A venue hidden off the beaten track, a terrace overlooking the Thames and twelve hours of the most soulful Southport sounds – yesterday’s SuncéBeat 2 reunion and Southport Weekender 25th Anniversary launch party was one to remember.
Good times were had by all as the family squeezed the last drops of summer from a glorious September afternoon. The sun set and we headed indoors as residents and regulars from event worked their Weekender magic to a smiling Southport dance floor.
Relive the magic and download live sets from the party below:
After the brilliant SuncéBeat 2 and as a warm up for the upcoming Southport Weekender 25th anniversary party in May, we have decided to throw a party in London to get the family together again to catch up, reminisce and have a good old dance as only the Weekender crew know how.
Join us this Saturday 24th September for twelve hours of Southport sounds from 4pm till 4am on a glistening Funktion One sound system.
Line Up
Phil Asher
Kev Beadle
Ronnie Herel
Terry Jones
Sarah Favouritizm
Gavin Kendrick
Martin Lodge
Lil Stevie
The Old Salt Quay
163 Rotherhithe Street
London
SE16 5QU
The Old Salt Quay is a two floor, 600 capacity venue on the south side of the Thames. There is ample parking outside, and the nearest station is Canada Water Rail Station.
BBQ from 4pm (weather permitting)
Bar food available until 10pm
No admission after 1.30am.
Advance tickets are £10 (plus 30p booking fee) available now from Upnorth Promotions on 0844 879 7210 and online here.
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To set the mood for the party, I’ve uploaded the live recording from the Sunday night boat party at SuncéBeat 2.
I was asked to spin on this sailing at the last minute, so a handful of the tunes I dropped appeared in other sets I played over the weekend. Steve Butler’s set is fantastic, finishing up with one of the tunes of the festival. And finally, after an unexpected power cut on the water, almost two hours of relentless soulful house from NYC’s Quentin Harris.
Above the Beaten Track is a festival for the creative grass roots scene of Liverpool. The festival’s philosophy is all about inclusion, not only giving a platform for the hardworking musicians of our city but letting our friends and partners have a hand in running the festival.
Presented by Mellowtone and Beaten Tracks, there were stages hosted by Liverpool Acoustic, Lazy Genius and See the Sound, and culturepool returned once again to add festivities to the day with 2011 marking their 5th birthday.
The Liverpool Record Fair was also running in The Bluecoat that weekend, and this knowledgeable host pulled out some classic albums that I’ve had on regular rotation this week. (Santana’s Inner Secrets and John McLaughlin’s Devotion were both new, mind-blowing discoveries for me.)
I was delighted to be asked to spin the closing set in the bar, selecting from a broader palette than usual for a most appreciative audience. I recorded my set, and you can listen and download below.
Track List
1. Grover Washington Jr. – A Secret Place
2. To Be – Glucklich
3. Modulo Jazz – Toldos Y Su Grupo
4. Moodymann – Technologystolemyvinyle
5. Ed Kelly – Samba
6. Andres – Step To The Side
7. Dudley Perkins – Ill Invasion
8. Simon S – Friendly Flowers
9. Moe Koffman – Days Gone By
10. Adele Sebastian – Desert Fairy Princess
11. Mombasa – Massai
12. Bei Bei & Shawn Lee – Make Me Stronger
13. Flying Lotus – Spicy Sammich
14. Shafiq Husayn – Rebel Soldier
15. Erykah Badu – The Healer
16. Dwight Trible – Is Music
17. Kool & The Gang – Summer Madness
I spent most of the day yesterday in Manchester’s Australasia bar and restaurant, spinning on the new Emulator DJ screen with the resident DJs from the venue.
It was great to catch up with Liverpool DJ Anthony Gaskell and remember the heady days of the Annexe, Cream’s gone but not forgotten back room. (I mentioned this influential weekly session earlier this year.)
We both recalled listening to Yousef every week and having no idea where he was finding his records. These were the days before the musical immediacy provided by the internet! I can still remember the hours I spent and the frustration I felt in 3 Beat Records and HMV – knowing the sound I was looking for but unable to find the tunes that gave me those goosebumps every Saturday night.
We also talked about consistently brilliant producers and Anthony mentioned the staggering talent of New Zealand’s Mark de Clive-Lowe.
When I got home, I checked into my Soundcloud page and noticed an incoming track from MdCL, a live mix recorded at The EndUp in San Francisco this year:
I was falling asleep listening, but for the first time since Cream I couldn’t believe my ears – where was he finding these tunes?! Track after track of the most beautiful, soulful vibes. This mix is something special. I’ve just listened through again and, yes, it really is that good. I hardly recognised a thing so I really hope that he posts a track list soon.
I’ve been checking out some more mashibeats, and came across this recently uploaded recording at the Jazz Cafe in 2007. It’s from the monthly Freesoul Sessions hosted by MdCL when he lived in London, a club night of live improvised jazz-meets-electronics with a rotating cast of musicians and vocalists.
The line up for this session was:
MdCL – MPC3000, Rhodes, piano, synth bass, FX
Richard Spaven – Drums
Byron Wallen – Trumpet
Vanessa Freeman – Vocals
Bembe Segue – Vocals
The 47th Southport Weekender was a landmark event. With the future of the much-loved Ainsdale venue in doubt, the promoters and their faithful following relocated to Minehead for an unforgettable party that left no doubt as to why the Southport Weekender is still the most important and relevant black music event in the country.
The extra tickets that were released in February were snapped up in a flash, leaving many disappointed as the new venue’s 6,500 capacity was reached. There was no better way to celebrate this new beginning than by introducing a line up that is unparalleled in the history of the event.
There was so much I was looking forward to checking out, but, as with every Weekender, my carefully timetabled plan went out of the window as soon as the Southport excitement kicked in! Some personal highlights were Snowboy’s Saturday night set – Lonnie Liston Smith sounded magnificent, and it was ace to see the resort staff getting into the spirit of things! Dixon, Theo and MCDE all held it down, and a special shout goes to Benji B for causing a riot with Peven Everett’s ‘Stuck‘ and Breach’s ‘Fatherless‘. Kenny Dope was also on fine form during his Sunday morning freestyle set; my legs were giving up and staying for ‘one more tune’ turned into an extra hour on the dance floor!
It was a dream gig to be asked to spin the opening sets in The Beat Bar, and a special thank you goes to those who came out early to check out the vibes.
Here are the live recordings of both sets, with shouts from Snowboy at the end!
Gavin Kendrick – Live In The Beat Bar – Friday Night Track List
Mombassa – Massai
The Sweet Talks – Akampayne
Jimi Tenor – Mystery Spot
Azymuth – Ah Voce Nao Sabe
Kai Alcé – Sa K’Pase
Chico Hamilton – Mysterious Maiden
Gerardo Frisina – Intenso
José James – Desire (Moodymann Remix)
Bobby Hughes Combination – Kerma Elastica
Ed Kelly – Samba
Billy Wooten – Chicango (Chicago Land)
Madeline Bell – That’s What Friends Are For (Gavin’s Beat Bar Edit)
Gavin Kendrick – Live In The Beat Bar – Saturday Night Track List
Kindred Spirits Ensemble – Prince Of Peace
Gagle – Practice & Tactix (Soljazzmix)
India – I Can’t Get No Sleep (Kenny Dope Remix)
The Strange Fruit Project – All The Way
Fatima – Red Light
Andrés – Last Call For Alcohol
Vakula – You Can Do It
Rick Wilhite – Blame It On The Boogie
Theo Parrish feat. Monica Blaire – Second Chances
spymusic – Cloak
Jonny Miller – Blueprint
Herbie Hancock – Nobo (Jonny Miller Cut Up)
I’ve been digging and posting lots of DJ mixes lately. This addition is one of the best I’ve heard so far this year.
FACT magazine really set the standard when it comes to inviting interesting selectors to share their wares. They have been trying to sort a Pangaea DJ mix for over two years, and this one is definitely worth the wait. My favourite Pangaea production is his overlooked ‘Memories‘ 12″, a track I played at every opportunity last year, most memorably at the Beach Bar at SuncéBeat.
Track List
Gerritt Wittmer – Vessel
FaltyDL – It’s All Good
STL – Birdart
Will Saul & Tam Cooper – Hi Lo (Sideshow Remix)
Aardvark – Nosestep
Gemini – A Moment Of Insanity
Blawan – Hollow It Out
Icicle – Condense
WK7 – Higher Power (Hardcore PCK Remix)
Transportation AAD – Last Train To Lexington
Pinch – Get Out Of Here
Objekt – Untitled
Shake Shakir – The Floor Filler (Skudge’s Floor Killer Remix)
The House Crew – Get On Up (Edit)
Pearson Sound – Project
Pangaea – Won’t Hurt
Lawrence English – Cycles
STL – Nocturnal Mixdowns Loop 1
Pangaea – Runout
Martyn – Bad Chicago
Sicko Cell
Boddika – Windy
Peverelist – Fundementals
Skudge – Convolution (2562 Remix)
Jeff Mills – Condor To Mallorca
Scorp – New Energy
Addison Groove – This Is It
Superisk – Life Is Live
Coki – Carbon Aliens
Kode 9 & Spaceape – Otherman
Objekt – The Goose That Got Away
The Criminal Minds – Baptised By Dub
Dâm-Funk has just dropped a DJ set as part of the ongoing oki-ni mix series.
He explains: ‘All songs were taken from the original wax pressings. No MP3s or computer files were used for this mix. Just 100% ‘Truth’. This mix is what I simply listen to on any given day, while living life. It’s a pleasure to share these tracks with my new oki-ni friends. I own all of these records. No fake shit or fads; just the truth. Peace!’
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For more Dâm-Funk, check out this interview I did last year, and for some background info, here‘s the preview I wrote for Southport Weekender 45.
I’m in the middle of writing the artist previews for the 47th Southport Weekender and last night I came across this video interview with one half of the Masters At Work, Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez.
Despite his notorious reticence in interviews, he comes across well here talking about his early days of DJing.
I’ve also just found a copy of his ‘Roller Boogie 80s’ mix on Soundcloud. This is without doubt one of my favourite DJ mixes of all time.
‘Hey yo what’s up Dopeman…?’
It’s been a little while since I’ve posted a guest mix, and as I’ve been listening to this collection of peak time classics on repeat recently, I thought I’d share the disco love.
Mike Vitti is the programme controller at Jazz FM, the host of Funky Sensation and the promoter and resident DJ at the club night of the same name. This mix was broadcast as part of his weekly show last night, and he’s kindly allowed me to host it exclusively here. Enjoy!
Track List
1. Thelma Houston – Saturday Night, Sunday Morning
2. D Train – Keep On
3. The Jacksons – Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)
4. GQ – Disco Nights (Rock Freak)
5. Grey And Hanks – Dancin’
6. Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes – Bad Luck
7. The Jacksons – Living Together
8. Gary’s Gang – Let’s Lovedance Tonight
9. Roy Ayers – Sweet Tears
10. Slick – Space Bass
