Influences: Joey Negro

My earliest musical memory is Arthur Brown’s Top Of The Pops appearances when this single was number 1 for a few weeks. I was 4 at the time and for some reason fascinated by “the man with with his head on fire”. However every time he appeared on screen I ended up crying and the tv was quickly turned off. I still find it quite upsetting now.

Obviously I grew up in the pre MTV, Youtube era, so hearing music could be quite difficult. I’d religiously watch Top Of The Pops, but apart from chart music I used to love lots of tv themes, sometimes i’d watch the show just for the music. I’ve chosen Kojak because it’s one that still moves me now, though there is something about it that gives me the feeling of imminent bed time. Others I enjoyed back then were Joe 90, Rockford Files, Weekend World, BBC Grand Prix, New Avengers. At the risk of sounding boring old git tv themes were much better then.

This was probably the first funk type record I was ever exposed to. I didn’t know who it was by at the time but I heard it on a TV advert that featured semi clad women dancing around in their underwear, which was regularly shown on ITV after 9pm watershed. So all in all pretty exciting stuff!!! i used to know which ad breaks it would likely be shown and try and to tune in to hear it. There was also an animated Chivers jelly advert I really liked the music for but i’ve never been able to find it online to reappraise.

When these songs were around at the time of Saturday Night Fever I LOVED them all so much I could have sat and listened to them on rotation all day. I guess chart disco like this, Donna Summer and Heatwave were my entry into this style. I remember making an elaborate Bee Gees design in felt tip on the front of one of my school text books and somebody scribbled all over it.

One Sunday evening in 1979 when I was unwell and bed stricken I discovered Radio Luxembourg on 208 medium wave who broadcasted late into the night. The reception was often diabolical but the music was amazing. At that time they had adopted a disco format and aired the disco sales on Sunday, disco albums Monday, disco computer (record mirror club play chart) on weds and disco imports on Friday. Despite the terrible sound quality I heard so many great records on these shows, Atmosphere was just one from that first time and something I still regularly play at my gigs now. I also included it because I was a big fan of brit funk like this, Hi Tension, Freeez…

My younger brother bought some very unusual avant guard records, which as we both still lived under the same roof I got to hear. I can still remember the first time he played me this in his bedroom, I was seriously shocked such strange, sinister, low fi music even existed. It was almost the total opposite of the Chic/Earth Wind & Fire type well produced feel good disco I liked but i was quite taken with it on some level. My brother and I used to mess around making music, overdubbing using his portable cassete player and my music centre. I did some slightly more sophisticated stuff later with another friend. Knowing there was stuff like this and Crass (who were completely different but very home made) being commercially released was quite encouraging.

This was an expensive import back in an era when the shrink wrapped US 12” was a very desirable item that wasn’t available in many shops. I bought it mail order from Groove Records in Soho once I was fairly sure it wouldn’t be getting a uk release. The middle section with the unusual rising chords, burbling synth solo and old school rap type “we’re gonna rock shock” vocal combines many of things I love in the underground boogie style, both then and indeed now. What many of these records also featured (even the one off releases on small labels) was a very high standard of musicianship with the bass guitar often centre stage.

I could choose so many electro records here as I was big into that sound in 83/84/85. it was almost impossible to hear electro where I lived neat Clacton on Sea as there was no radio stations or clubs playing it, as a lot of the soul funk type DJs boycotted electro as they didn’t like it or consider it anything to do with what they played. Maybe that fact i knew about all these records from magazines I couldn’t hear or afford to buy made it more interesting on some level but it seemed incredibly frustrating at the time. Man Parrish must have been struck by lightening the day he recorded this because its such a perfect, timeless tune that sounds like nothing else, well apart from a Two Sisters track he also produced.

The U.K. had a bit a of a jazz revival during the early 80s. In the mainstream Matt Bianco, Sade and Animal Nightlife were scoring pop hits, whilst some pretty interesting records from the 50/60/70s got revived in underground clubs. It was a time I discovered some new artists and labels to look out for on my digging expeditions. Though I’m no expert on jazz I love jazz chords and the mood it creates. At this point my bedroom playlist alternated between the likes of Airto, Duke Pearson and the JazzJuice comps thru to electro of the Planet Rock variety. I guess it would have loved a really jazzy electro record, but no one made one.

By 1986 i’d somehow managed to get a job in a record store in London in 86 – just as the first wave of house was kicking off. Though the Cymande based “Jack the Groove” borrows the Chicago concept of “jackin” Raze was actually New Jersey producer Vaughn “Bounce Rock Skate Roll” Mason. It’s not my favourite old school house track but it was these super simple, sample and drum machine based early
house cuts that inspired me to get back into the studio. and it was a couple of years later I released my first record, which was much worse than this.