Alex

Ebola has 'hit' the UK. According to the Daily Star.

Saw Stevie Hyper D at a few Helter Skelter events at the Sanctuary in Milton Keynes. I checked and he died in the summer of 98 so I'm guessing the one I remember was the following NYE event there which I think was one of the last ones there. I think the Sanctuary closed not too long after. I didn't like all the music they played, as they also played hardcore / gabba (which I just find cheesy tbh) and happy hardcore (which is obviously into your extra mature cheddar territory). But the mix of music made for a better crowd I think. You'd have a happy hardcore DJ followed by a jungle one in one of the venues (they also used the adjacent roller rink). This meant the junglists / whoever moved about so you met more people. It was full of fucking nutters like. You had schoolies, gypsies (there was a fun fair there too ), gangstas and everything in between but the atmosphere was generally very good and not much bother as a whole (generally rival dealers stuff from the looks of it). They also had an old skool room (which is quite funny looking back as it was less than ten years after the scene had kicked off) where you had both the jungle DJs and the likes of Sy playng sets a bit like the Sasha one Chez posted. You got a few older heads in there and I already felt a bit like I was one of them by about '98 tbh. Edit: a quick listen to that set seems like a classic example of the sort of drum and bass sets you would hear at Helter Skelter around that time.

It's not really funny I suppose but I had some old mixtapes from Helter Skelter. One event I went to (think it was at New Year) and during one of the mixtapes the MC led a minute's silence to MC Stevie Hyper D. Doesn't really have the same poignance being played back for the umpteenth time. You also used to get them doing public announcements which could be funny played back. I remember one with the MC saying "If anybody's ever had a mate called Dave can they come to the stage now". Who hasn't at some point had a mate called Dave? They did, as you say, work in a rave environment though.

Still sounds brilliant that like. You have to admire Sasha for constantly evolving but I think he was at his peak back then. I loved a lot of the progressive house he played back then. I.e. like Leftfield - Not Forgotten as opposed to the cheese which came to be known by the same name. Not that I need to explain that to you

I take it you've got Mr. Saunderson's E-Dancer compilation Heavenly. Genius: http://www.discogs.com/E-Dancer-Heavenly/release/181801 Juan Atkins remix of the track of the same name on it is a classic:

Fix - Flash is class. One of those cross over tunes you heard in house and techno clubs. And aye, I've got Jimmy Cauty's Space album too. It's another good one from that era. Not as good as Chill Out but what the fuck is? I don't mind a bit of Gong either as it happens. And I think Hillage is great guitarist. Seen System 7 live a few times. The last time being a festival in North Yorkshire where they were the act after Ade Edmondson and The Bad Shepherds They're still worth seeing live. I've got a fair few of their albums. One you might be aware of is: Mysterious Traveller which was a collaboration with Derrick May (http://www.discogs.com/System-7-Derrick-May-Mysterious-Traveller/release/45170). I think it would be your cup of char if you haven't heard. It almost goes without saying that anyone who liked to get mashed from the era we're on about liked a bit of The Orb too. I think UFOrb is probably my favourite.

I had a listen to that all the way through last night, mate. Top notch. It really gets going around half an hour in with Ability II's Pressure Dub. Classic after Classic near the end as well. I was actually thinking, when LFO going to be dropped in. Loved it.

Got a few mixes and compilations from the DiY lot. I went to uni down in the East Midlands so I saw them DJ a few times too with their being from Nottingham. This is a good one: http://www.discogs.com/DiY-DiY-X-1989-1999-A-Decade-Of-Doing-It-Yourself/release/373787 It's a double CD with Digs & Whoosh doing the honours on one disc and Simon DK on the other. This one: http://www.discogs.com/Various-DiY-Vol-01-A-House-Music-Compilation-Mixed-And-Selected-By-Digs-Woosh/release/236953 from around the same time (also by Digs & Whoosh) is very good too. Proper house. I've actually got that Derrick Carter one as well. As you probably know, it's volume 2. I like it but I think it never quite lives up to the promise of the opening track. Volume 1 is mixed by Sneak and Cajmere: http://www.discogs.com/Cajmere-DJ-Sneak-The-Future-Sound-Of-Chicago/release/9160 I love it. Another Derrick Carter mix you might like is this one: http://www.discogs.com/Various-Thanks-For-Coming-By/release/6620 It's another double CD, this time with Luke Solomon mixing the other one. I actually think the Luke Solomon mix is the better of the two. I think you'd really like it, going off what you've posted so far. In a similar vein, this is fucking brilliant: http://www.discogs.com/DJ-Sneak-Princess-Julia-The-Kinky-Trax-Collection/master/11543 Another double with Sneak on one disc and Princess Julia on the other. Again I'd say the less celebrated of the two DJs (Princess Julia) delivers the goods, although Sneak's mix is, as always, not too shabby either.

I remember Frank de Wulf from that early Eurobeat sound too, particularly his mix of Human Resource's rave classic Dominator. Dated now but class. I think that was the record that introduced me to R&S. Funny Belgium being such a hotbed of techno Me mate was a big fan of Spacemen 3. I remember hearing Recurring a lot. In the late 80s / early 90s it was acts like The Beloved (especially The Sun Rising) and New Order that started getting me into more dancey stuff.

I've not heard the Leftfield one but, like you I played the Dave Clarke 'the Baron of Techno' (sample of John Peel isn't it?) to death. I downloaded it fairly recently and, although it was still canny good, I was slightly disappointed as the second half of it wasn't as hard and fast as I remembered. I remember the two FSOL ones from around 93/94. They used a lot of their own stuff (including that first Amorphous Androgenous disc I mentioned earlier). They had a bit of a feel of the KLF's Chill Out about them. You know - bits layered over the top as though you were tuning in and out of an AM radio station. I remember bits of Acker Bilk's Stranger on the Shore and Albatross by Fleetwood Mac being on it. Probably sounds shit to those who haven't heard it but it worked really well iyam.

Any manager who uses the excuse of selling Cabaye / not signing a replacement as an excuse for not turning up in the derby (and the subsequent downturn in performances) and who also dedicates wins to the bloke responsible for that is going to get stick from the fans.

I'd love to believe you were on the wind-up. In general I mean. I fear not though.

Aye, I really liked it. I even thought ending worked well. I really liked the main lass in it. Pretty well acted throughout though. I've just recently watched True Detective which I really enjoyed too. Not sure it would've gone down well with the Louisiana tourist board like. Before that I watched series 1 of Lillyhammer. It's fucking daft but it's easy watching. Plus I liked seeing Steven Van Zandt basically just playing Silvio Dante again.

I think it's just to provide some sort of limited visual reports on what may be happening if radio contact is lost with the ground.

Starring John Travolta and Nicholas Cage.

The Paul Oakenfold one was good. Some great tracks on there from the time before he went shit. I like the Jay Chappell ones too who was the sort of JDJ 'resident'. He did a couple of good more uptempo house ones plus two classy 'After Hours' one which were still house but a bit more chilled. The Norman Jay / Giles Peterson ' JDJ Desert Island Mix' (which originally came out as a double CD before being reissued as two separate ones) was another good eclectic one (or two). I've got a few others as well in the series.

I really like the Coldcut JDJ (a lot of the Journeys by DJ were good). That was one of those ones where you could tell they'd really thought about the mix and used the studio as opposed to just piecing together a club set. Like the bit where Plastikman's 'Fuk' has the sampled opening of James Brown's Get on the Good Foot:

So you don't know the backstory to all of this but you know HBA is a cunt?

Obviously, there's no perfect method but what do you reckon worked better: Robson's pandering to egos or Souness' my way or the high way?

This is quite interesting if you're interested in that sort of thing: http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/homepage.html I think they pretty much nailed it at the last election re: projected seats.

Should've got him to go into business with you when you were making pies Also, how long were you waiting to use that line? Years? And as opposed to just tracks, what about people's favourites mixes? I know we touched on that with talk about DJs and Essential Mixes. I remember when you used to get those bootleg tapes loads and it seemed to take a while before record companies latched onto the idea of studio mixed CDs showcasing a DJ's talent (mixcloud, youtube, etc. have probably rendered these a bit obselete now). I suppose licensing would've been a nightmare with a lot of white labels and stuff as well in the early days. The one that really seemed to kick it all off big style was the first Sasha / Digweed Renaissance one: http://www.discogs.com/Sasha-John-Digweed-Renaissance-The-Mix-Collection/release/100874 I thought I'd mention one at a time otherwise it just ends up being a catalogue of my CD collection.

Pulling that face?

I don't think that's what CT was saying. Equally, I don't think he finds it 'sad' in any way. He was after a chomp, so it's mission accomplished.

I like the cut of your jib.

That was class. DJ Ron did a really good one about the same time. As did Goldie and the Bukem one around that time was fucking brilliant as well. Really like A Guy Called Gerald as a producer too. His Black Secret Technology album is great. Of course he was 808 State (and co-wrote it) when they did Pacific State.