Interesting that this is very similar edit to Joey Negro's track

D.C. LaRue ‘Cathedrals’ (greg wilson edit)

119 bpm

Previously limited vinyl only 2007.

Pressed in 2007 as ‘DC La Groove’, just a few months after I'd put it together, this instantly became a big tune for me and was later included on my Essential Mix in 2009 (http://soundcloud.com/gregwilson/essential-mix-greg-wilson-mix-for-bbc-radio-1) and was most recently featured at the camptastic NYC Downlow in Glastonbury last June (http://soundcloud.com/gregwilson/glastonbury-nyc-downlow-17-06/).   

I’d always been captivated by the lyrics of ‘Cathedrals’ (I’ve copied below what I wrote about the original version for my Time Capsule series), and used to play it when it first came out in ’76, but I wanted a version that placed the emphasis on the superb rhythm section. I’d initially planned to retain some of the vocal, but eventually decided an instrumental would work best for my purposes. I set about removing the vocal sections and, having thrown in some samples for good measure, I knew I had an edit that would do the business. 

Here’s what I wrote in November 2006 for the Nov ‘76 edition of Time Capsule:
“D.C. LaRue's 'Cathedrals' is an acknowledged classic of the Disco era. Released on Pyramid in the US, like many dance records of the time it broke via the gay scene in New York and would climb to number 6 on the Billboard Disco chart. Connecticut born LaRue (real name David Charles L'Heureux) had started out in the music business as a graphic designer, the capacity in which he first met the people at Pyramid. 'Cathedrals', underpinned by a wonderful groove, is a unique sounding record, the lyrics of which I always found somewhat haunting, especially the core question 'where are they now?' and the line that gives the track its title 'they could fill cathedrals' - there was certainly something about 'Cathedrals' that was slightly disquieting. Years later, following the devastation of the gay community in New York as a result of the AIDS virus, 'Cathedrals', listened to in hindsight, seemed to take on something of a prophetic tone - it was almost as though the words could have been written post, rather than pre-AIDS. In an interview in Blues & Soul following the tracks UK release (it had topped the B&S singles chart - a rare occurrence for a white artist, particularly one releasing his first UK single), LaRue explained the meaning of the lyrics: "It's a story about urban sexuality in America. It deals with the actual consciousness of promiscuity that exists in discos around America today - you know, the situation where a guy picks up a girl or another guy at a disco and they go home and make love even before they know each other's name". He continued: "It's such an empty, fruitless way of living to my mind and that's basically what Cathedrals deals with - the emptiness and waste of humanity that this situation creates'. These final words would prove forebodingly true in a way he could never have imagined when he said them.”

Full text and Nov ’76 programme here:
http://samurai.fm/timecapsule/greg-wilsons-time-capsule-november-1976

Greg Wilson – October 2011

Check out my label's music at: https://superweirdsubstance.bandcamp.com

D.C. LaRue 'Cathedrals' (greg wilson edit)

Bookings: matt@thepool-london.com 
Promos: promo@gregwilson.co.uk 
DJ Dates: https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/upcoming-dj-dates/
Greg began DJing in 1975 and is regarded as one of the most important figures on the UK dance scene. He enjoyed hugely popular residencies in the early eighties at Wigan Pier and Manchester’s majorly influential Legend, having originally started out in his hometown, New Brighton. A pioneer of mixing in the UK, he became the first ‘dance music’ specialist hired for a regular weekly session at Manchester’s now legendary Haçienda club in 1983. Greg was instrumental in breaking the new electronic, post-disco records coming out of New York, a sound he has dubbed ‘Electro-Funk’.

In 2003 he set up electrofunkroots, a website documenting this crucial era in the evolution of dance culture. After a two decade hiatus from the booth, he returned to DJing and soon welcomed bookings throughout Europe and, subsequently, worldwide.

Greg was the first DJ to mix live on British TV, putting together the first UK radio mixes of their type for Piccadilly 261 in Manchester and showing a certain Norman Cook (later Fatboy Slim) how to scratch.

Nominated by DJ Magazine for outstanding contribution, and also named amongst their top twenty remixers of all-time, Greg’s remix credits include Grace Jones, The XX, Groove Armada, Bryan Ferry, Confidence Man, Gilberto Gil and Simian Mobile Disco, whilst he’s edited tracks by A Guy Called Gerald, Talking Heads, O.M.D., Electronic, Imagination and Missy Elliot.

In January 2009 Greg’s reputation was further enhanced when his Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1 received almost universal acclaim and was selected as one of 10 classics that spanned the show’s near 17 year history.

Greg’s Blog, ‘Being A DJ’, was launched in June 2010 for observations on various aspects of club culture now an online touchstone for an ever-increasing amount of dance enthusiasts and aficionados.

In August 2010 he co-curated areas at the inaugural Vintage Festival at Goodwood, which was named ‘Best New Festival’ at the UK Festival Awards.

He has produced a series of documentary podcasts, Time Capsule, Random Influences and Early 80’s Floorfillers, as well as the long-running blog series, Living To Music.

Greg has given talks on music and DJ culture at a number events at venues The Tate Gallery in Liverpool and London's Southbank and Institute Of Contemporary Arts, whilst in 2013 he was invited onto a panel alongside legendary figures Nile Rodgers and Giorgio Moroder @ ADE in Amsterdam. 

In 2014 he unveiled the multi-media label Super Weird Substance, focusing on recording and live events. In 2015, the label released 8 vinyl singles, brought together in the 2 CD comp, 'Greg Wilson Presents Super Weird Substance'. September 2015 saw a memorable Festival No.6 Happening in Portmeirion and Greg rounded off the year with the Liverpool-based celebration of the 40th anniversary of his first club date in 1975 as well as being presented with DJ Magazine's Industry Icon award.

Greg launched his Credit To The Edit club collective at 2016's Festival No.6 and since then has taken it to Liverpool, Berlin, Brixton, Bethnal Green and finally back to Portmeirion for Festival No.6 2017.

2017 saw his label host the epic 14 Hour Super Weird Happening at Liverpool's Florrie, following a mixtape collaboration with Alan Moore, who also appeared at the Happening, whilst it also saw the digital release of The Super Weird Society's 'Gone With The Vibe', released the following year on the first Substance Select 12" vinyl alongside 'The Ghosts Of Watling Street', 'The Best Is Yet To Come' and 'Summer Came My Way'. 2018 also saw the release of Vol.3 in Greg's long-running Credit To The Edit compilation series.

After a handful of further releases, the label was put into hibernation with the onset of covid. Diversifying, ‘Greg Wilson’s Discotheque Archives’ was issued during 2020 lockdown as a limited run paperback, with more books, both Wilson’s own projects and by other authors, now planned.

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