Description:
DJ, journalist, and author, along with long-term buddy Frank Broughton, of the “definitive history of DJing”, Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, Bill Brewster doesn't like “divisions” or “ghettos” in music. So much so that he penned a piece for Jockey Slut entitled “What Does Urban Mean Again?” In which he berated “the way that companies and companies and corporations market colour-coded music.”
Which means?
He’s the perfect choice to curate this compilation, the inaugural on the relaunched Strut label. Not least because he rates John Peel as his favourite DJ of all-time. And you don’t get more eclectic than Peely.
Is it much cop?
To quote the immortal Paul Calf, “Do I smell bacon?” As he was approaching a policeman pal at the time, his question was rhetorical. As is mine.
How many good tracks?
Most, if not all. The Shriekback offering, 'My Spine is The Bassline' is a revelation. They sound more like a Teutonic Heaven 17 covers band than I care to remember – in a good way.
And the worst?
It’s a borderline decision, but Quando Quango's 'Love Tempo' comes on like one of the musical numbers off The Mighty Boosh. Which, to be fair to them, stands as a testament to Barratt and Fielding’s musical ability. Rather than an attack on their own calibre.
Biggest disappointment?
That I don't own as many records as Brewster. His vinyl collection runs into the tens of thousands. Which has resulted in a whole room in his home housing them.
Verdict:
In DJ Heaven, the legendary Larry Levan, formerly employed by New York's cult Paradise Garage, is grinning from ear to ear as he marvels at Brewster's impressive girth of selection. Likewise smiling, of course, is John Peel, perhaps letting out a wry chuckle of his as well. Alan “Fluff” Freeman, meanwhile, is covering his ears.
(4/5)