Author archive: Greg Wilson

Before I headed off on tour I pulled out my recently acquired copy of Bob Dylan’s autobiography ‘Chronicles: Volume One’ (2004), which I’d specifically earmarked for this trip. However, on my connecting flight from Manchester to London I realised that rather than packing it in my hand baggage, as intended, I must have put it in my suitcase, so, with my luggage checked through to Hong Kong, when I arrived at Heathrow I went into WH Smith to see if I could find something else to read on the journey. I was really looking forward to the Dylan book, so, when I saw it on the shelf I decided to get another copy, and pass the spare one on somewhere along the way. Continue reading →

There seems to have been a cluster of deaths since the New Year, the latest being Whitney Houston, one of the most successful female singers of all-time, who enjoyed phenomenal success during the second half of the 80’s and on through the 90’s. I was fortunate to hear her sing before she was famous. In 1984 I was at The Hippodrome in London for the DMC DJ Convention Continue reading →

Not the iconic one up on the balcony, but the original side of stage location. This bit of history comes courtesy of Hewan Clarke, the original Haçienda DJ, who had to put up with what was one of the worst thought out DJ booths I’d ever come across, located in a separate room down some stairs to the side of the stage, with a narrow slit window enabling you to view little more than the feet of those outside in the club. With the eccentric French VJ, Claude, for company, Hewan, and the other DJs that would work in there during the venue’s first few faltering years, myself included, had never experienced the like – it was more akin to being in a radio control room than a nightclub Continue reading →

As host of US TV’s quintessential black / dance music show, Soul Train, Don Cornelius, who died today, aged 75, was an iconic black music figure. Everyone who was anyone in the Soul and Funk world appeared on the programme during its 70’s heyday. Film director Spike Lee would aptly describe it as an “urban music time capsule.” He co-founded Soul Train Records with Dick Griffey in 1975, the label enjoying success via Shalamar, The Whispers and Carrie Lucas, before Cornelius decided to focus all his attention on the TV show, which was a major hit – Dick Griffey going on to greater achievements with the SOLAR label (Sound of Los Angeles Records). Continue reading →

ARTIST: PAUL SIMON ALBUM: GRACELAND LABEL: WARNER BROTHERS YEAR: 1986 This Sunday at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. Continue reading →

You don’t know how happy I am to be able to tell you that, after months and months of chipping away, the new redesigned revitalized Electrofunkroots website is now live and kicking, having undergone a complete overhaul, with loads of new content added. Continue reading →

Sad to hear about the untimely passing of DJ Streets Ahead (Shem McCauley) one of the UK’s pioneering scratch & cut exponents, who’d re-invent himself in the mid-90’s as the successful dance music producer, Slacker. Continue reading →

Los Angeles born Blues / Rhythm & Blues / Soul singer, Etta James, regarded as one of the great American vocalists, died yesterday, aged 73. Continue reading →

Muhammad Ali, arguably the greatest sportsman of the 20 th Century, and certainly one of its foremost historical figures, is 70 years old today. The much loved former heavyweight boxer was labeled a big mouth when he started out, and nicknamed the ‘Louisville Lip’. When he fought the fearsome champion, Sonny Liston, for the World heavyweight title in February 1964 the majority of people expected him to be well and truly shut up, but he upset all the odds and beat the man regarded as ‘invincible’ by many boxing critics Continue reading →

Just heard the news that New York born 70’s Funk master Jimmy Castor died yesterday. Recording as The Jimmy Castor Bunch, I first came across them back in 1975 when I picked up a copy of their single ‘The Bertha Butt Boogie’, regarded by many at the time as the quintessential ‘bump’ record Continue reading →

The photo above shows a man walking down the street past a wall that’s been sprayed with some graffiti – it says ‘Powell For P.M’. I’d imagine that most people under a certain age would completely miss the relevance of this image, having no idea who this Powell was. Maybe they might pick up on the clue that it has some reference to race, as the man in the picture is black, but without understanding the context, it’s message has been lost with the passage of time Continue reading →

The acclaimed American photographer, Eve Arnold, died last week at the grand old age of 99. Continue reading →

 Yes this is the year To make your decision. Continue reading →

ARTIST: THE STONE ROSES ALBUM: THE STONE ROSES LABEL: SILVERTONE YEAR: 1989 On New Years Day at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. Continue reading →

12 months ago, in the post ‘A Christmas Gift For You’, I related one of my favourite aspects of Christmas – how it provides the opportunity for me to give an annual listen or two to the seasonal masterpiece, ‘A Christmas Gift For You’ (aka ‘Phil Spector’s Christmas Album’). http://www.gregwilson.co.uk/2010/12/a-christmas-gift-for-you/ By the same token, the festive season has its own special movies that are always good to watch again, no matter how often you’ve seen them before, because they embody the spirit of Christmas, connecting you right back to your younger self, when the magic shone brightest. Continue reading →

As I navigated the winding country lanes on my way to the M5 from Minehead, where I’d been playing the Sunday night 1.00am-3.00am closing slot / graveyard shift at the inaugural ‘House Of Fun’ weekender, I was pleased to discover that there was a programme on the radio about the JFK assassination 48 years ago in 1963. Always a subject of fascination, this would help me whittle away half an hour of journey time as I weaved onwards towards the motorway. Continue reading →

“I suppose when I was writing V For Vendetta I would in my secret heart of hearts have thought: wouldn’t it be great if these ideas actually made an impact? So when you start to see that idle fantasy intrude on the regular world… It’s peculiar. Continue reading →

ARTIST: MICHAEL JACKSON ALBUM: OFF THE WALL LABEL: EPIC YEAR: 1979 This Sunday (Dec 4th), at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. Continue reading →

Very pleased to inform you that all 12 episodes of Random Influences are now available on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad via the Radio ditto app, downloadable for free from iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/radio-ditto/id464200632?mt=8 There you’ll find the Random Influences series and be able access each 2 hour episode, or listen to the entire 24 hour stream on loop. Also featured on the Radio ditto app are shows from Ashley Beedle, Heaven 17 and Strictly Rhythm. Originally launched on my 50th birthday in February 2010, Random Influences is a celebratory selection of 7” singles from my formative years, embodying the soundtrack of my youth. Continue reading →

Congratulations to Northern dance institution Back To Basics, which is 20 years old this week! To commemorate this pretty momentous occasion for what is the longest running club night in the world, Ralph Lawson, resident there since day one, has launched a blog, Basic Vision, in which he’ll be sharing his memories, most notably via a series of lovingly constructed mixes that document the music he’s played there down the years, which will come complete with Ralph’s accompanying track-by-track text. Running for a whopping 150 minutes, the first mix in the series, which covers the clubs 91-94 tenure at its original home, The Music Factory, can be heard here: http://www.ralphlawson.co.uk/blog/2011/11/22/themusicfactory-years-1991-94.html Kicking off with the first tune ever played there (on Nov 23 rd 1991), Marshall Jefferson Presents Truth with the House anthem ‘Open Our Eyes’, you can read about each of the 28 tracks included and see label scans here: http://www.ralphlawson.co.uk/blog/category/sleevenotes For those of you who haven’t come across Back To Basics, it’s based in Leeds and was the brainchild of Dave Beer and the late Alistair Cooke, who brought a Punk attitude to the burgeoning early 90’s dance movement, creating one of its truly iconic club nights Continue reading →

In December 2005 I wanted to do something to mark the 30 th anniversary of when I made my club debut, on December 6 th 1975 at the Chelsea Reach in New Brighton, and I came up with the idea of compiling a selection of 25 singles that I was carrying in my record crates at the time (we used to use old wooden drinks crates, which were the perfect size for 7” singles – the 12” not making its appearance until the following year). I called this selection ‘First Impressions’ (named after one of the tracks included) and pressed up a limited run of CD’s (a 2 disc set of 100), whilst the Six Million Steps website also hosted it. I described it in the accompanying text as ‘something of a time capsule, providing a snapshot of what many would describe, with hindsight, as the Proto-Disco period’ Continue reading →

ARTIST: JANELLE MONÁE ALBUM: THE ARCHANDROID LABEL: BAD BOY ENTERTAINMENT YEAR: 2010 This Sunday (Nov 6th), at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. Full lowdown here: http://www.gregwilson.co.uk/2010/06/living-to-music/ I first came across Janelle Monáe in September 2010, having caught an interview with her on BBC Radio 4 as I was driving back from Bestival. Continue reading →

In many respects we’ve come a long way from the overt racism I remember in the 60’s and 70’s, but every now and again I feel a shudder that keeps me aware that it still resides not far beneath the surface. I don’t normally comment about football related issues, but this has a wider social context Continue reading →

Seminal British Disc Jockey Sir Jimmy Savile died today, two days before his 85 th birthday. Leeds born Savile claimed to be the first DJ to use two turntables, in 1947. Although this remains disputed, there’s no doubt that Savile was a pioneer when it came to playing records in dance halls, most notably in his home city and across the Pennines in Manchester Continue reading →

Earlier this month Leftside Wobble shared an edit of Man Friday’s ‘Love Honey, Love Heartache’ on his SoundCloud. Continue reading →