ELECTRO FUNK - GREG WILSON ARTICLE

[QUINNY]

I've read this article before and also seen the top 100 list. I have around 65% of those records mentioned and I played them in Winchester and Southampton (more or less as far south as you can go in England) in fairly average, mainstream discotheques.
Although I undoubtedly followed where Greg lead, I feel it is untrue to say that this was just a Northern phenomenon. BTW Greg, I don't recall hearing of you at the time and some of us had been mixing for 3 or more years by 1981. Many of the records were reasonably sized hits. They wouldn't have achieved that just on sales to underground followers.
I appreciate that Greg was probably a pioneer, but so were many of us DJs. With deference to Greg, a little less ego required and a little more rational thinking methinks. :)

Otherwise an interesting article that more or less tells it like it was in the early '80s, in the UK.

[billywho]

I've read this article before and also seen the top 100 list. I have around 65% of those records mentioned and I played them in Winchester and Southampton (more or less as far south as you can go in England) in fairly average, mainstream discotheques.
Although I undoubtedly followed where Greg lead, I feel it is untrue to say that this was just a Northern phenomenon. BTW Greg, I don't recall hearing of you at the time and some of us had been mixing for 3 or more years by 1981. Many of the records were reasonably sized hits. They wouldn't have achieved that just on sales to underground followers.
I appreciate that Greg was probably a pioneer, but so were many of us DJs. With deference to Greg, a little less ego required and a little more rational thinking methinks. :)

Otherwise an interesting article that more or less tells it like it was in the early '80s, in the UK.

I'll let Greg off for blowing his own trumpet, because I can confirm he was the Electro DJ in Manchester at the time, achieving legendary status. I have no idea how well or little known he was outside the North West.

[Greg Wilson]

You've obviously got a bit of a problem with this article Quinny; this is the second place on the forum where I've found a post from you questioning the validity of what I've written.

If you don't recall hearing of me it's not because I wasn't there. I contributed charts to Blues & Soul from as early as 1976, and during the 82/83 period that the article focuses on I received regular coverage in the national club press via writers like Bob Killbourne and Frank Elson (Blues & Soul), James Hamilton (Record Mirror) and Lindsay Wesker (Black Echoes). I was voted top DJ in the North by Blues & Soul readers (with my clubs voted 1st and 2nd), and James Hamilton named me as one of the UK's top DJ's in his end of year Hammy Awards. I wrote a regular column for London Jazz-Funk magazine Groove Weekly and a main piece for Mixmag (about the future role of the club DJ) following its arrival on the scene in 83. I was also the first British DJ to demonstrate live mixing on UK TV (The Tube on C4 ' Feb 83).

I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm blowing my own trumpet, call me an egotist if you like but this is how it was. To question my credentials because you haven't heard of me could lead me to question where you got your own information from about the club scene during this period. I'm sure you're very knowledgeable about the history of dance music, but we can't all be specialists in every single area. If I'd attempted to write an authoritative piece about Northern Soul, where my understanding, although better than basic, is still extremely limited, I'd expect the criticism I'd undoubtedly deserve, but I know about the early Electro-Funk scene because I lived it.

I could answer each of your points one by one, and if you want me to I'm prepared to do so, either on the open forum or privately. The information about me that Bernie chose to include at the bottom of the article is not my own words, but quotes taken from various books and publications. I sent this to him so he could draw his own conclusion as to whether the contents of the article could be trusted. I was more than happy for it to be included on a Disco site (as opposed to Electro and Hip Hop sites, where it's already extensively featured), my own DJ background, prior to Electro-Funk, covering Soul, Funk, Disco and Jazz-Funk.

I've no problem whatsoever with people questioning me about what I've written, the article is obviously an overview of a much bigger subject, and I can appreciate that sometimes people would like a deeper explanation of the various aspects. However, if you aren't open to discovering new information, which differs to your own interpretation of how the Electro scene might have originated, then that's your prerogative.

To repeat what I said in the thread on the Discuss Disco Music forum:

As with any type of music journalism there's bound to be a subjective aspect, but somebody has to tell the story and having been there at the time I feel I'm as qualified as anyone to do this. All of the information I included in my own article is factual and can be backed-up (as I said, the early developments were documented by the black music press), so my conscience is clear with regards to any charge of re-writing history. In fact my main motivation was to counter the mis-information that currently exists on the subject, so people have the opportunity to make up their own minds. By sharing my first-hand experiences of the period I hope to fill in some gaps for those who are interested in finding out more about Electro-Funk and its legacy to dance music and club culture.

If anyone wants to contact me direct feel free to e-mail me:
electrofunkroots@yahoo.co.uk

To view the article:
http://www.discomusic.com/disco-hist...ctro-funk.html

[QUINNY]

Greg: I did write 'with deference' to you, so I wasn't particularly trying to beat up on ya'. All I know is that I was in Southampton and Winchester and I did play most of those tunes as a part of my nights programming. I never envisaged myself as an electro DJ as I imagined what I played was maybe just the underground side of mainstream.
I sorta partly remember your appearance on the Tube. I used to love that show even though it was mostly R&R. It had such a youthful energy.
Sorry for not recognizing your name. I guess I'd be peeved, but then again, I never went looking for plaudits, so couldn't be disappointed. Like thousands of others, I just went in and did my job as best I could. I doubt if anyone remembers me and I'm happy with that.

BTW: It is interesting to note some numbers which are called Electro by you. Would you put say Northend 'Tee's Happy' in the category? Arthur Baker, Electronic drums, synths, suggested dub sound to it.

[Greg Wilson]

It wasn't about you not recognizing my name Quinny (you must have me down for Mr Ego personified!), it was the insinuation that because you didn't know who I was the article was somehow flawed. I'm sure the majority of people who use this site have never heard of me either, so I'm hardly going to be peeved about that.

Anyway, in answer to your question, yes I would put Northend alongside D Train, Stone etc, amongst the early examples of the developing Electro-Funk sound (although this term didn't come into use until more than 6 months later). 'Tee's Happy' was a big track for me (but not quite up there with the 100 included on the list), and although, like D Train, it would nowadays be seen as a Disco track, back then it stood apart as something a little bit different to the norm. It was certainly an important track in terms of Arthur Baker's development (Michael Jonzun also had a hand in it).

The follow-up (to all intents and purposes), 'Tee's Right', this time credited to Michelle Wallace (who received a featuring credit on 'Happy Days', the vocal side of 'Tee's Happy') was also popular in early 82, but it was another Emergency release that went absolutely massive for me, 'Feels Good' by Electra, which arrived on import in May 82 (the same month as 'Planet Rock').

[QUINNY]

Greg: All I'm trying to point out is that some Southern jocks were playing healthy amounts of Electro back in '82 and '83, so it is wrong to just call it a Northern thing. O.K. you were actively seeking them (records) out and specializing. Maybe, just maybe, there was a little more of an influence down here than you realised. I thought every jock was playing the stuff. Maybe, just maybe, I was wrong.
BTW. My audience was 99% white.

[Greg Wilson]

Nowhere in the article do I suggest that this music was played exclusively in the North, or that it was purely a Northern thing. My actual statement was that the roots of the Electro-Funk scene are planted firmly in the North-West of England.

What you must take into account is that during 82/83 Legend in Manchester and Wigan Pier were the biggest clubs in the North bar none when it came to the black music scene. London and the South was still a Jazz-Funk stronghold with the Soul Mafia holding sway. There were isolated DJ's in the capital who began to feature the more electronic type tracks, but as Gordon Mac (then the DJ at 'Kisses' in Peckham) remembered; "you were treated like a leper because this Electro music wasn't seen as real instruments, it was electronic music and just a noise. I mean you wasn't allowed to play Electro on any of the pirate stations. All the pirate stations at that time were Soul stations, and Funk stations, and Jazz-Funk stations, and all that stuff. It was all white socks and nodding dogs".

The London scene was fragmented and without a focal point, whereas Legend and the Pier were central to the club scene up-North, and known to pretty much every DJ in the region (if not the country). On top of this my radio mixes on Mike Shaft's Manchester Piccadilly show (the most listened to Soul show outside of London), allowed me to take Electro-Funk to a much wider audience at a time when Mike's Soul show contemporaries in London, Greg Edwards and Robbie Vincent, would never have entertained such an idea.

I can't really comment on your own venues in Winchester and Southampton, all I can say is that there's no documented evidence of there being a thriving Electro scene there. If, like you say, these were "fairly average, mainstream discotheques" with an audience that was "99% white", then I can't believe that you could possibly have been playing some of the same records at the same time as they were being played at clubs like Legend and the Pier.

All the tracks featured on these nights (bar the rare exception) were US imports, and by the time the bigger tunes (like those on the top 100 list which accompanies the article) had crossed-over into the mainstream venues, it was extremely unlikely that they were still being played on specialist nights (which prided themselves on being musically upfront).

There was generally a couple of months gap between a record coming in on import and it's eventual UK release. In the case of the Peech Boys, I began playing this track in March 82 yet it didn't enter the UK chart until the following October, its eventual release due solely to demand from the more upfront clubbers. Remember, the underground brought many of these tracks to more mainstream attention (as it had with previous types of dance music, from 60's Soul onwards).

Many DJ's, especially those on the Jazz-Funk scene, despised the 'more blatant' Electro. Surely you must remember the politics that raged about the validity of this new musical direction. So it would be way off the mark to believe that "every jock was playing the stuff".

[Giovanni]

Hey guys, please stop quarrelling !!!
Almost EVERYBODY played electro at that time.... do you want some cassettes of mine?!?! :D

[Greg Wilson]

Hi Giovanni, not quarrelling just debating the finer points of a movement which has always been shrouded in confusion from a UK perspective.

I'd be interested to hear from you how Electro was received in Italy (presuming you were there at the time, of course). I can't imagine the same type of politics came into play as here in the UK, where there was an almost puritanical attitude to black music at the time Electro arrived. As I said, not everyone here played Electro (although I accept this may have been different elsewhere).

One of the biggest tracks in the early days of the Electro-Funk scene was an Italian release, 'Dirty Talk' by Klien & MBO (the instrumental version). It would be revived some years later and also receive classic status at the Hacienda during the House explosion. How popular was this track for you?

[QUINNY]

Greg: No wind up, just interested why you came to certain conclusions. Like I said I wasn't an Electro guru so obviously I wasn't playing loads of imports, absolutely upfront. I wasn't specializing. I don't doubt that your consumption was much more prolific.
I see you have the "I played it first" bravado that was previously so rife on the Northern Soul scene. Was it Wigan that brought this out in people? :lol: IMO that sort of attitude (on the NS scene) had little to do with music or the love of it, but I'll assume that you were genuine in your motives.
In your article you wrote/ implied that it took almost 2 years for the mainstream to catch up, now you're saying maybe 2 months between import and mainstream release. Well, that's when my audience would have caught up. So what was it? Surely it doesn't really make one iota of difference. The tracks were either played at approximately the same time or they weren't. They were either good or they weren't. A few months hardly makes a huge amount of difference. New records, whether on import or on domestic release still have to gain acceptance. It's not automatic. I wouldn't have had loads of people in my audiences who'd hiked it fresh from Manchester or Wigan and knew all the sounds. I doubt if I had any. You may as well have played them on the planet Zorg for all the influence you would have had on white people here, in mainstream discos. We wouldn't have heard them on radio either. Are you trying to say that you were more or less responsible for all the releases on UK labels 'cos you broke them all? If so, I'd take my hat off to you, but I can't imagine that is the case. Are you really trying to say that whole Electro scene sprung up because of you and without you none of it would have happened? I'm a little confused.
From my own perspective, I wasn't aware of 'puritanical' forces, any backlash or anything else. I simply don't remember any huge arguments with fellow DJs. I remember a feeling in the air that something different was beginning to happen. I remember hating Planet Rock, I personally thought it was absolute crap, but it didn't stop me playing it. I just went with the flow and it was in late '81 early '82 that this all began to happen.
If you include Southampton and Winchester in the South-East, then I have to tell you that you're way off mark saying that we were still heavily into jazz funk by '82. If anything, the average punter was into the British New Wave sounds if you're looking for a dance music that had some momentum behind it. Jocks like myself resisted this as much as we could and so the Electro sounds were like manna from heaven in comparison. They sounded black, they had fearsome beats and they gained pretty quick acceptance. London may well have been a law unto itself, I can't really comment except to say that the influence of the DJs you mentioned wasn't really felt that strongly 78 miles away from the capital. We couldn't tune into their radio shows either.

[Giovanni]

I'd be interested to hear from you how Electro was received in Italy (presuming you were there at the time, of course). I can't imagine the same type of politics came into play as here in the UK, where there was an almost puritanical attitude to black music at the time Electro arrived. As I said, not everyone here played Electro (although I accept this may have been different elsewhere).

OK Greg, let's debate seriously!
When disco began to fold, around spring-summer of 1980, many records came out announcing a different wave in dance music. Most of these records were not from the US (Over and Over by Disco Circus, Disco's dead by The Critics, Heartbreaker & I wanna take you there by Gino Soccio, I'm ready by Kano to name just a few). Many discotized pop rock bands began releasing extended dance version of their tracks (Human League etc) and many black funk bands began contaminate their sounds with rock guitars and electronic drum machines (Prince and the Minneapolis movement, GrandMaster Flash's "The message", Bambaataa and all the New York hip hop school, The black No Wave movement).
In Southern Europe and in Italy, black music was no so highly revered and these contamination found a fertile ground in the djs, the people and producers too. The djs split in two categories: who kept playing black music (hip hop, scratch, and then electro), and who went on the new wave of italo disco. This happened around 1981 to 1982 and lasted for no more than 2-3 years. By 1986 everybody was playing house.

One of the biggest tracks in the early days of the Electro-Funk scene was an Italian release, 'Dirty Talk' by Klien & MBO (the instrumental version). It would be revived some years later and also receive classic status at the Hacienda during the House explosion. How popular was this track for you?

Dirty talk was a monster hit all around here, since we had it first on the small italian indie Phoenix. The entire album received lot of disco play (Wonderful, MBO theme, Big Apple theme, Deja vu). Its sounds were so different from what we have heard before that you had to decide, love it or hate it. I liked very much, even if I am a funky disco lover

[Greg Wilson]

Giovanni: Thanks for the info about the Italian scene.

Quinny: Looking around the various forums on this site I've come to the conclusion that wind-up must be your middle name. You seem to get into mischief all over the place!

Now I'm fully aware of this I can see that it was pointless for me to get into this with you in the first place. No matter what I say you're going to look for a way to further confuse the issue.

This thread began with you questioning the validity of what I'd written, and I naturally felt a need to respond, which on reflection was probably a mistake.

You're obviously entitled to your own views and opinions, regardless of whether they're right or wrong, but I foolishly thought I might be able to help clarify a few things for you by addressing your reservations. Little did I know that I was on a hiding to nothing!

I take my hat off to you Quinny, you're a master of the back-handed compliment! Some of your comments have really brought a smile to my face, but when Giovanni added his post, asking us to stop quarrelling, I thought this must be coming across in a negative way. I'd rather my article had not been included on here in the first place if I thought it would result in bad vibes of any kind.

So, with this in mind, I think it's best that I leave it there. This is the first time I've participated in a forum and it's been a learning curve for me. Thanks for the education!

Before I go, one thing you mentioned that deserves comment is the New Wave / Futurist movement in the UK, which was far more receptive to the emergence of NY Electro than the Jazz-Funk scene, and undoubtedly helped to bring certain records to mainstream attention.

Anyway, that's it from me as far as this subject is concerned. Take care Quinny, I'll leave it for you to have the final word on this particular thread.

[QUINNY]

Greg: I'll tell you something. I don't know how I wind people up. Seriously, if I knew the answer to that I'd be more than willing not to do it.
I wasn't questioning the validity of your article, just one or two minor points, which I think we cleared up? It's a shame we can't take this debate any further, I was hoping to learn something more, as the early '80s were an exciting time in Disco music so far as I was concerned.

[DISCODISK]

firstly welcome GREG WILSON welcome to discomusic,i was really pleased to see your name here and really enjoyed your article i did want to say that before but seeing quinnys comments about one upmanship sort of steered me away [in disqust] i dont know you personally but we have sort of crossed in the past i used to buy records from you and have even had you wading through tapes in the past to identify records and you have written to me telling me youve found them for me,i know theres no one upmanship with you or indeed any of the other d.js you used to work with i.e richard searling ,colin curtis etc whom i do know just fantastic d.js who have only done all the things they have done for a pure love of music thats why all you guys are so respected by so many.quinny could NEVER undertsand what we had in the northwest going right back to the 60s,he coul NEVER understand just what the northern soul scene was like [he seems to have a lot to say about it but hes never been to an event in his life] so dont expect him to understand what the northwest electro scene was like and dont even mention the hacienda!its a shame new members have to meet quinny when they open the door it happens all the time, i sit here and cringe the best way is just to step over him.look foreward to more discussions greg i would like to say more but im SERIOUSLY
late for work :lol:

[QUINNY]

DISCODISK: Oh dear!!!!

[jazz_pilgrim]

Greg,

I have finally gotten around to reading your article - I enjoyed it very much.

I was indeed one of those SOUL MAFIA purists who used to hate *L*CTR* (Electro) at the time. I remember the shock and horror the Jazz Pilgrims felt when Herbie Hancock released Rockit. But soon after that, I moved up into London town, and I got into a more electro sound ... A lot of the friends I made in London were from Manchester and they used to say that the music scene up there was absoutely buzzin'.. I know they used to go to all the clubs in Manchester for instance.... When I meet up next time with them, I will ask them about their memories from that scene ....

it is interesting to note that when I look back at some of the tracks you listed, how I have gotten to like them over the years.

Herbie Hancock has always shocked people, hasn't he? And weren't a lot of jazz fans shocked by Chameleon, a track that the Jazz Pilgrims used to like so much? So, with the advantage of maturity, I can now see that the same applies to Rockit ...

You have some seriously good gems in your playlists that DID become popular in the South. I consider the remix of Beat The Street by Sharon Redd to be one of the best remixes ever. Al McCall's wonderful Hard Times was a tune that I have only really loved over the past few years - now I can't get enough of it! I could spent hours extolling the virtues of many of the records in your list, but I will finish by saying that my favourite ELECTRO tune from that lot was Q and the Voice Of Q. Brilliant!


BTW And PLEASE DO keep on posting - as I am sure you have a lot to ADD to this Board!! :)

[QUINNY]

Jazz: You hated Rockit!!!??? Oh well, I obviously never knew such feelings existed at the time. I would put that in my all time top 5 records. I just thought it was brilliantly funky and danceable and the video was the biz (all those robots). Perhaps I should have been DJing in Manchester. :lol:
The Voice Of Q - Q: Now there's a track and a half. I even named one of my DMC megamixes after it (The Mix Of Q {after Quinny - get it?} later changed to 'Q To The Break' by Tony Prince or Alan Coulthard. Yep, it would be one of my absolute top electro sounds too.

[jazz_pilgrim]

Yes, as I said, I really hated it - AT THE TIME! I simply wouldn't dance to it - I would just stand there - folding my arms ... We were all very traditional in our music tastes at the time. I mean, TUNBRIDGE WELLS was just about as CONSERVATIVE as you could get!! :lol:

Definitely agree with your comments on Q.

Another real gem in there was Tony Lee and Reach Up. I love the way the record used the percussion/dub breaks in it. At the time it was one of the best of its type. I still hear people on Greg Edward's show or whatever asking for that record .....

[Bernie]

Another real gem in there was Tony Lee and Reach Up. I love the way the record used the percussion/dub breaks in it. At the time it was one of the best of its type. I still hear people on Greg Edward's show or whatever asking for that record .....

Jazz,

Agree wholeheartedly on Tony Lee's "Reach Up." A killer song indeed. Check out Status IV's "You Ain't Really Down" also on Radar. Eric Mathews producing and Tony Lee on vocals once again. Very soulful harmonies... and still funky.

[Greg Wilson]

Jazz_Pilgrim: I probably shouldn't, but ok, I'll give it another shot. Here goes:

'Rockit' represented a watershed in the evolution of the UK Electro-Funk scene. As you touched on, it split the London Jazz-Funk community (and the Northern anti-Electro diehards) in two, stoking up the existing controversy when it arrived on import in July 83. Herbie Hancock was a Jazz icon, so when 'Rockit' was unleashed many people who'd been previously dismissive of Electro-Funk were forced to think again. When he was questioned about the validity of electronic music he pointed out that the technology didn't plug itself in, and, all of a sudden, the arguement that this somehow wasn't 'real music' was totally discredited, especially when 'Rockit' went on to pick up a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental.

'Rockit' was a hugely influential track, and it's difficult for people nowadays to understand just how radical this record was when we first heard it. A state-of-the-art release if ever there was one.

Bernie: It was only after the event that I realised just how much of an innovator Eric Matthew was. Electrik Funk's 'On A Journey', Sinnamon's 'Thanks To You' and Sharon Redd's 'Beat The Street', were all major landmarks before Radar was launched. Apart from 'Reach Up' and Status IV's 'You Ain't Really Down' (which was a big track that didn't quite make it onto my 'Essential Beats' list), the other huge Radar releases during 83 were Toney Lee's follow-up, 'Love So Deep', and Gary's Gang's 'Makin' Music'.

Quinny: You must have thought 'The Voice Of Q' had been made just for you! I'll never hear that record in quite the same way again!

Discodisk: Big thanks for the welcome. Also thanks to those who've e-mailed or left messages for me.

[QUINNY]

Quinny: You must have thought 'The Voice Of Q' had been made just for you! I'll never hear that record in quite the same way again!

Ah Greg, but not as much as 'The Mighty Quinn' by Manfred Mann, which I spliced up for a jingle in my early days (the late '60s). I just had to buy a record by 'Q' didn't I? Once I heard it, the music on the disc just begged to be played. It was great for mixing with virtually anything and everything, but Nunk by Warp 9 was also one of my real real favourites to mix in with things. Boy, that record really moved in the instrumental places. I hope you still like 'The Voice Of Q' and don't hold me against it. :lol:

[Greg Wilson]

Quinny: I'll always have a soft spot for 'The Voice Of Q', even you can't change that! Did you ever use it as your phone message? Apart from that and, as you pointed out, 'The Mighty Quinn', there's been a number of acts that might have named themselves in homage to you - Q-Bass, Q-Club, QFX, Q-Tee, Q-Tip, and another Q (who had a couple of hits in the 90's)!

'The Voice Of Q' and Warp 9's 'Nunk' were indeed like two peas in a pod, I'll always associate them with each other (both coming in on import in September 82 - a major month for Electro-Funk, which also included the arrival of big tracks by Klien & MBO, Extra T's, George Clinton, Tyrone Brunson and Planet Patrol). Out of interest, did you play the vocal versions of these tracks? The majority of the time I'd opt for the instrumental or dub mixes of Electro-Funk type releases.

[QUINNY]

Greg: I can't say I opted for any one side as a matter of course. It would depend what mood the audience were in, time in the evening etc, etc. Generally I thought dub versions were often a little self indulgent and didn't have enough of a 'tune' to carry them. I was never totally into rhythm for rhythm's sake if you get my drift, although I'm sure that my contempories in this area would say otherwise. Sure I might have the odd quarter of an hour or so when I'd really let things fly, but invariably the faces on the crowd became a little contorted. I wasn't working the right venues to get away with it and the venues were far more important than any of the jocks. Jock power only really started to kick in down here with the beginnings of House music, and that's when I finally bowed out.
The really funny thing is that once I'd packed up I went back to the last club I played at, when a new up and coming 'kid' was DJing. This guy could mix like a dream, scratch better than anyone else and had a real following. You could feel a real power to his DJing and a true sense of excitement among the punters there. Unfortunately, I felt absolutely bored out of my skull 'cos what he was doing (mixing with absolutely no talk) was pretty foreign, even to me. I felt it was all over indulgent, sorta one dimensional and brainless (even though I could appreciate the skill required) and it reinforced my decision to quit. I'm one of those guys who isn't at all comfortable with the status that DJs have reached now and I guess those days were the beginnings of it.
Although I worked in Spain, where I spun non stop without talking, that was back in '74 - 77, when there was a much bigger diversity to a disco's playlist. If anything, it was the only natural way to play in a disco 'cos not nearly as many people spoke English then and only the Spanish and South Americans (of which there were very few) spoke Spanish. I would often be accused by English punters of not being a real DJ 'cos I didn't talk. Of all the nationalities, I'd have to say that the Brits took least kindly to seguewaying, blending and non stop music. Funny how things work out.

[Greg Wilson]

Just looking through an old copy of Blues & Soul from April 1983 - the Poll Winners Edition. One of the sections is for the 'Most Annoying Single' of the previous year, and perfectly illustrates the anti-electronic feeling on the black music scene at the time. Remember, it was the readers of the magazine who voted.

Coming out on top (if that's the right way to put it) is Malcolm McLaren's 'Buffalo Gals', and other Electro-Funk inclusions are Rockers Revenge 'Walking On Sunshine', Indeep 'Last Night A DJ Saved My Life', Soul Sonic Force 'Planet Rock' and Extra T's 'E.T Boogie'. These tracks are listed alongside singles like Musical Youth 'Pass The Dutchie', Wham 'Young Guns', Cheri 'Murphy's Law', David Christie 'Saddle Up' and Stevie Wonder & Paul McCartney 'Ebony And Ivory'.

[QUINNY]

Greg: Blues & Soul says it all really. By '82/3 even more of a purist's magazine. It wasn't compulsive reading for me by then or many other jocks I knew.
Re: Buffalo Girls - I can't say I enjoyed playing that track. It was a huge 'cash in' and I couldn't trust Malcolm Maclaren's motives. It wasn't really Electro or Disco, was it? More at home in South Africa than anywhere, to my ears. I only played it 'cos it was a hit and got requested and dropped it as soon as I could. Maybe I was wrong in dismissing it, but I just couldn't really take it too seriously as a disco track. Pure Pop to me.
Indeep - A giant hit and pop disco as much as Electro. I loved it and played it and played it.
Rockers Revenge - Another giant pop hit. This really tore up the floors and the rule books.
Extra T's - Although I played this a lot it never gained huge status for me. I remember Johnny Chingas from about the same time? and that had more impact. Memory is a little vague.