"blankety blank, blankety blank..."

here's something i should have bought earlier in the year, but managed to find it second hand and in mint condition last week for £3. i didn't know whether to post it here or in mouldy disco, ie. it's not new but it's not old either. however, it is a fantastic compilation and i suggest you buy it.

stealing is believing *sampler

of all the edit(or)s out there i find these releases to be consistently the best. the popular people's front have been putting stuff out in wonderful sleeves since 2004. they're made up of leo zero (who also does the artwork), chris duckenfield and bill brewster. they seem to take the best bits of tracks and weld them into something new, rather than just looping a classic disco record (which a lot of lazy edits do). available at juno and piccadilly. i should have posted this 2 weeks ago because most places have sold out now. piccadilly also had limited quantities of "back to back" from 2005. seems they've gone too. sorry.

double bubble

some of those kids at oki-ni (a constant source of amusement) have jumped ship and opened ln-cc. they sell some crazy looking clothes for big bucks, and also records and books. they've hooked up with international feel to produce a t-shirt that comes with the label's first cd. there are a couple of exclusives amongst the 9 tracks (10, if you include the interlude) and it all comes in a box with some friendship bracelets, but i'm not a hippy so i chucked them away. if you don't want a t-shirt the cd is available on it's own. you can also get it from juno/piccadilly/phonica.

"I love my baby, want to play with you..."

this is brilliant and has a limited vinyl run (only 300). you can hear the a-side on his myspace page, along with some of his other tracks. the real gems are on the b-side and you can hear soundclips at the usual suspects. "sayonara robot" is the stand out track for me.

R.E.R.B.

when i first saw this for sale at juno i thought it must be a bootleg. y'know, someone trying to cash in on some new romantic nostalgia. thankfully it's legitimate, and not only do you get the original but a 2010 update as well (which is superb). if you're interested, there's a fantastic rusty egan interview on finn johannsen's site. check out the soundclips, read the interview and then buy the record. easy.

Adventures In Disco

i was contacted recently by andrew morrison (aka Adventures In Disco) who gave me a link to his mixes. he wanted me to listen to "we live in slow motion" but i ended up listening to the lot. my favourite is "into the night". i get sent things from time to time but will only tell you about them if i like them myself. i was impressed enough to ask him a few questions before posting a link. dance music can be quite faceless so i like to know a bit about the people who are actually getting out there and making a difference. he didn't send a picture so i imagine he's either very ugly or very handsome (and modest about it). i started by asking him why his mixes are so short, how old he is and (in true "smash hits" style) what his favourite colour is.

"my mixes are a bit on the short side but I figured people would be more likely to listen if they were 30-40 minutes rather than an hour or more. I'm going to start doing longer mixes now that I'm getting a bit more of a following. I'm 29 and I've been DJing for about eight years, mixing various genres, mainly for my own amusement. Then about two years ago I heard the Aeroplane remix of Grace Jones and that got me hooked on all things disco. Since then I've started taking my DJing a bit more seriously and at the end of 2009 I came up with Adventures In Disco and started putting together mixes and posting them on Soundcloud.

I've only had a couple of gigs so far but I'm hopefully going to be doing a lot more over the next few months. I've not done any edits yet as I've been concentrating on getting mixes out but it's definitely something that I want to get involved with. I've already got a couple of tracks ear-marked, just need to find the time to do it! Previously I was mixing with vinyl but I've started using a Tonium Pacemaker now, which seems to annoys some of the purists but it's just so much easier having all my music at the touch of a button. My favourite colour is blue and my favourite tune at the moment is Mark E - You (Full Vocal Mix)."

check out andrew's mixes here. he's also on myspace. for a full tracklist click on the mix title at either site.

"now boy, that is a chicken"

juno had a sale recently, and i got the entire black cock back catalogue which (i think) juno re-pressed in 2009. there have been bootlegs of this edit series but these are official re-releases. it is a sort of grey area though because the originals and re-presses are themselves unofficial. anyway, each title was £1.40 and i'd have been foolish not to get the lot. other people thought the same too, as all 7 records were the best sellers that week. they put the price back up a couple of days later so i'm afraid you've missed out. the original pressings came out in the 90's and in recent years have sold for more than a few quid. anything with a harvey connection can get some people hysterical and cause others to think "so what?". i make no apologies for buying these records because they were a bargain and they're bloody good.

"it's alright..."

this record is more than alright, it's fucking ace! house music is alive and well at smackhead towers. this is another reissue from clone classic cuts who deserve big props for putting out rare stuff and paying the original artist (bootleggers take note). if you click on the link you'll see the vocal version is available too, but thankfully the b-side on this copy is a 2010 update by steve summers (who i've never heard of before) who gives us a proper sleazyjackinacid mix. the original was only ever on a white label, but now you have a chance to own it.

"third time lucky"

i've already bought this tune twice (in re-edited form) on the z records "back street brit funk" comp that came out a couple of months ago. if you follow this blog you'll know what i'm talking about. if it's your first time here just scroll back a few posts. this is a remastered reissue on the dutch kindred spirits label. it's the first in a series of 12"s they'll be releasing of deep disco and boogie rarities. the b-side is razzmatazz "set it out" which is dope as well. original copies of the china burton track go for a small fortune but keep looking, because someone on djhistory found one in a chazzer not long ago for 10p! the record sleeve artwork is beautiful and harks back to the disco bags of days gone by. one fella who's got a hand in all this is zaf who (i think) used to work in a 2nd hand record shop with sean p. what those two don't know about disco and boogie ain't worth knowing. anyway, this is another (allegedly) limited release so get it or regret it.

"the first booth was like a space helmet..."

djhistory.com have a new book out. loads of interviews with djs from the past and present. if you pre-ordered from the site you'll have received a free cd of the francis grasso interview which is interspersed with some of francis' fave records. it's £16.95 with free p&p in the u.k. (or £5 postage r.o.w.). on sale everywhere from august 30th.

"i'm looking...for some loving"

at least that's what i think he sings. he being harvey. after a whistle stop tour of japan and europe he releases his new locussolus record through international feel. "tan sedan" contains those lyrics (which are the only lyrics). some people aren't into it...yet. believe me when i tell you it's a grower. the flip side is "throwdown" where harvey sings over a chilled b******c style track with guitars'n'stuff. both tunes are killers and will be played by me long after this weeks edits/re-edits/bootlegs have been forgotten about. there's also "throwdown (bass & beats)", which is only available on the digital release. the vinyl is out on september 20th (digital some weeks later) with the usual high quality pressing and artwork. get those pre-orders in now!

"you'll like this, not a lot...but you'll like it"

another edit 12", just what the world needs (you think sarcastically). hang on a minute though, this contains something i've never heard before. the dj steef track ,"black savates", is black sabbath's "planet caravan" and it's a monster. the coyote edit of "you might need somebody" is nice as well. the b-side ain't up to much (in my opinion). richard t. bear should be left alone. there i said it. available blah, blah, blah.

"don't you see, you break my heart..."

the sound of summer. 700 copies only. buy one before it's too late.

"let's get down..."

out this week on vinyl. 2 sides of aceness. swept away is house music. pillow talk is boogie style stuff. available from the usual suspects. nuff said. just buy it.

"i'm just moving on my own..."

don't be thinking that just because people send me stuff i'll review it no matter what. my standards are pretty high so i have to like the stuff i post about. the next release from international feel records is right up my street and it lands on june 14th. "moving" is by coyote a.k.a. timm sure and ampo of is it balearic recordings. apparently they met in nottingham moons ago and the track is inspired by the house sound graeme park championed. the piano line sounds a little like cut the q "crackdown" (parkside mix), so i can hear the influence straight away. it's a great house track with subtle changes all the way through. you also get a storming still going remix which builds and drops, builds and drops, builds and drops with a nagging synth line. top stuff. last but not least is a coyote remix of international peoples gang's "second" which is a stunning late night/early morning number. as ever, there's hand produced sleeve work and it comes on 180g vinyl. digital files will follow a few weeks later. roll on the next release.

"you would hear our music everywhere, uptown and down"

peter brown said that. he was one half of p&p records along with super producer patrick adams. i bought this cd after finding volume 2 second hand a few days ago. the first volume is equally as good and the best thing is the price. £6 inc p&p (no pun intended) from juno. john mccready, in his sleevenotes, says "it is simply criminal that this music is not up there with the often cited classics of the salsoul, west end and prelude cannons. track after track will stun you into silence". i must admit to not knowing about p&p records until recently but wish i'd found out years ago because original 12"s are now really expensive. i looked up the prices of available records and they match the second volume. this compilation is stunning. i urge you to get both copies...and save yourself $4000!

"Backstreet's back...alright!" - part 2

there's a 4-track vinyl sampler to accompany the cd mentioned a few posts ago. available everywhere right now. worth it for the china burton track alone, even if it is an edit. i got mine from z records for £7 (inc p&p).

"...nice"

i came home to find another fantastic record had arrived. i'd never heard of this artist either but anything harvey related was bound to turn up on djhistory. it's only available direct from the u.s.a. at the moment but hopefully that'll change, because it was quite expensive. you can buy it here and it'll come in a strong mailer. the edit isn't much different to the original. okay, it's sounds a little like a.w.b.'s "pick up the pieces" in places but who cares? not me. funky as fuck and then some. the b-side isn't bad either. comes with a daft little dj tool at the end of each side and some artwork. what are you waiting for? click the link now.

"...love will save the day"

kaine & kathy diamond + a real song = stunning record.

buy it now.

"if everyone's sitting comfortably..."

...then i'll begin. or rather james holroyd will as he's responsible for this beauty. it's been described as "the musical equivalent of feeling the sun on your face, the crashing of waves on the warm breeze and sand between your toes." couldn't have put it better myself. available from the usual suspects right now, but i got mine here.

"Backstreet's back...alright!"

no, not them! i'm referring to this fantastic cd just released by joey negro's z records. 2 discs of unmixed brit funk goodness. available everywhere soon or you can get it direct from z records for £10.49 (delivered). there's a few bits of jazz noodling on there but on the whole it's ace. worth it for the china burton, 52nd street, mbt and intrigue tracks alone. what are you waiting for? get it ordered now!

"chill, winston..."

i somehow managed to blag my way on to the International Feel promo list a few weeks ago. they're a fairly new label based in uruguay and run by a guy called mark (who is not from uruguay). the emphasis is on quality music, on limited 180g vinyl, in a hand finished sleeve. i don't know what mark did in the past but he's managed to get the likes of harvey and daniele baldelli to do stuff for him. international feel also do limited run edits on the Efeel label. anyway, the next release is by maxxi & zeus. never heard of them? well, if i mention quiet village (a.k.a. matt edwards and joel martin) then you know it'll be good. both tracks could be labelled ambient and it would be foolish to say otherwise. so what if it's all wave noises, gentle percussion and some fella rambling on about life (the struggle) or bird noises, bell chimes, acoustic guitar and wailing (the cell). it's a very brave release and actually quite good. the release date is may 24th and i'm sure it'll be available from the usual suspects. the digital files are normally released some time after the vinyl, so don't fret if you use cdj's or a laptop.

"read all about it!"

the new issue of faith is on the streets. grab a copy now at various places in london, get it sent with your orders from juno and phonica or get details of mail order here. there's a great mike pickering interview, as well as levon vincent and dave rodigan (who i'd never heard of, but is a fascinating bloke). loads more in there too.

"you got the love..."

you need this record in your life. that's official because i say so. listen to it here. then buy the record. available from all the usual suspects (links on the right hand side of this page). "proper feel good vibes" is how someone else described it and i agree. i don't listen to much new house anymore, but now and again a track comes along that everyone talks about. this is one of those tracks. i'm telling you, just fuck off to that soundcloud link if you don't believe me! if you're still here let me tell you about my week. bloody awful! i've had a heavy cold and it's been bills, bills, bills. leccy/gas, poll tax and water rates. me and her have shelled out £900 this week. nine hundred pounds. just reading it makes me angry. so who am i gonna vote for? which ever cunt can get the bills down. so that'll be none of them...probably. still cursing myself i never got a picture of that other rich fella in a big posh car with a daft plate. it's a silver porsche 911, drives around sunningdale and has HOT 453X as it's registration plate. he's turned the 3 around. that's right, HOT 4 5EX. send me a pic if you see him.

"a change is as good as a rest"

i've decided to do something new (or old). i'm gonna keep this site for new stuff and use this for old stuff. that's a genuine plate by the way. you can see it driving around guildford.