This one’s for you Jeff!

I was arranging some tracks for this mix when I heard the awful news regarding Jeff's sudden passing and felt it only right to pay my respects in the form of both of our passions…music! 

I know Jeff was mostly well known for his hardcore rave sets but I also know he had a soft spot for soul and funk so with that in mind I’ve mixed together a full 6 hours of more chilled out 80’s club classics including one of Jeff's faves from that genre, Chaka Khan - Ain’t Nobody around the 2hr 56 min mark.

I’ve admired probably Plymouth’s longest serving and unbelievably talented DJ for over the last 30 years and Jeff will always hold a special place in my heart. An inspiration on and off the turntables and one of the key people to encourage me to start DJing myself.

Massive thank you to Peachey, Lee J, Roy, Rich Emery and all of the others artists who provided the amazing piece down the side of The Warehouse used in the vid...total respect!

Full track list within the YouTube video - https://youtu.be/I5-p7UisQW0

RIP Apache….Thank you for your music…We miss you! https://www.mixcloud.com/jefferson-vandike/

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YouTube Video

80's Soul & Funk (My Tribute to Jefferson Vandike aka DJ Apache) - 17-03-23

If you're feeling these mixes with full track lists primarily focused on the 90's U.K dance music scene feel free to follow and share!

The idea behind my page is to log and showcase the music that has influenced me over the last 35+ years so that my daughter, Ebony, can listen to ‘olden day’ music and hopefully appreciate how good we had it. 

Having learnt my craft in the late 80’s at the age of 12 and teaching myself how to beat match on 1200’s within a week, I felt I had a knack for this DJ’ing thing way before it became fashionable. I would class myself as quite a versatile DJ able to lend my hand to most genres. Hopefully all those years of bedroom mixing and house parties have paid off…but that’s up to you to decide. 

I attempt to capture a constant energy in my mixes regardless of genre and am always a firm believer that the mix is as important as the track itself. I endeavour to create seamless transitions whilst maintaining the energy. During longer mixes a welcome switch in style is sometimes required. In fact different genres warrant different styles of mixing, in my opinion. And monotonous sets do nothing for me. Up and down, peaks and troughs, it’s all about building the listener up and letting them down gently.

Never one to choose tracks based on their popularity or current chart position, I hand pick the tunes I mix because I think they’ll stand the test of time. The idea being that during any of my sets I can pick a point and know I’ll dig that track or mix. Although digitally digging isn’t as rewarding as finding physical vinyl records for me, it is a whole lot easier. That said there are a lot of below par tunes out there to sift through before finding worthy tracks. Then the set process begins…I just approach it as a musical jigsaw.

Anyway, enough about me. Whether you’re getting ready to go out for the night, cleaning the kitchen or in the car, turn it up, get in the groove and I hope you enjoy the vibes  😎

80's Soul & Funk (My Tribute to Jefferson Vandike aka DJ Apache) - 17-03-23

Craig Scott