Profile

I am a contributor to Dig!, and previously wrote for Record Collector magazine, uDiscover, Headpress, Palgrave and The Tip Sheet.

I have had regular shows on four radio stations (most recently Cowbell Radio) and was a resident DJ for The Perfumed Garden tent at the Beat-Herder festival. I have DJ'd on line-ups with Jerry Dammers, Don Letts, Norman Jay, System 7, Richard Norris, Deadly Avenger, DJ Derek, Fat City All Stars, and Gideon Conn, among many others.

I previously played in Heffalump Trap, Blowjangles & Poco Loco, contributed music to Astral Social Club releases, was part of The Termite Club committee in Leeds, have occasionally released other people's stuff on a small scale and have spent much of the rest of the last 30+ years doing other bits & pieces to do with music.

Since the death of Simon Morris from the Ceramic Hobs in December 2019, I am spending a lot of time dealing with his 'archive', arranging release and distribution of his work, etc. Other areas of immediate interest at the moment include the 90s Stoke tape label scene and proto-reggaeton dancehall reggae, but it is ever-changing.
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I have been collecting an extremely wide variety of music, especially from the outer edges, since 1989. Myself, my girlf & my olds now have c. 15,500 records, CDs, pre-recorded tapes, music DVDs and VHSs, etc (increasingly including official promo MP3s tbf, but also the Simon Morris Collection, as I start to add it), collectable & otherwise, between us, nearly 2000 of which I've added here as new entries. I'm not too bothered about format & will happily just have most things on MP3 if they're hard to get, but I found like many people that my sound files got in a tangle & I ended up not listening to new ones consistently, so I went back to collecting physical items en masse! I will also confess to a love affair with vinyl though, particularly 7"s & 10"s (3" CDs are pretty smart as well).

I am mainly here because of my (as of late 2023, 2000-strong) Discogs wants list, which is the very tip of the iceberg in terms of records I'm interested in, but which is basically the stuff I am hunting with vigour & which I have generally been after for quite some time now, or have recently found on here & never previously knew about. Having said that, despite what people will tell you, most things crop up at a sensible price if you look for them long enough, so I don't believe in paying obscene amounts. Hence, feel free to offer me things from my wants list, but keep the prices sensible if you are going to do that. Also, my collection is deliberately kept private, so unless I've listed it for sale, I'm not planning on selling it. Hence, you're welcome to ask questions but you're probably not going to twist my arm (well, if you're offering three figures on an item, maybe we can talk, y'know, but otherwise...).

Rating system...

1 - Pretty terrible. The sort of thing I wouldn't touch with a barge-pole (ie really limp boy bands / girl bands etc). Also, Neo-Nazi music, homophobic ragga, really badly pressed records, etc.
2 - Very unoriginal or fails to do what it by rights should (ie the better end of boy band/girl band stuff, the limper end of RnB, bandwagon-jumping generic stuff, very poor releases by bands I usually like etc).
3 - Nice enough & I'll support anyone getting a 3, but not spectacular (ie standard releases in genres I like).
4 - Great music (all styles).
5 - Amongst my (long list of) favourites (all styles). Plenty of stuff gets a 5, but usually because it's very exciting, very beautiful or very original.

I've pretty much decided that...
God Is My Co-Pilot & The Ceramic Hobs are my favourite bands,
Aphex Twin my favourite solo artist,
The Only Ones' "Another Girl Another Planet" is my all-time favourite song,
De La Soul's "3 Feet High & Rising" is my favourite album,
and R&S '90-'94 and Shut Up & Dance '89-'91 are possibly my favourite labels...
but these aren't necessarily representative of my taste...

Genres of particular interest to me include
dancehall reggae/ragga jungle (see my lists on here);
gabba/hardcore techno/hard acid/speedcore/etc;
noise/experimental/noise rock/avantgarde;
the UK Garage-derived scene (all styles from speed garage through grime to nu UK garage);
Washington DC go go;
music hall novelties;
music from the Fylde & from the English fens (see my lists on here) &
playlists from classic clubs & scenes (from pre-reggae Jamaica through various northern soul clubs & the Loft and Paradise Garage, to Rage & Parkzicht...
...but then I've also got more indie, hip hop, drum n bass etc etc etc than you can shake a stick at...

I'm also interested in strange vinyl pressing ideas that affect the audio (as opposed to cosmetics like picture discs or concentric grooves, all of which are nice but which I'm not looking to go out of my way to obtain any more of), ie; locked grooves, multiple centre holes, playable etchings & new records pressed into old records...
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As of Dec 2023, the items listed below are the ones NOT on Discogs that I'm also very much after & would be very keen to pay/trade for...

While Discogs was always very helpful to me even before I became a member, I am now VERY impressed with how encyclopedic it has become, at the point at which there are only five recordings in the world that I'm this keen to get hold of & aren't listed on here. Well done everyone...I hope it never disappears into the ether...

Buddy Max - Gold Record Award Winning and Orange Blossom Special (1990) CDs - country.
America's woefully obscure "Flea Market Cowboy"...I STILL only have some MP3s plus one great CD that came via Theme Park Records in the mid-nineties.

Jah Scouse - RAP/Bombay Mix 7" (051)

Space Records SPAC 7 (as yet unidentified item)

Stormed - New Revolution tape (1989) - indie ska.
An old favourite band from Cambridge...onto the bits & bats now I've got one single & a dub of the other.
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A Handful of Books/Mags I’m Also After (at reasonable prices), PDFs would do…

Black Giantess zine issues 1 (1995)-7+ (c.2003)

Albert Goldman – Disco (Hawthorn, 1978)

Diz Willis - The Terrible Funeral & After (Wild Pigeon Press, 1968)
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...And finally, a mere two FILMS I cannot track down in UK-appropriate formats...

Lying (Chloe Sevigny, 2006), and

Rockets Redglare! (doc, 2003)

Recent Activity

Action Description
submitted Dhol Federation - Dhol Beat 2. 4 months ago
Club Robbers - Search For The Ball
posted a review of Club Robbers - Search For The Ball. 6 months ago
Used to always be touted as the first 'donk' record, which is probably not quite correct, but presumably the first that people sat up and noticed it on - the donk does teeter and wobble in the way that it developed beyond how it was used in hard... See full review
Floorfilla - Anthem #2
posted a review of Floorfilla - Anthem #2. 6 months ago
Anthem #2 (DJ Cerla Floorfiller Mix) sometimes listed as "This Way...I Can't Tell" on North-West (UK) boots. Big NW proto-bounce anthem, with Klubbheads-esque edited rap sample, Lock'N'Load-style slowed-down section, and poky pitchbent synth line.
Dance Assassins / Paradise Dolls - Sail Away / I Touch Myself
posted a review of Dance Assassins / Paradise Dolls - Sail Away / I Touch Myself. 6 months ago
A side is a cover of the Bang! happy hardcore record.
Quadrasonic - Quadrasonic E.P 2
posted a review of Quadrasonic - Quadrasonic E.P 2. 7 months ago
B is a donk version of DJ Red Alert & Mike Slammer "In Effect".
L.S.Project* - Let Yourself Donk / Cruel Summer
posted a review of L.S.Project* - Let Yourself Donk / Cruel Summer. 7 months ago
B is another donk version of Bananarama "Cruel Summer" (why there is more than one, I don't know!)
Garbo Talks! - Summer Breeze
submitted Garbo Talks! - Summer Breeze. 8 months ago
submitted Various - The Tip Sheet CD For Issue #173. 11 months ago
submitted Various - The Tip Sheet CD For Issue #172. 11 months ago
Emperor Rosko / The Main Men - Al Capone / Anna
posted a review of Emperor Rosko / The Main Men - Al Capone / Anna. 11 months ago
Obviously not as good as the Prince Buster original (nowhere near), but I did read somewhere that it is a Belgian popcorn pick.
Red Dragon - Pum Pum Short
posted a review of Red Dragon - Pum Pum Short. 11 months ago
Incredibly childish ("Girls love it hard & stuff every D-A-Y", etc), but it really works as an album, which you often can't say about ragga albums!
Fluff (3) / Pavement - Us / My First Mine
posted a review of Fluff (3) / Pavement - Us / My First Mine. 11 months ago
Fluff=proto-Tse Tse Fly. Great mag, great tuneage, great bagging with a Pavement tune that ended up box set-worthy later.
Various - A Lump Of Coal
posted a review of Various - A Lump Of Coal. 11 months ago
This isn't exactly wall to wall classics, but I always enjoyed it as an indie Xmas comp. The Weddoes track ended up as a Hit Parade B, it was probably the first place I heard Crash Test Dummies & I thought they acquitted themselves pretty well,... See full review
Various - Worldwide Noise 2001
posted a review of Various - Worldwide Noise 2001. 11 months ago
Goofy, cheap at the time little oddity from the German mentalist scene - unholy mixture of digital hardcore & proper noise/noise rock stuff, with interjections from a 'comedy' character who inevitably becomes a bit irritating over time!
Eel Pie (2) - A Helping Of
submitted Eel Pie (2) - A Helping Of. about 1 year ago
Victoria Hesketh - On My Own
submitted Victoria Hesketh - On My Own. about 1 year ago
Wajatta - Waiting For The Get Down
submitted Wajatta - Waiting For The Get Down. about 1 year ago
Wajatta - Do You Even Care Anymore?
submitted Wajatta - Do You Even Care Anymore?. about 1 year ago
Sof Tillin's And - The Power Of Belief Is Unbelievable
submitted Sof Tillin's And - The Power Of Belief Is Unbelievable. about 1 year ago
Buddy Rose & His Dance Orchestra - The More We Are Together / When Tommy Atkins Taught The Chinese How To Charleston
posted a review of Buddy Rose & His Dance Orchestra - The More We Are Together / When Tommy Atkins Taught The Chinese How To Charleston. about 1 year ago
Not sure which is the original of "Tommy Atkins", but I have had this for decades and love it dearly, superb dance band novelty.
Tommy Kinsman And His Ciro's Club Band* - What's Going To Happen To Me? / You Forgot Your Gloves
posted a review of Tommy Kinsman And His Ciro's Club Band* - What's Going To Happen To Me? / You Forgot Your Gloves. about 1 year ago
My personal favourite version of "You Forgot Your Gloves" - probably an idiotic choice, but it is where I know it from. Highest recommendation, creamy dance band classic.
The Perverts (4) - The World Doesn't Want You
submitted The Perverts (4) - The World Doesn't Want You. about 1 year ago
Boot Family - Audio Archives
submitted Boot Family - Audio Archives. about 1 year ago
LL Cool J - The Boomin' System
submitted LL Cool J - The Boomin' System. about 1 year ago
The Oroonies - The Whale And The Wind
submitted The Oroonies - The Whale And The Wind. about 1 year ago
The Oroonies - The Woods Are Alive With The Smell Of His Coming
submitted The Oroonies - The Woods Are Alive With The Smell Of His Coming. about 1 year ago
Ramones - Rock 'N' Roll High School
posted a review of Ramones - Rock 'N' Roll High School. over 2 years ago
Contains quarter-hour audio of Ramones performance for film as an extra.
Various - 100 Bomba Reggaeton 2016
submitted Various - 100 Bomba Reggaeton 2016. over 2 years ago
The Ceramic Hobs* - Swans Have Long Necks
submitted The Ceramic Hobs* - Swans Have Long Necks. over 3 years ago
Wagstaff - Queek
submitted Wagstaff - Queek. over 3 years ago
submitted Filthy Turd - Incoherent, Rabid And Saucy. over 3 years ago
Wagstaff - Allow
submitted Wagstaff - Allow. over 3 years ago
Coward Electronics - Male Pattern Baldness
submitted Coward Electronics - Male Pattern Baldness. over 3 years ago
Skatgobs - Pointless
submitted Skatgobs - Pointless. over 3 years ago
The Lovely Honkey* and his Acrid Lactations - Hardy The Wayfarers!
submitted The Lovely Honkey* and his Acrid Lactations - Hardy The Wayfarers!. over 3 years ago
Poot* & Posset - Phlegm Cathedral
submitted Poot* & Posset - Phlegm Cathedral. over 3 years ago
Suffering Immortal Bastard Joincey Bastard* - Suffering Immortal Bastard Joincey Bastard
submitted Suffering Immortal Bastard Joincey Bastard* - Suffering Immortal Bastard Joincey Bastard. over 3 years ago
Acrid Lactations meet The Lovely Honkey Uptown* - Lovely Honkey And The Acrid Lactations Bumrush The Temples Of Mammon
submitted Acrid Lactations meet The Lovely Honkey Uptown* - Lovely Honkey And The Acrid Lactations Bumrush The Temples Of Mammon. over 3 years ago
Cabbage Rosette with Phil Minton - Ran Out Of Breath Licking Elegy Nipple, Cough and Fall to Bits, Tight Chest as an Achievement
submitted Cabbage Rosette with Phil Minton - Ran Out Of Breath Licking Elegy Nipple, Cough and Fall to Bits, Tight Chest as an Achievement. over 3 years ago
Inca Eyeball - King Of All Cigarette Horses
submitted Inca Eyeball - King Of All Cigarette Horses. over 3 years ago
Inca Eyeball - Thee Ear That Punk Broke
submitted Inca Eyeball - Thee Ear That Punk Broke. over 3 years ago
Wagsta-50* - The Passing Cloud
submitted Wagsta-50* - The Passing Cloud. over 3 years ago
Various - Egospastiche Vergissingen
submitted Various - Egospastiche Vergissingen. over 3 years ago
The Paraquat Drinkers - £7.99 Blow Job
submitted The Paraquat Drinkers - £7.99 Blow Job. over 3 years ago
The Paraquat Drinkers - Going Through The Mill
submitted The Paraquat Drinkers - Going Through The Mill. over 3 years ago
Ceramic Hobs - Fuck Shit God Piss On Jesus L.S.D.: Ceramic Hobs Live 1985-1998
submitted Ceramic Hobs - Fuck Shit God Piss On Jesus L.S.D.: Ceramic Hobs Live 1985-1998. over 3 years ago
submitted Ceramic Hobs - PuertoRicanSexChant. over 3 years ago
submitted For 'Harlow's Monkeys' - For Harlow's Monkeys. over 3 years ago
submitted C.S.O.D - Torture Time. over 3 years ago
submitted Litterbug - Surfing The Chaos. over 3 years ago