southlondonsoul

Something funny happened in 1994. The music that we'd known as hardcore, jungle, or the now quite obscure and laughable term, jungle techno, started to evolve.

As producers like Photek, Aquasky and many others learnt new tricks with their samplers, to slice and re-assemble breaks and raid their collections of old jazz, techno, funk and soul albums, a new sound began booming from sound systems round the UK. The raves and parties we were going to suddenly took on a much deeper vibe. Rather than having MC Flibbady-jibbet chatting shit all over your favourite records, things got more minimal. This was a good thing. DJs who never would have played hardcore tunes started dropping Wax Doctor records half way through their sets. Some journalists called it 'intelligent' drum and bass which sounded a bit up its own arse.

But listening back to some of the tunes in this mix made me appreciate how much time, energy and thought must have gone into making these tunes - programming the drums, refining the samples, taking things in a different direction. And also how much passion I had for this music in the mid 90s. I used to spend loads of cash I couldn't really afford on tunes, and digging them all out, 13 or 14 years later, I'm pleased I bought them. I still love them now. Hope you enjoy the mix.

jack and phil - listen - basement records
the sentinel - pulse of life - basement records
aquarius and taylor - bringing me down - good looking
higher sense - cold fresh air - moving shadow
hardware - lix - frontline records
atlas - second heaven - dee jay recs
droppin science - volume 6 - easy - droppin science
hidden agenda - swing time - metalheadz
aquasky - dezires - moving shadow
earl grey - the lick - rugged vinyl
flytronix - return to intelligence - moving shadow
fbd project - velvet - outstanding
dom and roland - saigon - promo
project a-ko (4hero) - passion and fire - reinforced
northern connexion - for fabio - back2basics

another wicked pick and mix for your aural delectation this month. tunes to play in the garden or in the car - sunroof top, digging the scene with the ganster lean. tracklist:

simon burnett - lulu blonde (made this last month - thinking of sticking some vocals on it)
art of noise - camille (late 80s ambient classic)
outkast - that wicked dubby tune spottyodabulicious or something like that - baaaad!
shawn lee - happiness (ashley beedle mix) - big time summer anthem
dark city sisters - beautiful 60s tune from soweto
zero 7 - dangermouse mix
ananda project - justice
heath bros - smiling billy suite - mine's a mojito
eddie hendrick - girl, you need a change of mind (dope breakdown)
ten city - all loved out (me on the phaser...killer percussion on this one)
tom and joyce - dedicated to chris marais
photek - mine to give - big shout to ellis
chaser - friend like you (one for arun)
dennis brown - easy take it easy (rip dub vendor labroke grove)
judy mowatt black woman (beautiful!!)

A laidback summer roots and culture selection - strictly freestyle, a few forgotten classics, some nu-school tunes, all played from vinyl with a bit of echo and fx in the mix. enjoy.

happy love - down in the valley / version wackies 12"
johnny clarke - give thanks and praise ariwa lp
creole - jah creation / version - pressure sounds 7"
rasheda - hands of your works - riz lp
zap pow - river / version ims repress 7"
teamworks- rockfort rock / version - mr modo 12"
prince malachi - revolution / versions - dubsicarius 10"
dub from atlantis - sax dub - reng rang 10"
junior reid - thanks and praise / version - 12"
barry brown - from creation / version - jackpot 7"
sylford walker - africa - kingley sounds 12"

Digging deep into the golden era hiphop crate this month. Some dope beats from the late 80s and early-mid 90s for your delectation.

Mixed live, all from original vinyl coz I like to keep it real.

krs one - question (diamond d mix)
jeru the damaja - can't stop the prophet
brand nubian - slow down
black sheep - fever for the flava
ed og - love comes and goes
public enemy - shut 'em down (pete rock remix)
nas - halftime
lord finesse - funky technician
jvc force - strong island
n-tyce - hush hush tip
group home - supa star
triflicts - genuine
kool g rap - death wish
big daddy kane - raw
main source - peace is not a word to play
pete rock & cl smooth - t.r.o.y

I recorded this rather mellow (dare I say it...balaeric) mix a few weeks back then went to Paris for the weekend and forgot all about it.
Then I found it again and really like it. It's mixed live, late one night round at mine. Alas, since recording it I've forgotten some of the track
titles and/or artists. I'm useless at remembering things like that - especially new tracks. Unlike many of my fellow music lovers/ DJs I'm really not a trainspotter!

Anyhow, it's got some ace tunes on it...starts with Gil Scott Heron's It's Your World, and also includes:
some downtempo beats and instrumental hip-hop stuff,
that wicked Beyond the Wizard's sleeve mix of Midlake (love
that tune...amazing)
Some lovely ambient and acoustic tunes
An evening with Hefner (whatever happened to him? this is an incredible record)
the soothing voice of Nina Miranda
something that sounds like Ernest Eanglin but isn't
a couple of leftfield soul tracks like 'Pretty Bird',
niney the observer
haitian divorce by steely dan (which reminds me of being driven around by my dad in the 70s. He had an orange ford capri.)
natural thing by innocence
a balearic nugget by Pat Metheney at the end.

It's a thoughtful blend of different flavours. You might like to listen to it on a journey, stick it on while you enjoy a late supper - or simply nod off to it.

Shouts to Raj and Dee who came and cheered me up the other night. And to much missed pal Jason Moore. Rest in peace mate.

I just got back from a wicked time in Bahia, my favourite state in Brazil. It's beautiful there. Like the country itself, Brazilan music is really diverse and every time I visit, I hear different styles of music I've never heard before. This selection is a mix of old and new music from, or inspired by, Brazil mixing some straight up samba, batucada, timeless classics from sergio mendes and milton nascimento with house from Joe Clausell, new school tunes from Zeep and Da Lata and a bit of drum of bass from DJ Marky...and me. You can get my Bahia Beats tune that's included towards the end of the mix on the newly released No 1 Drum and Bass Album through Demon Records. Enough plugging...hope you like the mix - oh, and email me for a tracklist if you want one coz I've forgotten some of the tune names for now.

Had a great time in Marrakech last week; particuarly good time at the Puro Desert music festival where I saw Gilles Peterson and Coldcut DJ - both on form. Back this week with a podcast that catches up with some stuff I've been listening to on the ipod whilst away. This episode is a bit more bass-heavy - particuarly feeling the first tune by Landslide feat. Ernesto. Heavy! Newish Moodyman tune also excellent and gotta love that rednoose Domu dub. A couple of tunes in the middle are a lament for the nights at Club Arun's - then finishing up with some worthy reggae mash-ups. All mixed live. As always, feel free to leave shouts and comments - makes it all worthwhile! Peace, Simon.

Tracklist - from what I can remember

Landslide ft Ernesto - Solitary
Moodymann - Technology stole my vynill
Fragile State - Jimpster remix
Home mad jams - so nice
Rednoose - domu dub(little bit of dizzee in the mix)
restless soul - and I know it (dub)
Jodely Watley - Beautiful (Ron Trent dub)
swell sessions vs seiji - prepared to go
MAW - Black roots
monassa - watercircles
alfingers - what's going on over truth and rights riddim
skream - sub island
unbreak my dub
african bros vs angie stone
ijahman levi - i'm a levi

whether you're in london, new york, delhi or sydney, there are some days when summer in the city can be too hot to handle. so i made this mix for the times when, at the end of the day, you get off a too-hot tube or subway and just want to take a cold shower and lie for an hour in a dark room with the air con blasting before you move again. It starts off slow and low and the mix is called 'heat in the city' after a 1994 tune on mo' wax by love tko.

love tko - heat in the city
what can you see?
apples and pears
kanye, krs1, nas - classic
vibrations - j majik
me and u - brown paper bag
skye - back room soul
a japanese jazzy 7" thing
smoky room soul
jurrasic 5
nitin sawhney - from the spirit dance lp
kool and the gang - summer madness
track from real ibiza 7
nouvelle vague - a forest
heptones - cool rasta
bob marley - rainbow country / dub
erykah baduh - on and on - blu mar ten remix

I had a proper crate digging session for this one. A live mix of some of my favourite classic house tunes - plus a couple of new tunes chucked in coz they go with the flow. Approximate tracklist:

Underground solution - luv dancing - strictly rhythm
cover ups 1
earth people - dance - kerri chandler mix - champion
lectroluv - if we try - 8 ball
disco elements - good thing - azuli
freedom williams - let yourself go maw dub - columbia
7 grand housing - the question
john legend - heaven - karizma mix - white
unit 46 - don't go
hot toddy - diy
coming home - danny tenaglia mix - flying
alone in the dark with...
a new us 12" dubby thing that i can't remember the name of now
susuma yokata - sound of sky track
newish louie vega track with fierce vocal - the music - this sounds like it could have been made anytime in the last fifteen years
royal house - can you feel it - champion promo
deskee - let there be house - big one
xpress 2 - london xpress - junior boys own
jon cutler track on a yellow label us 12"

This week's live DJ mix of funk breaks, soul re-edits and lost classics.

artist unknown - white label
modaji - grass is greener
guaranteed
i don't believe in magic - jisco bootleg
you've been had by a hustler - ballistic bros
bad mama jama re-edit
little space odyssey - white
colonel abrams - trapped jazz mix
amp fiddler - faith (jazzanova mix)
amp fiddler - faith (original)
la funk mob - ravers suck our sound
jaziac sunflowers
cloud nine - real gone, turn it on
raphael sadiq - sky - yam who mix
roy ayers - we live in brooklyn baby re-edit
message from the soul sisters - re-edit
re-de-troit
brothers on the slide - dynamics re-edit