The early House Music scene in the UK?

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Art Awreet

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Was thinking about this the other day, as I was checking the release year of my oldest house MP3's. I was really suprised at just how many tunes were released before 1988, with quite a few as early as 84, 85' and 86'

Yet we usually only hear of the scene exploding in 1988. So what the hell was happening before then especially in the UK?

Also what I'd like to know was who was the first person to have the idea of combining house with E, as I'm guessing that this was the main reason for the explosion.........but didn't peole do that at the Paradise Garage??
 
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Mister_DJ

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Art Awreet said:
Also what I'd like to know was who was the first person to have the idea of combining house with E, as I'm guessing that this was the main reason for the explosion
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I'm not sure it was a specific idea as such. Both were around for several years before Oakey et al's "year zero" (and thats a different thread altogether :mad: )

The way I see it is - Some of the guys producing House from the US were from spiritual backgrounds ok? For example, Ce Ce Rogers, Joe Smooth, Robert Owens etc.

So its all about context. If you listen to Promised Land from a purely spirtualist perspective, it makes sense. Listen to it on E (and I'm talking about E from bitd!) and BOOOOOM! It enhances the meaning.

E was always going to be tested by the "clubbing elite" and already had been several years before the UK scene exploded. It was just a very powerful "catalyst" to a very danceable form of music. A massive (and super ;) ) coincidence imho.

Mart
:rolleyes:
 
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Northern Star

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Way i see it - it was a combination of a good few things happening at the same time, bit like making a good xmas cake, have all the right ingreadients and et voila ! its whoopeee time ;)

The introduction of synths and electronic gadgets - drugs, people with ambition, and people wanting something new and a bit of trvel helped to ;) plus many more ;)
 
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Shooms

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Mister_DJ said:
I'm not sure it was a specific idea as such. Both were around for several years before Oakey et al's "year zero" (and thats a different thread altogether :mad: )

The way I see it is - Some of the guys producing House from the US were from spiritual backgrounds ok? For example, Ce Ce Rogers, Joe Smooth, Robert Owens etc.

So its all about context. If you listen to Promised Land from a purely spirtualist perspective, it makes sense. Listen to it on E (and I'm talking about E from bitd!) and BOOOOOM! It enhances the meaning.

E was always going to be tested by the "clubbing elite" and already had been several years before the UK scene exploded. It was just a very powerful "catalyst" to a very danceable form of music. A massive (and super ;) ) coincidence imho.

Mart
:rolleyes:
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Great to have you back on Mart - you've been missed :thumbsup:

Also add these clubs to the hedonistic house halycon :)

Taboo

Before Leigh Bowery and his mid-'80s London club night Taboo came along being a freak was not a fine art form. Pop star and DJ Boy George remembers the legendary scene where glamorous polysexual debauchery and head-to-toe body makeup went along

Hug Club

Red Bull Music Academy - Mixmaster Morris - Session Transcript

Altered States has great info on the early London scene too... apparently The Hug Club in the mid 80's was rife with E but people were mashing & cuddling on luxurious tactile enhancing fabrics on the floor listening to Moments In Love & mellow tunes... :D

There's a bit in Altered States where a Hug Club regular went to Shoom or Spectrum & was amazed by the energy coming off the place - both the dancing & music
 
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Mister_DJ

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Shooms said:
Great to have you back on Mart - you've been missed :thumbsup:
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Cheers Shooms :love: . Great to be back :thumbsup:

I got the recent Boy's Own compendium and I enjoyed reading "as it happened" their backlash against the clubland elite of the time, such as Bowery etc. Again, they were another catalyst.

Debs post nails it - loads of things coming together at same time.

Check this thread here...

Shoom v Amnesia - DJHistory

Jump to page 4 for some interesting takes on '88. How places like Ibiza were kicking way before Oakey and his cronies turned up and House being rejected at first by the "Soul Boys".

Mart
:rolleyes:
 
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granthamdisco

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Parky was playing house in Nottingham ( Garage / Eden) & Sheffield (Jive Turkey) from 86

Arcade were influential in stocking it
 
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granthamdisco

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Shooms said:
Aaaah my bad - never knew that !

Also my assumption was always that the club & the record label were ran by the same people ? This right or wrong ?

Kool Kat Music Discography at Discogs
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wrong

Kool Kat was Network / Neil Rushton related ( West Midlander)

Garage was opened by Brian Selby

Not sure who owned it around 89 / 90 when it became kool kat but fairly certain not related - Kool Kay was Alistair as resident - Rushton would have had more of a techno vibe

Interesting articles


Mike Atkinson on the rise and fall of the record shop Selectadisc | Music | The Guardian

Graeme Park Interview - Nottingham Articles - LeftLion.co.uk
 
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Shooms

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PepeLePew

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Mister_DJ said:
Check this thread here...

Shoom v Amnesia - DJHistory

Jump to page 4 for some interesting takes on '88. How places like Ibiza were kicking way before Oakey and his cronies turned up and House being rejected at first by the "Soul Boys".

Mart
:rolleyes:
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Enjoyed that read.

But one thing that gets me about Alfredo (exquisite tune selection aside) - his mixing was attrocious (of what I've listened to).
And I'm not sure how a party would be kicking with him flunking up every 2-3 tracks?
 
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adamw

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Interesting thread, and some words of wisdom from Phil Thornton on the DJH thread amongst others.

I could probably drone on for hours about this having first hand experience, and was in Ibiza in 85,86 and 88. I know there are other contributors here who could share similar experiences.

I remember taking a "house music tape" over in '88 which the barman in the hotel bar begged me to give him (I did) which funnily enough contained "Gene and Jim are into Shakes". (read the DJH thread) :mexican:

I think the whole thing was about many ingredients coming together at once, as stated earlier. Apart from the odd club, night clubs in general were dreadful in the 80's, it was all "white shirt black tie" nonsense, and it was only when acid house really took hold that all this got blown apart. Is anyone old enough to remember meeting on the car park over the road from Wigan Pier to go to Blackburn because you couldn't get in the club? (because you weren't wearing pants and shoes)

What really was apparent was that there was this feeling of momentum, you could literally feel something big was about to happen.

I interviewed Shaun & Bez from the Mondays for my fanzine the week after they had their album launch party for "Bummed" at Spectrum, that was one amazing conversation. The whole "E" thing was really kicking off then and it was amazing.

As far as the Balearic thing is concerned, my view is that it was, and still is, a niche that was confined to a select group of clubs and people. I'm sure those people and those that frequented those clubs would agree.
 
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blue jammer

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Big respect to Stu Allan as his early radio shows got me into hip hop/soul/then house.

I can't remember how early on they started but would have been in 86 and 87 even earlier for bus diss and souled out, then the house hour, not to mention the show he did with Chris Buckley - All night beat.

:king:
 
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adamw

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blue jammer said:
Big respect to Stu Allan as his early radio shows got me into hip hop/soul/then house.

I can't remember how early on they started but would have been in 86 and 87 even earlier for bus diss and souled out, then the house hour, not to mention the show he did with Chris Buckley - All night beat.

:king:
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Me too mate, I used to love his show on Sunday nights on Piccadilly in the 80's, I bought my first imports from Spin Inn as a result. He really paved the way in Manchester for House music in the early days, but I hated it when he went all "hardcore" later on.
 
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Tony Ross

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i think the whole scene started way before 88 but not in the form as we know it
as far back as 83 there used to be a club on cross st in manchester called cloud nine, i used to got there on a saturday day as a young breaker and the music was all electronic then
such tunes as rough cut and fresh wild fly and bold
the energy was there for a new and fresh thing but the e's wernt (not in the uk anyway)
in my opinion (right or wrong) if e's didnt come along then the whole house scene would never of taken of
there were shabine's (sorry for the spelling) in moss side in 84-85 playing human leauge and such like and they were fuelld by wiz, it just took e's to light the touch paper
 


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