Go Bang Brighton 2008 to 2017: Disco

Showing posts with label Disco. Show all posts

Larry Levan Mix-Live At Red Fox NYC 1981

Hope you enjoy this, it's a good one too !!!

Larry Levan Mix - Live At Red Fox NYC 1981

DJ Marky-Bodytonic-Disco Mix

Brazilian drum and bass bod DJ Marky drops the bpms with a recent mix of disco and boogie influences.

As you would expect, it's a funky affair from Sao Paulo's finest musical export and one of the drum and bass scenes foremost selectors in recent times.

Next up, the mighty king of the "double drop" Andy C with a seriously happening balearic mix maybe?

We'll see.

DJ Marky's Bodytonic Disco Mix

Tim Rivers Music For Head Nodding

"This month Tim Rivers has come up with a great mix that encapsulates the ever growing musical bond between pitched down/deep house and disco"

New mix from Brighton and Hove based Tim Rivers as featured on his soundcloud site recently.

Every once in a while it's always a healthy option to give a nod to the dj's that are the backbone of our local scene here in Brighton.

This month Tim has come up with a great mix that encapsulates the ever growing musical bond between pitched down/deep house and disco that's currently enjoying a breathe of fresh air and timely attention.

Hope you like the gentle build up Tim provides on this one hour mix session.

Tim is now at long last getting some well deserved bookings here in Brighton, most recently at The Globe on Middle Street as well as teaming up with local crate digger Steve KIW in March for a night entitled Proper Balearic at Brighton's Fishbowl on East Street.

Great mix Tim, a very deserved addition to the mixes we've featured from the locals over the last twelve months, including

Tim's track list

01. Above Smoke – The Fix

02. Hot Toddy – I Need Love (Feat.Ron Basejam)

03. Super Value 5 – B2

04. 6th Borough Project – How can I show you

05. Tiger & Woods – Gin Nation

06. Mark E – Formed

07. Fatback – Keep on stepping (The Noodleman Edit)

08. Iilya Rudman – Call Me Tonight (Revenge Engaged Mix)

09. Frank Brooker – Get on

10. Grace Jones – Pull up to the Bumper (Remix)

GLAD TO KNOW YOU – Chaz Jankal by Affy

"Kilburn's guitarist Ed Speight convinces Jankel to return to the dressing room. In doing so, Jankel changed the course of Ian Dury's music and his life. Lo and behold the Blockheads are born"

Affy, the other half of the crew has taken time out from his international schedule of hanging out in various late night hotspots and record stores to share his musical thoughts.

This month Chaz Jankal gets the once over and props from a very eloquent Mr Wajid.

If you hadn’t noticed there appears to be an Ian Dury revival at the moment what with the release of his biopic Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll. If you haven’t seen the film, see it. Andrew Serkis is amazing in the title role of our Ian and faithfully portrays the character warts and all.

There is a scene that faithfully records the first time Dury met his songwriting partner, Chaz Jankel. It is May 1976 and the singer has just hobbled off stage after a particularly ramshackle London pub gig with his band of bedraggled misfits, Kilburn & the High Roads. The young, clean-cut Jankel strolls into the dressing room, grinning widely, and introduces himself. "Do I know you?" asks Dury, fixing him with a malevolent stare. "No," replies Jankel, still grinning. "Well do us a favour then," barks Dury, "and fuck off!"

Kilburn's guitarist Ed Speight convinces Jankel to return to the dressing room. In doing so, Jankel changed the course of Ian Dury's music and his life. Lo and behld the Blockheads are born.

There is no refuting the musical genius that was Ian Dury, but the Blockheads were much more then just him. What a shame if the young Chaz Jankel took Ian’s eloquent advice and just “fucked off”. The Blockheads would have lost its co- producer and its funk soul!

I came to the Blockheads in a back to ‘funk’ manner. Didn’t really care for their stuff apart from the instrumental of ‘Hit Me’. I remember lying in my bedroom at the age of 9 listening to Radio Luxenburg on a Sunday night and the DJ played the special disco edit of the track. That got me interested for it’s 7 minute duration, but once I heard it was an overground pop act, I stopped listening.

It wasn’t until I got in to my 80’s soul boy thing a few years later that I got listening to Chaz Jankel’s stuff and realised the disco funk genius was behind all the groove undertones of the Blockheads.

Chaz appeared on such releases as 1977 new ‘Boots and Panties’, ‘Hit Me’, ‘Do It Yourself’, before leaving the group. But in ’81 Jankel teamed up with Dury (sans the Blockheads) for the release Lord Upminster and the huge Loft classic Spasticus Auticus. However, the stuff that got my disco glands swelling was his solo stuff.

He had several releases for A&M such as the self-titled debut ‘Chasannova” and one of my all time faves ‘Questionnaire’ which contained the huge Paradise Garage anthem ‘Glad to Know You’and ‘Your’re My Occupation’. Even Quincy Jones gets in on the Jankel act, releasing ‘Ai no Corrida’. It’s actually released twice, once with Chaz and once with Quincy on vocals but no real musical difference.

Whilst Ian is hitting the headlines at the mo, our Chaz is also hitting the underground airwaves and has been gaining significant interest in his own right. His previous tracks have hit the attention one of our faves labels – Tirk who are currently churning out a load of re-mastered and remixed Jankel gems. The extensive back catalogue was originally penned in for release under Strut. When they went under, in stepped Tirk resurrecting the classic disco funk classics for the disco re-edit fraternity.

Attached are the Frommage remix of “You’re my Occupation” which builds up to the gorgeous 80’s vocal hook

I have included the original of ‘Get Myself Together’ just so that you can gauge how good he really is, unadulterated.

Questionnaire has added been added more dance floor impact by sensitively bringing up to speed. I think the remix has lost some of the original ‘quirkiness’ but has dance floor impact firmly set in its sights. His tracks a tweaked for the dubby dance floor - particularly Todd Terje’s remix of ’Glad to Know You’, pitched for slow bass heavy pounding. Wait for the piano solo to kick in. Genius. Glad to be re-acquainted I'm sure!

Check out the interview with Chaz a while back on Resident Advisor

New Skool Retro House

"Signaling the continued piano house revival both DJ Ulysses and John Selway have provided a cool release that continues the tradition of great house music by keeping everything simple on this new skool retro piano house groover"

New skool retro house music from The Neurotic Drum Band with Robotic Hypnotic Adventure aka DJ Ulysses and John Selway on US imprint Wurst.

Signaling the continued piano house revival both DJ Ulysses and John Selway have provided a cool release that continues the tradition of great house music by keeping everything simple on this new skool retro piano house groover.

Previously known as Wurst Edits, the label is now going to move into releasing original material which you'll find more information about through a recent Resident Advisor article regarding the subtle change in musical direction.

Great to hear this style of music gaining ground and appearing alongside today's house orientated disco releases once again.

Purchase

Juno Download
Juno Records
Boomkat
Phonica

West End Records and Paradise Garage Celebration

"West End Records not only defined New York City dance floors, but influenced DJ's and dancers worldwide during the late Seventies and early Eighties"

When you think of disco, you think of REAL disco. Not the mutated creature it became in the pop charts, but the black gay disco variety that typified a generation and became the soundtrack to a political civil rights movement. The connoisseurs of disco will think of the clubs that celebrated it, such as Xenon, The Saint, Circus, The Funhouse, the Continental Baths, The Gallery, the Loft, Studio 54 and the Paradise Garage. All of them celebrated black music, all of them were predominately gay and the majority of them catered for a black and Hispanic audience, with the exception of Studio 54 and The Saint.

The holy-grail, the Mecca of disco has to be the Paradise Garage. Those who were lucky enough to go there wax lyrical of how amazing the space was and what a DJ deity its resident god Larry Levan was. And those of us who never got there or were not old enough to walk up its ramp know someone who has or knew someone’s uncle’s mother’s brother who stood in the middle of the hallowed ground to experience it themselves. A bit like an urban legend that you hoped was true but you were never quite sure it ever was. Well, certainly not in the way it was portrayed.

However, proof of the undeniable legendary status of Paradise Garage is the record label that encapsulated it’s sound. West End Records not only defined New York City dance floors, but influenced DJ's and dancers worldwide during the late Seventies and early Eighties.

West End was established in December 1976 by Mel Cheren and Ed Kushins. The legendary Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan worked closely with the label helping them to create their sound. The label was one of those things that just happened with West End being born out of the need for Mel and Ed to secure their future as the label they both worked on, Sceptre Records, was closing down.

Mel had been the Head of Production for Sceptre and was seen, by many in the music industry, as responsible for giving birth to the disco era. He was key in pushing black soul music in a predominately white industry. He was also responsible for putting the instrumental version of the song on the B-side of Sceptre's singles.

For this new idea Sceptre won Billboard's Trend Setter Of The Year Award. Besides this and even more importantly he created the first 12" single! He was still at Sceptre and as he says himself; "The idea came from Tom Moulton, because he suggested that if we put the record on 12" we could spread the grooves and make it hotter for the club DJ's. We were the first company to put it out for DJ's. SalSoul put their first 12" record out at about the same time on commercial with "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure. That's how it came about to the fact that you could spread the grooves and make it hotter than in the 45 records."

West End Records was a reduction of all these achievements, completely focused on delivering and developing what came to typify disco music and the future shape of dance music as we know it today.

Even the name of the label reeks of royal disco heritage. The name being born from the location of their office, which was located close to Broadway in Manhattan's theatre district - the West End. Their address was 254 W. 54th Street, an address that would soon be synonymous with the rich and famous, the fashion pack and disco lovers of the world, as Studio 54 and West End Records, these legendary disco "institutions", were located in the same building.

Their first release was a hit. It was an album called - Sessamatto, which was a soundtrack to an Italian movie. Interestingly, it has a back-edit in one of the sections of the track, where the beats briefly go backwards. This was way before its time, back edits were used heavily by Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Underground Resistance in their earlier releases.

West End became one of the most influential disco labels at the time with releases like Hot Shot in 1978 from Karen Young being a huge club and Billboard hit. This was followed up with acts such as Billy Nichols (Give Your Body Up) in 1979 and Taana Gardner later became the voice of West End with tracks such as ‘Heartbeat’, ‘When You Touch Me’ and ‘Work That Body’. West End also managed to be financially successful whilst maintaining its underground sophistication and DJ devotion, not an easy task for any record label.

The soundtrack of the Garage and its divine DJ were reflected in the records being generated by the West End music machine. Loose Joint- Is It All Over My Face, Peech Boys- Don’t Make Me Wait, Sparque- Lets Go Dancing, Raw Silk- Do It To The Music, Michele- Disco Dance, Ednah Holt – Serious Sirius Space Party, Forcce- Keep On Dancin’, Mahogony- Ride On The Rhythm are just some the tracks that were generated by the label, all with special Levan mixes. Records that still stand the test of time, still being sampled by numerous house and hip hop acts and still being played and sounding fresh today.

West End was re-ignited in1996 and continued under the management of Mel Cheren and the new blood of Kevin Hedge from house act Blaze, generating fresh focus and bringing the company into the 21st Century. The label has since gone quiet after the death of Mel in 2007. But the quality of its music continues to live on.

Next month there are plans for a Labor Day Paradise Garage re-union in New York city on the 2-3 September 2009 called Paradise Under Stairs. The venue will be a fabulous open air Water Taxi Beach in Long Island, the home of a number of amazing underground events in New York. It promises to showcase the huge wealth of the West End back catalogue and guess who is going to be right by the speakers? Me of course!

What's happening in Brighton

Brighton's Groove Based Dance Scene, Update -March 2009
(Picture taken at Brighton Rocks)

Things are definitely pointing towards a great 2009 here in Brighton including the welcome return of Inside Out at Al Duomos (Pavillion Gardens) Heavy Disco at Om, 100 Below at The Globe and The Brighton Residents Association heading things up down at The Jazz Place every first Saturday of the month.

Also keep an eye out for two new nights that are starting up, Disco Libero at Audio and Fridays at Beluishi's on the seafront, guests include Severinio, Bah Samba and Pete Herbert over the next few months.

So, if you're looking for some cosmic, italo, boogie, funk, real house, disco and groove based music here goes.

DJ's coming to town

May 2009

Rocky and Diesel (Friday 22nd May at The Funky Buddha Lounge)
Severino (HMD) at Audio (Sat 23rd May at Audio)
Go Bang Brighton Festival 2009 (2nd-31st May at various venues)

June 2009

Pete Herbert at Audio TBC

July 2009

Greg Wilson (Friday 17th July)

September 2009

DJ Harvey (as heard down the boozer last week whilst over hearing a conversation between two bearded gentlemen)

Nights Out

Weekly

Fridays/Saturdays and Sundays at The Fishbowl
Fridays at The Globe (All Time Top 100)
Fridays at Beluishis

Monthly

Heavy Disco at Om Bar (every 2nd Saturday)
Inside Out at Al Duomos (last Friday of every month)
Disco Libero at Audio (last Saturday of every month)
Deep Systems at The Jazz Place (every 4th Saturday of the month)
100 Below at The Globe (every second month from starting in April)
Brighton Residents Association at The Jazz Place (every first Saturday)
Go Bang Brighton Residency at Brighton Rocks (starts May 09)

That should do until we get to summer.

New Disco 12" Release March 2009

6th Borough Project-Do It To The Max

This is great, released by The 6th Borough Project "Do It To The Max" gets a massive thumbs up from GBB Towers and yes before anyone mentions it the picture isn't the correct one associated with this release, however this one looks far prettier even though there's a snake depicted on the label.

The tune itself has a slower more "chugged out" vibe than a lot of the material that GBB is snapping up at present whilst also demonstrating yet another fine take on disco music that's getting released in 2009.

A quality set opener and a fine piece of dance floor ammo if you just want to drop the tempo mid flow!

Nice one, looking forward to lots more from you in the near future.

Buy at juno.co.uk

Craig Smith's Myspace Page

The Legendary 6th Borough Blend Mix by Craig Smith

Track listing
1. THIS IS THE PLACE - JAZZANOVA
2. CARRY ON - WOOLFY VS PROJECTION
3. HOW CAN I SHOW U? (DEMO MIX) - 6TH BOROUGH PROJECT
4. DON’T LOOK ANY FURTHER (THE REVENGE REWORK) - DENNIS EDWARDS
5. DO IT 2 THA MAX - 6TH BOROUGH PROJECT
6. SHAKE YOUR BODY (SDC RE-EDIT) - MADE IN USA
7. ESTRANGED LOVER - CRAIG SMITH & THE REVENGE
8. BETWEEN THE SHEETS (THE REVENGE REWORK) - THE ISLEY BROTHERS
9. NIGHTS OVER MEMPHIS (MAIN MIX) - 6TH BOROUGH PROJECT
10. JUST A MEMORY - 6TH BOROUGH PROJECT
11. LOOKING UP TO YOU (THE REVENGE REWORK) - MICHAEL WYCOFF
12. NITEFLIGHT - THE REVENGE
13. FIGHTER - MARK E
14. BREATHE & STOP (THE REVENGE REDD MIX) - Q-TIP
15. GET ON DOWN - MR SCRUFF
16. HANG ON - 6TH BOROUGH PROJECT
17. WATCHING YOU - THE REVENGE
18. HYPNOTIC (MAIN MIX) - FAZE ACTION
19. TONITE (VIS EDIT) - AME
20. DON’T MAKE ME WAIT (TODD TERJE EDIT) - PEECH BOYS
21. BALERARIC INCARNATION (TODD TERJE EXTRA DOLL MIX)
22. TAKE IT EASY (DEMO MIX) - 6TH BOROUGH PROJECT
23. BOURGIE BOURGIE (JOE CLAUSSELL’S CLASSIC MIX) - ASHFORD & SIMPSON

Listen to Do It To The Max

Gonzo Disco Mix From Brighton

Senor Mick's Mix Tape

Brighton's "leftfield disco donald" Mr Senor Mick keeper of all things dark and twisted in the world of out there disco music recently dropped off this mix for us.

Padded Cell, Alexander Robotnik, Joe Smooth, Man Parrish and Al Usher all get a look in plus the incredible "Ma Foom Bey" by Culture Vibe pops up half way through.

All tracks are on vinyl release plus this mix was conducted in the proper old skool fashion of one attempt only, can't say fairer than that.

Job done, cheers Mick, good skills mate

Gonzo Disco Mix Track listing

1 OPM - In And Out Of Love.
2 THE SPLASH BAND - The End (Disco).
3 SKATT BROS - Walk The Night.
4 AL USHER - Gnanfou.
5 40 THIEVES - Theme From Nutrider.
6 MAN PARRISH - Hip Hop Be Bop (Don't Stop).
7 CULTURAL VIBE - Ma Foom Bey.
8 SUGARDADDY - Hate Love Passion (Greg Wilson Version).
9 ALAXANDER ROBOTNICK - Problems D'amour.
10 SUPER DISCOTECA - Shout.
11 MR FLAGIO - Take A Chance.
12 PADDED CELL - Signal Failure.
13 JOE SMOOTH - Perfect World.
14 BLACK DEVIL DISCO CLUB - The Devil In Us.

Disco-Electrofunk-BBoy Classic

Released 1984 on NIA

Release Yourself by Aleem
Odd as it may seem by today's standards, "Release Yourself" by Aleem straddled itself effortlessly between two different dance music scenes in the 1980's on both sides of the Atlantic.

On one side there was the break dancing fraternity checking out the new electrofunk sound from the US that was coming out on imports as well as compilations here in the UK, primarily on "Streetsounds" courtsey of one Mr Morghan Khan.

Across the Atlantic however the New York disco scene was checking out Larry Levan at The Paradise Garage as he dropped "Release Yourself" plus a miriad of other seminal electrofunk recordings into his sets to a multi ethnic and polysexual crowd of enthusiasts down on King Street .

Having lost my original copy some time ago and mistakingly picking up the copies from Hard To Find Records as a substitute, I was thrilled to discover that here in Brighton the original was available at Pure Pleasure Music run by Chris from Soft Rocks who happend to have this back in stock, thanks Chris.

More info

Release Yourself" by Aleem featuring Leroy Burgess

Aleem are identical twins Taharqa Aleem and Tunde Ra Aleem. The brothers began their recording career with Jimi Hendrix's Cry Of Love and Rain Bow Bridge, as The Ghetto Fighters. (They also shared the same apartment with Jimi).

With Leroy Burgess as featuring lead vocalist they formed Aleem in New York during the early '80s and originally released hardcore dance songs on their own label, NIA Records.

These included 'Hooked On Your Love', 'Get Down Friday Night', 'Release Yourself' and 1985's 'Confusion', which resulted in a deal with Atlantic Records. In 1986 they recorded Casually Formal, and worked together as producers on acts including Fonda Rae, Caprice, Captain Rock and Process & The Doo-Rags.

The Dance Scene That Has No Name

"Thankfully music is the driving force here, no fashions or fads, well maybe just a few beards of a disco nature here and there"

Even after all this time “The scene without a name” continues to remain unnamed, unchanged and undiminished since it first appeared as a post on the beard friendly djhistory.com site.

The post was originally started by Greg Wilson who you would expect to have an angle on such things due to the musical content that‘s involved within the scene.

The reasons why this scene has yet to be named in time honored fashion still eludes those that comment upon it's merits including it‘s fans, djs, promoters, commentators, producers and aficionados alike.

Maybe it's down to the multi-faceted musical approach that the scene itself draws from including a wide range of influences including disco, early electro, boogie and funk alongside other elements including cosmic, real house music and balearic (if that is a genre in itself)

However, it could be down to the fact that for once we might just be witnessing a scene develop in front of us that lives outside of the excepted commercial infrastructures that have welcomed dance music in its various forms in recent years.

Taking a look over the last twenty or so years, genre categorization has played such a major part in the promotion of dance music to the masses whilst at the same time encouraging our media institutions to eagerly pick up on the "next big thing"

Subsequently the "lets milk this for all it's worth" mentality ensures that some prosper along the way until the curtain finally falls or reinvention inevitably has to take place.

Unlike say the obvious continuum's that are evident between musical bedfellows on the current popular house music scene "The scene with no name" has no continuum other than that of musical quality and acceptance of eclecticism from a wide variety of musical sources and influences stretching back to the early 70's whilst also firmly looking into the future at the same time.

Eclecticism may point to the answer as to why the scene itself remains nameless.

If this is the case then that would be both unique and also rare as a musical concept within the context of labeling dance music under a particular category or style.

Thankfully music is the driving force here, no fashions or fads, well maybe just a few beards of a disco nature here and there.

Here’s the post in all it’s glorious inconclusive form, happy readings, see if you can work it out

The scene without a name post on djhistory.com

Ethnic Vibes at Brighton Pride

The Calabash Tent

Every year thousands of revellers from across the UK and further afield descend on Brighton for the annual Brighton and Hove Gay Pride event which takes place over two days of the first weekend in August each year.

The main party takes place from midday to early evening on the Saturday of the event when after the precession of floats make journey’s end at Preston Park, thousands of party goers congregate for one mammoth celebration until 8pm before everyone heads off to the after parties in The Village (Kemptown) or somewhere slightly more risque like Black Rock where sound systems keep everyone entertained well into Sunday.

Situated at the front of Preston Park behind the tennis courts as you walk into Pride is The Calabash Tent.

A big red and white marquee that moves to the sound of a different drum beat that welcomes both black and white, gay and straight under its canvas awnings.

The annual Calabash party at Pride dedicates itself to dance music of “ethnic origin” and has been a firm fixture since 2003 when the tent first appeared as a representative for a previously neglected corner of both ethnic music and ethnic LGBT scenes in Brighton.

Not only offering a slightly more diverse musical experience at Pride, Calabash unwittingly serves as a reminder that without the culture that black and especially gay black and ethnic people introduced to the world through disco and earlier strains of house music, the omnipresent sound that many associate Pride with these days may not have grown to be such a prevalent musical aspect of the festival that it is today.

For the resident DJs that play in The Calabash tent and party enthusiasts that congregate each year around them, the history and significant route that ethnic/gay ethnic people have travelled only serves to make the party an event just that slightly more special an occasion to be celebrated and cherished annual at Pride.

Within a cultural context it would be inaccurate to describe Calabash as a solely black or ethnic affair because it isn’t and with the theme of acceptance running through Pride’s manifesto, Calabash easily marries colour, creed and sexual orientation in equal numbers.

As a spectacle you’re met with a sea of smiling faces, a splash of lush colours including red, gold and green.

Palm trees dispersed around the marquee blend with the multi-cultural and mixed race crowd that come to party to the sounds of Soca, Hip Hop, Bhangra, Bashment, Calypso, Reggae, Funk, Disco, Boogie, Ragga, Latin and House.

If Pride was a club night then Calabash would be the back room where all the funky music gets played and great times are shared.

The team behind each years party make a real effort to generate an atmosphere that is sufficiently removed from the hustle and bustle of what’s happening elsewhere at the main event in Preston Park whilst at the same time continuing the vibrant and optimistic vibe that Pride as a festival undoubtedly has down to a tee.

This year (2009) we're delighted to assist in the days festivities as Affy and Ali from Go Bang Brighton are touching down at Calabash from around 5,30 in the evening for a two and a half hour set to finish off the day, a proud moment indeed.

Tel Aviv Vibrations

Danny Bar (East Of Eden Mix)

Resident DJ and man behind Tel Aviv's underground disco scene Danny Bar provides a snap shot of what's going on out east courtesy of this mix he recently sent across to Go Bang Brighton after we caught up him recently through the global communications network known as Face Book.

The mix was recorded live in as Danny describes, one of Tel Aviv's underground bunkers.

Danny's East Of Eden parties that he co promotes with Cat Soulcat take musical cues from the greats including Mancuso's Loft Parties, The Paradise Garage and The Hacienda (Manchester UK) whilst all the time using some fantastic locations that Tel Aviv has to offer.

Inspiration: Maybe by legendary Paradise Garage or Studio 54 nights... some people find it more "Mancunian" style from the late good old R.I.P Hacienda.

Vibe: while the streets get rough by the minute, our vibe is to generate good time and remind you that life is all about dancing and having fun! so..

Great stuff Danny, looking forward to hearing from you guys even more.

January 2009 Set by Danny Bar

Alex Webb (Disted Twisco) Mix

Alex Webb (Disted Twisco) Mix

Many thanks to Brighton based Alex for this great mix of disco and underground house infused releases that are doing the rounds and getting some airplay in the city at the moment.

Alex moved to Brighton a couple of years ago and has now firmly established himself as one of our cities finest exponents of underground disco music.

Listen and enjoy when you get some time, it's all good.

Recorded January 2009

Track listing

Jacques Renault – Bad Skinned
Tony Esposito - Espo (LSB Edit)
Aeroplane – Caramellas
Jago – I’m Going To Go
Ajello & Danielle Baldelli – Cosmogony
Barbara Harris – It’s Heavy (LSB Edit)
Ivan – Fotonovela (Pete Herbert Edit)
Special Disco Version – Up and Down (Beep)
Lovfingers – Zoysia
Motor City Drum Ensemble – Raw Cuts # 3
Eddie Kendricks – Thank You For The Memories (Lee Douglas Edit)
Rahann – Untitled (Taken from Together on Stillove4music)
Motor City Drum Ensemble – Raw Cuts # 1
Morgan Geist – Detroit (C2 Remix 2)
Franceso Tristano – The Melody (C2 Remix)
Ace – How Long (Discolexic Edit)

Rich and Johnny Recess from Brighton

The Recess

Brighton Dj duo Johnny & Rich have been djing together since early 2006 throwing parties and dance floor shapes all over Brighton.

Having firmly secured their individual musical styles they set about spreading The Recess sound to a wider audience via their monthly internet Radio show and podcast on www.brap.fm

Playing an eclectic mix of Disco/Nu Disco/Re-edits & Balearic treats, their selections remain interesting and their enthusiasm is infectious…

Their musical selections are influenced by Prince, 80's New Wave, Classic Disco, Giorgio Moroder and Italo Disco sounds, anything to do with space travel, elephants and dancing girls, DFA records disco cuts, cruisy nu disco thats make you go mmmmmmmm & anything with cowbells in!

They also have regular special guests which have included Pete Herbert, Dicky Trisco (Eskimo, Maxi Discs, Disco Deviance) & MAELSTROM (Eskimo, Solar Disco) and regularly showcase their musical tangents at 100Below Basement disco parties.

The great thing about these guys is that unlike so many of the disco stalwarts that frequent on line forums and internet groups the guys have come out of the early to mid naughties dance scene and have embraced the sound wholeheartedly as well as searching out new forms of the genre to showcase on their monthly radio shows.

Achieved Recess Radio Shows available right here.

An interview with DJ Harvey

DJ Harvey

DJ Harvey interview tracing his musical heritage over the years. From Hip Hop DJ through to his residency at The Ministry Of Sound via The Tonka Sound System right up to his present day Black Cock and Map Of Africa projects.

Harvey talks openly about the music he loves with a passion whilst name checking some of the greats as major influences on his life spent playing and making music.

Insightful comment provided with Harvey's take on Balearic, his early years at The Ministry Of Sound, the original Ibiza DJ's, The Tonka Sound System philosophy, Acid House, Larry Levan, how to make re-edits, how to build the perfect sound system and what makes a good party.

All the time coming across as humble of his achievements and part he has played in the progression of modern day dance culture, Harvey is a pleasure to listen to on this one hour interview that he did for The Red Bull Music Academy in 2005.

DJ Harvey Essential Mix Broadcast on Sunday 31st May, 1998

D Train - "Keep On" (Prelude)
Billy Cobham - "Storm" (Atlantic)
Vengellis - "Let It Happen" (Virtigo)
Last Poets - "Mean Machine" (Douglas 7)
Instant Funk - "Got My Mind Made Up" (Salsoul)
Herb Alpert - "Red Hot" (A & M)
Cookhouse - "Recipe 002" (Cookhouse)
Wamdue Project - "King Of My Castle" (Eruption)
Pleasure - "Joyus" (Pleasure)
Those Norwgians - "Can You Dig It" (white label)
Vampire Sound Inc - "Lions & The Cucumber" (Warners)
Azymuth - "Dear Limertz" (Milestone)
Don Blackman - "Hearts Desire" (Arista)
artist unknown - "Love & Happiness" (white label)
Chayanne - "Waited To Long" (Syncopate)
Beat Box - "Art Of Noise" (ZTT)
Harvey & UFO - "Pioaresque Eye" (Browns Wood)
Brooklyn Dreams - "Street Man" (Millenium)
Stevie Wonder - "Lovelight In Light" (Motown)
Micheal Wilson - "Groove Your Body" (Prelude)
TOT - "George Porgy" (Columbia)
Eddie Russ - "Zabis" (Impact)
Steely Dan - "Do It Again" (MCA)
Trolly Dollies - "Space Cake" (Sunday Best)
Santana - "Free As The Morning Sun" (CBS)

Maurice Fulton

Cosmic, Boogie, Disco and Wobbly Sounds

Came across this Maurice Fulton mix that landed on the Futureboogie.com site recently. Great intro using Gino Soccio's "You Move Me" as the opener.

Listen To Maurice Fulton's (Future Boogie Mix Tape)

Music Selection October 2008

Track listing

1. Ripple - Get Down
2. Mid Air - Ease Out
3. LSB - Super Highway Delight
4. Ray Mang - Bad Boy
5. T Connection - Do What Ya Wanna Do
6. Shirley Lites - Heat You Up
7. Claudja Barry - Sweet Dynamite (Tom Moulton 12” Mix)
8. Ashley Beedle pres London Heavy Disco Revue - War On Bullshit
9. D Train - D Train Theme (Dub Mix)
10. Adonis - No Way Back (Greg Wilson Re-Edit)
11. Ashley Beedle Pres London Heavy Disco Revue - Riot On Broadway

Finally got round to putting togeather some tunes in a semi compilation kind of style. There's 11 tracks available covering all corners of the disco spectrum plus some boogie and an acid house classic re-edit thats not available as yet.

Every tune has either been given to me by the artist or has been purchased, no free downloads.

All the tracks are in their entirety too and unmixed.

Hope you like the selection.

Happy listening.

Viva Brighton Underground

Brighton's Underground Music Scene

Beneath the shiny seaside veneer that coats Brighton’s club and mainstream bar spaces there’s an emergence of a different approach to music and social gathering that’s now enjoying somewhat of a renaissance.

Devoid of trend, status and financial procurement a small yet musically obsessed network of Balearic Hippies, Disco Evangelists, House Music Connoisseurs and Bloggers have finally all become aware of one another whilst at the same time finding out that they can easily cohabit alongside each other.

Referring to an earlier post on this page regarding D.I.Y Disco Culture, Brighton’s basements, restaurants and more discreet bar/club spaces are all lending their inherently underground appeal to what is now becoming a small yet gradually expanding series of sites for off piste club nights run by a network of promoters and djs gradually linking up on Brighton’s underground dance scene in a quasi Balearic fashion all be it on a more local scale.

To be able to trace back to when this started we don’t have to look that far. The coincidence of established club nights such as Swim, Tru Thoughts and to some degree The Brighton Jazz Rooms all more or less beginning to witness a downturn in attendance around the exact time the licensing laws changed clearly signals the beginning of the end for what was once a healthy and just as importantly eclectic music scene in Brighton.

Going out over a weekend back in the early naughties meant that away from the slow re branding of the more funky end of popular house one could indulge oneself within a myriad of musical styles such as deep house, nu jazz, broken beat, boogie, disco, tech house, breaks, latin, drum and bass, hip hop and funk courtesy of Rob Louis and Will Quantic at Tru Thoughts, Mex and Carl Faure at Swim and Ross Dewsbury at The Jazz Rooms which until the final session was The UK's longest running club night, probably still holds that title too.

Elsewhere Positive Sound System, Fluid Groove and On The House were providing house and tech heads with a regular dose of traditional yet forward thinking four to the floor music, so as you can see musical diversity was fairly widespread at the time.

Today Positive and On The House remain, the rest have all unfortunately succumbed and here’s where we pick up the story. As this gap in quality nights widened a void naturally was created and as such a continuum or replacement would naturally start to emerge.

Enter what is now the beginning of a new selection of nights and take on underground quality music to fill the gap.

It’s important to state clearly at this point that all the before mentioned djs and club nights were that good many involved have gone on to become internationally renowned either as djs, record label bosses or producers, this is something that the new breed that have filled the divide may or may not achieve but at least the party continues and the spirit remains the same.

Nights such as The Balearic Juke Box’s Come Together, Heavy Disco, The Recess’s 100Below, Late Night Lounging, Schtumm, The Residents Association, Barry Dust on Friday’s at The Globe and Inside Out have sprung up in recent times supplying just as an eclectic but also quality focussed alternative away from the mainstream.

Musically, these nights look to a different direction than say Ibiza/Mixmag and most definitely to some degree to venues that can offer surroundings where people can enjoy the music and social setting that their play lists meet with solid approval by the dancers that attend.

The genre divide is still in place but the focus on quality remains constant weather it be disco, jazz, funk, tech, broken beat, house or all of it thrown togeather under one sweaty roof.

Venues such as the basement at The Globe on Middle Street, Om Bar on Steine Street, The Hope near The Clock Tower, The Bristol Bar in Kemptown, The Fishbowl in the South Laines, The Jazz Rooms on Saturdays and Al Doumo’s Restaurant near The Pavilion Gardens provide the unique yet accessible space important for the development and equally as important enjoyment of this scene to build gradually and without interference.

To sum up, going out is getting good again in Brighton, the music has soul, the people throwing parties and events have a passion and we know where the party's at once again. Times are good even though the economic climate is fairly grim, if that doesn't remind you of a time when we all got on one then probably nothing will.

Comments by Ali

Firefly "Love is gonna be on your side"

Love (Is Gonna Be On Your Side)" by Firefly is a classic funky disco Italian production on Emergency Records from 1981.