I just read Bill Brewster’s brilliant book “The Record Players” (written with Frank Broughton).

There aren’t enough serious books about club music (in all its forms from The Perfumed Garden to the Wigan Casino to Shoom to Metalheadz). There are too many about Dylan and the Beatles, and not enough about music that not only makes people dance and enjoy, but rewrites the sonic environment over and over again.

This is a book about (and in the form of interviews with) unique individuals who built new sounds which now seem commonplace, but at the time were daring and new, and stitched together out of records that existed and sometimes that they produced to fill the gaps in their sets. These individuals haven’t always got their props – mainly because although they were architects in sound they weren’t always creators (although many like Flash, Bambaataa, Derrick May and Weatherill can claim to have made remarkable music as artists and producers).

Along the way you get to meet true eccentrics (David Mancuso’s Loft club serving only dried fruits and organic juices springs to mind), party animals (Danny Rampling and Francis Grasso have that in common), technological innovators (Grandmaster Flash and the cross fader) and some who made fortunes (Oakenfold and Sasha) doing what they loved, and some who didn’t even get their proper respect (Kool Herc and “Farmer” John Dene). And you get to travel from the techno Clubs of Detroit to Wigan Casino, via Ibiza and the Balearic Islands. Its hard not to be enthused by any or all of them … they have a total passion for music and most of them started as club goers or record collectors themselves.

But one charm is that nearly all of the featured DJ’s come with mini-playlists which snapshot the scene at their clubs at the time,and are worth a delve and a rumble.

So seeing as this is a music blog here’s 5 tunes that I found from reading that I thought were amazing and maybe you should check out:

Abaco Dream “Life and death in G&A”

A brilliant Sly Stone production played by Francis Grasso (who seems like Warren Beatty in Shampoo) at Club Francis in New York. Also available in amazing versions by Chairmen of the Board and Joe Hicks.

Antena “Camino Del Sol”

A beautiful bossa from Isabelle Antena on an indie pop label played at Amnesia by Alfredo. Very Balearic.

The It “Donnie”

Arguably the first real “house” record released on DJ international , remixed by Chip E, Chicago pioneer.

Incredible Bongo Band “Apache”

The break of all breaks. As pioneered by Kool Herc on the block.

The Carstairs “It Really Hurts Me Girl”

Because it all starts with Northern Soul, and this is the biggest Blackpool record of them all (as played by Ian Dewhirst in Cleethorpes!)

And one bonus because David Mancuso’s The Loft is the club i’d really most like to have gone to, and this tune always worked for me when I played it:

Lamont Dozier “Going To My Roots”

The Black Bach presents … 10 plus minutes of freestepping boogie.

And that’s a playlist! So if you like club music at all, and want to understand it check “The Record Players” and buy yourself a copy. Or read Brewster’s equally brilliant “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life” which tells a history of DJing and comes with a genius compilation album that goes from Caruso (the first record) to Frank Wilson’s rarest single in the world via the amazing Larry Levan (sadly not featured in The Record Players as there was no interview) re-rub of Weekend’s “Class Action”. Eclectic but worth hearing … or check out Brewster and Broughton’s brilliant website DJHistory.com. And even if you don’t know about clubs and DJs and it’s a mystery both books are great and necessary read and will give you insight into an important but neglected avenue of music. You may even end up feeling like you were there.

Time to pay some dues people.

Tony H

Ps. One grumble – no place for the remarkable Gilles Peterson and the great “Sunday at Dingwalls” in Camden Town London. So here is a tune I always associate with that club

Funk Inc “Better Half”

This is true Acid Jazz people! – Gilles’ magic is well caught on his Masterpiece mix for Ministry this year – old to nu-school.

And he’s also responsible for my only personal “great” Australian club moment which was when he dropped this

Rotary Connection “I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun”

Here

As the sun set. Which was magic and I’ll remember it for ever.