Premiere: James Allison ‘Dub In Cairo’

5 Minute Read

Music

Cult classic given the Allison magic…

There was a Young Fellow called James Allison, who said, “All this dancing has something quite wrong with it! I’ll edit three classics and turn them about, And make all the rockers get up and go out!”

So he rummaged through cult cuts and album-shelf things, and polished them up till they jangled like strings, Said Ivan Smagghe. “Goodness!” said Sean Johnston, “My word!” Said Chris Stoker, “Remarkable!” James Holroyd concurred.

“Make Dance Rock Again!” cried the Fellow with glee, “It’s Series the First but there’s more, you shall see!” And the dancefloor said “Blimey!” and the rock crowd said “Right!” And everyone edited long into the night.

Make Dance Rock Again 001 is the first instalment in an ongoing series from James Allison, and it arrives as a statement of intent. The EP finds Allison doing what only the most quietly confident selectors pull off: taking three records – cult classics and possibly overlooked album cuts alike – and editing them into something that reveals exactly who he is when the dancefloor isn’t looking. A clear, unguarded window into a taste that exists well outside Allison’s dance music world, and the results are, as billed, certified head turners.

Early support from Ivan Smagghe, Sean Johnston, James Holroyd and the late Chris Stoker (Not An Animal) suggests the series has arrived fully formed. A strong opening missive – and the first entry in something worth watching closely.

Listen below: