I’m posting this pretty sheepishly as Darren Judge did one of thess podcasts for us a full 2 MONTHS ago. He left it to me to add the jingles and I moved house/studio and am still picking up the pieces. There are still no jingles for reasons i’d better not go into, but what there is, is two HEAVY mixes put together by the man currently garnering support from the likes of Solid Steel for his CLUBB ROCK project. #19 is everything you’d expect from a British born Jamaican. Tuff Hip Hop, raw breaks and some serious Kingston town leanings. #20 sees the Judge come over all smooth & soulful….in a ghetto style. Guess you can’t be raw all the time. He promises us there are more in the pipeline but for now, wrap your ears around these.

HH PODCAST #19:

As We Enter//Nas & Damian Marley
Yegelle Tezeta//Mulatu Astatke
Struggla//Skitz ft Rodney P, Kardinal Offishal & Skibadee
Born Inna System//Skitz ft Buggsy
Kill Em With The Flow (Remix)//Skandal ft Klashnekoff & P Money
Shutterbug//Big Boi
EMC (What It Stands For)//EMC
Twilite Speedball//Mos Def
Orange Murderer//Clubb Rock
Lit Up//Flying Lotus & Declaime
Geek Down//J Dilla
914//Pete Rock ft Styles P & Sheek Louch
My Aggin (Inst)//OhNo

Download

HH PODCAST #20: Ghetto Love Mix

Download

Phonica are taking it there! Fresh from our collaboration with the One-Handed family last week (many thanks to all who graced the space), we’ve landed a last-minute instore with Stones Throw’s Aloe Blacc who’s hit the UK to spread some love.

Although the confirmation was last-minute, I’ve managed to out-slack everyone by leaving it till four hours before the event to drop this post. Hopefully, the RSS junkies amongst you will get it in time & i’ll see you down there….

Proceedings begin @ 6pm. Phonica Records 51 Poland Street Soho W1F 7LZ. More details here.

For those who don’t know, here’s Aloe doing what he does:

As you might have seen, our Vibe session was on pause last month so it’s only right we come back bigger and bashier….especially as its almost summertime!

This month the Heads High/12 Tone camps will be joined by Wara, a crew of young musicians forging an explosive new brand of Afro-Cuban groove, infected with hip-hop, soul and a whole heap more. Born in 2009, Wara took the London latin alternative scene by storm from their very first gig. Their sound is  tropical  with an extra dose of Cuba, shaken not stirred, asere!

See below for flyer (inna old school block party style).

Forgive me for dropping this so last minute; I’m hoping most heads are already well aware of this event, however for those of you that aren’t, I feel obliged to share this now or forever hold my peace.

In saying that, I’m going to keep this short and sweet.

Being born and bred in Detroit, Amp’s got that natural tendancy to dabble in soul, hip-hop, jazz and electronic music…  His 3 solo albums are proof to this testament. The essence of Amp Fiddler, however is in all things funk. His profile up-to-date boasts collabos with pretty much anyone that has had anything to do with P-Funk. (Oh and if you didn’t know, he was also responsible for introducing J-Dilla (RIP) to the MPC-2000).

Tonight he will be performing a live PA set at East Village. Expect to hear both classic and new material. Having Alton Miller as support can only indicate how serious the vibe will be.

Party people, this is not to be missed.

East Village
89 Great Eastern Street
London EC2A 3HX
020 7739 5173

Amp Fiddler MySpace

She’s been lurking (and working) in the shadows for some time now and she’s decided it’s her time to shine. We’re happy! She’s got ridiculously good taste in music, and she pleases herself before making any concessions for you or I….our kind of girl….check for yourselves. This is her first podcast mind so go easy on her. We were all first-timers on the mic once:

Tracklisting

Strong Arm Steady feat Talib Kweli// Get Started
Medina Green feat Mos Def// Party Done
DTMD// Fantastic
Jneiro Jarel// N.A.S.A
Olivier Daysoul// The Walls
Pollyn// Still Love (Debruit Remix)
Will Powers// Adventures in Success (dub)
Mulatu Astatake// Esketa Dance
Shafiq Husayn// Nirvana
Bei Bei and Shawn Lee// Into the wind
Robert Glasper// The Robert Glasper Experiment
Gill Scott Heron// Me and the Devil
P.O.S// Goodbye
Atmosphere// Shoulda Known
Dabrye feat Doom// Air
Janelle Monae feat Big Boi// Tightrope
Big Boi// Royal Flush (Clean)
Juggaknots// Settle Down
Cunninlynguists// Mic Like a Memory
Mos Def feat Talib Kweli// History
Doom// Ballskin
Oddisee feat Tranquil// It’s Over

Looking back at the last few years, soul, funk and rare groove have returned to the forefront of the clubbing scene all over again… Walking through your standard non-commercial nightlife district in London, you can pretty much hear Motown classics booming from every other venue. However a genre that has superseded those already mentioned based on the sheer impact it has had in its re-explosion back onto the scene is disco music.

Before I go on further, to avoid confusion, this modern craze will be distinguished from what has always been available. Up until a few years ago, disco was a niche sound appreciated by those who used to club to it the first time around in the 70s/80s. These nostalgic clubbers tend to be older and enjoy sparse nights out only on ‘special occasions’.

There is also nothing groundbreaking about the cheesy medium-sized bed-town clubs that run a “Saturday Night Fever” fancy dress disco party every first Friday of the month.

However, the surge of interest from city hedonists willing to re-explore the sounds of yesteryear has been unfounded to say the least. This audience is young, cool and seeking danceable music that is not too hard on the ear. Not only do there seem to be more DJs around responding to this need but venues alike which may have previously had no connection to any old-school music can now be seen boasting a strictly disco only play-list forcing a change in the way people party.

For a month, I worked in the cloakroom of one of these bars that have transitioned in their music offerings from EDM back to disco and it was from here that I realised the sheer quantity and quality of songs coming from this era. Although at its peak, disco became too popular, a lot of the hits have been carried through time pretty well without been frowned upon. As a reader of this post, I’m sure you could hum a few disco melodies and even if not, I would bet my right arm that you would surely be able to recognise many disco tracks if played to you.

Disco itself stems from an era of discontent, rebellion and creation. In the mid 70s, whilst seeking a new form of expression, a mish-mash of black, latino and gay party animals formed disco together with DJs (such as Larry Levan, Tom Moulton and many more), artists, fashionistas and socialites all based in New York. They wanted to dance… and hard. Rock music wasn’t really rocking it and the earlier soul, R&B movement of the 60s was way too agreeable. The Hippies had failed in their west-coast countryside exploits but these east-coast urbanites adopted their drug culture and sexual promiscuity, exchanged the acoustic guitars for record breaks and electric basslines and made it a whole lot fiercer (check out West End Records or Casablanca for typical sounds). By the mid 80s however, the saturation and commercialisation of disco music resulted in a sharp decline in its popularity. Although general consensus states that July 12, 1979 is the day that disco died when Steve Dahl and his pro-rock, Chicago White Sox posse staged the Disco Demolition Night, in hindsight it is evident that it merely morphed into other forms of music and has since proved itself to be a highly influential catalyst in creating what we now know to be electronic dance music. What is significant about this very brief history lesson is that the evolution in disco music has now somewhat reversed.

The word disco itself has come a long way too. The first time around, it went from referencing a pioneering, post flower-power funky scene to embodying a highly unfashionable, cheesy movement that dribbled into the 90s epitomized by tacky moustaches, hairy chests, medallions and the Bee Gees. Strangely enough however, these days the word has come full circle from its tabooed connotations to once again representing all things genuinely cool. This is seen to the extent that party promoters who may have called themselves raves or club nights are now referring to themselves as ‘discos’ despite the fact that they may be spinning jungle music all night long.

Back to 2010, how has this sound managed to reclaim its former glories of being the music to dance to and what is responsible for the resurgence of disco? I think it’s due to these reasons:

> Its musical makeup. Sound-wise, disco is very easy to dance to due to its melodic yet edgy characteristics. It is the safest compromise between dance, soul and pop music and draws from a number of other conflicting musical styles such as funk, jazz, rock and classical. The basic four-on-the-floor beat, syncopated bass lines and enriched, layered sounds makes disco music very danceable. In composition, very few instruments are spared and it was not uncommon for producers to incorporate orchestral harmonies over reverberated vocals.

> The quality of disco by comparison to contemporary pop music. Whether you are a fan of disco or not, you must admit that it is well made music by comparison to today’s array of chart-toppers. Even from before disco when Motown was bigger than the US government, they comfortably churned out quality sounds that now leave new-age pop music looking rather weak. For example, anyone that listens now to the Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder classic track “I Feel Love” gets the sense of a guilty pleasure but must still admit that by todays’ standards, is something to be very proud of.

> The over-fragmentation and homogeneity of music today. These days there’s an increasing multitude of sub-genres as newer sounds are developed. Individual tastes have become more specific than ever. No longer do people have to endure mainstream techno when in actual fact they prefer minimal tech or tech-house. The side effects of this imply that one may feel alienated if not absolute music snobs or enthusiasts of very niche genres. Conversely, most of popular music has become so washed out and dumb down to a homogeneous blend of crap that it either all sounds the same or of nothing. The fans of this scene can almost be generalised as those that are probably hammered in a student union on ‘2-4-1 Sambuca shots,’ not really caring about the music that comes on and are expected to hear the precise same set list the following week. People should expect and deserve more.

> Aspect of nostalgia.  The re-emergence of disco’s analogue, synth-driven sound is unique and distinctive of that era. Nostalgia is the ‘feel-good-factor’ that people experience when dancing to disco. Party people today can escape back into the more adventurous times of the colourful 70s and 80s. Disco also represents the very beginning of dance music (without being neurotic about the issue). Thus musically, this genre represents the oldest reference point of danceable music a non-niche venue can present without loosing their customers.

> Its cheapness. Disco so far is not an expensive affair. Bars, clubs and DJs don’t charge the over-inflated rates people expect to pay these days on a night out. This has helped wean people back into the genre.

> It induces inebriation. Disco although cheap to experience, is a wild money-making sound. Disco requires its young hearts to run free. People want to drink in homage to the era and the feelings the genre encapsulates. This is perfect for club and bar owners.

> The accessibility and inclusivity. Disco is neither threatening nor alienating. Although initially a black style, the big hits opened up the genre to all. Disco is also one of the few genres that doesn’t discriminate those that know from those that don’t; it is to a degree, highly predictable by comparison to jazz for example. Even the more obscure sub-genres such as Italo, Eurodisco, New Wave, Hi-NRG are still not too specialised to not be appreciated by all. The pioneers of the scene cast very long shadows when they integrated all styles into the genre. Most people know more than they realise regarding disco, which means that familiarity and initiation into the scene today is instant. There is very little learning to do for those that do not wish to explore deeper into the genre.

> The variety in the scene. Disco branched off into hip hop, new wave, post punk, electro, house as well as establishing DJ culture, which in turn branched off into many more contemporary genres such as techno. Disco therefore has the capabilities to capture a broad audience coming from its many musical descendants who can all find an aspect of disco that distantly relates to their personal tastes. Here are the three main types of totally divergent disco DJs that have been reawakened by the revival of the scene:

1. “Cool” DJs exercising a shift in taste towards the music that their modern stuff came from. The saturation of electro music presented the need to quickly stray away from their core sound by mixing it with something divergent for differentiation. Examples of this type of DJ are Erol Alkan and his Disco 3000 alter-ego. DFA Records, Horse Meat Disco (aka Jim Stanton) and Disco Bloodbath. They play massive venues and their loyal fanbase will enjoy anything these DJs choose to spin at marked-up prices, if that happens to be electroclash or Italo – so be it. With this category, there tends to be a focus on the more synth-led eurodisco aesthetics.

2. “Original” DJs who have always been renowned within the genre before the niche re-exploded. Frankie Knuckles for example, John Morales, Danny Krivit or Rahaan all from the States. This is probably the most quality you can find when hunting down a real retro set. Hardcore crate diggers who live and breath the stuff. Some of them are lucky enough to have established themselves in the house music scene and still sell out venues like “Little” Louie Vega (MAW). Their fans range from the accidental listeners to the hardcore lovers of the sound. Many of these DJs moved into house music but due to their thorough knowledge of disco will still spin anything from very early disco tracks to the more experimental house sounds.

3. “Wedding” DJs are a tad more difficult to define as they spin everything, yet essentially are not particularly attached to whatever is being played as opposed to the reactions they get from the crowd. They play the same tracks that ‘get the party started’ and rely on their audience’s inebriation to overlook the substandard mixing. Examples of these can be found in generic bars that have adopted the new music policy but are not prepared to pay for serious DJs since their customers probably won’t even notice the difference. Here, people are more likely to hear all the classic danceable disco hits.

Where will disco go from here? To be honest, I haven’t any idea but I do wish it the best of luck.  I also believe that disco may prove to have greater stamina this time around despite the danger of ‘wedding’ DJs killing the music again. Luckily for Londoners, contemporary pop music has taken on this role, running the risk of cannibalising itself as it bears the brunt for poor audiences and DJs.

So when next passing a venue in Shoreditch with the sounds of KC and the Sunshine Band blasting out, lets not be too hasty to raise our noses up at what was possibly one of the golden eras in popular music.

As the flyer says, you know the drill by now. 12 Tone Brass are hot (if you don’t believe me watch the video below), Heads High are heat, add them together and you’ve got extreme snow melting capabilities….we’ll see you there (Vibe sell hot drinks too so no excuses!)…

Don’t know 12 Tone Brass? Allow them to introduce themselves…

The last time I saw Meshell Ndgeocello live, she was involved in a project known as ‘Spirit Music Sextet’ collaborating with Mos Def Big Band in one of New York’s more intimate settings.

As the crowd anticipated a run-of-the-mill set with re-inventions of her handful of hits, Ndgeocello flipped the script beyond recognition. What was apparently going to be a standard jazz/soul/funk/rock live performance turned into a live jammin’ session-cum-experimentation of various psychedelic sounds reminiscent of the cosmic interludes on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

Once I stopped trying to make sense of what was going on, I could sit back and enjoy the band’s hypnotic super-sonic journey.

“Meshell Ndegeocello is so underrated it’s ridiculous. Her shows are some of the best shows that I have ever seen. She is just this beautiful soul. She ain’t pulling no punches. She is telling it like it is.”

—Lenny Kravitz, VH1 Neo-Soul Special, October 25, 2001

She went on for no less than 3 hours to which, at most of the time was with her eyes closed as the accompanying musicians (including an SFX DJ) injected free jazz riffs and electronic AV effects to the performance.

At the abrupt end, which none could have anticipated, she opened her eyes, thanked the crowd for “participating in her journey” and jumped off the stage and out the fire exit for a “smoke.”

Everyone was left stunned and solidly divided on whether what had just been seen was a big con or the work of a genius. I decided to hunt her down and quiz her for myself. I can vividly recall the experience as she spoke about many issues, from not exploiting the medium of music, to being honest with what one’s shares as an artist, to Fela and Miles, the Jazz Cafe’s sound system, London’s record shops and Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart.

In all fairness, despite her intense sense of presence, I could have comfortably been having this casual chat with anyone from the ends. In fact, it was only when the venue manager interrupted us to remind her of her second performance sound check, did she snap out of the convo and get back into professional mode.

In professional mode, she has given birth to 7 top quality, highly diverse studio albums, an uncountable amount of collaborations and side-projects and has earned herself 10 Grammy nominations plus other accolades. In short, Meshell is the envy of her industry peers. As Jill Scott puts it, she really “… is in a realm of her own.”

—Jill Scott, VIBe Magazine, May 2002

Being nurtured in the midst of Washington DC’s Go-Go (funk) scene, this bisexual female has never been afraid to do what she wants, regardless. Never wanting to be pigeon-holed, her sounds have ranged from pure beat poetry – as can be heard on ‘The Spirit Music Jamia: Dance of the Infidel’ and ‘Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape,’ to bass guitar-driven funky jazz vibes (on most of her work) to the folksy, soulful styles she displays on ‘Bitter‘ or more complex hypnotic sounds like in ‘The World has made me the Man of my Dreams.’ She will offend you, if necessary and has no intentions for mass appeal. Meshell strives only to be herself (and Miles Davis reincarnated).

Her realness has even been admired by those who have ‘played the game’ – so to speak. Madonna once told a British paper that:

“Meshell is an incredible talent who never plays by the rules. That’s her strength—and weakness.”

—Madonna, The Sunday Telegraph, August 29, 1999

Whilst Talib Kweli goes as far as to label her with the uttermost kudos stating simply that:

“She is music.”

—Talib Kweli, VIBe Magazine, May 2002

So after a mini hiatus, we gladly welcome her 8th studio effort “Devil’s Halo.” The album will be released on October 6th on ‘Mercer Street‘, a label that she has just joined. Her press release tells us…

“Devil’s Halo harkens back to the way records used to be made: no click track or electronic synthetics, with a focus on musicianship and live band energy. Devil’s Halo represents a return to a place that she truly appreciates, music that is created and performed by people’s hands. It’s said to be influenced by a wide breadth of sounds – from The Human League to Wu Tang to Yes.

The album will be produced by Meshell and guitarist Chris Bruce. Additional musicians on the album are Deantoni Parks (drums), Keefus Ciancia (keys), Lisa Germano (cello), Oren Bloedow and Mark Kelly (background vocals).”

I’ll be damned if I don’t get my hands on this.

1. Slaughter
2. Tie One On
3. Lola
4. Hair Of The Dog
5. Mass Transit
6. White Girl
7. Love You Down
8. Devil’s Halo
9. Bright Shiny Morning
10. Blood On The Curb
11. Die Young
12. Crying In Your Beer

Synchronicity is alive and well in the digital age.

I first heard Amede & The Soundsmith via the ubiquitous Alex Nut and his All Young Kings promotion machine. Amede’s work stands out, somehow managing to herd adjectives like ethereal, celestial and melancholic together in a pen of neck snapping beats, subsonically supported basslines and frequent nods towards the past sonic experiments of Jamaica’s dub laboratories. A few weeks after my AYK gift, I bumped into Amede outside Deviation and broke bread, I liked his vibe. More weeks/tweets later and here I am, glasses on, Cornflakes in bowl and ready to explore the world of Amede & The Soundsmith…

Firstly, we should start on a foundation of truth. ‘Amede’ and his partner ‘The Soundsmith’ are one and the same person, an ‘internal-duo’ as he puts it. The separation coming from a need to individualize the creative entities of the vocalist, Amede, and the beatmaker, The Soundsmith. Both of these personalities are extremely well formed. Even a casual listen to ‘Will She Ever Know?’ will tell you that the man can sing, listen again a little more carefully and you’ll hear it, the man can produce. Once you’ve digested that, you’ve then got to come to terms with the fact that these skills are living in a man with less than 20 years worth of calcium in his bones.

“I am 19. Many see me as an older person. I believe that come from being well guided by my father and his Nigerian background, he has been a prominent factor to keeping my head screwed on….At 10, I started singing. I have no idea where it came from in all honesty, only God knows! I performed my first show in my first year of secondary school and then that was it, music it was! In the summer of 2004, when I was 14, a cousin of mine and I got our hand on Fruity Loops, we was so excited about the prospect of beat making, we thought we were hot then even though they sounded wack. He went off to develop his sound and I did the same, listening to the sounds of Dilla, Slum Village and Dwele. I feel it has been an organic musical journey for me as I didn’t have any musicians in my family. Many artists of today had musical family member or were pushed into learning instruments as a child. Sometimes I wished I learned more instruments as a child, I’m learning now but it just isn’t the same as learning young.”

I feel what he’s saying, but I think he’s being a little hard on himself. From my Jurassic Park perspective, Amede is learning young. How many 19 year olds do you know releasing innovative, introspective, soul-drenched music on their own labels? I know a few who push out the throwaway sound of now from their ReDrums and Subtractors, but music with longevity….a handful. On the subject of releases, Amede & The Soundsmith dropped their debut single ‘The Underground’ early this with their follow-up ‘Flat 17 Ep’ having hit the digital shelves in August. Why ‘Flat 17′ Amede?

“Flat 17 is where I was staying for my first year of university at the time of its creation, it’s the place where the idea came to fruition, where each track was composed. Flat 17 is the birth place of the EP. The project is aimed at letting people know what it is I do, what I am capable of and who I work with. Each track consists of different elements which are part of me. I wanted to show that I don’t just sing, I don’t just compose, I can also produce for others, beatbox, songwrite, create my own artwork…Another motive behind it was to lead a pack. I believe it’s good that a creative circle of artist has somebody who just goes ahead and puts plans in action, it was to inspire my creative partners too. I work with some amazing musicians, Nadine Ceaser who won the 219 Variety Show last year, lyricist & vocalist, T-funk and producer, Azekel. It was partly to show them that whether Flat 17 gets a thumbs up or thumbs down from people, getting it out there can be done by one of us. I believe it has inspired them to also get their music out there too.”

Big respect for that and incidentally, a clear ‘thumbs-up’ for the EP. Now I’ve heard it, I want more! Luckily for all of us, there is more to come. A&TS’s Bohemianmusic Label is currently germinating a ‘beat-trilogy of free downloads’ which will involve external remixers and live renditions of some of their material. There is also more to come from lyricist T-Funk and songstress Shanaz Dorsett. Nice. Maybe not too surprisingly for a self-confessed perfectionist who clearly wants to be in control of his own destiny, Amede, and his partner the Soundsmith also have set their sights on deconstructing the black art of Mastering…and growing beards?!

“The direction I’m heading into is actually more of the technical background of music. I have a love for mixing but mastering is where I really want to take it, I want to wake up early in the morning in my studio mastering and mixing music with my producers beard growing out of control… it’s where the love is at. As an artist, I simply want to be a big part of the evolution of today’s music and to primarily make honest music from the soul, what I may sound like a decade from now is something I’m not sure of but I know I will be knocking sounds out to my grave.”

Word.

Amede likes you people, so much so that he’s given us the ‘Flat 17′ Ep track ‘Vast!’ for free, and asked us to pass it on to you.

Download Vast!

He also let us in to the very personal space of what inspires him to do what he does right now…

Amede & The Soundsmith’s Top 5 Inspirations:

1. I’ve been listening to a lot of Fela Kuti’s ‘Expensive Shit‘ album, Samiyam’s ‘Moon Shoes‘, Hudson Mohawkes ‘Rising 5‘ and the classic by Tom Scott – ‘Today‘ that track is amazing!

2. Knowing that God has love for me!

3. My Fathers wisdom!

4. I went to watch Soul Power in West London two weeks ago. I found it very inspiring seeing all those great musician vibe with each other. It was pure love recorded in history and I hope I can be watched upon in such a manner one day.

5. My peers! God as allowed me to grow around very inspirational young creatives which I know will leave thier stamp one day and it’s a blessing to be part of that.

So there we have it, young talents with a luminescent future. Amede…..and the Soundsmith.

Links:

Official Website
Myspace
Twitter
Shanaz Dorsett Myspace

Electronic or organic? Both have a place and both need each other to survive. Symbiosis. If you’ve heard any of Reggie Dokes‘ output you’ll know he understands this relationship. You’ll know he knows (poly)rhythm, African composition and how to translate soul through machines. Basically, Reggie Dokes is a deep brother. The good news for us is his depth has long been noted. Prime Numbers, Philpot, Third Ear, We Play House, Clone and Planet Harrier have all signed his wares, following in the esteemed footsteps of the Transmat, Sound Signature and Rhythmic Deep labels who came to the party early. His own Psychostasia imprint provided the foundation and continues to broadcast soul transmissions. I wanted to write a feature on Reggie because he embodies precepts that I hold dear. Innovation, depth and knowledge of self….so here it is…

Everything I’ve read about Reginald Dokes points to his father, musician and music teacher Dr Limuel Dokes, as the prime inspiration for his work – the foundation. He bought him his first copy of Martin Circus ($50!) and moved him to train formally on the concert snare and later the drums. So that’s where he got his rhythm from. In his own words…

‘My first inspiration would have to be my father, Dr. Limuel Dokes. His life to me has been truly inspirational. He touched many young people with his gift of music. He was formerly trained. Taught high school stage band, concert band and marching band. As a kid, I remember walking and marching with the drum section as they played on the football fields of various Detroit high schools performing. He taught me how to be a great man, father, lover and creator of good music, R.I.P. Dad.’

Detroit again. I’m sure there’s a portal to some kind of higher artistic dimension in that city. There’s just so much talent, and not just any talent, it’s deep, timeless, raw creation. There’s something so special about Detroit that no matter where artists move out of the city, or for what reasons, a piece of the magic remains with them indefinitely.Reggie is no exception.

‘I was born and raised in Detroit. Although I am in Atlanta now, I will always love my city. There are some hard realities in my lovely city, high unemployment and a lot of vacant buildings. Despite the run down buildings and vacant structures, artistically, I am still able to go within and bring out that creative side to my music. I like to think many things inspire me when it comes to music. My surroundings would certainly be number one on my list.’

Now seems a good time to mention Derrick May. Our awareness of Mr Dokes east of the Atlantic is due in no small part to Reggies’ relationship with the Bellville Three innovator. (The championing of his ‘The Skin I’m In‘ cut by one Theo Parrish didn’t harm either.)

‘Derrick May and I are still great friends to this day. He helped considerably in exposing me to the professional side of DJing. I had a residency in Canada a long with my partner Randall Washington. Thanks to Jerry the Cat, the head DJ at the club, he wanted us to come in and do some different things musically. Derrick would come to the club and hang out, especially if he had some gigs that way. I remember him coming up to the DJ booth. He was very cool. Two weeks later I was hanging out at this late night party off of Woodward, and saw Mr. May. He turned to me and said, “Hey what’s up? I want to help you with your DJ career.” The only thing I could say is, “Thanks.” At the time he had a DJ agency called Point Blank with this guy named John. He exposed me to parties in the states and eventually overseas. It was rough going though because I did not have any records out at the time, so basically Derrick would have me open up for him. It was a great experience but also quite nerve racking. I got over the nervousness eventually and just started having fun with it. Derrick is a great DJ. I have seen a lot of them. I remember we were doing a party in Detroit together and a record scratched while he was playing. He immediately hit the effects button and spun the record backwards. I was like, “oh shit!” No one really even noticed, the vibe was still on point. He did not even sweat it.’

It wasn’t all opening for legendary innovators though. We’ve all got to start somewhere and Reggie’s career began in the basement of his family home, cutting and pasting hot wax from New York and across the water in Europe.

‘I have been a DJ since I was 14. I had a good family friend that had a DJ set up. Naturally I wanted one, because he was mixing records that sounded very unique to me. A lot of them were records from overseas and New York records. DJing back then was such a cool thing to do for a kid. A lot of these records from Yazzoo, Yellow, Beat the Street, Capricorn, I Want it to be Real by John Rocca. These records were so different. The vibe was so amazing to me and intoxicating. My father started to support me in buying these records every week. Finally I got a DJ setup. It was a Realistic mixer with two Technics turntables called SLB 200s I believe. My setup was in the basement of my parents home, and I spent hours mixing and making mixed tapes for my friends at school. Sometimes I would make a mixtape before doing homework. My parents did not like that at all. Then I hooked up with a guy name Greg Freeman who DJed, and we just connected. Another guy joined us name Will Guest, and we formed a group called Audio Sounds. We eventually became this popular DJing crew playing Progressive and House Music at house parties. We progressed from playing house parties to being booked by clubs and various venues. Everybody started wanting our mixtapes and we became like local stars at our high school in Detroit. One memory I have is playing this event in Detroit and all the guys would stand around the table watching how we mixed records and stand by the speakers to hear our blends and transitions. It was quite competitive, but very fun.’

Technics SLB 200 (Photo courtesy Vintagetechnics.com)

On to Psychostasia. Reggie’s label and home of his early output. Established in 2000/1, Psychostasia has consistently served up the goodness from Reggie’s own lab, not forgetting tracks from associates like Jerry the Cat, JuJu and Jordash and the fruits of collaborations between himself Craig Huckaby and fellow Detroit dweller Pirahnahead under the Napi Headz moniker. The label is still going strong today and has never swerved from it’s original aim of releasing eclectic, innovative, soul drenched productions.

‘It [Psychostasia Recordings] was inspired by my experiences in meeting road blocks with other independent labels. Many of them were giving me the runaround. I got tired. Decided I wanted to start my own thing. Psychostasia Recordings was born. With any label it is always a struggle. I remember sending my records overseas to shops in London for free, just to create a buzz. The fortunate thing is that my artistry came from the inspiring streets of Detroit. Considering Detroit’s history or ties to techno, that helped my label. My vision was to have a label that reflected independence. Meaning a label whose vibe was different or eclectic, soulful and genre bending. In addition, it was my aim to show that you could still put out records that particularly did not have the dancefloor in mind. I have manifested my vision, and I continue to push forward with my music.’

Focussing on this music, there is a strong African thread binding together Reggie’s back catalogue. Imagine Ali Farka Toure and Mustapha Tettey Addy in the studio with Juan Atkins and you’ll be getting close. It’s a real skill to balance those Motherland influences with more Westernized styles and do credit to each of the sources. Reggie has this art on lock.

‘…in that there is an intentional injection of African vibrations on my part when it comes to most of my productions. I make no excuses about that…I can only speak for myself, but I always try to make that connection and recognize the beauty of indigenous African rhythms with my electronic music, whether it be House or Techno. The African history/legacy that is a part of me, I share and send out through my music productions … At the risk of repeating myself, I think any person that creates should put a part of what is important and spiritual in their work. Without hesitation, I will unashamedly articulate that Africa, specifically the music, has influenced the world many times over. My first album was called Afromation. I wanted the world of electronic music to know that I am about Africa. I am about history. I am about peace. I am about love. I am about spirituality. I am about music.’

The Afromation was a truely breathtaking debut long player. Released in 2004, it still sounds as fresh today as when I first pressed play. The same goes for his ‘Rhythmicity EP‘. Reggie cites these as his most cherished works.

‘The productions that I am most proud of would be my first EP on Psychostasia and my first album, “The Afromation.” Like most artists, you always have a special connection with that first piece of work. I remember struggling trying to get that first EP out, and most importantly, creating that minimal track, “Black Thoughts” while my daughter was on my lap. The first album is always significant to the artist, this was a body of work that I presented to the world, representing all that is important to me: sprituality, family, music, genre bending artistry.’

The journey is far from over. With a new long player and Psychostasia reissue programme from in the pipeline, plans for a collaborative album with his brother in music Boddhi Satva and murmurs of a European DJ tour early next year, the master of the deep continues his walk….and long may it last.

Reggie has blessed us with a free download of his ‘Funk Below’ which you can pick up here:

Download ‘Funk Below’

We like moving pictures too, so I included this trailer for the TechnoMecca which features Reggie discussing the black roots of Techno. And for throwback value, check out Sharon Redd in all her black leather glory in the original video for the awesome ‘Beat The Street’.

Many Thanks to Reggie for his patience and assistance putting this piece together. Our blessings stretch out to you brother…