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Jimmy Castor

by on 17. Jan, 2012 in Black Culture, DJ / Club Culture, Hear, Magazines, Records, RIP, The Eighties, The Seventies

Just heard the news that New York born 70’s Funk master Jimmy Castor died yesterday. Recording as The Jimmy Castor Bunch, I first came across them back in 1975 when I picked up a copy of their single ‘The Bertha Butt Boogie’, regarded by many at the time as the quintessential ‘bump’ record. It was a big club tune in the UK at the time (as was the follow-up ‘E Man Boogie’), although, as with most Funk tracks, it received no radio support, apart from the more underground specialist Soul shows peppered up and down the country, and completely missed the chart as a result:

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Year Of Decision

by on 06. Jan, 2012 in Black Culture, DJ / Club Culture, DJ Appearances, Hear, Misc, Records, The Seventies

On New Year’s Eve, for the first time since I started up again, I was deejaying as one year passed into the next. Although I’ve had bookings every New Year’s Eve since 2004, I’ve always played after midnight, but this year I made 2 separate appearances in London, the first at the Slide & Get Diverted party in the Brixton Clubhouse between 11pm and 1am (my later date, from 3am and 5am would be over in Greenwich at the Defected event at Proud2 in the O2 Arena).

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Living To Music – The Stone Roses ‘The Stone Roses’

by on 21. Dec, 2011 in Art & Design, CD’s / Digital, DJ / Club Culture, DJ Appearances, Hear, Living To Music, Manchester, Merseyside, Photography, Psychedelia, Records, The Beatles, The Eighties, The Nineties

As we enter 2012 I thought this would be the ideal Living To Music choice to kick off the year, especially given that the first Sunday in January is also the first day of a new year. This highly acclaimed and much-loved 1989 LP, which perfectly caught the mood of the times, provides us with the opportunity to re-visit the past, whilst looking ahead to the summer. When an announcement was made earlier this year, that The Stone Roses are to re-form for 2 shows at Manchester’s Heaton Park in June 2012 (with a 3rd later added), there was genuine intrigue and anticipation. This wasn’t a case of another comeback cash-in, but something more symbolic. If ever there was a band with unfinished business to accomplish, it’s The Stone Roses.

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Back To Back To Basics

by on 24. Nov, 2011 in CD’s / Digital, DJ / Club Culture, DJ Appearances, Hear, Mixes, Read, Records, The Nineties

Congratulations to Northern dance institution Back To Basics, which is 20 years old this week! To commemorate this pretty momentous occasion for what is the longest running club night in the world, Ralph Lawson, resident there since day one, has launched a blog, Basic Vision, in which he’ll be sharing his memories, most notably via a series of lovingly constructed mixes that document the music he’s played there down the years, which will come complete with Ralph’s accompanying track-by-track text.

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Time Capsule

by on 10. Nov, 2011 in Black Culture, CD’s / Digital, DJ / Club Culture, Magazines, Records, The Seventies

In December 2005 I wanted to do something to mark the 30th anniversary of when I made my club debut, on December 6th 1975 at the Chelsea Reach in New Brighton, and I came up with the idea of compiling a selection of 25 singles that I was carrying in my record crates at the time (we used to use old wooden drinks crates, which were the perfect size for 7” singles – the 12” not making its appearance until the following year).

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Whatever Happened To The Soul?

by on 27. Oct, 2011 in Black Culture, DJ / Club Culture, DJ Appearances, Hear, Records, Remixes / Edits, The Eighties, The Seventies

Earlier this month Leftside Wobble shared an edit of Man Friday’s ‘Love Honey, Love Heartache’ on his SoundCloud. I left a comment highlighting the history of this track, which read as follows:

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Shoutout

by on 13. Oct, 2011 in Art & Design, Black Culture, DJ / Club Culture, Documentaries, Fashion, Film, Misc, The Nineties, The Seventies, The Sixties

Just wanted to make you aware of a project my former Invisible Players colleague, Don Letts, has been commissioned to produce, focusing on the clothing brand, Fred Perry, and its cultural relevance in the UK from the Mods in the 60’s to Britpop in the 90’s, and right up to date via their association with Amy Winehouse, whose designs for the brand continue to be released, with the full blessing of her family, following her untimely death last July.

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Manchester Vibes In The Area

by on 11. Oct, 2011 in Black Culture, DJ / Club Culture, DJ Appearances, Interviews, Manchester, Remixes / Edits

Last April the city was once again where I went to try out a new idea - Reels Of Steel, where a further visual element is introduced whilst I DJ , the chosen venue being the recently refurbished Band On The Wall. I’ve since presented Reels Of Steel at Glastonbury and Bestival, and I’m back at Band On The Wall for a second instalment this Friday. This quartet of appearances are the prelude to the full launch of Reels Of Steel next year, giving me the opportunity to further develop the idea and iron out any rough spots in the process. Here’s some footage from last time that’s just been uploaded onto YouTube:

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Sylvia Robinson

by on 30. Sep, 2011 in Black Culture, DJ / Club Culture, Hear, Records, RIP, The Eighties, The Seventies

Sylvia Robinson, dubbed ‘the Mother Of Hip Hop’, died yesterday.

Along with husband, Joe, she founded All Platinum, one of the leading black music labels of the proto-Disco era, before going on to carve their names in Hip Hop history via their Sugar Hill company, which, along with many other influential recordings, would release a trio of truly seminal singles - ‘Rappers Delight’ by The Sugarhill Gang, the first rap hit in 1979, ‘The Adventures Of Grandmaster Flash On The Wheels Of Steel ‘ by Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, the herald of turntablism in 1981, and another Flash & The Five track ‘The Message’, presenting rap with a social conscience in 1982.

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Music Is Better Re-Edited Highlights

by on 27. Sep, 2011 in CD’s / Digital, DJ / Club Culture, DJ Appearances, Hear, Manchester, Mixes, Remixes / Edits

Just dug out a copy of the Music Is Better CD, a limited edition of 500 that followed my DJ comeback on December 20th 2003 at the Music Is Better night in The Attic, Manchester. It’s now been made available on my SoundCloud as exclusive content (which means you can’t see the waveform to stream/download unless you’re signed in).

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