Gavin Underhill aka Wilberforce has been offering your Cosmic Disco residents sound musical advice for a good few years, at one of our favourite local record stores – Endless Music. Gavin’s knowledge of a wide range of genres is second to none, many times he’s put us onto tracks we would’ve easily flicked past only to learn of a new musician, producer or style that Gavin is only too happy to share with us.

After endless hours and discussion over our joint passion for all things disco we asked Gavin to put together a compilation that we could share with our subscribers upon which we received this cracker of a mix which has been getting heavy rotation over the last week. Some absolute classics are laid out for you here, all programmed to keep your ears pricked and interest maintained from start to finish.

Here’s what Wilberforce has to say for himself about his mix:

As one long enough in the tooth to have experienced the original disco scene (If only from a provincial point of view), I think it’s great that there’s been a 70’s disco revival in more recent times. But if the Manchester Ritz ‘Love Train’ club night is anything to go by, I find it slightly irksome that there is more than a hint of revisionism going on.

Maybe I have selective memory recall but I can’t remember any decent disco worth it’s salt playing dross like ‘I’m In The Mood For Dancing’, perhaps only the youth club ones, who by law were also compelled to play the likes of ‘Silver Machine’, Elvis Rock ‘n’ Roll medleys, and (Now i’m really cringing here) ‘High Ho Silver Lining’.

Anyway, here’s a sample mix of what was being played at the best disco’s I went to, way back when and if they weren’t played, well, they should’ve been. If you like what I’ve put together, there’s plenty more in the can.

Gavin gave us a few more mixes which we will no doubt share with you at some point in the future but in the meantime, get this on the download and don’t forget to leave your feedback in the comments section below.

Enjoy this one, we have!

Wilberforce – Never Mind The Nolans Megamix

• Kool and The Gang – Open Sesame
• Claudja Barry – Sweet Dynamite
• Lalo Schifrin – Rollercoaster
• Francine McGee – Delirium
• Ubiquity – Spread It
• Eddie Henderson – Say You Will
• Carrie Lucas – Dance With You
• Roy Ayres – Freaky Deaky
• The Rhythm Makers – Zone
• Slave – You and Me
• Morning Noon and Night – Bite Your Granny
• Instant Funk – Got My Mind Made Up
• Trussel – Love Injection
• Mastermind – Hustle Bus Stop
• The Brecker Brothers – Don’t Stop The Music

Mark Seven 12″ – Oki-Ni

We’ve featured Oki-Ni products on a couple of occasions previously and true to our word we promised to keep you up to speed on their latest projects. Scheduled for release any time now (Early July 2009) is an exclusive 12 from Cosmic Disco favourite Mark Seven.

This vinyl release will be accompanied by a limited edition 3 disc mix produced exclusively for Oki-Ni. The mix itself was taken from his set at Horse Meat Disco in June 2009. Speaking as promoters who have had the pleasure of booking MK7 we can tell you not only are his live sets incredible but his mixes are as rare as rocking horse shit, so once again this is something to flag on your radars. Ensure you pop Oki-Ni’s music section into your favourites tab so you don’t miss out on this one. UPDATE! available for pre-order NOW! Only 50 copies of the accompanying mix cd available in the UK!!! Purchase here.

Audible Visions – Alexis Le-Tan

Whilst midway through a game of email tennis, conducting a thoroughly interesting interview with Tiger Sushi Bass System’s Alexis Le-Tan (The best things come to those who wait… ) we discovered that he’d recently done a mix in collaboration with design collective; Ill-Studios, entitled Audible Visions which is a spaced out musical ceremony in which sounds from the past meet ideas from the future incorporating deep gothic rock and dark disco with ghostly voices and heavy bass blending electro, new beat, space disco, minimal synth, afro and new wave grooves into a concoction that is sure to give you sonic hallucinations. It’s worth checking out for the otherworldly packaging and poster alone! You can grab a hold of this great mix CD from Ill-Studio’s Shop. Once again, the Oki-Ni guys are on the ball as they will also be stocking this beauty…

Phoreski – FAT003

Neil Dunn’s dance moniker Phoreski is back on his own Fat Fuk Recordings label for a summer EP of 80’s italo influenced workouts. FAT003 is released as a one off limited pressing which will go on general release in the middle of July but a strictly limited number of copies are now available in advance at Oki-Ni. In addition to this, each copy comes with a bonus mix CD entitled ‘Bad Passion’ again, exclusively created for Oki-Ni. Sporting new artwork from one of the original acid house graphic designers Dave Little (Boys Own/Flying) the EP includes three takes of the developing Phoreski sound. Kicking off with the massive siren and synth infected ‘Proud To Be A Joker’, before veering off with a tongue in cheek dark room groove that is ‘Rollerskate Kate’ which features rolling hypnotic vocals by Phoreski himself, vefore finishing off with the Balearic influenced space out boogie in ‘Proud To Be A Fool’.

This EP continues Dunn’s progression from an exponent of leftfield disco edits to renowned producer in his own right with a number of DJ gigs lined up across Europe this summer.

Find out more about Phoreski with sound clips here and here.

Electric Elephant – Oki-Ni and Bad Passion Project

In celebration of the launch of their music site, Oki-Ni have another exciting project worth your attention as they join forces with Manchester’s Electriks (The team responsible for the legendary Electric Chair club), for their annual boutique festival – Electric Elephant. They will be travelling to Croatia along with some of the finest DJ’s and producers (Why weren’t we invited btw?!?!) to host the legendary Saturday night boat party.

After sailing out into the ocean for 4hrs of bliss they will be hosting that night’s party back on dry land with performances from Theo Parrish, Phoreski and the Bad Passion Project. We wish we were going so for those who can find the time to take a holiday get your tickets here. An absolute steal at a measly £65.

Willkommen Mini Festival

Willkommen is a Brighton based collective of musicians who play in Shoreline, Sons of Noel and Adrian, The Leisure Society, MoonshineMoonshine, Atlas Crease, Laish Quartet and The Miserable Rich. Influenced by a wide variety of musical styles the result is a rich and unique sound leaning towards traditional folk.

On the 5th July Willkommen take over Stanmer House where the line up includes Peggy Sue, Alessi’s Ark, The Leisure Society, Sons of Noel and Adrian, Caroline Weeks and Pete Roe to name only a few. This mini festival features two stages at this stunning grade I listed building set in the middle of a Sussex nature reserve. Tickets are a credit crunching £12 which you can book here. Highly recommended and perfect for the stunning weather were currently experiencing.

Space Operator [Pilot Edition] – Berlin

Friend of Cosmic Disco DJ and producer Anton Maiof aka Antoni Maiovvi recently provided us with a belter of a mix Arp Tongues In Aspic, and has recently up sticks and moved over to Berlin where he has started a new club night called Space Operator located at Paloma Bar, Skalitzerstr 135. This pilot edition on 19th July sees unsung OG Italo hero DJ Benetti line up with his right hand man DJ Cassavetes and Antoni Maiovvi for a Berlin debut not to be missed. For more information on this party head over to the Facebook Event Page and mark down your attendance.

That’s it for another week. Whatever you are doing this weekend enjoy the sun and check back next week for more news, mixes and recommendations…

Apologies for the delay in upping mixes in the last couple of weeks. We’ve only just recovered from an amazing time playing at the Glastonbury Festival but we are now refreshed and fighting fit, ready to continue in our provision of the finest mixes, interviews, news and reviews over what is looking like what is going to be a sweltering British summer.

So, without further ado, we’d like to introduce you to Jean Shorts:

A steaming hot love letter to my favourite new sounds of the disco kind. Lots of tracks in here that I’m really digging these days. Lazer edits, why-not remixes, classics and jean shorts funked SFX all lovingly tucked into the mix for a warm blanket of disco bass

Jean Shorts – Have Mercy

• Elvis Prestley – Crawfish (Pilooski Edit)
• Jakki – Sun Sun Sun
• Boredoms -Ant 10 (Lindstrom Remix)
• Hercules and Love Affair – True Flase Fake Real
• Ian Preece – Super Fuzz (Disco Mix)
• T and T – Don’t Stop
• The Revenge – Cadillac
• The Polyamourous Affair – Merry Go Round
• Gui Borrato – Shebang
• Glossy – Burning Love
• Casino Boy – Jobsagoodun
• Lindstom and Prins Thomas – Claudio
• Mickey Moonlight – Interplanetary Music
• Woolfy Vs Projections – Neeve (Tropical Heat Mix)
• Zombi – Sapphire (Escort Remix)
• Talking Heads – I Zimbra
• Apollo Sunshine – Singing To The Earth (Mickey Moonlight Remix)

Not only producing stunning self-penned material but also a DJ of the highest calibre, Johnny provides us with an ‘exclusive’ new Cosmic Disco mix to top us his excellent previous effort which you can find here.

For more info on Johnny, click the above link but in the meantime get on this stunner of a mix.

Johnny Too Bad – Face The Night

• Mike Oldfield – Ommadawn (Part of Part 1)
• Paul McCartney – Hanglide
• Race – Show Me The Way (at 33rpm)
• Soichi Terada – Sunshower
• Sankt Göran – My Friend Played The guitar (Blackbelt Andersen Remix)
• Rolling Stones – Heaven
• East-West – Can’t Face The Night
• Black Cock – Frog Scene
• Cymande – Rickshaw
• International Noise Orchestra – Dr Sarmaz
• DTR – Hourney Into A Dream
• Lauer – Renard With No Regard
• DAF – Brothers
• American Fade – I’m Alive (Let’s Move On)
• DJ Kaos – Way Out Pleasure
• Barrabas – Highlight
• John Martin – One World

Special mention must be made to Boozoo Bajou and Cosmic Jane who’ve both contributed great similarly themed mixes to the site recently that I really enjoyed.

Niles – 3 Days on the Mountain

• Bo Hansson – Leaving Shire
• Vashti Bunyan – Hebridean Sun
• Bert Jansch – Veronica
• Baby L.A. Lady
• Martin Simpson – Roadkill
• All India Radio – 1058
• Wishbone Ash – Lullaby
• Stills Young Band – Midnight on the Bay
• America – Tin Man
• 12 Cent Donley – Swamp Shivers
• John Lees – Long Ships
• Michael Csanyi-Wills – Haunted Island
• Brosselmachine – Shcmetterling
• Popol Vuh – Venus Principle
• Marc Bolan – Eastern Spell
• Guru Guru – Mi Caro Caro
• Shalom Chanoch – Lihl’s Song
• Nyl – Abery
• David Crosby and Graham Nash – Broken Bird
• Bo Hansson – The Grey Haven

If you’d like any info on the LP’s that these tracks come from please drop a comment in the section below and I’ll try to give you as much as I can.

I’ve included an .m4a which is iPod friendly and contains all relevant trackmarks and images and a lower bit rate .mp3 for those that fancy a smaller download.

Enjoy.

We couldn’t start of this weeks event without mentioning the joint shin-dig we are running tomorrow, Friday 19th June with Manchester’s premier party pranksters – Cutloose. As with our last collaboration back in December with Mark Seven (See pictures here.) we have another DJ who is unbelievably making his Manchester debut in Felix Dickinson. If you missed it, check out his brilliant Cosmic Disco exclusive mix and interview that we published only yesterday.

Entrance to this party is free but due to the intimate nature of The Roadhouse we are giving preferential entrance to those who sign up for their tickets so don’t take the risk and get your name on the list (Haha, slick rhymezzz…) here.

Cutloose & Cosmic Disco Presents Felix Dickinson

If you are based in London then there is what looks like a fantastic party lined up by the Bad Passion crew. Known for their underground events in downtown Dalston the guys return to the hideout at the back of the Shackwell Arms where bi-monthly resident Phoreski takes the lead with the excellent Bad Passion residents holding up the rear. This is going to be tasty as the guys have got a 6am license – Get involved!

Bad Passion Featuring Phoreski

More fantastic music we have heard this week that’s scheduled for release over the coming weeks…

Compost Black Label #49 – Show B

Black Label #49 introduces a new artist to the scene in Show B who has already caused somewhat of a buzz with his track ‘Moory’ earning heavy support from the likes of Steve Bug with the demands for promo releases high before the guys even started with the digital promotion of which weve picked up on. With a background in DJ’ing Show B’s music isn’t only dance orientated but it’s certainly treading it’s own path. Complex but fleet footed the rhythmic structures hark back to dance music of yesteryear.

Due for release on 1st July this 12″ pack contains 4 tracks with 2 bonus pieces of work available for the digital release:

• A1 – Moory
• A2 – Komposite
• AA1 – Keras
• AA2 – Kimbundu

Bonus tracks:

• On A String
• On A String (Dub)

Pope Joan – Centurions/Volumes

Pope Joan are a leftfield pop 4-piece out of Brighton. Ambient walls of processed guitar noise, furious drums and quirky 8-bit synth keys, all underpinned by a incredibly demanding pop sensibility. Since the release of their critically acclaimed and hectically demanding debut mini-album Hot Water, Lines and Rickety Machines (via OIB Records) at the end of last year, the band have been busy writing and honing new material – their new AA side single Centurions/Volumes is the first taster of what’s in store. Now forging forward with a richer and more refined sound, the new material distils their trademark core of bold pop hooks through a more urgent, expansive and compellingly epic sound of skewed synths and shimmering guitars. Not a million miles away from early era XTC with the sonic spectrum of TV on The Radio this release has been getting non stop rotation on the Cosmic stereo all week. Head over to their MySpace to check out a stream of the single.

It’s not only parties and music that have pricked our ears this week.

Oki-Ni Goodness

Oki-Ni have a reputation for discovering and breaking some of the most interesting products available anywhere today, creating the most forward thinking retail/lifestyle experience on the planet. One aspect of Oki-Ni’s output that we would particularly like to share with you is the way they have embraced music into their product family adding specially chosen items that meet their unique criteria.

As the Oki-Ni music section continues to evolve they have a few new items that we are particularly excited about. Their latest addition is C.O.M.B.I records. A highly collectable Japanese label who’s releases are all produced in very limited numbers of which no other than Eric Duncan (Dr. Dunks/Rub ‘n’ Tug) is rumoured to be the creative force behind. The C.O.M.B.I T-Shirt, DVD and vinyl are now available here. These T-Shirts and DVD (Featuring Japanese tour footage of Eric Duncan) are only available through Oki-Ni outside of Japan. If this wasn’t enough they have a special, very rare pressing of the Ma Brakes 12″ that features a secret track on there! Keep posted to Cosmic Disco as we have heard some very exciting news on impending projects the Oki-Ni team will be working on. As soon as we have more info, we will adhere to keep you updated with the latest details.

The Green Man Festival – Greenpoll

The Green Man Festival are this year looking for a new band who will open the festival on the main stage! Now in it’s second year the event organisers are looking for bands (Signed or unsigned) to register on their microsite and upload a YouTube or MySpace video of the bands performance. There isn’t much time left as the deadline is the 29th June after which the Green Man public will choose their favourite acts in two rounds of voting after which the top six acts will go through to a live ‘Battle of The Bands’ final at The Camden Monarch, London on July 23rd where the winner will be decided by a judging committee of music industry boffins.

Tony Allen ‘Secret Agent’ Remix Competition

World Circuit Records are launching a competition for budding producers to remix Tony Allen’s ‘Secret Agent’ which is the title track from his recent new studio album and as you would expect is a majestic slice of hardcore roots Afrobeat with a driving groove, penetrating guitar, pulsating horns and stirring vocals. Not only is Tony giving you the opportunity to get creative with his beats but he will also be choosing the winner and runner-up himself. Amongst other things the winner will get a fair amount of exposure in addition to a hefty amount of high end Reason 4 products. You can find full details at the competition blogspot now.

Well, that’s it for another week. Don’t forget to come and say hello if you are in Manchester on Friday evening!

x

Felix has also kindly provided an exclusive mix to get you in the mood for his debut Manchester appearance which is this coming Friday 19th June. Our last event in conjunction with Cutloose (MK7 – December 2008) was stuff of legend and once again this is a FREE EVENT! which is likely to be a roadblock, so in order to ensure your entry get your free tickets by registering your details here. Also check out the Facebook event page for more info.

Cosmic Disco: So Felix, welcome to Cosmic Disco and many thanks for agreeing to answer some questions for us! Firstly, can you give all the readers a brief introduction on yourself right from your early days as a youngster developing an interest in music. Can you tell us, what is your earliest musical memory?

Hey guys, Thanks for having me on your site! My pre-teen musical memories came courtesy of my eldest brother. I remember going in to his room when I was about 6, and he would have been about 20, he’d have a wall of records and would ask what I wanted to listen to. I would always go for Steve Miller band, more than likely atracted to the record cover. He also took me to see David Bowie in concert when I was 10.

My first forays into the kind of music that dominates my life these days would have started when I went to my first Tonka party when I left school. I instantly became a bit of a Tonka disciple and would go wherever the party happened to be each weekend, trying to track down the records I had heard in the weeks between.

The first time I went to their infamous monthly Monday party at the Zap in Brighton I got down nice and early, but was so busy chatting with friends on the beach I didn’t notice the queue growing, and actually never got in, after then I did my best to turn up with either the soundsystem or the D.J. to ensure entry.

Cosmic Disco: Wow, Bowie at 10 years old, that surely must have left a lasting impression on you! Do you have any recollections from that evening as to the theatrical aspects/standout tracks he performed? What was the venue/year?

It was the Serious Moonlight tour at the Milton Keynes Bowl in ‘83. He played all the classics of that time, Let’s Dance, China Girl etc. I think the one I enjoyed the most though was Rock’n'Roll suicide which was probably one of the few Ziggy Stardust tracks he did, the crowd went nuts, but I guess the crowd always wants to hear the classics, and Let’s dance wasn’t a classic yet!. I think my lasting impression though was being in a field with 60,000 people with a kick arse sound etc. I’d never been to anything like that so thought it was all pretty cool. Obviously I was tiny at the time, but my 3 older brothers took turns in sitting me on there shoulders so I got a pretty good view of the whole thing.

Cosmic Disco: So when was it you started dabbling in music production yourself? What kind of things were you doing at the start? Edits? Full tracks? Playing in bands?

I never played in a band, I was always much more of a record collector and then D.J. The first record I ever made was an edit I did with Nick the Record and Mark Eagling called the Drive which we released on Recycled records in ‘96. It was during the European Cup and we had just watched England beat Holland 4-1 (we actually etched the score into the runout groove on the record). We followed that up by doing a remix of Da Rebels ‘House Nation Under A Groove’ which we released on Ugly Music.

I did quite a few edit releases around that time, but didn’t really get into producing original music properly until I moved up to London in 2000.

Cosmic Disco: So back in the early 90’s you relocated to Brighton and you are running your monthly ‘Slack’ parties (Held on a Monday). Can you tell us a little about the dance scene at ‘Slack’ during this period? While London and Manchester would be credited as the catalyst cities for the explosion of Acid House in the UK, what was happening in your neck of the woods? Did you have your own agenda or were London/Manchester influencing what was happening in other cities? What DJ’s did you have playing and what would you consider to be classic ‘Slack’ tracks?

I have to confess I’ve never been to Manchester. The scene I was involved with in London all seemed to be Cambridge exiles (Tonka). I did come into the scene a bit late for the big Acid House boom though, I didn’t really start going to Acid House parties until 1990. Tonka used to do a monthly Monday night at the Zap club in Brighton, and that was probably one of the reasons I moved down there.

We started Slack in 1992, by then Tonka had stopped doing their monthly in Brighton, and I think that was probably one of the reasons we started our night. The first big party I did when I moved to Brighton I used D.I.Y. from Nottingham for the sound, they seemed to be one of the few crews still doing outdoor parties that weren’t playing mental techno. So a few of their D.J.s would come and play for us, but it would mainly be our own residents and friends, all people I had met at the Tonka parties. Some of the D.J.’s you might now have heard of through what they did since: Nick the Record, Chalky (from Space Cat records), Lee Yule (Session), and Placid (Acid House.com).

Back then we weren’t really relying on big names, we got our crowd more from a reputation for throwing good parties. We tried to bring together the free party scene and the club scene by starting the night in a club (which would always finish at 2 due to the licensing laws in Brighton at that time), and then have an afterparty either on the beach, or in a warehouse in the winter.

Some Slack classics off the top of my head were tracks like Mondee Oliver – ‘Make Me Want You’, Risque Rhythm – ‘Essence Of A Dream’, Piere’s Fantasy Club ‘Got The Bug’, Hugh Masacella – ‘Don’t Go Lose it’, stuff like that. They were pretty messy parties and more likely than not there would be a bottle of toxic punch circulating on the dance-floor, so the more trippy tracks usually used to go down quite well. We also used to put quite a ridiculous amount of energy into dressing the club completely differently each month with different themes for each floor of the 3 floor club.

Cosmic Disco: Did your initial idea of combining the (More mainstream) nightclub fraternity and the (More alternative) free party scenesters result in any interesting situations/scenarios? Looking at this retrospectively you were bringing together what can be considered two totally separate groups of society (With totally different attitudes) who wouldn’t have ordinarily socialized and associated with other only a few years previously. Was this a conscious descision on your part and if so, what was your motivation? Do you think the attitude shown during that major youth culture movement of early 90’s has been in someway passed on to the youth of today?

I’d like to think the parties brought together different groups of society, but it never really seemed like such a brave social experiment. I was first influenced by the free party scene, which always seemed to have a real mix of people anyway, definitely groups of different minded people seemed much more likely to mix at a free rave than some exclusive club, and I was pretty inspired by that inclusive element of the scene.

I think the main motivations behind doing the club first were a) we could get a bit of money to cover costs (never really fancied the idea of asking people to pay at a beach party) and b) by the time the club kicked out we’d have a big enough mass of people all going down the beach/warehouse that it would be more difficult for the police to shut us down, as we’d have a bit of momentum going by the time they turned up. I think our line quite often would be ‘look officer if you shut us down now there’s going to be a few hundred people, most of whom don’t live in Brighton, roaming around your streets with nothing to do, if you let the party carry on till the trains start running, we’ll contain them all here for you’.

I’m not really sure if a scene like that exists anymore, I hope it does, but I spend much more of my time in clubs these days. I think if there is a scene like that now, it’s a lot more underground, because of the increased powers the police got after the Criminal Justice Act. I’m sure the scene influenced what’s going on these days in some way, but I wouldn’t want to say how.

I suppose one comparison these days to what was going on back then can be seen in the way the internet works, people meeting on blogs and chatting and sharing information who might not get an opportunity to meet otherwise; and the file sharing that people do could possible be compared to the free parties that we were doing in a kinda finger up to the man, power to the people kinda way. It’s a pretty depressing comparison though, as although I do love the internet, and can’t imagine how we’d live without it, it doesn’t come anywhere near to what was happening back then.

Cosmic Disco: What are your thoughts on the music blogs, sharing music via mp3’s and whatnot? Is this something that is damaging the music industry or does the music industry as a whole need to look at it’s business model and take steps accordingly? We all read/hear that physical music sales have almost come to a standstill with certain formats almost exstinct (i.e. vinyl) but do you think there is anything particular the industry should/could be doing that they aren’t at present?

I think the whole blogsphere thing although being quite an interesting place, can also sometimes be a refuge for some very lonely people. Nothing beats physical interaction, and I think maybe some quite social inept people lurk around these blogs. Likewise I think some of the trends that are spurned on blogs can be quite nerdy, blog-disco and chat-room-house don’t always bare much connection with what works in a real disco or warehouse party.

That’s only my cynical opinion though, a more positive view can see them as great places for sharing information, meeting like-minded people who you wouldn’t get a chance to interact with otherwise, and for finding out about stuff thats going on the other side of the country or even the other side of the world. Blogs are best when they inspire you to go and hear a D.J. at a party. If the blog is the party, that’s quite sad.

The music industry has always claimed to be under threat from people sharing their music; remember the ‘home taping is killing music’ logo that record sleeves used to have on them?. I used to tape loads of records before I could afford them, and if anything home taping fertilized my love for music. I think these days real music lovers might hear something for the first time by downloading an MP3 but the sound quality of vinyl (and C.D. to a lesser degree) is so much better than MP3, that people do still go out and and buy other formats.

I think the real thing that is effecting the music industry is that people aren’t making as good music as they used to; or to put it another way, there is so much good music already made, that buying older classics second hand can often be easier and better than trawling through loads of average new stuff. Proof of this can be seen in the current glut of edits/bootlegs, the majority of which I’m sure outsell new music.

I’d like to see the record industry re-invigorated by a new music format that sounded better than records (or at least as good). When C.D.’s where introduced I think there was a bit of a boom as lots of people re-bought there collections in the new format. It’s been proved that C.D.’s aren’t as good as they were hyped to be in both sound quality and durability, and the ease with which they can be copied has obviously had it’s own effect on sales. For ages there’s been talk of new format’s that sound better than C.D.’s but the industry can’t seem to decide which one to back. If they created something better than C.D. that could actually compete with records, people might re-buy their collections in the new format (or at least buy it new, rather than track down second hand records). This new revenue could then be filtered down to new acts who might never sell as many records as the classics, but there will always be an interest in new acts because people still like going to see live shows.

Not sure whether this would work though as so many people now listen to music on i-pods and other MP3 players, that they can’t really appreciate the sound of a better format. Again this is a very cynical solution, I don’t really want or think records will ever be bettered. The glut of edits and bootlegs should be telling the big record companies something though. Maybe they could just start utilizing their back catalogues more, doing official re-issues that could compete with the bootleggers, and maybe getting some remixes done. I think the revenues from re-issues isn’t going to be huge, but let’s face it a lot of record shops and distributers would probably go bust if they didn’t sell edits and bootlegs, so maybe some of the bigger companies need to look at that and get involved. I would rather buy a good quality re-issue where the artist might make a bit, so if the major record companies had a grasp on what music is actually sought after, they could make a bit of money from the music catalogues they already own.

Cosmic Disco: Very interesting…so, paradoxically, as technology has widened our scope and potential opportunities it’s also making us somewhat more insular. Moving on, let’s talk about some of your own productions – Do you have a specific method when laying down new material? i.e. do you lay down the beat first, work on a melody etc. How have your production techniques developed over the years and what does your current studio set-up consist of?

I’ve got a load of different techniques for production that vary track to track, I like to stay up to date with new software and programs but also like to use analogue stuff to give tracks a bit of dirt, but there’s no real formula or set method to my madness. Over the years I’ve worked with 16 track reel to reel synced up with a pc (that was a pain in the arse), to editing with samplitude, or producing with an atari and cubase, logic, and now a little bit with ableton and pro-tools. I’d have to say Logic is my workstation of choice though.

As far as out board, I love my MPC 3000, and some other drum machines like the Roland stuff (808, 707, and 727), and I’ve got an Oberhiem DX that’s great, but a real bugger to sync to anything else. I’ve got a selection of nice keyboards and boxes; my favorite probably being the 303, 101, Korg MX10, and Nord modular. I’d probably say the best bit of kit I’ve got is the telephone numbers of some people who can play their instruments well! I’ve made some interesting stuff just fiddling around, but when someone comes in and lays down some sick solo over a groove you’ve been toying with it can take the track to a level I just wouldn’t be able to reach on my own, no mater how much dope gear I’ve got.

Each collaboration demands different methods of working. For instance with the ‘Dedication’ stuff I’m doing with these guys from Japan I have to be really quite methodical, because we don’t get to spend much time in the studio together. I’ll get together maybe half a dozen beat tracks from a variety of sources, maybe some samples, maybe some loops I’ve programed in my studio on my drum machines (usually a combination of both); then I’ll go in the studio with them for an evening or two when I’m out there on tour, and lay parts over the top. I’ll then spend the next few weeks editing out the best parts and working out an arrangement. Luckily for me these guys are such great musicians that I’m rarely at a loss for ideas after each session.

Then there’s the work I do as ‘Fist Club and The Milky Mouth Orchestra’ (with Gerry Rooney), which tends to be more a crazy ‘throw loads of samples and noises together and see what sticks’ way of working, neither of us are really musicians, but we have a good relationship in the studio and like the same kind of things, so there’s a lot more experimentation, but we can come out with some really interesting results.

The L.H.A.S. Inc. stuff I do with Jamie Read (Larry Heard Appreciation Society Inc.) is inspired by that old school Chicago sound, so we use some of the same techniques they used over there to get that same kind of sound, i.e. lots of old Roland gear all synced together to get that Chicago style groove; and then once the boxes have got it going on, we’ll then bounce it down into the computer and arrange and mix it.

Some of the remixes I’ve done recently, for instance the one I just did for D.J.History where I remixed Telemusic, I ended up taking a load of samples from the original track (cause we had no parts), tightened them up in Ableton, and then ran Ableton as a slave off Logic while I and my friend Junior Kiam (who I also do stuff with as The Fanglers) did overdubs over the stripped back groove until we had something I could start arranging into a new track.

The stuff I do with producers like Toby Tobias or Ray Mang because we both kind of have the same skills we usually take it in turns either in front of the computer or making the tea going ‘yeah I like that, or nah that bit sucks’ until we can agree it’s something that works.

Cosmic Disco: You’ve been involved in quite a phenomenal body of work over the years [Details here]. So much so that it’s difficult for us to pinpoint a particular highlight, but can you tell which track/s are your personal favourites and for what reason?

That’s a tough one, a little like asking a parent which is their favorite child. ‘The Drive’ will always have a special place in my heart, just cause it was the first release I did. Other than that, I’m really into the tracks I’ve been doing with Dedication, although most of that hasn’t been released yet, as we’re still looking for a label that can release the whole album. I think the new music I’m working on is usually the stuff I’m most into, as I think I’m still getting better at what I do.

Cosmic Disco: The ‘Dedication’ project sounds very interesting. What is the vibe on these tracks? It sounds very organic with live instrumentation. Is there anywhere we can get hold of any earlier ‘Dedication’ releases or hear samples of any of the new material via Myspace or anywhere else on the internet? Have the other musicians you are working with on this project featured on any other work we can find?

The primary musicians are Tsyoshi (Guitar and Bass) who also plays for Cro-Magnon; and Botch, who plays keys for a number of bands out in Japan, but I think this is the only group he actually records with. The tracks are quite varied, some Disco stuff, some Afro, one Acid track, a kinda Rockey one and a few downtempo tracks. It’s great to work with musicians who are so versatile.

You can check the last released track, ‘Pito Deep’ here

We released a 3 track E.P. on Cynic: details here and the first track we recorded came out on an album I did for a label in Japan a few years back, which you can check here and we’ve got another 6 tracks done but we’re getting some more vocals recorded before we try looking for a label to release them all as an album; so not sure when it will all see the light of day as yet. This is their MySpace.

Cosmic Disco: Not only do you create and produce music but you’ve also been DJ’ing for over 17 years. Which came first, playing other people’s music or making your own? Do good producers make for good DJ’s? What qualities do top DJ’s possess and which other DJ’s do you admire/respect?

I’ve been D.J.ing nearly 20 years now, long before I started making my own music, and still think of myself more of a D.J. than a producer.

I started making tracks specifically for the dancefloors I was playing for, but I think it’s a shame that some D.J.’s are overlooked cause they haven’t produced records. I also think it’s strange that people go to hear producers D.J. because they’ve made some records, when they might be terrible D.J.’s. Although D.J.’s and producers both need to know a good track, I think they have very different skills, and quite often just because your good at one of them doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be any good at the other.

To be a good D.J. you need to be intuitive of the dancefloor, and have an understanding of the energy in a room and the programming of the whole night, so you know which records to play when.

My favorite D.J.’s alive today are Harvey and Baldelli; but I was very lucky to have heard Larry Levan a few times, the best time being when he played at Harvey’s night Moist; that was proper.

Cosmic Disco: So, your making your Manchester debut with us and Cutloose at The Roadhouse on Friday 19th June. What can people expect from you? What kind of genres are you playing atm or is it a case of playing by ear on the evening? Also, what formats do you DJ with?

Really looking forward to this party as I’ve heard nothing but good reports.

Having never played in Manchester before I’ll probably bring quite a few different things with me and play the party by ear. The usual staples of my sets are any new things I’m digging out at the moment, some classic acid and disco, and maybe a few odder things if the crowd seem open enough and up for it.

I prefer vinyl; but it’s handy to have the flexibility to play unreleased stuff on C.D’s. I tried the laptop thing for a while a few years ago, but although you can do some quite interesting stuff with them, I once had a little bit of a technical glitch with one in Japan, and when I put a record on and shut the computer down the whole dancefloor went nuts and I haven’t used a laptop to D.J with since!

Cosmic Disco: Some acid eh? Over the last 12 months we have noticed more and more DJ’s seem to be incorporating original acid house tracks into their sets as well as hearing the sounds of the Roland TB-303, TR-808 and 909 and Future Retro 777 on new productions. Is the ‘Acid’ sound coming full circle again? Speaking of which we have heard a rumour of an Acid House themed tent at Glastonbury this year that you are involved with. Can you give us any more details?

Yeah I’ve always been partial to a bit of acid, still sounding fresh after 20 odd years, and it nice to be able to play it to a new generation who may not have heard it first time round. Also good to see more producers dusting off their 303’s (I’ve actually just started some new acid tracks with the Idjut Boys for their Droid label that I think are sounding pretty dope). This year at Glastonbury I have the pleasure of playing again at the New York Downlow.

When I played there 2 years ago it was crowned Glastonbury’s best afterparty by NME. If you make it to Glastonbury you should be able to spot us as our tent looks like a derelict 3 story building.

In the past 2 years at the Downlow they’ve tried to re-create the vibe of a 70’s disco, but this year it’s all about 88, so it’s going to be O.G. house time (No doubt with a bit of disco still thrown in as I’ll be playing with the Horse Meat Disco boys among others).

Cosmic Disco: If you weren’t involved in music, what would you most likely be doing?

I used to want to be a painter, I was pretty good when I was younger, and I think it’s something I’d like to go back to when my hearing goes.

Cosmic Disco: Outside of music, what do you like to get up to?

I like cooking for friends, and I’m getting quite into surfing these day’s (Although I’m still quite crap). The guy’s from Dedication had a board made for me when I was last out in Japan, so I’m looking for any excuse to take it out these days.

Cosmic Disco: What’s your idea of perfect happiness?

I think you need to be healthy to be happy, so I try to eat well and do a bit of exercise during the week to make up for the hedonistic weekends I generally have. I’m really lucky to be able to see people enjoy my work, be that D.J.ing or my music, and that brings me a lot of pleasure. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and old friends.

Cosmic Disco: Finally… If you could create your ideal ‘Supergroup’ from artists alive or dead, who would you have playing what instrument and if you could choose any location/venue where would they perform?

Tony Allen on drums, Cerrone on percusion, Robbie Shakespear on Bass, Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder on key’s, Bobby Byrd on Rhythm guitar, Carlos Santana on Lead Guitar, Love Unlimited Orchestra string section, Martha Wash & Izora Armstead on Backing vocals, Joe Cocker and Sylvester lead vocals. Playing daybreak on Black Rock Beach in Brighton.

Cosmic Disco would like to thank Felix for his time giving us such detailed answers and if this wasn’t enough find below an exclusive ‘Cosmic Disco’ mix to get you in the mood for his Manchester debut on Friday. See you down the front!

Felix Dickinson – Cosmic Disco Exclusive Mix

Track list currently unavailable. Get spotting!

Here’s what he’s got to say about himself:

I’d rather consider my music developed enough to be mainly based upon structure and repetition in favor of unity and by favor of patience. While producing electronic tracks, basically I pass unchallenged by the sounds I consider relevant to my artistic message and I let myself unbounded in a process of live music manufacture. I never predict, I only receive. It should be easy to get and forget, but important when listening. My message is neither abrupt nor conclusive. I only want people to apprehend the beauty of creation itself, the importance of gaps filling spaces. You might say I prefer cohesion. “Harmony within repetitive structures” is my first important release, a couple of neoclassical minimal and clean tracks I consider worthy of esteem. As for now I follow the trend, I cannot stop, I dub float. I started working at my new balearic-dubbed album a few months ago and since then everyday is in fact a small science project. All I want from my work is to express the completeness of glow. That’s why this drifting and vagrant music genre suits me perfectly. For now.

So there we have it. Here’s the mix and tracklist for those wanting to know what exactly he’s done to the OG’s:

• Mujuice – Moonboy (Bogdan Edit)
• Haruka Nakamura – Nord (Bogdan Edit)
• Dan Deacon – Build Voice (Bogdan Edit)
• Stars – He Lied About Death (Bogdan Full Rework)
• Upfront – Infatuation (Bogdan Edit)
• Chic – I want your love (Bogdan Edit)
• Architeq – Birds of Prey (Bogdan Edit)
• Bogdan – In Her Room (Unreleased)
• Bogdan – Pegasus (Unreleased)
• Daft Punk – Make Love (Bogdan Edit)

In 1978 he started buying records himself once he took his first part time job and was a regular collector of Disco twelves and albums. Mark continues to collect up to the present day having also played on pirate radio then moving on to run his own station in the late 1980’s, early 1990’s.

Thanks to a friend it was recommended he do a mix-tape and put it online and this is where Cosmic Disco comes in.

Selecting old tunes (And quite a recent one) here’s this week’s (Somewhat overdue…) mix:

Mojofunk – A Spring Affair (Can’t Deny The Funk)

• Paul Mauriat – Let There Be Light (1977)
• Love Unlimited – Alive And Well (1974)
• Mandre – M3000 (1979)
• Nytro – High On Disco (1979)
• Shalamar – Shalamar Disco Gardens (1978)
• Bottom & Co – Do A Funky Thing Together (1976)
• Le Pamplemousse – Mouette (1977)
• Hamilton Bohannon – Can You Feel It (1975)
• David Bowie – Stay (1976)
• Kat Mandu – Don’t Stop, Keep On (1979)
• Tasha Thomas – Street Fever (1979)
• Gino Soccio – Dance To Dance (1979)
• Soularis – Don’t Change (2003)
• Donna Summer – Spring Affair (1976)
• Carol Douglas – Burnin’ (1978)
• Liquid Gold – Could Be Tonight (1980)
• Erotic Drum Band – Pop Pop Shoo Wah (1979)
• Gary Toms Empire – Slow & Funky (1975)
• Supermax – Lovemachine (1978)
• Sweet Cream – Do A Dance For Love (1978)
• Southroad Connection – Just Laying It Down (1977)
• Wilson Pickett – Granny (1979)

They are based around the vibe of quality electronic music but always with the emphasis of creating a real party atmosphere while striving to remaining ahead of the clubbing pack; Polaroid were the first club night in Leeds to invite Pilooski, Optimo, In Flagranti, Justus Kohncke, Tim Sweeney, Mock and Toof and many others.

Not content with programming cutting edge line ups, Polaroid have secured gigs of their own at some of the most esteemed clubs across Europe such as Fuse in Brussels, Dublin’s Pod and the End in London and have earned a reputation as some of the most respected new DJs and tastemakers in the north of England.

With gigs at Snowbombing and Croatia already under their belts this year, and more exciting dates being added all the time, 2009 looks to be quite a year for them.

Polaroidblogspot – PolaroidSpace

Polaroid Club – Disco Deviant Mixtape

• Intro. Richard Pryor – Cocaine
• Grandmaster Flash – The Message (Polaroid Swift Reverse Edit)
• Andrew Allsgood – Raise It On Down
• Toto – Georgy Porgy (The Revenge Rework)
• Nebraska – The Other Side
• Instruments Of Rapture – Do It To The Max
• Harri & The Revenge – Rocky Mountain Drift
• Eddie C – Let Your Mind Be Free
• Disco Deviance – Get On Up (Situation Edit)
• Super Value Classics – Track 1
• Michael Wycoff – Looking Up To You (The Revenge Rework)
• Lola – Wax The Van (Ilija Rudman Remix)
• Nick Chacona & Anthony Mansfield – Slow n Low
• Morten Sorrenson – Start Something (40 Thieves Remix)
• Nick Chacona and Anthony Mansfield – Burning Sensation
• Das Volt – Gestures (Fabrizio Mammarella Remix)
• LSB – Locomotion
• Soft Rocks – Lightbulb
• Nick Chacona & Anthony Mansfield – The Heat
• Plastic De Reve – Lost In the City
• The Detroit Experiment – Think Twice (Henrik Schwarz Remix)
• Outro. Richard Pryor – My Funeral