Given all the chaos and uncertainty of the times we’re currently living through, like many people I’ve been mulling over the future and what kind of world lies ahead of us, considering what’s really important and should take priority. Continue Reading →
Given the widespread outrage at the killing of George Floyd and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests on both sides of the Atlantic, I thought it might be timely to post up on Facebook some important songs of the past that brought the struggle of black people into the popular arena, especially during the Civil Rights era. All are classics, loved by millions, but hopefully this will offer some context with regards to the times in which they were made and the weight of their subsequent cultural significance. Continue Reading →
The twenty fifth and final edition of my ‘Discotheque Archives’ series for DJ Mag is now online, featuring more landmarks in pre-Rave club culture:
Our t-shirt link-up with NoWayBack has proved fruitful during the past 18 months, with a number of limited GW Edit designs – all sold out with the exception of the recent marl grey version: https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2016/07/gw-no-way-back-tshirt/
‘Don’t You Worry Baby The Best Is Yet To Come’ is a track that was first played at Blackpool Mecca in 1976 following the acquisition of a US promo from fabled Norfolk based Glaswegian record dealer John Anderson (Soul Bowl) by DJ Colin Curtis, and then a release copy via a London based supplier who specialized in importing new American releases to distribute to US Troops in Germany & Europe, specifically black GI’s with a love of Soul and Funk. The Northern Soul sessions at the Mecca were hugely influential, the club revered, along with Manchester’s Twisted Wheel, The Catacombs in Wolverhampton, The Golden Torch in Stoke-On-Trent, and the scene’s most famous venue, Wigan Casino, at the vanguard of the movement.
With the first edition of t-shirts printed earlier this year now all gone, No Way Back have released 2 new GW Edit shirts (grey marl / yellow and vintage white / gold) as well as 2 vests, a female in blue and a male in black. All the details are here:
http://www.nowaybackstore.co.uk/collections/greg-wilson
Having spent the best part of 18 months gradually manoeuvring everything into position, my new record label, Super Weird Substance, is finally up and running with its first releases today, my own track ‘Summer Came My Way’, featuring the sublime vocals of The Reynolds, which is available on vinyl and digital, plus a limited edition box set (200 in total, 100 for promotional use and 100 for sale). The box contains ‘Summer Came My Way’ and the next 3 upcoming releases – ‘She Can’t Love You / Feel The Same’ by Sweet Tooth T’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ by Kermit Leveridge & The Super Weird Society and ‘World Gone Crazy’ by The Reverend Cleve Freckleton & The Sinners. 4 more releases will follow during the summer, and for those with the box sets who want to collect the full vinyl series of 8, there’s room inside for the extra records (foam providing the necessary padding).
Howard Marks, one of the great British anti-heroes, has just made his struggle with cancer public via an interview in the Observer over the weekend, his condition unfortunately inoperable. The 69 year old former cannabis smuggler and author of the bestselling autobiography ‘Mr Nice’, which was subsequently made into a movie with Rhys Irfans taking the lead role, is setting up a charitable foundation – funds raised going towards Howard’s ongoing treatment, as well as the completion of a documentary about him directed by the filmmaker Sam Rowland. You can read the full Observer piece here:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jan/24/howard-marks-inoperable-cancer-mr-nice
Back in 2004 Sav Remzi, then one of the leading figures on London’s underground dance scene, booked me to play at the TDK Cross Central Festival at The Cross, one of the venues (now long gone) then situated in the goods yard behind Kings Cross Station in London. I remember Maurice Fulton also appeared – it was the first time I’d seen him play.
‘The Construct’, the opening track from the Blind Arcade Meets Super Weird Substance In The Morphogenetic Field mixtape, which is fast approaching 50,000 SoundCloud plays, is the subject of both a video, produced and directed by Elspeth Moore & Philip Lyons, and an ‘acid rework’ by Peza.
Recent Comments