Dig Deep with DJ Izrail (Chicago) #3 131212

On this week's show we are once again honoured to take a trip to the windy city as stella record selector/DJ mix co-ordinator extraordinaire Izrail Dizko takes to the decks for an hour long Mini-Mix.

Crafting his turntable skills since 1985, at the age of 15 DJ Izrail was opening parties for Dave D'Master Merritt & Vinny Divine in various Chicago based clubs.  Part of the house scene ever since, Izrail was DJing with Roy Davis jr & Paul Johnson as recently as October 2012.  Check the previous shows last December and May for a a more in depth background.

As head of The Chicago Dig Deep Family over the last year, Izrail has made it possible for us to broadcast exclusive mixes from the likes of Boo Williams, Gene Hunt, Boogie Nite the 7inch 45 King, Hot Mix Holmes, Neal Howard, K'Alexi Shelby, Terry Hunter, Dave Merritt.

An impeccable DJ in his own right, DJ Izrail's sets smoothly blend proper disco, early house, boogie, funk and acid whilst never dropping a beat. "We call it carrying on Chicago Tradition" laughs the humble man...

DJ Izrail's 2nd show on Soundcloud is currently top of the Dig Deep listen back chart whilst going head to head with the show featuring Boo Williams, so it's fair to say this guy can hold his own when it comes to putting the needle to the record.

Trainspotters, tapers house veterans and disco divas be ready, this is one of the finest sets we've played all year!

Do not miss this Dizko journey as we celebrate Izrail's one year anniversary with the Dig Deep Radio Show...  Plus expect the usual unusual selections from PT in the first hour.

Playlist:

Dig Deep with Templebys & Funky Onion DJs

On this week's show we welcome a whole host of guests from the Preston funk soul jazz scene...

Neil from Valley-Events Management is dropping in to give us the full lowdown for the forthcoming Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club event in December. Check the flyer at the bottom of this post.

Phil Carr, newest member of the North West's most up and coming funk outfit Templebys, will be putting down his drum sticks to giving us a taster of the bands debut CD, as well as telling us about some of his highlights from this year's festival circuit.

True veteran of the Preston scene Gordon Worden (Funky Onion) is joined by the vinyl mastermind Boney Votel for the Mini-Mix at 9pm.  The pair take to the decks with a wedge of 45s and sought after slabs of wax, giving us a flavour of their forthcoming new club night.

Dig Deep with K'Alexi Shelby (K Klassik / Transmat / DJ International) 151112

On this week’s show we are truly honored to bring you legendary Chicago house and techno producer / DJ K Alexi Shelby, better known as K'Alexi aka El Chocalata, in the mix for 1 hour.

One of The founding fathers of house music since the late 80’s, K Alexi is a time served pioneer of the true house sound with a DJ and a phenomenal production career spanning over 20 years.

At the age of 12 Mr.K' Alexi Shelby developed friendships with Frankie Knuckles and Ron Hardy whilst attending seminal venues like The Warehouse and The Music Box in the mid 1980s. It’s here that he took inspiration from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Prince, Curtis Mayfield and David Huff. Influences that continue in his music to this day.

K’s early tracks helped lay down what is now the trademark Chicago house sound; a solid kick drum, rumbling dark bass, smooth strings, incredible percussion and poetic spoken word.

In 1987 he released Essence Of A Dream under the guise of Risque III, a track that firmly established the name of Mr.K' Alexi Shelby amongst the most prominent of all house producers at the time and still sounds fresh today.

The B Side features Risqué Madness which was inspired by Kikrokos - Life Is A Jungle on Polydor Records from the ‘Jungle DJ And Dirty Kate’ LP released in 1978; a track that Ron Hardy re-edited on his reel to reel.

In 1988 K'Alexi released More Than Just A Dance under the alias of Risqué Rhythm Team. It's the Backyard mix that passes the Dig Deep test, a deep solid string laden house cut with a great bassline that's in the same field as Larry Heard.

1989 saw the release of the jaw dropping acid killer All For Lee-Sah which came out on Transmat under the name K. Alexi Shelby.  Definitely one of the standout tracks for me, and a recent sharing led up and coming UK based producer and DJ Cottam to say "that's right up my strasse, kinda stuff I'm buying and playing now".

Dig Deep with Paul Watson (Itch / Wired For Sound) 311012

Fresh from releasing his 2nd vinyl offering, this week we welcome DJ, producer, club promoter and all round taste maker, Paul Watson back into the studio for a catch up on all things music related before he does the mini-mix at 9pm.

Paul's latest release, Watson - To Rack & Ruin Volume 3 on El Diablo Social Club's label, has been getting plays from the likes of Eric Duncan, Chris Duckenfield, PBR Streetgang, Neil Diablo, Crazy P and Cottam, has gained Record of the week at Piccadilly Records and is currently out of stock at Juno Records.

A vinyl only release limited to 300 copies - the A Side features 'Get It On' which is a superb edit of the massive Millie Jackson track which was sampled on Carl Craig's remix of Tom Trago’s - 'Use Me Again' track.  The B Side holds 'Thoughts Of Yesterday', a slo-mo groover that grows on me with each play and is dowsed in the soulful boogie vibes the man has been dropping in his DJ sets for time.

Get It On follows Watson's now sold out debut 12" Ease Along - a brilliantly arranged Cliff Richard picture disc where the world first saw his production talents shine.

As well as being a key player in one of Preston's longest standing club nights, itch, Watson has teamed up with fellow producer Cottam to bring us the 2nd Wired for Sound club night to celebrate the release of Cottam’s 2nd 12” on the Aus music label and Watson’s To Rack & Ruin release.

This week'a show will feature Watson's 8th mini-mix for the show following his last appearance back in February.  Get on it!

Playlist:

Dig Deep with Dave D'Master Merritt (No Name) #2 181012

With this month's guest mix, the Dig Deep Chicago Family take a little break from dropping recent house cuts and sure fire disco killers that worked the scene back in the day to bring us a straight up mix of 80's classic House bombs from legendary producer and DJ Dave D'Master Merritt.

Dave has been producing tracks since the late 80s, and his group 'No Name' was at the forefront of house from the off.  If you are not already in the know, a quick gander at the write up for the show back in July 2012 featuring Dave's first mix will give you a crash course in the gems he has worked on to date.

I am particularly honored this time around as Dave has put together this mix exclusively for the Dig Deep Radio Show in the UK.  It's fair to say Dave's 2nd mix for the show isn't one of those tired and tested 'back to the old school' type things, this is a celebration of the early sounds of House that changed the world forever...

Dave has dedicated the mix to the Letsgoback Wayback club night up in Glasgow, and to all the fans that love classic early House Music.

On 13th October Dave Merritt is DJing at The biggest house music concert and dance party Chicago has ever seen - History Of House Music.  The line up features 25 top notch DJs and live acts including Frankie Knuckles, Kenny Jamin Jason, CZR, Fast Eddie, Keith Nunnally aka JM Silk, Mike Dunn and Terry Hunter to name just a few - check the flyer at the top of this post for the full line up.

Trainspotters, tapers, house veterans and disco divas be ready, this show will not be repeated!

Dig Deep with Terry Hunter (T's Box Records) Re-run 041012

Due to popular demand, on this week’s show we are re-running last month's Dig Deep with soulful house legend Terry Hunter!  This is the first time in 6 years that we have repeated a guest mix on another show!!

King of the rotary mixer, Terry's awesome one hour mix is one of the tightest and uplifting DJ sets I've played over the last year or so and it's brimming with the classic soulful house, garage and disco vibes that he is world famous for producing and playing...  As usual the mix is being broadcast exclusively on the Dig Deep Radio Show in the UK.

One of The original windy city House head honchos, Terry has been at the forefront of house music for the past 25 years and has travelled the globe sharing his passion for soulful house music while continuing to produce dance-floor packing hits for his Ts Box record label.

Born in August 1970 on the Southside of Chicago, Terry was introduced to music at a young age - "I really didn't know I could make a living at becoming a DJ at first.  I just thought it would be an expensive hobby because at the time I was a vinyl junkie which was an expensive habit.  My love became so strong for DJing that I spent entire summers in my bedroom & local records stores just hanging around & not playing with my friends.  That’s when a few years later, I knew in my heart this is what I was born to do.”

Dig Deep with Terry Hunter (T's Box Records) 200912

On this week’s show we are truly honoured to Dig Deep with soulful house legend Terry Hunter!.

King of the rotary mixer, Terry's awesome one hour mix is one of the tightest and uplifting DJ sets I've played over the last year or so and it's brimming with the classic soulful house, garage and disco vibes that he is world famous for producing and playing...  As usual the mix is being broadcast exclusively on the Dig Deep Radio Show in the UK.

One of The original windy city House head honchos, Terry has been at the forefront of house music for the past 25 years and has travelled the globe sharing his passion for soulful house music while continuing to produce dance-floor packing hits for his Ts Box record label.

Born in August 1970 on the Southside of Chicago, Terry was introduced to music at a young age - "I really didn't know I could make a living at becoming a DJ at first.  I just thought it would be an expensive hobby because at the time I was a vinyl junkie which was an expensive habit.  My love became so strong for DJing that I spent entire summers in my bedroom & local records stores just hanging around & not playing with my friends.  That’s when a few years later, I knew in my heart this is what I was born to do.”

Dig Deep with Al 'Hot Mix' Holmes 060912

Inspired by last weekend's Vintage Festival as part of Preston Guild, this week PT Digs Deep in the record boxes from 1972 and 1982 before hitting you with a killer electro / electro-funk mix from Chicago based DJ Al 'Hot Mix' Holmes...

Preston Guild only comes around every 20 years so it has been brilliant to see all the people in the city getting down to the various parks to celebrate and listen to some great music whilst checking out vintage art & design, crafts, films, food and drink . Big up to selectors Wayne Hemingway, Colin Curtis, Neil Rushton, Kev Roberts, Ian Dewhirst and Greg Wilson.

Chicago resident Al 'Hot Mix' Holmes has been playing records in the city since 1982. Graduating from Medal High (the school that produced many people that had a big impact on the Chicago house scene including Robert Owens, E-Smoove & Braxton Holmes) Al's influences include Farley 'Jack Master' Funk, Steve 'Silk' Hurley and Frankie Knuckles.

Dowsed with the sound of the early 80's, Al's mix is packed full of electro classics that have inspired a generation and have been a massive influence on dance music's history over the last 20 years. Don't miss this opportunity to hear a Chi-Town stalwart dropping gem after gem of tracks that perfectly captures The sound of the electro movement.

Tracklist:

Dig Deep with Boo Williams (SJU Muzic / Strictly Jaz Unit) 230812

On this his week's show we are truly honoured to bring you Boo Williams in the mix, exclusively on the Dig Deep Radio Show in the UK.

As a producer Boo is up there with the original leaders on the Chicago scene. He's time served and has been part of the city's house music entourage since 1981.

A quick look at his profile on Discogs gives a feel for this guys prolific output - Boo has been dropping Chi-Town bombs since 1994 on record labels such as Relief, DJ-Upbeats, Moods and Grooves and Guidance to name just a few. With a raft of aliases and connections such as SJU Muzik / Strictly Jaz Unit, Boo is still very much an active producer and has recently put out records on the excellent Rush Hour label.

As well as being a fine producer, Boo is a formidable DJ and his sets are as tight as they are hot. From the first track in the mix it's clear Boo uses the lyrics in the music to talk to the listener from behind the decks whilst blowing their socks off with awesome grooves.

Dig Deep with the Boogizm crew #3 090812

This week we welcome two of our favourite guests, the Boogizm boys, back into the studio for a chat, a laugh and no doubt some fine fine music...

Over the last year or so Tom Ireland and Tom 'Boogizm' Greaves along with their Boogizm Soundsystem have left an indelible mark on the North West club scene, as their reputation for throwing great parties with friendly vibes and brilliant music grows with every event.

Dig Deep with Dave D'Master Merritt (Chicago) 260712

On this week's show we are honoured to broadcast an exclusive 1 hour DJ mix by legendary Chicago based producer & DJ Dave D'Master Merritt.

Producing tracks since the late 80s, Dave's group 'No Name' was at the forefront of house from the off. No Name's biggest hit, Jason's Revenge on House Nation Records, came out in 1986. 1987 saw the release of No Name's Hypnotic House.

In 1988 Dave produced Love Traxs by Shawn Shegog featuring Barbara Shegog.  A serious piece of music from house's rich history, and a track that still sounds fierce some 24 years later!  It's hard to imagine how fresh this sounded back in the day. The original vinyl shifts for a fair few $$$ these days.  In 1988 Dave also wrote the bassline for Mark Imperial's The Love I Lost.  An awe inspiring classic vocal house cut with a low end to die for.

In 1989 Living In The Dark Side was released featuring Shawn Shegog - another dirty acid house track that has Warehouse vibes written all over it.

Dave is also a veteran house DJ, playing alongside Vinny Divine in the early days, and had a large influence on the younger DJs in the windy city, opening the doors into clubland for the likes of DJ Izrail.

As well as helping to change the face of dance music forever, Dave is still active on the DJ scene and regularly broadcasts mixes on chicagohouseradio.com alongside K. Alexi Shelby, Voc Walters, Boo Williams, Terry Hunter and head honcho Lloyd Dev.

To say this man is connected is an understatement. Salute!!

PT took a big box of disco, boogie and house in the studio. Here's what came out...

Dig Deep with Veilo (Tectonic) 120712

This week we're on a bit of a techno tip as we welcome Chris McNally aka Veilo into the studio.  He comes armed with a wedge of self produced tracks, and we will be having a chat to the man about his work, his inspirations and the upcoming Loopfest event.

Here's a little intro... Chris is a bit ambitious when it comes to music.  It all started at an open night at high school where he saw a person playing the drums.  Inspired, Chris took upon myself to learn and practised all the time.  As he got older he started getting into dance music.  He started mcing to Maximes (one of the legendary Wigan rave clubs) style music.

As did many an old school raver, Chris eventually grew out of it and moved on.  He met a man called Dan Moorcroft who introduced him to techno.  Chris started making his own techno tracks with a computer programme, under the guise of Veilo, and again practised and listened all the time.  And even now Chris never stops thinking about how to better his musical inspirations...

A fond lover of his beats, bleeps and basslines - the sound of Veilo sits somewhere between the darker shades of techno, dubstep and electro where minimal 4/4 soundscapes meet head noddin electronica.

Dig Deep - Gettin Ready For't Beat-Herder with Mr Scruff 280612

So the 2012 beat-herder festival is almost upon us and it's nearly time for 3 more days of beats and barminess in the heart of Lancashire.

That means it's time for our annual 'Gettin Ready For't Beat-Herder' Dig Deep show and in the mini-mix this Thursday we have a full hour of Mr Scruff recorded live in the Toil Trees at the Beat-Herder Festival in 2011.

Following the shows earlier in the year here and here, this week's mix is taken from around the 2nd to last hour of his fantastic 5 hour set.

Beat-Herder Festival 2012

The Beat-Herder Festival

29th June - 1st July 2012

It's almost time for 3 more days of beats and barminess in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire!!

As always the line up is a fine mixture of headline acts and local talent.  Here are just a few of the highlights that PT is looking forward too...

• Pilooski (Saturday night - Trailer Trash)
• Sean P (Saturday night - Trailer Trash)
• Trailer Trash Lounge (All weekend - don't miss Martin Deane, James Deane, Annie, Fraser, Peach, Linsey, Underground Roots ft Danman & Bongo Chilli & City Culture, Red J, Karl Roscoe, Chris Holt & Paul Thornton plus plenty more wonderful guests.)
• Mr Scruff & MC Kwasi (Sunday afternoon - Toil Trees)
• Best Joined Up - NY Subway Train (All weekend with Family & Fiends including Bodie, Fraser, Kenny, Vinyl Miners, Lil Miz, DJ Woody, Peach, Linz, Red J, Chris Holt and Paul Thornton.)
• DJ Woody (Friday night - Toil Trees)
• Mr Breen & Jude (Stumblefunk Soundsystem)
• Lee Scratch Perry (Sunday - The Beat-Herder Stage)
• John Tree (Saturday - Perfumed Garden)
• Sarah Brown (Perfumed Garden)
• Hotel California (Various)

For specific set times make sure you grab a guide on the Friday.

Dig Deep / Four Corners action...

• Paul Thornton & Chris Holt back to back in Trailer Trash - Sunday 8:45 - 10:45pm
• Paul Thornton in Best Joined Up - Saturday 9:00 - 10:30pm
• Chris Holt in Best Joined Up - Saturday midnight - ?

facebook.com/BeatHerder | www.beatherder.co.uk | Trailer Trash | Best Joined Up

PaulThornton · Paul Thornton - Live at The Beat-Herder Festival 2011 - Saturday Afternoon

Dig Deep with Martin Deane (Trailer Trash) Chicago House Radio special #1

Dig Deep is truly honoured to be making our Chicago House Radio debut today with special guest DJ Martin Deane (Trailer Trash) in the mix.

It's an exclusive 2 hour Dig Deep Radio Show recorded especially for the wonderful people at CHR.

Dig Deep with the Trailer Trash crew 140612

On this weeks show we welcome one of the 40+ strong Trailer Trash crew into the studio for our annual chat about the upcoming Beat-Herder Festival.

The crew are currently finishing off the last bits and pieces for the return of Trailer Trash Lounge at the Beat-Herder Festival at the end of the month; and in true Herder tradition this year promises to be the best yet...

We have Trailer Trash resident DJ Martin Deane in the studio to give us his top tips for the festival.  Plus this week's Mini-Mix comes from resident DJ Kim, live in the Trailer Trash Lounge, on the Saturday night at last year's Beat-Herder.

Dig Deep with DJ Izrail (Chicago) #2 310512

On this weeks show DJ Izrail, head of the Chicago Dig Deep family, returns with an exclusive 1 hour long DJ mix to celebrate his birthday week (happy birthday for Tuesday 29th May!)

DJ Izrail has been a student and a follower of the legendary Lil Louis since 1987. Before that, in 1985, he started doing pause mixes on cassette tapes trying to mimic Farley Jackmaster Funk from the original Hot Mix Five on WBMX. That year Izail’s parents bought him his first pair of turntables.

At age 15 he was opening parties for Dave Merritt & Vinny Divine at various club house parties. These gigs opened the door for DJ Izrail to spin at many of the house music parties at Main Street roller rink...

Around the same time DJ Izrail started mixing on WDGC FM (a high school radio station). Since then Izrail has played on numerous FM Radio stations and at numerous night clubs in the city of Chicago. In 1998 he started featuring his mixes on deephousepage.com.

In 2000 DJ Izrail started djing outside of Chicago. One of the livest spots he has played at is the Queen Night Club in Paris ‘Respect Is Burning’. He has also done a mix for Nova Radio in France, played at Belgium’s ‘Fame sucks’, and did a live mix for the city’s Studio Brussel.

We broadcast DJ Izrail's first exclusive mini-mix back in December 2011.

Dig Deep with Neal Howard (Chicago) 170512

This week's show features another exclusive mix from the Dig Deep Chicago family - it's house & techno pioneer, DJ and producer Neal Howard (Future Sound Records / Network)!

In 1988 Neal released To Be Or Not To Be on Future Sound records.  The 12" included productions from Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson as well as Neal's own output.

Dig Deep with Fraser (Trailer Trash) 030512

On this week's show we welcome back semi-regular guest and all round dusty crate digging supremo Fraser aka Fraser Funk.

Lovingly described by the Trailer Trash crew as their secret weapon, Fraser is also a resident at Country Club, one of the Vinyl Miners, and a musician in his own right.  As well as having djed at Leeds clubs The Wardrobe and Sela bar, and recently working with the Best Joined Up Crew, Fraser has played every year at the mighty Beat-Herder Festival.

An oracle on world music, Fraser has been collecting funk, soul, jazz, afro, latin and library music for two and a half decades, amassing an amazing musical knowledge over the years, and comes with a pedigree that can only be rivalled by the likes of good friend Sean P...

Dig Deep with Paul Thornton (Itch / Dig Deep) 190412

On this week's show Dig Deep presenter and itch DJ Paul Thornton takes control for the full two hours.  Expect house, disco, boogie, techno, funk and soul classics with a few more obscure cuts...

Tracklist:
Karma - High Priestess (Jazzanova remix) (Compost)
Kaidi Taitham & Dego - Got Me Puzzled (2020 Black)
Ron Trent - Morning Factory (Prescription)
Minos Pour Main Basse (Sur La Ville) - Tout Doit Disparaitre (Everything Must Go) (Different Recordings)
Slow Hands - An Edit To Remember (Wolf & Lamb)
Equisite Taste - Its You That's Happening (Starlight)
Legs & Co - I Like What Youre Doing To Me (Disco Deviance)
Roy Ayers feat Sylvia Striplin - Searchin (OE Edit) (Onur Engin Edits)
High Speed Connection - Does It Feel Good (Pete Herbert Edit) (Disco Deviance)
The Kings Arms - No Good For You (Wolf & Lamb)
Deadly Sins - Catch A Dub (Giant Cuts)