Dig Deep On Cowbell Radio #29 with Phil Austin (aka Left For Love)

This month we get underway by introducing an up and coming DJ and pure music head from the North West UK.

A sucker for a good re-edit or rework of classic Soul, Funk, Disco and occasionally House tunes; a decent groove and a pulsing bassline are a must for Phil Austin (aka Left for Love).

His DJ sets are a heady fusion of classic and modern dance tunes with a strong leaning towards the soulful and funky. The emphasis is always on the dance floor with pulsating basslines, killer keys, rasping horns and soaring vocals, all lovingly laid over a foot shuffling back beat.

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #28 with Robert Tomlinson (Jelly Roll Soul)

For the last show of the year I am pleased to welcome Scottish based DJ, Club Promoter and Record Label owner Robert Tomlinson to Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio.

A time served DJ, Robert has been spinning since the 90's and is one third of the Stirling based Jelly Roll Soul club night. The close-knit crew have had the likes of Jay Daniel, Fred P, House Of Traps, Aiden D'Araujo, and Space Dimension Controller up in the headline spot. Plus Kyle Hall and Funkineven made their Scottish debuts there.

Not ones to shrink back from sharing their love of the music, the trio are about to launch their own record label - more on that in the interview below.

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #27 with Colin Tomlinson (Jelly Roll Soul / SSW / Magic Sun)

After kicking off the new Dig Deep Mix Series this week with a lovely House set from Colin Tomlinson, this Saturday we officially welcome the Scottish based DJ to Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio.

Colin is a regular at The Scottish Soulful Weekender, has played at Magic Sun Festival, and is associated with the Jelly Roll Soul club night.

He's dropped an exclusive 1 hour long Disco mix on us that is going to make your heart melt from the very first tune. It's one for the dancers, the lovers of soul music and the heads that dig for the roots of House.


Colin's mix was recorded on one of those great sounding E&S DJR 400 Rotary Mixers that was conceived by Jerôme Barbé & DJ Deep, so the music has plenty of warmth and we get some of those trademark bass drops which gives the set that real US DJ style feel.

With selections covering both the rarities and the classics, his influences clearly come from the modern day underground disco pioneers that continue to introduce the world to Disco's rich history.

Q&A with Colin Tomlinson:

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #26 with Love Drop (Disco Deviance)

This month we continue the series on Cowbell Radio with another very special guest, as we welcome Brighton based Producer Love Drop to the Dig Deep Family.

Fresh from releasing his debut 12" on the mighty Disco Deviance label, his takes on Lenny Williams and Maynard Ferguson landed high in all the right charts and are all but sold out in the shops. DJ support has come from Laurent Garnier, Crazy P, Chris Duckenfield, Pete Herbert, Tensnake, Hot Toddy, Neil Diablo, Dicky Trisco and Jacques Renault to name a few; and he is already being compared to the likes of Rahaan and Frank Booker by the disco dons at Piccadilly Records.

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #25 with Paul Thornton (Itch / Dig Deep)

This month we continue to bring you all that's good in the world of music. No special guest this time around, so you can expect 3 hours of hand selected gems covering old school jazz to new school techno and everything in between...

We start out with the newer disco and house stuff before digging deep in the funk & soul crates and rounding things off with a section of chilled beauties.



Tracklist:

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #24 with Mike Yates (Dead Horse Gang)

We continue the series on Cowbell Radio with 3 hours of hand picked music and another special guest selector in the mix... This month we welcome Mike Yates from the Dead Horse Gang to the Dig Deep family.

The Dead Horse Gang is a 7 man crew that includes 78 Edits, Sam Pemberton, Tim Hamblin, Old Boy, Mike Boorman and Tim Forester. Recent guests at their night in Carlisle include Marcel Vogel, Ruf Dug and Harri n Domenic.

Expect House Disco Brazilian Boogie Edits and probably some other bits in between. It's fair to say that Mike has that Loft vibe spot on and his mix is as smooth as it is sweet. Don't miss this chance to check out Mike Yates in the mix. Catch it first exclusively on Cowbell Radio...

Here's a little pre-show Q&A if you don't already know about Mike Yates's background:

How long have been buying vinyl?
For the best part of 20 years.

Are you a selector or a collector?
I'd say I'm more of a selector although there's a few labels that I don't like to miss stuff on.

When did you get into DJing and why?
There was a monthly party that used to go down in Carlisle called Perfect. It was just a dark basement with a big system, smoke machine and strobe light. A lot of the Cream residents like Paul bleasdale and Les Ryder used to play there a lot and Tom Wainwright and Graeme Park were also on regularly. I'd always thought myself as a bit of a DJ at secondary school as my mate Piehead had a set of 22s and a 'made to fade' mixer set up in his bedroom. We used to buy old Italian house and happy hardcore. We were proper shit!

So when I heard the music that was being played at perfect I wanted another bite of the cherry and as soon as I could afford a set of 1210s I got some. I got friendly with Patrick Irwin who was a resident at Perfect and he owned Rhythm Express records in Carlisle, which is sadly missed and ironically a nightclub is in its place. He used to hook me up with amazing tunes. He knew his shit man. He still does!

I built up a decent collection of tunes and after almost every Perfect I'd go back to my parents house in a taxi , load my set up into it and take it round to which ever after party was going!
Perfect then sadly finished in 2000 and nothing was really happening in Carlisle. Then Matt Tyson who now runs the popular and successful Uber nights in Carlisle started putting little party's on and I gave him a mixtape I'd made and he liked it and he asked me to play for him. Think he had Seb Fontaine on. I was shitting it but it must of went well cos I've played at some brilliant party's he's promoted with the likes of Derrick Carter, The Revenge, Norman Jay MBE, Groove Armada and Crazy P to name a few.

Who and what are your influences?
Larry levan, Dave Mancuso, MCDE, Soulwax, Michael Jackson, Todd Terje, Optimo Espacio, 6th Borough Project, Joey Negro, MAW, The Revenge, Kenny Hawkes, Peace Division, I could go on...

How would you describe your style?
I like to play all kinds of stuff from Soul to techno. Id like to think my sets were energetic and fun. If it's a good record I'll play it. Anything with a groove.

Where can people hear you playing?
You can hear me play monthly at Open Mind Music and Arts bar and we've got some tasty party's lined up forSeptember and October. I'm also playing Solfest in August alongside Doug Chippendale aka Old Boy.

Tell me about Dead Horse Gang?
Dead horse Gang was born a couple of years ago when Doug and I decided that cos there wasn't really anywhere in Carlisle where we could go and have a boogie to the tunes we love that we needed to fill that gap. We'd both put partys on to varying degrees of success so we knew the club owners etc and both knew some like minded DJs who we'd met at various festivals and club nights over the years. So we hired The Brickyard and some Funktion 1 speakers and a Rane rotary mixer and put a party on and it worked, and we're still doing them now nearly 3 years on...

What have you got coming up next and later in the year?
Next up is Solfest in August where we're playing 12 till 3 in Loungevity. Looking forward to that one. Then we've got some special guests in September and December before rounding off the year on Boxing night in Open Mind with a very special guest. Watch this space!

Where can people check you out online?
soundcloud.com/mike-yates

Tracklist:

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #23 with Boogie Nite (Lumberjacks In Hell / Glenview)

This month we welcome back Chicago based DJ and long standing Dig Deep Family member Boogie Nite to the show.

Needing little introduction these days, Boogie Nite honed his skills playing on the Windy City's underground party scene alongside a hot bed of iconic DJs, and is a member of the Chicago based Chuck Brothers; a collective of DJ's and Producers which includes DJ Rahaan, Cee White, Bruce Ivery & Afrodesia to name a few.

As a producer, he has released tracks under the name Urban Legendz, and for the last few years has been dropping gem after gem on the prolific Lumberjacks In Hell and Glenview record labels.

His disco-groove come 'house' based Shine EP on Glenview set the scene back in January 2013, and shared a double A-Side with Jamie 3:26 made up Lumberjack In Hell's 7th release in the April.

A couple of releases per year later and Boogie Nite has quietly built up a quality back catalogue which includes Make Me Hot, that came with remixes by Glenn Underground and Rahaan, and a track on 2014 best selling release - The Chicago Service EP.

The Chi EP is due to be released soon on Glenview. Check 'Better Than Yours' for a jump up soulful disco belter...
But as always, his skills behind the decks are the reason we have lined Boogie Nite up for his 3rd mix for the show.

Don't miss this chance to check out Boogie Nite in the mix. Catch it first exclusively on Cowbell Radio.

As usual PT will have a raft of deep cuts covering the usual unusual selections...

Tracklist:

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #22 with Old Boy (Dead Horse Gang)

This month we welcome Old Boy aka Doug Chippendale to the Dig Deep Family. One of the North West's up and coming DJ and promoters, his Dead Horse Gang have consistently set the benchmarch for great guests at their events which cover all that's good in the world of music.  At the end of March they welcome chief lumberjack Marcel Vogel and fellow face Ruf Dug to the city.



As we got under starters orders we did a little Q&A type thing to get to know the party loving jockey...

How long have been buying vinyl?
I've been buying records on and off for 15 years.

Are you a selector or a collector?
I guess you could call me a selector who collects random stuff that makes me happy.

When did you get into DJing and why?
I bought my first set of turntables at the tender age of 15. My older sister saved me from happy hardcore and after listening to am old mike c an graham park mix tape I was hooked on house music and have never looked back.

Where do your influences come from?
Along the way I've been influenced by the likes of Yousef, Todd Terry, Lil Louis, MAW, Theo Parrish, Underground Resistance, DJ Sneak, Derrick Carter you get the jist!

Where will people have heard you playing?
Over the past few years I've held a residency at Uber and have played festival's such as Wickerman, Beat-Herder and Solfest. As well as playing up and down the country, Leeds, Cornwall, Newcastle...

What have been the highlights of the last 15 years?
I'd say a few personal highlights have been warming up for Greg Wilson, Crazy P, Krysko, The Unabombers, and playing the same bills as Groove Armada, Sasha, Derrick Carter, Sneak and Yousef.

How would you describe your style?
I just like playing good honest music. If it makes me jump around or get emotional when I first hear it I want others to experience what I've just felt from that certain track. I never plan sets, I just go with the flow.

Tell us about Dead Horse Gang?
I put together the Dead Horse Gang cause we've ran nights up here in Carlisle to different degrees of success. Over the years, at other nights I have been involved with, we've had the likes of Andy Votel, Gas Lamp Killer, DJ Format and the Unabombers to name a few. I always wanted to bring a sound to the city that I feel needed to be heard. However it's a struggle trying to educate people away from what's popular. So I hung up my promoting hat a few years ago but just couldn't give in. So Dead Horse was born. Hence like flogging a dead horse. The gang is made up of 78 Edits, Sam Pemberton, Tim Hamblin, Mike Yates, Mike Boorman and Tim Forester, and recent guests include Harri n Domenic. We're steadily getting a trot on and people seem to dig what we do at last.  On March 28th we have Marcel Vogel and Ruf Dug doing a 4 hour back to back set!

What have you got coming up next and later in the year?
You can catch myself and various members of the gang playing up an down the country this year. We've got Beat-Herder and Solfest coming up.

Where can people check you out online?
All details of gigs will be on the Dead Horse Gang facebook group: -
facebook.com/thedeadhorsegang
soundcloud.com/d-c
soundcloud.com/western-groove

Don't miss this chance to check out Old Boy in the mix. Catch it first exclusively on Cowbell Radio...

Tracklist:

Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio #21 with Voc Walters (Chicago)

This month's special guest for Dig Deep on Cowbell Radio is Chicago based DJ and all round nice guy Voc Walters.  It's the 4th mix Voc has done for the show over the last couple of years and his trademark style is both clear and present.

Although he is well versed in the sound of the Windy City, Voc never rests on it's laurels and instead chooses to pick his way through the fresh sounds coming out of Europe at the same time as giving a nod to his roots.

Voc first started spinning records at the age of 12. Growing up on the south side of Chicago provided him with many influences such as the Hot Mix 5, Pharris Thomas, Ron Hardy, Frankie Knuckles, Lil Louis & Steve Hurley.

Early gigs in the 80's included The Ascot Hotel, The Hyde Park Racketball Club and a guest appearance on WKKC Chicago alongside the likes of Mr. Gene Hunt, Tyree Cooper and Lloyd Dev just to name a few...

After taking a break from DJing, Voc returned to the scene in 2007 and hasn't looked back. Voc has made recent appearances at Artis's Lounge in Chicago, one with Gene Hunt, and at the Output Lounge with Dave Britton and Czr. He has also done The Uptown Lounge and Leo's Den, as well as being an occasional guest DJ on Chicago's Soul 106.3 FM along side of Mike Dunn, Dj Lil John and Sundance as well as WKKC 89.3 F.M. Chicago.

Voc is as a resident Dj on chicagohouseradio.com where he is the creator of the 'Operation Underground' mix show. Voc continues to bring you Classic/Disco while focusing on introducing you to the new underground style of house with hints of a unique type of music that peaks your interest. Voc's goal is to give you a complete house experience with every mix and to leave you wanting more.

Recent influences include Larry Heard, Gene Hunt, Lloyd Dev, Julius The Mad Thinker, Jamie 326, Osunlade & Dj Emanuel.

Every mix from Voc so far has included a sneaky edit or version of a killer track and this one is no exception. The mix comes in 2 parts - Part 1 is for the disco heads and is full of the current sound of Dig Deep, whilst Part 2 takes us back to the 1980s with some big hitters that no doubt influenced 'House' in it's early days.

Tracklist: