Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis – I Feel Love In This Room Tonight Delfonics – Ready Or Not Brenton Wood – You Better Believe It The Fifth Dimension – Magic In My Life Terry Callier – Just As Long We‘re In Love Johnny Bristol – You And I Bobby Womack – How Could You Break My Heart Vaneese & Carolyn – The Goodbye Song Dionne Warwick – Move Me No Mountain Johnny Mathis/Deniece Williams – Emotion The Five Stairsteps – Oooh Child Brenda & The Tabulations – One Girl Too Late Limmie Funk LTD – Can‘t Turn You Loose David Porter – I‘m Afraid The Masquerade Is Over Al Wilson – Show And Tell Tal Armstrong – You‘ve Got So Much Feeling Bobby Moore – Anything Man Tyrone Davis – I Just Can’t Keep On Going Jay Dee – I Can‘t Let You Go Carol Williams – You‘re So Much A Part Of Me The Miracles – Do It Baby Al Johnson – I’m Back For More Love Affair – Can‘t Stop Loving You Buddy Miles – We Got Love Patterson Twins – I Need Your Love Love Committee – Heaven Only Knows Thelma Jones – You’re The Song Lamont Dozier – Take Off Your Make-Up Lou Courtney – I Don‘t Need Nobody Else Mahana – She Really Needs Love Almeta Lattimore – These Memories Spinners – One Of A Kind Love Affair Greg Perry – One For The Road John Edwards – Tin Man Crystal Clear – Stay With Me Woods Empire – Universal Love Day Break – Everything Man Johnny Bristol – Hang On In There Baby Bobby Reed – The Time Is Right For Love Labi Siffre – My Song
Over the 80s and 90s I spent a lot of time per week digging through a tiny store called Plattenkiste in my hometown of Kiel, up North in Germany. The store was rammed with stacks of records, filthy paperbacks, VHS tapes and video games. It was all completely unsorted, and whenever they did their regular flea market stints, they just rearranged it all back randomly and you had to start all over again. The store was operated by a family business, a couple and their daughter, and neither of whom had even a vague interest in what they were selling, nor any knowledge. The only music playing was an oldie radio station, constantly. They bought record collections from local DJs, Danish libraries and any private person in need of money. Every record in the store then cost 2 Deutschmarks, regardless of format, and later 2 Euros. It was a total goldmine, where I found a good deal of my record collection, and even if it now has dried up compared to its former glory days, I still find bargains there whenever I go back to visit family and old friends.
One of the finds with the most impact on me has to be “Ruff Disco Volume One” by Nature Boy, which was released on NYC based Black Label in 1992, and which I discovered in the store a year later, probably left there by some local DJ in search of some funky House tunes for the rather commercial clubs of the town. Given that purpose, this particular record was really bound to fail. Apart from myself I never hear it played in clubs for years to come. Disco actually was the theme throughout, and its samples mainly shared the same heritage used in the freestyle based releases of early 90’s New York House labels. But that was it completely in terms of similarities. These tracks deconstructed Disco thoroughly, down to a primitive core that was just incredibly rugged and dark. It kicked determinedly, but all the glitz of its sample references were twisted to a muffled mess, and you were rather thrown out into the back alley through the back door than swayed through the velvet rope on the other side of the building. The record was and is totally visionary, and it preceded what the mid 90’s Chicago trackstyle or Detroit House producers would make of Disco, albeit arguably not this radical and daring.
This was pre-internet, so it took me some more years to find out the producer behind it was DJ Milo from Bristol’s legendary Wild Bunch sound system, and then I loved it even more. You could snatch up copies of it for little money for a really long time, but last I checked that changed dramatically, and these few words probably won’t help. Then again, it might help to get it reissued. Else, dig and you shall find.
We did a few D*ruffalo shows for Berlin Community Radio as well. Here’s my first contribution.
Jan Hammer Group – Don’t You Know Loose Change – Darling, That’s Me The Fifth Dimension – Surrender Donna McGhee – It Ain’t No Big Thing Barbara Mason – Darling Come Back Home Khemistry – Whatever It Takes Robert Palmer – Every Kind Of People Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me Lushus Daim & The Pretty Vain – The One You Love Amii Stewart – Friends Any Trouble – Touch & Go Linda Di Franco – T.V. Scene Grace Jones – Slave To The Rhythm Dee Dee Bridgewater – Lonely Disco Dancer Bob-A-Rela – Stop Hi-Gloss – You’ll Never Know Human League – Louise David Ruffin – Walk Away From Love General Johnson – Don’t Walk Away Buddy Miles – Pull Yourself Together Bobby Womack – Daylight Diana Ross – I Ain’t Been Licked Jorge Santana – Tonight You’re Mine The Weather Girls – No One Can Love You More Than Me Viola Wills – Desperately Johnny Bristol – Take Me Down Brenda Jones – Tonight I’m Gonna Make You A Star Jerney – Love Light Thomas Leer – All About You Inner Life – Make It Last Forever Barbra Streisand – Promises Paulette Reaves – Let Me Wrap You In My Love
Glenn Gregory – Perfect Day Joe Jackson – A Slow Song Material – Memories Yvonne Elliman – I’ll Be Around Carly Simon – Coming Around Again Maria McKee – Show Me Heaven The Fifth Dimension – Magic In My Life Hot – Angel In Your Arms The Motels – Total Control Claudja Barry – Love For The Sake Of Love Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face Delegation – 12th House Helen Reddy – Trying To Get To You Melissa Manchester – Talkin’ To Myself Odyssey – Don’t Tell Me, Tell Her David Bowie – Right Johnny Bristol – Do It To My Mind The Spinners – One Of A Kind Love Affair Al Wilson – Show And Tell Tony Silvester & The New Ingredient – Verry White Grace Jones – La Vie En Rose Squeeze – Last Time Forever Samantha Sang – Emotion Labi Siffre – My Song Carol Williams – You’re So Much A Part Of Me Bionic Boogie – Hot Butterfly Phyllis Hyman – Kiss You All Over Lulu – You Win, I Lose Lamont Dozier – Take Off Your Make-Up Carly Simon – Why Rhetta Hughes – Throwin’ It All Away Phyllis Hyman – Loving You Losing You
The Staple Singers – Trippin’ On Your Love Vance And Suzzanne – I Can’t Get Along Without You Lou Rawls – You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine Curtis Anderson – The Hardest Part The Jackson Sisters – I Believe In Miracles Lamont Dozier – Breaking Out All Over Beverly And Duane – Take A Ride Tony Troutman – What’s The Use Switch – Keeping Secrets Arnie’s Love – I’m Out Of Your Life Michael Wycoff – Looking Up To You Howard Johnson – Keepin’ Love New Goldie Alexander – Go Back Johnny King And The Fatback Band – Peace, Love Not War Love Unlimited – Under The Influence Of Love Sister Sledge – Thinking Of You Damaris – What About My Love? Gene Chandler – Make The Loving Worthwhile Bobby Womack – Daylight Flowers – For Real The Fabulous Play Mates – Ain’t Gonna Be No Fool (For You) The Miracles – Do It Baby Creative Source – You Can’t Hide Love Bobby Reed – The Time Is Right For Love Keni Burke – Risin’ To The Top Lamont Dozier – Take Off Your Make Up Jackie Wilson – Beautiful Day Main Ingredient – Work To Do Taj Armstrong – You’ve Got So Much Feeling (In Your Love) Carol Williams – You’re So Much A Part Of Me The Detroit Spinners – One Of A Kind (Love Affair) Johnny Bristol – Do It To My Mind Delegation – 12th House Five Stairsteps – Ooh Child Tom Brock – If We Don’t Make It Nobody Can
So true funny how it seems always in time but never in line for dreams head over heels when toe to toe this is the sound of our soul
Lani Hall – Hello It’s Me Melissa Manchester – Talkin’ To Myself Carly Simon – Tranquillo Martha Velez – Up To You Joe Jackson – A Slow Song Maria McKee – Show Me Heaven Dusty Springfield – Nothing Has Been Proved (Dance Mix) Youssou N’Dour & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds Jim Diamond – I Should Have Known Better Heart – Alone Anita Baker – Sweet Love Laibach – Across The Universe Matt Bianco – More Than I Can Bear Simply Red – Holding Back The Years Style Council – Long Hot Summer (Tom Mix) Billy Idol – Eyes Without A Face Martika – Love Thy Will Be Done Sophie B. Hawkins – Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover Eurythmics – It’s Alright Linda Di Franco – T.V. Scene Any Trouble – Touch And Go Amii Stewart – Friends Spandau Ballet – True Dee Dee Bridgewater – Lonely Disco Dancer Hi-Gloss – You’ll Never Know Johnny Bristol – Take Me Down Andy Gibb – Shadow Dancing Robert Palmer – Mercy Mercy Me / I Want You Palais Schaumburg – Beat Of 2 Banderas – This Is Your Life Bee Gees – How Deep Is Your Love Richard Ace – If I Can’t Have You Dionne Warwick – Heartbreaker Barbra Streisand – Woman In Love
In discussion with Bill Brewster on “Sextet” by A Certain Ratio (1982).
What is your personal history with this particular album? How and when was your first encounter with it?
I bought it the week it came out. I had just moved back to Grimsby (my hometown) after working in London and Switzerland as a chef for five years. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life but I knew I didn’t want to spend the rest of it sweating in a kitchen. I’d met some new people who were trying to do cool stuff with music. We’d all been punks in 1976 and 1977 but got bored of how musically limited it all was. We were searching for something new. We had a musical mentor, a guy who ran a musical instrument shop with a few boxes of records in the back, called Roy Bainton. He was 15 years older than us and knew loads about music, everything from Mike Westbrook and Carla Bley to Graham Central Station and, in particular, the blues. We were listening to all this brilliant old stuff that was new to us and also discovering bands like A Certain Ratio and 23 Skidoo who, like us, were also groping towards something different. We were in the process of forming a band when this album came out.
What made you decide for „Sextet“ instead of other of their albums?
They toured to promote this album and we went to see them at this bizarre wine bar in Leeds. I went with all the guys who were in my band. The venue was brightly lit, chrome-plated, horrible. And it was nearly empty, but they didn’t give a fuck: they were astonishing, really tight (helped somewhat by Donald Johnson’s prowess behind the traps). I suppose what “„Sextet“” represents to me is a crossroads of where I had arrived and where they were headed; a sort of Robert Johnson involving trams, drizzle and Northern misery. What is interesting about „Sextet“, listening back now, is that they’d reached a certain competence on their instruments but they still had a thirst for wayward and interesting song ideas and arrangements. Later on, when they were recording stuff like “Don’t You Worry Bout A Thing”, they ended up sounding like those pale Britfunk imitations of the real deal, whereas what makes „Sextet“ endearing is that they sound like nothing and no-one else. The world they inhabited then, it seemed to me, was hermetically sealed from outside influences. I imagined them living together in a big house in Whalley Range, a bit like the Monkees, except with acid and analogue instruments. Read the rest of this entry »
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