Later on, I’ll return to the late seventies and early eighties, defining years for my musical taste. But first, I want to guide you through house and hiphop. It feels so special to have been around when punk, house, and hiphop started. The early days of new movements are magical—the people, the labels, the music—it’s a gathering of uniqueness! That changes when the masses come in.
Take those early warehouse days of house. The rest of the world didn’t have a clue, but a small incrowd of believers knew something special was happening. Just like when punk started, or when hiphop came along. Music that was new, that was different. Every record felt exciting.
One of my sources for house (and later techno, etc.) was John Peel, of course. I could have mentioned him in every part of this series. The legendary BBC DJ introduced me to all kinds of music and taught me to keep an open mind.
I remember a day in London when John Peel put on a show. On the bill was DJ Dave Clarke. Watching him changed my view of the art of DJing. He used three decks, mixing multiple tracks for short and long bits, constantly. He wasn’t just playing records; he was creating new music on the spot. Incredible.
Archive One is a brilliant record by Dave Clarke. Techno the way I like it: loud and funky.
>>> Play Archive One