1st UK DJ To Mix Live On National TV – 25 Years Ago Today

[Greg Wilson]

Bubble-Perm / The Tube / David Joseph / Matamp Super Nova / Shufting In And Out / Jools Holland / Denim & Gold / Revox B77 / A Bit Of Scratching / Mike Shaft / Technics SL-1200MK2 / Echoing Effects / Channel 4 / Nathan Jones / One Record Following The Other / Greg Wilson / Newcastle-Upon-Tyne – February 25th 1983 / 1st UK DJ To Mix Live On National TV – 25 Years Ago Today.

Online for the first time to mark the anniversary: ON THE TUBE

[The Boogie Doctor]

that's kool mon.

[MixMasterMax]

I must admit I went into watching the video expecting something else. The echoing was :icon_eek:, well, if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all. My experience has been that a perfect echo or delay of two tracks is 2 beats not 1. Otherwise, I enjoy all this stuff....Thanks

[The Boogie Doctor]

that's cool mon, just like in jamaica mon

[QUINNY]

Overall, I give you 10/10 for having the balls to do it.

Greg: You went a long way fast and it shows. I'd hope that in hindsight, you'd be big enough to somewhat agree with that sentiment.

I was one of those who watched the show and my reaction at the time was WTF. It wasn't what I'd expected, nor was it particularly good, IMO (I personally think you had an almost impossible task and remember feeling somewhat 'let down' at the time; yes! 1 beat delay always sounds pretty crap on funkier tracks, changing it to an agressive, funk-less 4/4 ting), BUT it was very much of the scene in which you'd been playing and of the US scene you were trying to emulate. IMO: The Revox delay was pretty gimmicky, rudimentary and totally unecessary in the context of a mixing demonstration to peeps who wouldn't have known a beat mix from a segue from a monkey wrench, BUT......you had YOUR way, so more power to your elbow.


The list of mixing DJs was interesting. Basically those who shouted about it the most, n'est-ce pas? Meanwhile in Southampton there was a quiet, shy, retiring kinda guy who'd been doing it (as well as those listed) for about 5 years at that point....:icon_lol::icon_lol::icon_lol:

[Greg Wilson]

I must admit I went into watching the video expecting something else. The echoing was :icon_eek:, well, if you can't say something nice then don't say anything at all. My experience has been that a perfect echo or delay of two tracks is 2 beats not 1. Otherwise, I enjoy all this stuff....Thanks

Yeah, the whole thing is pretty raw when compared to what was going on in the US at the time, or what would transpire later in the UK, but, as I saw in the accompanying article, it was only a minority of UK DJ's who'd embraced mixing back then.

To be honest, I was more than happy to get through it without making a total mess of things. Everything was on time and the cameraman, despite bumping into the decks, didn't jump the records. The fact that it was on live TV and hadn't been done here before was pretty terrifying for me.

With regards to what you call the 'echoing' (we used the term 'doubling-up'), I liked to use variants, depending on what part of the track I wanted to repeat, be it 1, 2, 4 or 8 beats - there wasn't a perfect way, as such. I'd also sometimes play 1 beat in front, if you get what I mean, which could work really well as an effect, anticipating what was about to happen.

Taking the clip in context, I think it could have been a lot worse - the most embarrassing thing about it being the haircut

[ashley]

.. believe me Greg .. your amazin afro is the 1 thing that makes the whole experience worth watching .. my 2 fifteen year old nephews think you look super cool .. kinda like a white Shaft .. :icon_eek: .. the afro is long-overdue for a comeback ..

[disco-disc]

Here Here Ashley...that is a great perm :icon_lol: I am growing my own Homage to the Perm as I type...

I thought this Tube clip was a great piece of Dance History in UK, and puts into perspective the state of the genre at the time. I remember it was always refereshing to hear different mixes of discs, that as Greg said, could become a bit stale the more you heard them.
Whilst at first I did not really apprecitae what was happening with the sound of favourite discs, it only took a few listens to really get into the newly mixed versions...
Top marks to Greg for having the bottle to attempt this on live TV...and risk his reputation.
Whilst the US jocks had been doing this sort of thing for a few years, it was good to see that some UK jocks were trying to 'educate' British tastes.......
....of course Quinny had been doing this sort of thing with old knitting needles and pottery wheels since the dawn of time in Southampton :icon_rolleyes::icon_rolleyes::icon_lol:

..BTW, Where did you get your perm Greg ????

[QUINNY]

....of course Quinny had been doing this sort of thing with old knitting needles and pottery wheels since the dawn of time in Southampton :icon_rolleyes::icon_rolleyes::icon_lol:

Of course!! Only we didn't do it with knitting needles, we had this pre-historic bird cum dinosaur and placed its beak on the records, just like in the Flintstones, you cheeky little .........:icon_lol:


The truth (that some UK DJs were mixing waaay before anyone realises) is quite a surprise,eh.
Even Greg didn't believe I wasn't using a microphone in '74 through to '77 and just segueing and (primitively) mixing records, so you're not alone. Young whippersnappers!!!

[Mixmachine]

Greg, you must have been sweating bullets, if the camera man bumps your deck, cuing up back up the second deck (or both) to get the 1 beat delay would have taken you a while and completely ruined your spot!

I used the 1 beat delay a lot, mostly to emphasize the drum's downbeat, it work great on many "freestyle' records of the mid 80's.

But the two and 4 beat delay were the most popular, first time I ever did it was with "You'll never find" by Low Rawls , at the time here in the USA every DJ was working this song in this way.

The Reel to Reel delay trick was gutsy, it was hard to make this effect sound/work well, I did this trick on a few mixes, but used it mainly to force an "ending" at any alternate point in the mix/record, making the transition cut into the next song during the echo-ing.

It is so unbelievable to me to read that UK djs (except quinny :icon_biggrin: of course) were still talking over the music in '82, with few exceptions (usually small local 'Rock' bars with a talking 'radio' DJ between Band's sets) in all my clubbing days starting in '74 I never experienced that in a real Disco, especially since there is no way a Disco DJ can properly 'beat-mix" and talk on the Mike at the same time. (maybe fade/blend)

One of the reason people loved the club atmosphere here in the US so much was precisely because there was no DJ Talk interruptions to take anything away from the free flow of non-stop music.

[QUINNY]

It is so unbelievable to me to read that UK djs (except quinny :icon_biggrin: of course)

Erm..even I HAD to talk when in the UK.

especially since there is no way a Disco DJ can properly 'beat-mix" and talk on the Mike at the same time. (maybe fade/blend)

Actually, it is possible to talk and mix. You either do it by hitting the audience with the talking using the talk and the incoming record as part of segue (using two records where a segue sounds good; you could either do a pure segue or let the two records run together for as long as they kept in sync)....or by knowing two records that will keep in sync and letting the two run at full volume whilst talking over. Both are difficult and nerve wracking, but both are do-able. What I'd normally do is mix say 3 records in a row and talk over the 4th transition as the mix was just over or use one of the 2 techniques above. The trick, as always, was to finish talking just as the vocals/strong part of the track kicked in.

One of the reason people loved the club atmosphere here in the US so much was precisely because there was no DJ Talk interruptions to take anything away from the free flow of non-stop music.

Both can be effective and exciting when done properly. I don't think the average UK punter found UK discos any less exciting. It's what you're used to, I guess.

[disco-disc]

Hold on there Guys...I was actually working and frequenting clubs in the UK in the late 70's where there was none or very little talking, and only to announce a track, a birthday, etc..(usually after a couple or more discs had been played) ...the DJ would usually blend two records together or kill one deck and have the second deck take over, and go on until he felt like talking...:icon_surprised: I hope we aren't getting confused that all UK jocks talked in between records !!

What Greg did was MIX records in real-time.......this is what was new ??:icon_question:
am I right Greg...
Oh and BTW, Greg looks the spit of of Tommy Caton, the Man. City Footballer, with that perm.:icon_lol:

[the disco kid]

Greg

that was great! Congrats on the anniversary!

[QUINNY]

Hold on there Guys...I was actually working and frequenting clubs in the UK in the late 70's where there was none or very little talking, and only to announce a track, a birthday, etc..(usually after a couple or more discs had been played) ...the DJ would usually blend two records together or kill one deck and have the second deck take over, and go on until he felt like talking...:icon_surprised: I hope we aren't getting confused that all UK jocks talked in between records !!

Are we talking Northern Soul scene here? Many of the DJs didn't talk much on that scene. I've always thought it was because they didn't have the ability/personality to talk, as much as any ethos driven reason.

Of course not ALL jocks talked between tracks, but probably 99% did until the very late '80s.

[Greg Wilson]

Of course not ALL jocks talked between tracks, but probably 99% did until the very late '80s.

Bloody hell! Wonders never cease. I actually find myself agreeing with Quinny on something