tugging jiggler is in Soul II Soul-ish street soul/new jack swing rather than hip hop style, with chunkily percussive 106bpm Club With Bonus Beats, Hard To Get Rap and 106⅛bpm Luv Dub, or the flip’s more smoothly homogenised 106⅝bpm Club Edit, Instrumental and Radio Edit mixes. Due soon after Christmas, the already promoed UK pressing (Capitol 12CL 559) contains just the three A-side versions (Luv Dub somehow here becoming 105¾bpm).

808 STATE ‘90’ (ZTT ZTT2, via WEA)
Also continuously flowing, more or less, and largely instrumental, but far more creative than the Adamski set that might be seen as its rival, this destined to be massive Manchester album has the ‘Hustle’ flavoured fiercely throbbing and thrashing Terry Riley-ish synth sizzled 120¼bpm ‘Cobra Bora’, remorselessly driven twittery gurgling and thumping 0-116⅝-0bpm ‘808080808’, “L-O-V-E, love” spelling juddery dated electro hip hop-type scratching 107bpm ‘Anaconda’ (beware the false finish then abrupt segue), glum girl muttered tinkling twittery burbling 120¼-0bpm ‘Magical Dream’, frantically skittering 135⅔-0bpm ‘Donkey Doctor’, already familiar fast though still atmospheric ‘new age house’ (0-)128¼-0bpm ‘Pacific 202’, and gradually unfurled atmospheric loping tinkly 0-115¼-0bpm ‘Sunrise’ (a sort of second class ‘Pacific State’).

ADAMSKI ‘LIVEANDIRECT’ (MCA Records MCL 1900)
The full album by this acid house instrumentalist, who has built a reputation playing live and alone at orbital and warehouse type parties, keeps the spirit of 1988 alive in a supposedly live acieed session that flows continuously through the twittery spurting and thumping 0-120¼bpm ‘N-R-G (Parts 1 & 2)’, tuneful piano pumped 122¼bpm ‘I Dream Of You’, less good frantic hollow 126bpm ‘Tenko Krishna’, keyboards piped and jangled throbbing frisky 124bpm ‘The Bassline Changed My Life’, briskly chugging electro 126bpm ‘In Your Face’, disjointed 124-124¼-0bpm ‘Magic Piano’, synth swirled and piano pounded 126⅓bpm ‘You, Me, House’, twittery lurching 123¼bpm ‘A Brand New World’, piano and squidgy bass driven good teasingly titled 121⅓bpm ‘M25’, techno-ish sparse percussive 0-124¼bpm ‘I Love Teknology (Part 1)’, piano plonked twirling 120⅓bpm ‘Rap You In Sound’, Mike Oldfield goes acieed-ish tinkly chugging 124⅓bpm ‘Into Orbit’, and the somehow style encapsulating, frantically speeding up at the end, final 123⅓-0bpm ‘Love And Life’. Continue reading “December 16, 1989: Mantronix (featuring Wondress), 808 State, Adamski, Lil Louis & The World, D Mob”

BEATS & PIECES

DOCTOR K, well known for his recordings on I.M.W and as a finalist at other previous contests, had deliberately held back in the preliminary rounds but then let loose to win the scratch mixing category in last week’s grand final of the London Mix Competition, with Ross Emins as runner up, while (ironically adding a really fresh dimension to the mixing competition format) the “straight” club mixing category was won by Mike Lloyd (using some Kylie Minogue as a crowd wind-up!), with Steven Verity as runner up. Promoter Wayne Nevers of New Cross’s Bad Company Soul Syndicate plans definitely to hold a second competition next year, possibly earlier in the summer … Ontario based Bigshot Records’ founder Jerry Fumo is hosting what’s described as a “label awareness bash” next Tuesday (12) at London’s Café De Paris, for which a limited number of £8 public tickets are available on 01-439 6194 … CityBeat and associated label XL Recordings are recruiting club DJs to act as regional representatives, promoting new releases and talent scouting for future signings – call Nick Hawkes on 01-870 7511 if interested … Arthur Baker, riding high as composer of Taylor Dayne’s current US smash, has been chosen by the film’s subject to score a documentary about the career of Quincy Jones, and is also looking forward to leading the band when Al Green promotes ‘The Message Is Love’ live on Johnny Carson’s top rated ‘Tonight’ show (rivalled now however on US TV by a “hipper” chat show hosted by Arsenio Hall) … Eddie Murphy has disappointed fans with his self written and directed new film ‘Harlem Nights’, a gratuitously foul-mouthed tale of nightclubs and gangsters set in 1938 which is never less than interesting but, despite co-starring Richard Pryor, Red Foxx, Della Reese, Arsenio Hall and a vampish Jasmine Guy, fatally just is not funny … Fred Parris & The 5 Satins’ 1956 doo wop classic, ‘(I’ll Remember) In The Still Of The Nite’ as usual came top of New York oldies station WCBS-fm’s annual listeners-voted Top 500, broadcast repeatedly throughout Thanksgiving, which was typically dominated by doo wop despite 23 entries by Elvis Presley and even the incongruous inclusion of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’! … Tim Rudling and Lisa Horan, previously together in EMI’s dance music team, have reunited to form The Dance Corporation handling all kinds of promotion (on 01-878 5022) … Welsh studio mixing wiz Alan Coulthard has been rushed off his feet since going independent, just in the first six weeks creating commercial megamixes for Inner City, Mel & Kim, Raze, ‘The Champion Story’, and the Gibson Brothers (the latter commission including six separate remixes too) … Ben Liebrand Remix ‘The Eve Of The War’ originally stormed the pop chart while still on its previously reviewed German 12 inch pressing (CBS 655126 6) … Dave Dorrell & CJ Mackintosh have remixed the Roxanne Shanté album’s ‘Independent Woman’ for UK release next month … DJ ‘Kid Smurf’ wants strictly ravers only to turn up for his new Move Groove night starting this Thursday (7) at the Bear Cage in Leicester, where his Helsinki Bar gig has switched from Saturdays to Fridays … Gary Marson mixes up mainly house, lightweight rap and new soul on Fridays also at Leicester’s Bear Cage, and Saturdays at Nottingham’s Hippo … Matthew Roberts finds that, as many of his crowd go raving on Fridays at Manchester’s Hacienda, they dictate the upfront black sounds he spins with fellow ‘Blast’ jocks Gary Jones (tipped as a name to watch) and John Locke on Saturdays at Chester’s “heaving” High Society, and with Andy Baker on Thursdays at Wrexham’s Mr C’s … Jason Bushby’s soul/house/garage/hip hop Fridays at Saltburn’s Philmore Discotheque have been truly “heaving” ever since we last mentioned them, with guest DJs and PAs every week, more live acts always being needed – talk to him or Chris Farrell at the club on 0287-22202 if you’re interested in playing to the North-East Posse! … Al Charles, just to be contrary, reports an average 500 funksters “kickin’ and firin’” at his totally upfront Vienna Sundays, 8-11pm in Bury St Edmunds’ Devonshire House! … Nick Power (Kingston Upon Thames) rightly points out that of course it isn’t Faith, Hope & Charity but the other girl group with a similar name, Ecstasy, Passion & Pain whose ‘Touch And Go’ from 1976 sounds similar to ‘Just Wanna Touch Me’ by Italy’s Fidelfatti with Ronnette (of which an improved Norman Cook remix is out now) … Leon Roberts, of Manchester’s Black Rhythms at The Poly, says “Never mind a Loleatta Holloway compilation LP (all the classics are on Dutch Rams Horn 12 inch anyway), isn’t it about time someone bootlegged the acappella of ‘Love Sensation’ to make every house mixer in the country happy?” … IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL

TASHAN ‘On The Horizon’ (OBR 465521 1, via CBS)
Deliberately inspired by Marvin Gaye’s socially conscious ‘What’s Going On’ style, with touches of Curtis Mayfield and Frankie Beverly too, this excellent gentle soul album combines messages of philosophy and love, even sampling a credited Marvin on the jerkily jogging 96bpm ‘Great Feeling’, and although not necessarily an essential floorfiller has excited instant interest, having also the wriggly undulating 93bpm ‘Black Man’, jiggly muffled swingbeat-ish 108⅛bpm ‘On The Horizon’, hesitantly jittering 95bpm ‘Think About You’, tuggingly swaying (0-)95¾bpm ‘Keep Moving On’, delicately funky 0-106-0bpm ‘All The Time Lovin’’, fatalistic swaying 81⅓-0bpm ‘Changes’, joltingly pattering (0-)107¼bpm ‘How Ya Livin’’, “mother, mother” started drifting 106¼bpm ‘Save The Family’, doodling (0-)92-0bpm ‘Heaven’, meandering 32½bpm ‘Tears Of Joy’, Alyson Williams duetted live 0-72-71⅓-72-71⅔-0bpm ‘Do You Wanna Know’.

D.J. LELEWEL ‘Magic Atto II°’ (BCM Records BCM 355 X)
Finally out here, and charging up The Club Chart as a result, is this typically exciting bounding pounder created by the man behind Black Box, The Mix Master and Starlight (to name just three of the very biggest Italo house hits!), Daniele ‘DJ Lelewel’ Davoli. Once again there’s a Loleatta Holloway-sounding “don’t hold back the feeling”, especially through the flip’s superior here 117⅓bpm The Deep, some corny Euro rap spoiling the A-side’s 117⅓-0bpm The House, as the two different versions are called.

ADAMSKI ‘LIVE AND DIRECT’ (MCA Records MCAX 6702)
This promo six-tracker, comprising in two parts the whole of side one of the now released parent LP (MCL 1900), has proved that last year’s acid house sound is still alive and well and actually being played live in aeroplane hangars (where much of this was recorded) by a sort of one man band, who lays down beats and keyboard lines in a continuous acieed session through the twittery thumping 0-120¼bpm ‘N-R-G’, piano pumped 122¼bpm ‘I Dream Of You‘, less good frantic hollow 126bpm ‘Tenko Krishna‘, piping and jangling frisky 124bpm ‘The Bassline Changed My Life‘, briskly chugging electro 126bpm ‘In Your Face‘, and dispirited twittery 124-124¼-0bpm ‘Magik Piano‘. Continue reading “December 9, 1989: Tashan, D.J. Lelewel, Adamski, Adeva, De La Soul”

BEATS & PIECES

MARK RYDER and Dave Lee have made no secret of recording on RePublic Records as the acts M-D-Emm and Mystique but now confess to having been not only Raven Maize all along (in a supremely successful scam which saw ‘Forever Together’ appearing first as a US Quark import!) but also the currently hot Masters Of The Universe, the latter on Strictly Underground (a separate label which Mark will be running for strictly limited 5,000 only pressing runs). What’s more, they now have a vocal re-recording of the Masters’ ‘Check It Out’ ready for licensing to any interested major labels, while ‘Do You Want Me’ has just appeared in four different mixes now credited as being by Skeletor on US Easy Street! … 10 mixing jocks (five scratch and five club style) compete tonight (Tuesday 28) in the final of the London Mix Competition at Bethnal Green’s Tantrums in the Hackney Road, starting 8.30pm — full winner details next week … Sharon Dee Clarke has been flown out to Italy to add a vocal for radio purposes to FPI Project present Rich In Paradise’s fast Club Chart climbing version of ‘Going Back To My Roots’ … Ben Liebrand’s Hip Hop Remix of the Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rappers Revenge’ is also out here at last (Castle Communications SHRD0012) … Tyree featuring J.M.D. ‘Move Your Body’, reviewed only last week on import, now that it’s out here (DJ International Records 655470 6), somehow slows the LP Version – Tyree Mix (here the A-side’s first track) to a slower 123⅔bpm while the rest speed up to make the Julian ‘Jumpin’ Perez Mix 125½-125-125¼-0bpm, Boogie Man (Boggie Mix) 0-126-125⅞bpm, and Tyree (Lost His Vocal) Tyree Mix 125¾bpm … XL Recordings have released not only ‘Just As Long As I Got You’ on its own remixed single but also its whole parent EP, exactly as on import, Frankie “Bones”/Lenny “Dee” present Looney Tunes Volume One (XLEP 102), from which the 0-120-0bpm ‘Another Place Another Time (Club Mix)‘ still remains the only other DJ chart-returned track … Kym Mazelle’s next single, on December 27, will be her reading of Jean Carn’s classic ‘Was That All It Was‘, to be creatively marketed in remixes by David Morales, Les Adams and Judge Jules … Loose Ends manager Tony Hall is representing the hot Ontario based Bigshot Records here (on 01-437 1958) … Tony Jenkins. the club entrepreneur whose Funktion helped start nearly 10 years ago the whole moveable venue one-niter club scene, now not only is linking up with brewers Bass-Charrington to launch a planned chain of ‘music specialist’ wine bars (featuring live DJs every night. with the aim of being either ideal pre-club meeting places or even, on areas where the night life is found to be wanting, actual alternatives to clubs, the first Middlesex venue opening soon as Up West), but also is part owner of North-East London’s new Blenheim studio complex … Luton’s burgeoning entrepreneur Tim Raidl not only is setting up his own DJ 4 DJ record label as an outlet for the Mix Connection DJ team, but also is separately a partner (on the production/A&R side) in the local Soul Sense record shop’s label of the same name – the latter is looking for house and street groove (rather than rap) demos at Soul Sense Records, 16 Stuart Street, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 2SL … Brian Wolland has taken over as club promotions manager – and is expanding the DJ mailing list – at International Radio Promotions, 112 Talbot Road, London W11 1JR (01-727 3458), who since the spring have plugged for such as Mistri, LaKim Shabazz, The Dismasters, Cybotron, Omar and Kelly Charles … DJ/promotions manager Danny Lee of Upminster based Academy Teenage Nightclubs, travelling around council owned venues playing to a total membership of 12,000 under-18’s (a significant slice of the singles buying market), offers recording artistes an unusual and cheap method of personally plugging their music, or putting over any other message they want (like “Hey kids, stay cool, stay off drugs”), all for the price of just two telephone calls – call him first on 04022-21536 and he will give you the ’01-‘ number of an answering machine on which to record whatever you wish to say, which will then be turned into a jingle, edited and sampled as appropriate, to accompany your latest release at all the club gigs … John ‘Nick’ Osborne, who jocks at Purley’s Cinderellas Rockerfellas, is also promoting the upfront new Dancefloor Records shop at 463 Streatham High Road (right opposite Les Adams’ old venue, The Sussex), where he’s starting a 15 per cent DJ discount service for card holding regular customers, and a mail order services (details of both schemes on 01-679 5579) … DJ Paul Oakenfold, as well as being the driving force behind the group Electra, launches his own PerfectO Records label with the re-release of Izit ‘Stories’ here, and confirms that, as the hot Italian remix was in fact unauthorised and not very well recorded, the new punningly titled ‘I’ve A Novella Mix’ is indeed a UK re-recording – but the Italian version is on the flip anyway, as the Stories Mix … Paul Oakenfold it was, with Nancy Noise, who sowed the seeds of the Balearic movement (and the current ‘whitening’ of dance music) nearly three years ago at Streatham’s The Project at Zigi’s, before moving two years and one month ago to Future at Charing Cross’s Heaven, where, with Terry Farley too, on Thursday (30) they mark this oddly lopsided anniversary by way of a mid-evening private party … Trevor Fung and Ian B specialise in Belgian ‘hardbeat’ on Evolution Tuesdays at London Leicester Square’s Maximus … Digger Elias and colleagues, on the other hand, present swing beat (plus purple and hip hop) on Bounced Wednesdays at Mayfair’s Legends … New Age Dance has a future sounds policy with New York DJ Dave Piccioni, raver G.G. Rider and MC Noise on D.A.T. (Digital Audio Transmission) Thursdays at 53 Berwick Street in Soho … DJ Pretty Cool spins nothin’ but the best dance music every Wednesday at Warrington’s Olivers, in the city centre there. IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL

LISA STANSFIELD ‘Affection’ (Arista 210 379)
The Rochdale soulstress’s superb solo album is still very much a Blue Zone recording, being co-created and produced by her colleagues Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, apart from the Coldcut produced old joyfully cantering 0-123¼bpm ‘This Is The Right Time’, the set’s standout being widely acclaimed as the sweetly crooned steadily jogging 96bpm ‘Sincerity’, but also extremely classy are the Marvin Gaye ‘What’s Going On’-style 111bpm ‘Live Together‘, briskly bounding 125bpm ‘What Did I Do To You?‘, swaying jiggly wailing 100bpm ‘You Can’t Deny It‘, lushly weaving 95⅛bpm ‘When Are You Coming Back?‘, chunkily jolting 0-104bpm ‘Mighty Love‘, wriggly shuffling 120bpm ‘The Love In Me‘, snappily lurching 104bpm ‘Poison‘, plus of course the chart topping sultry 100½bpm ‘All Around The World’.

ALYSON WILLIAMS ‘I Second That Emotion’ (Def Jam 655456 6)
Received rather late, this superb searingly wailed Smokey Robinson & The Miracles classic reviving jogger is duetted by Chuck Stanley, not that he’s easy to spot, the 0-91bpm J&M Emotional Club Remix, 90⅔bpm Gota 12” Remix and 91bpm J&M Instrumental Remix all jogging sultrily to Soul II Soul-type tempos. Continue reading “December 2, 1989: Lisa Stansfield, Alyson Williams, Record Mirror DJs survey”

BEATS & PIECES

BEN LIEBRAND has created an excellent 0-110¼-110⅓-114⅓-114¾-118-119¼bpm ‘The Megamix‘ of Luther Vandross oldies, sliding neatly through ‘Never Too Much/Sugar And Spice/I Really Didn’t Mean It/The Glow Of Love/Super Lady’, obviously to tie in with the current ‘Best Of Love’ compilation album but seemingly only available as an Epic single-sided promo (XPR 1466) … ‘The Look Of Love‘, the Soul II Soul/Smith & Mighty/Fresh 4/Sybil style pre-dating Wild Bunch track mentioned last week, did come out here (as I rather thought) on the B-side of ‘Friends And Countrymen‘, the group’s last single before they disbanded (they weren’t “dropped”, as Ian Dewhirst mistakenly thought) — plus the (by now doubtless suddenly much in demand!) track is due out again on a ‘Soul In Darkness‘ Fourth & Broadway ballad compilation album … Fourth & Broadway, incidentally, have already snapped up here the sizzling Mondeé Oliver ‘Stay Close’ … Toney D’Addezio, whose recently reviewed ‘Housework’ is credited as being by his alter ego, Toney D & The Lovetrip Orchestra, is indeed Italian but has lived in Switzerland since he was tiny, based in Berne where he jocks at Babalu and owns both the Fantasy import record shop (“Switzerland’s best”) and Fantasy International Records label — ‘Housework’ is due again within the next two months as a vocal version featuring none other than Arnold Jarvis, retitled as ‘I Want To Have Your Love‘ … Sybil’s album, perhaps surprisingly (or maybe not, considering the deserved plugs she’s had on ‘The Hit Man And Her’ recently!), will be out here on PWL Records rather than Champion, as will be ‘Don’t Make Me Over’s follow up ‘Walk On By’ … US Warner Bros vice president Benny Medina took a select few of the Prestatyn weekender crew to dinner at Bodysgallen Hall near Llandudno (on my recommendation, the best haute cuisine restaurant in North Wales!), where he revealed that the upcoming Quincy Jones album includes every vintage of performer from Siedah Garrett and Heavy D to Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald in tracks which document and encapsulate the development of black music during his lifetime — and on one totally acappella track Quincy beats out a rhythm on the metal plate inserted into his skull during an old operation, to the scatting accompaniment of such as Bobby McFerrin and Al Jarreau! … Paul Simpson ‘Walk Away From Love’ on its commercial pressing is flipped also by the Candi Staton featuring old 113bpm You Got The Love Mix of ‘Musical Freedom’ … ZTT which originally stood for Zang Tumb Tumb appear to have reverted to simply Zang for their 808 State release … Twin Hype ‘For Those Who Like To Groove’ is flipped by the sombre 92⅓-0bpm ‘Lyrical Rundown‘, while the Quartz remix’s original 12-inch repeating B-side makes the less spacious Original Mix now 0-118⅓bpm and the sparse bumpily chugging ‘R – U – Ready’ 122½bpm … Izit’s UK B-side to the ‘Stories’ remake has the initially sparser 0-93⅛bpm Jackanory Mix and “you gotta feel the music in your gut, get up and move your butt” muttering 93bpm Stories Mix … Looney Tunes ‘Just As Long As I Got You’ on its XL Recordings UK pressing, as well as the 121bpm Warehouse Rave Remix, has the 121bpm Brooklyn Club Mix, (0-)122bpm Original Version and 120⅔bpm Bones Breaks … Paradise Orchestra’s B-side mixes of ‘Satisfy Your Dream’ are the trickily spurting 119½-0bpm Magic Fly Mix and 0-119¼-0bpm Percappella … Keith Thompson’s jerkily jumping (and now accurately calculated) 119¾-117½bpm Trenchtown Rock Mix of ‘Can’t Take It’ is flipped by the different 117¾bpm Raggamuffin House Mix and stuttery 119¾-120⅓bpm Jerk House Style Mix … Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King ‘Day To Day’ in its Dance Mix, on closer examination, should be a nit-picking 106-105¾bpm, the other dubs and edits all being about that too … ‘(There’ll Be A) Better Day’ in its Original Mix is now 118½bpm on Julian Jonah’s remix pressing … Sublevel’s much longer and emptier also Basement Boys created B-side Original Dance Mix of the Andrea Holdclaw wailed ‘Don’t Blame Me’ is a slower 117-117⅔-117½bpm — that I think, and trust, gets us up to date with all the additional tracks and mixes on previously reviewed singles which I had no time to calculate in full when new … BBC Radio Lancashire’s very listenable soul show presenter Gary Hickson and expatriate Merseysider Jon Williams are guest jocks with Desa at Birkenhead’s next The Defhouse on Monday (27) … Steve Poindexter’s ‘Computer Madness‘, a 127½bpm house track from a US Muzique Records 12-inch reviewed back in June, never hit The Club Chart but is getting sustained action up north, especially in the north-east — could it be the next ‘The Theme’? … TV coverage of the Berlin Wall has been especially fascinating considering that most of the action has been centred on the Brandenburg Gate, only a few hundred yards from the Tempodrom where just over two months earlier BCM Records had held their three day Summer Dance Festival, during which I walked around (and photographed extensively) the whole length of the wall that has received most attention … IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

---

HOT VINYL

SOUL II SOUL ‘Get A Life (Club Mix)’ (10 Records TENX 284)
Out commercially next week. this typical sneakily unemphatic jiggly rambling 101bpm jogger offsets Jazzie’s philosophical husky muttering with his cousin Marcia Lewis’s vocal refrain and even some background kiddie chorus by 15 of his nephews and nieces, using basically the same backing track as the flip’s long promised and now remixed also 101bpm autobiographically muttered ‘Jazzie’s Groove (New Version)‘ (instrumental Piano Version and 100⅞bpm Bonus Beats too), but perhaps it’s not quite punchy enough a ‘song’ to be as big a crossover hit in the coming month as it might have been at a less fiercely competitive time of the year. An apparently unreleased remix of ‘Back To Life’ will couple another subsequently marketed pressing, note.

MONDEÉ OLIVER ‘Stay Close’ (US Gherkin Records GKE 1055)
Causing a huge stir, this Larry ‘Mr Fingers’ Heard mixed late Seventies jazz-funk flavoured speedily pulsing but unhurried girl doodled 126½bpm weaving and wriggling floater — in “Fingers” Club and Short Vocals, Renegade Philly Dub and Piano Winelight instrumentals – has the haunting atmosphere of a ‘Pacific State’ and is sure to shoot up The Club Chart.

THE CHIMES ‘Heaven (Heavy Club)’ (CBS 655432-6)
This excellent joyously soulful Chaka Khan-ish wailer has now been promoed on two separate pressings, the first (XPR 1467) with a superior funky drum and tambourine wriggled 112½bpm Peter Hinds mix flipped by Frankie Foncett’s more drily thrumming stark 113¼bpm Attack Vocal Club Mix, and the second (XPR 1473) with the group’s own emptier more dubwise piano jangled jolting 112⅔bpm The Chimes Remix flipped by another, again drum and tambourine driven though less mellow than before, 0-112⅓-0bpm Peter Hinds Remix … and it’s this latter Hinds mix which for some reason turns out to be the above billed commercial A-side, flipped in turn by yet another new striding 1121/2-0bpm Alternative 12″ Mix by Hinds, plus the previously unheard very stark minimal bass thumped slow weaving mournful though happily worded 713/4bpm ‘So Much In Love (Extended Demo Version)’. Continue reading “November 25, 1989: Soul II Soul, Mondeé Oliver, The Chimes, F.P.I. Project/Rich In Paradise, E.V.O.E.”