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)

Dig Deep with Gene Hunt (Trax / Chicago)

On this week's show we are honoured to broadcast an exclusive 1 hour DJ mix by legendary Chicago DJ Gene Hunt.

Gene Hunt is a true pioneer of Chicago house music. Since the early 80's he has been a leader on the scene, moving and educating crowds and music lovers at the likes of the Warehouse, The Music Box, Medusa's and The Playground; and has worked with Farley Jack master Funk, Robert Owens, Larry Heard, Terry Hunter and Kenny Dope to name a few.

Gene started djing in 1986 at the young age of 14, building his reputation as a key DJ in the local scene doing gigs at hotel parties, like Bismarck, La Mirage, Sauers, Da Vinci Manor, AKA and the Riviera. He was also a resident at the the Hyatt Park Athletic Club, where he dj'ed alongside Ron Hardy. Gene gradually became Ron's protégé and as Ron passed on his musical knowledge onto the youngster the pair started recording music together as well.

Gene released his first EP, Living In The Land on Trax in 1987 and went on to release music on other labels such as Djax, Hybrid, Svek, Maad, Dopewax, Moods & Grooves.

Being a key player on the scene resulted in many local producers giving Gene reel-to-reel tapes of their new productions for him to play out in the clubs. Many of these were unreleased and a lot of producers lost their own tracks over the years. Luckily, Gene kept his copies like a librarian and now, 25 years (or more) later, Gene has made these available on his Chicago Dance Tracks LP via Rush Hour.

The LP includes early outputs dating back to 1982-83; including tracks from Mr Fingers, Steve Pointdexter, Farely & Steve Hurley, Ron Hardy's original version of Sensation, Gene's version of Donnie, and a mash up of a Larry Heard track, which was a Music Box / Ron Hardy favorite. These were the tracks that labels such as Trax or DJ International deemed not commercial (i.e. not radio friendly) enough, but were all the more popular in the Chicago clubs.

When djing, Gene fuses soulful vocal house and disco with heavier tracks to take the listener on a journey through dark and light as he twists from breath-taking highs to gut wrenching lows - and this week's mix is no exception...

Dig Deep with Templebys

On this week's show we welcome up and coming Preston based funk band, The Templebys into the studio to play some of their tracks in the run up to playing live at this Saturday's Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club event.

They will come armed with some some rare and exclusive recordings of the band, from both the studio and at their most recent live gig at The Mad Ferrit which was recorded especially for Preston FM.

If you are yet to hear The Templebys, band members Kim Hollin (Vocals), Alec Hollin (Guitar), Chris Mather (Bass), Nick Broadbent (Drums), Dave Farnworth (Keys) have been refining their authentic sound for time, and their tracks sit neatly next to the likes of Alice Russell, Breakestra, Sharon Jones & The Daptones, The Meters, Laura Vane & The Vipertones, Vicki Anderson etc...

Dig Deep with Paul Thornton (Funk & Soul 45 Special) 080312

On this week's show we wade our way through a wedge of funk and soul 45s - old and new.  Expect a 7" special that joins the dots between Nina Simone, Leon Austin (a rare James Brown production), big funk covers, sweet soul sisters and breaks galore.

Paul really has dug deep this week as we gear up for the forthcoming Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club event taking place at 53 Degrees on March 24th featuring The Templebys & The Milk Live plus DJ selections from Craig Charles plus support from the Preston FM funk duo that is Holt & Thornton.  

Robert Glasper remix competition delivers some things of beauty...

Thought I'd just take a moment to share this Robert Glasper remix competition as he is one of my favourite jazz musicians in the world today...  Check out the competition Leaderboard to hear all the entries. The Detroit based Tall Black Guy's remix stands out to me - currently up for free download from Soundcloud...

Dig Deep with John Tree (The Perfumed Garden) 230212

On this week's show we are very pleased to welcome DJ, percussionist and occasional producer John Tree into the studio for a chat and an exclusive mix-down.  Let's face it, anyone that gets their very own bespoke Beat-Herder flower pot is alright by us...

Djing since 1991, John's early sets were very eclectic as his love for music held no bounds and he often clashed styles purposefully.  John has since streamlined his selections, focussing on the places where dance music and world music meet, effortlessly combining Brazilian, Jamaican, African, Tech/Deep House, Bass and Electro Swing.

Resident at Solfest's Lovely Dogs in Space since 2008, and co-founder and resident at Blackpool's Fusion Fridays from 2007-2010, his growing roster of other festivals includes Garden Of Delights, Blackburn Mela, Exodus, Showzam, Arts in the Park, Free Rotation, Bearded Theory, Alchemy; John is possibly best known for organising the Perfumed Garden stage at the mighty Beat-Herder Festival!

Describing the tunes he has lined up for the mini-mix as "mainly latin, cumbia, electro swing, and moombahton" it's safe to say we are expecting somethings fresh and sometimes heavy from John's set that is sure to fit in with our eclectic tastes.

Plus PT's dug deep and come up with a box full of Latinesque tunes, both old and new, aimed at fusing the cracks between Detroit, Panama, Cuba, Italy, London, Germany and Africa.

Dig Deep with Paul Watson (Itch / Wired For Sound) 090212

On this week's show we are very pleased to welcome DJ, producer, club promoter, record boffin, and all round taste maker, Paul Watson.

After doing 6 mini-mixes for the show over the years (going as far back as December 2006 and most recently a Back From Brazil mix in May 2011) we're really pleased to have Paul live in the studio for the first time.