Greetings from rainy South London! First up, apologies for my lengthy absence. Checking back to my last post I realise it’s over 6 months since I was last in touch. Life has got in the way, as it invariably does, with work and home commitments making it hard to commit to personal projects.
I’m not too hung up on this - that’s how life goes sometimes and I’d rather be busy than not, particularly in these uncertain times. As the year comes to an end I have two new projects to share, both of which are IRL events here in London, so apologies to those of you in further flung parts of the world. Feel free to skip to the bottom where you’ll see a round-up of some of my favourite LPs of recent months. For those of you in and around our nation’s capital, read on…
First up is overjoyed - a new dance that I’ve put together with my good buddy Russ Ryan. I’ve known Russ for a few years now and we’ve DJ’d together every summer at the peerless We Out Here Festival. Russ runs Near Mint, purveyors of the finest vinyl cleaning products on the planet, and organisers of record fairs up and down the country. Near Mint run a tent at We Out Here, and the two of us have closed out the venue for the past few years.
As I get older it occurs to me how DJ life becomes more solitary as you take it more seriously. In my early days I was always playing with friends, sharing tunes and enjoying a friendly competitiveness at empty bars playing for our own enjoyment as much as the (sparse) crowd. As it became my job those times to play with others diminished and the opportunity to share music and jokes became rarer. These days I don’t play out so much, but when I do I try and make it something I do with friends rather than on the solo tip.
This is really the impetus behind overjoyed - an excuse for the two of us to spin our favourite soulful records, come up with terrible DJ names for each other and get overexcited about using my dub siren. Good clubs in London are increasingly hard to find, so I’m delighted to be able to launch the dance at Sweeties, up on the 10th floor of The Standard in Kings Cross. Joining us will be rising UK soul star Lynda Dawn, spinning her mix of funk, jazz and rare groove. If you’re not familiar with Lynda, check her EP At First Light - hands down one of the best soul records to come out of the UK in the past few years.
If this sounds like a bit of you, come down and get involved on November 25th. Entry is free - just WhatsApp 'overjoyed' to +44 7534 438460 to reserve your spot. Come ready to dance to steppers, street soul, lovers rock, neo-soul and much more. Check my guest spot on Russ’ recent Rinse FM show for a flavour of what to expect.
Next up: Liner Notes. This is something slightly more in keeping with my posts in these pages, and my radio show The Lesson on Worldwide FM. The Parakeet is a newly refurbed pub in Kentish Town, run by the team behind The Jazz Cafe and various other excellent London venues. Primarily a food destination (check Jay Rayner’s unintentionally controversial review from earlier in the year), it’s now expanding into music-themed events, which is where I come in.
Liner Notes will see me joined by a notable music fan to talk through their favourite tracks from a chosen artist, sharing personal insights and talking about the influence and impact the artist has had on the wider cultural world. For the first instalment I’ll be joined by Doc Brown aka Ben Bailey-Smith to talk about Wu-Tang Clan. Capacity is very limited and half the tickets are already gone so hit the ticket link double-quick!
I realise that most of you are here for music recommendations rather than invitations to Central London happenings, so here’s a few that I’ve been enjoying lately.
The eponymous new album by Resavoir is the latest release from the ever-reliable International Anthem imprint, fusing low-profile beats with soulful jazz and a dash of experimentation.
Fans of Cleo Sol should check out Samantha Lindo’s new record Ancestry which I’ve been playing a lot lately.
Speaking of which, Gold and Heaven are easily two of the best LPs released in 2023. Hopefully Cleo will be touring next year; the show at the Royal Albert Hall back in May was an all-timer.
The return of Sampha is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time and Lahai didn’t disappoint. Is there a more heartbreaking voice in music? I can’t think of one.
I’ve really dug into the Casisdead record in recent weeks and it justifies the hype. Marilyn featuring Connie Constance is the highlight for me, but the whole thing is a wild, hallucinogenic ride from a true one-off artist.
Another unique voice in rap music is the New York-based Billy Woods. His solo records and many collaborations are consistently excellent, as is the output from his BackWoodz Studioz label. I’m particularly enjoying the new record from vocalist Fielded, exec produced by Billy. Like a lot of my favourite records it’s one that draws you in and doesn’t let go from first to last.
Regular readers of these posts will know how much I enjoyed the ‘For The Love Of You’ lovers rock comps on Athens Of The North. Compiler Sam Don has now turned his attention to another under-appreciated corner of British soul music. Just A Touch gives Street Soul it’s moment in the spotlight and not before time. The highlight is Bo’vel’s Coming Back, but the whole thing is essential.
Finally I have a new record coming out on my label First Word in a couple of weeks. We’ve been working with Cardiff-based producer Don Leisure for several years now. There have been multiple solo projects as well as his collaboration with Earl Jeffers under the Darkhouse Family moniker. His last solo LP included a track featuring harpist Amanda Whiting. Beyond The Midnight Sun expands this partnership across seven tracks, fusing spiritual jazz with Leisure’s trademark low-slung hip hop beats.
That’s all for now - I hope to be back with more news from my corner of the world very soon.
Till next time…