Istolethesoul

INTRO


… Arrived at Heathrow on time… Took the train to Paddington and the tube the rest of the way to Hotel Russell (Russell Square)… Checked in and ducked back into the Underground. First stop: If Music.

I spent sum-five hours there talking music with ‘elder statesman’ Jean-Claude. He schooled me on some shit. His shop was well hidden in a really nice alleyway off of Regent Street, on the second floor, through two huge doors, past a woman’s bespoke shop, in a unit that was half of the size of my condo. He had about 15 crates (600-700 records?) and a few hundred 45s, a comfy couch and a great stereo system to sample tracks with. Quality selections, quality service.

This is also where I met Aaron Jerome. He was just working on the If Music website, www.ifmusic.co.uk, and he explained a bit about his production/remix work, et cetera. It was strange to meet a musician I’d known about for some time (but never seen) in such a casual setting, eating leftovers from tupperware and editing HTML code.

After I thumbed through everything, I came up with about 20 records and as I sat there sampling each one, Jean-Claude would recommend others. I dropped ₤180 there. My friend and travel companion, Debbie, went shopping down the street and invited her friend, Martha, to meet us for dinner. We just grabbed some Nando’s and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Soil & “Pimp” gig.



GILLES PETERSON / TOSHIO MATSUURA / SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS (KOKO)


We arrived later than I would have liked but, I spent so much time looking for records that we were running a bit behind schedule. I would have liked to hear more of Toshio Matsuura’s set. The second last track he played was UFO’s “Loud Minority (Remix)” which just happened to be the first track on “Packing My Bags for the Jazz Café”, the mix I made a few days prior. Koko was a really nice venue – sharp from the outside, three levels, balconies on each side, and a long bar at the back of the club. Debbie and I managed to nestle ourselves in the crowd but, Londoners seem quite tall.

Gilles came out to plug a few upcoming events and his Brownswood record label and segued into Soil & “Pimp” Sessions. When they hit the stage the crowd went absolutely ape shit! The performance was impeccable. S&PS combined raw talent and integrity with extreme showmanship at mach million throughout the entire set. We snapped a few pics but, most of them didn’t turn out because the players were really active and the crowd was getting in the way. Not a big deal… I wasn’t about to watch the whole show through a lens, anyway. About three-quarters of the way through, Shacho (hypeman), Tabu (trumpet) and Motoharu (sax) took a break and let J.A.M, the piano trio within S&PS, play “Quiet Fire”. Before they were through, Debbie and I made our way up to the second level and recorded a few video clips.

Since my main mission was to binge on records, I made sure that I was first in line at the merch table so that I could get the new S&PS 12-inch, “Sahara” b/w “Sahara (Zed Bias Remix)”, the re-released Pimp Master CD and Brownswood Bubblers Four.



DAY 2


Visited the British Museum and checked out Islamic artifacts… Hit up Oxford Street… Topshop was a madhouse. Primark – a fucking zoo. Five hours later, I ended up buying a t-shirt, ‘Made in USA’. Psh!

Ate lunch at a nice Italian joint. Had calamari to start and the Pizza Margherita to finish. Both courses were tasty!



OMAR (LONDON’S FAMOUS JAZZ CAFÉ)


Still no Stella… The Jazz Café quickly filled with a sexier, more sophisticated crowd than the night before. New Yorker, Eric Lewis performed a 45 minute set of, what he dubbed, ‘Rock n Jazz’ – Rock and Alternative songs played on the piano. He covered Coldplay, The Killers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and several groups I wasn’t familiar with. His interpretation of “Sweet Home Alabama” was a real crowd pleaser. I gotta admit, it was pretty dope!

But, when Omar and his band started playing – shit! The thing that struck me the most was that I could tell Omar loves to perform. He was all smiles from ear to ear. I was all smiles too (mostly because the gorgeous black girl just a few feet to my right started dancing and mouthing the words to every song). I didn’t know half of the songs but, that didn’t matter. Omar killed it. Then he played a cover of Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves the Sunshine”. Nail. In. Coffin. Fucking brilliant. I have a soft spot for anything Ayers.

At some point, while I was scanning the crowd for PYTs and surveying the venue for emergency exits, I spotted José James and his wife way up in the bleachers. I got a few paparazzi pics… I actually knew José was in London performing at an art opening at Bath House Gallery (King’s Cross) and hoped he would miraculously stop by Koko at some point to perform “Park Bench People” with S&PS but, it didn’t happen. Instead, I look up and go, “No way…”

After the show, I grabbed a late night doner kebab at a nearby shack run by a group of twenty-something Turks. When they heard I was Turkish one of them offered me a job. No wonder the doner was sub-standard; no experience required.



PORTOBELLO MARKET / HONEST JON’S RECORDS


On Saturday, Debbie and I headed to Portobello Market with one stop in mind but, on the way there we passed by some intriguing galleries and boutiques. We peaked into a few, we went into a few. I tried on a pair of crisp white Stan Smiths but I’ve got too much sole for those narrow boots. Shit was generally way too expensive so, we kept it moving to the K-I-M and stumbled upon Sounds, a record store on the east side of Portobello Street. I found a few LPs but, I was more impressed with the House mix playing on the stereo. So, while the dude who worked there searched the back for my vinyl, I asked him if I could get a copy of his mix. He had some trouble finding the fourth record but, he agreed to keep looking while I hopped over to Honest Jon’s.

Finally, a proper record store. Honest Jon’s was organized and well stocked with records, CDs, 45s and swag. I found a few Leon Thomas LPs, a copy of Jessica Lauren’s Siren Songs for ₤4, a reissue of Lyman Woodard Organization’s Saturday Night Special for ₤8, and about 15 other delightful records. It was near closing time when Debbie reminded me that we had to return to Sounds to pay for those other records so, I gave her some cash and she went over for me. Meanwhile, at Honest Jon’s a guy who looked like Spud from Trainspotting calculated the damage… 60, 68, 76… 120, 128… 158… ₤163.

The guy at Sounds couldn’t find the Luv N Haight record I wanted but, he did burn that mix CD for ₤7! Ha ha! What a cheap bastard. The good people at Honest Jon’s discounted me ₤3 and threw in a free t-shirt and this other guy charged me for a CD-R. What the hell!? We didn’t eat all day so, a huge plate of fish and chips was in order.

Finally, Stella. The fish was Hake and it was delicious. (Wikipedia: ‘This is an Irish salt water fish, similar in appearance to the tom cod.’)



FINALE: KEB DARGE & ANDY SMITH “LOST AND FOUND” (MADAME JOJO’S)


We walked through Soho in the rain, past crowds of gays to reach the strip joint-turned-dance club, Madame Jojo’s to see Keb Darge turn the party out. I thought this was going to be a Funk/Soul party but it ended up being a “Northern Soul” party. Keb and Andy Smith (who I just learned was the DJ for Portishead) played hours of Rockabilly and Rock ‘N’ Roll 45s and the hip young crowd danced around like it was a 50s sock hop! I fell in love a second time at Madame Jojo’s with a leggy brunette with bangs and an outfit to match the soundtrack. I felt like I flew over in a DeLorean. It didn’t help that Keb was wearing a Hawaiin shirt!

The party started poppin’ pretty early, too. I’ve noticed that in Toronto people don’t really start to roll in until around midnight. At this club, on this Saturday, the girls and boys were in full effect just after we arrived (at 11pm).

I got a chance to speak to Keb. I told him that I expected to hear some rare Funk 45s and he replied, “Wrong night. That was last night… Jesus, I’ve been playing Funk for 35 fuckin’ years!” Then we bumped heads. Ha ha.

Last meal in london: Big Mac combo. Slept for an hour and a half. Hopped in the private hire that drove us right around Buckingham Palace…