Beyond Buffalo, Balearic and Basslines
Who is feeling Rocksteady?
Hello! How are you? What’s new? The last 2 weeks seemed to have flown by and, in that time, everything and nothing seems to have happened. I’ve made trips to other countries (Wales), celebrated anniversaries (love you Holly) and marriages (congratulation Eva and Tom) and have also done a whole bunch of loafing (Otto the anxious dachshund is staying with us). I bought a load of records that I won’t bore you with here. Mostly men from the 1970’s, who are now in their 70’s. Men with names like Tom and Bob and Neil. Also have got into making fan fiction playlists and albums on streaming platforms with a mate of mine. Is this what Brat summer is? Who knows. Anyways, on with the culture.
Radio
Detroit based record label Rocksteady Disco celebrates its 10 year anniversary this year. While the music put out is a few bpm faster than the label name suggests, it shares the spirit of transcending the dancefloor to a spiritual place and constantly innovating whilst being respectful of what has come before. The label has put out some wonderful music over the last decade. Music that finds itself at the place disco, house, balearic and techno meet. Music for the dancefloor and music for the soul. To mark this milestone, RBJ of Michigan college radio station WXOU invited label head Peter Croce as a special guest, which resulted in this wonderful 55 mins of radio. Listen to the show here
I was sad to miss the 2nd Balearic London. The first party back in February was joyous. It’s great to see the different people’s interpretation of Balearic and the BL crew have a lot of fun with it. It’s like the coolest 18-30’s party you could go on, which their remix of a 90’s holiday classic embodies. As the party grows, more guests are invited, and Mark Hume’s suave set from the May party is full of Europop delights.
Music
So I said earlier I wasn’t going to bore you with the albums mostly from men from the 1970’s, who are now in their 70’s, however there is one I do want to tell you about because a) it’s wonderful and b) has been on my wish list for a long time. That album is Neil Young’s debut album “Neil Young” (actually released in the late 60’s).
This album comes at a liminal point for Young; after Buffalo Springfield and before CSNY. It features production from his long term collaborator David Briggs, and also from Jack Nitchze and Ry Cooder. “The Loner” lays down the blueprint for Young’s future output. My favourite songs though are those featuring Merry Clayton, Brenda Holloway, Patrice Holloway, Gloria Jones, Sherlie Matthews, and Gracia Nitzsche on backing vocals. This celestial choir adds depth to Young’s fragile falsetto, which allows his gut punching melodies to hit harder. Check out “I’ve Loved Her so Long” to feel the full effect of this.
Life
If you go to see the Beyond the Bassline exhibition at the British Library, make sure you schedule lots of time for it. Holly and I met after work, thinking an hour or so would be enough. In the blink of an eye we were being ushered out over 2 hours later. The collection of artefacts that showcase 500 years of black music in Britain all need their own reverence. From the parchments documenting the attire of African royal trumpeters during Tudor times, through to DVD footage from the golden age of Grime, Beyond the Bassline demands your attention. With each item more powerful and important than the last, here contains the story about how people use culture and creativity to rise above subjugation and colonisation.