the trip at the afroba, SESSION 56, with vintage vinyl-28/11/09, PLAYLIST and Jims RAMBLINGS.
Hey, after last months quiet session this one got us back up there again, with a one stage the afroba almost rammed, to its rafters. Two points to make for anyone wishing to take the dj route. The first is, and this is a constant topic amongst those of us that have been playing out for a while, the tunes. Next to a decent sound system, tunes are the only other pre-requisite, and the fact that when dj’img you must determine if you are there to educate or entertain, but you must communicate by either method. I honestly think that the plot for the trip is to try to do both, but uppermost you must entertain. It’s no good playing endless terrific music if the customers have no idea what the tunes are, and if you do you must mix in some music they know. You must also sum up the audience to see if they are listening. I have found over the years, just by looking at people, to make an attempt to ascertain what they would like to hear. At this session it was obvious early on that some ”female orientated music” would be required for one group, and I struggled to find anything too modern to cope with that. Ok this is a vintage evening, but it’s nice to be able to keep everybody happy!
The other weird thing is intuition!I started with a French tune, not knowing then that a little later a lovely French visitor, would ask me to play some more tunes from his country. So basically if you are out there with an audience don’t hit them with a bedroom/radio dj set, unless the customers are very clearly attending for an evening like that and expect to be “educated”. Now the other point. Equipment. At another session recently one of my turntables slowed down to a stop. I banged it a few times and it got me through the evening. I checked it at home and it still worked ok., but and this is a sign of very old age, I took a spare deck with me just in case! So an hour or so in this session the same one started to play up again. Quick as I could I switched to the other deck, and turntabled “Panic” by the Smiths on the dodgy one just to try it again after thumping it a few times! Sure enough it was panic as it did not correct itself (all this is evident on the playback mini disc, with the odd few gaps/slowdowns), and so I had to cable in the spare one to get us through the evening, which it did, bless it. I always take with me a spare amp., but fortunately this is the first time an extra turntable was with me, as I often joke it’s possible to get by with one turntable providing you can manage to talk in between switching the discs over, but I would not commend it.
The planned bits like lots of new tunes/the ”obituary” section, plus only one that gilles played recently did get on. The rest like the french connection, afroba faves and the mobile disco-with lots of dancing, well away from the decks, towards the end was the “improvised” bit.
Please note that during December you get to hear an extra session. The “normal”, if that’s the right word, session is on DECEMBER 19th, which will be an up for it session but without too much Xmassy stuff, with Andrew guesting. Then on CHRISTMAS EVE, DECEMBER 24th, you get the more mellow christmas pies, jingle bell jazz, Xmas tunes, slightly more laid back session to ease you into Christmas day, bcnu-hopefully/Jimbo jambo jazzbo.
Starting with…… PICTURE THIS A RECORDING STUDIO FAR FAR AWAY, VOICE SAMPLE
STEREOLAB…METRONOMIC UNDERGROUND, the first of what would be more french tunes to come.
WOUT STEENHUIS…HUM DONO, one I rescued during my first ever vinyl throwing away moment recently.
ALICIA KEYS…A WOMANS WORTH, a little almost modern - for me - r and b.
QUINCY JONES/BARRY WHITE/EL De Barge…SECRET GARDEN. 80’s mellow r and b, the roots.
GARY BARTZ…I’VE KNOWN RIVERS, a tune for the terrible weather!!
BOBBI HUMPHREY…YOU MAKE ME FEEL SO GOOD, first blue note of the night.
GRANT GREEN…JOSHUA FOUGHT THE BATTLE OB JERICHO, and the second.
LOU DONALDSON…HELL BELOW, miscue, I intended to play isaac hayes, but this one is just as baaaad.
KELIS…CAUGHT OUT THERE, more “modern” r and b.
PUFF DADDY/FAITH EVANS…I’LL BE MISSING YOU, when I eventually pack this in!
ERNIE K DOE…HERE COME THE GIRLS, originally very obscure, now very well known.
ANN MARGARET…HEARTBREAK HOTEL, am takes on elvis, before he took her on!!
MICHAEL JACKSON…MAN IN THE MIRROR, now the furore has died down, I still continue to play him.
KORGIS…EVERYBODYS GOT TO LEARN SOMETIMES, for wendy.
MICHAEL JACKSON…AIN’T NO SUNSHINE, 70’s classic cover of bill withers tune.
DIMITRI FROM PARIS…YOU ARE A VERY STYLISH GIRL, first of 4 french related tunes.
AIR…PLAYGROUND LOVE, and the second.
MILES DAVIS…LIFT TO THE SCAFFOLD, miles french film score.
STEREOLAB…CYBELE’S REVENGE, another from their great lp, and the first hint of a deck problem.
LALO SCHIFRIN…THEME FROM BULLITT, played off a french pressing!!!!!
SMITHS..PANIC/HANG THE DJ, the deck problems really start!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GURU/PREMIER…I’M THE GURU, to quickly get me back onto deck one to allow the second deck changeover.
JIMMY SMITH…HANG EM’ HIGH, first play from this great lp-blacksmith- that I have been after for ages.
HERBIE HANCOCK…CHAMELEON, first of andy’s 7” selections.
FATBACK…KING TIM III, only just got this!!!, the first hip hop 12”, from 1979.
MASAI…ACROSS THE TRACKS, another andy selection, the jb’s on a day off.
FIVE STAIRSTEPS/CUBIE….O-O-H CHILD, lovely curtis mayfield produced seven.
CHRIS FARLOWE…HANDBAGS AND GLADRAGS, spent the night before at the 100 club with this giant of
british soul music / blues, with the original written for him and not bleedin’ rod stewart.
GROVER WASHINGTON JUNIOR…INNNER CITY BLUES, another andy selection.
PORTISHEAD…GLORY BOX, not played for ages, still sounding so laid back.
4-HERO…BLACK GOLD OF THE SUN, we hit 9.00 and on goes the first of 30 minutes worth of afrofaves.
CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA…ODE TO THE BIG SEA, never miss dropping the cinny’s.
ALTHEA AND DONNA…UPTOWN TOP RANKING, reggaetastic!!
SPECIALS…GHOST TOWN, the full 12” rub.
BOBBY BYRD…YOU KNOW YOU GOT SOUL, funktastic jb related 7”.
MOHAWKS…MONY MONY, andy selected, another afrofave.
PYTHON LEE JACKSON…IN A BROKEN DREAM, with the portishead snatched sample.
JIMI HENDRIX…HEY JOE, requested, and a link to the fleur de lys later on.
RUTH COPELAND…GIMME SHELTER, we do, second weather tune, its heaving down outside.
RARE EARTH…I JUST WANNA CELEBRATE, another andy selection, mucho sampled.
JIMMY SMITH…HANG ‘EM again, plus I’M GONNA LOVE YOU JUST A LITTLE MORE BABY.
DEREK B…BAD YOUNG BROTHER, first in our obituary segment for the late britrapper.
VIC MIZZY…ADDAMS FAMILY THEME, played last month, before I knew he had passed away.
JEFF CLYNE/TUBBY HAYES…TIN TIN DEO, for the late jc, supreme british jazz bassist.
TONY/TANDY/FLEUR DE LYS…TWO CAN MAKE IT TOGETHER, to plug the great new book.
FLEUR DE LYS…CIRCLES, the title of the superb new book on this cult 60’s band, played for keith who lives
locally and who was their drummer and jimi hendrix’s housemate. BUY THE BOOK for the full story.
ELVIS PRESLEY…SPINOUT, the promised funky elvis.
DE LA SOUL…ROLLER SKATING JAM NAMED SATURDAY, the moment this goes on you can tell the afroba
is rammed, and which night of the week it is! (cueing cockup into the following, which I re-did!!)
GIORGIO MORODER…TEARS, sampled by shadow for organ donor.
JOHNNY JENKINS…WALK ON GILDED SPLINTERS, with the bestest and longest break ever?
HERBIE HANCOCK...THIS IS ROB SWIFT, used this 2001 cut to get to a request for some 1960’s herbie…
HERBIE HANCOCK…MAIDEN VOYAGE, from the man who inspires the evening, and requested, thanks.
MIA…PLANES MIXED INTO THE CLASH…STRAIGHT TO HELL, the slumdog tune mixed with its original sample.
BECK…DEVILS HAIRCUT, requested by our dancing fancy dressers, they were in fancy dress were they not?
BABY D…I NEED YOUR LOVING, the classic 90’s ravehiphoprapdrumandbasser.
JURASSIC 5…CONCRETE SCHOOLYARD, never miss dropping the j5.
SERGE GAINSBOURG…BALLADE DE MELODY NELSON, final french tune of the night.
…and then because lots of dancing had broken out for the previous three quarters of an hour I moved into
mobile disco mode with STEVIE WONDER (REQUESTED)…SUPERSTITION and MASTERBLASTER / 4–SEASONS
…WHO LOVES YOU BABY / WATERBOYS…WHOLE OF THE MOON / NIRVANA …SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT /
with a tip to one of the other nights I’m involved with, club rude, to finish the dancy segment, ETHIOPIANS…TRAIN TO SKAVILLE / TOOTS and MAYTALLS…FUNKY KINGSTON / DESMOND DEKKER…007.
ANN MARGARET…HEARTBREAK HOTEL again, and a tune I have just started to drop at rude.
RAMSEY LEWIS…ETERNAL JOURNEY, classic played by gilles peterson on radio 1 a few days earlier.
CHERYL LYN…GOT TO BE REAL, selected by andrew who dropped in to help the old boy out and who will be
guesting by playing a few tunes at the session on DECEMBER 19th, finally no film/tv music to finish but a
great bar clearing tune……..
JEWS FOR JESUS…GREAT AND WONDERFUL, and that’s it for a hectic one, I’m off to put my feet up, bcnu.
the trip is a “16RECORDBOXESANDSPAREEQUIPMENTGALORE”production, 2009.
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