Got a call today from Norman Jay today which is always cool.

I first met Norman back in February 1993 when we bought him and Gilles Peterson in to NZ to play at the Box. Norman did a couple of radio shows with me on bFm back then, introducing me to a number of soon-to-be-classic records that I will always associate with him (I associate a lot of records with certain people – for example Shay Jones’ “Are you Gonna Be There” is forever linked with Manuel Bundy, and I clearly remember the way he always used to touch it with such obvious reverence), we did a few days record and trainer shopping and generally hung out.

He played a set at the Box to less than 100 ecstatic punters (although the number of people who now claim they were there could now fill Mt Smart) – I mean, this is the man who actually coined the phrase “rare groove” in the eighties – betcha didn’t know that.

Sadly, I can lay claim to having coined the phrase “Future Jazz” for the tag line of my second New Groove comp back in 95 and, despite the fact it’s a totally naff tag (but by the time we did New Groove 2 “Acid Jazz” was even naffer), I’ve gotten some sort of perverse satisfaction from seeing how Mark de Clive Lowe took it to the UK and it’s been disseminated outwards from there (it’s even listed as a genre on Discogs fer fux sake)…but it ain’t in the same league, or even planetary system as “Rare Groove”…that’s a tag for the ages…

I’ve seen Norman on and off over the years and I’ve got some killer footage filmed on the stage at Auckland Domain on February 6, 2003. I just like him as a person, I love his soul, his passion and the obvious love he has for his music.

And for the fact that his passion has given us so much.

Today we met at Conch and went for a bit of a drive. Back in 93 we took a ferry ride to Devonport, however the weather sucked and we had coffee and came back. This year I drove and we went up North Head, which truly (and I’ve been to a fair assortment of fuckme places) is one of the most magical (and spooked – with all those unexplored tunnels – seriously, what on earth were our colonial leaders thinking when they predicted a bloody Russian invasion looming in 1888. Keeping the population tamed by fear obviously pre-dates the Dept of Homeland Security by some years) bits of dirt on the planet and Norman was justifiably gobbsmacked, wandering around with his camera in hand.

We then drove through traffic to Albany, across the Greenhithe Bridge and around the Northwest for a fair while. We talked about record shops (like the legendary Bluebird off Edgware Road where I used to buy far too many US funk cutouts complete with gorgeous gatefold covers and those big thick slab pressings. I found out that Norman was responsible for bringing many of those in from the US – never knew that till today), long lost record labels, the art of djing, the people he’d met over the years (one degree of separation today from Larry Levan), the righteous and deserving death of the superclub and the numbers of formerly “name” djs who are now scraping by with bar jobs, a few mutual friends, about knowing and enjoying your past but not being self-righteous about it, and exotic djing locations.

But mostly we talked about and listened to music. Old Philly records from Lou Rawls, Eddie Kendricks and a whole host of others, and lots and lots of Atlantic acts from the seventies, mainly because we listened to this twice, about Betty Swann, Ben E King, pirate radio, Major Harris, Skipworth & Turner, Kenny Gonzalez, the magic of hearing early Chicago jacking house and Detroit techno for the first time and how you never loose that passion for it once it hits you (I guess the thing about music is the ongoing need to strive to get that hit again).

And how important house and hip hop and soul and funk and reggae, electronic rhythms and indeed rock’n’roll are to us personally – and, I suppose how lucky we’ve been to craft some sort of career out of the stuff. Just stuff, y’know.

It really hit me how much I enjoy being in the company of people who feel as I do, and, fuck it all, how totally privileged I am to be in the company of someone like Norman Jay MBE discussing these things.

Oh, and post of the day goes to Peter Mac for:

headline reads: “Tsunami suffering may inspire Sting song”
headline SHOULD read: “Tsunami suffering continues – Sting writing song about Asian disaster”

Johnny King & the Fatback Band-Peace Love Not War (Kenny Dope Extended Mix)-Kay Dee-2005
John Davis & The Monster Orchestra-Ain’t That Enough for You-SAM-1978
Crown Heights Affair-Far Out-De-Lite-1976
Chain Reaction-Dance Freak-S.O.N.Y-1979
23 Skidoo-Coup-Illuminated-1983?
Eric B & Rakim-In the Ghetto (Extended mix)-MCA-1990
Melle Mel & The Furious Five-Step Off-Sugarhill-1983
KATO-Disco-Tech-Nu Groove-1990
Joey Negro-Do It Feel It (Organic Mix)-Nu Groove-1990
Joey Negro-Gonna Getcha-Better Days Records Inc-1997
Ultra Nate-Its Over Now (Piano Vox Mix)-Eternal-1989
Todd Terry Project-Bango-Fresh-1988
Me’shell Ndegeocello-If That’s You’re Boyfriend (Lil Louis Freaky Mix)-Maverick-1993
Reverso 68-Piece Together-Specialist Interests -2004
Romanthony-Ministry of Love-Azuli-1995
K-Scope-Katerpillar-Tribal-1995
Sydenham & Ferrer-Road to Calabar-Ibadan-2005
Tussle-Sisco D’ora (DJ Spun mix)-Rong-2004
Lori And The Chamelons-Love on the Ganges-Korova-1981
Kerri Chandler-Atmosphere Track 1-Shelter-1993
Ron Trent-Altered States (terrace mix)-Djax-1992
Booka Shade-Cha (remix)-Get Physical-2005
Shaun Christopher-Don’t Stop The Magic (Hitman vox)-Arista-1992
Eddie Kendricks-He’s A Friend-Gordy-1976
Mr Fingers-Stars-BMI-1992
BT-Relativity (Carl Craig Urban Affair Dub)-Deep Dish-1994
Yukara Fresh-Break (Headman mix)-Escaltor-2005
LA Mix-Coming Back for More-A&M-1990…for karlos

Auckland Domain 1981 – bottom row: me, Harry “the Bastard” Ratbag, Yoh (Meemees), Adam Holt (md Universal NZ); next row: Mark Bell (Blam Blam Blam), Nigel Russel (Spelling Mistakes, later Car Crash Set) – not sure of the rest, except, standing: Dave Merritt..

Update: Adam Holt has identified Jeff & John from incredibly obscure North Shore band, The Bastards, behind him, behind him is Billy Wiffin- and off to the right is the late Paul O’Neill

Dennis Coffey-Wings of Fire-Westbound-1976
Blue Magic-Sideshow-Atco-1974
The Family-Family Affair-North Bay-1971
The Trammps-Can We Come Together-Atlantic-1976
Lou Rawls-Let Me Be Good To You-Philadelphia Int -1979
Teddy Pendergrast-Joy (dub)-Asylum-1985
Fatback-Spread Love (12” mix)-Spring-1984
Eric B & Rakim-The R (CJ Macintosh & Dave Dorrell mix)-MCA-1988
Detroit Experiment-Think Twice-Planet E-2003
Bassheads-Do You Like Bass-White-1992?
Alexander O’Neal-Innocent (dub)-Tabu-1985
Turntable Orchestra-You’re Gonna Miss Me-Republic-1988
Todd Terry / Countdown-No way (Rubba Dub)-One-1993
Prins Thomas-Jungle DJ-Rong-2004
Sound Vandals-Feel It-Nu Groove-1990
Liquid Liquid-Flextone (Brennan Green Deviant Funk version)-Rush Hour-2005
Blackjoy -La Stache-Artofdisco-2005
Yukari Fresh-Bread (Headman mix)-Escalator-2005
The Modern Lovers-Roadrunner-Beserkley-1973
NYC2-NYC2B-???-2005
DJ Duke-Blow Your Whistle (Deep Tribal Mix)-Power Music Trax-1993
Booka Shade-Vertigo vs Cha (Ada Mix)-Get Physical-2005
Adamski-Killer-MCA-1990
Syclops-Mom, The Video Broke-Tirk-2005
Play Paul-Yesterday-Kitsune-2005
Lamont Dozier-Fish Ain’t Biting-ABC-1974
Cookie Watkins-I’m Attracted to You (E Smoove Late Night mix)-Smash-1991
Bobby Konder’s House Rhythms-The Poem-Nu Groove-1990
Teule-Drink on Me (Club mix)-Profile-1990
Donny Hathaway-The Ghetto (Live)-Atco -1971

I usually don’t do the random thought type of thing, not for any reason apart from the fact that once I start on something it seems to have a life of its own and brutally pushes anything else I’m going to muse about out of the way, but this morning, its a glorious late summer day in central Auckland and the city, sitting on my balcony overlooking Victoria Park and the viaduct, looks and feels like the wonderful small pacific metropolis it’s become in the last decade.

I love Auckland and it’s the only place I could really live in Australasia – but the thoughts are racing through, so:

• I’m pissed off I missed DJ Krush last night. I used to be a big fan, especially around 95-96, and I used to hunt out his music. I’m missing too many people I’d love to see and I’m going to make more of any effort. I drifted out the downbeat thing in the late nineties, and really dislike the whole dub and bad reggae thing that’s appeared in Wellington in recent years. Too feral and unwashed. I hear too many echoes of UB40 dub albums. I’m not sure if its politically correct in NZ to say that I just don’t get Trinity Roots or Black Seeds or Salmonella Dub or most of Fat Freddies’ Drop (apart from the US remix of “Hope” which I loved) – I guess it may have something to do with the fact that I don’t like ‘erb – it bores me senseless and all feels a bit soulless.
• What I do like is the new Pluto album – not gaga as the media seems to be here, but it’s a great pop record (with a lousy cover – surely we can do better than that) and should do well. I also really like the Tomorrowpeople remix of “Dance Stamina” that the band have banned – something to do with the “dance vs rock” and “dance isn’t real music” divide I guess, which is just ignorant. To quote a record producer (I just can’t remember which one but it doesn’t make it any less valid), there is more innovation in electronic music every fifteen minutes than there has been in rock in the last fifteen years. I love lots of noisy, and not so noisy rock records, but essentially it’s true – the last album I can think of which added anything to the genre was the first Gang of 4 album, and unless they’ve added concepts taken from electronic music, since then its just been restating….
• I never expected to piss so many people off with my thing about songs and the APRA 75^th selection – lots of emails including ones telling me I can’t say those things, sacred cows etc. blah blah…I’m not sure exactly what it was but sorry
• I got left at home by myself this morning which means I can play what I want (and I’m not going to list them) but I played the Screaming Meemees album for the first time in about a decade and came to the realisation its not bad, actually quite good – certainly better than any other NZ pop album of the early eighties (there weren’t many, believe me), something to do with the Ian Morris production I guess, as whisky soaked as it was. It’s hard to look back now and understand just how big these guys were for a brief moment – four thousand singles sold in one week – I must get around to re-issuing it properly; not a week goes by when I don’t get an email asking about it….one of these days
• I’m pretty pleased with the fact that I can type properly these days….and I’m still not biting my nails
• Really looking forward to the Nathan Haines Orchestral album……and the Greg Churchill album, although I think I might have most of it on CDR already
• And to Carl Craig, fuck……Carl Craig…..on March 18^th at The Studio – last time he was here was 2000, at Ellerslie and I stood behind him in the booth area while he djed – before he did the sprint across for a live set. A genius and a hero.

• I love the way my ten year old daughter, Isabella, is so totally obsessed with the complete works of the Beatles, group and solo, and approaches it naively, without the preconceptions and ingrained ideas of who and what they are, what was worthy and what wasn’t, that we have. I feed her an album every couple of months – currently John’s “Walls & Bridges” (a truly truly wonderful album btw) and the “Past Masters Vol.2” albums are on high rotate – but she wants to go back to the Double White after those..it was huge about 18 months ago…”Happiness is a warm Gun” and “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” in particular. The kids at school give her a hard time about it but she knows her mind and stands her ground….
• Four coffees so far today, but a week without Coca Cola…..
• I scored the fab Allen Toussaint collection two days back. I bought the classic Southern Nights album in a sale for a fiver from the late Henry King, the now forgotten father of NZ record retailing, at his Pamure shop back in 1975, and it hasn’t left my turntable since. Thus it’s stuffed. Now I have it beautifully remastered, booklet, complete with his other two Warner albums (which I’ve also liked a lot over the years) and a few live tracks.
• Saw Dean Webb this week, for the first time in four years and that made my week.

The Intruders-I’ll Always Love my Mama (Tom Mouton mix)-Philadelphia International-1977
Double Exposure-Ten Percent (Walter Gibbons mix)-Salsoul-1975
Mac Thornhill-Feel So good-???-1981
Betty Swann-Kiss My Love Goodbye-Atlantic-1975
Hot RS-Slow Blow-SJN-2004
Loose Ends-Emergency (Dial 999) (Dub)-Virgin-1984
Change-Searching-WEA-1980
Sandy’s Gang-Hungry (Sean P Edit)-Tirk-2004
Vance & Suzanne-Can’t Get It Anywhere-Moxie-2004
My Bloody Valentine-Glider (Weatherall Remix)-Creation-1990
Fingers Inc-Can you Feel It (MLK mix)-Trax-1988
SR-1-Da Rhythm (Strictly)-Strictly Rhythm-1992
DV8-This Beat is Over-Strictly Rhythm-1991
Fingers Inc-Love of My Own-Alleviated-1987
New Order-Round & Round (KMS Detroit Mix)-Factory-1989
Groove Committee -I want you to Know-Nu Groove-1991
Blackjoy-La Stache-Artofdisco-2005
Chelonis R Jones-One & One-Get Physical-2002
Carl Craig-Sandstorms-Planet E-2004
LCD Soundsystem-Disco Infiltrator-DFA-2005
Tomorrowpeople-????-CDR-2005
Greg Churchill-Automatique-Underwater-2005
S2-Slide-UR-2004
Metro-Turnstyle Turbulence-Nu Groove-1990
Kerri Chandler-Get It Off (DJ Deep 2004 mix)-DRH-2004
Quentin Harris-The Shelter Anthem-Restricted Access-2005
Speedy J-Pepper (Hot Mix)-BMU-1994
West Street Mob-Breakdance-Electric Boogie-Sugarhill-1983
Patti Jo-Make Me Believe In You (Tom Moulton Mix)-Scepter-1975

I managed to convince myself I needed the afternoon off today from the GST and stuff and the infernal heat. I was nominally working on the project that Andy Pickering (that link is a completely different person btw) and I are toiling on.

So, yes, I actually did do something on the book, and a bit on the updated, fresh, Suburban Reptiles page I’m gonna post next week, and I messed around with a whole bunch of Screaming Meemees photos Chad Taylor returned after a decade or so..I might do a new page for them ‘n’all…

But mostly what I got around to was drinking coca cola, editing interviews with Peter Urlich and Mark Philips and listening to records – 12” slabs (with one exception) of black stuff with a hole in the middle and a warm feel. I’ve found the most audiophonic spot on the couch for the speakers and all I need is the laptop.

So – in rough order – Gil Scott-Heron “Re Ron” which isn’t his finest moment but I just picked up the 12” for a couple of dollars at Real Groovy, and is nicely of it’s time & has a fine Bill Laswell production; Mathew Jonson “Followed by Angels” ep, two sides of epic warm lush techno in his trademark style; Designer Music “Good Girls” (or is it the other way around – I’ve never really figured it out) which satisfies my banging Carl Craig urge, and leads perfectly into: Carl Craig “Just Another Day”, four brand new tracks of mostly beatless electronic textures that couldn’t be anyone else and really are close to perfection- raw, sexual, and devastating.  I played both sides of that one again – and once more; Quentin Harris “The Shelter Anthem”, a classic NYC garage groove from the bright young thing of the Shelter scene; both sides of the second Moxie edit 12”, my favourite disco edits series, the killer on this one for me being the edit of Denis Coffey’s “Wing of Fire”, but they all work; also on a r-eedit tip: the NYC2 does things to old Rheji Burrell tracks from the late eighties and is monumentally deep. The two tracks add a little to the originals but not a lot. I loved these in ’88 and I love what these unnamed Italians have done to them; Cabaret Voltaire “Sluggin’ For Jesus” came out on a Belgian label in 1981 and is another that, 24 years later, sounds as though some NY label could have tossed it out yesterday; Loose Ends “Emergency (999)” (Dub) is another longstanding personal favourite, a loosely funked out boogie from the greatest UK soul act of their decade. That it sounds like it came out in 84 is part of the appeal – Nick Martinelli is really a forgotten talent these days which is a crime. I’m a big fan of his post Philly sway.

New Young Pony Club’s “Ice Cream” is the second release on Tirk (formerly Nuphonic) – kinda like Debbie Harry meets Bangkok Impact, and on 7” with only 300 pressed so the story goes; Starship 727 ”It all Depends On You”, Italian retro acid which took a while to click; Chelonis R Jones “One & One”, Tom Ward turned me onto this electro faux-Prince soundalike from a year or two back; Blackjoy “”La Stache” French nuvo disco played live -  cool indeed; Jimmy Castor “It’s Just Begun” because I needed some funk by now; LCD “Disco Infiltrator”, the best track on the best album of 2005; Lindstrom’s “There’s a Drink in my Bedroom and I need a Hot Lady”, a big post disco favourite from last year; the new S2 EP on Underground Resistance  – it goes ”Sliiiiiiidddeeee” – and then it goes all twisted like.

Wonderful.

All wonderful.