James Hamilton's Disco Page

BEATS & PIECES

It’s interesting to note that the “Soul II Soul effect” is bringing dance tempos back down to such an extent that in The Club Chart’s Top 20 last week there were 12 hits all slower than 115bpm, most of them (and all the biggest ones) a lot slower . . . Paul Oakenfold has done a legal remix of the old Red Box ‘Enjoy’ for East West release, coupled by the currently bootlegged original B-side which has been so much in demand . . . Jonathan Richardson and Terry Farley of Boys’ Own have formed P.O.P. Promotions (standing for ‘Pieces Of Plastic’ — like it!), and are topping up their DJ mailing list at 249/251 Kensal Road, London W10 5DG (01-968 8459) . . . Andrew Wood has just sold his successful independent Power Promotions (operating one of the more effective mailing lists) to assume a corporate role instead, taking over from Nigel Webb running club promotions for BMG (which includes RCA, Arista and Motown) . . . Edinburgh’s Bill Grainger points out that, while he may be busy with Big Fun, he is still running his own First Class promotion service for Scottish and Northern Ireland DJs, currently mailing PWL Records product amongst others . . . Andrew ‘Komix’ Komis is managed only outside North America by Best Beat Music . . . Stockport’s new (though off air for six years, previously pirate) incremental radio station KFM 104.9FM as part of its recent launch celebrations relayed live a normal night’s jollifications from Offerton’s Hamiltons, whose DJ Tim Howard now co-hosts the station’s Saturday 3-6pm dance show . . . Mike Pickering makes his third trip to Cork this Thursday (8), guesting at Greg D’s regular Sweat night in Sir Henry’s . . . Nigel Thomas’s monthly modern Sounds Of Soul night should be at Nantwich’s Cheshire Cat this Thursday, too . . . Ubiquity II at Brighton’s Zap Club next Wednesday (14) offers individualists both Push and Choice Exact playing live funk, a PA by local hero Norman Cook’s Beats International, DJs Shem ‘Streets Ahead’ — guess where half Record Mirror’s staff are likely to be that night! . . . Gee St Records have started a weekly Saturday club night at the City Of London’s Turnmills, conveniently just down the Clerkenwell Road from their HQ in Gee Street (which really exists!) . . . Blackburn’s DJ IMC (Ian McIntyre) has been jocking in Europe but is back in the groove at Rochdale’s Fatsoe’s Fridays and Middleton’s Hippo’s Saturdays . . . DJ Miller (The Killer) — real name Kevin —has split from Ipswich’s Hoofers to start an upfront and underground Saturday at Woodbridge’s The Slam (possibly undergoing a name change), with jazz and rare groove Sundays . . . Rusty Egan’s latest invitation club night is Gold on Fridays at Kensington’s The Park, with DJs Noel Watson and Carl Cox plus guests . . . Chris Hill thought he had retired from DJing (he’s busy enough as a partner in the Ensign label on which Sinead O’Connor is currently so hot) but, following his successful return (about every third Saturday) to his legendary Canvey Goldmine haunt of the Seventies, soon starts also on Tuesdays at Dartford’s Zen (as Flicks has become) and on Thursdays at Ealing’s Broadway Boulevard, playing left field soul ancient and modern . . . New York’s Dave Piccioni plus other jocks like Kid Batchelor, DJ Tee and Keith Franklin, along with further guests and MCs, create Confusion:Bass 9T Sundays at London Shaftesbury Avenue’s Shaftesbury’s . . . Tony Christian, assistant head DJ, wants to get the message through to the locals that Croydon’s previously middle of the road Cinatra’s (sic) has woken up to the dance groove of the Nineties! . . . Dr. Baker ‘Kaos’ (Danish Coma Records COMA 127 001), Kenneth Baker’s 1988-style cut-up reviewed last week, is indeed in six sometimes messily edited mixes, confusingly only differentiated by (mostly quite accurate) timing-like numbers, the HIP-Side having 5:36 (126¾-127bpm), 4:18 and (actually a much shorter 3:26!) 5:12 (127-126¾bpm), the HOT-Side having 5:02 (118¼-118½bpm), 5:46 and its own (accurate!) 5:12 (128bpm) . . . Casa Nero’s commercial pressing will be flipped by a more tightly remixed ‘Ain’t No Acid in This House’ . . . Habit ‘Fly Like An Eagle’, recently reviewed off white label, turns out to be remixed by Bruce Forest & Robin Hancock . . . DJ Kid Smurf tips that Depth Charge ‘Bounty Killers’ played at 45rpm and vari-speeded down on an SL 1200 to run at between -1 and -3 becomes an “excellent hardcore hiphouse techno track” . . . KICKIN’!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton and Paul Oakenfold

JUNGLE BROTHERS ‘What “U” Waitin’ “4”? (Jungle Fever Mix)’ (109bpm) (Eternal W9865T, via WEA)
Waiting to explode when out fully next week, this jauntily chugging rap is now driven in CJ Mackintosh’s killer remix by a beefy combination of People’s Choice ‘Do It Any Way You Wanna’ beat and Salsoul Orchestra ‘Ooh I Love It’ strings and brass, while his all new more, percussively shuffling C. Jungle, C. Jungle (108¾bpm) — a wordplay on his initials — ends with some Maceo Parker ‘Soul Power’ sax, and Tony Humphries’ hollow booming Love Ride And Orchestra Mix (109¾bpm) joins the JBs’ own bumpily tapping ‘J. Beez Comin’ Through (Remix)‘ (102½bpm) on the flip.

MC B. featuring DAISY DEE ‘This Beat Is Technotronic (Uptown Mix)’ (124½bpm) (Big One VVBIG 20)
Just what the world was waiting for, a German carbon copy of the Technotronic sound! At least they have the honesty to admit, repeatedly, that that’s what it is in the title line of this Holland based (and apparently Paris Grey discovered) 19 years old American/Brazilian girl’s Ya Kid K-type word spitting simple galloper, flipped by its Rebel MC punctuated High Level Mix and the Portuguese accented but this time Italian house copying magpie type ‘Musquash‘ (124bpm).

BOBBY KONDERS’ HOUSE RHYTHMS ‘The Poem’ (120bpm) (US Nugroove NG 038)
Continuing the current New York trend for EP-type multi-track 12-inchers (this one having actual toons, though), Bobby Konders’ Peter Daou keyboarded instrumental six-tracker is hottest for this Benjamin Zephaniah black poetry introed then jazzily trilling loper, but has also the electronically fluttering ambient African chanting ‘Massai Women‘ and its more twittery ‘Dub Massai Style (Mark’s Mix)‘ (119¾bpm), the title line repeating urgent ‘Let There Be House‘ (124bpm), bassily striding ‘Version‘ (120bpm), and twittery twizzling ‘Nervous Acid‘ (119½bpm). Continue reading “March 10, 1990: “The “Soul II Soul effect” is bringing dance tempos back down””

BEATS & PIECES

OLIMAX & DJ SHAPPS’ excellent but still hard to find remix of ‘Saturday Love’ is suddenly about to go “overground” in a big way, having been picked up for full release in a fortnight by Tabu (655 800) — who will, however, be crediting it as being by Cherrelle & Alexander O’Neal (which seems reasonable enough in the circumstances!), as a prelude to the relaunch of Cherrelle’s old album . . . Steve Ripley, remembered by older DJs as the award winning one-time club plugger at CBS, is once again assembling a fully fledged in-house dance music marketing department for all the CBS/Epic labels . . . Greater London’s first ‘incremental’ local radio station, JAZZ-fm comes on air formally at 6am this Sunday, March 4, but is already running a continuous test transmission on 102.2FM . . . Jon Williams, mixing really upfront Eurobeat at Mayfair’s Wall Street on Dilly Daily Thursdays and Red Square Saturdays, tips that Dave Pearce will be among the KISS-fm presenters come August . . . Chad Jackson, never busier, is remixing ‘The 900 Number’ — after all this time — to make it a virtually new track although still under The 45 King’s name . . . Soul II Soul’s ‘A Dream’s A Dream‘ is due as their sixth single in March, featuring ‘Glamazon’ Victoria Wilson-James (the first signing to their own new record company) . . . ffrr have now signed the previously limited edition, 800 pressings only, Orbital ‘Chime‘ for wider release . . . Mercury have for some reason only just fully released Adventures of Stevie V ‘Dirty Cash (Money Talks)‘, promoed since late October and in The Club Chart clear through November/December . . . K.Tronics Ensemble ‘House Of Calypso‘ is due for reissue as a remix to cater for continued demand around Manchester . . . Shep Pettibone’s chunkily shuffling Soul II Soul-ish 12-inch Remix, Dub, Instrumental, and more typically pop accented swingbeat-ish 12-inch Extended Mix of Madonna ‘Keep It Together’ (US Sire 0-21427), reviewed without BPMs last week by Norman, are all fractionally around 104¾bpm, while DJ Mark The 45 King and co-producer Stephen Bray’s different drily drummed rolling 12-inch Mix and Bonus Beats are fractionally around 103¼bpm . . . A Tribe Called Quest ‘I Left My Wallet In El Segundo’ (US Jive 1300-1-JD), the often raggamuffin accented mildly amusing story telling slow rap also recently reviewed by Norman, is in different lethargic Feature Length (89½bpm), and drums rumbled Talkie (97¾bpm) and Silent (99bpm) treatments, flipped on translucent green vinyl by the really funny ‘Pubic Enemy‘ (not a misprint!) in ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ bassed Saturday Night Virus Discomix (108bpm), and “scratch it” punctuated Talkie and Silent (109bpm) treatments — and treatment is what the fellah needs! . . . Chris Checkley and Louise Chantrell at CT Records (01-229 7329) reckon they’ve built such a good mailing list of 100 top DJs as a result of publicity in Record Mirror that they’re prepared to do independent club promotion for other labels! . . . Shoeburyness’s enterprising Ian Bunker (0702-297876) has become the UK and European representative for Chicago’s House Nation Records, Subculture, Hillbilly House, Hot Mix 5 Inc, StreetSide Records and other associated labels . . . Big Beat label producer Andrew ‘Komix’ Komis is now managed internationally by Neil Rushton’s Birmingham based Best Beat Music, alongside the likes of Kevin Saunderson, ‘Magic Juan’ Atkins and Derrick ‘Mayday’ May . . . Matthew Roberts, with Gary Jones and guests on Eclipse Wednesdays at Chester’s Rendezvous or alone on Xtra Large Mondays at Wrexham’s Cotton Club, is offering good money for top class PAs, live acts and guest DJs (0978-751499 after 5pm) . . . KISS-fm’s latest, 7th Record Fair is once again at Highgate’s Jacksons Lane Community Centre this Sunday (4) between 10am-4pm, rare groove collecting fanatics being advised to get there early before the goodies are gone . . . Epsom’s Diamond Duel record shop manager and renowned 6T’s pioneering DJ, Tony Rounce, is taking over from Nick Gordon Brown running the Impulse Promotions DJ mailing list . . . Breakout are promoting the re-release of ‘Love Together’ by circulating pairs of L.A. Mix emblazoned white cotton sports socks! . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton and Jay Strongman

QUEEN LATIFAH & DE LA SOUL ‘Mama Gave Birth 2 The Soul Children (Extended Vocal)’ (107½bpm) (Gee Street GEE T26)
Due commercially next week but not surprisingly huge already on white label, the Princess Of The Posse’s hottest album track is now excitingly remixed by CJ Mackintosh & John Waddell to become much more beefily chugging in the guesting De La Soul’s style than it was on LP, flipped by alternative The Secondary and instrumental The Primary Mixes (107¾bpm), a surefire smash.

A’ME LORAIN ‘Whole Wide World (Wingate 12″ House Remix)’ (104½bpm) (RCA PT 49294)
This remorseless bass thumped and piano jangled jiggly ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’-ish lurcher and its less vocal Wingate House Dub Remix are not surprisingly the treatments that eventually attracted UK attention to last autumn’s US ‘True Love’ movie tune, rather than its Paula Abdul-ish squeakily juddering Elliot Wolff 12-inch (105bpm) pop version, rightly relegated to the flip now it’s out here.

SEDUCTION ‘Free Your Body (It’s Time To Get Hip House)’ (120½bpm) (Breakout USAF679)
Less to do with Seduction as a girl group and more to do with them as an outlet for producers Clivilles & Cole, this guys rapped and samples studded hip house import coupling of ‘Heartbeat’ has proved so hot in its own right that it’s been added to the UK re-release of the girls’ US smash ‘Two To Make It Right’, the latter now just in catchily chanted vigorously jittering Latin hip hop The Club Mix (115-115¼bpm) and alternative bassily rumbling instrumental The House Dub (121bpm) treatments. Continue reading “March 3, 1990: Queen Latifah & De La Soul, A’me Lorain, Seduction, J.T. And The Big Family, Beat System”

BEATS & PIECES

LISA STANSFIELD, in full live concert for the very first time anywhere, is confirmed as the star attraction at Livewire Promotions’ four day (April 13-16) Easter weekender at Prestatyn, where (with more names to be confirmed) other attractions will include an appearance by David Peaston, the Soul II Soul DJ crew including Jazzie B, Jazzie Q and Aitch B, two guest KISS-fm jocks, and the addition of Simon Dunmore to the legendary regular DJ team in order to strengthen the soul front, which will be re-emphasised with probably a room of its own (bookings/enquiries on 01-364 1212) . . . March 30-April 1, however, boasts two earlier weekenders, Upnorth Promotions’ sixth musically orientated ‘Blackpool’ event being actually at Southport this time with deep soul star attractions David Sea, Garland Green and Jesse James plus probable rap and jazz acts along with DJs like Tim Westwood, Colin Curtis, Richard Searling, Bob Masters, Simon Dunmore, Bob Jones, Norman Jay, Hutchy, Sylvester, Billy Davison, Ian Clark and many more (bookings/enquiries on 091-389 0317), while KAOS Weekends’ latest rave at Great Yarmouth features DJs Pete Tong, Nicky Holloway, Graeme Park, Mike Pickering, Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, Jazzy M, Andy Weatherall, Johnny Walker, Fat Tony, Fabio, Phil Perry, Alfredo and Steve Bicknell (credit card bookings on 01-364 1666, enquiries on 01-392 2922) . . . Arthur Baker And The Backbeat Disciples’ Silly Games’, in its Bonesbreak and Hacienda Club Mixes (reviewed last week), turns out on commercial pressings to be only the B-side coupling for the John Warren sung pop radio-aimed ‘Last Thing On My Mind‘ . . . Kath Canoville is currently updating the club and pirate DJ mailing lists at Nation Records, 19 All Saints Road, London W11 1HE (01-792 8167), with several “World Dance Fusion” releases in the pipeline . . . Edinburgh’s Ian Robertson and Alan Gibson hope to follow in the footsteps of Bill Grainger (now busy managing Big Fun) by setting up a new promotional mailing list (product sources unspecified at the moment) just for DJs in Scotland and Northern Ireland, Dance Department, PO Box 700, NWDO, Edinburgh EH4 4UL (031-551 2477/3025 or Fax 031-555 1010) . . . Northern Ireland’s Charlie Dickson does a rundown of Record Mirror’s Club Chart during his Saturday 3.30-7pm show on Radio WABC 101.7fm (“the only station in Ireland playing the chart that matters!”), right after which he jocks live at Portstewart’s The Anchor Club . . . Tongue ‘N’ Cheek appear with DJ David RB and MC A.W.I. from the Trax Production Posse (TPP) next Wednesday (28) at Soho’s Jacqueline’s in Wardour Street . . . “Up here in Manchester you have the choice of either Hard House or Hip Hop, fair enough but there is more to life!” — so says Greg Fenton, who with Justin Robertson and guest DJs hosts the Euro/Balearic Sunday night members only Spice at Manchester Piccadilly’s The Cavern . . . Torquay’s DJ Jay has started a specialist “dance music” evening on Sundays at Teignmouth’s newly refitted Bugsy B’s . . . Earth, Wind & Fire have teamed up with The Boys and — yup — gone swingbeat for the upcoming ‘Heritage‘ (103½bpm) . . . Falkirk’s Brian (DJ Baz) Sneddon (looking for gigs on Larbert 557437) rightly reckons that Fourth & Broadway should remix in 1990 house style, or at the very least just re-release, the still influential Wally Badarou ‘Chief Inspector‘ . . . Alan Coulthard’s latest remix for the Music Factory subscription service is an Olimax & DJ Shapps rivalling new version of Indeep’s ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’, speeded up to 120bpm although the vocals retain their original pitch . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton and Norman Cook

MADONNA ‘Keep It Together’ (Norman Cook)

MANTRONIX ‘This Should Move Ya’ (Capitol EST 2117)
Featuring his new (sometimes foul mouthed) rapper Bryce Luvah, Curtis Mantronik’s latest eagerly awaited album has the JB beats jiggled sinuous ‘(I’m) Just Adjustin’ My Mic’ (99¾bpm), chatting also JB funked ‘This Should Move Ya‘ (108½bpm), Sixties piano prodded smutty ‘Stone Cold Roach‘ (105bpm), jittery new jack swing ‘I Like The Way (You Do It!)‘ (109¾bpm), Ian Dury’s now rap adapted ‘Sex-N-Drugs And Rock-N-Roll‘ (109¾bpm), P’funkily rolling ‘I Get Lifted‘ (97¾bpm), sombrely scratching ‘Get Stupid Part IV (Get On Up ’90)‘ (98¾bpm), Todd Terry-ish churning hip house ‘Don’t You Want More‘ (118bpm), Isleys scream punctuated chugging ‘Tonight Is Right‘ (118¾bpm), and Wondress wailed smash ‘Got To Have Your Love‘ (105¾bpm).

FOSTER McELROY ‘Around The World In Eighty Beats’ (Norman Cook) Continue reading “February 24, 1990: Mantronix, Sweet Exorcist, Fine Young Cannibals, Vandal, Quartz featuring Steps”

BEATS & PIECES

Ever been had? ‘So What’, the Italo house hit previously credited as by (E’-AlorrA), supposedly on an Italian Dischi Dovero label, in an outrageously cunning and successful scam masterminded by Cooltempo for Chrysalis distributed Dover Records turns out to be an instrumental version of the new single by none other than Gilbert O’Sullivan (I suppose the matrix number GOSSX should have been a hint)! … Princess Ivori ‘Wanted’, now sizzling on scarce single-sided UK promo, was in fact imported on Popular way back around a year ago, but “came and went” at the time, according to helpful Terry Davis at Balham’s Record Corner … Olimax & DJ Shapps’ brilliant ‘Saturday Love’ mix, hard to find on white label since the autumn, has finally had a wider release titled as ‘Feelin’ Love’ (still 122½bpm) on T.D. Records, Inc (TD 108) … Kariya’s ‘Let Me Love You For Tonight’ is of course where the vocal quotes are from in Olimpia ‘You Want My Love’, reviewed last week … Rich Nice ‘The Rhythm, The Feeling’, my lead review last week, is 109¼bpm – missed out by an oversight after all that! … Silver Bullet ‘Bring Forth The Guillotine’ (Tam Tam Records TTT 013) has been reissued in its old Ben Chapman remixes (120bpm), but with a brand new Norman Cook remix soon to follow … Rumour Records have signed up Masters Of The Universe and will be rapidly reissuing the current ‘Space Talk’, coupled with ‘Check It Out’ now … The House Crew ‘All We Wanna Do Is Dance’ (reviewed last week and fully distributed from next week by Pacific) has been adopted as the anthem of the Freedom To Party campaign – which points out that Government moves to crack down on so-called “acid house” and warehouse parties (largely on account of the media hyped supposedly associated drug problem), if allowed to pass into law unopposed, could well knock on to prevent the playing of any type of music outside licence controlled premises and hours (and that includes at an innocent birthday party in your front room) … 94 of the UK’s top club jocks, in acknowledgement of his indirect influence on their careers, have between them gathered over 5,000 signatures so far for a petition to bring back Robbie Vincent’s soul show on Radio 1 … Capital Radio’s greatest asset, Peter Young has left to join the likes of Gilles Peterson and Jez Nelson at London’s new JAZZ-fm, on air March 4, doing a weekday 3-6pm jazz tinged soul/R&B show! … Diamond Time are extending their excellent continuously mixed monthly DiscEyes video compilations to three hours with specially edited movie trailer clips added to the end at no extra cost (subscription details, for professional use only, from Graham Gold on 01-483 4149) … Marie Birch, who wants those who might not otherwise recognise her to know she’s a fully recovered svelte brunette now following 14 months of serious illness, is back in the race running her new Impact Record Productions Ltd and previous PA’s Unlimited, building new mailing lists of club and radio DJs, specialist shops, and (those interested in booking personal appearances) entertainment managers at 363-365 Harrow Road, London W9 3NA (01-861 3953) … Beats International’s vocalist on ‘Dub Be Good To Me’, Lindy Layton not only used to be in TV’s “Grange Hill” but also is the girl from that Heinz spaghetti commercial, the one in which she’s just slurping her kid sister’s supper when her boyfriend is shown in by Mum … Mark Pogley and The Bean start a weekly upfront rave night this Friday (16) at Derby’s Zippy’s Lodge … Bob Masters anchors the new Freedom Fridays at Ladbroke Grove’s Subterrania, joined by two guests from a rolling rota of Jay Strongman, Bob Jones, Jeff Young, Gilles Peterson, Norman Jay and Simon Dunmore to spin an eclectic range of upfront cuts … Saturdays at Brixton’s Fridge currently star the Coldcut boys, Jonathan More & Matt Black, along with Ian B, Vicki Edwards and Jay Strongman – also quite a line-up! … Baby Ford will be headlining live with DJs Mike Pickering, ‘Evil’ Eddie Richards and Andrew Weatherall in four Saturdays’ time, March 10, at the monthly Decadence night in Kentish Town’s Town And Country Club, to be filmed by Thames TV (for screening in September, when it’s sure to seem up to date!) … Guru Josh, rather sooner, this Wednesday (14) is with Gary Oldis at Sunderland’s Chambers and on Sunday (18) visits Tony Cochrane’s latest regularly rammed Sweatbox rave alldayer at Dundee’s Destihls … Pete Haigh and Bob Jeffries are “Legal + Massive” at Glasgow’s Sub Club this Saturday (17) … Mike Knowler brings the rave sound of Liverpool’s legendary The State to Bootle’s Quadrant Park on Thursdays … Ket Shah reports from Tenerife that anyone taking winter hols there will find he, the Stewart Brothers, Steve and Alfie, and JB guarantee upfront music from around the world at the bars currently “doin’ the business”, Roxy’s, Bobby’s, Paradise Lost and Tramps … Syntonic Research (distributed at the time by Atlantic) was the best of several US labels which back in the early Seventies released series of albums with the whole of each side devoted to just one naturally recorded stereo effect (like dawn in a wood, dusk in a swamp, wind in high trees, gentle rain in a pine forest, blazing logs in a grate, thunder in the city), nearly all of which I collected should any budding ambient producers be interested! … ‘Sonic Seasonings’, a similar vintage double album on CBS by synthesiser pioneering Walter Carlos, however, contains the ultimate thunderstorm, midway through the side called ‘Spring’, great for clearing gigs that have gone on too long as it’s guaranteed to make all who hear it feel shivery and uncomfortable! … IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton and Norman Cook

MILLI VANILLI ‘All Or Nothing (US Megamix)’ (101½-100½bpm) (Cooltempo COOLX 199)
It’s back to jiggly half-steppin’ swingbeat (and sampled inserts from their and others’ oldies) for this consequently very typical jumpily syncopated jitterer, so much so that one can mentally picture their shinily shod twitchy feet in video close-up already, flipped by its more restrained US Remix (101½bpm) plus the moodily muttered and crooned slow ‘Dreams To Remember’ (106/53bpm).

A TRIBE CALLED QUEST ‘I Left My Wallet In El Segundo’ (Norman Cook)

BIG BOSS GROOVE ‘Sn—appiness’ (Norman Cook) Continue reading “February 17, 1990: Milli Vanilli, Innocence, M.C. Wildski, Gil Scott-Heron, Kicking Back with Taxman”

BEATS & PIECES

BEATS PER MINUTE are not easy to calculate accurately without spending time on them, which is why Record Mirror’s DJ readers have over the last 11 years grown to depend upon the consistent reliability of those featured in this column, to preserve the continuity of which from now on only the reviews by JH will incorporate the BPM, records reviewed by our guest reviewers (whose own individual calculations using different methods have proved rather inconsistent) being fully BPM-ed in The Club Chart if and when they hit it — so keep checking that, as ever! . . . Black Box ‘I Don’t Know Anybody Else’, reviewed last week on import, is rushed out here (de/Construction Records PT 43480) with its Melody Mix retitled as Sample Free Mix and House Club as Free Sample Mix (both still 121bpm) . . . Digital Underground ‘The Humpty Dance’ (103½bpm) is also out here (BCM Records BCM 364 X) . . . London’s biggest selling pre-release last week, the now Pink Floyd ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ melody overdubbed Innocence (featuring Gee Morris) ‘Natural Thing‘ (102¾bpm) made only a brief two week Club Chart appearance in its original mix on Collision last autumn . . . Princess lvori’s hot ‘Wanted‘, promoed here just in its original Jurgen Korduletsch mix, also exists in a rare Mantronix remix that only Tim Westwood seems to have obtained, so far — meanwhile, the original mix, plus the similarly promoed Out Of The Ordinary ‘Play It Again (The Los Ninos Remix)’, and seven other tracks of varying previous availability by Royal Delite, Cry Sisco, Logg, The Alliance, Technofusion, Catch 22, and Audio One have been compiled on a Supreme Records album tagged “the very best in upfront dance”, ‘Club It 90, Volume One‘ (CLUBLP 1) . . . Culture Beat ‘Der Erdbeermund’ here for some reason has its completely instrumental import B-side as UK A-side, relegating Jo Van Nelsen’s hauntingly atmospheric German muttering to the flip — however, he’s heard on Ben Liebrand’s brand new Spanish guitar picked and Bobby Byrd punctuated more rhythmically shuffling Magic Intro Mix (Epic 655633 8) and its slow intro lacking Magic Remix (117¾bpm), which latter UK B-side is again the A-side in Germany . . . Technotronic featuring Ya Kid K ‘Get Up! (Before The Night Is Over)’ has also been selling well in various David Morales remixes on two separate import pressings, an Italian one (New Music NMX 250) having his less urgent episodic Def Mix (123¾v bpm) plus the thumping, pumping Dance Action, Muted, Acappella and Instrumental Mixes (124bpm), while a better value US one (SBK V-19704) has his Def Mix and a Far East Mix (123¾bpm), the Album Version and 7-inch Edit (124bpm), plus his Techno Mix of ‘Pump Up The Jam’ (124¾bpm) . . . Eddie Gordon and Sue Jeoffroy (sic) will be looking after club promotion for the Atlantic, Ruthless, and Atco labels at the new East West division of WEA, while Fred Dove will continue servicing Warner Bros, Cold Chillin’ and Paisley Park product at the old parent company . . . DJs Pete Tong, Nicky Holloway, Danny Rampling and Paul Oakenfold, a heavyweight quartet of ‘Balearic’ founding fathers, declare now they’re going Back To Basics every Thursday at the Borderline, off London’s Charing Cross Road by Foyles . . . John Palmer has started upfront Sundays at Leicester’s Harveys . . . Breakers just below The Club Chart last week included Lonnie Gordon ‘Happenin’ All Over Again’, MC’s Logik ‘Peace & Unity (Remix)’, The House Crew ‘All We Wanna Do Is Dance’, Ben Mays ‘X-Rated’, 49ers ‘Touch Me (Hard-Core Remix)’, Princess Ivori ‘Wanted’, Louie Vega ‘Te Quiero’, Addis Posse ‘Let The Warriors Dance Retrip’, Fine Young Cannibals ‘I’m Not Satisfied’, Soft House Company ‘What You Need…’/’…A Little Piano’, Gwen Dickey ‘Wishing On A Star’, J.T Company ‘Don’t Deal With Us’ . . . Michael Jackson has bought a house in Santa Barbara, California, right next door to one just built and moved into by some friends of mine’s father — who, not unnaturally, is now worried about not only Wacko Jacko’s fans but also his menagerie! . . . IT’S SUCH A GOOD VIBRATION!

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HOT VINYL
Reviewed by James Hamilton, Simon Harris and Norman Cook

TODD 1’S BREAK BEATS ‘Volume 1’ (Norman Cook)

VARIOUS ARTISTS ‘Jam Breaks’ (Norman Cook)

DR MOUTHQUAKE ‘Love On Love’ (Simon Harris)

ICE T ‘You Played Yourself’ (Simon Harris)

PISCES ‘Take Me Higher’ (Simon Harris) Continue reading “February 10, 1990: Rich Nice, Olimpia, Lisa Lee, L.A. Mix, Titiyo”

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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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”