Before I go any further, a quick apology for the lack of site updates of late. Before a much-needed three-week summer break, I spent four months frantically working on a book, which is due for publication in the autumn. I’ll be making a bit of noise about that closer to release day, so you’ll just have to wait and see what it’s all about.
A couple of weeks before I went away in July, Red Bull Music Academy Daily posted my latest “deep dive” (as they would say) into the world of UK dance music culture. Like many of the others I’ve written for them, this was a labour of love that took a number of months of research (including countless interviews, much cross-referencing and so on).
This one focuses on the UK soul all-dayer scene, a key – but, weirdly, under-reported – breeding ground for DJs and producers who would later make their mark around the “Second Summer of Love” period. Of course, the all-dayer scene was hugely important in its own right, too, providing Britain with its first superstar DJs and dance festivals.
I won’t go into too much detail here, because it’s all explained in the article, but the story is a fascinating one. It begins in the Northern Soul era, pops down South in the company of one of Britain’s most visionary DJs – the eccentric and enigmatic Chris Hill – and then returns to the North and Midlands during the electro and proto-house era. The article features quotes from many of the key players (sourced from my own interviews and those by authors Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton – RBMA Daily has exclusive access to their archives) and hopefully shines the light on a movement that did more than most to sow the seeds of Britain’s underground dance music culture.
Read it here: Britain’s First Dance Music Boom – The Soul All-Dayer Scene 1975-86
Matt Anniss 