I was asked to go out to play in Poland by the Strictly Business crew (J-son and Funkoff – known to friends as Rafal and Jaromir) last weekend (28th November), and I just thought I would take a minute to reflect on a great trip, meeting cool, knowledgeable, talented and hospitable people at every turn.

The night was a success in that everyone who was there seemed to be having a great time. It wasnt without its technical problems to start with – I use Serato and we had a few issues for whatever reason, so in the end we made the decision to stop stressing, and get on with the night taking one deck each – me on the left hand side with Serato and the Strictly Business boys on the right playing from trusty old vinyl – a back to back. To say it worked well is an understatement.

As none of us knew what each other would do next, all your standard set build up was thrown out of the window. It was just bomb after bomb after bomb, and the crowd responded by climbing up on the stage, jumping, clapping, shouting, cheering….and of course, dancing (like mad). A truly great atmosphere.

I dont really think many words can do it justice though – you might want to take a look at the pictures:

Facebook Poland Pictures

Flickr Poland Pictures (slideshow)

I would like to thank Paweł Matwiejczuk and Krystian Maj for the great photos.

I promised that when I got back I would create a mix with all the tracks I played from the night, however, looking at the list its just so many big numbers it might not make pretty listening outside of a club at 3 a.m., so I decided to put together an hour mix of the kind of vibe we had, but more on a level thats easy to listen to now. You can download and stream it below (and there is also a tracklisting).

Id like to thank Piotr, Rafal, Jaromir and the people at Club Balsam for making a truly great trip, and I know that if you carry on doing what you are doing then this will all come good in Warsaw. It’s clearly ready for it…

Warsaw Rocks Tracklisting

Johnny Adams / Feel The Beat
Sharon Bailey / Cosmic Dust (Instrumental)
Trussel / I Love It (Waywards More Love Edit)
DFD / Go Ahead
Baja Imperi / Plastic Mode
The Younger Generation / We Rap More Mellow (Joey Negro Club Mix)
Joy / I Need Your Love
Out In The Sticks / Forget Me Vox
Dr Love
Candi Statton / When You Wake Up Tomorrow

This review (of the later part of the night) was kindly sent to us by Adam Wilson. You can find a guest mix from him here on the site as well. Much appreciated Adam…

I’ve been looking forward to this night for some time, billed as “the story of Manchester’s early ‘80s Electro-Funk scene,” not just because there’s likely to be some great music on offer, but because the organisers have taken the time to augment this with film, discussion and art to try and dig deeper into the story of this era, which for reasons unknown seems to have been totally overlooked following the House music explosion in 1988.

For the uninitiated, Islington Mill is a warehouse in Salford, just far enough to walk to from the city and just far enough away to keep out the “fly-by-nights” and those who like to be “seen to be seen” back at their trendy bars around Deansgate and the like. Bought by Bill Campbell as a building shell in 1994, the place has been regenerated and the areas and spaces that have been created within the building are now a haven of creativity for artists and musicians alike.

My arrival is late due to another commitment but first impressions are good. The warehouse venue space is a small intimate dancefloor area for around 300 people, low arch-brick ceilings and minimum décor, save for some makeshift podiums and some fantastic wall-art for the occasion by Gecko. The minimal facilities also add to the authenticity, there’s just enough to satisfy health & safety (that’ll be a bar and a toilet then) but little else apart from the sound system. The “Radio 1 Big Weekend” this certainly isn’t and I’m already impressed.

The crowd is growing rapidly and it’s clear that this event has attracted all the right kind of people; there’s little pretence, the emphasis is purely on the “older clubber” and everyone is keen that they are going to have a great night – they won’t be disappointed. I’ve already seen a number of “heads” I haven’t seen out for years and it’s still early days yet.

An area of lino has been laid out to one side of the dancefloor space and here we are first treated to some great moves by dance crews “Broken Glass” and “Street Machine”. Some of these guys are getting a little long in the tooth now (I hope they’ll forgive me for mentioning that) but they certainly still have the moves in them. They begin by warming up and teasing each other with their own little speciality moves at each visit to the floor, and within half an hour each and everyone of them is making some unbelievable gymnastic type spins. The crowd are huddled round them in a semi-circle, cheering every move that these guys throw in as the ante is well and truly upped. What’s really strange here is that the punters are so focused on the dancers, they seem oblivious to the fact that up the decks, Chad Jackson is playing a terrific set. He’s doubling up, cutting, scratching and mixing tune after tune, every single one of them instantly recognisable from back in the day. Memories come flooding back to me, most of these tunes just aren’t played out anymore and it’s refreshing to hear, especially in this environment. As the dancers finally run out of steam, the action reverts back to the dancefloor and the crowd now concentrates on the tunes. Chad keeps up the pace and finishes his set to an enthusiastic round of applause.

Next on is Mike Shaft, and armed with just a laptop and a microphone he’s going to have to do well to follow Chad’s set. This is a real trip back to “old-style” clubbing where the DJ introduces all the records, there’s no mixing and it’s all about the quality of the song. We are treated some absolute classics, all with a distinctive soul leaning, and Mike’s genuine love  and enthusiasm for these records is such that the crowd is whipped into a frenzy within half an hour whilst the record speeds have still barely nudged 110bpm. The temperature in the place has now almost reached boiling point (this is a “real” warehouse, no fancy luxuries such as air-con) so I decide to head upstairs to cool down and watch the film element of the proceedings by Tim “Bones” Forde.

Here, upstairs, in what modern clubs might call “the chill-out zone” the documentary “The Birth Of The British B-Boys” is being shown, featuring members of the dance crews participating downstairs and other notables from the scene around that time, giving us insights into the influences, the moves, the practice required and most importantly, the attitude surrounding this movement. One of the best parts of the film is about one of the guys who teaches breakdance lessons at schools and community centres and the like, and there’s some great footage of the youngsters dancing. Chad Jackson and Greg Wilson sit amongst the watching crowd engaged in deep discussion as the film progresses. What becomes apparent is that although slipping off the mainstream radar, the music and dancing of this genre has well and truly embedded itself into urban culture and from what I can gather here, appears to be well and truly thriving, and that’s got to be a good thing. I draw immediate comparisons with what happened to skateboarding in the eighties, back then there were no more than a couple of hundred people in the UK participating in the sport, it went truly underground and it was this network of people that kept it going until by fate or chance it began to thrive again. Look at it now, it’s mainstream and it’s everywhere, even on the BBC’s credit sequence. Could this happen here I wonder? Anything is possible. Back downstairs Mike Shaft brings his set to a close and the crowd want more.

Next on the decks is Colin Curtis, much respected Northern Soul and Jazz-Funk DJ, who starts off on an afro-cuban type jazz-funk tip and proceeds to progress through to more soul-y type offerings while keeping the pace up throughout. Still with his trademark long-hair, though graying out a little these days, it’s sign of his somewhat advancing years that he has to put his reading glasses on to get the track orders off his CD covers but doesn’t deter him from playing another quality set of tunes. As the pace is maintained I retire once more from the heat of the dancefloor to chat in the courtyard, where Mike Shaft is busy taking photos of those gathered here, to record for posterity.

I return to the main room for the end of Colin Curtis’ set and in time to see Hewan Clarke take to the decks to finish off the night. Greg Wilson has already informed me he won’t be finishing off as they are behind schedule, which I’m a little disappointed with. However, Hewan more than makes up for this with a sterling end-of-night set , covering pretty much all the bases touched on earlier and throwing in a couple of nice surprises too. I’m delighted to hear him play T-Ski Valley’s early 80’s disco rap “Catch The Beat”. Great stuff.

As 3am approaches my feet have given up on me and reluctantly it’s time to leave. It’s been a fantastic night and everyone concerned with the organising of this event should be congratulated on what we have been given tonight. As I leave the building I’m approached by a lone promoter offering flyers for, ironically, the Warehouse Project, which begins across town in October. As I stuff the information into my back pocket and head off into the cool night air, I wager to myself that there won’t be one night on that line-up that will be able to match the enjoyment or inspiration that I’ve experienced over the last several hours. A truly memorable night out.

Adam Wilson.

Little Dragon is a collaborative project of four musicians who perform individually with José González, Koop, and Swedish reggae great, Peps Perrson. The exploration of these disparate musical leanings gives their collective sound its peaceful warmth and irresistible appeal. Yukimi Nagano, the group’s radiant voice, compares their free, creative approach to building a ship that will sail in a direction previously inconceivable.

From plinking electronica to chiselled dub, Little Dragon’s eponymous debut sways between hope and regret in a hazy dream of psychedelic Swedish soul.

Click here to buy this album.

From his unassuming East Munich loft, Michael Reinboth has cultivated a record label whose influential back catalogue is the paragon of underground, leftfield dance music.

Of all his releases that continuously creep onto discerning dance floors, perhaps the most anticipated are those from the Future Sounds of Jazz project.

In this latest instalment, electronic meets organic and the hushed meets the frantic in yet another impressive gathering of jazz dance workouts.

Click here to buy this album.

The needle sinks into the groove and the introductory crackles sound. As Rhythm & Sound’s swampy bass oozes through the speakers, revered Jamaican vocalist Cornel Campbell sets free his achingly serene melody.

Enigmatic German producers Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald recorded the tracks collected here in Berlin, New York and Jamaica, releasing them as 10” singles between 2000 and 2003.

Heard together, the dubs unfold a boundless sonic canvas, bridging past, present and future for an unparalleled listening experience.

Click here to buy this album.

Pinch is Rob Ellis, promoter of Bristol’s acclaimed Dubloaded and Subloaded parties. He describes the Underwater Dancehall concept as being ‘all about bass frequencies you just can’t pick up on tiny PC speakers.’

This, his first long player, is a pitched down spacious affair, swimming in reverb and drenched with dub. The vinyl release features instrumental edits of the tracks, with the CD packing in a bonus disc with full vocal versions.

Click here to buy this album.

For twenty-five years, multi-instrumentalist Kevin Paton has created bespoke sounds for dance shows, theatre productions, meditation seminars and healing events, exploring the shamanic properties of music and ritual.

His debut album melds traditional world music with steely electronica, rooted in an unshakable belief in a global, peaceful future. Its highlight is Emissions, a stretched out, rumbling groove with gripping moments of entrancing introspection and avant-garde freedom.

Hope For Tomorrow bridges sound, style and culture, symbolising a humanity united in the pulse.

Email Kevin to buy this album.

Available on Apollo Jazz as a limited album sampler, this 45” sees Georgia delivering her wildly beautiful free form vocals over Yann Kesz’s stepping drums and nagging bass.

On the flip, Lorett Fleur sings P.O.A. (Piece of Art) over a crisp beat peppered with metallic drips and faint distortion: a tempting glimpse of things to come.

Click here to buy this sampler.

Dave Huismans broke into underground consciousness using his 2562 alias, and with this eerie release continues to tread a dark, daring path between techno, dubstep and breakbeat.

Head straight to the b-side for 699 – a fierce arrangement of blunt, stumbling, snapping beats and sporadic, swinging synths.

Click here to buy this track.

You see music, it’s like water from a waterfall – refreshing!

Rip it up, kick it up!

Makossa is a revered selector on the Viennese underground, with an impressive back catalogue of compilations, remixes and original productions. Megablast’s background in reggae and hip-hop evolved into his debut LP Creation, a bubbling blend of roots, acid and electro.

Together, the Austrian duo tear up the rules and unleash a fiery concoction of dark, brooding electronica. Welding together growling bass, stinging beats and Ras T-Weed’s trademark toasting, Kunuaka is a moody meld of Afro-electric future funk.

Click here to buy this album.

Born as a live offshoot of respected club night, Scratch, the Speeka project moves away from linear, programmed beats into the realms of live, organic soul. Speeka’s tender lyrics are swept along beautifully by Ben Parker’s gentle timbre and Polly Paulusma’s softly rolling melodies.

Following major label complications after their debut LP surfaced in 2001, Rob Mac and Matt Smooth release Bonfire via Wah Wah, those humble givers of consistently brilliant, off the wall soul music.

Bonfire is a warming brew of sleepy rhythms melted slowly with hushed, whispering folk.

Click here to buy this album.

Born and raised in Liverpool, Karl Webb and Mark Kyriacou are Loka, a recording duo formed in 1999 that has mushroomed into a globe trotting, eight-piece, live jazz outfit.

Six years in the making, their debut album Fire Shepherds was released in 2006 to critical acclaim. Its underground success lead to an extensive, ongoing world tour, with stops at Colchester Signals Film Festival, Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide radio show, the Synch music festival in Athens, the renowned Guelph Jazz Festival in Canada, and a headlining slot at Liverpool Music Week.

Fire Shepherds is a jazz-rock adventure of experimental beauty. Haunting orchestration hangs with eerie improvisation, driving percussion and squelching electronica: a swirling opus of home grown, future jazz.

Click here to buy this album.

He’s amassed an unguessable library of rare wax. He’s hunted down several forgotten funk heroes for Gerald Short’s reissue project, and his rhythms have surfaced on two albums by the indomitable Madlib. With his band The Heliocentrics and their new album, Out There, Malcolm Catto finally steps out of the shadows.

His vision is to ‘return back to something more humanoid, like the intricacies of a group of musicians communicating together and the subtlety of a living, breathing rhythm section, rather than have the musical straightjacket of quantizing or two-bar loops.’

With poetic insouciance, The Heliocentrics deftly defy the confines of genre, birthing an expansive fusion of roots musicianship and ethereal psychedelia. Out There is an invite to another a world: a sonic voyage of space-bound splendour.

Click here to buy this album.