Everyone gets two - a 290+ track playlist for Oliver

It was the best of times, it was the worst of... I forget. I made a comp for Oliver, my friend at work, when I left. I've kept adding to it in the two years since. It's a labour of love, and a means of having a portable record collection to hand when out and about.

If you don't ask, I don't have to tell you

 

Final broadcast? Nah.

Greetings. So, Belly are returning to our shores for the first time in 20 years this month. Unbelievably, tickets remain for their 700 capacity Norwich Waterfront show, and the Forum date (though standing may have gone by the time you read this). After missing them in the 90's, the same mistake cannot happen again. I'm DJ'ing next month, playing a stomping soul and rock and roll set at Paper Dress Vintage on the 12th of August before London's premier Bowie tribute, Cats From Japan, take the stage. It'll be good to DJ again, have a few more new songs to play out. Probably Albert Washington to open. "Turn out the lights, pull down the shades. Lock the door, I'm about to love you..." And finally, I've thrown my hat into the reviewer ring again. It feels like a good time to start writing again.

Wow. 3 months. How time flies. So, news. Destroyer have downgraded their gig at Koko to the Oval Space. PR & Bird on a wire have done fine work, but the demand isn't there to fill Koko after a relatively big Town Hall show. So, catch them at Oval while you can still see them somewhere small. Other news... Belly have reformed. The smallest venue you can see them in is the Waterfront in Norwich. Fits 700 people. On a Monday night. Still worth a trek, unless you fancy the Forum!

Return of An Experiment On A Bird In The Air Pump!

Good way to start the year. This band always sound vital, and I'm glad to see a London show after they split so long ago. Gig is at Cafe Oto on the 7th of February. https://www.cafeoto.co.uk/events/dialectics-of-liberation-reconvened Lots of their music here. Go listen. https://soundcloud.com/aeobitap

Old news is new news - Spoon video for Do You

If you can get past the fact that Urban Outfitters were involved with this, and I think most people probably can, this is Spoon's best video to date. The album it comes from is a good career piece of work, adding four or five tracks to an already overfull set list. They Want My Soul is available from many reputable retailers. And Amazon.

The Whiskey Kittens Bag

Final Whiskey Kittens of the year last night. We've run for almost three years now, and that's a long time for a club night. When I first started out, it was almost all Rock and Roll records, gradually shifted to Northern Soul, Southern Soul, and more recently, Disco.

In the current incarnation of my set, there are some standard go-to tracks. Every DJ pledges to keep their set fresh by integrating new records, and that's entirely admirable, but not always possible. The internet makes a lot of compilations available to the needy or greedy for free; and if you work in record shops or know someone who does, well, there's an option to update easily. But if your time and funds are limited, there's always a charity shop next to a bus stop. I've always been a huge fan of the charity shop genre compilation. Mojo comps have always served me extremely well, as have a variety of Time/Life 2 CD sets.

But Mojo CDs are where it's at, frankly. Always cheap, sometimes LOADED with good stuff.

This is my top 5. If you see these and you don't have them, pick them up. Discogs links show these available for very, very little.

Mojo Music Guide Vol 1 Instant Garage
Incredible rocking comp, this dominated my set for the first few months. MC5, New York Dolls, Artesians.... Smash after smash, mixes nicely with the New Rock Revolution (*cough*) stuff and 00's Detroit - Soledad Bros / White Stripes / Von Bondies.
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Music-Guide-Vol-1-Instant-Garage/release/520015

Mojo Music Guide Vol 3 Raw Soul
Too good to be true. Mixes well to big Motown production value tunes, tempo stays peppy until towards the end. Albert Washington - Hold Me, and the better known and very Isley Brothers number, It's Your Thing, dominate. Closes with Otis Redding doing These Arms of Mine. A real heartbreaker.
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Music-Guide-Vol-3-Raw-Soul/release/552303

Mojo Mod Club Party
Extremely useful for moving back and forth from Northern Soul to rockier Mod territory. You Can't Sit Down (Parts 1 & 2) by the Phil Upchurch Combo and perennial floor filler Bert's Apple Crumble by The Quik.
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Mod-Club-Party/release/519850

Mojo Southern SoulWhole thing is sensational. First half has more impact, Sam and Dave doing I Thank You and Etta James' Tell Mama are choice, but the stand out is I'll Take Her by Eddie Floyd.
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Southern-Soul/release/994194

Mojo Presents Let's Move
A selection of faster blues songs. Ultimate killer track is Give Me Back My Wig by Hound Dog Taylor and The House Rockers. My favourite song on a Mojo comp. Really quick. Version on the disc sounds a lot thicker in the mix than the youtube versions.
http://www.discogs.com/Various-Lets-Move-A-Heavy-Blues-Collection/release/3999166