Rest In Peace Quincy Jones
Salute to a true giant of music
Welcome back! Three editions in the past month, I’m on a roll. Feels good to be back sharing my thoughts and experiences via this newsletter. A few of you will already be aware that I enjoy the freedom of this space, with no gatekeepers telling me their readers won’t be into my ideas, or that they don’t have the budget etc… No shade intended, but it is very nice to have an idea (or several ideas) and to be able to just get them out there without pitching to someone.
With that in mind, this edition is a mixed bag, with a little bit on Quincy Jones, my gratitude for the life I live, a rundown of mixes I’ve been enjoying, links to some recent pieces I’ve written and a nod to some forthcoming bits I’ve been working on for the newsletter.
As always, feedback and communication are very welcome and encouraged. Shares, likes etc… also appreciated. If there’s anything you’d like to see more of, or less of, on my newsletter, I’m also open to suggestions…
Quincy Jones RIP
I couldn’t really do a newsletter at this time without paying my respects to Quincy Jones, or Quincy Delight Jones Jr. as he was named at birth. I have a habit of calling people “legend” and I’m aware that it’s a word that is overused and I can sometimes use it flippantly, but in this case, Quincy truly is the epitome of the word. A LEGEND, in so many ways. I won’t claim to be an expert on his entire body of work, but I know enough to say that he is one of the greats of the modern age.
He clearly had innate gifts: composition, production, guidance, mentoring, inspiration… A heart of gold, so it seems, too, and a good humoured nature that made him lovable, warm and the kind of person that could light you up with their energy. A lot of us see him as a gift from the universe/higher power/God/whatever you want to call it. He came here for a purpose, and he lived his life driven by that purpose solidly for many many years.
When you look at his achievements, the music he was involved with, the artists he elevated, the depth and energy of what he created… it’s very very special.
I was very fortunate to catch him at the O2 in June 2018 - special thanks to my man Yousif Nur for the invite to that. He worked with Jules Buckley and his orchestra to perform a series of his best known records with a lineup of performers that included the mighty Paul Weller, Mick Hucknall, Beverley Knight, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson and more. He was also interviewed on stage for the show, which celebrated his 85th birthday. Callous as it may sound, but when these heritage acts come to town, it’s important to make an effort to catch them, as you never know whether it will be the last time you see them.
The documentary, Quincy, that was released in 2018 is essential viewing, if you haven’t seen it, and make sure you have a good dig into his vast catalogue. It’s not just Off The Wall with Michael Jackson, or Give Me The Night with George Benson, but a whoooollllle lot more. Almost endless. I’ll be doing exactly that myself, so I can have a better understanding of what he did.
I saw Roses Gabor post on Instagram saying “I have no doubt you did exactly what you arrived here to do”. I couldn’t agree more.
What a legacy.
Gratitude For A Privileged Life
I was at fabric (again) the other day for a night curated around Scuba’s Not A Diving Podcast. I got chatting to Andy Blackett’s partner Mariah and shared with her how often I have to pinch myself living this life I have. She suggested I write a piece about it, so here we are.
Like most people who are music lovers, this has been a lifelong passion for me. Since my prepubescent years I’ve been committed to music, through dancehall, hip hop, jungle/DnB, garage, RnB, dubstep, grime, UK funky, house, techno and tons and tons of other styles: from new wave and synth pop, to reggae, screamo, indie, funk, soul, punk and much much more. It’s always been there. A fact I always share is that my Mum played music to me when I was in her womb and, to be fair, even if she wasn’t playing it directly to me, I know for certain I would have been picking up the vibrations because, like me, she always has music playing. I made a book for her 60th birthday and got her brothers and sisters to write her messages. One of her sisters said she was always the one who’d spend all her wages on records every month. The apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree sometimes.
A Life In
Working In Music Wasn’t My Original Dream
Funny thing is, I never had the ambition to work in music. At school, my original dream job was architect - although work experience at an architect’s office quickly put me off that route. Then I wanted to be a graphic designer. I never considered a job in music as an option, it was just something I loved deeply. At uni I did a course called Cultural & Media Studies. Unsure about what I wanted to do but determined to go to university and get a degree, I opted for course that was general but sounded interesting with a few different avenues available for exploration. In my third year, one of my tutors suggested journalism as something I should look into and I managed to get work experience at two of my favourite ladsmags - Loaded and FRONT. Before I knew it, I was a full-time journalist straight out of uni going to model agency parties, interviewing hot women and celebrities, partying up the West End at swanky clubs and generally having experiences that I’d aspired to have when I was a student.
Some of my earliest pieces of published writing included music reviews, but I still wasn’t aware that it could be a career path for me. I interviewed the rapper Necro, while I was freelancing at FRONT, and started getting sent promo CDs from a few PR companies. While working at the Daily Sport in Manchester I interviewed a few musicians, including Marshall Jefferson. By that point I had consciously decided against pursuing a music journalism career, thinking it would end up with me feeling jaded about my biggest passion. But, during my second stint at The Sun in 2010, I got encouraged to write about music by my editor Carl Stroud, who’d worked at Mixmag back in the day, and recognised my passion for it. So, besides all the celebrity gossip and commentary I was writing, I began doing features on (mostly) grime and dubstep artists, going out to gigs, seeking out new talent and beginning to discover that writing about music could be a viable career option. Connecting with managers, artists and PRs while attending events at venues like Notting Hill Arts Club (Mike Posner), Earl’s Court (deadmau5), Hard Rock Cafe (Editors) and many others really amplified my love for music. Especially exciting for me was discovering and supporting new acts. I say this all the time, because I’m very proud of it, and I’ll say it again here, Ed Sheeran was someone I really got behind in the earlier stages of his career. I saw his freestyle on SBTV (RIP Jamal) and I absolutely had to feature him on the SunOnline somehow. Over the course of six months, I wrote about Ed, and met him, numerous times, culminating in his first ever piece of national press in print.
In September 2010, while still at The Sun, I went to Ibiza and that changed everything for me. I heard Seth Troxler play ‘Plastic Dreams’ by Jaydee in Space and that was a key moment that inspired me to pursue a career as a music journalist. Since then, it’s been a 14-year odyssey of music-fuelled adventures and experiences, traveling all over the world, raving, writing, supporting various artists, clubs and labels and meeting a long list of inspiring characters.
I’ve shared this potted history of my life/career so far because I want to give some background to what I’m about to write. Going back to the conversation I had with Mariah the other week, it still astounds me that I get to do this for a living and that the life I have created for myself gives me access to people who have been pivotal to my own musical journey, and wider music culture. For instance, in September I attended a surprise party for Fabio’s 60th. Now, Fabio is someone who I listened to religiously for about 10 years, from the age of 14. Same with Grooverider. Their Kiss FM and Radio 1 shows were vital for me, when I was growing up. Fast forward to a couple of months ago and there I was at his 60th birthday party, by invite of his partner Charlotte Devaney (who I knew from my time at The Sun, as she’s an ex-glamour model). Being in the room with legends like Jumpin’ Jack Frost, DJ Hype, Colin Dale, Mr. C, Ratpack and loads more was surreal. Even more so because a lot of them know me. I’ve had intimate time with a lot of these artists through interviewing them, and now I can walk up to them and have a little chat. Blows my mind that I get to be in those kind of spaces.
Interviews Galore
Over the years I’ve interviewed hundreds of people, pioneers like George Clinton, Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rodgers, garage legends Todd Edwards, DJ Spoony, Karl “Tuff Enuff” Brown, DnB heroes Bryan Gee, Andy C, DJ Krust, techno icons Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Sven Vath, Eddie Fowlkes and Carl Craig (who I keep in touch with to this day), house giants Larry Heard, Teddy Douglas, through to Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Craig Richards, Cassy and so many more men and women who’ve been pivotal to the development and evolution of the music I love. Not forgetting all the managers, agents, PRs, club owners and bookers, journalists and so on, who I’ve also met and hung out with. I’ve worked for labels like Metroplex, Real Tone, Defected, Afterlife and more. Eddie Richards invited me to his house and, I think I may be the first journalist who’s ever been there… We’ve been trying to arrange a return visit, purely on a more personal tip this time. This is not to boast at all, it’s just humbling and amazing to reflect, and realise that the choices I’ve made in life have led to me becoming part of the thing that has been critical to my life in so many ways.
That whole worry of becoming jaded with music has definitely come true at times. Like anything in life, occasionally we can get disillusioned with things and music (the business) can grind you down, no doubt. To be frank, I often feel undervalued in this game and I have looked into getting out several times over the past few years. Being off the scene for the last few years, post-Covid, I felt detached from everything and “forgotten about”. Being back out there has renewed my love for it, for the moment. But, generally, there does seem to be some kick back against the onward march of corporates and, while clubs are clearly suffering and there is a downturn, I sense a return to the basics is on the horizon and that’s exciting for me. As I commented on an Insta post recently, “DIY culture is the lifeblood of our cities and towns”. This is something I will be investigating more, again with a view to supporting lesser known people and scenes/collectives.
Though, yes, I have been jaded at times, I do love my life for the most part. The fact that I’ve been away for most of the last few years, and I’ve been able to just step back in and reconnect with people, and the culture itself, is very encouraging.
Inspiration at the Warehouse
I was at Warehouse Project last Friday for Up Ya Archives. I interviewed the HiTech guys from Detroit for Mixmag back in August and made a promise to them that I’d go to one of their shows when they came back to the UK. So WHP it was… During their performance I was right at the front and I met this young British-Asian lad who was a mega JME fan. He asked me who I’d come to see, so I pointed at HiTech on stage, then went on to explain that I’d interviewed them etc… And showed him a pic of us post-interview. He was really impressed and we had a good chat about various things music-related, he asked me loads of questions about what I do. His passion was infectious, he’s 18 and went to Warehouse Project on his own to see Casisdead. A couple of hours later I’m on stage and he’s still in the front row. We had a brilliant moment where he spotted me and we had this funny exchange of gestures.
Experiences like that are priceless, and remind me how lucky I am to have access to backstage, green room etc… I try not to ever take it for granted, always maintaining gratitude because, no matter how often you get an AAA pass, you should never forget what a privilege it is to be there. At one time, all of us were that lad in the front row, keen as mustard to see our favourite artist on stage. Now some of us get to be on stage, or at a private party with them, or at their house meeting their family and pets. For all the difficulties we can experience in music, I think it’s important to remember how lucky we are sometimes… I definitely do. Teenage me would cream his pants if he knew what the future had in store for him.
Mixes I’ve Been Rinsing
Sharing music is equally as important to me as listening to it, maybe even more so. I love DJing, I love sending people tunes or enthusiastically posting them on my Instagram page, or sharing mixes here in my newsletter. So here are a few mixes that have been keeping me company over the past month or so:
Armand Van Helden B2B Jackmaster - Boiler Room
So, I was at this Boiler Room and it’s every bit as amazing to listen back to as it was to be there. I remember Jack was feeling pretty nervous about going b2b with one of his heroes, but he did such an amazing job and you can see how impressed Armand was with his selections. My ex partner and I bumped into Armand before their set and told him to pinch Jack’s bum, as we thought Jack would find it funny. I don’t think he did it in the end, but it made Armand laugh (nervously). Watching Jack in action really demonstrates his brilliance as a DJ; selection and technical ability are top tier.
Jackmaster Boiler Room Glasgow
Another Jackmaster special. When he dropped ‘Groove La Chord’ by Aril Brikha as the second track, I was all IN. Listened to this many many times before and since Jack’s passing. Those Jackmaster T-shirts are iconic, too. Love to the Glasgow family. RIP Jack.
Steffi at Dekmantel Ten
I saw clips of this on Steffi’s Instagram and commented that I was GUTTED not to have been there. A few weeks later this recording dropped and (kinda) compensated for missing out on experiencing the set in person. Almost three hours of Steffi whipping up a storm. Personal highlight: Scotti Deep’s ‘Brooklyn Beats (Pulse 2 Rhythm Mix)’, among lots of others. But this tune… you really have to experience it in person on a proper system - HUGE. Great set, as always, from Steffi.
Eddie Richards - 'Mastermix' for Colin Faver Kiss FM show Jan 91
This is pure gold from start to finish. Hard to explain how excited I get about this recording. I LOVE IT. Timeless music from a truly golden era mixed seamlessly by one of the pioneers. RIP Colin Faver.
Ame & Dixon - Awakenings Festival Holland - 27.06.2009
Pretty sure I’ve posted this before but have to share it again. I mentioned this set to my friend Henny and her mate David when I was in Amsterdam the other week, and immediately gave it a rinse when I got home. Recorded a few years before they’d fully developed the Innervisions sound, this set blends together some late 2000s classics with older cuts like ‘Morel’s Groove’ by George Morel and ‘The Bounce’ by KenLou. The last tune is simply *chef’s kiss*.
DomSpreadlove N MC Creed Gass Live Oct 95
Every now and then I go on a massive garage flex and my latest dive happened a couple of weeks. Dominic Spreadlove was a pioneer with his residency at the Gass Club and I’m so so glad recordings like this one are in existence. The only downsides are 1) I want to buy every single tune I hear in these sets and 2) I can’t bloody find most of them…. Shazam ain’t Shazamming most of these gems.
Lee Burridge b2b Matthew Dekay live All Day I Dream BPM 2015
Impeccable mix from these two masters. What I like about this one is that it dips into darker, techy territory at times - for instance, Julian Perez’s ‘Forgotten Symphony’ (which I bought on vinyl after hearing it on this mix). Good amount of variation, brilliant transitions and that ‘Tides Of Fortune’ tune by Death On The Balcony at around 32 mins… JEEZ.
Old School House n Garage Mix - Spreadlove-"96" SundayNight-The Gass Club After Party Funky Dee pt 1 "Free download"
The guy who posted this says he recorded it at a post-Gass Club after party when he was 16. If that’s true, amazing… I’ve played this mix more than any other over the last couple of weeks. Classic after classic, mixed well and finishes all too soon. He put this up as ‘Pt 1’ 12 years ago and there’s no ‘Pt 2’ to be seen anywhere. Sad times.
Some Recent Work Bits
My journalism work has taken second place to copywriting these days, but I still keep my hand in from time to time. So here are a few recent bits I wanted to share…
Artist Of The Month: Flowdan (Beatportal)
Loved handling this one, being a fan of Flowdan’s since the early 2000s. Back when I was rinsing Sidewinder CDs and grime was still basically considered “dark garage”. Now he’s a Grammy-winning artist. It was a pleasure chatting with him and it was nice that my fanboy questioning and general non-judgmental demeanour brought out his relaxed side.
Read it here.
Q&A: HiTech (Mixmag)
These guys absolutely cracked me up during our interview. Especially King Milo, who was the most vocal of the three. As I mentioned above, I promised the guys I’d catch them when they came back to the UK and I did just that this past weekend when I headed up to Manchester for Warehouse Project. They really appreciated that I kept my word. Please make sure you listen to the mix AND their Boiler Room in Chicago, it’s off the chain.
Read it here.
“Self-taught and self-built”: DJ Petchy’s Soul Sure is part of the backbone of London’s party scene (Mixmag)
This is something I’m aiming to do more often - writing pieces that focus on lesser-known/underreported parties and promoters. London is such a big place and there are so many parties that fly under the media radar. I think it’s really important to report on these events because, as the piece states, they’re the backbone of the city’s scene. Run by locals, attended by locals. Petchy is an absolute charmer and a brilliant DJ. We were supposed to do something with RA a few years ago but it fell through, so I’m glad to have finally got him some of the shine he deserves.
Read it here.
Your guide to building or buying a home DJ booth (Pioneer - The Bridge)
Really enjoyed putting this together. There’s a large commnunity of enthusiastic booth makers out there and it was enlightening to tap into the Facebook group and get lots of insight into building/modifying a home DJ booth. On top of that, I spoke to three company owners who create beautiful booths to order. I don’t have the funds to do anything like this myself at the moment, but I will 100% be referencing this piece when I do.
Read it here.
Forthcoming…
Before I sign off for this edition, I wanted to let you all know that I have a few long-form interviews to publish on here. I actually feel bad because I conducted most of them way back at the beginning of the year, but I wasn’t in the right headspace to get them transcribed and edited, so apologies to those I interviewed. They WILL be published very soon… I’m really excited to get these interviews out there, as they’re all with fascinating people.
Part of me was hesitant to publish them too - worried that people might not want to invest time in reading longer-form interviews. But I’m going to put them out there anyway. Writing is my preferred format and I hope that most of you who follow my newsletter will be open to longer reads… ? I have some plans for podcasts (three different ideas actually) but finding the time to get those up and running is proving to be quite difficult, so we’ll see. For now, hold tight, some brilliant interviews with brilliant people coming very soon. Four interviews across four weeks…
One More Tune!
Can’t help myself, here’s one last tune for this edition.
Heard this on a mix years ago, managed to get it ID’d somehow. Bought it, played it a bit. Then forgot about it. For at least eight years. A few months ago I had a faint memory of it materialise in my brain… Not the exact tune, but the mood, beats and atmosphere. I half-remembered the artist’s name so then I spent waaaayyyy longer than I would have liked trying to find the tune among the thousands and thousands I have in my iTunes. Not fun, but I had a very happy face when I finally tracked it down. It’s playing now as I type, hence sharing it here now. Enjoy!