At the start of 2010 we had opportunity of providing the support to a Red Bull Music Academy event staged at the Deaf Institute in Manchester. Also featured on the bill were A Guy Called Gerald and Marshall Jefferson.

The three of us weren’t sure what to expect not having seen or heard either of them for a long time. My most recent memory being when Marshall Jefferson arrived to play Casa Musica in May 2005 with a box of dusty and badly scratched records released on the re-issue label from around that time called S12. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not knocking Marshall or the label, the guy is a legend in his own right. Though agreeing to play a night and showcase all the records he bought, got involved in and having experienced Ron Hardy first hand didn’t really warrant playing a version of Black Box – Ride on Time that jumped around more than when Loletta Holloway realised someone was dining out on her vocal talent with a UK chart number one.

With that in mind we approached the party cautiously and packed several copies of Deep Heat 9 to double up with should the need arise to break out the ‘classics’. First our play time was cut short. Now we’re way beyond getting irate about that, it was more about how we were hustled off the turntables by Marshall himself. Only after telling us he was remixing House Music Anthem. Again.

We made way for Marshall and his pocket sized CD wallet and were animated at the lack of a box full of dusty S12 records. He brought the Cutloose selections to a stand still and soaked up the cheers and applaud.

His first record was an absolute beauty and for a moment we believed we were in for a real insight to the records that had inspired Marshall. As the night went on the record selection seemed to decline and there’s only so much DJM800 filter I can handle in one sitting. Sure this is all subjective and he played to a packed floor who all seemed to appreciate Marshall’s effort. That said I couldn’t help feeling like I’d be transported back to Warrington when bouncers wore Barry McGuigan style suits and you still had to wear shoes to get in clubs. Then I remembered Marshall talking on the Pump Up The Volume documentary and his first experience of the Music Box. Coincidence?

Here’s Marshall’s first record and I only wish he’d played more of the same. Enjoy.

The sleeve artwork on the Firecracker Recordings record bag is some of the finest around. Jony Lyle produced this short film documenting the process of hand screen-printing 1000 vinyl record sleeves in an art studio in Edinburgh, Scotland during April 2009 for Firecracker Records. It’s processes like this that still make records worth collecting.

Italians do it better? Some might say. In Alto Mare is one of those records that defines good pop music. Loredana Berte is an Italian singer who had great success through the 70s and 80s experimenting with different genres from rock to reggae and from funk to pop. She continued to produce music through out the 90s and into the new decade although I don’t think nothing has topped the 1980 pop smash from the album entitled ‘Loredanberte’.

Other out standing releases are ‘E L Luna Busso‘ where you get to hear the reggae experimentation to ‘Movie‘ which just bumps with quality funk and trumpet stabs showcasing a rap performed by Loredana herself.

Enjoy.

Mike Mareen was born and raised in Berlin where before moving to New York he was a drummer and later singer in the group Cemetery Institution.

With a change of career as a merchant sailor Mike moved to New York where he performed with several American groups. He returned to Germany and became involved in producing Italo Disco where he achieved his biggest success with the Italo hit “Love Spy” in 1986. Mike also released his first album titled “Dance Control” around that time featuring the track here “Dancing in the Dark”

Through out the 80s Mike had more success with his Italo sound as well as writing for other artists. He released further albums on the well known German label ZYX records. A lot of those productions and releases were re-issued through the 90s.

Dancing in the Dark is probably my favourite release by Mike Maureen. Probably not the most perfect Italo record though those synths and drums just bump. It’s one of those tracks I always think mid set in recent times “fack I wish I’d brought that with me”. Maybe next time.

Let’s go dancing. In the dark.

Well, if this doesn’t get your feet moving on this delightful Friday afternoon then I don’t know what will, this overlooked disco number gets heavy, frequent rotation on my turntables to say the least. Komiko is a collaboration between Daryl Payne whose name you will probably recognise as he co produced the huge disco smash ‘’Beat The Street’’ with Sharon Redd. Feel Alright was the only release under the Komiko disguise which was released straight out of New York City on the quality SAM Records in 1982. Sam Weiss [Sept 1926 – March 2008], owner of SAM Records had a love for all things Hip Hop to Rap to Doo Wap but had a huge passion for Disco and so he delivered us a huge catalogue of splendid disco records spanning from way back in 1976 to the early nineties. Anyway…enough waffle from me…get yourself on this little belter!

Timmy Mozzer comes up trumps with a intergalactic ‘The wire’ Mix, perfect for all those Aqua Bears out there. You can usually find Timmy down at Charlies on the last Friday of every month for Naive Melody. You may also find him loitering around various after parties dressed as a Transexual Gaelic footballer with great pins.

• Low Motion Disco – Love Love Love
• The Chap – Woop Woop
• Wally Badarou – Endless Race
• Loud-E – Robolove
• Ivan – Fotonovela (Pete Herbert Edit)
• Coyote – Afro Balearic (Rune Lindbaek Mix)
• Greg Wilson – Cosmic DJ Delight
• Lurifax – Midnight Drive
• Photonz – Our Fable (Micky Moonlight Mix)
• The Mole – Alice, You Need Him
• Benjamin Brunn – Electric Brain Nova (Move D Remix)
• Runaway – Brooklyn Club Jam (LSB Mix)
• Lowtec – Untitled A1
• Secondo – It’s Any Late Time
• Terry Toner – You’re My B-Boy
• Lee Jones – Theme For Frank
• Sideshow – If Alone (Chateau Flight Dub)
• Prosumer – Go Silla
• Kenny Larkin – Vibin’
• Dapayk Solo – How Low
• James T. Cotton – Got To Let You Know
• Photonz – Night At The Police
• Orgue Electronique – The Plot
• DMX Krew – SH101 Triggers MS10

Tonight’s get together down at the Melody features special guest Andy Blake (Dissident Distribution). All kicks off at 10.30pm. Coventry Eagle is also in town.

 Tim Morrison - The Wire mix [79:31m]: Play in Popup | Download

It’s Wednesday and there’s a whole heap of work to complete before the days out. I’ve exhausted all the mixes on my iPod and hit Youtube for a nostalgic house music work out.

Everyone knows Todd Terry and many of his different production guises. Today’s Youtube video comes courtesy of his Gypsymen alias.

I think it’s safe to say he knew how to put a record together based on disco loops and samples. The rawness of this release is one of the best. Those kicks, hooks, stabs and loops on a nice sounding system do the trick every time and you can’t help but lose yourself in the groove. Especially at 2:47 and that drop.

It’s been re-issued on green vinyl with another mighty Gypsymen release “Stoppin Us”. Worth picking up the double pack for the all the cuts.

It’s not often I’m lost for words but when I first heard this LeoZero aka Leo Elstob (A Mountain of One) edit of Chaka Khan & Rufus’ ‘Stop on By’, it sent a bolt like shiver down the back of my neck culminating in a loss of control of my bodily functions – succinctly, superb is how I would describe this edit.

The Popular People’s Front edits inspired by SWAG maestro Chris Duckenfield are certainly, with the odd exception, truly excellent and do what an edit should do , i.e. improve the original whilst bringing something new to the table. The original Chaka Khan & Rufus record (1972) was based on a slow funk riddled groove punctuated by Khan’s stunning vocals.

The LeoZero edit is beefed up nicely with a breakdown to remember and a sensual beat throughout, a perfect way to end the night!

I remember the first time I heard this record in Legends in the Summer of 92. Wow.

Those beats just hooked me in along with that Todd Terry sounding groove. Then the siren. You can’t beat a good siren and they all know how much we love them at Block E in dusty downtown Ancoats.

It’s a pretty rare record apparently [one on discogs for £60] and it remained unknown and illusive for a long time following it’s release. I collected volumes 2, 3 and 4 and I believe there is a 5 though I’ve never seen or heard of one.

It was only in the last few years I found out via Mike Woods that it’s actually an edit of a track by Safire. Remember her? Needless to say we both went out and bought a copy.

The track was called Taste the Bass with David Morales on the mix. It’s still a great record though since getting a copy I’ve thought about re doing the Deep Beats thing. That said it’s so good in it’s own right I doubt I’d get close.

Enjoy.

Mike Woods played me All Dis Music years ago and actually went to re-record it along with Ste Conry from Ten Lovers Music. They re-recorded the vocal too with a friend of Stes. I’m not sure what happened commercially though I do remember playing it out several times. Romance got in touch via my website at the time and expressed an interest in listening to the new version. Again I’m not sure what else happened after that after exchanging details as the communication dried up. I noticed on the Youtube comments for the video that Romance himself has posted mentioning even more new mixes. I recall he spoke about this at the time too.  Maybe the same ones or new ones?

I don’t know much else about the track and when you listen I don’t think you need me to actually type anymore. It’s one of my favourites and wanted to share it here. House music at its best.

It’s all about Dance Mania again. Even in the mid 90s Dance Mania were still delivering unshakable EPs like Hums.

It was the Summer of 95 and I was playing out regularly in Wigan [Yep that's right] promoting my own night with my friend. Looking back we didn’t really have a clue about the promotion thing, we just wanted to hear the music we were buying played out aloud.

For me in the early to mid 90s there was so much good stuff coming out of the US and those said records formulated the evenings listening. Labels like Vibe, Cajual and others were outputting good quality house music consistently and back then I couldn’t get enough.

‘Do it’ was an early evening staple with it’s laid back boogie groove and relentless vocal that’s so repetitive it leaves you wanting more. Again we probably weren’t 100% aware of what we were doing at the time and how important it would turn out to be years later when playing elsewhere. Sure we didn’t want to smash it out from the start though we’d be mixing and blending these records with boogie and the odd disco track. Where as later in the evening we’d be upping the stakes with music from Trackhead Steve, Robert Armani and DJ Funk and more. It was a refreshing change and allowed us to do more with the music compared to what was being released domestically.

The sun is shining and this makes perfect mid week listening even in January. Enjoy.

A band which quite clearly derives and is inspired by Detroit sound your talking not only Motown, Clinton but Coltranesque vibes and with a nod to Frank Zappa. Out Come The Freaks is one funk ass driven piece of music perfect for any part of any night. The vocals from Sweet Pea Atkinson are proud and tall and accompanied by the dance/ Detroit sound provided by the bass of Don Fagenson – shiiiiiit your laughing!

With the Metro Area gig just round the corner and that Friday feeling running through my veins I thought I would it only right I post an absolute stomper today.

Italo Disco, some people still think of it as eighties music with ridiculous cheesy vocals, listened and produced by only north Italian philanderers with huge ego’s and bad hair, basically music that would not survive the eighties.

Amin Peck was George Fyron, Leonard Parker, and Max Marne a group of top dog Italians who had a long string of Italo hits under their belts. This one is for sure still alive and got recently got hammered by Metro Area at this years PS1 in New York.

Its a nice instrumental track with a drenched slap bass and cosmic synth line, pitch it down slightly and it just sounds absolutely incredible on a big system. Anyway, courtesy of YouTube.