WAHCD024

Out 23/09/13

Hackney Colliery Band need very little introduction. Since the release of their eponymous debut in 2011, this brass juggernaut have blown their way into the public consciousness, as well as some of the more discerning dance floors, with their cunning cover versions (in particular Africa and No Diggity) and catchy original recordings. 

Over the past two years the band have earned themselves an army of loyal fans, including a number of big names, and have played at some very special events indeed. From live collaborations with the late Amy Winehouse and more recently Eliza Doolittle, to headlining the Manchester Jazz and Durham Brass Festivals, and in 2012 being the only fully live band to play at the Closing Ceremony of the London Olympics, they haven’t paused for breath. 

Add to that an ongoing partnership with the Roundhouse, a recent Balkan tour where they played to capacity crowds in Slovenia, Kosovo and Montenegro and relentless touring in the UK and Europe, and it becomes obvious why the critics have described them as 'an inspired musical collision' (The Times), 'one of our favourite performers on the London scene today' (The Upcoming) and 'the most enjoyable, fun live music I know of’ (The Observer).

With a tongue-in-cheek, yet respectful, nod to the great tradition of British brass bands, Hackney Colliery's influences are as diverse as the London borough that gave them their name. Mixing rock, afro-beat, hip hop, Balkan beats, contemporary jazz and soul, the new album Common Decency is a uniquely British take on the modern brass band sound. The opener, A Bit Of Common Decency, builds from a delicately brooding intro to an almost punky rock groove, and with its imploring whispers and shouts for 'a bit of common decency' sets the tone of the album: by turns polite and forceful, mellow and fiery, energetic and, well, even more energetic. By the closing track, Prodigy Medley (a favourite of club and radio DJs all over the world), the listener can be left with little doubt that HCB’s time has come.

Engineered by the appropriately-named Tristan Hackney (Katy B, Bjork, U2) and mixed by Luke Buttery (Mark Ronson, Alice Russell, Noel Gallagher) at Ray Davies' Konk studios in North London, Common Decency was recorded almost entirely 'as live' with the band all playing in the same room at the same time; a rare and high-risk method indeed, but the only one that could hope to capture the energy and passion of one of HCB's live shows. 

Fortunately, with musicians whose credits include the likes of Bonobo, Cinematic Orchestra and even the Royal Opera House, there was no danger of this compromising the quality or detail of the performances. Add a little extra honk from Melt Yourself Down and Acoustic Ladyland head honcho Pete Wareham on the track Superhero Disco and there is no shortage of virtuoso playing. Which is lucky, because HCB aren't a simple 'brass n beats' groove band. Writers Olly Blackman, Luke Christie and Steve Pretty have between them penned unquestionably the outfit's strongest material to date ¬– powerful original compositions that sit alongside unexpected drum n bass, soul and hip hop covers; a tour de force of screaming energy and masterly writing. As intricate as it is energetic, as virtuosic as it is passionate, Common Decency marks HCB's arrival as a leading light in the global brass band scene.

As front-man Steve Pretty puts it, "When we started out back in 2008 our mission was to create a uniquely British take on the modern brass band and to prove that with nothing but some bits of twisted metal, wood and plastic we could get any party started. We've had an incredible couple of years and Common Decency is the realisation of those ambitions”.


Hackney Colliery Band - Inner City Life

Hidden Person

https://mowrights.bandcamp.com/album/things2proof

Mo Wrights - 'proof of concept (feat. Misto Kay)'

Envision a realm where JAZZ, R&B & Sultry Global Sounds meet, flirt and mingle. 

Magic Hour Radio is your Portal to this sound.

https://www.instagram.com/djadapta

Magic Hour Radio with ADAPTA @ The Lot Radio 03-04-2024

Mo Wrights - 'things2proof (LYMA Remix)'

Dissociated w/ Lady Prowl. A sonic escape from our current dystopia

Listen live - 4th Saturdays from 2-4 Pm ET on www.greatcircles.net

Dissociated

Dissociated w/Lady Prowl - 24Feb2024

Tracklist :
MTUME - Theme (For The People) (Opening)
S.O.L.A.R. - To The Most Holy Place
Benjamin Zephaniah - Palestine
Winston McAnuff & Manjul -  Israel & Palestine

.......  AFRONAUT - CEASEFIRE MIX  RADIO ALHARA
QUANGO FT HEIDI VOGEL & COLONEL RED - SOLUTION
LIKWID BISKIT - INNER WAR
AFRONAUT FT SUHEIR HAMMAD - EYE WILL NOT
BUGZINTHEATTIC FT WUNMI  - ZOMBIE 
OPAQUE - ICE
AFRONAUT FT LOU F - CHANGE
SEAN KHAN - TROUBLED TIMES
DKD - FUTURE RAGE
BUGZINTHEATTIC FT DON RICARDO - WURL OF HZ
DOMU FT YOLANDA - DANGEROUS TIMES
OSUNLADE FT LATINA CAFE - POWER TO CONQUER
DAZ & BEMBE - WAR 
CHAPTER THREE - DUBPLATE

Ursula Rucker - Rant Hat In Here
Alpha Blondy - La Guerre
D*Note -  the garden of earthly delights
Lefto Early Bird - The Soundtrack To A Beautiful Sunset On Your Way Home
 Kids Singing - Ouarzazate

Earth Beats#28 Ft Orin AFRONAUT / UK راديو الحارة

Stranger Than Fiction: Underground Remixes

One Day At A Time (Goal Diggers Remix)

Colombian DJ/Producer Bralan Arias make his Moment Cinetique debut with three tracks that fuse organic elements with his influences from jazz, funk, and disco. Joint4Nine provides a remix of Chapinero Bajo that provides a driving energetic edge to the EP.

Being Aware EP

Bralan Arias - Chapinero Bajo

This month's show on Loose is all about the appreciation for Funk and Jazz Fusion.

Selected vinyl & digi beats from some of my all time favourite artists from the UK, Japan, US, France, Sudan and Brazil. Britfunk pioneers, Japanese jazz-fusion stand-outs and 80s Sudanese jazz - hope it makes you smile, sway & groove :)

LOOSE.FM

RHYTHM EMERSION w/ Beavs - LOOSE.FM 5 April

1) Tell us a bit about yourself and your record collection.

I started DJing just for fun with a few records that I’ve got from my dad. From there I made my way and focused almost exclusively onto 80s funk, Boogie, Breakdance and Funk. We were throwing parties as 'The Brides' in Berlin just to be able celebrating the music that was hard to find here at this time. Diggin deeper into that kind of music I became very interested in contemporary funk and the worldwide scene around it. We started to book Funk DJs. Nowadays my electrofunk sets are infused with Afro, Disco House gems and all that’s groovy. I would consider myself more as a DJ than a collector. I am not hoarding them, but finding records became definitely an obsession. 

2) 45/7 is all about celebrating the 7". Can you tell us a bit about what you love about the format.

I have to admit that I didn’t appreciate the 7" for a long time. I came late across this scene through meeting Marc Hype. Nowadays I've been intentionally checking those crates too. I think my brighter awareness got also shaped by the contemporary funk scene through labels like Voyage Funktastique, the Funkfreaks and Starcreature universal vibrations who released mostly on 7". I love about the format that it has formed a very specific scene around it. It's been mostly people who are referred to as 'turntablists'. The 7" challenged me to play differently to create faster changes. My focus is still on the 12". I like the long versions of songs and that these records often include a remix version or even acapella. 

3) One hour of vinyl goodness... can you talk us through your selection for your 45/7 mix?

My selection for 45/7 was open format and the mix mirrors perfectly my 7" collection. Since they are often quite cheap I end up getting records I wouldn't intentionally include in my DJ Sets. 'Kutte' for example was inspired by Katmando & Marc Hypes Funkvergnügen (a unique mix of German funk and rare grooves)I loved those mixes. I like interpretations of songs like Bacao Rhythm does. I fell immediately in love with the cooperation of Dâm Funk and Snoopzilla. The whole Westcoast Cali vibe that ties up to DJ Quik, Suga Free, Mac Dre... Also I love uplifting messages and 'lemme do my thang, cause I'mma do my thang - only you can do you, so do it, do it, do it!' :) is exactly what I need to hear from time to time. ‚In a trance‘ was a record I found together with around 25 other super cheap 7" in a recordshop in Liège. Jamie Lidell (Mr.Oizo Remix) came across in Berlin. I listened a lot to his Multiply album that's why this 7" catched my attention and I did nothing wrong. What I want to add is that I played most of the records in this mix for the first time publicly! 

4) Where can people catch you / listen to your music? 

People can catch me playing at my residency at refuge worldwide radio (please check out their website). You’ll find all my upcoming dates on SoundCloud. https://soundcloud.com/femdelic

5) Top 5 all time fave records

My top records change from time to time but I am a fan of Chic and how those tracks are composed in so many layers. I resisted many years playing so called 'classics' but I can't dismiss the power and joy those jams bring to people. You feel an interconnectedness beyond words through music as an universal language. One all-time-favorite of mine is 'Boogie fire' from Mac Thornhill; my Jam! Cameo's 'she's strange' accompanied me since I've started playing records. My first DJ name was SHIH in accordance to this track. Since I felt always like an alien; different, not belonging the song became my theme song. Shirley Lites 'heat you up (meltdown) among many other great West End Records releases is a favorite electrofunk gem. I found 'sabes que hora es' randomly at the fleamarket and I really love this Italo-Euro-Disco track. It's a real firecracker!

Hackney Colliery Band - Inner City Life

Wah Wah 45s

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