Tag: Current

It was three years since the release of Exclusive Blend Volume 2, but it was worth the wait. If you own both Volumes 1 and 2, you will know they are both on different tips – Volume 1 is a more up-tempo pop flavour of hammond-driven dancefloor jazz, while Volume 2 is a little slower, with a slightly more sophisticated ‘soundtrack’ edge. Similarly, Volume 3 will try to introduce something a little different again. This sixteen track album, was compiled in Paris from the late 60’s and early 70’s vaults of France’s Telemusic Library, by Blow Up’s Paul Tunkin, . The album was preceded by a limited 7″ single (as part of the new ‘Blow Up 45 Series’) taken from the album – Guy Pedersen’s smokey sitar haze that is ‘ Indian Pop Bass.’

Sleeve Notes

“So finally here we are at round three of the Exclusive Blend Series. It’s been a long time, well why the wait you may ask? Well after the success of the previous two volumes we’ve been sunning ourselves on distant shores, borrowing billionaire’s yachts in the Mediterranean finding it all just a little too damn hard to get heads down to some serious vault trawling for undiscovered musical gems. Ok, maybe forget about the sun, boating, and the money at that. Let’s just have the soundtrack to the high-life instead, it’s taken a long time but all the best things are worth waiting for.
Into the heart of Paris 1999, Le Gard du Nord via Eurostar straight over to Telemusic HQ for a two day search. French music library Telemusic issued its first recordings in 1968, which have covered a wealth of musical styles over the past few decades. The eclectic nature, as is common with most of the music libraries was to accomodate the varied requirements of essentially TV, Radio and Film synchronisation. My search was for recordings from the lare Sixties to the early Seventies, focusing on the dancefloor element of Telemusic’s Jazz and R’n’B recordings with some Gallic soundtrack vibes thrown in for good measure.

Comprising mainly of instrumental compositions that vary from Guy Pedersen ‘s funky wah wah workout of Les Coplains De La Basse to Paul Piot’s Serge Gainsberg girly vocal sounding Virtueuse Reveuse, this album features some of France’s greatest Jazz, R’n’B, Pop musicians and writers of the time including Bernard Estardy and Raymond Guiot. So until next time, au revoir.”

Paul Tunkin, September 2000

The debut single from Big Boss Man, taken from and released just prior to the release of their debut album ‘Humanize‘, as a limited seven only. The B-Side ‘Sea Groove (Version)’ does not appear on any other releases.

This was also the very first release on the Blow Up 45 Series of limited sevens and pressed with a dinked jukebox-style centre, and packaged in the distinctive Blow Up 45 Series house bag.

This album was released in November 1999 in conjunction with V2 Records as a collection of some of the classic tracks that have been essential to the sound and legend of the Blow Up club, and as a result the compilation has become legendary in its own right.

Covering Sixties Soul and R’nB, Dancefloor Jazz, Easy Listening, Northern Soul, Soundtracks, Gritty Hammond Grooves, and featuring classics both new and old that have filled the Blow Up Dancefloor over the years, Blow Up A-Go-Go! introduced such delights as The Quik’s 60s mod classic ‘Bert’s Apple Crumble’, The Kinks B-Side ‘She’s Got Everything’, Jacques DuTronc’s ‘Le Responsable’ and more to a much wider audience for the first time. Since its release, many of the tracks have become even more recognisable from their subsequent use on various TV adverts.

The compilation takes its title from the second track ‘Blow Up A-Go-Go!’ which was taken from another label compilation Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend Volume 2. The track was originally entitled ‘Wild Elephants’ (early pressings of Exclusive Blend list this original title) but was renamed as a thank-you after the track was picked up from the album and used by Gap jeans in their  ‘Khaki-A-Go-Go’ 1999 TV ad campaign.

Released on CD and Double Vinyl, the album is currently deleted but very limited stock of both formats is available from the Blow Up shop.

Sleeve Notes

Vic Keary, co producer of The Quik’s “Bert’s Apple Crumble”, claims the track was namd after the finest dessert in Bert’s Cafe on the Old Kent Road around the corner to Maximum Sound Studio where this track was recorded. This tune, originally a B-side, kicks the album off to a storming start. James Clarke’s “Blow Up A-Go-Go!”, a music library track found one morning at a North London boot fair, became a firm club favourite before it’s inclusion on the “Blow Up Present’s Exclusive Blend Vol.2” album. It was from there that the Gap clothing company picked up on the track for their “Khaki-A-Go-Go” TV campaign of Summer ’99. On its commercial release, and as a thankyou from the publisher Ian Dale for its revival, the track became renamed after the Blow Up club night. Georgie Fame, or Clive Powell as he is known to his friends, performed regularly at the Flamingo in Soho, recording a classic live album there with his backing group the Blue Flames. The Flamingo has long since gone, but just above it in what once was known as the Whisky-A-Go-Go, is of course, the location of the Blow Up club’s Saturday night residency.

Thirty years later its good to know that Somebody Stole My Thunder can still work an audience in the very same building. Soul Hooligan’s Sweet Pea, couldn’t help but be included when it contains such samples as the Dean Parrish northern soul classic “I’m On My Way” and the Mohawks’ “The Champ” – two tracks often found on the club decks in their original form.”Watts Breakaway” by The Johnny Otis Show, is apparently about a dance craze sung by a Greek Cypriot and one time preacher Johnny Otis, inspired by the low rent riot torn ghetto of the Watts Projects, LA. A teenage Stevie Winwood and Stones/Primals producer co wrote the ever popular and supremely confident Spencer Davis Group hit “I’m A Man”. The Incredible Bongo Band’s “Bongolia”, as with their version of The Shadows “Apache”, became an inspiration to the early Hip Hop scene for its ample sumply of breaks, whilst proving a great club track in its own right. This one time Motown session group possibly performed backing on The Temptations’ “Cloud Nine”, which Cuban percussionist and 1950s U.S. emigre Mongo Santamaria reinterprets here.

The BOAC jet-setting duo and resident Blow Up djs The Karminsky Experience are on fine form with “Exploration” taken from their debut E.P. The twelve year old daughter of jazz drummer extraordinaire Buddy Rich is the vocalist on this version of “The Beat Goes On” before it was a twinkle in the All Seeing I. This compilation would not have been complete without Andy Williams’ “House Of Bamboo”, a regular fixture at Blow Up and a defining moment from the early days. It was recorded in the late Fifties, possibly inspired by a TV show/film of the same name and is the earliest recorded track on the album. Shirley Ellis had a minor hit with the ‘Clapping Song’ but to many soul fans “Soul Time” is the track that she will be remembered best for. “Jaques Dutronc”, French sixties heart-throb and beat superstar immortalised in Cornershops’ “Brimful Of Asha” by the line “Jaques Dutronc and the Bolan boogie…” injects some cool gallic charm into the proceedings with “Le Responsable”. On a final note, there’s Big Boss Man. Their contibution “Humanize” was recorded in drummer/keyboard/vocalist (but not at the same time!) Nasser’s bedroom. Definitely one to watch, they are have just recorded their debut album for Blow Up Records, so keep ’em peeled

Reissue of Volume 2 from the classic groundbreaking Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend music library series sees Paul Tunkin, DJ & founder of legendary Blow Up club, entering the vaults of De Wolfe, Amphonic and once again KPM. As with a bulk of Exclusive Blend 1, many of these tracks were receiving their first commercial airing on this album’s release. Released in 1997, the album also introduced James Clarke’s Wild Elephants to the world, which was subsequently picked up by Gap and used on the 1999 ‘Khaki A Go-Go’ worldwide campaign. As a thankyou from the writer it was re-titled ‘Blow Up A-Go-Go!’ and became the title track for the successful V2 / Blow Up compilation ‘Blow Up A-Go-Go! Dancefloor Classics from The Legendary Blow Up Club’. This album includes tracks from many great music library theme writers including Keith Mansfield, Alan Hawkshaw and Syd Dale, and includes the Alan Moorhouse Hammond heavy classic ‘Soul Skimmer’ and the spaced out tribal funk of Nick Ingman’s ‘Tripwire’. Long due for a reissue, Volume 2 has been unavailable for several years fetching up to £100 on eBay!

Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend Volume 2 has received much international recognition with DJs, collectors and plain old music lovers alike, introducing many to the twilight world of the unknown session man just doing his thang. Like it’s predecessor this album has gained a loyal cult following and was continually repressed after it’s original release. It remains a ground-breaking introduction to the world of the music library, the second in a series reflecting the diverse music that can be heard at London’s legendary Blow Up club.

Sleeve Notes

Reissue of Volume 1 from the classic groundbreaking Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend music library series sees Paul Tunkin, DJ & founder of legendary Blow Up club, taking us on a journey deep into the vaults of the KPM music library.

Originally released in 1996, the Blow Up Exclusive Blend series were one of the first commercial introductions to Music Library and the twilight world of the session man. Volume 1 features the cream of the KPM Music Library writers including Keith Mansfield, Alan Hawkshaw, Alan Parker and Johnny Pearson, From the pounding up-tempo of ‘Move, Move, Move’ through the Hammond-heavy ‘Beat Me ‘Til I’m Blue’ and ‘Rocky Mountain Runabout’ (versions of both featuring on the legendary Mohawks ‘The Champ’ album) to the sitar 60s club sound of ‘Delhi Discotheque’ and ‘Come here Calcutta’. Most of these tracks had never been commercially available before this release.

Blow Up presents Exclusive Blend Volume 1 has been continuously repressed since its release and remains a ground-breaking introduction to the world of the music library, the first in a series that reflects the diverse music that can be heard at London’s legendary Blow Up club. Now available again on vinyl too and for the first time ever digitally. Essential for DJs and collectors alike.

Sleeve Notes

Recorded in 1995 and released in early 1996, this was the debut album of Add N to X featuring original members Barry Smith, Anne Shenton and Andrew Averling. Add N to X signed to Blow Up for this one-off release in the Summer of 1995. The band split from Andrew Averling a few months after this release, recruiting new member Steve Clayton and going on to record for Satellite and then two albums for Mute. Vero Electronics is a must for collectors of the band, showing them in their full uncompromising glory, and serves as a great introduction to the band’s early sound.  On seven-track CD and six-track vinyl, and the first pressing of the LP sold out in the first week of release.  Tracks from this album have been used in underground films, soundtracks and on TV.

Add N to X described themselves as Moog situationists, pioneers of avant-garde electronica: “this album hopes to resurrect a long lost genre in electronic music by mixing the classic cinematic sound with a live drummer, seventies drum machines and looped synths descending into the inferno of the avant-garde.” Increasingly prolific since 1996, the band have featured in magazines such as The Wire, N.M.E, The Face and Sleaze Nation.