What is on your stereo at the moment?
Jazz Liberatorz – Clin d’oeil
Erykah Badu – New Amerykah
An England Story compilation on Soul Jazz
3 records that changed your life. Why?
1. NWA - Straight Outta Compton
At 10/11 years old this album was passed around our school. I can remember making a copy for myself and listening to it on repeat through a battered old stereo that I had. I was too young to really understand the full content of the lyrics, but it was rebellious, angry and completely different to anything I had heard before.
2. Goldie - Timeless
This is just a mind blowing record. I go back and listen to it very regularly. At 16 years of age I can remember driving round Glasgow on a miserable cold & wet winters evening with 'Inner city life' blasting out of the car stereo - very atmospheric - it is a work of complete genius in my mind. I expected so much from drum & bass, and spent many years of my University life at NY Sushi in Sheffield waiting for something as good as 'Timeless' to happen... (Nothing could follow it).
3. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
On a school trip into Manchester city centre, I bought this record on the day it came out from the old Piccadilly Records shop off Market Street. I had heard sampling on hip hop records, but at an early age I hadn't paid too much attention to the production. This album blew everything out of the water and changed the way I listened to music. It made me want to know about the breaks and samples, and I started digging.
What are you looking forward to?
Better weather!
Hopefully DJ'ing at a few festivals this summer
A really good year for Hip Hop music.
What couldn’t you live without? Why?
My mobile phone - sad but true, it is always within reaching distance.
Most memorable gig?
Of one that I have attended it has to be J Dilla, Frank 'n' Dank and Phat Kat at the Jazz Cafe. I traveled down to London on my own on a Thursday night because nobody I knew wanted to go. It was 3 months before his death and he was honoring his commitment to his fans which I thought was incredible but I don’t think anyone would have faulted him if he hadn’t showed up. It became pretty obvious to me that night that he didn’t have long to live. He was carried down the jazz cafe steps and onto the stage by wheelchair, and my heart just sank seeing him in such a poor way. He tried to rap his lyrics to 'f**k the police', 'game over' and a few others, but he didn’t really have the energy for it. The atmosphere was incredible that night - I've never been to a Hip Hop show like it. Frank 'n' Dank are an awesome live act and the roof nearly came off when they dropped 'pause'.
As far as a gig I have DJ’d at myself, it would probably have to be supporting ‘The Game’ at Manchester Apollo, just for the sheer size of the show. Spinning in front of 3,000 people was a real buzz.
Who/what are your influences?
When we started running C’mon Feet back in the day we were inspired by other promoters and DJ’s in Manchester. We were really into the underground music scene in the city and attended a lot of nights. Electric Chair, Mr. Scruff with Keep It Unreal and Friends & Family all had a big influence on me. I liked the eclecticism of the nights – there was a real blend of soul, R ‘n’ B, Hip Hop, House, Drum & Bass and Jazz. We had a crew of friend’s who were all music fanatics, and we really fancied doing something similar, but knew that we couldn’t compete with these amazing nights, so we focused all our energies on Hip Hop because that was what we knew best. Hip Hop and Jazz are massive influences on my life.
Best and worst things about the city you live in?
Manchester United football club is one of the best things about Manchester! I love the night life of Manchester too - there is so much going on and a lot of very creative and very talented people. The record shops are really good - a vast majority of my money being spent in Fat City.
On the downside there is quite a lot of crime in the city. I have been burgled a few times, been mugged at gun point, and once I was also chased round the streets of Moss Side at 2am by kids in balaclavas who were possibly wanting to kill me – not a good experience!
Given the accelerated pace of modern culture, what are we due a revival in?
I am hoping that with the ease of getting hold of free digital music downloads we will see a major improvement in live shows. A lot of the time when I go out to gigs, the sound systems and live acts are fairly poor. I spend half the night being annoyed by the sound quality and half-arsed nature of the event. Artists charge a ridiculous amount of money for tickets, so there shouldn’t really be any reason for this! I want to see more artists (that I like) touring and coming with really sharp live shows.
Hero, why?
J Dilla – I must own somewhere around 100 records that Dilla has produced or MC’d on. His production is incredible - everything that I listen to that he has touched makes me want to pull back and listen to again once it finishes. I played Fantastic Volume 2 so many times that I wore the grooves down on the record and had to buy an extra copy – it is so amazing! His passing away is such a sad loss for Hip Hop and I don’t think there will ever be another producer like him.
Is there anything else that you feel we should know?
I am hoping to put some radio shows and a mix CD together in the coming months. Maybe a return of C’mon Feet if we get our act together.
Andy lives, breathes, eats and shits hip hop. He's one of the promoters behind the currently dormant C'mon Feet that has seen the cream of UK hip hop talent grace its stages. He also writes reviews for Fat City Records and gave me my chance on Unity Radio a couple of years back where I managed to knock over the recording device just as I started my guest mix and we ended up losing most of the show, typical really. Andy doesn't just play hip hop however and at Last Rites he played an eclectic set that took in house, broken beat, funk and techno and was one of those sets that I truly wished we had recorded. He's also the only Englishman that I know that is obsessed with the NFL and can be seen peering out from under his Jordan cap more often than not. For more info on one of the nicest people you'd ever have the privilege of meeting check here.
TRACKLISTING
Spiritual South – Stars (QAF Breach Mix)
Kev Brown – Batida
DJ Adlib feat. MED – Spread the Remix
Voice – Know Rhythm
IG Culture – DJ Power {Use it}
T-Love – Definition of a Yee Yee
Que D. – In Yo Face
Phife Dawg – Bend Ova
Pete Rock feat. Styles P And Sheek Louch - 914
Iomos Marad – Straigh Outta Chicago
Hydroponic Sound System – Ray’s Bodega
Harmonic 313 – Problem 1
Dabrye – The Lush
Detroit Concept feat. Guilty Simpson – Psycho (Guncheck)
Download the mix here.
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