James Hamilton's Disco Page

Ahead of his success in the 1980s. with the Street Sounds compilations and labels such as Excaliber, R&B and Streetwave, Morgan Khan was already a key player in the music industry by late 1979, licensing tracks for release on the Pye group of labels, and handling promotion work for his signings. This makes him a perfect choice for the latest episode of the Record Mirror Disco Charts podcast, as he had direct professional involvement with several of the records in the December 1979 Top 20 that we’ve selected for discussion, and first-hand memories of the period, which saw disco music entering a new post-backlash phase and preparing itself for the new decade. As enthusiastic, opinionated and knowledgable as ever, Morgan remains one of dance music’s most unforgettable characters, and we had a lot of fun talking to him.

Counting down the Disco Top 20 from 24th September 1977, Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson are joined by Jeff Young: “funk mafia” DJ, presenter of BBC Radio One’s first ever specialist dance music show, remixer, studio owner and music industry professional.

Alexis Petridis has written an excellent piece about James for The Guardian, with quotes along the way from Norman Cook, Pete Tong, Gilles Peterson, Greg Wilson and myself. It’s great to see that finally, all these years later, James’s pivotal impact on UK dance music culture is becoming more widely acknowledged.

James’s columns were a massive formative influence for a teenage Dave Lee, so it was great to have him as our special guest for Episode 2 of the Record Mirror Disco Charts podcast (not least because he was a big help to us when we put this blog together).

This time, we’re looking at a Top 20 from September 1980: it’s a nicely diverse selection of big crossover hits and deeper cuts, once again accompanied by playlists, and my attempts to read out James’s often tongue-twisting reviews!

This set was recreated by Mike Atkinson at Walthamstow Trades Hall on 31st January, using the track listing and mixing instructions that James published in Record Mirror the following week.

The Crusaders – Street Life (0:00)
Joe Sample – There Are Many Stops Along The Way (3:05)
Paulinho Da Costa – Love Till The End Of Time (6:24)
Charanga 76 – No Nos Pararan (Ain’t No Stopping Us Now) (8:53)
Candi Staton – Rock (11:39)
Chic – Good Times (14:03)
Uncle Louie – Full-Tilt Boogie (17:33)
Al Hudson & The Partners – You Can Do It (22:02)
Stephanie Mills – Put Your Body In It (25:06)
Harvey Mason – Groovin’ You (28:06)
Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland (with The Emotions) (32:14)
Slick – Space Bass (37:38)
Tumblack – Caraiba (43:06)
Idris Muhammad – Foxhuntin’ (44:08)
Eramus Hall – Beat Your Feet (48:00)
Cameo – Find My Way (51:27)
Pockets – Catch Me (55:11)

In this new monthly podcast series, Greg Wilson, Mike Atkinson and a special guest discuss a randomly selected Record Mirror Disco Top 20, from any week between 1975 and 1982. These charts were compiled by dancefloor reaction reports, sent in by DJs from across the UK. We’ll also look at how they were reviewed at the time by James Hamilton, whose columns from this period have recently been published in book form as James Hamilton’s Disco Pages 1975-1982. Each episode comes with its own playlist, so that you can listen to all the tracks continuously.

Norman Cook joins us for the first episode, as we take a detailed look at what was happening on UK dancefloors in the week of 28th August 1982: a time of significant change, as the dominant post-disco sounds (retrospectively known as “boogie”) were starting to make way for groundbreaking – and divisive – electronic innovations. With underground import tracks rubbing shoulders with crossover pop hits, this particular Record Mirror Disco Top 20 offers a fascinating snapshot of the period.

Along the way, you’ll also hear about Norman’s beginnings as a DJ, and about the early influences that shaped his future career as Fatboy Slim. Meanwhile, as someone who was playing these tunes at the time, at major venues such as Wigan Pier and Legend in Manchester, Greg draws on his own experience and knowledge to place this music in its proper historical context.

Record Mirror Disco Charts is available on all the standard podcast platforms (Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Deezer etc), and it can also be streamed directly via this link.

To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.

Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops?

On Friday 31st January at Walthamstow Trades Hall in London, Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson will be talking about the James Hamilton’s Disco Pages book, followed by a Q&A, a book signing and DJ sets from Mike and Greg. The event starts at 7pm and runs through to 1am.

Tickets, which can be bought from Eventbrite, can either be bundled with the purchase of a signed copy of the book, or can just be for the event itself (and of course, if you’ve already bought the book, you are welcome to bring it along to be signed).

Mike’s DJ set will be an exact recreation of a set that James played at Gullivers in Mayfair in August 1979, using the precise mixing instructions which he subsequently published in Record Mirror. Greg’s concluding set will then be based around tunes from the same era as the book (1975 to 1982).

It would be particularly great to meet some of the regular readers of this blog in person!

BEATS & PIECES

The Beatmasters’ ‘Night In Action‘ (149¼/74¼bpm), only on promo to preview their upcoming album and not necessarily due as a single at all, is a Jah Shaka inspired skanking dub that can be vari-speeded anywhere between -/+8 on a Technics deck (and if played at 33⅓rpm instead of 45rpm undergoes an interesting shift in syncopation), flipped by a similar ‘After Dark In W.3.’ variation that really does sound too fast at the right speed (Rhythm King 12VIBE 1) . . . Reese’s ‘Funky Funk Funk‘/’Bassline‘ is initially in a gimmicky limited edition red vinyl pressing, cut in reverse so that you play it backwards from the centre out! . . . Jeff Young, contrary to all the rumours, is apparently not being replaced at A&M by anyone . . . ‘Love Thang‘, always the obvious hit from LA Mix’s album, will now never be out as a single! . . . New York DJ Roger Sanchez — in other words, Underground Solution —and Jasmine this week visit Manchester’s Pleasuredome (Wednesday 3), Blackpool’s Eureka (Thursday), Glasgow’s Sub Club (Friday), and Aberdeen’s Fever (Saturday) . . . April 19/20/21’s Up-North Soul Weekender at Southport’s Pontins Holiday Centre is due to star the likes of Teena Marie, Leon Ware, Gang Starr and Working Week, with four separate music venues and DJs including Tim Westwood, Graeme Park, Bob Masters, Norman Jay, Bob Jonas, Simon Dunmore, Cohn Curtis, Sylvester, Graeme Ellis: £55. For booking details phone 091-389 0317 . . . May 4/5/6’s sixth Camber Weekender at Camber Sands’ Pontins Holiday Centre near Rye likewise will have various interesting guest stars, with three separate music venues and DJs including Bob James, Carl Cox, Greg Edwards, Stuart Vant, Rob Huntley, Fabrizio, Dave Jameson, JD, Bad Boy West, Sacha, Lez, Aubrey, Simon Grant, Dave Reeves, Peter Stapleton, Andy M: £49. For booking details phone 0233-633 652 . . . Disco Gary VanDenBussche (Medway) reckons that King Bee’s ‘Must Bee The Music‘ simply borrowed its chorus and basic break from ‘Must Be The Music‘ by Secret Weapon, on Prelude in 1981 . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
This week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by Jay Strongman and James Hamilton

LAQUAN ‘Tear Your Soul Out’
WORD FOR WORD ‘Party People’
RYUICHI SAKAMOTO ‘We Love You’ (12″ Mix)
COOL 2 ‘Kind Of Groovy’ (Cool Breeze mix)
SBAM ‘Chica Boom’
MC SWAY & DJ KING TECH ‘Follow 4 Now’
LEE MARROW ‘To Go Crazy (In The 20th Century)’
DJ PIERRE ‘Get On The Floor’
RDS featuring SPI ‘We Can Do It’
WORKING WEEK ‘Holding On’
SUENO LATINO ‘Sueno Latino 1991 Remix’

DE LA SOUL ‘Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)’ (103¾bpm) (Big Life/Tommy Boy BLR 42R)
The daisy age rappers’ first new product since 1989 (so, in passing, how come they were nominated for a 1990 Brits award?), this debut single from their upcoming ‘De La Soul Is Dead’ album is currently promoed ahead of April 15 release as a CJ Mackintosh remixed single sider (with another of their laser etched pictorial flips), an ansaphone introed then typical drily chatted rolling jogger with a catchy Curiosity Killed The Cat-like “Hey, how ya doin’? Sorry you can’t get through. Why don’t you leave your name and your number, and I’ll get back to you?” chorus, driven through a doodling tenor sax by — in CJ’s mix at any rate—the bassline from Fat Larry’s ‘Act Like You Know’. To judge from its catalogue number, this promo seems more likely to be out as a remix rather than as the first commercial pressing.

SHAWN CHRISTOPHER ‘Another Sleepless Night’ (Arista 614 186)
Originally out last July, when credited to Mike ‘Hitman’ Wilson (its creator) featuring Shawn Christopher, and subsequently now a crossover hit in the US like it always deserved to be here, this multi-tracked soulful girl wailed and rapped terrific chunkily pounding attractive breezy bounder should hook you on first hearing in its Classic Mix (121½bpm), flipped by a sparser ‘D’ Train-ishly synthed wriggly latin style Extended Midday Mix (122bpm) and its piano jingled cantering Album Version (121½bpm), which sounds most like last year’s original but with an added ‘You Got The Love’-like segment.

N-JOI ‘Anthem’ (de/Construction PT 44446)
Another deservingly reissued floorfiller from last year, sure to fly following the crossover success of ‘Adrenalin’, this slow then bounding piano jangled jaunty raver in its The Original Mix (124½bpm) is now coupled with new more choppily wriggling The Mafia (124bpm) and twittery The Six Day Nightmare (125bpm) Mixes, plus— no relation — the fierce buzzingly bleeping ‘Malfunction‘ (124¾bpm). Continue reading “April 6, 1991: De La Soul, Shawn Christopher, N-Joi, Rumbledub, Wendell Williams”

BEATS & PIECES

FRANKIE KNUCKLES and David Morales apparently got back together specially just to create the remixes of Alison Limerick’s ‘Where Love Lives (Come On In)’ . . .True Faith With Final Cut’s positively final UK remix, ‘Take Me Away (Take Me Beyond Mix)’, slots Bridgett Grace’s a cappella over Rhythim Is Rhythim’s strangely phasing and scuffling ‘Beyond The Dance’ (with permission from Derrick May) . . . RePublic Records are setting up their own DJ mailing list, with room for just a few more on top: contact Gerry O on 071-837 2322 . . . ZYX Records are likewise developing a UK DJ mailing list: contact Alex Gold on 081-902 6398 . . . Nina Walsh is updating her alternative dance music DJ mailing list at London Records/ffrr, Chancellors House, Chancellors Road, London W6 9SG . . . Omen Recordings have picked up Hibrid’s ‘Twisted Tambourine’, two new versions being due as coupling for two fresh mixes of ‘Floorquake’, the latter originally having been on the label’s The Born EP’ promo twinpack credited to Doo Lally ‘D’, basically the same act under another name . . . Patti Day’s current UK club tour to promote ‘Drive Me’ is being accompanied by the chance to win a 1966 red convertible Ford Mustang worth £25,000, on view at her different venues, including Welling’s The Station and Uxbridge’s Regals (Thursday 28), Romford’s Hollywoods and Enfield’s The Palladium (Friday 29), Walton On Thames’s Elmbridge Leisure Centre, Deptford’s Champs, Central London’s Busbys and Astoria (Saturday 30) and dates in Scotland to come . . . Free The Soul, a new monthly soul-swing-ragga-rap night, starts this Wednesday (27) at Soho’s Jacquelines (corner of Wardour and Oxford Streets), with Taz Jay presenting DJ Haitch, George Kay, Bobby Gee, Prince Jammer, DJ Pino and Tony ‘Mix It Up’ Tee (no jeans or trainers) . . . Superstition, a “legal rave”, returns to the site of its Christmas Eve success for an Easter party this Thursday (28) at Westbourne Park’s Woody’s in Woodfield Road, with house DJs Noel Watson, Rhythm Doctor, Phil Asher, Ben (Groove) and Nick T upstairs, funk jocks Brian Norman, Stix and guests downstairs . . . Thursday also finds Mad Max and Ray Lock plus guests starting weekly Stress house-type nights at Norbury’s Enigma (side of Central Park, the old Metropolis), while the same duo this Saturday, and then the last Saturday of every month, launch a Mad-Lock Party at Lingfield’s Wire Mill, north of East Grinstead and Ray alone gets smart and trendy every Friday for The Gas Club at Soho’s Gass in Whitcomb Street, west of Leicester Square . . . Saturday (30) sees N-Joi hitting the weekly Ark night (no dress code for this one) at Southend On Sea’s Mr B’s, and Incognito appearing at Glasgow’s The Tunnel . . . Wally Badarou’s classic 1985 jazz-funk instrumental ‘Chief Inspector’ was — like its similar contemporary, Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly’s ‘Twilight’ — a very influential and much sampled groove in its day, now jaunty enough to really get under the skin if it’s given a good chance this time, in Nomad Soul’s new mixes . . . Last week’s Record Mirror Single Of The Week, Gary Clail On-U Sound System’s ‘Human Nature (On The Mix)‘, is 110bpm, while ‘Rumours‘ is 90bpm . . . Michael ‘DJ Mike’ Mason in fact produced ‘Your Love Never Fails’ by Agapé Sounds featuring Richie Weeks . . . Femi Fem’s remixes of Wop Bop Torledo’s ‘Kissaway’ are 89bpm . . . AS IT GROOVES!

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HOT VINYL
This week’s new club promos and remixes reviewed by New York’s DJ Moneypenny and James Hamilton

VOODOO CHILD ‘Permanent Green’ / ‘M4’
THE BASEMENT BOYS/THOSE GUYS ‘Tonight’ (Reverse Remix/Original Colored Girls Mix)
REESE ‘Bassline’ / ‘Funky Funk Funk’
MK ‘Get It Right’ / ‘Feel The Fire’
UNDERGROUND RESISTANCE Waveform EP: ‘Adrenalin’ / ‘Quadrosonic’ / ‘Back Road To Nirvana’
TRANSPHONIC Club Tools EP: ‘Every Day Of My Life’ / ‘Goddamn’ / ‘Incidental Meditation’ / ‘Bopa Loobop’
Z-FORMATION Intense EP: ‘Beyond The Bounds’ / ‘Deep Meditation’
STREETSIDE BOYZ ‘Do It To The Music’ / ‘Clap Your Hands’
INTELLECTUAL HARMONIOUS SANCTION ‘Influencia’ / ‘Drift & Dream’ / ‘Save The Whales’ / ‘Protagonistic Cry’
BLACK ORCHID ‘Techno Dreams’ (Dream Mix/Industrial Techno Mix) / ‘Baby Baby’
THE RHYTHM FACTOR ‘Phase 1’ / ‘Lose Control’
STATIC ‘The Native Dance’ / ‘Touch Me Baby’

ADDAMS AND GEE ‘Chung Kuo (Revisited)’ (102¼bpm) (Debut Records DEBTX 3108, via Pinnacle)
Without even so much as a matrix number to give any clues on its promoed white label, this, in fact, London DJs Nick Addams & Mike Gee created potentially smashbound if clichéd concoction runs — yawn, yawn (but it really works well!) — the funky drummer “rhythm” behind the hauntingly familiar melody from Vangelis’ ‘Chung Kuo‘ (you might not previously have known its name although you’ll recognise the tune immediately), flipped by the ’70s snippets-plundering tranquil tinkly trotting ‘Bless The Funk‘ (115bpm).

WAY TO GO ‘Fever’ (99½bpm) (US Tommy Boy TB 958)
Although out first in the States, this surging UK soul loper is a Chris Paul produced creation by nervily anguished South Harrow singer Robbie Chandler, in walking bass thumped and hi-hat chattered Radio Edit and Extended Version, or Justin Strauss’ tubular bells and piano punctuated cleaner more jittery but also more calmly rolling Remix, Remix Edit, and Version. From the way it’s printed, you are likely to think that the title is ‘Way To Go’ by Fever, right up until you hear the actual lyric!

RAPPIN’ IS FUNDAMENTAL ‘Rapping Is Fundamental’ (A&M/PM AMY 751)
Driven by a terrifically frisky sparse bluesy funk groove with good humoured backing harmonies reminiscent of ’60s soul if not ’50s doo-wop, and indeed called by them ‘doo-hop’, New York rappers Anthony (AB Money$) Mosley, Osten (Easy Mo Bee) Harvey and Darren (JR) Strand’s daisy age chugger is here in DJ Streets Ahead’s Brighton Daze and Ubiquity 12″ Remixes (109bpm), flipped more authentically by Easy Mo Bee’s Extended Remix and Radio Mix (108¾bpm) — such good fun it should be a smash, if there’s any justice. Continue reading “March 30, 1991: Addams And Gee, Way To Go, Rappin’ Is Fundamental, Alexander O’Neal, Ceybil”