back to basics - 30

back to basics - 30th anniversary. jamie read / dave beer

30 years is a long time…

When I stop to think about all that’s happened since back to basics opened it’s doors on November 23rd 1991 it does indeed seem like a crazy long time ago; my eldest son is now the same age I was when I played the first record at the>music:factory and unknowingly embarked upon a journey spanning three decades as a resident DJ for one of the longest running weekly house music clubs on the planet. And I’m not alone, many of the people that; worked, played and partied at the club now have families of their own. Governments and even entire political systems have come and gone, wars have been fought, lives have been lost and the world became connected by an invisible network capable of carrying the entire history of the human race in a pocket. Oh, and in case you missed it, there’s been a global pandemic that effected every single human being on the planet.

But when I look at it another way it’s all gone by in a flash and I feel no distance between my current self and the kid that just liked playing records all those years ago. I suppose it could be said that we’ve lived our lives in our own little bubbles removed from the real world and time just flew past fast in a blur of flashing lights and pulsating sounds. An existence where only the weekends truly mattered and weekdays passed by with; a sore head, tired mind, aching limbs and the phrase, “What the fuck happened?” ringing in our ears.

24th May 2019 - Last set at church. photo credit elspeth moore

Back in May 2019 I decided that my time as a resident DJ for back to basics had come to an end. I just felt totally out of ideas and energy; not just for the club but even for house music itself which has been the musical bedrock of the club since day one. Yet I love music and it comes in a myriad of forms, so concentrating on just one particular sound for so long became all encompassing and carried the cost of excluding other styles ands sounds as I’d spend my music time focusing on finding records with the specific function of making people dance at the club. I’ve also never been a fan of functional music so finding interesting records that make people dance was an even harder task. If I’m not feeling it I’m not playing it. End-of-story.

Alongside deep house I have a deep affinity for electro and found myself getting drawn into a resurgence of the scene driven by; Helena Hauff, DJ Stingray, Keith Tucker, Carl Finlow and a multitude of exciting new wave artists. Dropping electro in house clubs sometimes worked but often it fell flat and I’d feel disappointed by the reaction. I’d think back to the early days of acid house when DJs would mix different styles of music into their sets and wondered where that spirit had departed - somewhere along the line function started controlling form. I started exploring the outer regions of the musical cosmos and discovered glittering jewels of shattered sonic fragments previously unheard by ears only too eager to be opened to their delights. It was like finding a portal to a worm hole. I took a deep breath, stepped inside and arrived in a galaxy at the end of the universe.

helena hauff at wire leeds 2018. photo credit jody hartley

Around the same time, in 2016, we witnessed the axes of power change dramatically as a steady stream of incompetent (beyond belief) right wing politicians won elections around the world and it wasn’t just in America and Britain. I was in a tent on my own at Glastonbury when my phone pinged me the news about Brexit and I’ve never felt as alone surrounded by so many people. Although it put an immediate dampener on the festival for nearly everyone there it also had the effect of galvanising the long lost community spirit of dance music. I was walking through the festival mud the next day (in white hotel slippers but that’s another story) stewing in the stupidity while trying my best to forget about it. I found that I had the title of the Chemical Brothers album ‘Exit Planet Dust’ constantly rattling around my brain. However, I was in a earthy field at Glastonbury not in a dusty desert at Burning Man so the words morphed into ‘Exit Planet Earth’. Ok, that seemed fitting, let’s roll with that. Someone stop the planet - I want to get off.

Who nicked my wellies?

‘Exit Planet Earth’ gestated in the recesses of my mind for quite a while as I ventured into the outer realms of the electro universe before emerging as a series of records, live events and a radio show. I found the electro scene to be warm, welcoming and a positive force. Often in music there are strict lines drawn between genres that shall not be crossed once an artist has chosen their pathway, yet I found a small scene bursting with some exceptionally talented producers and DJs that were enthusiastic for new energy and input. I found the whole experience liberating. The feedback into my chops as a DJ was also tangible. Electro tracks are mostly faster and shorter than house tracks and often created with dense layers of synths and intricate drum programming. There are also dynamic changes in; chords, keys and structure with a leaning towards pushing the envelopes of sound design. A DJ needs to move quicker between mixes and has less time to action any cuts, fades or segues. There are also often instrumental intros to songs rising in intensity before the beats kick in and these can be used with dramatic effect if combined with a fitting part from the previous track and hitting the drops. After years of feeling that I hadn’t really improved my DJ skills much I found myself back practising in the studio, like a kid with new toys, unleashing the power of the records.

electro frequencies. photo credit jody hartley 2020

In late 2017 I was presented with the opportunity to program a new festival in Leeds called inner city electronic with the aim of bringing the city together for a celebration of electronic music culture. The concept being for multiple events to take place across the city on the same day with one pass granting access to all the venues, combined with a conference program during the day. The focus being on independent venues and local collectives coming together to; showcase the city, tell their stories and play their music. It was an incredibly exciting opportunity that meant I had to step further outside my musical comfort zone and explore new scenes, sounds and styles. It also meant that we could delve into some of the history of different crews in the city, some of whom had plied their trade week-in-week out over several decades such as Subdub and the mighty Ital Rockers Soundsystem, who have been at the vanguard of dub reggae in the city for as long as back to basics have been for house music.

iration steppas - vanguard of dub photo credit jody hartley 2018

At the time I was also working at Church, a huge converted church situated close to Leeds University. Looking back, with the benefit of hindsight, Church was a truly world class venue with a big enough capacity to attract heavy weight international talent into the city. It boasted an L-Acoustics Kara line array sound system, which coupled with a high vaulted ceiling and wood floor sounded simply devastating. Sometimes you just don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone and Church was over before it had barely begun with the building being acquired by the University and re-purposed as a library. I doubt they’ll want that sound system cranked up again then. inner city electronic 2019 took place on the last night at Church with Nina Kraviz playing the last ever record, Oppenheimer Analysis - ‘The Devil’s Dancers’, a fitting choice for the last dance in a former church.

However, there was also a final back to basics event the previous week on May 24th 2019 with Carl Cox and it was at that show, as I stared out across the dance-floor, that I decided my time at back to basics had come to an end.

Church leeds. photo credit james abbott-donnelly

And then, in 2020, everything stopped.

I’m still finding it really hard to process the last couple of years, as many of us are. This time the phrase, “What the fuck happened?” carries far more meaning. It’s like emerging from a traumatic experience that has seemed endless, one where you’re not even sure if there is an end. To say it’s been hard would be a massive understatement. And the thing is we’re all still living through it on a day-by-day basis. The crisis has caused a multitude of personal crises. To delve deeper into it all is something we’ll be doing for years to come but for now one of the many things I learnt is that we can’t forget the past. There is a constant and remorseless push for us in the era of mass consumption to only ever move in one direction - forward. Buy more, throw the past model away. Until suddenly and without much warning ‘the future’ became a worse place to live and we had to slam on the brakes.

Remarkably positive things did happen during the crisis and hopefully we emerge stronger into a more equitable society that cares about people and our planet. On a personal level the crisis helped me appreciate everything we’d worked so hard on in the past as a collective and to put aside personal aspirations and individual perspectives. There are always, always far more people than anyone realises making just about anything happen (from your cup of coffee in the morning to walking on the Moon) and usually we just don’t thank them enough.

back to basics 30th anniversary flyer. Courtesy dave beer

back to basics has existed in it’s own spacetime continuum for three decades; in the past, the fleeting moment of the present (that we struggle to ever really experience) and potentially in the future. It’s also existed in a format on the edge of extinction - the weekly club night. That sounds dramatic but in 2021 I am only aware of one house music club night left in the UK that opens it’s doors every week with the same organisers, resident DJs and musical policy and that’s Subculture at the Subclub in Glasgow. If weekly club nights were a species of animal they would be on the critically endangered list. back to basics used to provide a weekly service for regulars in much the same way that; churches, working men’s clubs and community centres provided a place for people to meet up at the weekends. Time marches on but let’s not forget the past; the lessons we learnt, the knowledge we gained, the good times we had.

you looking at me? Photo credit sarah thornton

Being a resident DJ at back to basics often felt like being in the mafia (without the killing of course) - once you were in you were in, with loyalty and respect held above all else. That was part of the reason I felt the need to make a clear dividing line between that part of my life and the next. However, living through the crisis changed the parameters and blurred the lines. Basics played a huge, huge role in my life although it was never, ever easy. Can you even imagine working for the same company for 30 years? Especially one as dysfunctional as back to basics! But the mafia is a family and you don’t chose your family, so as the clock ticked down towards November 2021, I didn’t even think about my response when Dave Beer asked me to join the crew for the 30th anniversary party at The Warehouse (suitably chosen as the only venue in Leeds actually older than Basics itself) and even more suitably themed as a prohibition gangster party.

Weatherall & dave beer

It felt very much like this:

Anyway long story short (and trust me I know have a tendency to turn these into long stories) I accepted the invite to DJ and turned up bang on time (as I always did each and every week) to kick off proceedings with the set I always loved most at back to basics - the warm up. (At this stage I could quite happily divert into another entire piece about the art of the warm up and maybe I might just do that, although could take another few years given my remarkably un-prolific blog writing).

Maybe it’s because; playing first was my original job as a resident DJ at back to basics, or maybe it’s because I enjoy starting with some deep records, or maybe it’s because I like to set my own pace, or maybe it’s because I enjoy warming up a soundsystem (they actually sound better at low level), or maybe it’s because I like seeing people’s smiling faces as they enter the club, or maybe it’s because I’m addicted to the moment when a DJ turns up the volume and drops their favourite record at just the right time capturing every single person in the moment. Yeah, it’s probably the last one.

basics 30th was dedicated to andrew weatherall and ali cooke. aw photo credit jody hartley 2018

So anyway (again ) there were obviously a lot of DJs that should be playing at the 30th anniversary of back to basics (and many that couldn’t be there) so we sets times were tight. Understandable on this occasion of course but a good warm up is built on playing longer. That’s the deal, right? Start early, play longer. Anyway, (last time I promise) I wanted to record my set for posterity to add to the Basic Vision collection of mixes but 90 mins was never going to cut it. So what I went back into the studio and re-created the session from the night but continued on, and on and on - until I felt I’d done the club justice. The main thing I took away from the night was re-connecting with old friends. It’s just crazy that years turn into decades that go past at the drop of a hat without seeing the people you really love and respect. And you know what - I’m so lucky to have known them.

justin robertson. basics 30th 2021. photo credit james abbott-donnelly

denney. basics 30th birthday. photo credit james abbott-donnelly

When a DJ is in the zone they can enter into a trance like meditative state where record selection becomes instinctive. There is no rummaging through a crate of records or scrolling through playlists. The next record to play is subconsciously generated by the song currently playing, it just pops into your head. It is a cherished state of mind I try to enter when playing records but more often than not conditions aren’t right or your own thoughts don’t settle down enough for you enter the twilight zone. If I’m on my own with no distractions I do find it easier though. I was able to slide into that state of mind for this mix and hunted down the records one by one, wherever they might be; often on a dusty shelf or old hard drive. I was ruthless and obeyed the one and only rule; as soon as a record popped into my head that was it. It was next. No matter if it was; a big hit, a lost gem or a personal favourite. It did make for an interesting selection that seemed to take on a life of it’s own and I do dearly hope you enjoy it…

back to basics 30 - just when I thought I was out…

ralphlawson · back to basics 30 - just when I thought I was out...

51 Days - Paper Moon
Fries and Bridges - It's Your Space
D’Play - Tschaka
Blackjoy - Moustache
Je Davu - Music got you Movin’
Moodymann - Day We Lost The Soul
Josh One - Contemplation (King Britt Funke Remix)
Mixmasters - In The Mix (RL Edit)
Soft House Company - What You Need
Chubby Chunk - Testament (RL Edit)
Romanthony - Let Me Show You Love (Oliver $ Remix)
Chris Lum & Jay J - Freaks Like Us
LNR-Work It To The Bone (DJ T Edit)
Code 718-Equinox (Henrik Schwarz Remix)
Dennis Ferrer - Transitions (RL Edit)
Fimo - Mediate
Global Communication - The Way
Dennis Ferrer - Son Of Raw
FCL - Lets Go
Soundstream - Deeper Love
Armand Van Helden-U Dont Know Me feat Duane Harden
Moodymann - Don't Be Misled!
Romanthony - Bring you Up (Deetron mix)
Henrik Schwarz - Eye Nyam Nam A Mensuro (Dub)
My Rules - Yah Yah
Kano - Its a War
Derrick Carter - Where U At? (Where Yacapella?)
Phoenix - If I Ever Feel Better (I'd go to the disco)
Phoenix - If I Ever Feel Better
Still Going - Still Going Theme
Flow - Another Time
Primal Scream - Don't Fight It, Feel It
Michoacan - 2 Bullets Disaster
Sound Stream - Bass Affairs
Alena - Changes (Ron Basejam Remix)
Metro Area - Miura
Visage - Fade to Grey