Sunday, June 15, 2008

Disco

A funny thing happened. I have been ordering some books second-hand from Amazon about record production. I ordered one by Tim Lawrence, who is a colleague, about New York disco. I've read another author, Daryl Easlea, as well and I wanted to read a bit more. The person who sent me the book also send me a CD with 'The Loft' written on it, which I thought must have come with the book, but I think it's one they made up themselves. I've been listening to it- there are some great tracks but I've no idea what they are, and I'm going to have to play them and Shazzam them to find out. When I know I'll put the tracklisting here.

I wish somebody could tell me what tracks they used to play at the Brighton Art College basement in the late 1970s (before Addison Cresswell took over) and the Concorde on the Brighton seafront. The DJs were fabulous-the music was much more than just simple disco, there was some of the more up-tempo Philly soul but all sorts of other stuff too, Manu Dibango. The African students from Plumpton Agricultural College used to go there, as well as us squatters, art students, and some very trendy looking people in beige who worked in the fashion shops in Brighton.
I still have some brilliant 12" disco singles which I put on the turntable from time to time and have a real nostalge-fest.
Number One Deejay- anyone remember that? I think I must be the only person in the Universe with a copy of that record. I was convinced for a while that it was the first ever 12" single but I read somewhere that something else was. Charles Earland's 'Let The Music Play', 'Take That To The Bank' by Shalimar- I bought that one in Chicago actually, when I went to visit my then boyfriend one Christmas.
There was a bloke called Johnny who worked in a record shop diagonally opposite from Attrix in Sydney Street in Brighton and he would recommend tracks to you. I bought a really good single by the Emotions there once. Later he went on to work in Johnson's on the King's Road and you could get pop stars discount from him. Unforchly, I couldn't afford their clothes even with the discount but the idea was nice; I used to go to Flip instead and buy threadbare tartan shirts and swop the sleeves with other shirts so they didn't match. What an effort- I must have been mad.
Anyway, mystery person who sent me the music, thank you!

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