The Agency

Music:

Member Since: 8/16/2006
Band Members:

BLACK DEVIL DISCO CLUB
Black Devil Disco Club are Joachim Sherylee and Junior Claristidge, pseudonyms of two French library writers Bernard Fevre and Jackie Giordano. The name is confusing, some sources use "Black Devil" as artist name, other use the full "Black Devil Disco Club". Either way the first record "Black Devil Disco Club" was originally released on "Out Records" in 1978. Black Devil Disco Club has a sinister, psychedelic analogue synth sound, a Disco sound recalling artists like Joy Division and Giorgio Moroder. It was made manually in a recording studio in the suburbs of Paris using synths and occasional tape loops and a drummer.
After re-releases in 2004 under Aphex Twin's record label "Rephlex", the record got renewed attention (the original record getting rare). In 2006 another Black Devil Disco Club was released, called "28 after", under Lo records. Facts behind it are very few: its surviving member Bernard Fevre operating under the name, and nobody knows if it was recorded recently or if it’s actual vintage. From the sounds of things, maybe it’s a bit of both: some of the bongo tracks seem like they’ve been lifted off the originals, while synth patches sound warmer and recorded on a computer.
Bernard Fevre before Black Devil Disco Club is known for two rare tracks, the electronic masterpiece "The Strange World of Bernard Fevre" and the even rarer "Earthmessage" (as sampled by The Chemical Brothers on "Got Glint?" from the Surrender album).
MU (live)
Japanese-born Mutsumi Kanamori is one of Englands most outthere musical personalities. Tiny but boisterous, her onstage histrionics and wry sarcasm are backed by some of the most bizarre dance music ever created, courtesy of her husband and collaborator, house music legend Maurice Fulton. Having produced everything from pop hits like Crystal Waters 'Gypsy Woman? to dance punk outfit !!!, Fultons eclectic sensibilities are the perfect backdrop for Mus off-the-cuff pontification on everything from label Luke Jenner of the Rapture (We Love Guys Named Luke?) to pop culture princess Paris Hilton (Paris Hilton?). Somewhere between avant garde performance art and dance music, Mu must be seen to be believed.
GREG WILSON
MANCHESTER DJ GURUS - THE FACE 1990 "Greg Wilson is an honorary Manc born in Liverpool who is generally acknowledged as the godfather of the early eighties Manc electro scene. He is one of the first British DJ's to have used three turntables. Remembered for his nights at Legend and the Hacienda."
SLEAZE NATION MAGAZINE (AMANDA CAZA) 1998 "By 1982 he was established at Wigan Pier, thrilling all and sundry with his brew of electronica and soul. He was given a dying Wednesday at Legend, Manchester's most influential black music venue, and blew enough life into it to spread queues round the block and gain punters countrywide. Forget the Hacienda, where Wilson began the first full-on dance night - Legend was the start of it all. His secret' The dastardly mixing techniques he'd picked up in Europe plus this weird and wonderful new form of music sweeping across from New York."
FROM THE BOOK 'THE NINETIES - WHAT THE F**K WAS THAT ALL ABOUT' (JOHN ROBB) 1999 "Greg Wilson was entranced by the stripped down electronic sounds that were coming out of New York where, in one of the weirdest quirks in rock history, black kids in the ghetto started to get hip to Kraftwerk. Taking the atmospheric synth music of the German outfit, they re-invented it as a dance music of their own. The computer age was dawning and here was a music that matched the nu digital time...Electro is one of the key forebears of nineties pop culture."
FROM THE BOOK 'MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - THE POP CULT CITY' (DAVE HASLAM) 1999 "Wilson's work on the decks every Wednesday (at Legend) drew the attention of Mike Shaft, who was then fronting a black music show on Piccadilly Radio. Although not a big fan of the new dancefloor sounds, he invited Wilson to do mixes for the radio show. These were probably some of the most taped programmes in Manchester radio history."
FROM REVIEW OF 'CLASSIC ELECTRO MASTERCUTS' - BLUES & SOUL (BOB KILLBOURN) 1994 "Compiled by famed deejay Greg Wilson who was one of the chief protagonists in the early development of electro in the UK. Greg helped pioneer the early stages as resident deejay at the legendary Wigan Pier and Manchester Legends venues. Greg was one of the first British deejays to consider seriously the art of deejaying and mixing was beyond the simple act of sticking a platter on a turntable before swilling ale and checking out the available talent (although I'm pretty sure Greg did his fair share of these activities too!). Greg's mixes on Manchester Piccadilly Radio were significant interludes and he was also the first British deejay to mix live on TV when appearing on the now defunct The Tube show."
FROM THE BOOK 'AND GOD CREATED MANCHESTER' (SARAH CHAMPION) 1990 "'The whole black side of Manchester has been completely ignored' says Greg Wilson, Manchester's first electro DJ, on the wheels of steel at Wigan Pier and Legends in '82. A disco-chemist, he experimented with mixing and NY's new styles...Legends stepped out a whole 18 months before The Face's cover feature caught up...By the start of '83, white hipsters were changing channels, switching from doom-rock to dance beats. ACR, New Order, Swamp Children and the like tuned into Legends...'In all things that have been written about Manchester, the thing that led the way hasn't even been mentioned! The black-white mix! Even when the students arrived (on the scene) the black side kept its identity and everyone began bouncing ideas around' argues Greg."
'SHAUN RYDER, HAPPY MONDAYS, BLACK GRAPE & OTHER TRAUMAS' (MICK MIDDLES) 1997 "Kermit was here there and everywhere. Everyone knew Kermit. Everyone knew Kermit stories. Everyone knew that one day this man would turn into something important. The story begins way back in the early eighties, at Manchester's Legends nightspot. On Wednesday night Manchester grandmaster of Electro, Greg Wilson, held hardcore funk sessions sussed enough to educate even the hippest of dudes from old Hulme. All the while, down the road, the Hacienda remained a vast, cold, empty shell, full of echoey indie sounds and a few straggly raincoated students. Greg Wilson was where it began and Kermit would soak in his influences."
FROM THE SLEEVENOTES OF 'CLASSIC ELECTRO MASTERCUTS' (IAN DEWHIRST) 1994 "Before retiring from deejaying in 1984, Greg had kicked off the first weekly dance night at The Hacienda and was managing Britain's best known breakdance crew, Manchester's Broken Glass. In '84 he produced Street Sounds' experimental 'UK Electro' album, and has since produced the Ruthless Rap Assassins."
MAURICE FULTON
Maurice Fulton began his professional career in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1982, inspired by Grand Master Flash, he stepped up to the turntables and never looked back. Maurice's first professional gig (at the age of 13) was an afternoon spot Monday thru Friday on WEBB 1360 AM radio playing hip hop with DJ Wildstyle where he took on the name: "DR. SCRATCH". Later on, in 1984, while still on the radio, Maurice landed his first club residency at a gay club called Hats where he had the freedom to play garage music. His skills and selection were so fierce that a few weeks later he grabbed a second residency at The Last Stop. By 1986, Dr. Scratch had become a household name in Baltimore; and that summer, with DJ Wildstyle, he took off on tour with Whodini. By the end of the tour, Maurice had had his fill of hip hop mostly because of the violence. Back in Baltimore, he turned his attention to garage and found another Friday night residency at the legendary club: Odell's. That same year, he got a job at the best record store in town. This is where he met Tommy, Teddy and Jay who were soon to become the Basement Boys.
For the next few years, Maurice took a break from DJing so he could concentrate on making music. He had already had some experience on keyboards playing organ in church and drums in school. His talent was quickly put to use by the Basement Boys. His keyboard and drum programing can be heard behind the voices of artists such as Ultra Nate and Crystal Waters.
In 1990, while still working on music, Maurice began to hear the call of the turntables once again and started doing guest spots at clubs such as Club Fantasy and Paradox in Baltimore. Later on, he found himself back on the radio doing guest spots on 92Q FM and 88.9 Morgan State.
In 1996, Maurice moved to New York City to further his producing, remixing, and DJ career. You'll find his most recent work on such labels as Warp, SSR, Discfunction, Transfusion, Pagan UK, Imperial, Pink Music and Sahko Recordings.
Maurice has been playing all over the U.S. and around the world since 1990. You'll often find him in the DJ booth at world-renowned clubs such as Bar Rhumba and 333, UK; Loop, Japan; Skansen, Oslo; Lux, Portugal; Nitsa, Barcelona and Kerma, in Finland where he hooked up with Finnish Pop Star Jimi Tenor who immediately put him to work remixing cuts off his latest album "Organism" and joining the band on the world tour.
Thru the years Maurice Fulton has developed his own unique sound and versatile style. Deemed "the Yankee King of Weird House" by Jockey Slut Magazine (June/July '99) and DJ of The Month, ID Magazine (Sept. '99), his skills on three turntables are virtually unmatched combined with his selection of garage, classics and todays underground dance music always leaves the crowd screaming for more.
RUB N TUG
New York nightlife, as we all know, is in the doldrums. Giulliani shut the whole shop down. Light up a Lucky Strike and you'll find yourself at the wrong end of a 911 call. Fortuitously, nobody told Thomas Nicholas Allen Bullock and Eric Z Duncan.
Their Rub n Tug moonlighting aliases are doing some heavy shift work in re-locating the vibe that shaped the city in the first place. Their parties are already the toast of the town. "They feel like a hot bath in a dark room. Volcanic." Howdy, boys. We're already feeling your flavour. "When I was about nine, my teacher asked me to bring in my record player and a couple of 45's so we could have a disco in the classroom. I played Another One Bites The Dust and The Bitch is Back. I got really into it and jumped about like crazy. It's surprising how little we change," says Thomas.
Partial fans of the superclubbing experience their immediate surrounds have dictated a more back to basics approach. "Club life has died here, but in return heads have found their place in dive bars and lofts. In these joints it's even more lawless than before which is, of course, pleasant. It suits us and in turn we've developed a sound that suits it." The sound in question is a call to dancefloor arms.
The boys aren't afraid of a cross-fader or indeed crossing genre. Old Italo house rarities shuffle shoulders against lean post-funk workouts. Electro Led Zep oddities are thrown down against acid rock. The glitterball has regained consciousness in their hands. In the grand Ming tradition, Rub n Tug are extending their delightful ventures in NYC nightlife to the mixing desk. First up, their banging rerub of !!!'s Hello? Is This Thing On? Next a mix CD that fuses their signature eclecticism to an unfettered understanding of what moves the ass. In the meanwhile, they'll continue to derange the nightlife that the world once looked to, until it does so all over again. (From I-D Magazine)
IDJUT BOYS
Entertaining people is something Conrad and Dan have been doing since they met each other in Cambridge at the end of the eighties. "It's that type of town," explains Dan. "The type of place that everyone knows everyone else. Conrad was working, bizarrely enough, as a life-guard during the day and either working or hanging out in bars at night. I'd been studying in Manchester and was back in Cambridge for the summer. We were both into the same sort of music and both travelled to Brighton to check Harvey dj'ing at the Tonka events. It was inevitable that we'd hook up at some point."
From there, they moved to London and started throwing their own U-Star parties. Inviting New York legends like Hector Romero and Ted Patterson to compliment their own twisted disco sound. Against a back-drop of hands-in-the-air house and tiresome techno, their fresh approach was bound to get noticed.
They secured gigs everywhere from Stockholm to San Francisco and it was only a matter of time before they made the move from the decks to the mixing console. Then in 1994, U-Star Records was born. "After we released our fourth twelve inch," Conrad remembers. "That's when I knew for sure that we were on the right track. I was down at the Ministry to see François Kevorkian play and, right at the peak of his set, he started mixing up two copies of 'Not Reggae'. I was freaking. I mean if what we were doing was turning someone like him on. Someone who's been producing since the late seventies and worked with everyone from D Train to Depeche Mode. Then it was definitely worth it."
Since then, they've hardly stopped to draw breath. They've remixed everyone from the Lighthouse Family to Sound 5, their eclectic DJ sets have become legendary, winning them fans the world over and their debut album, 'Life - The Shoeing You Deserve' received critical acclaim from all corners of the music press.
"There's one thing you learn the longer you do this," adds Conrad, as he thinks to the future. "There's nothing you can't do. The only thing that limits you is your imagination."
Knowing these two, that means the possibilities are endless. So listen up, there's exciting times ahead.
TODD TERJE
Following a string of celebrated releases leaning on everything from kitschy euro sounds to deep funk and latin jazz, the relatively new to the scene Todd Terje has already made his mark within dance music circuits. Gems such as the cheese monster Eurodans and the latin disco-fuelled edit of Jackos Cant Help it under his Tangoterje edit-moniker instantly made industry types and clubbers alike go bananas, and whatever the 25 year old Norwegian puts his fingers on, it always comes out with that crucial blend of musicality and playfulness.
Growing up in the rural village of Mjøndalen, dance music influences were scarce, and no, there was never any Diskoklubb there. Not a lot of obscure disco or acid house in his milk either. However, during the early/mid nineties dance culture sneaked it way into even the most remote parts of Norway, thanks to the popularity of acts like the Prodigy and national radio stations filling prime time slots with underground jocks Olle Abstract and Pål Strangefruit Nyhus. On the more personal level, Terjes sister was a close friend of the late Tore Erot Kroknes, and the tapes she brought home to the young Terje became a major source of inspiration. Playing around in his early teens on a crap PC together with his mate Dølle Jølle, Terje made his first attempts on house and jungle, which they played from cassette tapes on junior high school-dances. Maybe too young for old music back then, Terje reckoned that disco was all a bit silly - until Bjørn Torskes Sexy Disco caught his ears in 1999.
Training to become a pianist Terje enrolled at a local music school, but to his disappointment there wasnt much jazz being taught there. Gradually leaving the musical career path, he later moved on to studying physics at the University of Oslo. Although not longer aspiring to become a pianist, he was by no means over music. In 2001 Terje got in touch with Prins Thomas, who was at the time working at HS Records in Oslo. Thomas soon recognized his potential, and helped pushing Terje in the right directions. Oslo is a small place where like minded folks tend to join forces, and with his thorough musical understanding and nerdy like interest in old and new records spanning from that new Idjut Boys 12 to experimental synth bands very few of us have ever heard of, he soon became one of the key players on the Oslo electronic disco scene. Besides working on his own projects, Terjes played on some of Prins Thomas tracks, and not to mention his remix of the Lindstrøm 12 Another Station.
Is it house, funk, techno or disco? Terje is speaks of catchy rhythms, dubby sounds, dreamy synth layers, cinematic moods, a playful approach and searching for that one nerve when asked to describe his music, and the resistance to being pigeonholed is obvious. His next ambition is to make a concept album ala Voyages first around-the-world release, if he can find time between other projects, studies and DJ gigs. Terje has already played around Europe, and is looking forward to gigs in Japan and NYC this summer. I both like playing big room/macho style, but at the same time its the girls I play for really. So I guess its a mixture of high octane, leather homo-disco done up with mambo, coconuts and lipstick. Definitely one to look out for
STEVE KOTEY
“Milk and two sugars, please!” A sentence every tea boy loves to hear. Back in the days this was classic position for every youngling who wanted to make his way into the music recording industry. It must have been the same for the man like Stevie Kotey in his tender years. While working for Audio One Studios in Soho, London, he learnt his trade from scratch and his belief in being part of the music industry was cemented. Lucky us! Since then, Stevie Kotey has been on the forefront of British underground dance music in all the various shapes, forms and sizes, you can only imagine and wish for. Brought up in a time, where definitions, scenes and sounds were looser than today, this man managed to remain a free spirit.
Be it during the nineties with the wonderful trio Akwaaba (together with Paul ‘Mudd’ Murphy and Tom Lee) and their organic take on all things disco or on his own with one of his charming disguises like Afrobutt, Darkfader or Big Bear; the later one being also the name of Kotey’s initial label. Picking up the echelon and the blades of traditional edit smithies like Black Cock or Noid, Big Bear was the place that cherished the art of a creative (insert disco, balearic, cosmic, pop here) edit in dry times. Infected with and influenced by the anything-goes-as-long-as-it-flows aesthetics by disc jockeys like the surfing DJ Harvey and his first disciples, the notorious Idjut Boys, Kotey developed an impressive style of his own and an exciting label conglomerate.
Under the Bear Entertainment umbrella, kids like Bear Funk and Hairy Claw rapidly grew up and it was there, where a wider audience heard names like Todd Terje, DJ Kent, Prins Thomas & Lindstrom, Brennan Green, Michoacan or Lexx for the first time. Extremely well packaged and mastered, the Bear labels are handled with that special care that every vinyl outfit should get. On top of that, our main man was never a lazy one, when it came to his own original productions or remixes. Always dipping and diving into all things nice, Stevie Kotey never ceased to amaze with his sheer versatility. His aforementioned education led to musical merits that could be house music as well as electro or rocky disco takes on other days. You can spend a rainy afternoon on Discogs going through his efforts in this field.
While doing so, chances are second to none that you miss his connection to the mighty Chicken Lips. Dean Meredith and Andy Meecham listened to Kotey’s Dj skills one night and decided that this man sounded exactly like they were hoping to. Glitzy disco balls, drum machines, current cub sounds, electro funk and dubby sounds of all sorts, all come to live, when this man steps behind the tables that turn.
Being the chilled and home-loving mates they are, Stevie was taken on board as a DJ and eventually production partner which resulted in a fabulous DJ-Kicks compilation for !K7. Between catering his sounds to Europe’s and the UK’s hippest spots or far-off places like Japan and honing his dexterity more and more, Kotey is one of the lovely key-players of today’s leftfield disco scene and 2008 will be busier than ever for him. The long-awaited label compilation Rools for Rules (mixed by Kotey and DJ Kent), Disco Italia (rare Italion boogie and disco funk) for the re-animated Strut platform and his first artist album in years based on a whole week of live drum recordings in different tempos are finally in the pipeline.
A true bear knows no hibernation. Roooooooar!
GEORGE DEMURE
Descendant of an infamous Scottish folk singer, George spent 10 busy years at the forefront of Scotland’s electronic music scene before moving to London in 2002. Essentially to further pursue his passion for music, this move prompted a rediscovery of his love for guitars as well as discovering his warm and elegant singing voice.
Equally adept behind a bank of drum machines as he is with acoustic guitars and tambourines, George’s songs demonstrate an obsessive love of music, from Charlie Feathers to Lee Perry, Throbbing Gristle to Otis Redding - and his ability to weave a very particular lyrical slant in his music owes much to his love of literature.
Having made his live debut supporting Colder at London’s Bush Hall in May 2005, George has attracted a growing number of admirers with live performances at Glastonbury 2005, the Tank Magazine party at the ICA, Koko (Camden Palace), his own spectacular show at Shoreditch’s Legion in association with Dummy Magazine, supporting Whitey at the Tank Magazine party at London’s ICA, a show stopping performance at Output’s Sonar party in Barcelona in 2006 as well his various intimate musical evenings at some of London’s finer drinking establishments.
George Demure was first featured on Output Recordings Channel 4 Compilation in 2005 with his classic New Confrontation. His single “The Main Attraction”, the last ever release on Output, was released in September 2006. His critically acclaimed remixes of Spektrum and Freddie Mercury, released at the end of 2006, still reverberate in the cooler clubs whilst his 5 track EP for Tirk Recordings (sporting a fabulous re-work of “New Confrontation”) is receiving stunning reviews (see press section of website) before its imminent release. And Djing? He continues to entertain discerning club goers and pub lovers with his fabulous, unpredictable, highly skilled blend of sound and styles that screams… “I LOVE MUSIC”.
KATHY DIAMOND
Kathy Diamond is a singer/songwriter, who lives in Brighton - originally from Sheffield in the north of England. Her love for soul and disco started at an early age, dancing around the living room to Donna Summer with her mum - the singing came later. As a child she was always imaginative and loved to write poetry, dress-up, and perform, which became great practice for her later career.
In the early 90s Kathy decided to write songs and sing them herself, working with different bands, DJs and producers along the way. In 2002 Kathy wrote a song with house producers SWAG called’ Miracles just might’ – a laidback Balearic classic. Originally to be included on their album, however circumstances changed so Kathy decided to release the song herself. Kathy pressed up a limited amount of white labels, and distributed it, which was quite a task. The track received great reviews - DJ Magazine said: “If you like sweet beauty in your house music keep your eyes peeled because it’s only going to get a limited release”.
Within a month another 12" was released, this time on the Cottage label (Idjut Boys) with the legendary producer Maurice Fulton. The track called 'Sunshine' received huge plaudits from the music media, and started a magical collaboration. In 2007 Kathy’s debut album’ MISS DIAMOND TO YOU’ with Maurice Fulton on production, and was received globally with open arms, the reviews were the best yet, from XLR8R, Pitchfork, The Village Voice and The New York Sun, to name but a few.
After spending 2007 performing the album live around Europe and the UK, Kathy is now looking forward to another busy year. The first half will see releases with Toby Tobias-'The Feeling’ (REKIDS), Lo-Motion Disco -'Love, Love, Love' – Soft Rocks Feat Kathy Diamond Remix (Eskimo Records), Aeroplane Feat Kathy Diamond-'Whispers'(Eskimo Records), Maxi Skiba Feat Kathy Diamond -'Never stop believing', Codebreaker Feat Kathy Diamond -'Fire', plus a special edition 12" with Soft Rocks. Later in the year will see the release of Kathy's second album, Another collection of real song based tracks coming together with co-writer/guitarist Keeling Lee (ex Groove Armada), and using some of the top disco and house producers on the planet – watch this space..
PADDED CELL
Having won notoriety as a Bronx Dog (Heavenly) and a Dirty Beatnik (Wall of Sound) respectively, Padded Cell came about in 2002, partly as a response to the conservatism of early millennium dance music but also to act as a conduit through which they could conduct and realize their most outlandish ideas.
Originally let loose in order to remix Big Two Hundreds Let it Bleed, their first full scale release came in the Autumn of 2005 with Signal Failure, a prowling slab of sub aqua freak funk that reached like an ESP projection from within the Cell to the darkest corners of the dance floor.
With a sound that draws from sources as diverse as Goblin, The Velvet Underground, Arthur Russell, Prince, Carl Craig and label boss J Saul Kane, analogue fetishism and creeping psychosis are key themes, as is a need to create something that is both honest and unique.
It is their intent to fashion a sound that is soulful and emotional, yet also dark and narcotic; something that can be understood simultaneously by the head and the heart, getting under the skin in different ways. Rather than seeking to fit into a pre-existing niche, its about creating an idiosyncratic sound that is peculiar to their respective personalities and reflective of their combined experience.
A shared history as club deejays and producers means that even the most mind bending elements of their sound are conducted through dance floor focused channels; disco breaks and rolling percussion combining with menacing synth work outs, electro sensibilities and live instrumentation to create an unholy brew that has been described variously as dark-disco, goth-disco-rock, and perhaps most tellingly of all, devils-disco.
The Padded Cell inhabit a hinterland between many worlds and it is there that they conduct their alchemical experiments, the experiments that draw the listener into shadows with whispers and opaque promises; follow your ears and Youll find yourself trapped within.
RICHARD SEN (PADDED CELL)
Richard Sen now runs his own label “Mixed Blood” and all Bronx Dogs singles will be released on it. It is distributed through Word And Sound in Germany. Richard also records under the name ‘Padded Cell’ with Neil Beatnik and will be releasing on Eskimo Recs.
Richard received a nomination for the Best New DJ at the Muzik Awards 1998
Sen's love of electro went hand in hand with the more illicit tagging and graffiti artist painting of trains in London in the 'mid 1980's. He has subsequently used this talent in creating cover artwork for Sabres Of Paradise (Theme and Smokebelch), Heavenly Records and Wall Of Sound Recordings alongside backdrops for several clubs.
Moving on to DJ'ing by 1989, his first sets were a mixture of hip-hop, disco and early house at the Crazy Club at The Astoria and The Limelight. In the early nineties he regularly played the mad Sign Of The Times parties and guested at such highly regarded clubs as Sabresonic at Happy Jax and Bloodsugar. From 1996-1997 he co-ran the Fun Gallery at The Clinic in Chinatown, operating an eclectic music policy ranging from electro and techno to hip-hop and house. The night lasted a year, during which he also played a monthly residency at Disgraceland in Islington.
In '97, Richard and then partner Paul Eve, collectively known as BRONX DOGS released the critically acclaimed singles 'Tribute to Jazzy Jay' (Kontraband) and 'Madame Mars' (Heavenly). The next couple of years saw the release of two more singles on Marble Bar records, 'The Weya Funk' and 'Mixed Blood'; a huge tune that blew critics away and consolidated their position as one of the most cutting edge new dance acts around.
A compilation album of all their work to date, 'Three Legged Funk' was released on Heavenly in June 2000 to great critical acclaim.
Richard has remixed, Big 200 (Chicken Lips) [2003], Lamb, Regular Fries, Headrillaz, Newcleus, Saint Etienne, Wamdue Project, Jungle Brothers, Sugarhill Gang and Sizzla to name a few.
2001 saw a change of sound for the Dogs with the single 'Enviro' taken from their debut album of the same name, becoming a leftfield breaks classic. The album was released in April 2001 on Marble Bar and received healthy responses from both underground press and DJs.
2002 saw Paul Eve depart and Richard start the year compiling 'Powercuts' for the Obsessive 'Abstract Funk Theory' series paying homage to his misspent youth with 12 cuts of raw electro power. His taste and knowledge is proven by the album becoming 'compilation of the week' in 7 magazine. The Bronx Dogs single “Can’t be funky” ft Sam Lynham was released on Illicit recs in December with excellent reviews in Jockey Slut, Wire and Update.
2003, and Richard teams up with Neil Beatnik to record under the name PADDED CELL. A remix for Big 200 (Chicken Lips) on DC Recs receives amazing reactions. He then decides to set up his own label “Mixed Blood Recs”.
2004 sees the first release on Mixed Blood being the last Bronx Dogs single “Prepare to Qualify”, also featuring a Padded Cell remix. Padded Cell continue where the dogs left off and remix Stratus on Klein Recs (Oct 04) and have a debut single “Picadilly Line Strut/Take you down” on the cool Eskimo recs (Nov 04).
Richard continues to play his style of leftfield sounds and grooves at clubs such as Fabric and 333 in London and most recently the TDK Cross Central Festival. He also plays across Europe, Australia, Brazil and South Africa.
THE TROJAN SOUNDSYSTEM
Formed in 2004 to represent the Trojan label in England and throughout the World, the Soundsystem has already had hugely successful shows as a single entity and with the greatest names in reggae.
The Sound System comprises Selectors Earl Gateshead and Daddy Ad. Earl Gateshead began Djing in Brixton in 1979, worked as selector and MC with Cutty Ranks, Big Youth, Dr Alimantado, and Dennis Alcapone. His reggae nights at Plastic People have received worldwide recognition. Currently, Earl is regular reggae guest DJ at Fabric on Saturdays, Londons largest and most successful nightclub. Daddy Ad comes from Roots and Reality Soundsystem and has worked with Gregory Isaacs Tappa Zukie and Anthony Gunshot Johnson. He has a background as a successful drummer and is also responsible for the sound systems sound effects. Vocalists include: Brother Culture, Superfour, Chuckie Banton as well as legendary Trojan recording artists. The Sound Systems vocalists all have Twenty years experience as members of the great South London Sound Systems, Twelve Tribes, Taurus, Jah Revelation, Sir Coxsone and Saxon. They have been chosen as the absolute cream of Londons reggae entertainers. Special guests including Lee Perry, Dr Alimantado,Tippa Irie, Dennis Alcapone, Horace Andy and Gregory Isaacs have all worked with the Sound System.
SOFT ROCKS
Soft Rocks are musical enigmas from a mysterious twilight world full of secrecy and mayhem in equal measures. They play an eclectic mix of music from rock to house, Afro to boogie, reggae to disco, then onto another dimension…Releases on their Soft Rocks Recordings, Disco Powerplay and Chocolate Love labels have caused an underground tremor, expect a lot more very soon…
SEAN P
Groove aficionado, Sean P. has been a familiar face on the London music scene since the ’80s, most noticeably behind the counters of some of the city’s leading collectors’ record shops. Within the dance music scene, Sean is famous for his encyclopaedic knowledge of soul, funk, disco, boogie, rare groove, jazz-funk and jazz. Bill Brewster, co-author of the book ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’, described Sean as someone he would call if ‘I ever had a question or something I was not sure about’.
Thanks to his “Black Music Oracle” reputation, Sean has contributed rare source material and/or sleevenotes for various re-issue projects from companies such as Castle, Charly, Beechwood, Ace, Produce, BBE, Harmless, Obsessive, React and Strut. He has also assisted with articles for Record Collector magazine. Sean has co-compiled several successful albums with long-time friend and disco don Dave Lee (Joey Negro). For BBE the two started the highly regarded ‘Disco Spectrum’ series. These albums have been plundered by many sample happy dance music producers, to the point that almost every track on Volume 1 has been used as the back bone for a club hit. ‘Disco Spectrum’ is now up to its third instalment, while the two seminal ‘Disco (Not Disco)’ LPs – which featured punk disco from the likes of The Clash, Yoko Ono and Ian Dury, are regarded as genre-defining. Not wanting to be pigeon-holed, Sean more recently put together a spaced-out jazz compilation called ‘Stargazer’ for HarmlessNo stranger to the studio himself, Sean contributed a disco-flavoured mix of a Chicago house classic (New Deep Society’s ‘Warehouse’) back in 1993. A track he made for Marble Bar Records in 1999 (’Tenement Rock’) has just been re-mixed and re-issued by The Wiseguys on Southern Fried; and is enjoying a new lease of life in clubland.
Sean is also highly respected for his re-edits of rare disco gems (like ‘Hungry’ by Sandy’s Gang, issued in 2004 on Tirk), which have been greatly appreciated by an ever-growing number of DJs who are discovering (or re-discovering) the hidden treasures of ’70s and early ’80s dance music.
Influenced by the London-based pirate radio stations of the early ’80s, including Invicta, LWR and (pre-legal) Kiss FM, Sean went on to co-present radio shows for Kiss and GLR. During recent years he’s been increasingly approached to DJ at various club nights throughout the country, something he’s now looking to do, following a series of appearances at some of the best underground parties in London. He has also moved into the specialist field of audio restoration, utilising the Cedar Audio system. Recent clients include Whatmusic, Trunk Records and legendary club DJ, Greg Wilson.
SECRET STEALTH
If you’ve not heard of Secret Stealth, don’t go thinking you’ve been the punch line of some elaborate anti-marketing joke, as though their name has been in any way applied to their promotional campaign. They’ve been around since 2004, creating some of the smoothest beats this side of the boxing ring. Their debut 2005 U.K. release--the lovingly titled Ted Rogers EP (Bocajito), dedicated to the late and great dexterous “3-2-1” host himself--was popular with many DJs, providing a diverse platter of music that ranged from multi-layered instrumental hip-hop beats to warm acid house.
Comprising of Nottingham, U.K.-natives Jim Baron and Bob Sadler, Secret Stealth began as a way of dusting off the sampler and rediscovering their love for the dusty, asthma-inducing pastime that is record digging. Jim Baron-–also known as Ron Basejam via anagram shenanigans (anagramigans?)--you may recognise as one half of the founding members of Crazy P, while Bob Sadler enjoys confusing people with his many aliases such as Fug, Waxploitation and Fram. Combined, their remix work spans Terry Callier, Salif Keita, Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, A Man Called Adam and Jason Mraz.
What followed the Ted Rogers EP was an inevitable album. Ssshhh! was released in 2005 on Bocajito Records in England to critical acclaim, making iDJ’s album of the month and one of their Top 10 Albums of 2005. The lead single from the album, “Dream of You,” was play listed on BBC Radio London for three months and a live appearance on the Robert Elms show followed. This radio session led to a full live show being put together. In 2005 they took the live show to the road, culminating in a main stage appearance at Groove Armada’s Lovebox Weekender.
In March 2007 Secret Stealth followed with their sophomore LP, the wholesome Mince & Onions. Kicking off with what sounds like a take on the Ohio Players’ “Love Rollercoaster,” “Drive Me Crazy” is an infectious head-nodding groove featuring the convincingly emotional vocals of Holly Backler. “High Riser” is a deceptive, driving, disco dream that should keep dancefloors busy for a while. Elsewhere, a number of different genres are touched on: “Wacky Backy” represents Stealth’s first foray into drum & bass, while “Just Say Yes” is an exploration into the realms of cosmic disco currently inhabited by artists like Lindstrom and Prins Thomas.
Type of Label: None