Just a quick mix up for practice of some recent and not so recent purchases on 45. I hope you enjoy listening!

A house mix I recorded for an old friend in May 2020. Found recently and uploaded to enjoy. If you like it please click 'like'. All tracks are on vinyl. Equipment: Technics Turntables x 2, Pioneer 750DJM, Styluses=Shure whitelabel, Speakers by Mission and Amp by Denon. Software=Audacity.

Part two of The Rare Groove Show's feature on the productions of Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams. Vinyl only.

The Rare Groove Show selects favourite tracks produced and performed by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, as The Neptunes and NERD. Every track is played from vinyl collected over the past 20+ years. The Neptunes are some of my favourite producers and masters of the bridge and chord change. I see them as heirs to producers such as The Mizell Brother…

An hour of James Brown focusing on the period 1968- 1972 when The JBs were his house band and Bobby Byrd was his hype man. Enjoy!

Among the tributes to Phil Asher-many by his close friends- mine will not stand out for any reason other than I loved what he represented and the infectious vibe he created. He has been taken from us too soon. I didn't know Phil but he was clearly very approachable and I spoke to him a few times in record shops. He had a massive influence on me as …

Part 2: Another hour long mix of music inspired by the artist Keith Haring, Paradise Garage, Club 57, The Loft, Wild Style, The Mudd Club, Jean Michel Basquiat, the vibe and artists of 80s, Lower Manhattan, New York

An hour long mix of music inspired by the artist Keith Haring, Paradise Garage, Club 57, The Loft, Wild Style, The Mudd Club, Jean Michel Basquiat, the vibe and artists of 80s, Lower Manhattan, New York

My favourite jazz singer- beloved of the underground and UK jazzers- is Mark Murphy. Here is my selection of Mark Murphy's best in an hour long show for www.shoreditchradio.co.uk

Founded by Gene Russell in Oakland, California, in 1971 and very much revived during 1996 by UK label, Universal Sound Records, on their retrospective compilation, Black Jazz Records released a sum total of 20 recordings. These LPs- mostly by independent, little known players- had a strong, instantly recognisable identity in their cover art and hav…

Since owning their intriguing LP 'The Apple' on cassette back in the early 90s A Man Called Adam have been bubbling away in my consciousness and I've got slowly deeper into their music. My interest in their excellent label, 'Other Records' began with 'Planet Jazz 2' a stunning compilation of sophisticated music where blissed out balearic meets dub …

Stuck for something non controversial and popular to play this festive season? What better than all the Peanuts Christmas Songs in one mix! All tracks composed and performed by the late cool jazz maestro, Vince Guaraldi.

I credit Vince Guaraldi with inspiring my love of jazz. As a kid I was a fan of Charles Schulz' 'Peanuts' in the versions produced for TV by Lee Mendelson & written by Bill Melendez. Guaraldi's cool yet melancholic jazzy licks permeated those cartoons creating the perfect muscial backdrop to the colourful goings on of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Woodsto…

I have wanted for some time to record a definitive artist focus on Blaze-also known as Josh Milan & Kevin Hedge, the house legends from New Jersey who make up a cornerstone of my record collection. Chris Herbert- a third founding member and lead singer- left after their Motown LP '25 Years Later'. Despite that blip, Blaze have been big in the house…

The music I listen to most at home is the brilliant jazz produced independently on several key labels of the 1970s: Strata from Detroit, Black Jazz Records from Oakland, California, Strata East of New York and of course, Tribe Records, also from Detroit. Five talented ex Motown session musicians were the driving force behind the Tribe collective: P…

Leon Ware passed away on February 23rd 2017. My first introduction to his music was when my Dad put Marvin Gaye's album, 'I Want You' on cassette for me. That C90 meant a lot. It was impossible for an 11 year old to understand that Leon Ware was the undisputed master of sensual soul, I just liked the music and Marvin's voice. Leon wrote and produce…

6th October 2016 Rod Temperton: Where can I begin? His own biography on Twitter states 'From Cleethorpes, destroyed the World'. This is a great statement because the songwriting genius of Temperton literally took the world by storm. From early career hits in the band he led- Heatwave- to Thriller, Rod Temperton left an indelible mark on black popul…

Not initially designed as a mix, this is a showcase, for a friend, of new and not so new music from Chicago & Detroit. My friend was lamenting the lack of quality music in the vein of Underground Resistance and the Detroit/Chicago originators. I just had to prove him wrong. The first hour is mostly by 'new school' producers from these two influenti…

This is the Rare Groove Show tribute to one of my biggest influences, Maurice White: outstanding vocalist, arranger, producer, drummer, kalimba player, friend of Charles Stepney and Skip Scarborough, businessman, he changed my life and the life of countless others. Dance music as it is would not exist without Maurice White. Earth Wind and Fire were…

Mo' Wax + 4 is a mix for a friend who's moving away. I dug out a load of my Mo'Wax vinyl and played it- no preparation and perhaps in a couple of places that can be heard. Many of these records, which I collected between 1993 and 1998 haven't been played in those intervening years. It was nice to get back to them and the culmination of an idea gest…

I'm not a house DJ but now and then I like to round up a selection of records I've acquired - mostly for my own listening pleasure. This is a group of records I've been playing this year- most of them would be classed as house, although they go beyond 4/4 beats into jazz and soul territory. Most tracks here are 2015 releases with a few classics thr…

More music less chat. This 80 minute selection features some of what I'm listening to at the moment, featuring soul and jazz rarities and new music from Kaidi Tatham and Dego (4hero)

Since 1995 when 'Jerusalem EPs' was released on Peacefrog Records I've followed the progress of Glenn Underground and collected his vinyl. Not that I know a lot about him, other than what he creates. That is a superior form of house music, tinged with jazz and soulful elements. Complex live sounding drum patterns which feature lately an African inf…

I initially made this short mix for a friend who knew Gil Scott Heron only as a spoken word artist. This version is tweaked a little. I'm a big fan of Gil's work with Brian Jackson and of both as vocalists. Gil's honeyed world weary tones never sound better than with Brian as his foil. Their work with the Midnight Band is some of the most cherished…

February 2015 took me back to New York and to a whole other group of record stores. I'd missed out the fantastic Turntable Lab the last time we visited and this time also got to check out the exciting, if daunting, Brooklyn Flea Market. Although flea market digging takes work it can often be rewarding. This mix includes two fantastic $5 finds- Fred…

A selection of records I bought on a Christmas trip to New York at the end of 2014. This is the result of much traipsing around the grids in the bitter cold and snow. With thanks to Good Records, A1, In Living Stereo, Other Music, Academy Records and Ear Wax Records. The Journey goes from Gil Scott Heron to the sumptuous sounds of Raphael Saddiq's …

Partly in celebration of this year's World Cup I' ve dug deep to give you the only Brasilian Mix you're ever going to need. There's mambo and conga here not just Samba and bossa nova- I wanted an overall vibe instead of absolute purity. I envisioned a mad house party with this making everybody dance- maybe after an England win over Brasil in the Wo…

An eclectic trip around the world, as usual. From Theo Parrish and Kerri Chandler to Father's Children and Patrice Rushen. All vinyl. Most of these records were bought in Paris, at Superfly Records. Check out a track from Chapter 8- with a young Anita Baker on vocals.

Not an easy one. It took some months to gather the tracks during a busy period in my life. On the spur of the moment I threw them all down. Excuse the rough cut nature of the mix. Perfection can be boring and I like to select tracks as they come to mind. I guess this mix is influenced by listening to DJs such as Dez Andres and Rick Wilhite over rec…

For the second Rare Groove Show of 2013 I dip into a box of records that contains only boogie. This selection is only the tip of a very big iceberg so I hope to follow up with Volumes 2 and maybe even 3- depending on reception, of course!

A quick mix made up of tunes from an artist I've been checking by the name of Fred P. P records under his own name and under the name Black Jazz Consortium creating dark but jazzy deep house with strings of the kind I love. It seems we share a few influences as Fred P has mentioned a love of the West London Broken Beat scene and 4hero. Check the Bl…

New things in the Rare Groove Show camp. A new home by the sea, a new record room, many many new pieces of hot vinyl and a new way of pressing my own things via www.dubstudio.co.uk. New Directions! This is a mix I did on the soulful house tip- with the emphasis very much on soul after being reunited with a part of my collection from storage. As eve…

In the mid-nineties the ‘Soul Jazz Records’ label quietly released a series of compilations which were a huge influence on fans of black music, jazz dance and provided a summation of the time after seminal club events, such as Gilles Peterson’s Dingwalls Sunday Sessions in Camden Town. The excitement of Acid Jazz had faded and these songs had come …

This is a little mix with some records that have been on my mind of late. As ever it's all vinyl. Duke Ellington and John Coltrane- In A Sentimental Mood Pharaoh Sanders- Astral Travelling Michael White- The Blessing Song Marcus Belgrave- Space Odyssey Yusef Lateef- Hellbound Grover Washington Jr- Loran's Dance Breakwater- You Know I Love You Chico…

A preview of the next Rare Groove Show. If you're downloading this PLAY YOUR PART and follow at www.twitter.com/@raregrooveshow and Facebook: THE RARE GROOVE SHOW. Join both and give me a shout. Tracklisting appears at the end of the show. www.shoreditchradio.co.uk

Here's a show I did for Shoreditch Radio (www.shoreditchradio.co.uk) to see out 2011. For those of you who listen regularly you'll notice that this is quite a departure from the usual RARE GROOVE SHOW playlist. There's always room for good hip hop which acknowledges its own soul and jazz roots. My favourite hip hop generally comes from the period 1…

At www.shoreditchradio.co.uk each presenter was asked back in May 2011 to record an 'Artist Analysis' of someone who had been an inspiration to our respective shows. Four obvious names sprung to mind for THE RARE GROOVE SHOW: James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Roy Ayers and Marvin Gaye- the bedrock of jazz influenced soul music. James Brown and Stevie Won…

A few summer vibes that inspired me one Sunday. Enjoy, donate if it moves you and find me fortnightly on www.shoreditchradio.co.uk for The Rare Groove Show

This is a recent 'RARE GROOVE SHOW' from Shoreditch Radio presented by yours truly and recorded on 25th May 2011. Please support and click onto www.shoreditchradio.co.uk a new start up radio venture with a fantastic mix of chat, comedy and music from dubstep to boogaloo. If you would like a shout out on THE RARE GROOVE SHOW or events mentioned emai…

A short mix of some favourite house records on the soulful tip to see you into the weekend sunshine. Masters At Work- I Can't Get No Sleep Norma Jean Bell- I'm The Baddest Bitch (Moodymann mix) Elements of Life- You Brought The Sunshine Into My Life Blaze- Wishing You Were Here- Joey Negro Mix Blaze- Time For Love L'il Louis- Do U Love Me? Byron Bu…

There is a lot of music around that borrows from traditional forms of jazz and soul. Some people are put off by a tag of 'techno', 'house', 'Hip Hop', 'dubstep' or 'broken beat' as they feel by listening to it they are betraying the jazz, soul, rare groove, that first inspired them. But these tags mostly originate from journalists and djs eager to …

This is a show that went out on Shoreditch Radio (www.shoreditchradio.co.uk) back in February 2011. Larry and Fonce Mizell are two of the most talented and inventive producers ever to set foot inside a recording studio. Sadly at the end of the 1970s they became elusive and virtually inactive in music. Renowned for their work as Sky High Productions…

Saturday Night in London and I was thinking about a inspirational DJ set I saw during the week. A very stylish looking Femi Fem, formerly of the Young Disciples, played a lovely eclectic set at the National Portrait Gallery. Nice vibes. Check out the Thursday night late shift in this wonderful venue for guest DJs and exceptional acoustics. With tha…

I was in New York recently and here are some records I bought on my trip. Enjoy!

I've been listening intensely to music from across the spectrum over the last month but two things have stood out among it all: mixes by Dego and Domu. These two unsung UK DJs with enviable record collections have the ability to leave the competition standing. I've personally witnessed them both turn club nights delirious with their innovation- pla…

24/08/2010 A mix of Jazz I've been listening to recently- much of it from the Tribe, Strata East and Flying Dutchman labels from the 70s. Doug Carn, Billy Parker, Dee Dee Bridgwater, Marcus Belgrave, Pharoah Sanders, Leon Thomas: deep jazz with groove out of(mostly) New York and East Coast USA at a time of social and political upheaval. That is wha…

A mix of breaks and futuristic beats with a soulful or jazzy edge. Includes tracks from Cooly G, Madlib, Moodyman and Underground Resistance. 19th August 2010.

This mix, of Latin and Brazilian music reminds me of a favourite South West London bar- simple as that. TRACKLISTING: Yatra Ta- Tania Maria Tereza Saba Sambar- Elsa Regina Aledia De Ogum- Joyce Tamba- Tamba Trio Sambinha- Sambalanco Trio Things We Said Today- London Jazz 4 Samba Blim- Tamba 4 Coro Miyare- Fania All Stars The Bottle- Joe Bataan Socr…

You may know Leroy Burgess for his vocal on 'You and I' by Black Ivory, recently sampled by Q Tip on his track Gettin' Up. But from Black Ivory aged 17 to The Universal Robot Band, Aleem and Logg, Leroy Burgess is the man behind many records you know and love. His partnership with Patrick Adams in the late 70s and early 80s produced classics such a…

If this doesn't say summer's on its way I don't know what does. Originally mixed for a special lady.... Enjoy!! Everybody Loves The Sunshine- RAMP Peace Go With You Brother- Gil Scott-Heron I Can't Help It- Michael Jackson Free- Deniece Williams Perfect Angel- Minnie Ripperton Sweet Thing- Rufus & Chaka Khan Move Me No Mountain- Love Unlimited A Da…