NO 3 VOL ONE SUMMER

SHOOK 003 VOL ONE SUMMER

£3.80
 NO3
VOL ONE SUMMER

CONTENTS

20. MEXICO OLYMPICS 46. YOUNG DISCIPLES

The action that wasn’t televised. The Road to Freedom.
24. SUMMER OF LOVE 50. OLD RARE NEW
Aciiieeed comes to London. Independent record stores.
32. EL CANTANTE 52. JONNY TRUNK
The Hector Lavoe story. Sex, nostalgia & vinyl mania.
36. JUNOT DIAZ 54. CHAKA KHAN
Dominican tales of geekdom. Yes we can.
40. ZOOT SUIT CITY 56. YOSVANY TERRY
Kid Creole goes to town. Spirit dance and Cubano chants.
44. NO SLEEP 58. CHARLES BURNETT
Golden-era boom bap. The blues in black and white.

INTRO... Let’s Get Lost, O Zelador, James Pants, Fever For Da Flava, PAPER CUTS:
Book of Warriors, Cody Hudson, Heavenly Sweetness, HEATWAVE, The Other Side
of Prince, FLASHLIGHT: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble @ ICA, LUVDANCIN: Jazz Re:
Freshed, The Do Over & Boogieboxx... Shawn Jackson, MOST UNDERRATED: Twelve
Beats & Terry Tester, The Long Lost WE ARE... 18-19, SHOOK TEK 60-61, NOW
THEN (with Welson Creep) 62-63, REVIEWS 64-73

EDITOR: Jez Smadja hael Beretta, Kyoko Ishima, Nicky Dracoulis,

ART DIRECTOR: Matt MonkeyBoxer
www.inallforms.co.uk
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Sarah Marshall, Al
Burton, Andy Thomas
Tamar Nussbacher, Matt Crossick, Benji
Lehmann, Maga Bo, Mitchy Bwoy, Evgeniy K,
Johnny Pitts, Keith Baker, Charles Waring,
Will Page, J’M Irie, Adam Green, Ryan Proc-
tor, Raggy, Garth Cartwright, Amar Patel,
Max Cole, Kay Suzuki and Sunil Chauhan.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS: Ben Verghese, MIchael SPECIAL THANKS TO Da Boss Paul Bradshaw,
Krasser, Helene Dancer, Andres Reyes Mr BI & to everyone for supporting we thus
far...
CONTRIBUTORS: Vince Vella, Ed Aarons,
Simon Creasey, Arnaud Crassat, Mr. SHOOK
Beatnick, Alex Stevenson, Sanjiv Ahluwalia, 130 Trent Gardens, London N14 4QG, UK
Helene Dancer, Frank Dubya, Gabriel Mid- 0044+ 208 292 4533
dleton, Gervase de Wilde, Johnny Chandler, www.shook.fm
Adam Hussam Murray, Gwyn Moxham, Dom info@shook.fm
Servini, Snoopy, Hugo Mendez, J’M Irie,
Welson Creep, Gwen Webber, Dee Science,
Adeola Johnson, ill WIll, Lady B, Paul Camo?, Printed by: UPG, Tel.: 44 (0) 1344 382 111
Alasdair Purves, Samera Owusu Tutu, Rap- www.upgroup.co.uk
3
 NEW DVD RELEASE OF CLASSIC DOCUMENTARY
Words: GWYN MOXHAM
In a gruff, whisky-barrelled voice, the narrator
of this film half-whispers: “Everybody has a story
about Chet Baker. When Charlie Parker first heard
Chet play, he called Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie,
and said, ‘This little white cat out here is going to
give you a lot of trouble.’”
Released in 1988, ‘Let’s Get Lost’ is not
so much a documentary about Chet Baker, but
rather an obsession with the magnetic personality
and ineffable cool of this West Coast wild child.
Originally scheduled to be just a photoshoot with
Chet, photographer/director Bruce Weber ended
up following him from the West Coast to the East,
then across the waters to Europe. “At first I wanted
to do some more photographs of him,” confides
Weber “but he seemed kind of frail, so I thought
maybe we should do a little three-minute film of this
man. Because you never knew whether you would
see him again, from day-to-day. He’d just disappear,
go on the road, with no phone number, no address,
no way to reach him, and I thought here was a way
to have something of the way he moves and talks,
along with his music.”
As a photographer, Bruce Weber is most
famous for his work with Calvin Klein– the
homoerotic 1980s underwear posters and
Kate Moss portraits are some of his best-known
work– but he’s also directed a number of films.
His first feature was ‘Broken Noses’, a study of the
boxer Andy Minsker. A year later he returned with
‘Let’s Get Lost’ and walked away with the Critics
Prize at the Venice Film Festival and a nod from the
Academy.
Filmed in 1987, during the last months of
Chet’s life, Weber discovers a withered man who
has long lost those pretty-boy looks which saw him
labelled ‘the James Dean of Jazz’. His teeth had
all been pulled out some time in the mid-‘60s (the
worst blow a trumpeter could suffer), and years
of heroin abuse had claimed the rest of him. We
find nothing but pieces of a man – narcissistic,
insecure, manipulative and unreliable. And yet
despite all of this, you can’t help be drawn to the
mystique, a man whose frayed edges render him
oddly appealing.
The viewer is thrown into the unpredictable but
seductive world that Chet inhabits. We watch as
beautiful girl spins herself dizzy against the sunset
and the sparkling waters of Santa Monica Bay. Or
with Chet sat in the back of a drop-top car, with two
women draped across him, as he whispers sweet
nothings to them in Spanish. This ageing, possibly
dying, playboy, with wrinkles etched deep into his
skin, is still trying to live the summer of eternal
youth. It should be enough to make you writhe in
your seat. But somehow he pulls it off. That was
Chet Baker for you.
He was born in Yale, Oklahoma in 1929.
4 5
After receiving the gift of a trumpet as a boy
and later cheating his way out of the army, Chet
taught himself to play and sing, quickly rising to
prominence in the 1950s West Coast ‘cool jazz’
scene. The phenomenal tone Chet produced
through his trumpet drew comparisons with
Miles Davis (a man who once famously joked that
Chet sounded “worse than me even while I was a
terrible junkie”). Unlike Miles, though, Chet always
snubbed the experimental, choosing to stick with
conventional romance and love songs. He was
a hopeless romantic and inspired those same
feelings in the people he met. In one interview,
actor and screenwriter Lawrence Trimble recalls
arriving in at the Paris jazz club Le Chat qui Peche
and attempting to engage a beautiful French girl
in conversation. “Don’t talk to me – I’m in love with
Chet Baker,” she snapped. He could only reply “So
am I”.
Perhaps this infatuation, felt so strongly by
all whose he touched (not least by Bruce Weber
himself), is part of the appeal that his lovers Joyce
Knight Tucker, Diana Vavra and Ruth Young and his
last wife Carol Baker try to explain to us through
the film. Chet is always looking for sympathy, always
trying to get us on side. His interviews are often
incoherent, yet he looks past the camera with such
doe eyes that you can’t help being put under his
spell.
The mystery here, for both the filmmaker and
the audience, is that the music and the image, the
man and the myth, are all completely inseparable.
You can help be spellbound as Chet’s silky lounge
lizard vocals segue seamlessly in and out of his
bursts of inspired trumpet playing, and transfixed
at the same time by the image of his face, hollowed
by years of drug abuse and perversely fascinating .
Interviewed in Cannes in 1987 a heroin-
starved Chet (who in his younger days used to walk
from Paris to Rome just to cool out) reveals that
his favourite high, a speedball cocktail of heroin
and cocaine, would rightly scare most people to
death. Ever a man of contradiction, Chet then tells
us about the values he tries to instil in his children
– that they should find something they’re good
at doing and do it better than anyone else. We
are reminded that nobody could ever argue that
Chet did anything otherwise. Try as we might to
be repelled by his drug abuse, his self-indulgence
or his attitude towards the women that loved him,
we cannot fail to see Chet Baker as Bruce Weber
clearly does – as a restless hero who let nothing
get in his way. Says Weber, “I thought he’d outlive
all of us. You have to remember he was a real
cowboy from Oklahoma, he had this way of getting
over things.”
Let’s Get Lost is out now on DVD
“In late 2002 I travelled to Rio de Janeiro. I
visited several capoeira groups based in the
south zone of the city. During one of these visits
I had the good fortune to meet with Master
Russo (the Russian). He cut a very striking
figure. He came from Rio’s notorious north
zone, far from Copacabana and Ipanema’s post-
card beaches. Russo lived all his life in the vast
Baixada Fluminense,” explains director Daren
Bartlett. “I attempted to explore Russo’s life,
and to show the hidden beauty of the Baixada
Fluminense, the sense of community and
belonging which exists there.”
O Zelador (The Caretaker) takes a journey
into the lesser-known side of Brasil as it is lived
on a daily basis. It doesn’t indulge in favela-
tourism or the glorification of AK-toting ghetto
youths, but instead looks at one man’s struggle
to preserve the traditions of capoeira against
all odds. During the military dictatorship in
Brasil, from the ‘60s until the ‘80s, capoeira
and other forms of cultural expression were
brutally suppressed, while today, as capoeira
has become commercialised and exported glo-
bally, Russo’s Roda de Caixas keeps the historic
forms of the culture alive.
“O Zelador’s worth for me is as a record of
black cultural struggle, championing the African
descendants’ hugely important cultural contri-
bution to contemporary Brasil,” says Daren. For
the viewer, however, it’s also the little insights
– the inside of Russo’s house, the thoughts of
his wife Eliane, and the shots of the Rio streets,
that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
O Zelador is out now on DVD
 words: HELENE DANCER
photo: NICKY DRACOULIS

Sometimes, raising your musical game is all about finding the perfect creative
match. Peanut Butter Wolf and James Pants have taken it one step further.
When you invite each other to DJ at your own weddings, you know you’ve really
hit on some exciting chemistry.

James Pants may operate under a moniker that has raised some eyebrows in the
UK, but his debut album, Welcome, is anything but… well, pants. From Egyptian
Lovin’ robo pimp to synth-pop fashion victim, Welcome sees him take a cosmic
journey through rock, nu wave and 80s throwback territory that’s destined to
sweep away all complacency from hardcore hip-hop fanatics.
“It’s been hard to find a new artist who’s doing the older style of music I’m
into, like synths and drum machines,” says Peanut Butter Wolf, who’s always had
a keen eye on the back catalogue shelves. “James’ music is all over the place, too.
He’s got stuff that sounds like alternative rock music – that’s something else I’m
excited about. It’s a different sound, but I think my taste in music is all over the
place and my DJ sets are like that too. I try to make Stones Throw a reflection of
that.”
James Pants, a long-time Stones Throw fan, is proud of his musically
schizophrenic approach. “I really like every genre – I try and make it all. I was on
a big 60s psych rock kick for a while, then on the electro kick, so there’s a few
like that [on the album]. And the disco kick. I get really obsessed with a particular
sound and try and pretend I was in those bands.”
For his next album, James is once more planning a chequered approach. “I’m
into gospel music at the moment, so I’m trying to do something along those lines.
I’d also like to work with people like the Silver Apples and Gary Wilson.”
Wolf says James has come a long way; a far cry from the Texas high school
student who came to see Wolf DJ the same night as his high school prom and
offered to take him record shopping the next day. “We realised we liked similar
stuff, then he showed me some mixtapes and some of his own production and,
every step of the way, there was a new surprise.”
Such was the mutual musical respect that they DJed for each other’s
weddings; Wolf playing some Joan Jett, Kriss Kross, Jackson 5 and Kraftwerk,
with a slow-jam set thrown into the mix, too.
“For his wedding, I played freestyle music,” says Pants. “His wife’s Hispanic
and loves that kind of stuff.”
It’s clear that diversity’s what makes these artists tick, and Wolf is adamant
that Stones Throw will continue to reflect this passion. “The Baron Zen Remixes
were something else that showed another side of what I’m into – it didn’t do so
well for us, so that was a bit of downer,” he says. “But people can go back and find
out about the record eventually.”
That’s what make the label so special; Wolf’s unwavering dedication to putting
out records that are in it for the long haul. With James as his sidekick, you can
expect more of the unexpected from Stones Throw, a label that still has plenty of
cards up its sleeve. You wouldn’t want it otherwise, would you?

6
 COLIN FAVER THROWS DOWN A SELEKSHAN OF RED-HOT NEW RELEASES
YOU NEEDS TO GET A HOLD OF. MIND YOU DON’T BURN YOUR FINGERS.
AVE.TO “THREE WAY INTERSECTION” (ASAHRA)
Ave.To was born when hip hop producers Oddisee and
The Unknown began collaborating with Kolai, a musician
and producer who has, until now, mostly put out dance
music. Funky rhythms, dubbed up beats and great horns.
STACY EPPS “THE AWAKENING” (JAPANUBIA MUSIK)
Atlanta based singer Stacy Epps has worked with Madlib,
MF Doom, J Rawls and OH NO among many others.
Following on from her Ruff Draft Mixtape this is her long
awaited debut album and it was worth the wait. Has
guest appearances from Bilal Salaam and Muhsinah. She
is coming to London in September, don’t sleep!
JESSE BOYKINS III “DOPAMINE: MY LIFE ON MY BACK EP”
(NOMADIC MUSIC)
Sounding like a mixture of Musiq Soulchild and Dwele,
22yr old Boykins has an old school vibe but this music
is true neo soul for the 21st century and it will be
interesting to hear how his sound matures in future
releases. Check the track ‘Tabloids’ on his myspace for a
taster. www.myspace.com/jesseboykinsiii
NAKED MUSIC “RE-CREATION” (NAKED MUSIC)
Jay Denes (Blue Six) produces a beautiful, sophisticated
album celebrating the 10th anniversary of the label.
Deep house beats and smoother than silk soulful vocals,
it could almost have drifted in from the ocean on the
summer breeze.
AYAH “PROBLEM WOMAN” (MIXTAPE)
Great R&B release from this Toronto singer which uses
many beats from Marvin Gaye’s Trouble Man soundtrack.
Her name means miracle in Arabic. You can download of
the project from www.ayahmusic.com.
ERIK RICO “A HIGHER FREQUENCY EP” (LIFE NOTES)
This guy’s album, Journey Back To Me, dropped as a
digital only release at the end of last year. The new EP
continues the story with very soulful vocals over some
great jazzy broken beats. We’re going to hear much
more about Erik Rico in the near future.
NATHEN HAINES “RIGHT NOW” (VILLAGE AGAIN)
Really good 6th solo album from this saxophonist
/vocalist from New Zealand. Has guest vocals from
Marlena Shaw, Tama Walpera and the wonderful
Vanessa Freeman. House, Broken Beat, Jazz and Soul.
It’s all here and produced and played with assurance.
8 9
DWELE “SKETCHES OF A MAN” (KOCH RECORDS)
Back on the indie scene after parting from Virgin. If you
like Dwele you will love this because it is pretty much
in the same style as all his other work. Jazz infused
soul with beautiful harmonies, His voice just makes me
feel good every time I hear him sing and I also love his
songwriting and the horn arrangements.
STEPHANIE MCKAY “TELL IT LIKE IT IS”
(MUTHAS OF INVENTION)
Her debut album was produced by Geoff Barrow from
Portishead and it had a very trip hop sound throughout.
This album has a much more funky feel and her amazing
gritty vocals really sound just right with the beats. Check
the single ‘Jackson Avenue’ on which the Bronx soul sista
celebrates New York’s early hip hop days.
YAMEEN “NEVER KNOWS BEST” (ROPEADOPE DIGITAL)
This is BAD! I guess you would file it under hip hop but it
definitely takes the music to a different level. Some really
dubbed up, funky beats and guest appearances from
Georgia Anne Muldrow, Maylay Sparks and Lady Alma
among others. Hip hop experimentation at the highest
level.
JIMMY ABNEY “RETURN TO FOREVER”
(YORUBA SOUL ORIGINALS)
Osunlade discovery and a very soulful vocalist who sings Shumeng Ye is a graphic design student, born in China and currently
and plays keyboards in the style of Marvin Gaye. In residing in Finland. In 2006, at Shanghai airport, she saw a cleaning lady
fact he does a version of ‘Come Go With Me’ and also wearing a pair of Warrior basketball sneakers. Puzzled by the unknown
covers Heatwave’s ‘Star Of The Story’. The grooves and brand, she decided to find out more. Not only was she surprised to
arrangements are all pretty basic and stripped down but discover that the sneaker had a name, Warrior, but to her bigger sur-
the album flows very nicely. I know from the online buzz a prise almost everyone in her family had once worn them. In the 1970s,
lot of peeps been waiting to get hold of this. Warrior basketball sneakers were a much sought after status symbol
in China and many teenagers dreamed of owning a pair. Three decades
2000BLACK “A NEXT SET A ROCKERS” (THIRD EAR) later, the sneakers are still well-known amongst the Chinese popula-
Dego from 4 Hero and Kaidi Tatham from Bugz In The tion. They’re worn by the elderly and by poor villagers at construction
Attic have crafted a modern soul masterpiece here. I love sites or pulling rickshaws. Today’s Chinese youngsters dream of Nike or
every track. Has vocal contributions from Face, Ferraz, Converse.
Nadine Charles, Rasiyah, Ty, Vanessa Freeman and Lady
Alma from Philly. You need to hear it, what more can I Inspired by the Warrior’s classic style, Shumeng took pictures of people
say? wearing the kicks in various areas of China. The pictures have been
released as the Book of Warriors, and each copy is accompanied by a
pair of Warrior sneakers. Through the book, she hopes to tell the story
Catch Colin Faver has a weekly show on Solar Radio behind the shoes and to show a different side of China. Not the indus-
every Saturday at midnight (www.solarradio.com trial and economical power, but the daily life of a country with its own
and Sky Digital Channel 0129) and a weekly Soul distinctive sneaker culture.
music show on Life FM every Monday from 10PM till
Midnight. (103.6 FM, www.lifefm.org.uk) www.bookofwarriors.fi

New book and prints by Cody Hudson, Struggle INC available from www.turntablelab.com
FRANK DUBYA FROM NUFF STYLEE GIVES US A
TASTE OF THE LOTUS-FLOWER BLOSSOM FROM
THE GARDEN OF HEAVENLY SWEETNESS.
Breaking out of the Metro, torrential rains are chucking it down on
Boulevard St. German. Idyllic preconceptions of Paris are dispatched
quick smart. Joining the people scurrying for cover I head to
rendezvous at Odeon. Several calls to Franck [Descollonges]
from jazz label Heavenly Sweetness end with inaudible
reception. Mobile-rage ensues. But then a recognisable
face emerges from the melee; making up the other half of
Heavenly Sweetness team, Antoine [Rajon] arrives on scene.
My introduction meets with a welcoming smile, handshake
and assurance that all is well – ‘Tout va bien’.
Quickly we head for sanctuary in a nearby Sushi house
as Franck arrives fresh from a meeting where he’s been
securing airplay at FIP Radio. Buoyed up by good responses
or just buggin’ out on the new test pressings he produces,
his bright eyed enthusiasm to meet new people and talk
music is clear. Over miso, yakitori and sushi, conversation
flows. Key influences, spiritual jazz, religion, scene snobs, the
digital-age, b-more edits, disco, hip house and more get batted
around. This ‘think tank’ reveals that both individuals’ distinct
backgrounds unlocked something special when combined
back in 2006.
Antoine: Zen-like mp3/CD user, now leaving his disque-junky
days behind; found jazz via the cultural explosions of hip hop,
acid jazz and nu-soul. Entrenched in jazz heritage as founder
of Paris Jazz Corner record store, man behind leftfield imprint
Isma’a (working with Osunlade, Jephté Guillaume, King Britt,
Four Tet, Nickodemus & Osiris, Anne Wirsz and more),
producer of the Philly Jazz Series releases and promoter
of live events (one such show bringing Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid
together for the first time).
10
Franck: An industry-wise mover who’s product managed for N*E*R*D,
Justice, Kelis, Lenny Kravitz, We Are Scientists and more; later an indie
label project manager at EMI. A dedicated music head who’s in
love with physical product. Unashamedly citing an early affection
for commercial radio, tuning into alternative rock and bad Euro-
club music; before finding acid-jazz, soul, disco and the heavy
influence of Mo’ Wax.
Collectively they share one unifying vision. A home where music is
a true sanctuary, even if it goes against the grain. A place where
feeling holds sway over puritan ideals or genre snobbery. Where
things from the past (see their John Betsch’s ‘Earth Blossom’
& Doug Carn’s ‘Al Rahman!’ re-issues) happily collide with new
horizons (check the offbeat Afro-centricity of Anthony Joseph’s
Spasm Band, the now jazz-funktion of The Rongetz Foundation
or Four Tet rubs for Anne Wirz and drum legend/vocalist Doug
Hammond). Ideals mirrored in format availability, “People want
vinyl, so we press it. If they want CD or mp3, we do that too.” So,
it’s in your bag no matter how you roll.
All too quickly our meeting is over. Outside, skies clearing, I get
my idyllic sunny Paris moment. Pondering a connect with two
cats that are a juxtaposition of widely different characteristics
and backgrounds, it appears that their diversity is actually the
label’s strong suit; resulting in a no holds barred approach to
the furtherance of jazz ideas. Two modern day activists if you will,
pushing hard against automated responses and projected beliefs
of “how jazz should be done”.
Utopian? I don’t think so. Spiritual? But of course. Elitist? Nah,
definitely not. This is just that good old angel-spun-love-supreme, a
little piece of ‘Modern Day Folklore’ for famished souls…This is Heavenly
Sweetness, dig in. (Frank Dubya / Nuff Stylee)
SPECIAL DELIVERY FROM THE
CARIBBEAN AND BEYOND It's been a long time coming but JDAVEY finally
Words: GABRIEL HEATWAVE drop their debut album – The Beauty in Distor-
tion. Skream releases his Watch the Ride mix for
HARMLESS. COMMON is set to come with Invincible
Over the past few years, a bunch of 90s ragga classics have been given the relick
Summer, produced by Pharrell Williams. BURIAL
treatment and elevated to the version hall of fame. Steely & Clevie’s 2005 SLEEPY DOG will be doing the DJ Kicks series for !K7. Braps to
rhythm - actually an original creation with a retro feel - is widely credited with kickstarting Finn Peters on his latest Butterflies offering. SLY
the recent spate of 90s throwbacks such as GI GI/GIGGY, BADDIS and UNFINISHED BUSINESS & ROBBIE have been in the studio with AMP FIDDLER.
(Showtime). Now it seems that Jamaican producers will be making inroads into the 00s Plus there’s a bunch of Sly & Robbie TAXI reissues
catalogue before the decade is even out. Scatta, the man behind 2003’s groundbreaking like Taxi Meter out on digital download. Word
COOLIE DANCE rhythm, has just dropped a new version of his massive 2001 production on the street is that an Ashley Beedle/Horace
MARTIAL ARTS, which spawned two Greensleeves rhythm albums and hits from BEENIE MAN, Andy collaboration is in progress. DJ BLAQSTARR
BOUNTY KILLER, ELEPHANT MAN, Capleton, Sizzla and Merciless. The 2008 update knowingly releases I’m Bangin #2 with a full-length on its way
titled SELF DEFENCE already has its own dance move and boasts a LADY SAW & CECILE via Mad Decent. It’s been a long time coming, but
combination alongside cuts by Elephant Man, Tony Matterhorn, Macka Diamond and more. expect the MADLIB installation of the Beat Genera-
tion series for BBE soon. Sweet harmonies: Lalah
Two of my favourite 90s-style bashment rhythms from this year have been Ward 21’s Hathaway’s Self Portrait album. THE BUG drops
DEM GAL SITT’N and ESTROGEN, both of which have been voiced exclusively by female artists. his London Zoo album on NINJA TUNE – soundboy
It’s great that Ward 21 have been pushing new artists like TIMBERLEE, NATALIE STORM fi dead! K-SALAAM brings together Kweli, Bobbito,
and Tifa alongside veterans like MACKA DIAMOND, Lady Saw and Lady G, using the musical Dead Prez and Capleton on ‘Who’s World Is This’
for VP Records –heady stuff. NAS’ new Untitled
equivalent of all-women shortlists to prevent the usual suspects Beenie Man, Elephant Man
etc from hogging the limelight. And both rhythms have produced bona fide hits that might album has a track about the Fox network & he’s
otherwise have gone unnoticed by many dancehall listeners. However, it’s disappointing been outside the Fox HQ making speeches to
that pretty much all of the cuts on the Estrogen rhythm are concerned with putting down the cameras. PURSUIT GROOVE releases some
other women. It would have been nice if more of the artists had taken the opportunity to heavy beats on Wild Art Forestry. UK b-boy ninja
NABA drops Underwater Napalm – it’s the bomb.
promote solidarity in such a male-dominated world. Here’s a selection of lyrics:
Classic Cannonball Adderley, produced by David
Axelrod, is out now via Stateside. The LINDSTROM
LADY SAW : “Tell a dutty girl fi come off a mi ride”
album is almost good to go. Elaste Vol 2 is mixed
NATALIE STORM : “Him say your sitt’n smell like donkey doo-doo”
by Tom Wieland. And make sure you check the
SPICE : “Nuff gal a hype and them name no mention” new George Pelicanos novel, The Turnaround.
TIFA : “Some girl smell like the bottom of the barrel”
Competition
TIMBERLEE : “Bounce a gal cah dem nuh hot like we”
MAVADO is continuing his prolific run of hits both on and off the hottest rhythms running
dancehalls right now. Some of his biggest tunes, like Don’t Worry, Overcome and On The
We have a pile of goodies to give away
Go, are one-away productions that only he has voiced – a sure sign of A-list status in an
industry dominated by the multi-artist rhythm track. On The Go is a tribute to the speed of
courtesy of Stones Throw, Faber & Faber,
Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, with the lyric “Jamaicans faster than bullet” holding true BBE, Black Dog Press and Mr Bongos.
despite the fact that Powell’s world record was recently broken by fellow Jamaican Usain This includes the James Pants album
Bolt. ‘Welcome’, the Fania remix album ‘I Like
It Like That’, the landmark Cuban film
Finally, we’ve done a half hour mix of Caribbean rave music - bashment, funky, soca, garage,
bassline and jungle - to promote the new night we’re running with Ben Dubstar called
‘Memories of Underdevelopment’ (reis-
Immediate Sounds. You can listen to and download it from www.theheatwave.co.uk sued by Mr. Bongos), a handful of copies
of Junot Diaz’ ‘The Brief Wondrous
TOP FIVE TUNES Life of Oscar Wao’, Emma Pettit’s ‘Old
1. MR VEGAS - Daggering
Rare New’ from Black Dog Press, and a
2. PALEFACE & KYLA - Do You Mind (Crazy Cousins Remix)
3. TARRUS RILEY & SIZZLA - Who’s Gonna Save Us
bunch of Kon & Amir’s ‘Off Track Vol.2:
4. MAVADO - On The Go Queens’.
5. ELEPHANT MAN & LIEUTENANT STITCHIE - What A Mighty God
Just email competition@shook.fm and tell
For more writing from The Heatwave, visit www.theheatwave.co.uk/blog
us something good.
11

SANJIV AHLUWALIA DELVES INTO THE SOUND OF PAISLEY
PARK AND BRINGS TOGETHER SOME OF THE MORE
OVERLOOKED PURPLE PRODUCTIONS.
EARLY YEARS
Prince’s childhood best friend André Cymone, was
pivotal in his rise to fame. Not only did his mother,
Bernadette, raise an abandoned 13-year-old Prince but
she gave the pair carte blanche to lay down the ground-
work for the future Minneapolis sound during bedroom
rehearsal sessions. Cymone would later find fame as a
sought-after producer but his solo work included ‘The
Dance Electric’ – a futuristic ride into dark, sensual funk.
The track, which was released in 1985, was the school
friends’ first work since André left Prince’s band after
the Dirty Mind tour in 1981. It has been said that André
provided much more input into Prince’s work then he
was given for credit for.
?uestlove cites Prince’s 1983 ‘Irresistible Bitch’ (b-
side to ‘Let’s Pretend We’re Married’) as the first gang-
ster rap track. Definitely the monotone, dark and sexist
lyrics earmarks a later trend in hip hop (and mostly not
a pleasant one). Add to the cannon the song’s incredible
funk sound.
PAISLEY
Prince’s most fruitful creative period was between
1985-1988 where he released a handful of albums and
was involved in several more. Creating his own Paisley
Park recording studio in Chanhessen, just outside of
Minneapolis, engineers were on call twenty-four hours
a day in case the Minneapolis wonder, as was often the
case, had an urgent need to record in the middle of the
night. ‘She’s Always In My Hair’ from Prince’s Paisley
period (circa Around The World In A Day) is a wonderful
piece of psychedelic soul, up there with the best Norman
Whitfield produced Temptations numbers and simply
one of the best records Prince has ever produced - and
it didn’t even get to be an album track.
On a similar tip is ‘Why Should I Love You’ which
is not on many people’s radar, appearing as it does as
the penultimate track on Kate Bush’s The Red Shoes
album – an incredible track, full of out-there pop, crazed
yet subtle drums and off-centre vocals from the two
protagonists.
B-SIDES
Prince’s b-side output served as a creative outlet for his
more experimental and Black music orientated work.
‘La, la, la, he, he, hee’, the b-side to ‘Sign O’ The Times’,
continues the tradition. An epic 10-and-a-half minute
12
HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE
ICA, LONDON, 22 JULY 2008
Photos: EVGENIY K
funk workout, it utilises George Clinton’s playful cartoon
funk and James Brown’s tight groove influences to the
core. A monumental funk record, it’s playful, naughty
and very danceable. Another brilliant b-side is ‘17 Days’
which is on the flip to ‘When Doves Cry’. A devastating
piece of soul, it’s the story of a broken heart – simple but
brilliant in execution.
COLLABORATIONS
I still vividly remember the time I first heard Eric Leeds’
‘Overnight, Every Night’ on the radio in the early ‘90s –
its whirling horns leaving an immediate impact as did the
tough drumming and bass. It seemed familiar, though it
was the delightful piano solo that really made me sit up
– and then I found out it was Prince. However well I knew
his work, I was not expecting him, at the height of his
powers, to drop a straight-ahead jazz track.
Jill Jones self-titled album is surely the most sought-
after Prince associated record. The album highlights
slightly off-centre vocals, pop meets soul sensibilities,
all manner of weird Prince musical eccentricities and
rich strings provided by Prince’s in house orchestral
arranger, Clare Fisher. A truly brilliant record.
Ex-Revolution members Wendy and Lisa who were
integral to Prince’s sound, from Purple Rain through
to Parade, recorded a multi-layered atmospheric jazz
track called ‘White’ on their acclaimed debut album.
Part haunting soundtrack (they later recorded the music
for Heroes), part subtle jazz-funk with no less than Tom
Scott on trumpet, this is a monstrous record, which
rarely gets the praise it deserves.
If being an artist associated with Prince was an
artistic hindrance, it did not stop The Family through
their eponymous debut releasing one of the finest
soul/funk albums of the decade. Making a minor noise
on its release in 1986, the album played a delight of
funk grooves, rough-end jazz and beautiful orchestrated
drapes of soul (the strings were led by jazz legend Clare
Fisher). The album featured in many best of decade lists.
‘The Screams of Passion’ is probably the best-known cut,
that is, until Sinead O’Connor butchered ‘Nothing Com-
pares 2 U’ six years later. But in ‘Susannah’s Pyjama’s’
(named after band member and ex-Prince belle Susan-
nah Melvoin) here is an astonishing piece of Minneapolis
jazz – boxed drums, funky grooves and some heady alto
saxophone from Eric Leeds, making this one of the finest
pieces of Prince-related material
13
phots: KYLA
DEEZ HOLLYWOOD NITES DRIVE ME CRAZY
Clubs are played out. Outrageous cover charges and snooty
partygoers, watered-down drinks and weak DJs, it seems like you
can’t really have a fun night out in California without going through
these headaches. Thankfully, a few years ago Aloe Blacc, DJ Haycock
and Jamie Strong from Stones Throw have come up with The Do
Over, a creative, carefree party nestled in the complicated, over-
hyped LA social scene.
The Do Over goes down every Sunday afternoon during the
summer, perfectly capturing that sunshine party vibe. The idea
behind the Do Over is that after you’ve spent your weekend wasting
too much money on drinks, you can head over to the Do Over and,
well, do your weekend over again, without all the pretentiousness.
The outside of the venue is pretty nondescript, but once you pass
the bouncer and corridor you enter the best backyard party you’ll
see in Southern California. Their famed sangria is quite delicious, but
not nearly as tasty as the musical treats from each week’s mystery
guest DJs. Everyone from Karriem Riggins, House Shoes, Neil
Armstrong, B+, DJ AM, Flying Lotus and J. Rocc have shut shit down
on the decks, and that is just a partial line up of 2008. The sound
system always sounds just right, the sangria is never too bitter or
sweet and somehow there always seem to be some of the most
beautiful people around in attendance. The Do Over is injecting the
fun back into going out in Los Angeles, but if you go be warned, shit
gets live so hold on tight to you glass... sangria stains don’t come out
in the wash. (Andres Reyes)
On a Thursday evening in London, those
in the know make their journey down to
Portobello Road. A stone’s throw from
the railway bridge, where all the Carnival
soundsystems used to play back when, is
a little bar call Mau Mau’s, and outside the
venue, people just hang out in the street,
POWER TO UPROCK swapping CDs and phone numbers, working
out where the afterparty is, talking about the
latest records and catching jokes.
Inside, at around 9PM (okay, actually
more like 10PM by the time everyone’s got
inside), and for just £5, the Jazz Re:Freshed
family (because everyone there is family) have
been treated to some of the most incredible
live performances in this intimate little venue
14
– there’s been Azymuth live and direct in
session, there was Leon Ware who dropped
by to guest on Mark de Clive Lowe’s show,
and Kaidi “Kat” Tatham running scales like
Herbie Hancock circa Sextant. We can’t
forget Silhouette Brown doing it after dark,
and Julie Dexter, Eric Appapoulay and a
loop station making one-drop reggae (check
YouTube for the clips), Sadly Brian Jackon
never did make his gig (UK Customs is a
bitch), but RAMP certainly did represent, and
when the first chords of ‘Daylight’ came in,
and everyone in the audience screamed, the
band had to wheel and come again.
But big names aside, respect is due the
promoters Adam ‘Rock’ Moses and Justin
A TALE OF SMALL TOWN BIG SOUNDS
Exchanging the bustle of Paris for the more relaxed climbs of rapture only truly begins as beat-legend Fulgeance takes to the stage.
Besancon, high in the Alpine hills of north-east France, the Boogieboxx Rocking a pair of old-school MPC 2000s and a dj mixer, Ful-g’s live sets
hosts (June, Moog, Narqo, Zo, Lalie & Sté), guests (Fulgeance & Debruit) are something to behold. Wasting no time, man swaggers back and
and a squad of other B-town affiliates have all converged for a night of forth between these 16 Bit rhythm machines. Gesturing with Gallic
musical mayhem. flair, he’s ever the showman… think vintage Agassi shape-shifting with
Gridlock in the main bar has forced many into the backroom Mick Jagger at a James Last concert. Switching sequences, muting
confines, where Rekick [Musique Large] unlocks the crowd’s party tracks and expertly pad drumming his way through the funk rumpus of
fervour; with reaction to Flylo’s ‘Parisian Goldfish’ signalling they’re now ‘Impulsinfionnetta’, the American Splendour riffin’ ‘Revenge Of The Nerd’,
ready to rumble. The energy levels rise another notch shortly afterwards and the jackin synth trauma ‘Absolute Belta’. A sound that’s undoubtedly
when Debruit is introduced; the first of tonight’s live sets. cosmopolitan, partway between post-dilla, classic 90’s breakbeat and
From the opening strains of ‘Pure Check’, this usually reserved Miami bass…A sound he’s dubbed ‘Low Club!’
performer grins wildly with empathic accents underpinning each laptop Ending on one final drum pad workout of epic proportions, it’s over.
tap and mixer trim. Live-wired on machine code, he teases somatic call The room momentarily stunned into eerie silence, like the vacuum
‘n’ response from his audience. created after a blast.
With relentless execution the set rips through the tech minefields Even the day after the event as Debruit, Rekick and I journeyed back
of ‘So Bailé’ and ‘Kaerb’ (from the ‘Coupe Decale’ EP on Musique Large) to big-time Paris, the conversation continually returned to sentiments
alongside selections from his self-released ‘To Nartik Kef’ album and of the real warmth, highly-charged energy and unshackled enthusiasm
sneak peeks of new material sporting a B-more-meets-hip-house swerve. shown by the patrons and organisers at Boogieboxx. It’s always good to
Corralling key elements from yesteryear, he slices and grinds them into a be reminded that sometimes ‘Big tings gwan’ where you least expect to
reformed pop ‘n’ lock platter of electro-delectation like a beat-butcher. find them and that the true rhythm of life lurks within small things often
This spectacle should be enough to satisfy most parties, but the overlooked… A microeconomics lesson in living LARGE. (Frank Dubya)
‘Toprock’ MacKenzie who have slaved tirelessly
to keep live music alive in the capital – bringing
hundreds of artists through the doors of Mau
Mau’s in the space of five years, and bringing a
smile to so many faces in attendance. With the
release of their Jazz Re:freshed album, a double
CD pitting lesser-known but highly promising UK
talent like Green and Obenewa, against stalwarts
of the scene like Jason Yarde, Joy Jones, Azymuth,
Reel People, Fertile Ground and previously
unreleased material from Rasiyah and Kaidi
Tatham, this is how we get down on a Thursday
night in London town.
Grab a copy of this limited pressing from
www.jazzrefreshed.com. What you waitin’ for?
15
 FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THE LATEST DAEDALUS
LP ‘LOVE TO MAKE MUSIC’, SARAH MARSHALL CAUGHT
UP WITH ALFRED DARLINGTON AND HIS WIFE LAURA
words: ANDRES REYES
DARLINGTON ABOUT THE FORTHCOMING
COLLABORATION AS “THE LONG LOST”
Rappers rap, but Shawn Jackson makes music. Though the Inglewood- happened on the spot. The first time I met them cats, I wrote something
born MC might not be a household name yet, he’s already making fans on the spot and recorded it (‘Soopafly’, which was in 2005) and after that
out of heads like DJ Exile, Guilty Simpson and House Shoes with his they start bragging to other cats in the studio like “yeah, this nigga mad How did you meet? L : Starting as a child I studied piano and flute and sang in school choir
smooth delivery and deadpan humor. After relocating to Rhode Island to professional... bang them shits out in no time...” That shit was pressure! Laura : We met in high school orchestra and dated for two epic months. groups. In college I learned to edit film using computers, and when I real-
perfect his craft, coming back and linking up with Newman from Giant But they’re so free and creative with their music, it’s just no sense of Then four years later we ran into each other two days in a row under ized that ProTools works in the same way, it was easy for me to pick it up.
Panda and dropping some limited pieces of wax, Shawn Jack finally bounds, and I appreciated that. That is real artistry. very mysterious circumstances, and there was a sense that destiny was
dropped his debut album, First of All… via Tres Records. at work. Do you share similar tastes or do you disagree about things?
What other projects do you have going on now? Alfred : In high school, it was probably too intense a relationship for either L : We agree about the important things. But sometimes it’s fun to
Shawn Jackson. Jack-O. Shawn Jack. What other aliases do you have? I got the New Jack Hustle album in the works, entitled SoundCheck that of us at the time, and after years of not talking we quite fortuitously met disagree, especially since I’m always right.
Jimmy Swagga, Montgomery Huxtable, Vin Mariani & Swagmire...giggety. should be out in October on Tres – that one’s also going to be obnoxious. again. A : I disagree.
I got a 7” coming out with my man Ben Grymm in the UK soon. Always
So the album, First of All…, is finally done. What where you trying to do other stuff too... ya’ll just keep up, aiight? Did you work together before starting a relationship? How do you balance a working and personal relationship?
with this record? A : No, in many ways our music together is because of our commitment. A : We don’t. But that imbalance feeds the project.
I was basically trying to stay within my lane and start off by making a Final thoughts? L : I think our music is entirely a product of our love, I can’t imagine the L : We’re still figuring that one out... Alfred’s touring a lot for his own
quality hip-hop album. Although I’m flexible with various styles and a Yeah, every rapper out there who has Gangstarr’s Hard To Earn record, music being possible without it. music, which cuts into both our working and our personal time.
broad taste for beats, I know I’m hip-hop first, you know? That’s just me. which you should do, by the way, put that on and listen to Guru’s rant in
the intro. Take a long good look in the mirror and see if you apply as that How long have you been working together? What are the disadvantages/advantages of being a couple in a band?
I see you have a gang of Jack Sample Pros production on the album. same clown he’s talking ‘bout. If so, just fall back. Oh yeah, buy First Of A : Since 1998, to differing amounts of productivity. L : The biggest advantage is being able to work in our pyjamas. Also, I
What made you choose to go with them for the bulk of the record? All... it’s dope. think touring is easier, because Alfred’s the only person in the world I
Man, it was nothing premeditated by any means. Everything always just When and why did you decide to work on a project together? don’t get sick of. We live together and we have a studio in our din-
A : It was rather inevitable... ing room, so you’d think it would be easy to find time to work, but it’s
L : When we got together I had just moved back to LA with a collection somehow harder because we’re always around and the instruments
Possibly the most outrageously slept- and how to make it come through your of toy pianos I had picked up at garage sales during college. Alfred was and equipment are always around, so the possibility of music just gets
on production unit in the flip-flop nation speaker – loud, clear and crisp.” trying to teach himself guitar, so we were both fooling around with these camouflaged by the mundane. We really have to schedule it in advance
right now… Vintage beatsmith Marc new instruments, and it only made sense to put them together. One or it doesn’t happen.
Mac knows (he commissioned a trio Most underrated producer? night when we were having tea, Alfred proposed that we could make a A : Laura’s a perfectionist, I’m more spontaneous, hopefully that ends up
of dope remixes for the Visioneers’ Joc Max, BusCrates 16 Bit Ensemble or formal go of our music, perhaps even a career. That sounded fantastic, being the tension that makes it all interesting.
‘Dirty Old Remixes’ EP in 2007) but the Robin Hannibal (of Owusu & Hannibal). but also like a pipe dream; that possibility never would have occurred to
rest of the world seems inexplicably me, I don’t have much confidence. Do you think being in a personal relationship adds a different dimen-
content to wallow in ignorance of Favourite slept-on rap LP? sion to a collaborative bond?
their boom-bap/bump-snap mastery, Kwest Tha Madd Ladd: ‘This Is My First Did you have any reservations about working on a project together? L : When we’re composing or producing, it’s certainly convenient to have
TWELVE BEATS & TERRY despite production credits for fellow Album’ L : I was terrified. I remember the first time I tried to play and sing a that level of understanding where we can finish each other’s sentences.
TESTER AKA THE WORKS homegrown Danish soul ensemble song I had written in front of Alfred, it took about a half hour for him to As for performing, it’s wonderful to sing love songs with someone you’re
Vincent Van Go Go, French chanteuse Most underrated MC? coax me into it. I was sure he’d break up with me once he heard my in love with.
words: ALEX STEVENSON Lily M, Bay Area resident Jahi, Rawkus Inspektah Deck (often drowning in a sea music and especially my voice...
photo: RASMUS WENG CARLSEN affiliate Kojoe and Kansas City spit- of Wu…) A : I think sometimes it’s harder to express yourself in front of a Would you discuss personal details about your relationship in your lyr-
kicker Reach. Heavyweight collabos loved one then a stranger, somehow more is on the line if you disagree, ics? Are any of the songs you’ve written about or to each other?
with the Stones Throw fam – Oh No, Most underrated club banger? it’s almost as if you’re calling into question the entire relationship. A : Every song is extremely personal, but thankfully encoded in little poet-
Wildchild, Roc C, DJ Romes, Planet Booty Cologne: ‘Shake Wut Ya Mama ics and musical flourishes.
Asia and Rasco – are forthcoming on Gave Ya’ [Machine Nun/A:larm] How would you describe the project you’ve been working on? L : We sometimes get personal in our lyrics, but I think we have a pretty
Danish indie Sonny B Records. And if A : Love songs, sad songs healthy relationship so it’s not too gruesome. We have a song about
you don’t know, now you know. Most underrated beverage? L : Romantic lullabies being in the Ballroom Dance Club in high school, and having to dance with
Carrot juice or Fernet Branca… No wait.. each other even after we’d broken up, which was quite bittersweet.
Terry on Twelve: birch juice! What influences do you draw on?
“Twelve is a beast. He fully understands A : Each other mainly, but also the instruments we use lead us in certain How would you compare this work to other collaborations?
the art of keeping it grimy – like a next Most underrated sandwich? directions. A : It’s interesting, this is much harder in some ways than other collabo-
generation Pete Rock. Dude got good Avocado, rocket and mayo on wholemeal rative work I’ve done, mainly because with The Long Lost I’m not always
ears.” rye! A bourgeois favorite… What are your respective backgrounds? the person behind the mixing desk or computer.
A : I started by playing bass clarinet and slightly later double bass. In col- L : I think it would be difficult for me to collaborate compositionally with
Twelve on Terry: www.myspace.com/terrytester lege I studied classical music and jazz, but quickly switched to electronics anyone besides Alfred; I don’t know anyone else who shares our sensibil-
“Terry knows exactly where he wants www.myspace.com/twelvebeats and production. Now it seems I’m drawn back to the improvisational and ity.
to take a track, how to take it there, through:composed music I had run away from for a while.
17
16
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19
words: JEZ SMADJA
Two events, one Olympic month, in October
1968, Mexico City. Both began with the firing
of a gun. 200m finalists Tommie Smith and
John Carlos both burst out the blocks and
made it past the finishing line, Tommie in a
MEXICO
world record time, before taking their famous
victory stand, fists raised, on the winners
podium; but for the Mexican protesters of
Tlaltelolco Square, when on 2 October 1968
the sound of gunshots rang out, the bodies
started falling.
Let’s rewind a little... On the campus of San
Jose State University, which boasted the
track team known as Speed City, a hotbed of
68
‘
political activism was brewing in the mid-’60s.
Discussions on campus amongst the black
students had seen them asking questions
about their status as second-class citizens and
about the injustices at the heart of the ‘land of
the free’. Why was it they could only get $2.50
an hour jobs cleaning cars? How were they
supposed to survive on their $75 a month
stipend? And why was it that white students
always came up to them and asked “What
sport do you play?” as if the only reason they’d
be at San Jose State was through a sports
scholarship? The fact was that white students
at San Jose simply couldn’t come to terms with
this new black presence on campus, and when
the black students started carrying around
books, talking about sociology, law and human
rights, this only scared them more.
In 1967, at the World University Games
in Tokyo, San Jose State student and Speed
City member Tommie Smith made an
announcement about the upcoming 1968
Mexico Olympics which would send shockwaves
across America. “A boycott is possible and is
probable,” he told the press. “The reasoning is:
Why should we participate for a country then
come back to our homes and be denied some
of the rights which should be given us?”
Later that year, Harry Edwards, an older
San Jose alumnus who had politicsed the
younger students like Tommie Smith and
teammate John Carlos, set-up a platform
to question the racism at the heart of the
athletics world. He called it the Olympic Project
for Human Rights. It would lobby for a complete
The ’68 Olympics in Mexico City will be remembered as boycott of the Olympics by black athletes
across America, and it would see Edwards go
much for what happened outside the Games. head-to-head with Avery Brundage, the head
20
of the International Olympic Committee, in a
showdown of wits and nerve.
“It was called the Olympic Project for
Human Rights for a reason,” Tommie Smith
told an audience in Paris earlier this year. “It
was more than civil rights; that’s why it was
called human rights. It’s just that the pressure
was taken by the black athletes; we stepped out
and did what should have been done by young
groups much earlier. It wasn’t dope smoking,
arm-pumping punks, as the other protesters of
all types from that era are portrayed. We were
students, and we were very dedicated.”
Like the Bus Boycotts of Montgomery
and the Freedom Riders before them, the
black athletes who signed up to the Olympic
Project were playing with fire. Hate mail filled
their mailboxes, they received death threats
and even worse... Harry Edwards was being
tailed by the CIA and one morning he found his
“It was the
Olympic Project
for Human Rights.
It was more than
civil rights; that’s
why it was called
human rights.
dogs on his doorstep, cut up in pieces. But the
athletes refused to be intimidated even if 1968
was the year that Martin Luther King and
Bobby Kennedy were both assassinated.
The Olympic boycott, despite gaining
national attention, never did occur. Harry
Edwards couldn’t convince the nation’s athletes
that the cause was worth sacrificing all the
hard work and financial rewards. So four out
of the seven Speed City runners – Tommie
Smith, John Carlos, Lee Evans and Ronnie Ray
Smith – qualified through the heats and arrived
in Mexico City for the finals. Their presence
there did not mean the fight was over. John
Carlos, the most militant of the team, explained,
“A statement needed to be made relative to
the suffering of people of colour and I felt that
the Olympics would be the ideal place to get
the message across to society that we had a
problem. Not a problem that we can close our
eyes to because it will lead to destruction.”
But even on the starting line at the
Olympic track in Mexico City, Tommie Smith
half-expected a gunshot to ring out, and that
gunshot would not be from the race officials.
But the upheavals of the Olympic Project
for Human Rights were not the only cause
promising to disrupt the Olympics. Mexico
was the first developing nation in the history
of the competition to be awarded the Games.
When the massive riots broke out across
France in May 1968, CIA agents contacted the
President Gustavo Díaz Ordaz to make sure
a similar outburst was not about to threaten
proceedings there. Mexico had been a model
of US-sponsored stability and prosperity (even
in the ‘60s the US was already exporting
democracy). Meanwhile, across the rest of
Latin America and the Caribbean, socialist
uprisings inspired by Fidel Castro and Che
Guevara erupted with regularity.
In Mexico everything appeared to be fine
until July 1968. It all began quite innocuously
with a fight that broke out between rival
students of the Mexican National Autonomous
University (UNAM) and the National
Politechnical Institute (Poli). When antiriot
police intervened, pursuing the students
through the neighbourhood, violently beating
those involved, and making 20 arrests, the
touch-paper was lit for a movement that would
swell over the next two months, involving not
just students but workers, teachers, doctors
– in fact, almost all sections of society.
In the high schools across the capital,
there followed strikes and sit-ins and, like
the Olympic Project for Human Rights, the
students formed a National Strike Council to
put forward their demands to the President.
Clashes with police became more frequent,
and each new demonstration that took to the
street attracted more citizens to the cause.
By the end of August, students were calling
marches of between 300,000 and 600,000
people, and police were using ever more brutal
tactics to break up the marches. The United
States had been adopting similar policies
against protesters. In Detroit and Chicago, the
police had ordered antisniper rifles, carbines,
shotguns, 150,000 rounds of ammunition and
21

even helicopters in anticipation of civil rights
troubles. When on 18 September 10,000
Mexican troops invaded the UNAM campus, it
was a sign of things to come. They rounded-up
the students at gun point and made 1,000
arrests, hoping to find the leaders of the
the National Strike Council and were forcing
them into the line of fire as gunshots rained
down on the balcony. As bullets continued to
fly from all directions, some people tried to
take shelter in the church on one side of the
plaza, but its doors had been bolted on the
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National Strike Council, but the movement’s
leaders had been tipped off about the raid and
were already long gone.
Across Mexico, news spread of the civil
orders of the archbishop. People in the crowd
recall how bodies were being piled up by the
army and then loaded into trucks. And as
the demonstrators were lined up against the
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VALIQUE - R.A.W SINGLE MINDED

disturbances even if the state-controlled
media imposed a blanket silence. In the capital,
students were giving workshops and evening
classes to workers and peasants. They were
distributing information to publicize their
struggle and making use of their education
– engineering students created balloons that
would burst at a certain altitude, scattering
leaflets across the city, and design students
created silk-screen posters with slogans like
‘We Demand Solutions’ and ‘We Don’t Want
Olympic Games, We Want Revolution’ that
were pasted across the walls of the city. Oil
workers were violently threatened by police
when they made demands to their bosses. And
when doctors and nurses were arrested for
treating students wounded by police, they too
went on strike.
On 2 October, protesters organized a
demonstration at La Plaza de las Tres Culturas,
better known by its Aztec name, Tlaltelolco.
10,000 people soon filled the square. Fom the
third-floor balcony of the Chihuahua apartment
block, the leaders of the National Strike
Council addressed the crowd. Meanwhile,
300 tanks, jeeps and armored cars, as well
as 5,000 soldiers and hundreds of police had
surrounded the square and blocked off all the
exits. The army and the president’s special
unit, the Battalion Olympia, dressed in civilian
clothes, infiltrated the crowd and at 18:10,
when the signal was given, the troops began
opening fire on the demonstrators.
Chaos erupted as the demonstrators,
under a hail of bullets, ran from one side of
the square to the other, only to find the exits
blocked by the soldiers. Meanwhile, in the
Chihuahua apartment block, the Battalion
Olympia had surrounded the members of
walls and prodded by bayonets and guns, they
all remember the hideous sound of gunfire
which continued relentlessly for two hours. At
students created
silk-screen posters
with slogans like ‘We
Demand Solutions’
and ‘We Don’t Want
Olympic Games, We
Want Revolution’
that were pasted
across the walls of
the city.
great personal risk, the residents of Tlaltelolco
sheltered some people in their apartments,
which were raided and ransacked late into the
night. Meanwhile, the Chihuahua apartment
block caught fire after being pounded with tank
artillery.
The following day, when the Mexican
newspapers reported the events of the
previous day, they put the death-toll at between
4 and 30. The real figure, though it has been
impossible to determine exact numbers
because of the cover-up, was at least 300. It’s
said that the army dropped the bodies of the
dead out in the Gulf of Mexico, while others
maintain that mass graves were dug in the
army’s training ground, and were covered over
in the night. Families were too scared to report
missing children for fear of being persecuted,
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about the bodies and information regarding the (RUSSIANS AT WORK)
role the American secret services played in the Disco, Funk & Soul from the new Adrian Gibson compiles the Rare
brutal repression. When the Olympic Games Super-producer from Russia. Vinyl only, long deleted 12" singles to
opened just a week later, the world remained Orgone’s Fanny Franklin & Sofi celebrate the first five years of
silent about the massacre. Tommie Smith Ocran are among the guests. Freestyle Records. Includes Sleeve,
and John Carlos would make their own stand Features the singles ‘Where is Roy Ayers, Nick the Record, Karl
for human rights on the winner’s podium with the Love?’ & ‘Taking Your Seat’. Denson, Lewis Taylor, DJ Graham B,
clenched fists, black gloves and black socks. Ron Blake, Lanu & more.
They would be sent home from the Olympics,
CD
CD
and never be allowed to represent their
country again.
“The right to speak your mind is the
greatest right that anyone has in society,” JAZZ JUICE - SPEEDOMETER - NO MAN
WORRIES (DJ FORMAT’S
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But back in 1968 people believed they
could stop wars, overthrow governments and
end injustice. Tommie Smith and John Carlos
sacrificed their careers for the cause of human
rights. The dead of Tlaltelolco sacrificed their
lives in the hope of a brighter tomorrow. “The
goal of the Olympic Movement is to contribute
to building a peaceful and better world by
educating youth through sport practised in
accordance with Olympism and its values,”
states the Olympic Charter, optimistically. As
the Beijing Olympics kicks off, wars continue
to rage on in the Middle East and Africa in the
name of oil: Western powers vying with China
and India for the planet’s resources. Given that
the Iraqi althletes will be conspicuously absent
from the Games this year, will anyone be
prepared to make a stand in 2008?

MEXICO ‘68
22
88
words: ED AARONS photos: DAVE SWINDELLS flyers: JUJU

ACIIIEEED IN LONDON
24
25
The thing you don’t realize about growing up
in Britain in the mid ‘80s was that there just
wasn’t a lot going unless you were really in
the know. That era was all about Style Culture
– bars and clubs in the West End of London
where people would get dressed up (strictly
no trainers) and throw money about. Rare
groove was the flavour of the month – funk
and soul mixed with the nascent sounds of
hip hop, electro and go go; and the door policy
at clubs was always strictly enforced (or just
plain segregated) to keep trouble at bay. So
the black youth would end up at blues parties
where soundsystems like Rapattack would
play, while at the West End clubs like The
Wag it was all about styling and profiling with
the celebrities of the day – Spandau Ballet,
Bananarama and Boy George all in full effect.
Clubs generally finished at around 3am, and
even in the warehouse parties which attracted
a mixed crowd, the vibe was still a little moody.
But change was in the air. Margaret
Thatcher had been voted in for a third time as
Tory prime minister, famously declaring “There
is no such thing as society.” She was going to
be proved wrong. With the arrival of house
music to the shores of the UK, the face of
youth culture would never be the same again.
“House came from America but London
has always been the music capital of the
world,” explains Mr C, the cheeky Cockney
chappie who in ’88 became resident alongside
Colin Faver at London’s infamous Clink Street
nights. “There were so many pirate radio
stations around at that time and that helped to
spread the word about what was going on. We
took bit of Chicago House, Detroit Techno and
even weird German pop records, mixed them
up together and created a culture out of it.”
In the capital, Jazzy M’s ‘The Jackin’ Zone’
show on the pirate station LWR broadcast the
new house sound coming from Detroit, Chicago
and NYC – Todd Terry, Mr Fingers, Ten City,
Joe Smooth, Frankie Knuckles, Lil Louis – while
through the course of 1988, the music was
the foundation for a brand new style of parties
that were springing up like pawn shops in a
recession: in dingy fitness centres, cavernous
pub basements, film studios and abandoned
warehouse spaces across the city. Shoom.
26
Hedonism. Future. Delirium. Spectrum. RIP.
And that was just the beginning.
Danny Rampling (DJ and founder of
Shoom): “You will always get people saying ‘My
mate played ‘acid house’ back in 1984, and
some of the records had been around for a
couple of years, but it wasn’t until 1988 that it
exploded and took the whole country by storm.
Myself, Nicky Holloway, Johnny Walker and
Paul Oakenfold had a complete revelation in
Amnesia in Ibiza the summer before and were
totally inspired. I had a crystal-clear vision of
what I wanted to create back in England, and
I’m sure that others felt the same.”
Party-goers across the Atlantic had long
since been introduced to the early house sound
in clubs like Chicago’s Warehouse and the
Then, suddenly,
all that changed
overnight. It felt that
the whole attitude
thing got washed
away, even if one of
my mates said I’d sold
my soul to the strobe
lights!”
Paradise Garage in New York, but in 1986
only Nude at The Hacienda in Manchester
and the Garage in Nottingham were devoted
solely to the music. Paul Oakenfold had opened
Funhouse in south London in ‘87 but it had
failed to capture the imagination of the public.
“The rare groove scene was so enormous
and so good – it wasn’t they didn’t like house,
they just didn’t need it,” says Terry Farley, one
of the faithful behind the Boy’s Own fanzine and
the seminal Boy’s Own parties. But that’s not to
say that house was being ignored by everyone
– the most popular underground movement of
the time were warehouse parties featuring the
likes of Soul II Soul and Norman Jay’s legendary
Shake ‘n’ Fingerpop nights. They played a
mixture of styles – anything from classic 70s
funk to soul and disco, occasionally mashed
up with a sprinkling of house music. But even
Norman was getting slack for playing house. As
had happened in America, the gay scene was
far quicker on the uptake
“Most of the places in London that were
playing house were the gay clubs,” recalls
Johnny Walker, a funk and soul DJ at the time.
“DJs like Colin Faver would play at Heaven but
most of the mainstream West End clubs were
very much black music like disco, soul and early
hip hop. In 1987, I was playing at a club called
Frenchies in Camberley and I tried to bring in
a few early house tracks from America to the
dismay of some of the punters and my fellow
DJs. They thought I’d lost the plot!”
While Danny Rampling, Paul Oakenfold
and Johnny Walker went on to recreate their
experiences of Ibiza back in London, at clubs
like Shoom and Spectrum, Colin Faver had
came back totally inspired from a trip to New
York where he saw Larry Levan at the Paradise
Garage: “On a Wednesdays we did Pyramid
at Heaven, and then we started Busbys on a
Monday. They were mixed clubs, predominantly
gay. And the atmosphere there was the closest
I’d seen to New York. People shouting and
screaming and putting their hands in the air.
You’d never seen that before in the UK. This
was slightly before Shoom took off.”
Artist Nicky Spiers recalls how quickly
attitudes changed towards the emerging
scene. “A lot of people were very hostile
towards house when it first arrived. It was
perceived as music for gays. I remember some
of the hip hop element actually throwing stuff at
the Watson brothers (Noel and Maurice) when
they started playing it. They even had to put
cages around the DJ box so they wouldn’t get
hurt. Then, suddenly, all that changed overnight.
It felt that the whole attitude thing got washed
away, even if one of my mates said I’d sold my
soul to the strobe lights!”
It didn’t take long for the message to
spread. Shoom, set up by Danny and Jenni
Rampling in a small fitness centre in Southwark
late 1987, attempted to spread the gospel
that Danny had absorbed by watching DJ
top left: sweating at the Trip/ middle left: Colin Faver & Trevor Fung at Heaven/ bottom left: queuing outside The Trip/ top right: Paul Oakenfold, Lisa Loud & Ian St John at Shoom
middle right: The Hug Club crew at Shoom/ bottom right: Johnny Walker
27
Alfredo at Amnesia in Ibiza. Although Shoom
was invite-only, soon queues were stretching
half-way down the steet. Danny Rampling would
play alongside guests like Colin Faver and
Andy Weatherall. “You could play anything you
wanted there,” says Colin. “Andy Weatherall
was playing stuff across the board. I used to
play house and vocal garage next to Human
League, Visage, Heaven 17 and David Bowie.
Alternative dance music. I don’t know if people
were so off their heads, but everybody was
happy, I know that much. The thing I remember
about Shoom is getting the next record on the
turntable and the sweat dripping off my nose
and onto the record. And I’d have to wipe it off
the record before I cued it up. Because that
fitness centre was small and it was hot, so
hot. You’d end up like a flannel, head to toe, like
you’d just had a shower. And the crowd would
literally be there, right in your face. Fantasic
vibe.”
In February 1988, Mr C, Kid Bachelor,
Evil Eddie Richards and Colin Faver launched
Fantasy in Camden Lock, believed to be
London’s first exclusively acid house night.
That lasted for three months before they
moved to Smithfield Market and began RIP
(Revolution In Progress) on the Saturday night.
RIP then relocated to Clink Street, a former
prison a stone’s throw from London Bridge. A
grimy dungeon of a place, the venue attracted
hardcore football hooligans and gangsters
mixed with Day-Glo ravers and celebrities like
Phillip Glass, Nigel Kennedy and Lofty from
Eastenders. Before long, A-Transmission
had started on Fridays and the weekend
was rounded off on Sundays with Zoo, which,
according to Mr C, was an apt name given the
state of the punters after three days of raving.
“One memory that really sticks out for me
is when the police did a raid on a night in Clink
Street and they got everyone outside,” says Mr
C. “People were standing around buzzing their
tits off and the old bill decided to try and clear
the area by putting on the siren of the police
car, not knowing that it was the main hook in
Todd Terry’s ‘Can You Party’. Everyone started
jumping on the cars and going mad – it was
hilarious.” Ashely Beedle, also a regular at RIP
and later a resident there, remembers leaving
the club with a bunch of mates as the sun
28
came up, off their faces, to grab a pint in the
local pub filled with the early-morning market
traders before going back to the dance later in
the afternoon.
“There was such a mix of people,” adds
Nicky Trax, the promoter of Confusion. “Like
there was this baker, and lots of other early
birds who would come out of the club and go
straight to work. And the police didn’t have
a clue what was going on. They’d be called
because of noise as clubbers left, and once
because a couple were having sex in a nearby
garden.”
Over the course of that summer of 88,
the exclusive and expensive fashions popular
amongst the West End crowd went out the
window and in came the Chevignon jackets, the
Lee dungarees, the bandanas, the ponchos,
the Day Glo and the smiley face t-shirts (the
logo inspired by Alan Moore’s Watchmen for
DC Comics). “There was this shop called World
who would import all these crazy hats and
aztec jackets, and Keith Haring t-shirts from
New York,” recalls Nicky. Like with punk, people
discovered that they could make their own
self-styled culture – there were people making
banners, hiring soundsystems, putting out
magazines (Jocket Slut), there were designers
(Blue Source, Trevor Jackson), clothes stores,
DJs, promoters, people pressing up their
own records, and then there were the record
shops.
“I used to go buy imports every week on
Greek Street from Groove,” says Colin Faver.
“And they used to keep a bag under the
counter for me, so I used to get all the new
stuff. Used to spend a fortune every week on
these imports. And then the Trax label started
creeping in. I used to see this red label, really
rough-looking, with lots of pops and holes
on the vinyl – looked like it’d been recycled
in Mexico and shipped back to Chicago. And
Dance Mania, all these labels started creeping
in. But the music then was relly basic – like
a drum box and some guy screaming sexual
sounds. It wasn’t saying that much but it was
quite interesting because it was different. It
was like 120bpm which was quite fast, and we
mixed it in with The Human League and Simple
Minds. It mixed in perfectly.”
While some went to Groove, others would
head down to Black Market on a Saturday
which was almost like a rave itself, where New
York DJs like Todd Terry would pass through
and play records on the booming soundsystem.
With so many new tunes arriving from Chicago
and New York, there’d be certified classics
each and every week. And all along Oxford
Street, you’d hear Kiss FM in the shops,
still a pirate at the time, broadcasting the
forthcoming raves over the airwaves. If you
were that way inclined, you wouldn’t need to
go to sleep for the next 12 months. Heaven
on a Monday, the Wag on Tuesday, Miami
at Legends on Wednesday, back to Heaven
for Delirium on Thursday, then Enter the
Dragon and RIP on a Friday. Then, around the
middle of 88, people started doing their own
parties. You’d hear people say, ‘My dad’s got
a warehouse,’ or ‘We can break in to this spot
here.’
Outside clubs, people were handing out
photocopied flyers for all sorts of new nights,
and to keep the police at bay promoters were
using ever more sophisticated tactics to keep
the venues secret. But regardless, the risk of
being raided by the police, and the opportunity
to use your charms to convince the police to
let you go on, was half the fun. When the police
did raid the clubs, and they found a bunch of
beaming hippies on the dancefloor, they often
didn’t know how to react. Ecstasy had only just
arrived in the country and people were trying
their hardest to keep it a secret.
“I remember the police decided to raid the
club and they all ran in, but they hadn’t done
their homework. They turned up at 1.30am but
we ended at 1am and we were taking down
the banners, unplugging the soundsystem
and were ready to go home,” says Nicky Trax.
“There were about 40 of them that turned up
in seven vans, and came charging in. They had
a good look around and one of them, a young
copper, found this bottle of amyl nitrate and
he said ‘What’s this?’ He took a huge sniff and
went bright red. We all just fell about laughing.”
What also happened that summer was
that everyone from all walks of life came
together under one roof, perhaps for the first
time ever. You had posh boys like promoter
Tony Colston-Hayter running around with East
End hard nuts, you had Terry Farley, a casual
top left: roadblock
middle right: Shoomers in shorts / bottom right: I feel another rush coming on
29
from Slough, holding hands with The Face
editor Robert Elms through the strawberry-
flavoured smoke at Shoom, you had Wayne
Anthony, a kid from Hackney who had worked
with Mel and Kim, pulling off one the biggest
parties of the year with 4,000 people under
one roof for the Genesis New Year’s Eve bash.
Everyone was high on hope and right on one,
matey.
And there was never a shortage of US
DJs passing through the capital. The record
labels had got hip to the demand for acid
house, and people like Hippie Torales from the
Club Zanzibar in New Jersey, Detroit’s Kevin
Saunderson and Chicago’s Robert Owens were
all coming over to the UK to sign record deals.
“Robert Owens came over in 1988 and never
left. He just stayed in London because he loved
it. The people from Chicago might have had the
music and some clubs, but they didn’t have the
clubs like ours, the mix of people. London was
kicking,” adds Nicky.
She launched Confusion on a Sunday night
with Martin Confusion, a scion of the fashion
and gay scene, at Bill Stickers, which was an
OTT restaurant in Soho, “it was something like
your grandma’s worst decorating nightmare
with little cherubs, marble tables and it lent
itself very much to our mad little party”. Sunday
was the only night of the week when there
wasn’t already something going on, back when
Sunday clubbing was still unheard of. In the
main room they had Roots and Kid Batchelor
DJing and E-Mix on the mic, while in the
OddBod room, she invited Ashley Beedle from
Xpress 2, some of the guys from Soul II Soul
and Shakespeare.
After a run in with the management at
Bill Stickers, they moved around the corner
to Shaftsburys on Shaftesbury Road. “It was a
really tacky disco so I got Derrick Yates to do
some artwork (he did the original Funki Dred
logo for Soul II Soul) and he did all these really
crazy sexy banners as well as coming up with
the iconic Confusion logo, a winking sun face.
Akeem The Dream also contributed some
amazing décor and even a rasta-flavoured
birthday flyer, and it was great to have such
a fired up creative crew around me. The third
week we had Adamski and Jimi Polo do a PA.
And we went on to have Tony Humphries,
30
Derrick May, Lil Louie Vega probably doing his
first gig in London, Micky Oliver, Arnold Jarvis.
And we picked up a new MC Noize.” All of the
next generation of DJs would pass through on
Sunday nights – there was Fabio, Grooverider,
Spoony, Smokin Jo, Timmi Magic and Norris Da
Boss Windross to mention just a few.
Like all good things, the spirit of 88 couldn’t
last forever. While remnants of the love magic
remained throughout 1989 at clubs like
Confusion and Dance Wicked (run by Roy The
Roach who also worked in Quaff Records in
Ladbroke Grove), or the occasional Boys Own
parties and small Balearic sessions like Queens
and Haven Stables on Sunday afternoon, the
criminal and commercial elements started to
This wasn’t what
Maggie Thatcher had
envisaged, but acid
house had created
a booming industry,
one responsible for
the splurge of dance
culture that’s since
conquered the globe.
move in. “I met people in my club who made
more money than me doing their business.
And they used to laugh at me,” says Nicky Trax.
Tony Colston-Hayter, a plucky young promoter,
had teamed up with the well-known gangster
Dave Roberts, and with massive outdoor
events like Sunrise they were controlling not
just the parties but also the security and the
drugs. With bigger and better-managed events,
acid house went mainstream. In the spirit
of individualism and free-market enterprise
promoted by Margaret Thatcher, the
generation of 88 were nothing if not a product
of the times.
“Tony Colston-Hayter and Dave Roberts
managed to really stuck two fingers up at the
world and that was what everybody loved; that
they were getting away with it. They weren’t
paying tax. Not only that, we were at these
massive raves, listening to our favourite music,
meeting tons of like-minded peopled and having
the time of our lives,” explains Nicky. This wasn’t
what Maggie Thatcher had envisaged, but acid
house had created a booming industry, one
responsible for the splurge of dance culture
that’s since conquered the globe.
Of course, once the establishment finally
cottoned on to what was going on, a bill was
rushed through Parliament – the Bright’s
Entertainments (Increased Penalties) Bill raised
the stakes by introducing £20,000 fines for
unlicensed parties, and meanwhile the Criminal
Justice Act was being prepared. When
introduced, it would provoke outrage amongst
the defenders of civil liberties, and would see
the parties finally forced back onto licensed
premises where the powers-that-be could
collect their dues in full.
The party was finally over, and it was back
to work. But for those who lived through 88,
there’s still the memories. “I can close my eyes
and see what it was like in Amnesia, standing
on the dancefloor getting emotional about
the tunes Alfredo was playing,” says Johnny
Walker, who now lives in Spain and is thinking
of writing a book about his first experiences
in Ibiza. “Twenty years have gone by but the
good thing is the movement has progressed.
Mr C’s biggest tunes on the Clink Street dancefloor:
1. Fantasy Girl by Pierre’s Phantasy Club.
I’m always very modest about the role we’ve
2. Machines by Laurent X
played – I just enjoyed being a DJ and that’s
3. Take Some Time Out by Arnold Jarvis
all I wanted to do. When something is planned
4. Your Love by Jamie Principal & Frankie Knuckles.
out and manufactured then it will never take off
5. Real Life by The Corporation Of One.
– the whole thing has to happen naturally. We
6. Strings of Life by Rhythm is Rhythm.
started off with just a few hundred people but
7. Promised Land by Joe Smooth.
it grew to take in thousands and then millions
8. I’ll House You by the Jungle Brothers.
as the years have gone on. Whether you’re at a
9. Voodoo Ray by A Guy Called Gerald.
full moon party in Thailand or most cities in the
10. Security by The Beat Club.
world, you can see the effect of that summer.”
Mr C’s top 10 musical memories from ‘88:
There’s a special night to mark the 20th
1. When We Used To Play by Blake Baxter
anniversary of the ‘Summer of Love’ on
2. Taste My Love by Kim Mazelle
Saturday August 30 at The End in London.
3. New York by Deekay Jones
Mr C will headline in the main room alongside
4. The Way I Feel by Lil Louis
some very special guests, while Danny
5. The Dance by Rhythm is Rhythm
Rampling hosts a Shoom reunion in the
6. Drifting by Jomanda
AKA Bar. Go to www.endclub.com for more
7. Dream Girl by Pierre’s Phantasy Club
information. In the next issue of SHOOK we’ll
8. Smile On Me by Aqua Regia
have the view from Manchester & the electro
9. Washing Machine by Mr. Fingers
scene in the days leading up to the Hacienda,
10. I’m In Love by Shalor
31
 words: RAPHAEL BERETTA

It’s May Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe, two wild New Yorican of big sounds
1963. Despite the time
his father’s dudes, took salsa from El Barrio and gave it to –Jefferson
protests, Hector the world. Hector’s nephew, Lil Louie Vega, Led Airplane, Funkadelic,
Juan Perez arrives in Zeppelin and of
Nueva York aged just 17. shows some love to the greatest salsa course James Brown. There
He’s a singer and he’s resolved singer of all time, a man whose where were the summer street parties
not to go back home until he’s fulfilled the bands (a mix of boricuans,
message was simple: No
his ambition – to make the big time. A Cubanos, and Dominicanos) let loose,
countryboy, un jibaro from the heart of the while the food stalls would sell stews, meats,
hay quien te aguante, plantains,
island of Puerto Rico, when he arrives on his mofongo. And on Sunday afternoon,
No one can hold
sister Priscilla’s doorstep, he has no idea about at joints like Hunts Point Palace, the Colgate
life in the big city and he’s disappointed not to
you back. Bronx and Gardens, the Psycho Room, you’d pay $1.50
South
see New York as he’d imagined, full of bright to hear one band after another. But this music
lights and larger-than-life characters. Instead, despite his diminuitive also started to travel way beyond the Barrio to
during that long hot summer, he discovers the frame – he was 5’6” – Willie Mexico, Columbia, to Cuba… even to Africa, via
grimy ghetto streets of the Bronx lined with earned himself a reputation as Cap Verde. The boogaloos, guaguancos and
boarded-up stores and firebombed buildings something of a tough guy. His first album for danzons created a new dance craze wherever
(Jewish lightening, they used to call it). And the Fania Records was recorded in 1967. Willie they travelled.
only bright lights anywhere in sight are those was just 17 at the time, but he was already the Together, Willie and Hector cut a bunch
of the Cross-Bronx Expressway that they’d just real deal – a trombonist who was writing all of albums together into the late’60s and early
erected through the borough, bringing nothing the arrangements and directing the musicians ’70s – The Hustler, Cosa Nuestra, Lo Mato (Si
but fast cars and trouble in its wake. exactly how he wanted. That album was called No Compra Esta LP). Louie remembers how
“He came here from Puerto Rico with ‘El Malo’ – the bad boy – and he looked like Hector would come over to his mom’s house
nothing. And the first person he came to see a real little gangster on the cover. This was with the test pressings and play them on the
when he came to New York? He came to my long before the days of Puff Daddy or all those record player. The music took influences from
mothers house. I was a three-year-old kid and other phony rappers these days. And on that all over – jazz, African music, Columbian music,
my uncle was living in my house, and his soon- record Hector Lavoe was the voice (‘la voz’ music from Panama, funk, rock – but the lyrics
to-be wife Puchi, she lived in my house too, and became ‘lavoe’). He brought the smoothness spoke to them about their lives, the unforgiving
my mother took them in, of course, open arms, where Willie Colon came across rough, he was grind of life in El Barrio. Hector was the poet of
and I was a little kid running round,” says Lil’ charming where Willie was off-hand. Just listen the Barrio and he was adored by his people. He
Louie Vega about his uncle Hector Juan Perez, to ‘Quimbombo’, the way Hector jumps on the reciprocated, dedicating a song to his people
soon to be better known as Hector Lavoe, ‘El melody through the soneo. These locos are – he called it Mi gente. My people.
Cantante de los Cantantes’. making history right there in the studio. “He was very warm person, very friendly,
Hector’s older brother, Pito, had pitched “Hector could ad lib his ass off – he could and he would walk in anywhere and you had
up in New York a few years earlier and things sing a love song, he could sing a street song, to notice him first of all…You could go up and
hadn’t gone well. He got himself a bad habit and he had the best of both worlds. He could get talk to him and he’d talk to anybody. I mean
ended up overdosing in the street. Gone like raw on you and sing these beautiful songs – he he’d talk to the bum in the street or to a multi-
that. Tragedy, it seemed, clung to this family’s had this voice that could stretch that far and millionaire. He was a people’s person and
destiny like the rot. But you couldn’t fault the that’s what Willie loved about him,” says Louie. everybody really loved him because he was so
young Hector Lavoe for clinging to his dreams “Willie would go into the studio and create real and he would always help a lot of people.
of success. He had a talent, some would say a magic, and my uncle would just come in, not It comes from his upbringing. He was brought
blessing – and he couldn’t just give up on that. writing anything down, and a lot of those songs up in the country in Puerto Rico, in the small
In a short amount of time in the city, he was that you hear, obviously the lyrics were written towns, and that’s the way they are – they like
already hanging out in the clubs and rehearsal for the verses, but when it came to the vamps, to help each other, they’re caring, and when
rooms, and whenever he got a chance to get he was just improvising and doing what he felt, Puerto Ricans moved over here in the late
up and sing, he wouldn’t think twice. “He went what came from his heart.” ’50s, they brought back who they were and I
to auditions and stuff for bands because they Hector loved Willie like a brother and think that helped a lot in the nighbourhoods.”
were always looking for singers and he ran into together the pair were about to take salsa
Willie Colon pretty quickly,” says Louie. to stratospheric levels. From the Lower East In those days, musicians would play sometimes
Side all the way up to 150th , the sound of three concerts a day. Eddie Palmieri, Willie
It was Johnny Pacheco, the main man at Fania, Willie, Ray Barretto or Eddie Palmieri could be Colon and Hector Lavoe had the Bronx
who introduced Willie to Hector. Willie was this heard in grocery stores, in the beauty salons, locked down while Johnny Pacheco and Ray
New Yorican type dude. He was born in the pumping out of car stereos alongside the other Barretto took care of the Cuban clubs in Lower
32 33
 The fashion was for bright plaid shirts and pleated, peg pants, really
Manhattan
and Brooklyn.
real pimp gear and thesde parties used to go on all night, nice that he
and of course there were a lot of beautiful girls. recognized what
The fashion was
I was doing.”
for bright plaid shirts Larry Harlow remembers how at the end of Just like his
and pleated, peg pants, the night, they’d pick out girls from the uncle, Louie has always
real pimp gear and these
parties used to go on all night, crowd to take home – “You, you, you been surrounded by a crew of
hugely talented musicians whether
and of course there were a lot of and you,” they’d say – and then with Masters at Work, Nuyorican Soul
beautiful girls. Larry Harlow remembers they’d stay up for three and now Elements of Life. Gene Perez on
how at the end of the night, they’d pick out
girls from the crowd to take home – “You, you,
days, drinking and bass, Lusito Quintero on percussions, Albert
smoking. Menendez on keyboards and Ricardo Ramos
you and you,” – and then they’d stay up for
While on guitar have helped inject some magic into
three days, drinking and smoking. But there was
Hector and the the music. “I think that’s very important that we
also heroin going around at the time. That stuff
rest of the Fania Allstars carry on that spirit that Fania had. That MFSB
doesn’t leave you alone. Follows you around
were turning the party out from had, or the JBs. We have our own little JBs
for the rest of your days. Suffice to say, Hector
Argentina to Zaire (where they shared over here, bringing all the music we have to life.”
was introduced to it and was soon hopelessly
the bill with Stevie Wonder at the Rumble Last year, Louie and the Elements of Life
addicted. He started turning up late for
in the Jungle), back in the Bronx, along the created a reworking of ‘Mi Gente’ for Fania.
rehearsals and for concerts, if he made it at all.
tracks of the No. 2, No. 5 and No. 6 trains, a “When I was doing that track, they gave me
His audiences forgave him, even the musicians
second-generation of Puerto Ricans and Afro- out-takes of other songs and I heard Hector
forgave him, but he was eventually fired from
Americans were taking James Brown breaks, speaking and it really touched my heart to
Willie’s band which caused him a great deal of
German electro records and throwing down hear his voice speaking normally during the
grief. It took him some time to realize that Willie
salsa dance steps in a totally new way. session. You could hear him just doing his thing,
was actually doing him a favour. Hector went
“You’d walk down the block and there’s a singing all his parts, and creating them on the
solo in 1975, recording such classic albums
block party going on. I’d see my sisters hustling spot. I’ve been speaking to Fania about taking
like La Voz, De Ti Depende and Comedia. Willie
to a lot of disco records and joining hustling more of his music and other Fania stuff and
still produced those albums which spawned hits
contests, then I would go down the block and creating a whole album out of it. There might be
like ‘Mi Gente’ – Hector loved to sing that at the
hear Afrika Bambaataa and Jazzy Jay doing all something really interesting with Elements of
beginning of his sets – ‘De Ti Depende’ and the
the early hip hop breakbeats, and they were Life and Nuyorican Soul. I’m already starting to
10-minute version of ‘El Cantante’, featuring
playing all kinds of music – funk, rock, disco get a lot of the masters they have, I’m choosing
those epic strings and taken from the Comedia
– and creating these long breakbeats and songs…”
album which went platinum in 1977.
everyone would be loving it. Jazzy Jay, he was
At the height of his success, Louie Vega
my mentor. He helped me out when I was 13 Hector Lavoe sadly passed away in 1993. He’d
remembers seeing Hector at Madison Square
years old, he recognized me. At those block contracted AIDS from sharing needles but that
Gardens. “I was a kid and I knew I had an uncle
parties and the jam sessions which a lot of the was just the last in a series of tragedies. In his
and that he was a singer but it was not until I
early break dancers used to come out to, I was final years he’d seen his mother murdered in
went to Madison Square Gardens with my mom
a kid there, hanging out watching them DJ and Puerto Rico, his son Hector Jr accidentally shot
and the family that I fully realized… I remember
kinda dreaming. That was in the Bronx River dead by a friend and his house burned to the
sitting all the way at the top – we weren’t even
Projects, right down the block from where I ground. At the funeral at Saint Cecilia’s church
in the front – and he came down from the roof
lived, Bradford Avenue,” Louie recalls with pride. on East 106 Street in the heart of Spanish
and there were 17,000 people screaming like
With members of the Rocksteady Crew like Harlem, thousands of fans, who turned up
crazy. He was doing all these ad libs on the
Crazy Legs, Bobbito Garcia, and Tony Touch, with boomboxes blasting El Cantante’s music,
spot, and they were funny, and he had a real
the block parties were filled with the children of gathered in the streets. After the ceremony,
sense of humour. He would see a woman in a
Fania and funk. the procession weaved its way through the
red dress in a crowd, and he would tell you a
When Louie started to make it as a DJ New York streets for five and a half hours,
whole story within the melody of the song, and
in the mid-’80s he remembers how his uncle revisiting all of his favourite haunts. He’d seen
ad lib about this woman and make it feel almost
Hector came up to him one day. “I started his dreams come true, he’d become a legend,
like it was written on the spot.
playing in NYC in the club scene in ’86 in a club and all through the afternoon you could hear on
“Afterwards, when we went to see him
called Heart Throb which was the old Funhouse. people’s stereos his defiant voice singing ‘No
backstage and all these women were trying to
My uncle heard about me and when I went to Me Llores Mas’. “If I die tomorrow, don’t cry for
tear his clothes off… oh my goodness. And then
his house once, he was like ‘I heard you’re a me, go dancing instead. The party’s calling, so
we went to the hotel where he was staying at,
big DJ and everybody loves you and they know go cry your crocodile tears somewhere else.”
and he had a big beautiful suite and all these
you and you’re really good’ And then he started
people around him and we would go up to see
giving me advice about the business. It was
him and talk some for a little bit .”
34
 The Brief Wondrous Life of
Oscar Wao It was also reported that Oscar drooled on himself and didn’t wake up for the meal or
the movie, only when the plane touched down and everybody clapped.
“What’s going on?” He demanded, alarmed.
“Relax, Mister. That just means we’ve made it.”
Junot Díaz sent out a warning signal in 1996 with ‘Drown’, a The beat-you down heat was the same, and so was the fecund tropical smell that he
collection of razor-edged stories taking place between New Jersey had never forgotten, that to him was more evocative than any Madeleine and likewise
and the Dominican Republic. This year, he returned with The Brief the air pollution and the thousands of motos and cars and dilapidated trucks on the road
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, a bittersweet tale about Oscar de Léon, and the clusters of peddlers at every traffic light (so dark, he noticed, and his mother said,
an overweight nerd of Jabba the Hut proportions, who lives in Jersey, dismissively, “Maldito haitianos”) and people walking languidly with nothing to shade
is obsessed with sci-fi and role play games, and has become deeply them from the sun and the buses that charged past so overflowing with passengers that
from the outside they looked like they were making a rush delivery of spare limbs to some
worried that he’ll be the first Dominican male ever, in the history of
far-off war and the general ruination of so many of the buildings as if Santo Domingo
that island of hot-blooded pimps and playboys, to die a virgin. was the place that crumbled crippled concrete shells came to die–and the hunger of
the kids’ faces, can’t forget that– but also it seemed in many places like a whole new
OSCAR TAKES A VACATION
country was materializing atop the ruins of the old one: there were now better roads
and nicer vehicles and brand-new luxury air-conditioned buses plying the longer routes
Every summer Santo Domingo slaps the Diaspora engine into reverse, yanks back as
to the Cibao and beyond and U.S. fast-food restaurants (Dunkin’ Donuts and Burger
many of its expelled children as it can; airports choke with the overdressed; luggage
King) and local ones whose names and logos he did not recognize (Pollos Victorina and
carousels groan under the accumulated weight of that year’s cadenas and paquetes,
El Provocón No. 4) and traffic lights everywhere that nobody seemed to heed. Biggest
and pilots fear for their planes–overburdened beyond belief–and for their themselves;
change of all? A few years back his grandmother La Inca had moved her entire operation
restaurants, bars, clubs, theaters, malecones, beaches, resorts, hotels, moteles, extra
to La Capital–“we’re getting too big for Baní”–and now the family had a new house in
rooms, barrios, colonias, campos, ingenios swarm with quisqueyanos from the world
Mirador Norte and six bakeries throughout the city’s outer zone. “We’re capitaleños,”
over. Like someone had sounded a general reverse evacuation order: Back home,
his cousin, Pedro Pablo (who had picked them up at the airport), announced proudly.
everybody! Back home! From Washington Heights to Roma, from Perth Amboy to
La Inca too had changed since Oscar’s last visit. She had always seemed ageless,
Tokyo, from Brijeporr to Amsterdam, from Lawrence to San Juan; this is when basic
the family’s very own Galadriel, but now he could see that it wasn’t true. Nearly all
thermodynamic principle gets modified so that reality can now reflect a final aspect, the
her hair had turned white, and despite her severe unbent carriage, her skin was finely
picking-up of big-assed girls and the taking of said to moteles; it’s one big party; one
crosshatched with wrinkles and she had to put on glasses to read anything. She as still
big party for everybody but the poor, the dark, the jobless, the sick, the Haitian, their
spry and proud and when she saw him. First time in early seven years, she put her hands
children, the bateys, the kids that certain Canadian, American, German, and Italian
on his shoulders and said, “Mi hijo, you have finally returned to us.”
tourists love to rape– yes, sir, nothing like a Santo Domingo summer. And so for the
“Hi, Abuela.” And then, awkwardly: “Benedición.”
first time in years Oscar said, “My elder spirits have been talking to me, Ma. I think I
(Nothing more moving, though, than La Inca and his mother. At first saying nothing
might accompany you.” He was imagining himself in the middle of all that ass-getting,
and then his mother covering her face and breaking down, saying in this little-girl voice:
imagining himself in love with an Island girl. (A brother can’t be wrong forever, can
“Madre, I’m home.” And then the both of them holding each other and crying and Lola
he?)
joining them and Oscar not knowing what to do so he joined his cousin, Pedro Pablo,
So abrupt a change in policy was this that even his sister Lola quizzed him about it.
who was shuttling all the luggage from the van to the patio de atrás.)
“You never go to Santo Domingo.”
It really was astonishing how much he’d forgotten about thee DR: the little lizards
He shrugged. “I guess I want to try something new.”
that were everywhere, and the roosters in the morning, followed shortly by the cries of
the plataneros and the bacalao guy and this tió Carlos Moya, who smashed him up that
THE CONDENSED NOTEBOOK OF A RETURN TO A NATIVELAND
first night with shots of Brugal and who got all misty at the memories he had of him and
his sister.
Family de Léon flew down to the Island on the fifteenth of June. Oscar, scared shitless
But what he had forgotten most of all was how incredibly beautiful Dominican
and excited, but no one was funnier than their mother who got done up like she was
women were.
having an audience with King Juan Carlos of Spain himself. I f she’d owned a fur she
“Duh,” Lola said.
would have worn it, anything to communicate the distance she’d traveled, to emphasize
On the rides he took those first couple of days he almost threw his neck out.
how not like the rest of these dominicanos she was. Oscar, for one, had never seen her
“I’m in Heaven,” he wrote in his journal.
looking so dolled-up and elegante. Or acting so comparona. Belicia giving everyone a
“Heaven?” His cousin Pedro Pablo sucked his teeth with exaggerated disdain. “Esto
hard time, from the check-in people to the flight attendants, and when they settled into
aquí es un maldito infierno.”
their seats in first class (she was paying) she looked around as if scandalized: “These
are not gente de calidad!”
36 37
Respect is due : August Darnell You’re two music obsessive brothers,
growing up in The Bronx in the early ‘70s.
The counter cultural advancements of the
ZOOT
previous decade, coupled with New York’s
economic meltdown and the subsequent cheap
housing for the arts, have paved the way for
clubs like The Loft and The Gallery. You have a
passion for the sounds you are hearing on the
dancefloor and on the streets, and decide to
start making music for the kings and queens of
the scene. But what to do to fit in? The answer
you decide is obvious: You reinvent yourself as
a pair of zoot suited playboys from the 1940s;
mixing soul and disco with big band jazz and
swing.
SUIT
This was the decision made by one August
Darnell and his older brother Stony Browder
Jnr when setting up Dr Buzzard’s Original
Savannah Band back in 1974. The dead-
end exotica of these disco mavericks sowed
the seed for one of the most successful US
groups of the early ‘80s. And while chart hits
from Kid Creole and The Coconuts like ‘Annie
I’m Not Your Daddy’ and ‘Stool Pigeon’ evoke
pop’s golden age, the mutant disco released
by August Darnell and his cohorts actually
made him a star in the underground clubs long
CITY
before he became a household name across
Europe.
“I have been thinking about the route that drove
us from these kids in The Bronx to creating
these egotistical flamboyant characters, and
I think it had more to do with the cinema that
anything else,” explains August Darnell on the
cusp of the release of a retrospective of his
work . “My dad was a movie fanatic and he took
us to see many films when we were younger
that I grew to love those guys Humphrey
Bogart and Edward G Robinson. And they were
By ANDY THOMAS
all such sharp dressers.”
As Darnell recalls, the bleak yet pulsating
streets that he and his brother roamed as kids
created a fertile ground for self-discovery. “The
Bronx was everything to be honest with you.
Without the Bronx I would not be the person
I am today because it was the foundation for
everything. At the time you don’t know if it was
a bad neighbourhood or good neighbourhood
– it was just our neighbourhood. So your
survival instincts become extremely important.
How you get from day to day becomes the
38
most important thing in your life. But it was
a great neighbourhood. It was a melting pot
without being a cliché. A lot of Italians and Irish,
alongside Jews and Puerto Ricans. It was a
fantastic conglomeration of every ethnic group
and we learned a lot from there.”
Survival came in the form of music, as
immigrants clung to their ancestral roots
while making a claim on the streets. “Each
group brought their own contribution,” Darnell
enthusiastically recalls. “So you heard the
Italian arias next to the salsa of the Puerto
Ricans and I grew to love all of that. And then
you had the other Caribbean influences, the
Jamaican reggae and calypso. And then mixed
in with that you had all the funk, because
James Brown was a god in The Bronx.”
From the spats-hoofed jazz cats of the ‘30s to
August is tapping into
this heritage when he
recalls the liberation
he felt when he first
put on a pair of baggy
pants, two tone shoes
and fedora and sang
“Zoot Suit City’” on ‘I’ll
Play The Fool’,
the Kangol and Adidas clad b-boys of the early
‘80s, the street styles of The Bronx have always
been loud and proud. August is tapping into
this heritage when he recalls the liberation he
felt when he first put on a pair of baggy pants,
two tone shoes and fedora and sang “Zoot
Suit City’” on ‘I’ll Play The Fool’, the opening
track of Dr Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band’s
first LP. “It was a braggadocio kind of thing
really. You’ve got to remember that the zuit
suit came out the era of the depression when
they were telling everyone to be careful with
how much cloth you use because of the war.
So the disenfranchised people of Harlem said:
To hell with that, we’re going to go the other
way and use more cloth and turn our noses up
at the authorities, and show you not only are
we surviving but we are larger than life. And
there was a real freedom for us in that same
streetwise bragging.”
While it was Darnell who became best known
for his exuberant style, the whole Savannah
Band look and sound was the brainchild of the
older sibling. “It was my brother’s idea really
though, because he was very much into the
forties,” Darnell admits. “He was enamoured
not only by the look but also the music. So his
idea was to combine the 1940s styling and
harmonies with the disco beat. He was an
incredible songwriter and the ideas always
came from him.”
To offset the wild amalgam of musical styles
came the ghetto realism of August Darnell. “My
lyric writing always came out of life,” he recalls.
“It was autobiographical to some extent but
was always disguised. So it was all about the
escapism that came with the daily grind. We
had just come out of the Vietnam War, which
of course we had lost. Then there was the
economy going to hell. So there was this whole
feeling of just letting our hair down and that is
what I drew on. Hedonism became the religion
of the day. I remember someone saying to
me one day at a club ‘we live today because
tomorrow we die’. Everyone was so high on
drugs but there was a need for that because
the world was doing us all in. So there was a
purpose in the exuberance.”
Augmenting the grit and flamboyance were
the raw and sexy soul vocals of Cory Daye (the
singer of such disco classics as ‘Pow Wow’)
whose evocative voice added colour to the hard
time lyrics. “We had created this whole fantasy
world so were all dressed in ‘40s clothes and
Cory Daye, bless her, she was the apotheosis
of the femme fatale,” Darnell says fondly.
“She dressed that way and was a big fan of
actresses like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.
She had this incredibly sultry voice and was a
stylist who combined Billy Holliday and Peggy
Lee and when she opened her mouth you just
fell in love with her. So she was a big part of
our success and we would not have had the
success we had without her.”
The Savannah Band sound, which was loosely
held together on the debut LP by future
Odyssey producer Sandy Linzer, reached its
zenith on ‘Cherchez La Femme’, which became
a huge underground club hit. August and Stony
39
didn’t hang around in making the most of their as explorers in the jungle, holding a copy of
new found fame. “We’d go to Studio 54 all the Manhattan’s Yellow Pages. “The album took
time because it was the place to be seen,” everything I had learned from the Savannah
Darnell recalls. “But then also The Gallery Band, just putting more emphasis on the
which was a lot more down to earth and less Caribbean,” explains Darnell. “My brother
commercial.” Bronx-born DJ Andre Collins was more into the South American music but
who went on to play at the fabled black gay wasn’t really into the reggae and calypso, but I
sanctuary The Warehouse, recalls the effect was a massive Bob Marley and Might Sparrow
‘Cherchez La Femme’ had on Gallery heads fan.” The post punk mutant pop reached a
when DJ Nicky Siano dropped it. “I remember peak on ‘Tropical Gangsters’ which established
when it really, really hit me. I was at The Gallery August Darnell’s star status, containing as it
one night with my friends, upstairs in the did the massive hits ‘Annie I’m Not Your Daddy’,
lounge area. Nicky put on the song, and toward ‘Stool Pigeon’, and ‘I’m a Wonderful Thing
the end of the song, where the background Baby’. With his brightly coloured zoot suits and
singers go, “oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, that’s amora”, cartoonish backing band, Kid Creole left an
I was leaning over the balcony and the entire indelible image when he appeared on Top Of
dance floor was singing that part and rocking The Pops in 1981. “The UK was the first place
back and forward. I remember it like it was to embrace us,” recalls Darnell fondly. “We
yesterday.” needed to know at that time that someone was
getting what we were doing.”
While the glamour of Studio 54 was a draw
for the wide-eyed brothers they were also Arriving in England, Darnell found a culture
aware that their music was being embraced with its ears wide open as new romanticism
by a whole other group of hedonists. “One took hold. “It was like a breath of fresh air,”
of the greatest scenes at that time was the he recalls. “Because the radio was not as
gay scene over on Fire Island,” Darnell recalls aligned as in America where you had these
avidly. “They had some of the greatest clubs strict categories. There was a much healthier
over there. There was a marriage between the mix of music and people didn’t say ‘it’s not
gay scene and disco that was so profound. It black enough or its not white enough or its
was music for the outsider and escapism. This too R&B or too pop. They just embraced it.”
loud beat and the hi hat which provided a way As Kid Creole became a household name,
to escape all your injuries and problems, and Darnell sought inspiration once again on the
add to that some strong drugs and you had dancefloor. “The clubs in London were great
the escapism of the Fire Island clubs. And we really didn’t care. We were about having fun back then. We would go to Le Beat Route and
Manchester – to a full dancefloor on which the not have gone anywhere. They just took to and mirrored the crossovers taking place on the
were very lucky because for some reason The and letting our friends get a piece of the pie.” Blitz, but there were many others that I can’t
sprung oak surface had been an original host made it their own.” dancefloors of Manhattan. “We would check
Savannah Band became the darlings of the gay remember.”
to that music all those years before!” out every club imaginable,” Darnell recalls. “This
set and that is how we became famous. So it Joining the newly named Kid Creole at Ze, was
Around this time, Michael Zilkha and Michael was a mighty period and we were very lucky
was because of places like the Ice Palace that the engineer Bob Blank. A collaborator with While Island Records, who licensed the Ze
Imagine the scene at these legendary clubs Esteban had set up the Ze record label to to live in it. That was such an amazing time for
the record started to get the attention it did Arthur Russell on Lola’s ‘Wax The Van’, Blank albums, took good care of Darnell artistically,
when the dancers first laid their ears on capture the eclectic soundtrack of early ‘80s clubs and there’s never been any time like it.
and eventually became the hit record.” was also the man responsible for producing a move to Sony in the eighties saw Darnell’s
August Darnell’s next project, Machine and the New York. As fiercely independent as imprints The quintessential club at the time was Studio
the classic ‘Together Forever’ by Exodus, as creative energy sapped away. “That was the
classic ‘There But For The Grace of God Go I’. like 99 and Factory, Ze acted as a perfect 54 but there was a whole load of others we
While the record crossed over to the charts well as Musique’s ‘In The Bush’ and he perfectly biggest mistake of my career,” he laments.
The song tells the story of a girl who is moved forum for August Darnell’s next musical would go to including one in a church called
and became a surprise Top 10 hit in mid-‘70s complimented the eccentric productions of “Chris Blackwell understood and loved Kid
away from her Bronx neighbourhood by her explorations, as he became not just the label’s The Limelight. And then you had the punk
America, it was to be the last major success Darnell. “He made everything sound larger Creole. He couldn’t offer us the kind of money
parents, to a place “with no blacks, no Jews, biggest star but just as importantly its main clubs The Mudd club and Studio 57 and in a
for the group in the US. Their next LP ‘Meets than life,” enthuses August. “He was extremely Sony were offering, so being a capitalist I
and no gays” but “turns out to be a natural writer and producer. way that had a better reputation than Studio
King Pennett’ and its follow up, ‘Goes To important to everything because if you get the went for the money. And after that the band
freak”. August recalls how the session came 54. It was a dirty place but everyone hung out
Washington’ flopped and for his next major wrong engineer that is the end of it right there. crumbled because Sony didn’t get it.”
about: “I never had any ambitions to become a He recalls the reason for this change in there all works of life from the top echelon to
success August Darnell would have to look Bob tried everything and in some ways he was
producer, but when these opportunities come direction. “The direct cause of Kid Creole was the bottom. And for some reason all the punks
across the water, where unbeknown to him, more unorthodox than us. He was out there.” With the contract terminated, August took
up you have to take them. So I went in the the falling out with my brother. I was quite loved disco, so it really was ‘no wave’ because
the leftfield disco of The Savannah Band had solace on the road, a journey that continues
studio and the keyboard player Kevin Nance content with The Savannah band. We had a you would hear the strangest combination
already made its mark. Darnell and Blank’s distorted, almost surrealist, to this day. “Kid Creole never actually stopped.
had that great riff and I said I’m going to go hit record, loads of dough, signed to RCA. But of music. I loved the eclectic aspect of that
production reached a peak on the aptly The original girls all quit as the touring became
away and write some controversial lyrics.” at that time I found my brother dictatorial. So – respecting that music comes from different
In the mid to late ‘70s, hallowed clubs like titled ‘Spooks in Space’ by Aural Exciters and too much and they went off to have lives. And
it was sibling rivalry… Being an upstart I didn’t directions. And then the first Kid Creole gigs
Crackers in the West End of London, The Cristina’s self titled LP. These were just two I struggled for years to find girls that could fit
Released in 1979, this incredible slice of like being categorised or fenced in as I was were actually at a punk club called The Squat
Blackpool Mecca, and The Ritz in Manchester of many side projects which saw Darnell work in their shoes. But through that time we never
political Latin disco was also tailor made for the bursting at the seams with ideas, and wanted Club a filthy little club; so in the beginning it
were jumping and spinning to a wild concoction on classics such as ‘Deputy of Love’ by Don stopped touring, so that is the reason we are
gay, black and Hispanic dancers at clubs like to write some music. But he said he was the was a punk scene and only developed into
of jazz funk and disco. The unique sound of Armando’s Second Avenue Rhumba Band still here today.” With the release of ‘Going
the Paradise Garage in New York. writer of music and I wrote the lyrics… So I said something different later on.”
The Savannah Band was eagerly devoured by and ‘I’m An Indian Too’ and Coati Mundi’s ‘Que Places: The August Darnell Years’ on Strut and
to him alright man I’m gonna go out there and
the open-minded DJ’s and dancers. Working Pasa/Me No Pop I’. “It wasn’t about us trying a series of festival dates over the summer, the
“While people went to Studio 54 to be seen, form my own band.” Kid Creole’s first two albums ‘Off The Coast
for RCA at the time, legendary Northern Soul to be crazy, but it was basically me expressing overlooked music of this unique disco outsider
at the Garage it was all about the music and Of Me’ and ‘Fresh Fruit in Foreign Places’
DJ Richard Searling remembers the group’s myself and everyone who was in that alternate and his eccentric accomplices looks set to
the sound system,” recalls Darnell. “It was an Moving to Ze, Darnell and his new songwriting expanded on the themes of the Savannah
impact in the North West clubs. “Tracks society expressing themselves,” states Darnell reach a new audience. Respect is long overdue.
unbelievable place full of electricity and energy. partner Andy Hernandez (later to become Band, as Darnell in the words of writer Peter
like Cherchez La Femme enriched the Soul about this heady period.
It was really magnificent and I have to salute Coati Mundi) found a group of like-minded Shapiro “attempted to universalize the plight
alldayers by bringing a dab of colour and class ‘Going Places – The August Darnell Years’ is
the gay community at places like The Garage eccentrics, bursting with creative energy. “It of the mulatto misfit”. On the cover of ‘Off
to the proceedings. The throwback ‘40s vibe The mutant disco that burst out of Ze, out now on Strut.
because without them ‘Grace of God’ would was like Motown on Acid,” Darnell laughs. “We The Coast of Me’ the group are dressed
worked wonderfully in venues like the Ritz in

40 41
words RYAN PROCTOR Hip-hop fans love to reminisce about the good
old days. Ask any longstanding rap fanatic
his or her thoughts on the music’s much-
celebrated late-80s-to-mid-90s golden-era and
you’ll probably have to threaten to snap their
rare test-pressing of Big Daddy Kane’s ‘Raw’
in-half in order to shut them up. They’ll tell you
what a profound impact Public Enemy’s classic
1988 album It Takes A Nation Of Millions
To Hold Us Back had on their socio-political
worldview. They’ll be able to recall exactly where
they were the first time they heard Biggie’s
seminal 1994 debut Ready To Die. They might
even laugh about the day they almost ended-up
in a record store fistfight over the last copy
of Street Smartz’ 1996 subterranean smash
‘Problems’. Yep, hip-hop fans love to reminisce
about the good old days.
James DL is one of those hip-hop fans. Spend
anytime talking with the 33-year-old from Long
Island, New York and it soon becomes clear
that rap music has been much more than
just the soundtrack to his life; it’s been both a
passion and an obsession. Introduced to hip-
hop culture at a young age, James became a
key-player in the NYC underground scene of
the 90s via his successful college radio show,
helping introduce the likes of J-Live and Talib
Kweli to listeners via numerous late-night studio
freestyle sessions. He also worked for the now
defunct independent label Hydra (temporary
home to Godfather Don, Screwball etc).
Last year, DL threw himself back into the
indie game by establishing his No Sleep
imprint. Disillusioned with the greed-obsessed
industry circus that hip-hop has become in
recent times, James sought to help similarly
unimpressed fans rediscover the creativity of
rap’s glory days by releasing vintage (and often
previously unheard) material from back-in-the-
day favourites such as Lord Finesse, Kwest Tha
Madd Lad and the aforementioned Godfather
Don, plus new mix-CD projects like DJ Boogie
Blind’s Definitive D.I.T.C..
With many more releases in the pipeline,
James DL sat down with Shook to explain
exactly why he wants to take us all back to the
future.
42
What initially made you decide to set-up No
Sleep?
It’s funny because there wasn’t really any
impetus to make me start the label, it was
more something that I gradually just got into.
For the last few years I’ve been working with
Lord Finesse and one of the things him and
me got into was doing simple CDs to sell as
merchandise at his shows, one of which was
the Rare & Unreleased project. I thought that
was too much of a good CD just to sell at
shows as there was a lot of material on there
that his fans would want who perhaps couldn’t
make it to a Lord Finesse performance. So we
added a few things to it, put it out with proper
distribution and it did pretty well, particularly
overseas in places like Japan. At that point,
But back in the day you
had to really dig and you
wanted to know and have
everything. That’s what
No Sleep is about, finding
the stuff that maybe you
heard on the radio but
never picked up, or those
tracks that weren’t on a
particular album,
Buckwild had reached out to me and we did
a similar project containing a lot of his remix
and production work from the 90s for artists
like Organized Konfusion, Artifacts and Brand
Nubian. I was also involved in putting out the
unreleased Ill Biskits album Chronicles Of
Two Losers. I’d say that was probably when
I decided to start No Sleep because I was
putting out these CDs on separate labels, but
at the same time, all of the CDs were really
coming from the same source, which was me. I
was using the same guy for all of the cover art,
the same mastering guy, the same distribution,
so I decided to set-up my own label to enable
me to keep putting out similar projects but also
be able to cross-promote them better. I wanted
to establish a brand name so that when fans
and collectors see something from No Sleep
they know it represents a certain sound and
level of quality from hip-hop’s golden era.
How much of a market is there for the type
of releases you’re putting out?
It’s a small, small niche market. Obviously
there’s been a small market for vinyl for a
while now, but it’s not really that much better
for CDs. For example, I know there were
thousands of people who got into Godfather
Don’s Nineties Sessions CD, but that didn’t
translate into sales. Of course, downloading is
hurting everyone nowadays, and if you’re only
putting out music to appeal to a relatively small
audience anyway then it becomes even harder
to get everyone in that audience to support
what you’re doing. I think there are still a lot
of people who would go out and buy CDs, but
I think they’re disenfranchised with the music.
Hip-hop has become so bad that older fans
have stopped going to the record store to look
for it. I think that if they knew there was a new
album out from an artist they liked back in the
day they might be inclined to purchase it. It’s
just about getting the word out there. Those
fans are out of the loop but they’re still listening
to their old Brand Nubian or A Tribe Called
Quest albums. That’s one of the reasons why
I felt it was so important to establish a brand
name with No Sleep, because the chances
are if you like one of our releases you’ll like the
others, so it gives people something to look for.
What is it about hip-hop’s golden-era that
makes it such a special period to you?
People might accuse me of being stuck in the
past, and I guess I am to a certain degree, but
when albums like Showbiz & AG’s Runaway
Slave and Diamond’s Stunts, Blunts & Hip-Hop
were coming out, you just couldn’t get enough
of the music. There was a feeling you used
to get when you heard a record like Tribe’s
Midnight Marauders for the first time. I think
we need to preserve that feeling as much as
possible because that’s not coming back. I
don’t think young kids today fully understand
just how exciting hip-hop used to be. It’s kinda
easy to be a hip-hop head now because it’s
all about just going on the internet message
43

boards every couple of days to check in on things. But
back in the day you had to really dig and you wanted
to know and have everything. That’s what No Sleep is
about, finding the stuff that maybe you heard on the
radio but never picked up, or those tracks that weren’t
on a particular album, and putting them out there in a
physical form for the people who actually still want to
own a copy of everything they like.
Would you ever consider releasing a new artist
through No Sleep or do you want to keep your
releases strictly old-school?
I probably want to keep the label as just being more of
a vintage sound. But I actually am working on a project
right now with Buckwild that will be all vintage beats
but with vocals from a newer artist who people know.
I can’t really say too much about it at the moment, but
when it comes out I think it’ll have a pretty big impact.
What’s next for the label?
Well, the next thing is me and Godfather Don are
putting out the Kool Keith / Cenobites album again
with some additional songs that were recorded during
the same mid-90s period but never released. Also,
I’m putting out a double-CD with Nick Wiz, who I feel
is one of the more slept-on producers from the 90s.
It’s all stuff that he did between 1992 and 1997 with
artists like Channel Live, Cella Dwellas and Rakim. I’m
also doing an unreleased album with Shorty Long who
people will remember from his work with Lord Finesse.
You’ve already worked with some of hip-hop’s greats
like Lord Finesse, Buckwild etc, but is there a dream
project you’d like to put together?
I would love to do a CD with DJ Mark The 45 King and
be able to go through his archives because he must
have so much stuff that I’d want. I’ve actually spoken
to him before and he told me ‘Yeah, I did about thirty
songs with Marky Fresh’ which, just as a fan of hip-hop,
I’d love to hear. I’m not sure how much of that stuff
he’d still have though, but that would be a project I’d
love to be able to put together.
44
coolin’ out...
with Lord Finesse, Nick Wiz,
Kwest and DJ Boogie Blind
What do you think is the biggest
difference between today’s rap game
and the golden era?
Lord Finesse: The difference I see
between today’s rap game and the
golden era is that there were so many
classic artists and albums created
back then compared to now. There
was an extreme focus on the quality of
the production and the lyrical content.
Today’s rap game is more image driven.
Kwest: I think it’s become more focused
on financial gain than really trying to up
the ante skills-wise. Dudes step in the
booth and say anything just to get a
cheque. It’s all about who has the best
car and the most money etc. Most MCs
today don’t really show skill, if they even
have any to begin with.
DJ Boogie Blind: In the golden era,
everybody was being creative. Nowadays
people concentrate on your hustle more
than your actual talent.
How important do you think it is for
a label like No Sleep to be out there
giving exposure to music from the
past?
Lord Finesse: A label like No Sleep
educates new fans and it gives archive
collectors a chance to purchase history.
Nick Wiz: It’s definitely a great look
because there’s people out there that
still want to hear that classic sound and
No Sleep provides that.
Kwest: The younger generation forgets
where hip-hop came from and only know
the current artists. No Sleep resurrects
the past music and lets them see how
we did it. It also lets the mature hip-hop
fan reminisce on what it was like when
they were still growing and loving the
music.
So far No Sleep has concentrated on
the 90s hip-hop era - can you name a
favourite album from that period?
Lord Finesse: I can’t really cut the list
down to just one favourite album and
would be lucky if I could even cut the list
to a top twenty.
Nick Wiz: The Cella Dwellas’ Realms
’N Reality. When we were recording
that album, we weren’t thinking about
anything other than making great music.
DJ Boogie Blind: Ice Cube’s Amerikkka’s
Most Wanted just because I wanted to
see Cube do it up without N.W.A. and he
definitely made a classic.
Do you have a particular favourite
recording and / or performance
memory from that same period?
Lord Finesse: My greatest memories are
associated with the recording sessions
I did with Big L and The Notorious B.I.G. I
will forever remember working with two
of the immortals of hip-hop.
Kwest: I remember being in Firehouse
Studios in NYC recording and the
engineer came in and said someone
wanted to see me outside. When I went
out, The RZA was there with a few other
Wu-Tang members. He said he liked my
song ‘Lubrication’ and gave me props.
They had just dropped Enter The Wu-
Tang and for him to say that about me
was an honour.
 words: JOHNNY CHANDLER sleeves: SWIFTY
APPARENTLY
NOTHIN’
Carleen Anderson plus Marco Nelson plus Femi Fem equals the
Young Disciples, one of the most underrated British acts of the
‘90s. It’s fine time we tracked back down the Road to Freedom.
Aside from the occasional short-lived success
story (Junior or Labbi Siffre) and the odd
criminally overlooked outfit (Cymande) things
weren’t too fine for home-grown UK soul until
the spring of 1988. If you’d been listening to
some of London’s pirate stations at the time
or had been out clubbing, chances are you’d
have heard the debut release proper from one
of London’s best soundsystems. Soul II Soul’s
‘Fairplay’ struck a chord that spring and whilst
it failed to set the UK charts alight, in just over
12 months the group would be internationally
known and on the verge of breaking America
in a way few UK acts whatever the genre have
done.
A collective with DJ Jazzie B at its centre,
as Soul II Soul’s hits got bigger and news
arrived that success abroad had begun to
eclipse their UK triumphs, inevitably they
began to foster great pride. Not only were
they making critically acclaimed soul records,
commercially they seemed to know no bounds.
Coming from London’s relatively small club
scene their success was inspiring not least
to the musicians, artists, dancers, designers
46
and creatively minded souls who inhabited the
same world.
Perhaps inevitably before long someone
would declare a new group from the same
scene to be the ‘next’ Soul II Soul. When they
did, that act was the Young Disciples. It was
nonsense, of course, and no self-respecting
artist ever wants to be the ‘next’ anybody. They
need to be unique and the Young Disciples
were.
They started out as a duo consisting of
Marco Nelson and Femi Williams. Marco,
part Irish, part Spanish, had been living in
Reading since his early teens and during
the late ’70s and early ’80s found that “the
Caribbean Club, London Street, Reading was
incredibly important. Fatboy HiFi was the
resident soundsystem and failing that tapes of
Jah Shaka and Scientist were played between
live bands like the A1 Vegetables, Mighty
Ballistics and Mike Cooper/Lol Coxhill.” Femi,
meanwhile, was from West London, Acton and
Ealing to be precise, and whilst still at school
had begun hanging out at local club nights
organised by George Power and Paul ‘Trouble’
Anderson. Proud of his African roots and keen
to support local events, he began spreading
the word. A school friend subsequently booked
Norman Jay to play a leaving-do and Good
Times did the party. “Norman picked up on my
enthusiasm for the music and got me involved
from there on, albeit unofficially.”
Around that time, Femi picked up that
Barrie Sharpe was pretty much the only DJ
operating regularly out of the West End playing
funk and soul. “His Black Market night at
The Wag was a big influence on me and the
legendary Cat In The Hat nights too.” Marco
was equally impressed: “I met Femi at Black
Market. What most people forget is that at
that time most places were playing what was
called Good Groove but Barrie was hammering
all these James Brown cuts and obscure funk
tracks and it brought in a really mixed crowd
which I liked. It reminded me more of Reading
than it did most London clubs I’d been to and
it felt very positive.” Sharpe (then a partner
in The Duffer of St George) also had a band
called Diana Brown & the Brothers who played
original funk tracks with the odd cover thrown
47
in for good measure. “He wanted to get as
many people in the band as possible, you know
two drummers, two bass players, so I got
involved.”
Meanwhile, in clubland things were
changing as Good Groove increasingly gave
way to new funk nights with DJs prominently
featuring James Brown and JB related
productions in their sets. On pirate radio,
shows on a similar tip started surfacing
right across the dial. Kiss FM, itself a pirate
at the time, and in particular Norman Jay
became something of a focal point for what
was now being called the Rare Groove scene.
It was 1985 and aided by Judge Jules and
using the name Family Function/Shake &
Finger Pop, Norman Jay began organising a
series of one-off club nights. Like the Soul II
Soul soundsystem, more often than not they
operated outside of the West End, favouring
instead disused warehouses often in either the
east end of London or south across the river.
Over the next two years Family Function/Shake
& Fingerpop established themselves as one of
the best illegal party organisers.
Capitalizing on the mass appeal of the
James Brown sound, Marco and Femi got
talking to biographer Cliff White. White, who
worked for Charly Records and had been
involved with Marco and Femi in the Got To Get
Your Own compilation they’d put together, gave
them the number for Bobby Byrd. Femi recalls
“Marco rang Bobby up and said do you know
how big all this music is over here, especially
in London? He was like, who are these kids
from London ringing me about records I made
15 years ago?” Yet by 1986 he and Vicky
Anderson had agreed to come over and do
a PA. Family Function / Shake & Fingerpop
together with Femi and Marco promoted
what would prove to be a highly successful
(and legal) gig at London’s Town & Country
Club (now the Forum). Afterwards, Marco and
Byrd discussed the possibility of getting the
other JBs together for a concert and over the
coming months plans were honed.
Before arriving in the
UK in ‘87 for the show,
the reformed
JB’s had
a gig in
Holland which Marco and Femi attended. It was
here that they first heard Carleen Anderson
sing. As well as backing vocals, she was given
a solo spot during Bobby Byrd’s section of the
show. Taking centre stage she sang a powerful
version of Deniece Williams’ ‘Free’. Chatting to
her afterwards the seeds of a friendship were
sown and they would all keep in touch after she
returned to the USA. Despite the underlying
feeling that the Rare Groove scene had already
peaked, the London show was a great success.
That same year Norman Jay would spend
some 10 weeks championing house music
at Dingwalls to a largely indifferent audience
before High On Hope finally took off and
developed into one of the new house scene’s
better-known clubs.
Not long after, Gilles Peterson rang me
up Marco and asked whether he had anything
to contribute to an album he was gonna open
his new label Talkin’ Loud with. “Femi had been
People forget but
Massive Attack were told
to drop the Attack from
their name. The Young
Disciples’ next single
‘Apparently Nothin’ also
suffered. Released on
23 February 1991, the
record was quickly
pulled because people
weren’t sure if it was an
anti-war song.
very inspired by the whole Soul II Soul thing and
also the success of people like Coldcut and had
been pushing to make a record so we literally
had a very basic version of ‘Young Disciples
Theme’ and a rough instrumental at that point.
We’d done them both at Solid Bond during
down time and he really liked them. He gave us
some money and we did a third track and he
signed us for an album on the strength of that.”
The Young Disciples contributed two
tracks to Gilles’ 1990 debut Talkin’ Loud
album. ‘Step Right On’ featured UK rappers
The Outlaw Posse and the ‘Young Disciples
Theme’ would again feature a UK rapper, this
time MC Mello. Talkin’ ‘Young Disciples Theme’
was then released as a single in October in its
new guise as ‘Get Yourself Together’ featuring
the vocals of Carleen Anderson. Whilst
musically upbeat it now featured a thought-
provoking lyric discussing peace and personal
liberation. It would stall at number 68 but it
hinted at much. The sleeve featured Marco,
Femi and Carleen but also gave equal billing
to the group’s manager, engineer, rapper
MC Mello and friends. The sleeve design was
directly lifted from a Harlem Youth Percussion
(Haryou) album from some 20 years earlier
and it underlined the thinking behind the act.
“Femi and I saw it very much as a collective
at that time. The door was open and if you
had something to contribute you could. So it
brought together all these people who shared
similar tastes, feelings and so on.” Phonogram
(Talkin’ Loud’s parent company) however
wanted them to resemble a traditional group.
Whatever the label’s concerns, that same
month, with a working title of ‘Young Ideas’
they started work on an album. Carleen, a
single parent who’d been working in a bank
in Hollywood, was still in the UK. She recalls
“I didn’t consider it logical to pursue a career
in show business. The return of emotional
fulfilment didn’t seem likely enough in being
a performer. Plus, the financial security was
iffy, at best. Having been raised with the
strict disciplines of the Pentecostal Christian
doctrine, stability, no matter how humble, was
always the preferred route”. But Anderson’s
chosen career wasn’t in financial services
either. “Had Reagan not cut the arts funding
for the schools, I would have been a music
teacher period, from then to now.”
But Marco convinced her that she could
make a steady, decent living as a backing
vocalist in London and the opportunity of
“recording an album alongside the backdrop
of starting my life over” proved too much of
a draw to pass up. And although the initial
sessions were booked for only a few weeks,
the group’s campaign for more studio time
coincided with her gaining a 6-month visitor’s
visa. Lady luck was playing her part beautifully.
In the studio Marco recalls “we constantly
had to define our roles as we went along
because we hadn’t done anything like this
before.” Carleen agrees “everything was done
quite randomly. We were lucky that Paul
Weller owned the studio, so costs were at
a minimum, which allowed for a very loose
atmosphere. Nearly every song on the album
had that intense level of spontaneity, nothing
was ever planned it was always, ‘let’s try this
or that.’”
The engineer on the album, Dill Harris
aka Sir Demus, hailed from Camden but had
only recently returned to the UK having spent
time in the USA learning the ropes in the
studios over there. Marco recalls “Dill had
been working in New York, he was tea boy or
something on Most Wanted’s Calm Down and
had been working on KRS 1 records. We knew
that getting a good engineer was critical and
he was just that.” Demus’ experiences in the
USA meant he knew how to use the equipment
favoured by the hip-hop community at the time
which would prove crucial in the making of
Road To Freedom. Combined with being able
to use Solid Bond’s traditional live rooms and
equipment it added up to a truly unique sound.
“We produced the record with a real hip-hop
head on, looping everything and then gathering
round the desk and all controlling separate
elements to create dynamics” recalls Harris.
Femi and Marco remember listening
heavily to how Marley Marl, Wreckx-n-Effect, En
Vogue and Tribe Called Quest “put it together”
and Femi notes “the drums were just as
important to me as a lyric.” Marco reveals
“Femi’s objectivity and attention to detail was
invaluable. He could pick out something was
wrong however small, when the rest of us had
our ears elsewhere and he really effected the
overall sound of the album.” Femi’s talent in
the studio seemed to flow partly as a result of
Marco’s. “Marc was the most knowledgeable
guy on Black music that I’d met. He answered
a million questions in one go and he put a lot of
things in place for me. There was a mountain I
needed to climb in the studio and as a musician
he helped me do that.”
As 1990 drew to a close, rumblings
between the USA and Iraq, which had been
going on all year looked more and more like
ending in war. UK involvement was a foregone
conclusion and with the new year little more
than two weeks old US bombers began air
attacks on Bagdad. “I remember seeing the
TV and it was the first ‘live’ televised war and I
was definitely nervous”, remembers Marco, “it
trod on the optimism of the new decade and
loads of shit started happening. People forget
but Massive Attack were told to drop the
Attack from their name.” The Young Disciples’
next single ‘Apparently Nothin’ also suffered.
Released on 23 February 1991, the record
was quickly pulled “because people weren’t
sure if it was an anti-war song” recalls Marco.
Talkin’ Loud’s Club Promotions manager
Wendy K remembers “the week it was going
up the chart it was 41 or 43 and the head of
marketing came in and said Radio 1 have a
problem with the lyrics, pull the record. We all
went mental.”
After ‘Apparently Nothin’ was withdrawn,
influential underground Soul & Dance shops
like Body Music knew demand had long since
outstripped supply. “The next thing I hear is
that it’s been bootlegged and I’m sent out
to a shop in Tottenham to pose as a wack
American DJ and I end up coming back with 3
copies” recalls Wendy K. And it wasn’t just the
Soul and Dance shops either. Dub Vendor had
placed the record at the top of their charts for
weeks reflecting the support the record was
also getting from the underground reggae
scene. “With the bootlegs we were able to
go back to Radio 1 and say this is why we’re
re-releasing this record” remembers Wendy
K. With the war over there was nothing to
stop them supporting it either and Apparently
Nothin’ climbed to No.13 on the UK chart in
August 1991. For Marco though, the fact
that it was the most played tune at Carnival
that year was the “highest accolade it could’ve
got.” The same month saw the album also hit
UK stores and the charts where it climbed to
number 21.
Critically acclaimed, the album would
subsequently be nominated for the first
Mercury Music Prize. As debut albums go it’s
a highly impressive record with a guest roll
call that includes Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis,
Master Ace, Johnny Lytle, Paul Weller, Mick
Talbot and Maceo Parker. For many, part of
the record’s appeal is the unique combination
of traditional instruments (including ones all but
forgotten at the time like Moogs and Clavinets)
“When I started designing for Talkin’ Loud,
and the whole hip-hop, R&B production
I had to come up with some stuff that was
sensibility which manages to blend sample-
radically different. At that time the whole Blue
based tracks with ones recorded live.
Note thing hadn’t blown up. The only way y ou
“A lot of interviewers and reviews at the
could check the sleeves was by looking at the
time found it quite quirky that we hadn’t just original records. I used to rifle through Gilles’
sampled everything” recalls Marco. Indeed box at sessions to get inspiration. When I
it’s a remarkable mix and one which adds to started doing the Young Disciples, that first
the album’s highlight, the three part ‘Freedom sleeve was based on a really obscure record
Suite’ which begins with ‘Freedom’ before by the Harlem Youth Orchestra. But when we
giving way to ‘Wanting’ and finishing on ‘To Be did Apparently Nothin’, that’s when the whole
Free’. thing started to take form. They came to
“Freedom came to me while I was driving me with Joe Henderson’s Mode for Joe – a
home from an office job in Georgia a few sleeve split up into three. It was still a taboo
years before I moved to England,” remembers in design terms to ‘sample’. You just didn’t
Carleen. “Listening to news about the lifetime rip off people. That was a no-go area at that
incarceration of Nelson Mandela I had resigned time. But if hip-hop artists were sampling,
myself to believing he’d never be freed. I was in why couldn’t designers too? I like to think that
a terrible panic to get home to the piano and those sleeves are right up there in terms of
the sampling generation, the first time it had
record it before the song left me. Bobby (Byrd)
was the first person I saw; ‘Please don’t say been done. That whole aesthetic is common-
anything to me, I’ve got to get this song down place these days, but back then it was really
taboo.” (SWIFTY)
before I forget it!’ Poppa Byrd immediately
understood and kept everyone away from the
front room while I sang ‘Freedom’ into my
cassette player. I’ve learned since that songs
like that won’t go away from their messenger.
By the time the song was released on the
album, so was Nelson Mandela. What strength
of faith”.
Aside from a reissue of ‘Get Yourself
Together’, there would be just one further
release from The Young Disciples, an
eponymous EP which appeared a year later in
the autumn of 1992. Featuring the excellent
‘Move On’ and ‘All I Have In Me’ in very different
forms from their original album versions, it
would have made a great bridge to a second
long player. But by then it was too late and a
lack of commitment from Phonogram coupled
with changing attitudes within the group put
paid to a follow-up LP.
Time can be a hard judge but listening to
Road To Freedom today, 16 years on from
when I first did it still sounds wonderful to me.
Most of the values that informed its creation
still hold true and in terms of today’s musical
landscape I’m inclined to say it fits in even
better now. Time then perhaps, to reconvene
on the banks of the soul river?
49
OLD RARE NEW
Old Rare New is a gorgeous new book chronicling the independent record store,
speaking to artists, store owners and DJs about the art of collecting vinyl in a
time when it’s future is, once again, under threat. With Devendra Banhart, Will
Oldham, James Lavelle, Bob Stanley, Simon Reynolds, James Lavelle, Joe Boyd, Sean
Bidder… this is a serious tribute to our collective obsession with black wax.
DAVE KEENAN
Owner of Volcanic Tongue, Glasgow.
“My favourite record shop is one that I have
never been to, even though I’ve spent long
hours day-dreaming my way through its racks.
Modern Music in Tokyo is, I’m told, about the
size of my own Volcanic Tongue record shop
in Glasgow, a single-room empire up a flight of
stairs, rammed almost literally to the ceiling
with treacherously-balanced piles of rare and
new vinyl. Volcanic Tongue is kind of modelled
on a fantasy version of Modern Music, like one
of those guys who build painstaking replicas of
Noah’s Ark using hermetic clues gleaned from
Biblical exegesis.
There’s a shop in Edinburgh that has the
same reputed chaos feel of Modern Music and
you end up picking up Charles Tyler records
on Ak-Ba or Terry Riley’s Shandar side with
a crushed spine and corners after rescuing
it from the weight of six or seven crates of
fucking Who rarities. I once also scored so big
in an obscure Central Scotland record shop
(which, again, I have sworn not to reveal) when
I walked in mere days after an entire free
jazz collection had just been purchased that I
thought I was actually going to puke.
Hard to believe it now, but back when Fopp
had only two Scottish shops, they somehow
got their hands on a collection of insanely rare
free jazz, and at squat prices too. The Fopp in
Cockburn Street in Edinburgh had the bulk of
the killers, as I discovered one day while flicking
through the used jazz bins and coming across
monsters like Alabama Feeling and Babi Music
alongside every single Incus side, etc. It was the
first credit card I owned and I applied for it that
afternoon in order to score the entire collection
(since then, more turned up from this amazing
collection, though I heard there was quite a sad
story to it). By the time I got the card, some
bad-ass had already been there and scored
Babi, but I walked away with the cream of the
rest and a serious lifetime jones.
50
PHIL BARTON
Owner of Sister Ray, Soho.
Berwick Street, London. The ‘golden mile’ of
independent record stores. Well that’s the
expectation. The reality is things have changed.
Kids don’t collect records anymore, they steal
tunes instead. The album is too old for people,
the kids want byte-sized easily digestible tracks.
We’ve waved goodbye to a lot of friends around
here in the past few years. Unable to make the
rent, unable to compete with the net. We look
around and the hardiest are still here, but for
how much longer?
We look to our loyal customers for a bit
of hope. The guy who comes in every Saturday
looking for Captain Beefheart rarities. ‘Oasis
Bloke’ who phones every week and wants Oasis
promo gear. ‘Monday James’ who buys every
new release, every week. Terry, who drops off
a bag full of vinyl every Wednesday that he’s
picked up from jumble and car boot sales.
‘Helmethead’ the courier who sold us all his
vinyl and is now trying to get it all back. ‘The
General’ and ‘Swiss’ who are culturally worlds
apart but feed our drum & bass racks. Paul
from Cyprus who calls us to say he’s moved
to Mongolia and can we still supply. They keep
us going, they are in love with the music, they
THE INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOP
‘Independent’ is an exhibition of Spencer
Murphy’s photos documenting Soho’s
record stores: Jean-Claude looking crisp as
ever at If Music (which has since relocated
to Regent Street), Nicky Blackmarket in his
underground bunker on D’Arblay Street,
and JP at Vinyl Junkies (after his audition
for the Passion of Christ). In 2007, Deal
Real pulled its shutters down for the last
time, as did CD City. Much as we love shop-
ping online for music, there’s nothing quite
like being hustled out of half your paycheck
when the record distributor turns up with
the latest US imports. Keep supporting
love the thrill of a record and the thrill of a your local record shop!
packet to be opened an enjoyed. The BBC are
on the phone again. “Can we film in your shop?
We’re doing a piece about how vinyl is back.”
I tell them it never went away, but sure it’ll be
okay, come back next Tuesday. The racks will
be bulging with goodies, they’ll film it as usual,
say how quaint it is and then give the public
the impression that we all belong in a kitsch
museum.
STUART BAKER
Owner of Sounds of the Universe in Soho, and
head of Soul Jazz Records.
“I started the shop when my friend, Alec Liddell,
and myself first travelled to America to buy
second-hand records. We had found a book
called Record Shops in the USA and we used
this as a guide. We flew to New York and hired
a car (we didn’t hang around there). Someone
in a record shop in Britain had casually said, “if
you go to St Louis, all the records are $1.” So
off we went. Needless to say they weren’t $1
at all. I would say it’s the most fun we’ve ever
had, driving to a town in America, going to a
telephone kiosk and looking up record shops
to visit in the town, going from one shop to
another as fast as you can to reach another
town on the same day. Sometimes you’d look
in the yellow pages at your hotel and the page
with record shops would be torn out and you’d
know you weren’t the first.
A funny time we were in a shop in
Chicago–the late Ruby Sales suggested we see
his son. “He’s got a load of crap but you may
find something.” That was enough for us and off
we went. The building was on the edge of the
city, a huge factory, and we had to climb into a
30 feet wide goods lift to get to the top floor.
Everything was on pallets and as we looked
through the records we heard a rumble. A few
seconds later, a huge iron ball came through
one of the walls! “Don’t worry, they’re starting
to knock the building down ,” said the son.
Some good records though.
Old Rare New by Emma Pettit is published by
Black Dog, £19.95.
51
words: BEN VERGHESE Music, Sex and Nostalgia. Trunk Record’s
HERE’S JONNY
tagline captures the discrete charm of this
boutique UK label which is quite like no other
– “a peculiar London label specialising in music
everyone else has forgotten about,” as Jonny
himself has it. A self-professed nerd with daft
taste in music, he’s held down a radio show on
Resonance FM called OST for several years
Whether it’s forgotten TV music, lost-classics from the BBC Radiophonic which indulges his taste in vaguely obscure film
Workshop or one-off recordings by 70s porn stars, you’re bound to find music, and you can always count on him to play
a diverse selection ranging from soundtracks
something special in Jonny’s trunk. to ’60s advertising jingles to TV themes. He’s
also the proud holder of the record for the
shortest ever song to be in the Top 40 singles
charts with The Ladies’ Bras, a cheeky 35-
second serenade to hosiery.
Meanwhile, with Trunk Records, which
prides itself in bringing lost music to light,
Jonny has helped expose his finds to fellow
OCD music anoraks. Set up in 1997, the
soundtracks to Deep Throat, Dawn of the Dead
and The Wicker Man are just some of the
gems to be released by the label, in addition to
forgotten TV music (Bod, The Clangers, Ivor the
Engine), plus the library delights of Basil Kirchin,
Desmond Leslie, the Bosworth archive and
Studio G. The label also holds down a sideline
in pornographic ephemera with the titillating
Mary Millington Talks Dirty and Flexi-sex, a
collection of little 7” recordings of dirty-talking
floozies that were given away with top-shelf
magazines like Penthouse and Hustler in the
‘80s.
The catalogue moved into more salubrious
territory last year with the addition of two
masterful long-lost British jazz LPs. Michael
Garrick Trio’s Moonscape was originally
pressed a mere 99 times onto 10” back in
1964. Jonny managed to secure a copy for
£160, and after getting approval from Mr
Garrick, it got a “full waxing”. Also issued was
Mike Taylor Remembered, previously never
released on vinyl, documenting the miraculous
1973 memorial session to the late jazz pianist
featuring the cream of the UK jazz artists–Neil
Ardley, Ian Carr, Norma Winstone and Dave
Gelly.
But it was the discovery of a remarkable
never-seen-before Herbie Hancock record
which is perhaps the most astonishing find to
date. Hear, O Israel: A Prayer Ceremony in Jazz
was written by a Jonathan Klein, a seventeen-
year-old musician, who was encouraged by
his Rabbi to reinterpret Friday night prayers
in a jazz style. Performed at New York City
Synagogue in 1968 with a cast of musicians
that included Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and
Thad Jones, as well as the young composer
Jonathan Klein, and the Rabbi on mic duties,
the service was recorded for posterity and
issued in a very limited pressing, a copy of
which fell into Jonny’s hands in 1999.
“With its Hebrew song and prayer mixed
in with New York modern jazz I was totally
52
captivated,” says Jonny.
The chase then began with some
phonecalls to the States: “The response from
the organisation was one of slight confusion.
Only one person remembered there had been
some jazz made four decades ago. As soon
as we were over this, then the legal wheels
turned and three months later they were in a
position to actually do a deal. I’m pretty sure
no one there had ever heard the album, or for
that matter even seen it. Jonathan Klein was
invisible until about a week before release, then
sent me an email. He doesn’t say much, has no
record of the session, no photos, no nothing.”
Available via Jonny Records, it’s a whole lot
easier to get hold of now than in 1968 when
you had to send off a cheque to the New York
City Synagogue.
Another great story comes with the arrival of
a collection of music by John Baker, an integral
part of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop who
passed away in 1997. Arriving through the
summer in two CD volumes and a single LP
compilation, it will be the premiere release
Without the Radiophonic
Workshop, you’d
certainly have
less electronic
experimentation. Artists
like the Aphex Twin
would sound a whole lot
different, and it’s likely
that the EMS Synthi and
other important early
synthesizers would have
been created.
of solo material from any of the renowned
BBC Radiophonic Workshop members, a
timely arrival marking the 50th year since the
Workshop began.
Jonny Trunk explains: “Volume One is
pure Radiophonics – cut and paste madness
and more. Volume Two is a little more free,
and is his work from home, playing the piano,
soundtracks, his insane library work and some
killer adverts”.
A long-time Radiophonics appreciator and
collector, Alan Gubby chanced upon an internet
post by John Baker’s brother stating he had a
box of John’s old records and tapes and was
unsure what to do with them. Recognising
the need to archive the material, Gubby made
contact and the pair met up. “There were
just over 30 reels of tape in John’s collection,
around 10 vinyl LPs of library music, jazz and
lots of photographs and personal documents,”
Gubby says. “The process of transferring
the tapes took about 6 months, with many
late nights repairing the numerous edits and
splices John had used to create his tracks.”
Having waded through and made sense of
the material, it took another year sorting out
the licensing and correctly matching titles to
tracks. With the BBC showing no desire to
release the music, Gubby looked elsewhere for
a suitable label.
Trunk Records seemed the logical choice,
having released music from Radiophonic
Workshop members, Delia Derbyshire and
Brian Hogdson, in The Tomorrow People
(2006). Jonny Trunk leapt at the chance to
house the John Baker tapes. An avid follower
of Maida Vale’s auditory outputs, the first tune
he sang as a child was the theme to Dr Who.
“Without the Radiophonic Workshop, you’d
certainly have less electronic experimentation.
Artists like the Aphex Twin would sound a whole
lot different, and it’s likely that the EMS Synthi
and other important early synthesizers would
have been created.” The recordings from these
“alchemists of sound”, along with the musique
concrète movement, have undoubtedly shaped
the way many make music today. Amongst of
all those sonic pioneers, John Baker’s work
retains a unique edge and charm.
“There is lots of humour in his music
but it can also be jarringly intense, quite dark
and manic,” elaborates Alan Gubby. “As I
transferred the tapes it became apparent
John’s diversity and volume of output has been
criminally underrated until now. The number
of compositions is mind-boggling when you
consider how long it took him to record then
splice the fragments of sound. He has often
been dismissed as a tunesmith or composer
of small ditties but his personal tapes revealed
he was very comfortable with abstract styles,
music concrète and reverse tape effects too.
He combined real drums and jazz instruments
with tape effects on very basic recording
equipment. He was way out there in electro
and jazz terms, very groovy and avant-garde,
when he was allowed to be!”
Possessed with the necessary scientific
and technical skills for the manual handling
techniques the Workshop used, Baker’s
music benefits from compositional excellence
and exceptional piano playing. In a poignant
biography, John’s brother details the troubles
he dealt with through his life and his tragic
demise. A musician who has never received
the ovation he deserves, The John Baker
Tapes make for a quintessential Trunk release.
Jonny adds “At the moment I really love ‘Au
Printemps’, but I really do like ‘Dial M For
Murder’. The use of a telephone is obvious but
inspired, and the last half of the tune is not a
million miles away from the sound of Detroit
two decades later. But these opinions will have
changed by tomorrow I’m sure.”
www.trunkrecords.com
thanks to Jak Kilby for the Mike Taylor photo.
www.jakkilby.co.uk
53
 “First of all it takes a certain amount of
talent,” explains Chaka Khan when breaking
down the key to her longevity in music. “I’ve
paid my dues. In fact I’ve paid a lot of dues. I’ve
been doing this for a long time now. I’ve been
through a lot. I think that people recognise
that I am authentic – at least in my musical
communication the anyway. To be honest, I
don’t really think about it that much. I just know
that I am both happy and thankful.”
Spoken like a true artist, Chaka Khan, is the
link in the chain between the great soul singers
like Aretha Franklin and R&B divas like Mary
J Blige and Faith Evans. She’s brought joy to
the lives of so many with hits like ‘Sweet Thing’,
‘Through the Fire’, ‘Ain’t Nobody’ and ‘I’m Every
Woman’ through the 70s, the 80s and even
the 90s (when she released Come Into My
House, a collaboration with Prince). Now in the
00s, she’s back again. With the help of Jimmy
Jam and Terry Lewis, the original 80s R&B
hitmakers behind Janet Jackson, Alexander
O’Neal, Change and the Sounds of Blackness,
Chaka comes with a throwback record
designed for the iPod generation.
“It was a wonderful experience making
Funk This. We did the album in mostly
analogue. A lot of it was live. It wasn’t Pro
Toolsey in the slightest. It felt like being back
in the studio during the seventies.” Taking
us back a decade, Chaka explains how she
came to work with Janet Jackson’s preferred
production duo. “I’ve courted a few labels over
the past ten years and things weren’t really
right for me. So I just continued to work on the
road and pay the bills. Finally a label came to
me who wanted to sign me. They were a great
label and were really supportive, and they tried
to find me the right producers but couldn’t. So
my sister/manager Tammy said, ‘Why don’t
we take Jam and Lewis up on their offer?’
We’d been talking for years about working
together but it never came about, until now.
They ended up leaving their Minneapolis home
and moving to Santa Monica, right up the
street from me, so I paid them a visit and asked
them if they would be interested and they were.
Very, very, very interested. And that, as they
say, is where it all began.”
Released in the States last year, Funk This
garnered a huge amount of attention which
was then followed by two Grammy nominations
and two Grammy wins – one for Best R&B
Album, the other for Best Vocal Performance
By A Group Or Duo, for ‘Disrespectful’ with
Mary J. Blige. “It was special,” says Chaka of
her recent accolades. “However I must say
54
ASK CHAKA
that I was pleasantly surprised to have even
gotten a nomination. I mean I was expecting
something, I just didn’t know what. I wasn’t
expecting to win two Grammy’s. I can tell you
that much for certain. I knew the album would
get some sort of notice but I wasn’t thinking it
would be all that. My friends and family were all
telling me I was going to win both. I told them to
forget it. I was happy just to be acknowledged.
Then lo and behold I won both. That to me was
a sign that I did the right thing when making
this album.”
Born in Chicago in 1953, Chaka Khan
was first known as Yvette Marie Stevens.
She took on the Afrikan name Chaka Khan
while working as a teenager for the Black
Panthers as part of their Free Breakfast For
Children programme. Already, from a young
“Guess I grew up fast
in Chi-town: school out,
clean up, homework,
lights out… Mama was
strict, kids running in
and out. Streetlights
meant you’d betta be in
that house. Oh, back in
the day.”
age, she’d been a member of both the groups
Lyfe and The Babysitters but it wasn’t until she
became lead singer of the band Rufus that
people started to stand up and take notice of
this fiery, harmonising powehouse. Building
a good reputation thanks to their self-titled
debut album, things didn’t really take off for
the threesome until the release of a Stevie
Wonder-penned single on their 1974 album
Rags to Rufus. ‘Tell Me Something Good’
sounded like a track plucked from the Sly Stone
songbook, with electric guitar and a popping
electric bass, and when it hit radio it went on
to achieve Gold certification. A succession of
hit albums followed through the decade: Rufus
featuring Chaka Khan produced ‘Sweet Thing’
and Ask Rufus (1977) featured ‘Egyptian Song’
and ‘Better Days’.
words: ILL WILL AKA ‘ DA BOY WONDER ’ Illustration: ARNAUD CRASSAT
After going solo in the late seventies,
Chaka coninued to spawn a string of classics,
including ‘I’m Every Woman’ and ‘Ain’t Nobody’.
And of course ‘Feel For You’, her cover of
a Prince B-side, with Stevie Wonder on
harmonica, was one of the biggest songs of the
80s. Her albums and singles alike have won
her a total of ten Grammy’s during her long and
illustrious career as a genre defying artist.
But in today’s climate, where music is over-
saturated and over-played, artists like Chaka
Khan are too easily forgotten. Especially when
it comes to the kids, what with their bubblegum
urban bangers from the likes of Soulja Boy and
Chris Brown. But there is one artist today, a
man who can stand next to the word quality
with assurity, who owes a part of his career
to the lovely Chaka Khan. Kanye West, after
suffering a near fatal car accident, told people
that it was Chaka’s song ‘Through The Fire’
which helped nurse him back to good health. So
deep was its influence that the young Chicago
producer/emcee sampled the track on his first
single, ‘Through The Wire’.
Explaining how it all came about, Chaka
says, “He called me and asked me if he could
use the song because he had been in a terrible
accident and it had helped him to recover. So
how could I say no?” Continuing, Chaka jokes,
“But I didn’t know he was going to speed it
up and make me sound like a Chipmunk. But
then later on I found out that was what he was
renowned for. I’m just glad I could have been of
some assistance in helping him to get better.”
On the flipside, Chaka makes it clear that
she’s not the biggest fan when it comes to
sampling records. “I think there needs to be a
lot more legislation when it comes to sampling
a record. I mean, if you can’t play the music
then what the hell are you doing? Be a DJ.”
Followed by a giggle, she adds, “That’s how I
feel. If you’re going to be a musician then be a
musician. Play the instrument. If not then get
somebody that can. I think that Pro Tools and
programs like that are more for enhancing
music that has already been done.”
Both elegant and beautiful, parting ways
with Chaka Khan is a hard thing to do. But with
a busy schedule, which includes a quick trip to
the ITV studios, and then a rest before a night
time performance to kick off her album launch,
it’s amazing to see that musicianship and
politeness still exist within the genre. You just
need to look in the right place, and Chaka Khan
is always in the right place at the right time.
Chaka Khan’s Funk This is out now.
55
words VINCE VELLA
ENCUENTRO
A young saxophonist from Cuba currently making moves in New York jazz
circles, Yosvany Terry has now been immersing himself in ancient
traditions from Dahomey and the music of Arara
Yosvany Terry career as a leader and
sideman has already gotten off to a teriffic
start, sharing the stage with luminaries like
Silvio Rodriguez, Steve Coleman, Roy Hargrove
and Eddie Palmieri, and he’s quickly become
one the most respected young saxophone
players in the jazz world. Born in Camaguey,
Cuba, a magical town in the middle of the island
that has given birth to some of the finest horns
player in Cuba such Cesar Lopez and Julio
Padron, both from Irakere, Yosvany is now
based in New York City where he’s amazed by
the levels of musicianship and creativity. On a
summer afternoon in Central Park, Vince Vella
met up with Yosvany to talk about his music
and his message.
V V: While in Cuba, you performed with
many giants of cuban music such as Chucho
Valdes, Fito Paez and Cubanismo… Tell me
about your years in Havana.
Y T: I was playing with a lot of people but one of
the most exciting projects was with Columna
B. I was one of the founders of the band along
with Roberto Carcasses on piano, Descemer
Bueno on bass, Dafnis Prieto on drums. Also,
Anga Diaz took part in the recordings for the
album. We used to play a lot, the band was
so tight, at that time in 1998 we were really
doing something different in Cuba. The material
was fresh and musically diverse. We’ve put out
there some very interesting stuff and people
were challenged by that… Making music with
Columna B was like starting a trip without
knowing where your destination is. It was a
limitless workshop basically. A great sonic
exploration, fusing deep jazz with Afro-Cuban
elements.
V V: You’ve been living in New York since
1999. As well as playing with big stars in
the jazz circuit, you’re leading three different
bands?
Y T: There’s my jazz quartet, there’s Afro
Cuban Roots and then there’s Ye-dé-bgé
56
& the Afro-Caribbean Legacy. You see, my
parents were born in Cuba but my father is of
Jamaican descent while my mum has Haitian
relatives from Benin. I was raised in a very
religious family (though I took my own religious
path later in life) but as a kid I was exposed to
rituals and all that. I felt the need to represent
my real roots, focussing on my rich Caribbean
heritage. I started the Afro Cuban Roots
project in 2007. The aim is to travel back and
explore the Yoruba tradition in Cuba which
goes back more than 500 years ago. Take
all that knowledge and combine it with fresh
elements, new musical concepts of harmony
and different things that I have been doing with
my regular quartet.
We play for different
gods of the youruba
pantheon : Osain, Ogun,
Chango and Yemaya.
People can see through
the dancer the way
different Orishas
manifest, the way they
move, feel and transmit
the music.
V V: You also have a Yoruban dancer on
stage right?
Y T: Yeah that’s really important for me, the
dancer is a direct connection to the roots. I
strongly believe that since its origins, music
and dance have always been together, they
both need each other. The dance is a really
strong element that needed to be represented
in the project. We play for the different gods
(Osain, Ogun, Chango, Yemaya) of the Youruba
pantheon. People can see through the dancer
the way different Orishas manifest, the way
they move, feel and transmit the music. We
use congas and bata drums along with piano,
bass, sax and chekere. We want to take the
Youruba legacy into the 21st century.
The other musical venture is called Ye-dé-
bgé & the Afro- Caribbean Legacy. Ye-dé-gbé
is a phrase in the West African language Fon,
originally spoken in Dahomey, now called Benin.
It means ‘with the approval of the spirits’. In
this project I try to unify the legacy of traditions,
spiritual and musical, practiced throught the
Pan-African regions. In 2007 I went back to
the Matanzas province in Cuba to study and
rediscover the Arará tradition with Mano, a
master of the Arará legacy. Arará tradition
originated in Benin. Both project are a unique
opportunity for me to express hundreds of
years of tradition by re-integrating those
almost forgotten obscure rhythms into the jazz
tradition. I want to record an album with this
band and take the project around the world….
V V: What was it like working with Gonzalo
Rubalcaba on ‘Avatar’?
Y T: I absolutely loved the album, so beautifully
crafted. It was simply a joy. We knew each
other in Cuba, I always used to go to his gigs,
but it wasn’t until we met here in NYC that we
finally got to know each other properly. It’s been
an amazing learning experience. I got to play
with one of my heroes and also it was a great
opportunity for my own composition to be on a
beautiful album.
V V: How did you hook up with Eddie Palmieri?
Y T: Since I’ve moved here, I started going to
the sessions Eddie used to do at the Phoenix
room in Manhattan. Then one day he called me
for a gig, maybe because trumpet player Bryan
Linch was playing there too. Since then he’s
been calling me on and off for different things.
I recorded few things with him and an album
‘Simpatico’ that won a Latin Jazz Grammy in
2006, Sadly, they ran out of ink to write my
name on it.
www.yosvanyterry.com
57

Charles Burnett: the blues in black and white.
Charles Burnett was born in Mississippi in
1944. His family relocated to Los Angeles and
he was brought up in the suburb of Watts. He
studied at UCLA film school in 1967 and a
decade later Killer Of Sheep (1977) became
the first feature film offering from one of
America’s most interesting and yet, still to this
day, relatively unrecognised, contemporary
independent filmmakers. A fascinating director
and an anomaly in American cinema, Burnett
can be seen as the missing link in the history
of modern African-American independent
filmmaking. Everybody knows about Spike Lee’s
voice, vision and success within the Hollywood
mainstream. There’s Oscar Micheaux (1885-
1951), one of the first visionary, independent,
black voices in American cinema. And who
can ever forget the legendary Gordon Parks?
But we seem to have forgetten about one of
America’s first contemporary Black auteur
filmmakers. As African-American film critic
Armond White once put it, “Burnett makes
most other filmmakers seem like decadent
escapists. Despite conveying the humanist
emphasis of Jean Renoir, Burnett has never
received Lee’s sheer public promotion. Burnett
prompts a national self-examination.”
Killer Of Sheep is considered Burnett’s seminal
masterpiece. He brought something new and
revolutionary to the table after an onslaught of
the Blaxploitation genre films (Donald Bogle’s
informative book Toms, Coons, Mulattoes,
Mammies & Bucks: An Interpretive History
Of Blacks in American Films, is worth a read
for anyone interested in the subject). In Killer
Of Sheep we are given a film imbued with
refreshing realism, contemplative honesty and
visually poetic truths, something that Hollywood
was obviously trying to avoid with its output
of cinema releases at the time. Released in
1977, Killer of Sheep appeared in the same
year that Jim Kelly starred in Black Samurai
and Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby starred in
crime comedy A Piece Of The Action. Ironically,
the only remotely black representation in a
mainstream Hollywood blockbuster was James
Earl Jones’s voice as the galaxy’s ultimate ‘dark
lord’ Darth Vader in Star Wars… Go figure!
Whether people were aware of it or not, after
a wave of bad luck, all set against the stark
day-to-day goings-on of the Watts ghetto in the
mid-1970s – the alcoholics, the small-time
thieves and the local thugs. Despite all this,
Stan tries to keep his dignity and the values he
holds dear – a theme later explored in To Sleep
With Anger (1990). Burnett’s film offers no
easy answers and no easily definable heroes
or villains... just explorations, observations
of the African-American experience without
sensationalism or Hollywood stereotypes.
Burnett explained, “I come from a working-class
environment and I wanted to express what
the realities were. People were trying to get
jobs, and once they found jobs they were fully
concerned with keeping them. And they were
confronted with other problems, with serious
problems at home for example, which made
things much more difficult”.
After watching Killer Of Sheep, it would be
easy to make the connection with Fellini,
Visconti, Rossellini or say De Sica’s Bicycle
Thieves (1948). Burnett’s films share much in
common with the Italian neorealist movement
– honest, often brutal, reflections of real life
and the moral challenges our protagonists
face. However, the main underlying theme in
his films remains the importance of the family
unit in one’s survival, as an individual and as
a community... and ultimately Burnett tries to
deal with these universal truths throughout all
his films.
If Blaxploitation provided one side of the Afro-
American experience, glorifying the pimps and
gangsters working for the Man, Killer of Sheep
would show how it was like for the rest of black
America who struggled on with their jobs and
their families and tried to instill some dignity
and pride in their children. Burnett decided
to shoot Killer Of Sheep on real locations in
Watts, with a lot of handheld camera work,
and a cast of mostly non-professional actors.
It was filmed over a series of weekends in
1973 but took another four years before it was
released. In the spirit of the ‘60s avant-garde,
the film draws its force from a gritty black &
white documentary-style cinematography. Full
of long-takes where the camera lingers on its
Earth’ as Stan and his wife try to inject some
passion back into their loveless relationship;
and elsewhere Stan’s little daughter sings
along to Earth, Wind & Fire that’s playing on
the radio, though she doesn’t know any of the
words.
Burnett has been around for quite some
time now, but it’s only in recent years that his
unique directorial offerings have been given
the platform that they deserve. Warming by
the Devil’s Fire, his contribution to Scorsese’s
The Blues (2003) series, is a very personal
account of a young boy’s relationship with
his Uncle and the music of the Deep South.
Considering Spike Lee is the only black creative
voice able to consistently work in mainstream
Hollywood, Burnett and his cinema come as a
breath of fresh air in a diaspora whose diversity
is still deeply, and painfully under-represented.
Burnett is a filmmaker whose films are truly
worth watching again and again. With Namibia:
The struggle For Liberation (2007) in the
process of being released and a project entitled
Red Soil in pre-production for 2009, Charles
Burnett remains a unique, and visionary auteur
filmmaker whose whole body of work deserves
a wider audience and appreciation. It seems
like finally his time is now.
To Sleep With Anger. (1990, USA).
Danny Glover turns in an unforgettable
performance as Harry Mention, the good-
for-nothing, gambling drifter whose arrival at
the middle-class family home of his old friend
Gideon (Paul Butler) coincides with all kinds of
trouble. Harry’s old Southern ways threaten to
tear the Gideon’s family apart as he corrupts
the youngest son of the family. In the clash
between Deep South traditions and modern
city living, this is a dark, wise and witty tale.
The Glass Shield. (1995, USA).
Corruption, power, discrimination and racism
are the focus of this drama revolving around
Rookie black officer Johnny ‘J.J.’ Johnson
(Michael Boatman) and his struggle to ‘fit in’
as the first black cop in his department. in his
pursuit of justice, J. J. is forced to confront
deeper truths when challenged by his moral

AINT GOT
almost two decades of American upheaval
through Civil Rights and the Vietnam War,
escapism was firmly on the bill in Hollywood .
With Killer Of Sheep, Burnett chose instead
to show us the real America through an L.A.
community, stunned and in a dreamlike daze,
staggering towards an uncertain fate, like
lambs to the slaughter, in the face of a new
Conservative backlash.
main characters, as if trying to reveal some
long-forgotten secrets, there’s a lyricism to the
film that’s reminiscent of Bresson’s Au Hasard
Balthazar (1966).
The flim also boasts an incredible soundtrack
(which Burnett never bothered to license
because he couldn’t imagine his film ever
getting a commercial distribution) – it features
obligation to right the wrongs he encounters.
Ice Cube and Lorri Petty (Point Break and Tank
Girl) turn in solid performances.
Warming By The Devils Fire. (2003, USA)
A part of Martin Scorsese film series, The
Blues, the film is best described by Burnett
himself: “The sound of the blues was a part
of my environment that I took for granted.

NO SPARE
Killer Of Sheep follows Stan, a slaughterhouse
worker, as he becomes increasingly detached
and numbed by his job. The strain begins to tell
in his relationships with his wife, his family and
friends. We learn he is suffering from insomnia
and we watch him trying to cope with the
frustrations of being poor, struggling against
words: ADAM HUSSAM MURRAY
58
the blues, gospel, soul and spirituals of Etta
James, Paul Robeson, George Gershwin and
Little Walter: music of an older generation,
music from the South before the pressures
of city living began to take their toll. Like a
Tarantino film, music is always there in the
background. In one moving scene, the plaintive
voice of Dinah Washington sings ‘This Bitter
However, as years passed, the blues slowly
emerged as an essential source of imagery,
humour, irony, and insight that allows one
to reflect on the human condition. I always
wanted to do a story on the blues that not only
reflected its nature and its content, but also
alludes to the form itself. In short, a story that
gives you the impression of the blues.”
59
 SHOOK
TEK
Music technology has traditionally borrowed
from other interactive disciplines such as
gaming and video manipulation. Now that the
Internet provides a resource for components
and information, more and more musicians are
beginning to construct their own custom devices
from scratch. The knowledge that exists online
E D I T O R : BENJI LEHMANN for interactive projects comes on one hand from
the field of physical computing which has lead to
the development of platforms like Guitar Hero,
and on the other hand from circuit bending
and hacking, which provide insight into how
components in existing consumer devices can be
made to behave in ways they weren’t intended to.
The largest obstacle in creating devices like
midi controllers is creating an interface between
the analogue signals of a joystick or fader and
the digital world of midi. I spoke to Alexandra
Deschamps-Sonsino from consultancy Tinker
about a platform called Arduino which is being
adopted by artists and musicians to overcome
this problem.
What do you think has driven the recent
surge of interest in recycling electronics
and harnessing them for new projects.
Has it always been around or is it a new
phenomenon?
ARUD I N O
Tinkering has always been present as a behavior,
regardless of the technology. This would take
many forms from fixing a motorcycle, or building
a boat on your weekend or fixing some plumbing.
Now the accessibility of new technologies and
electronic components at low cost is allowing
people to tinker with them in the same way, with
the same curiosity and enthusiasm.
What are the origins of the Arduino platform?
The Arduino platform was developed by Massimo
Banzi, Gianluca Martino, Dave Mellis, Tom Igoe
and David Cuartielles while at the Interaction
Design Institute Ivrea, in the north of Italy
around 2005. The group developed Arduino
as a reaction to the fact that no flexible, open
and cheap prototyping platform was available
to interaction design students at time. The
platforms they found were too expensive, were
broken easily by students who didn’t quite know
what they were doing and were closed and
proprietary. After a few different iterations, the
Arduino NG was born which was easy to use,
whose community was based online and was
open-source.
Why has Arduino been so widely adopted by
artists and musicians working with physical
and interactive computing?
Arduino was always aimed at non-technical
creative people like designers, so it was a
natural step for artists and musicians to pick it
up as well. We’ve seen fantastic applications of
Arduino together with Max MSP, Puredata or
Flash to make sound or interactive pieces that
are truly compelling in ways that more technical
people might not be able to achieve. When
60
using Arduino, ignorance can be bliss because
at the end of the day, it’s about the idea and
implementation, not the technology, which is
something artists and musicians are great at!
What are the most simple and the most
complex applications of the Arduino platform
you have come accross?
There is truly a range of great projects that have
been built on Arduino or electronics. A simple
application is Brock Craft’s Brockenspiel http://
www.brockcraft.com/category/brockenspiel/,
which is an Arduino hooked up to a card reader
and solenoids on a xylophone. Whenever
someone swipes their card to get into the room,
the reader feeds in a few numbers that match
that card and convert them into pulses that
activate the solenoids that hit the xylophone and
produces a unique tune for each person.
A more advanced project is Three Pieces by
Simon Kirby http://found-electronics.net/
featured-project/three-pieces/ who created
an acoustic orchestra for the Palm House of
the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. The
instruments are played robotically, controlled by
two Arduinos. Motion detectors and a soil sensor
allow them to react to people in the space and to
the state of the plants to remix the music they’ve
composed especially for the installation.
What is the future of the Arduino platform?
Is the first mainstream consumer electronics
project created on an Arduino on its way?
It’s important to remember that Arduino is a
prototyping platform. Once you’ve reached the
point where you’re happy with your project, the
next step is to create custom-electronics that
reduce the size of your project dramatically. In
a way this is a big step, one that projects like
Fritzing (www.fritzing.org/) are trying to support.
I suspect that an ecology of services and
products will start to appear around Arduino.
Right now we are seeing an ecology of products
such as shields (http://www.ladyada.net/
rant/2008/02/new-kit-arduino-ethernet-xport-
shield/) or new and more specific versions of the
board (http://1scale1.com/node/48 as well
as ) but I suspect we’ll start seeing communities
and help and support services appear in the near
future.
Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino is the CEO of
Tinker, technology and design consultancy
based in London and Milan. She has a
background in industrial and interaction
designer and attended the Interaction Design
Institute Ivrea where she met the other
founders of Tinker. She has been involved in
projects for clients such as Nokia, Motorola,
Droog design, Thinglink, Jaiku, Blast Radius,
fo.am and Blyk. She is an active speaker on the
next generation of technology-aided product
design and is based in London.
www.tinker.it
MOOG have cemented their place in the
Guitar market, after the introduction of the
Mooger-Fooger pedals some years ago. The
first ever Moog Guitar will be the limited
edition Paul Vo Collector Edition Guitar. The
AAAAA maple top guitar with a mahogany
body and ebony finger board will be a much
sought-after axe even without the addition of
the patented Moog electronics. Each guitar
will be individually signed by Moog associate
and guitar inventor Paul Vo and will carry a
sealed Certificate of Authenticity identifying it
as the first ever Moog Guitar. The Moog Guitar
offers three unique modes…Sustain, Mute
and Controlled Sustain. In the Sustain mode,
it provides infinite, powerful sustain on every
string and at every fret position; Mute removes
energy from the strings, resulting in a variety
of staccato effects; Controlled Sustain allows
the musician to play sustained, single-note or
even polyphonic lines with strong sustain and
effortless clarity. In this mode, the Moog Guitar
sustains the notes being played while actively
muting the notes not being played.
Moog Guitar: £3,999.00
F I V E T H I N G S…
T O BU Y BE F O RE
AT T E MP T I NG AN
EL E CT RO N I CS P R OJ E CT
1. Multimeter – this is an invaluable tool
which will tell you how much current is flowing
at any given point in a circuit, and can also
be used to measure resistance. Using a
multimeter properly will help to avoid damaging
components.
NEWS
KOR G have announced the Nano series of
controllers. Despite their small size, all three
controllers offer a refreshingly flexible level of
functionality. The nanoKEY features a great-
feeling 25-key velocity-sensitive keyboard
that’s ideal for song production. The keys can
also be set to send MIDI control data, further
expanding its potential. The nanoPAD features
12 highly responsive trigger pads, also capable
of sending both notes and MIDI control data,
plus an X-Y pad with roll and flam functions
giving you a unique interface for realistic drum
programming. The nanoKONTROL offers nine
faders, nine knobs and 18 switches plus a full
transport section for expansive control.
Korg Nano Series: £49.00 - £59.00
2. Power supply – it’s best to avoid any project
that will require more current than a battery
can supply – mains electricity is powerful
enough to administer a serious, perhaps
fatal, electric shock. For prototyping purposes
though a dedicated power supply which plugs
in to the mains and allows you to regulate the
current in a circuit saves on batteries.
3. Wire cutters/strippers – all electronics
projects involve patching wires at some point,
for obvious reasons.
FUT UR E AUDI O W ORKSHOP have
launched a virtual instrument called Circle
Synth, which aims to provide a more intuitive
interface for exploring synthesis. Circle Synth
offers a modular approach in the spirit of the
classic modular systems, but adds modern
processors like bitcrushers and waveshapers
to the traditional selection of filters and
oscillators. The midi learn function is fast and
intuitive, and with Circle’s high contrast, single
pane interface you can see everything at a
single glance while performing live on stage.
Future Audio Workshop Circle Synth: $199/
Eu149 (available from futureaudioworkshop.
com)
4. Breadboard – in the early days of
electronics, components were so big they
needed to be strapped to a large surface
during prototyping, hence the use of
breadboards. Now though this term refers to
a miniature white board which allows quick and
easy patching of jump wires.
5. Jump Wires – all decent electronics shops
will sell you a box of pre-cut and stripped jump
wires which you can easily employ when at the
early stages of designing a project. Use these
to patch connections on your breadboard.
61
 Features the mind- In 2005 Jay won the
blowing, analog Foyle’s Young Poets
synth stomper competition.
‘Frequency 7’ Her book ‘Your Sign is
which still sounds Cuckoo, Girl’ is highly
incredible today. recommended.
A prime example She is also a big fan
of how 80’s Euro of comics/zines (she
Synthpop helped sketches herself) and
shape the techno kindly produced this
sounds of Detroit. piece for Shook (right).

Detroit stand up! While the Metroplex Julian was a member

Danny tackles the imprint put out of Sun Ra’s big band.
harsh realities of Model 500 classics, In 1970 he joined
hood life in the Juan Atkins Herbie Hancock’s
Motor City and dropped this little revolutionary
doesn’t hold back. gem on Thunder Mwandishi group.
Words resonate Records in 1987 ‘Love, Love’ is a
with his fierce (the only release on highly rhythmic and Killer electro funk.
delivery. His debut this label) under his expansive slice of Produced by Eric
LP entitled ‘Hot Channel One alias. spaced out fusion. Matthew’s of ‘Gary’s
Soup’ is out now. Prepare to dance. ‘Kosmigroov’! Gang’ (responsible
for many innovative
80’s cuts). Head
straight for the
instrumental ; crisp
percussion, tidy
Dwilt Sharpp speaks The DIY philosophy. arrangements and a
10shun (beat The work of
primarily of women, tasty bassline.
maker from San electronic wizard
sex and love. The
Diego) releases Todd Osborn
film ‘The Face to
unique illustrated (Osborne). Synths,
Another’ by Hiroshi
records in small vocoders and
Teshigahara (1966)
quantities via warm analog keys
made a significant
the web. ‘A drum twist in and out of
impact on him ; his
savage exploring shifting patterns.
sounds are inspired Rhythms skip
unchartered filthy Head nodding
by the style, fashion, to a minimal
sound possibilities’! beatstrumental
image and aesthetics house groove and
niceness.
of this period. atmospheric flavours
build gradually,
falling in and out of
the mix. Check FXHE
for raw house vibes
The first major New label ‘devoted and challenging
retrospective of a David Crosby’s debut to modifying yet inspiring
BBC Radiophonic solo LP. Slated by obscure musical productions.
artist. John’s critics, praised by fans. relics from the
tape manipulation A sun drenched outing distant past to
techniques were of exquisite songs, better serve the
highly innovative delicate harmonies eccentric tastes
and just an everyday and refined guitar of the modern
job for him at the playing. Supporting discotheque’! This feature was inspired by a recent trip to Detroit.
BBC workshop. cast include Carlos Artwork by Susumu (Shouts to Gillespie, DL Jones, Dat, Michael Geiger & Kelly Frasier)
Fascinating stuff. Santana, Neil Young Mukai (Zongamin). To hear the featured artists on this page check the
and more! ‘Now Then’ mixtape: www.myspace.com/welsoncreep
62 63
Lorez Alexandria ‘For Swingers Only’ (Dusty Groove)
When the news trickled through in May 2001
that jazz singer, Lorez Alexandria, had died aged
71 from kidney failure, it received very little
media attention – there were no eye-catching
headlines, no raft of celebrities and famous
musicians queuing up to pay glowing tributes
and no last minute TV specials slotted into the
broadcasting schedules. There were, however,
a few perfunctory lines printed in local LA
newspapers, where Alexandria had lived since
the 1960s, but that was all. It was as if Lorez
Alexandria hadn’t even lived, let alone died.
Jazz anoraks may have mourned the
passing of this opulent-voiced Windy City
chanteuse, but the world at large seemed coldly
indifferent. But that was no real surprise to
those that knew of Alexandria and her relatively
small body of work - sadly, she had lived as she
had died, in obscurity. But although she was
far from being a household name, the gospel-
reared singer born Delores Alexandria Turner on
August 12th 1929 in Chicago had accrued over
the years a cult following that, thankfully, remains
to this day. Her enduring appeal, I believe, is
due to her well-modulated contralto voice; it’s
a rich, dark and caramel-hued instrument with
more than just a hint of Sarah Vaughan in it. It’s
also unequivocally a voice that has ‘star quality’
stamped all over it and listening to it on this first-
time reissue of her hard-to-find 1963 Argo LP,
‘For Swingers Only,’ only deepens the mystery of
Lorez Alexandria’s failure to capture a large and
attentive audience.
Certainly, her recording career began
promisingly enough. As a 25 year-old she
fronted a 45 on the Blue Lake label by big band
leader King Fleming called ‘Williams’ Blues.’
Although her contribution was uncredited, it
got her noticed and three years later, in 1957,
she signed to Syd Nathan’s Cincinnati-based
King label where she cut a well-received debut
LP, ‘This Is Lorez.’ The album’s supporting
musicians included pianist Charles Stepney
(later a groundbreaking arranger/producer at
Chess Records) and future Ramsey Lewis Trio
bassist and Young-Holt Unlimited co-founder,
Eldee Young. Two more albums followed for
King and then, in 1960, Alexandria inked a deal
with Argo, a subsidiary imprint of the Chicago
Chess label. ‘For Swingers Only’ was the singer’s
fourth and final offering for Argo and the follow-
up to 1962’s ‘Deep Roots,’ an album that some
consider Alexandria’s finest long player.
Helmed by Ramsey Lewis Trio producer,
Esmond Edwards - who would make a name
for himself as an executive at Verve Records in
the late-‘60s - ‘For Swingers Only’ showcases
Alexandria’s burnished voice in a delicious small
group setting: she’s backed by a stellar quintet
led by pianist, John Young, that also features
Coltrane bassist, Jimmy Garrison. Interestingly,
the opening cut is the Hoagy Carmichael-penned
‘Baltimore Oriole,’ an allegorical tale about love,
life and fidelity as seen through the eyes of a
blackbird native to the USA. Alexandria initially
recorded the song on her King debut album
and it was obviously a tune she felt a great
affinity for as she revisited it a third time later
on in the ‘60s. Ronald Wilson, who appeared
on Alexandria’s previous rendering of the song,
returned to represent the blackbird’s song
with mellifluous obligato flute passages that
counterpoint the vocals. Alexandria’s earlier
version for King had a slightly funkier undertow
due to the presence of guitar, but what makes
this second stab at the song superior is the
quality of the vocals – there’s a greater maturity
and assurance at work. Alexandria’s sense
of pitch – she slurs and bends notes without
going off-key – combined with her timing and
interpretation of the lyrics is uniformly superb.
The album’s mood becomes more nocturnal
on a slow re-tread of Rodgers & Hart’s ‘Little
Girl Blue.’ Even though it’s rendered as a torchy,
after-hours ballad, a subtle sense of swing still
pervades the groove. By contrast, there’s an
upbeat, finger-clicking rhythm to the standard ‘All
Or Nothing At All,’ featuring sterling solos from
flautist Wilson and pianist, Young. On ‘Traveling
Down A Lonely Road,’ Alexandria imbues
her performance with a lovely melancholy
wistfulness, while on the blues-drenched ‘Mother
Earth’ there’s a real soulfulness in her delivery.
The album’s closer, a swing-driven version of
the Billie Holiday-associated tune, ‘That Old Devil
Called Love,’ reaffirms Alexandria’s ability to take
a well-known song and make it indisputably her
own.
Despite its high quality and consistency, on
its release in 1963 ‘For Swingers Only’ didn’t
make a lot of noise commercially. But although
Argo may have lost faith in Alexandria’s ability
to reach a big audience and didn’t renew her
contract, the singer had a fan in producer Bob
Thiele, who was a leading mover and shaker
at the recently formed ABC/Paramount jazz
imprint, Impulse! As Thiele observed in the liner
notes to Alexandria’s debut LP for the company,
‘Alexandria The Great,’ in 1964: “The number of
good singers can be counted on fingers – Sarah,
Ella, Billie…and now Lorez. She will be noted as a
wonderful singer by merely singing the way she
feels – pure, unadulterated and (with) simplicity
of style. This album will be the first step towards
opening the ears of the world to a great singer.”
Despite Thiele’s optimism, the singer who
started out singing a capella in her local Chicago
church as a member of a gospel group failed
to make the breakthrough that Impulse! had
anticipated and left the company in 1966.
Alexandria then turned up at Pzazz, a label
set up by Paul Gayten in the late-‘60s and cut
a couple of pop-slanted albums. She recorded
sporadically in the ‘70s, ‘80s and even the ‘90s
until a stroke in 1999 finally put paid to her
signing career.
In recent years, there has been a
resurgence of interest in Lorez Alexandria and
copies of her original vinyl albums now command
big prices. There have been a couple of CD
reissues, but this one from Dusty Groove is the
most significant yet – it’s worth purchasing
just for ‘Baltimore Oriole’ alone, which to my
ears is one of the most arresting jazz vocal
performances ever. Let’s hope that this cult
singer’s other collectable Argo LPs get reissued
too. It would be a tragedy for jazz lovers if they
weren’t. (Charles Waring)
65
 V/A “Nigeria 70 – Lagos Jump” (Strut)
V/A “Nigeria Rock Special” (Soundway)
While super heavyweight triple LPs like Nigeria
70 might eventually have been the downfall
of the great Strut label, you always had to
admire Quentin Scott’s attention to quality and
detail; which makes the return of this series
and the continued renaissance of the label
even more welcome. Compiled by Scott and
Duncan Brooker with extensive notes from
John Collins, Lagos Jump captures a golden
period in Nigerian music when, inspired by the
internationalist Pan African scream of Fela
Kuti, young musicians looked beyond High
Life and explored everything from the rebel
music of James Brown to the exotic pop of the
Beatles. Sir Shina Peters kicks the door open
with the storming Shrine funk of ‘Yabis’. Lagos
Jump brings to life the Lagos dancefloors
of the ‘70s, jumping to everything from the
freakbeat of Ify Jerry Crusade to the African
roots reggae of Chief Checker. The psych rock
of The Immortals ‘Hot Tears’ is a sound that’s
developed on the more ‘out there’ Soundway
LP. Since Strut’s demise, Soundway have
stepped into the void, releasing the excellent
Ghana Soundz LP’s. Once again, they come
correct here with an album set to test your
preconceptions of African music. Fela was not
the only artist to be shaping the tastes of Lagos
youths. Back then heads were checking The
Chambers Brothers, Cream and James Brown.
This raucous LP honours those influences.
Your ears may already be familiar with the
excellent BLO, whose ‘Chant To Mother Earth’
shows the influence of bands like Led Zep, but
nothing will prepare you for the sheer depth of
rock and pysch coming out of Nigeria at this
time. Let the storming ‘Adieu’ by Ofege lead
you into a world where flares and platforms
were matched by the screaming fuzz funk of
bands like Action 13 and the freak beats of
The Wings. Strut v Soundway. 1-1 at half-time.
(Andy Thomas)
Maga Bo “Archipelagoes” (Soot Records)
Maga Bo, a Rio de Janeiro based producer
and sound engineer, and sometime Shook
contributor, releases his long-awaited album
Archipelagoes this summer. Bo, whose name
‘Maga’ comes from his tall frame, travels
to record sound for documentaries and
on the way sets up impromptu recording
sessions with his portable studio to work
on collaborations with local musicians. The
resulting tracks are incorporated into a live
set which combines them with found sounds
and street beats from around the world.
Digitalisation has made finding new
music easier than ever, but meeting people,
agreeing, arguing, sharing ideas is still the
most fruitful way to pursue an interest in
others’ music or culture. An emphasis on
collaboration and the exchange of knowledge
and ideas makes Maga Bo’s work stand out
from that of over-developed world producers
who grab the signifiers of others’ cultures
(usually acapellas or vocal samples, but often
music, too) and use them in disembodied form
to add an exotic veneer to their work.
Archipelagoes, the product of several
trips to Africa over the past few years,
showcases a dizzying range of deep-rooted
influences, moving around the continent
to make unimagined connections between
genres: grimey Arabic language dubstep
rubs shoulders with melodic dancehall and
crunching hip hop beats.
Opener Nakhil is one of three tracks
recorded with Moroccan MCs Bigg and K-
Libre, whose verbal dexterity ornaments Bo’s
hip hop beats to fashion a crunked-out take
on North African rap. At the other end of the
continent in which localised hip hop scenes
are flourishing, South African vocalist Teba
Shumba displays a raggamuffin sensibility on
Nqayi and Abaphantsi.
‘Fire’ with Xuman features a bumping
dancehall beat and is based around a nagging
hook from Senegalese Kora player Edouard
Manga. Xuman, a key member of Dakar
based crew Pee Froiss, is a domineering
presence on the mic, his French language
incantations convey a force of meaning which
is still accessible to the non-Francophone.
Still in Senegal, Saye Mbott features all-
female crew Alif, whose combination of sweet
singing and gruff rapping in Wolof recalls
the combinations of the best Jamaican vocal
groups.
The MC-driven tracks are complemented
by the work of taarab master Mohammed
Issa Matona, from Zanzibar, whose oud, violin
playing and singing appears on three tunes
in the second half of the album. You can hear
just how influential Islamic culture has been
throughout East Africa on tracks like the
bumping Longa Nahawada, which sounds like
a dancehall riddim made with a bellydance
competition in mind.
Bo’s mixdowns never fail to bring his
collaborators’ work to the fore, whether
it’s the forceful delivery of MCs like Xuman
or Teba or the more delicate interventions
of Matona. The achievement of the album,
aside from the determination and skill
required to work in such a range of different
circumstances, is pulling these varied threads
together into something satisfyingly complete.
A treacly layer of sub-bass and a sharp ear
for rhythmic variation underpins it, connecting
scattered archipelagoes into a coherent sonic
state. (Gervase de Wilde)

V/A “African Scream Contest - Raw and Psychedelic

Afro Sounds from Benin & Togo 70s” (Analog Africa)
Frances Falceto and the Ethiopiques series
rightly receive the plaudits for uncovering
one of the lesser-known musical corners of
Africa, while others search out even rarer
gems from across the continent. Now into
its third release (after the excellent Green
Arrows and Hallelujah Chicken Band LPs
from Zimbabwe) Analog Africa comes with
‘African Scream Contest’ which is a result
of music obsessive, label owner Samy Ben
Redjeb’s days spent digging through dusty
warehouses for precious recordings. Like
Falceto before him, Samy found an incredibly
rich musical heritage even more treasured
because much of it was recorded direct
from fragile master tapes. And thank god it
was found, because the result is some of the
most stunning music to come out of Africa
during this golden period, when the dancehalls
exploded in a riotous display of modernity.
The ears of Benin and Togo’s musicians have
always been tuned into the sounds of the
countries that surround them, mixing the
sound of Highlife and Soukous with the Cuban
music so beloved on this side of Africa. As
home to Voodoo, the country’s musicians are
also schooled in the ancient rhythms that
made these rituals such a powerful force
against slavery. And so when local young
players looked to the music of James Brown
and his ilk for inspiration, it was always going
to be a heady brew. ‘African Scream Contest’
is an apt title for the storming opening track
‘Mi Kple Dogbekpo’ by Lokonon Andre & Les
Volcans with its storming horns and trance
like percussion. One of the most influential
tunes of the period, we’re told in the extensive
and beautifully designed booklet, was ‘Gbeti
Madjro’ by Orchestra Poly-Rythmo De Cotnou
and when you hear the lysergic James Brown
screeches its not hard to see why. Whether
rocking Fela style jams or getting a little
psych rocky, the album’s tracks demand your
attention, and trust me by the time you get to
the Hammond led Afro-Cuban of Les Volcans
closing track you’ll be screaming for more.
Hardcore African music from start to finish.
(Andy Thomas)
also worth checking...
Vampi Soul Goes to Africa, a collection of afrobeat, highlife and soul from Fela Kuti, Tony Allen, Orlando Julius and more... The third
in the Congotronics series, out now on CRAMMED. is by the KASAI ALLSTARS from Kinshasa. The album is called In The 7th Moon, the
Chief Turned Into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy by Magic and just like Konono No 1 before them, this is an album
of hypnotic, polyrhythmic rave music taking electric mbira, balafons and guitars and some heavvy chanting. New on SOUNDWAY is SIR
VICTOR UWAIFO and Guitar Boy Superstar. Uwaifo received Africa’s first ever gold disc in 1969, blending rock and highlife with ancient
culture of the Benin Obas. On its way is the new album from Adesiji Awoyinka, better known as SIJI, an artist of Nigerian descent, born
in Britain, and currently living in Baltimore. His last album came out on BBE and this one is more on an afrobeat tip. Adesiji drops in
September and features productions from King Britt and Rich Medina. To see the behind-the-scenes video, check www.sijimusic.com.
Another artist who’s been working with King Britt is ZAKI IBRAHIM, born in South Africa and now living in Canada. Blessed with an an-
gelic voice and a beautiful personality, she’s currently signed to District Six, and her debut is in the works. Finally, a big shout to SOMI and
her New Africa Live movement in New York. She graced the stage of Ronnie Scott’s during her trip to London and blew everyone away.

66 67
Scuba “A Mutual Antipathy”
(Hotflush Recordings)
As David Bowie knew only too
well, relocating to Berlin can have
a critical impact on a musician’s
auditory output. Since making made
the move from North London,
Scuba has seen his Hotflush
label flourish, peaking with this
premiere full-length solo release.
The LP starts tremendously and
grows from there. ‘Systematic
Decline’ steps into life with open-
ended basslines, robust drums
and otherworldly flickers. Live
drums, played by Jazzsteppa,
showcases the sonic depth Scuba
has produced. Closer to Geiom
than Burial, the crafting of rhythmic
soundscapes is comparable to both
peers. However, Scuba’s full-length
debut owes as much to Brian Eno
and Richard D.James as it does to
contemporary 2-step variations.
The ghostly synths are particularly
reminiscent of the Aphex Twin’s
ambient works. A pivotal release in
the evolving techno-tinged strand
of dubstep— led by Skull Disco
and the Dutchmen, Martyn and
2562— the LP is more for home
listening than clubs. Recognising
the need for these basslines to be
heard in the German capital over
an adequate system, Scuba has
kick-started Sub:stance at Berlin’s
techno Mecca, Berghain. Recent
guests included Mala, Shackleton
and Appleblim. Voyaging through
jerky thrusts (‘Twitch’, ‘Disorder’)
and the tranquillity of ‘The Upside’
and ‘Stolen’, A Mutual Antipathy
shares an affinity with F.U.S.E.’s
exemplary 1993 album, Dimension
Intrusion, especially in its halcyon
moments. Depicting a wailing beast
under siege, Luke Berry’s cover art
is apt, an abstract mirroring of the
album’s flux between aggression
and acceptance. (Ben Verghese)
68
Karl Hector & The Malcouns
“Sahara Swing” (Now-Again)
Southern Germany doesn’t seem
like the obvious place to find dirty,
psychedelic afro-jazz influenced
grooves, but that’s exactly where
the rather suspiciously monikered
Karl Hector & The Malcouns hail
from. More commonly known as
The Poets of Rhythm (give or take
a member or two) this new project
for the increasingly open-minded
Stones Throw camp (and more
specifically their Now-Again imprint)
travels the same Sun Ra inspired
road that the UK’s Heliocentrics
tend to wander down, albeit with a
somewhat more global mind space.
‘Sahara Swing’ takes its cue from
the revolutionaries of black music
from all sides of the planet, and
instruments from those far flung
reaches work together rather than
against each other to create a
very heavy album indeed! Afro funk
influences are all over this LP, from
the dancefloor friendly ‘Koloko Pt.1’
to the super deep ‘Followed Path’.
Elsewhere, ‘Jabore Pt.3’ (I’d love
to hear the other parts to these
tunes – they’re not on the album!)
is a gloriously introspective joint,
and ‘Mystical Brotherhood’ takes a
trip into a very spiritual, yet funky,
jazz plain. The nineteen tracks on
this album take the listener on an
authentic, dusty trip through desert,
jungle, Harlem street corners and
back to Bavaria where a group of
talented German musicians have
produced something very special
and very convincing indeed. (Dom
Servini)
Danny Brown “Hot Soup”
(Libido Sounds)
Detroit just doesn’t stop. Maybe it’s
the plight of a city in a depression
while the rest of the country is in
recession, or maybe it’s the deep
musical history, but either way,
Detroit has been running shit for
a minute now. Nick Speed protégé
Danny Brown, armed with a sharp
sense of humor, intense delivery
and passionate writing, is poised to
inherit the keys to the city. Although
on paper street raps from an ex-
con might sound like the furthest
thing from progressive hip hop, one
listen to a Danny verse will show
that he’s far from another mixtape
rapper. His debut album Hot Soup
is produced almost entirely by
Nick Speed and is a testament
to Danny’s songwriting abilities
as well as Speed’s versatility as a
producer. The subject matter stays
centered mostly on the streets of
the D, struggling and smoking weed,
but Danny’s writing and Speed’s
musicality keep the album from
ever sounding repetitive. The energy
of the Juan Atkins-sampling single
‘What Up Doe’ is infectious and
inventive, but it’s even doper that
the same duo can turn around and
produce the heartfelt ‘Two Steps
Back’ without either cut sounding
unnatural. It’s pretty refreshing to
find a new artist who isn’t afraid
to contradict himself by getting
sensitive on track like ‘Head’ and
then getting with his crew and
telling you that “D. Brown pump like
Reebok” two songs later. Whether
consoling his girl or selling crack,
Danny raps every verse like it’s his
last. “Danny Brown not the rest of
these niggas,” he hollers on ‘Sittin’
So High’. Now it’s up to the heads to
recognize. (Andres Reyes)
Opio “Vulture’s Wisdom, Volume
One” (Hiero Imperium)
As a member of Oakland foursome
Souls Of Mischief and the wider
Hieroglyphics collective, slick-
tongued MC Opio spent the early-
to-mid 90s crafting timeless true
school anthems such as the jazzy
initial impression with a trademark together washed over by Koushiks bringing you right up to date, kicks space to shine with three featured
classic ‘93 ‘Til Infinity’ and battle-
epic sound that can be heard on own, some would say ‘buried’, Phil off with their first ever single, cuts each - all produced by master
ready ‘Rock It Like That’. Over a
the first couple of cuts on The Art Spector informed vocals, heavily Jaguar’s ‘That’s Your Problem arranger Larry Mizell. A worthy
decade later, the gimmick-free
Of Vibration and were all over his reverberated and oft unintelligible. Baby’, and picks up speed with reminder of great music, that
lyricist is living proof that a real
last offering Gravity. After exploring So often a red light signal for tasty re-versions of Steely Dan’s continues to inspire. (Vince Vella)
MC is still a real MC, regardless
this album more deeply though, ‘wack’ vocalists this gives Koushik’s ‘Peg’ and Sugarhill Gang’s ‘Rappers
of the era in which they may find
it becomes clear that Natural voice a dreamy and surprisingly Delight’ in a free-jazz stylee. Over 2562 “Aerial” (Tectonic)
themselves. The follow-up to Opio’s
Self might have just found a more endearing quality. ‘Coolin’ sounds two CDs, we’re treated to an epic Dave Huismans’ astonishing debut
2005 solo project Triangulation
comfortable and commercially great somewhere between a looped selection that covers more bases (2562 refers to his Hague district
Station, Vulture’s Wisdom is a
viable balance, without having to funk rhythm section and John than the US military. From afrobeat code) for Pinch’s Bristol-based
succinct album that blows weed
sell out. The addition of Andreya Barry’s Orchestra scoring a Bond (Afrodizz on Fela’s ‘Kalakuta Show’) Tectonic label collects the two 12”s
smoke in the face of current rap
Triana’s vocals on ‘The Rising’, along soundtrack underwater. ‘Corner to the hip-hop on the ‘Sweetest he recorded for the label and six
trends. No lengthy tracklisting. No
with some proper club bangers in of your smile’, really feels like the Hangover’-laced joint fon ‘AB Slash’ fresh, seemingly minimal, sparse,
guest appearances. No obvious
the shape of ‘In The Morning’ (which albums pinnacle building and and the neat version of ‘Tighten instrumental tracks. Reminiscent
radio ‘hits’. Just one artist, one
has more than a nod to Mr. Scruff) building, yet never really climaxing Up’ by DJ Graham B... and that’s of Basic Channel and Pole, they
producer (The Architect), a
and the furious ‘Alright Turn it Up as it should do. Despite its flaws only scratching the surface. CD1 is reveal hidden, complex depths when
notepad full of spirited verses,
Now’, will without a doubt garner the album actually sounds better more rootical, CD2 more upfront, played through a decent sound
and a crate packed with dusty
the man a legion of new fans he with every listen. I think its time to but the quality control, with a system - not really one for tinny iPod
samples. ‘About Love’ finds the
has deserved for so long. Hip-hop unearth Koushik’s previous offering. couple of exceptions, is consistent phones, this! Huismans’ imagination
Hiero hero remembering an
heads will probably head straight (Michael Krasser) throughout. (Jez Smadja) and innovative use of tempo
episode of emotional vulnerability
to ‘Breathe Deep’ as it features and texture gives the album an
over disjointed drums and spliced
the dextrous rap skills of Canadian irresistibly broad appeal, branching
MC Abdominal, and more laid back V/A “Freestyle - Single Minded” V/A “On the Corner” (Blue Note) out beyond a niche circle of dubstep
soul snippets, whilst the ominous
beat heads and dubstep kids will be (Freestyle) Over the course of three decades, fans. This is partly thanks to his
‘Stop The Press’ launches lyrical
more than happy with introspective Five years ago, when Adrian Gibson the Blue Note label put out close to disconnection from the recognised
missiles at uncreative individuals
joints like ‘Feet Keep Moving’ and started up Freestyle label, the new 400 albums of ambitious, daring centres of the dubstep world.
masquerading as MCs in today’s
‘Ghost In The Machine’ respectively. funk sound was still pretty niche, and now legendary music. The Linking Detroit with Berlin and
cluttered hip-hop scene. Only the
The Art Of Vibration is without a save the occasional 7”s from the archives have spawned a number Bristol, Aerial is a future classic.
limp ‘Cali Girls’ interrupts the
doubt a less militant and more likes of Kay Dee or the Breakestra of compilations, yet there is still (Keith Baker)
album’s flow, but things get right
diverse album than its predecessor, project. When Freestyle pressed enough material for many more.
back on track with the Dilla-esque
but each track, regardless of up their initial 12”s, they were Selected by Dean Rudland, the Blue Allez Allez “Best Of Allez Allez”
production heard on ‘I Need A
tempo, still has Nathaniel’s prints all shipped in batches of just 100. Note Explosion series leans toward (Eskimo Recordings)
Money Tree’ and the loose, freestyle
over it, and by rights this should be This was long before the whole the funkier end of the scale. On the Out of Belgium in the early eighties
vibe of ‘The Prize’. Opio’s decision
the LP that breaks this young man Daptones explosion of late, before Corner features fusion classics came Allez Allez, perhaps one of
to work with only one producer
into something resembling the big Mark Ronson jumped on the from the ‘60s and ‘70s such as the most cultish of all the European
here was wise as it lends Vulture’s
time. (Dom Servini) bandwagon, and before the new the beautiful ‘Losalamitoslatinlov no wave bands. With fans such as
Wisdom a welcome synergy,
sound of funk broadcast its way esong’ by Gene Harris - a soulful Quiet Village and Lindstrom (who
allowing the Souls man ample
Koushik “Out My Window” across the stratosphere. In those seventies jazz funk work out. Bobby provides one of the mixes here) the
opportunity to bring back some of
(Stones Throw) five years since their first release, Hutcherson’s takes a jazz stab at group’s African flavoured art school
what rap’s been missing, without
Following up 05’s collection Be Freestyle has gone from ashy to The Stylistics’ soul hit ‘People Make funk had all the elements to break
necessarily having to wallow in
With, which sadly I missed out on, classy – amalgamating a catalogue The World Go Round’, while Ronnie out of their little enclave and see
nostalgia. (Ryan Proctor)
Koushik fuses his love of the soft which would put many other labels Foster’s ‘Fly Away’ and ‘Cheshire them join the post punk elite. Their
‘psyche’ pop groups of the 60’s and to shame, not only releasing a Cat’ (both produced by George first full length album Promises
Natural Self “The Art of Vibration”
cut-and-paste sample montages vast array of singles from artists Benson) are also worth looking out was recorded at Ultravox’s studio
(Tru Thoughts)
of instrumental Hip Hop. ‘Out My as diverse as Chaka Khan, Reggie for. ‘Inside You’ by Eddie Henderson with Heaven 17’s Martin Ware
Nathaniel Pearn’s middle name
Window’ is the theme tune for Watts, Lewis Taylor, Kokolo (Headhunters and Herbie Hancock on production and Joy Division
should be ‘Drama’. Although
hazy slacker afternoons looking Afrobeat Orchestra, The Beatnuts, trumpeter) is a dark and brooding photographer (and director of
the man himself is wonderfully
up at the ceiling and staring into The New Mastersounds and tune, sampled by Jay-Z on his ‘Closer’) Anton Corbijn taking
understated in nature (albeit
space. Twinkly keys, mellotron Aroop Roy, but also wikkid albums Reasonable Doubt album. Donald care of the arty photography. But
with a razor sharp wit) his music
strings, harmoniums, crusty loops from Sirius B, Marva Whitney and Byrd and the gifted flute player strangely, both Promises and its
counterbalances this deceptive
and programmed beats sit happily Jazzinho. This label compilation, Bobby Humphries are given ample predecessor African Queen flopped
69
before their singer Sarah Osbourne
left to marry Heaven 17’s Glenn
Gregory and sing on the group’s
The Luxury Gap LP. Perhaps it’s
because Allez Allez could never
quite find their own voice, with
African Queen a little too near to
Grace Jones’ Compass Point work,
and ‘Allez Allez’ perhaps wearing
its ACR and Siouxie references
too proudly. But that’s not to deny
the pure punk funk energy that
bursts out of the speakers on
the appropriately entitled ‘Wrap
Your Legs (Around Your Head)’.
And dropped peak set in a dirty
warehouse, cuts like ‘She’s Stirring
Up’ and ‘Marathon Dance’ will put
the likes of The Ting Tings in their
place. A long overdue retrospective.
(Andy Thomas)
Recloose “Perfect Timing”
(Sonar Kollektiv)
Since being snapped up by Carl
Craig over a decade ago, Matthew
Chicione has managed to release
a solo debut album, orchestrate
his own live band, emigrate from
Detroit to New Zealand, and
is now ready to unleash what
could turn out to be his hottest
joint yet! Impressive newcomer
Rachel Frasier kicks things off on
mic duties with the very catchy
‘Catch A Leaf’ – a mid-tempo soul
cut that emerges successfully
from the sound of something like
demented chickens. Perfect Timing
features vocalists galore, including
Tyna, Justin Chapman, Jonathan
Crayford, Genevieve Marentette,
and a name that may be more
familiar to most readers (and fans
of Recloose) Joe Dukie. Having
delivered the Fat Freddy’s magic for
the massive ‘Dust’ on Recloose’s
Hiatus On The Horizon, Dukie and
Chicione had their work cut out to
follow it, and although the Dukie-
featured ‘Deeper Waters’ doesn’t
70
have the energy of ‘Dust’, it’s an
incredibly catchy slow jam that
should cross over rather nicely. Do
not fear though, those trademark
Recloose horns can be found all
over this album. Tyna does a pretty
impressive job on the Cameo-
influenced ‘Emotional Funk’ and
alongside synths galore on ‘So Cool’,
but for me, the brassy ‘Solomon’s
Alive’ is the club friendly bomb that
should keep butts shaking. With
Perfect Timing Recloose continues
to explore his own unique sound,
and seems to have maintained his
knack for choosing vocalists who
show off that sound perfectly.
(Dom Servini)
Danilo Perez & Claus Ogerman
“Across The Crystal Sea”
(EmArcy)
Even though he’s 78 now, Claus
Ogerman can still create magic.
Give him an orchestra and he
can conjure up a sound that is
both breathtakingly beautiful and
powerfully evocative. Famed for
his opulent and often haunting
orchestral arrangements for both
jazz and pop records in the 1960s
and ‘70s – when he worked with
artists as varied as Frank Sinatra,
Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery,
Oscar Peterson, Cal Tjader,
George Benson, Stan Getz and
Anthony Carlos Jobim – Ogerman
fell off the radar in the ‘80s and
‘90s until Diana Krall coaxed him
out of retirement in 2001 for
her million-selling Look Of Love
album. Now, the veteran German
arranger is back with a remarkable
collaboration in tandem with the
Panamanian-born jazz pianist,
Danilo Perez, who has recently
impressed as a member of Wayne
Shorter’s band. Combining periods
of piano-led jazz improvisation
with notated orchestral passages,
Across The Crystal Sea bears a
strong resemblance in terms of its
raison d’être and use of classical
music themes with Ogerman’s
1965 pairing with pianist, Bill Evans,
on the Verve album Bill Evans With
Symphony Orchestra. Unlike that
album, a vocalist is featured here
– namely smoky-voiced Cassandra
Wilson, who is sensational on
melancholic renditions of ‘Lazy
Afternoon’ and ‘(All Of A Sudden)
My Heart Sings’. An absolute gem
of an album. (Charles Waring)
Gal Costa “Gal” (Dusty Groove)
Gone, perhaps, are the days when
some forms of popular music
threatened to lay siege to common
decency and bring down the walls
of civilization but back in 1969
when singer Gal Costa - real name
Maria da Graça Costa Penna
Burgos – released this, her second
LP for Phillips, the authorities in
her native Brazil almost perceived
it as a revolutionary gesture.
The music was radical, certainly
- a kind of overtly experimental,
psychedelic-tinged proto-punk rock
- while the countercultural lyrics
(sometimes sung sweetly but often
screamed by a hysterical Costa)
offered both political and social
protest at Brazil’s repressive right-
wing military government. With
its bold blend of styles – lysergic
rock colliding with pop, bossa nova,
percussive African grooves and folk
music from Bahia, a northern part
of Brazil, where Costa hailed from
– Gal crystallized the ‘60s Brazilian
cultural movement called Tropicalia.
The two main leading lights of
Tropicalia were Caetano Veloso
and Gilberto Gil, who, significantly,
appear on this album and also
contribute several songs. For all its
freaked-out late-‘60s eccentricity,
Gal has an oddball charm that
endures even though I imagine
to truly appreciate it, you’d have
to drop a few microdots of acid.
File under weird and wonderful.
(Charles Waring)
Saint “About Time”
(Domination Recordings)
Known for his work as a member
of underground crew The Good
People, Long Island, New York MC
/ producer Saint attempts to put
a fresh twist on the traditional
East Coast boom-bap sound on his
latest release. Accompanied by a
supporting cast of subterranean
stalwarts that includes El Da
Sensei and NYOIL, Saint does a
fine job of balancing his split duties
between the microphone and the
sampler. ‘Wisdom Over Weapons’
features Raw Produce’s Cadence
delivering anti-war sentiments over
Roy Ayers-style vibes, whilst on the
smoothed-out ‘Thought You Should
Know’ Saint accurately describes
his sound as being “something
for your intellect that’s easy to
groove to”, backed by a lush blend
of keyboards and horns. The
Honey LaRochelle-assisted ‘If You
Would Just...’ is a hypnotic slice of
summery soul that finds the Strong
Island producer confidently stepping
out of his trademark hip-hop zone
with impressive results. Elsewhere,
’The Session Part 1’ offers rap
relationship therapy courtesy of
talented femcee Eternia and Anti-,
whilst Canada’s Muneshine debates
the merits of today’s popular hip-
hop on the jazzy ‘Can’t Relate’. A
lively, organic collection of tracks,
About Time comfortably occupies
the middle ground between
throwback rap and new-school
expression. (Ryan Proctor)
Reain “The Metaphorcast”
(Stand Alone Recordings)
Hailing from West London, this
debut set from regular Jump Off
competitor Reain (pronounced
Rain) is a refreshing break from
the seemingly endless stream
of unimaginative street tales
currently coming from the UK
rap scene. Possessing an obvious
natural rhyming ability, the witty
wordsmith fills his verses here
with memorable punch lines and
a dash of humour, whilst also
offering a little food for thought
along the way. The upbeat ‘Who
Am I?’ finds Reain determined to
leave his mark on the homegrown
scene, whilst the entertaining ‘Rap
Game’ is peppered with clever
video game references. Displaying
his mischievous side, Reain and
associate Precise go back-to-back
on the funky ‘Carnival’ like the UK’s
answer to Kid-N-Play, chasing girls
with a good-natured cheekiness
and a can of Red Stripe in-hand.
Yet the young MC can also get
serious when needed, as evidenced
on the piano-laced ‘Beauty’, with
its positive, life-affirming lyrics (“If I
could, I’d make time pause for the
right cause, To find peace, Lives
are lost when we fight wars”).
Whilst comparisons could be made
between Reain and fellow London
lyricist Yungun, the up-and-comer
definitely shows enough personality
and charisma on the mic to ensure
he stands out amongst his peers.
(Ryan Proctor)
V/A “Brownswood Bubblers 3”
(Brownswood)
The Brownswood brethren &
sistren return with possibly the best
Bubblers outing to date. Kicking off
with a Bullion nugget and swtiching
straight into Joey Negro, things
start to get nasty from track 3,
Spacek sounds incredible on the
Katalyst track from his recent BBE
album, wordsmith Stacey Epps
comes across more in ya face
than Jean Grae, and then Yaw’s
‘Where Would You Be’ carries you
over like an Anthony Hamilton joint
– people have going crazy to track
this one down. And then there’s still
Roger Robinson and Charlie Dark’s
‘Prayer For Angry Young Men’ and
the Invisibles on ‘Spiral’, So, so, so
much of talent out there. Will the
mainstream ever swtich on to it?
(Solomon Diop)
J Rawls & Middle Child “Rawls &
Middle” (Groove Attack)
J Rawls, the master of the head-
nodder, here hooks up with
guitarist, keyboard player, rapper
and accomplished vocalist Middle
Child for what looks like being a
perfect meeting of styles. Middle’s
sassy vocals, rocky guitar licks and
impressive rap skills play off Rawls’
laid back productions perfectly,
whether it be smooth cuts like
‘Til The Sun Comes’, the salsa
influenced ‘Lovers On A Stroll’ or
the brasher ‘By Your Side’. There’s
a little nepotism which may not sit
so well with listeners outside of the
U.S. on the intro to the latter track,
and on the Earth, Wind & Fire
influenced skits, but these quibbles
aside, Rawls & Middle combines
some very strong song-writing
and quality beat making which
make this a top notch listening
experience. Other highlights include
the James Brown sampling ‘Can I
Be Real’ (using the rarely touched
‘King Heroin’), the exasperated Jill
Scott style pleas of ‘Don’t Lock My
Drummer Up’, and the glorious
‘Music Over Madness’. An essential
purchase for lovers of hip-hop and
soul music alike. (Dom Servini)
Little Brother And Justus For All
(Hall of Justus)
While officially a re-release of their
2007 mixtape of the same name,
this time as stand-alone tracks
without the mixing skills of DJ
Mick Boogie, but now with tighter
production and 5 new tracks, it is
a credit to these North Carolina
natives that this stands up as a
full-length album better than many
efforts heard recently by equally
seasoned pros. With beats by a
host of hip-hop’s best underground
producers including Brooklyn’s
DJ Spinna, Ohio’s RJD2, Cali’s
DJ Babu, alongside Khrysis and
of course 9th Wonder from the
crew’s home state there is a great
array of sounds here from the all
grown-up Little Brother. Guest MCs
& singers including Oh No, Kardinal
Official, Cormega & Rhymefest on
all but three of the album’s sixteen
tracks ensure that this is their most
diverse and well rounded album to
date. While the more mainstream
crunked up sounds associated
with the Dirty South, bumping out
of studios and jeeps, are a dime a
dozen, Little Brother has always
taken the more time-consuming but
thoughtful approach to music and it
shows. (Spin Doctor)
Jet Tricks feat. Adefunke
“Remote Control”
I love supporting independent
soul and funk music with that
UK edge. Paul Elliot and Jamie
Lawrence from Jet Tricks have
been methodically fusing their
diverse tastes and styles on this,
their debut CD. Together with
lyricist Adefunke supplying brilliant
spoken word, plus Faye Houston
and Marcus Malone on vocals,
they’ve encompassed all corners
of heavy musical styles; from the
massive block party anthem ‘Free’
to the bluesy acoustic Portishead
treatment of ‘Breathe Now Blues’
to a twisted afro-beat jam with
electric guitar on ‘Pieces’ which I
predict will be a big hit everywhere
soon. We continue with the feel
good string accompaniment
of ‘Unrequited’ sounding like a
long lost Beatles melody. ‘Lose
You’ is a definite favourite and a
melancholic winner too, difficult to
describe concisely, but as they’ve
said themselves “...a truly beautiful
song..”. When I playlisted ‘Free’ on
previous radio shows, people were
going crazy asking for more Jet
Tricks... well, now you have it. Finally
out, Remote Control is available
on iTunes. The best of British soul.
(Raggy)
diskJokke “Staying In”
(Smalltown Supersound)
Alongside Lindstrom and Prins
Thomas, Oslo’s Joachim Dyrdahl
has been causing a quiet storm
with his dubby disco productions
and his hometown Sunkissed
nights. ‘Staying In’ should see the
name of the classically trained, Ollen
Abstract (Norway’s answer to the
late John Peel) schooled producer,
join the likes of Rune Lindbaek
and Todd Terje. While he is happy
to accept comparisons with his
mentor Hans Peter Lindstrom
(who signed him to his Full Pupp
label), in truth Joachim treads his
own path down the Cosmic disco
highway; one that is inspired as
much by his classical training as
the electronic music he heard as
a 15 year old on Abstract’s radio
show. ‘Folk I Farta’ sets the scene,
opening with classical piano before
morphing into a glorious slice of
trippy glacial disco. The title track
captures the eloquence of Dyrdahl’s
writing, bringing to mind - in its off
key beauty - the avant pop of the
71
Yellow Magic Orchestra. Elsewhere,
the young producer wears his
influences even more proudly on his
sleeve (such as on the techy Ame
styled ‘Storre Enn Forst Antatt’),
but he’s always got a little hook
or melodic diversion to catch you
off guard. By the time you get to
the cinematic wonky disco of ‘The
Dinner That Never Happened’, you’ll
have more than enough reason for
Staying In. (Andy Thomas)
Joey Negro & the Sunburst
Band “Moving With the Shakers”
(ZRecords)
Dave Lee, better known as Joey
Negro, has been a staple of
the house scene since the ‘90s
while his vinyl mania has seen
him becoming one of the leading
revivalists of the classic disco
sound. With the Sunburst Band,
he indulges his love for the soulful
sound of P&P, Kalimba, Salsoul
and De-Lite by taking up the role of
musical director of a full live band
that boasts Tony Remy on guitar,
Julian Crampton on bass and
Alexander Bennett on keys. The
lead single ‘Rough Times’, featuring
the vocals of Yolanda Wynns, is an
uptempo house groove that has ‘hit’
written all over it. The vocalists on
the record include Leroy Burgess,
Diane Charlemagne (Moby, Goldie
etc,), Pete Simpson and Taka Boom
(Chaka Khan’s sister). There’s
even a Bowie cover in the shape
of ‘Fashion’, flipped into a boogie
workout. But my personal favourites
are the subtler tracks like ‘Dusk’
which reminds me of Maze’s
‘Twilight’ and, while on the subject
of Maze, the downtempo ‘Put A
Lyric In It’ that borrows the guitar
line from ‘Joy and Pain’. Closing
with ‘We Can Live Forever’ that
has an EWF ‘Brazilian Rhyme’ vibe,
the Sunburst Band have delivered
a highly polished album. In a time
72
when Sam Sparro has conquered
the pop charts with his disco
pastiches, surely the time is now for
Sunburst Band. (Jez Smadja)
The Golden Arm Trio “The Tick-
Tock Club” (Rickety Fence)
This is Graham Reynolds’ fourth
album released under this
pseudonym, and it’s an eclectic
combination of intense crime
jazz, string heavy classical pieces,
cinematic interludes and a plethora
of punk influenced brass cuts that
almost defy explanation. It will
come as no surprise to you that
Reynolds has written a number
of film soundtracks (including the
score to Phillip K. Dick’s ‘A Scanner
Darkly’), as well as several concert
pieces, and these influences are
abundant on The Tick-Tock Club. so
you can easily weave your own story
as the album switches from the
pensiveness of tracks like ‘Dmitri
Dmitryevich’ to the spy mayhem
of the title track, and then calms
again with ‘The End of Speedy Jinx’
before that track moves once again
into some kind of string-driven
chase. Further in, there’s light relief
from the almost comedic horns
and quirky flavour of ‘The Duchess
of Parma’ before things tense up
again on ‘Greyhound’, and eventually
find their conclusion with the
melancholic ‘Dsch’. Reynold’s notes
on each track help make The Tick
Tock Club an entertaining curiosity
that’s well executed with some
beautiful musicianship, although as
a whole piece of work it may not
bear frequently repeated listening.
(Dom Servini)
Gripper “A Life of Consummate
Ease” (ATIC)
The industrial northern town of
Barrow-in-Furness may not be at
the top of the UK tourist trail, but
musically, producer Andy Turner
(or Aim) put it on the map with
his solid downtempo sounds. He’s
still representing Cumbria and
has run his own label, ATIC, from
his hometown since 2006. A Life
of Consummate Ease by fellow
Barrovian, Gripper, sits comfortably
in the groove of Aim’s bouncy
breaks and rolling rhythms. Gripper
(Graham Newby) has been around
for some time now, DJing all over
the world with a record collection
segueing from garage punk to
funk, disco, electro and house.
This is his first solo album and it’s
a comfortable affair; there aren’t
any surprises but the output is well
produced, if not a little vanilla at
times. ‘The Interpreter’ starts off
the programme nicely and plots a
path through warm soundscapes,
velvety beats and has a lovely horn
section. Singer Niko’s contribution
on ‘The Daddy’ is deep in Grand
Central territory, the Manchester
label to which Gripper contributed.
He gives house a go on ‘Zombie’
and it’s a deep, cocktail-swilling,
summertime affair. There are few
rough edges and quality endures
throughout. Expect to be soothed
and cosseted. (Helene Dancer)
V/A “I Like it Like That” (Fania)
Founded in NYC in 1964 by
composer/bandleader Johnny
Pacheco and police officer/lawyer
Jerry Masucci, Fania is probably
the most important Latin label of all
time. Producing a raft of reputable
releases, it was responsible for
bringing the freshest sounds from
the barrio to worldwide attention.
This compilation pulls together
some of the finest releases ever
pressed by the label; tracks from
Ray Barretto, Ruben Blades,
Hector Lavoe, Pete Rodriguez.
It’s an explosive fusion of Afro-
Cuban, Puerto Rican, soul, jazz,
funk and r&b that promises pure
dancefloor madness. Alongside
the original Fania tracks, this 2cd
set (and double vinyl) features
remixes by the likes of DJ Format,
Bugz in the Attic, Masters At
Work producer Louie Vega,
Nicola Conte, Gilles Peterson
and Simbad, to name a few. The
remixers were smart enough to
realize that meddling that magic
too much would be a disaster.
Sticking closely to the original,
they’ve chosen to concentrate
on bringing the production bang
up to date. A standout track is
Louie Vega’s remix of ‘Mi Gente’,
originally recorded by his uncle
Hector Lavoe. With the assistance
of percussionist Luisito Quintero,
Louie has created a sublime
masterpiece. Bugz in the Attic
give a proper funk treatment to
‘Plastico’ by Ruben Blades and
Willie Colon – a song that cleverly
criticizes America’s material
dreams. 4Hero’s beautifully
orchestrated remix of ‘I Didn’t
Want to Have to do it’ (Ralfi Pagan)
typically impresses, while Simbad
and Gilles Peterson join forces for
a dubby sci-fi twist to ‘ Saona’ by
Morales’. (Vince Vella)
V/A “Southport Weekender
Volume 7 Mixed by Jazzanova &
Mr Scruff” (suSU)
The Southport Weekender, now
in its 21st year, takes place twice
a year at Southport Pontins and
regularly attracts a 5,000-strong
crowd of party people. Continuing
this series of acclaimed mixes by
such luminaries as Gilles Peterson,
Joe Claussell, Jazzy B and Kerri
Chandler, Scruff and Jazzanova
step up to the decks. It’s a game
of two halves with Scruff laying
down a tight, party mix of Funk and
Northern Soul – with tracks from
Theo Parrish, Gloria Scott, Wayne
Carter’s ‘Wahoo Wahoo Wahoo’
and Harvey’s mix of Crue-I Grand
Orchestra’s ‘Time & Days’. Great
stuff. Jazzanova’s mix, on the other
hand, despite including Henrik
Schwarz, Recloose and Jazanova
themselves, sadly never seems to
get off the ground. (Keith Baker)
V/A “Mary-Anne Hobbs presents
Evangeline” (Planet Mu)
A follow-up to the seminal Warrior
Dubz sees Ms. Hobbs once
again exploring the dark side of
experimental electronic music.
Proving she has good friends
in grimey places, Evangeline
contains 16 moody tracks with 11
exclusives from iTAL tEK, Flying
Lotus, Magnetic Man, Shackleton,
Pinch, Surgeon, Boxcutter and the
mysterious Cult Of The 13th Hour.
There’s not a duff track in sight. The
bar has been raised once more.
(Keith Baker)
V/A “Disco Italia - Essential Disco
Classics 1977-85” (Strut)
In his insightful sleeve notes, Bill
Brewster cites Italo Disco as an
important link in the post-disco
chain that connected The Loft and
Paradise Garage with the Music
Box and Warehouse, as well as
being a vital component in the
template of early house music. It’s
certainly true that both Larry Levan
and David Mancuso in New York
were feeling synth heavy tracks by
the likes of Claudio Simonetti, and
that Ron Hardy and the Hot Mix 5
DJs in Chicago saw a glimpse of
the future in the raw DIY sound of
Italo acts like Klein & MBO. This
excellent compilation by Bearfunk’s
Stevie Kotie (himself influenced
by the Italo sound as one half of
Chicken Lips) eschews some of the
better-known tracks in favour of
the wide variety of styles that came
out of Italy in the late seventies
and early eighties. Originally a
member of prog rock band Goblin
(not the only prog band to spawn a
disco producer), Claudio Simonetti
went on to become probably the
most famous Italo producer and
his two tracks here demonstrate
why. Kasso’s ‘Brazilian Dancer’
(a monster on the dancefloors of
NYC), is a perfect example of Italo
Disco – teetering perfectly on the
edge of tack and soul, as is Easy
Goings’ ‘Do It Again’ - a glorious
slice of cod funk offset with some
typically dodgy lyrics. If there is
one track to epitomise the Italo
sound, it’s Kano’s ‘Now Baby Now’
- a raucous slice of Hi-NRG disco
with computerised hand claps,
driving synth lines and a vocoder
vocal; imagine Divine jamming with
Chaz Jankel and you’re close. But
the biggest revelation to my ears
is the wonderfully entitled ‘Wojtyla
Disco Dance’ by Freddie The Flying
Dutchman & The Sistina Band, a
crazed slice of lysergic disco that
is every bit as warped and daft
as its title. But it wasn’t all about
mad lyrics and druggy synths – as
demonstrated by the killer boogie of
Kotey’s ‘Love (Is Gonna Be On Your
Side)’ by Firefly and ‘E Fatto E Sorde!
E?’, an alternative side by Tullio De
Piscopo, to his more well known
Balearic/Loft classic ‘Stop Bajon’.
With everyone from Idjut Boys to
Lindstrom digging the Italo sound,
it’s time to go back to the original
source. (Andy Thomas)
V/A “Cosmic Disco?! Cosmic
Rock!!! Mixed & edited by Danielle
Baldelli” (Eskimo Recordings)
Whether mixing T Connection
with Moebilus or slowing down
Depeche Mode 45’s to 33 to
create strange Afro flavoured drug
music, Danielle Baldelli is one of
the great deconstructionist DJs.
After being inspired like many of
his Italian contemporaries by Bob
Day and Tom Sison at the Baia
Degli Angeli, Baldelli took over
from the DJs on their return to
America before moving to the club
where he took on legendary status.
Cosmic nestled on the edge of
Lake Garda and from 1979 until
1984 it became home to Baldelli’s
wild experimentation, as with little
technology he manipulated records
manually by slowing them down
adding his own effects to create
strange but familiar soundscapes
that sent the devoted chemically
enhanced dancers into outer space.
Like all the iconic DJ’s (whether
Ron Hardy dropping Visage, Alfredo
playing ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’,
Grandmaster Flash cutting up
‘Mary, Mary’ or Larry Levan
spinning Pat Benatar), Baldelli
revelled in experimentation and
surprise, but perhaps went further
than any of his contemporaries -
creating a whole sound around the
manipulation of vinyl. This excellent
compilation brings you closer to the
floor of Cosmic with a collection of
obscurities from names you might
know (from English pop romantics
Thompson Twins to Canadian new
wavers Martha and the Muffins)
to those you probably won’t (such
as German abstractionists Strafe
Fur Rebellion and Torch Song, an
early William Orbit project), but
the overall effect is what makes
this such an insightful document of
what Baldelli was doing in the early
eighties and can still do if you are
lucky enough to catch him going
Cosmic today: creating a wild and
warped tapestry of sound where
the ordinary becomes extraordinary
and where pop becomes avant-
garde and your head becomes...
well, confused. And we love that.
Enough here to keep web forums
like DJ History entertained for
months. (Andy Thomas)
Osborne “Osborne” (Ghostly)
Rasmus Faber “So Far” (BBE)
Phil Asher “Phlash & Friends”
(Archive)
A little triplet of house flavoured
albums which should be doing
big things over the forthcoming
months. The Osborne album is
from a guy called Todd Osborn.
Apparently in his spare time he
makes hovercrafts and customizes
arcade games, but all I can say
is that he makes killer dancefloor
music that’s a mix of classic house
and garage (yes, ‘88 is definitely
the sound of this summer) with
303 acid basslines like Mr Fingers,
but is also versatile across minimal
Freude Am Tamzen techno or UR-
style space jazz. ‘Our Definition of
A Breakdown’ is like Moodymann
meets Bridget Fonda’s Workout
Plan; and this segues straight into
‘Ruling’, a hands-in-the-air anthem
where Spiritual Life Music meets
Basement Jaxx. But there’s so
much else on here... This really
should be a massive album and
can’t speak highly enough of
it. Elsewhere, on BBE comes a
retrospective of Swedish house
maestro Rasmus Faber’s on a
more soulful vocal-led tip.You
should be familiar with ‘Ever After’
(trust you’ll know it when you hear
it) which is reminiscent of that
Scandinavian jazz sound from the
early ‘00s, but with a tuff beat and a
sultry vocal. Another heavy track is
‘Get Over Here’ – pure soul heaven,
it reminds me a little of the MAW
remix of ‘Nights Over Egypt’. Finally,
watch out for the new album from
Phil Asher. From the album taster
I’ve heard, this is going to be next
level runnings, with guest spots
from Ommas, Karizma, Dego, Mark
De Cilve Lowe, Benji B, Bopstar,
Lady Alma, Zansika, Zed Bias. Deep
electronic soul. (Jez Smadja)
73