This was how it was for me with the explosion of House Music, when it hit our shores in 87. I completely fell in love with it...the sounds, the feel, the emotion and energy it radiated. Again, like my Break-Dancing days, it was a movement, but not an obvious one. There was nothing in the main stream, but 'tunes' would be passed between mates and I realised that things were changing.
Of course, from my last post, I left it with how I got into DJ'ing and spent all my money on Tunes (vinyl) and DJ'd in a trio at a dodgy fun pub in Coventry. From there we did the odd Warehouse party and met up in a dodgy field with a PA and loads of people of their heads...Acid had took hold...both the style of House and the Drugs! Never did any of that stuff...too dodgy!
With being DJ's though, we weren't just content with scratchin over tunes or beat mixing, we wanted to create our own mixes. Radio 1 on a Friday night was where you could hear good mixes (megamixes...so cheese...lol) and a lot of vinyl was released that had multiple trax mixed together...this is what we loved doing...creating a 5 minute mix with 20 or 30 trax in...I guess, creating a new tune from other peoples work...completely mainstream now...
We had our decks, but we also got hold of a 4 Track, which allowed us to record 4 different tunes at the same time (mono)...yes...this is bugger all compared to now, but back then in 88 it was the best you could get and it was all on Cassette. We'd use a snippet off this tune, speed another one up and chuck it over the top and see what happened...Great fun.
While buying loads of tunes and listening to Radio, It was a natural thing for me to want to come up with my own tunes...I knew the beats, the sounds the genre and wanted to do my own stuff...not really obvious to me at the time, but something that was the next step. I bought a Drum Machine (from my ex Step dad funnily enough) and had the first affordable home Samplers (Casio SK1)...it was crap and you know those Birthday Cards that sing Happy Birthday when you open them...well...they are ten times better quality than this thing I had!
I loved it though, I could recreate all the beats from my hero's (Todd Terry was mine) and sample sounds of a record and play new melodies on the keyboard sampler...of course, it had a built in Microphone and I used to chase the Cat around the house (Smokey) to get him to 'Meow' and then play it back at different pitches "mmmeeeeooowww....mmmeeeoowww...meow...mw)...poor Cat ;-)
We were doing this and sharing it about friends, but I saw an Ad in DJ mag (this was THE mag to get at the time) and it was a Studio training course in Birmingham, which was run by "The Commission". These guys were like Pop Stars to us as they did mixes for DMC (Disco Mix Club). I gave them a ring and had a chat and the bloke I spoke to said "well, if we think you're rubbish, we'll send you home"..err...I was a bit worried, but thought...yeah, I'll do it!
At £12/Hr (which was a lot back in 88) I booked in at the Studio (Unique Productions) for my course. I went on a weekday evening and caught the Bus. I got there early and turned up outside a row of Shops and thought..."This is dodgy" and waited until someone turned up (remember...no mobile phones back then)
This guy turned up and we did the usual greeting and while we entered the building and went up the Stairs, I nervously said "Isn't this where the Commission do their mixes?" He said, "Yeah...I am the Commission"...I was in AWE! As soon as I walked in the Studio I felt...I don't know...at home...like this is where I should be...fate I guess.
All these Synthesizers everywhere, Samplers, mixing desk...so Professional compared to me in my Bedroom and...and...you'll find it funny, but you know when you get a new Car, there's a 'smell'...well it's the same in a Studio..I can smell it now...lol. Well we went through a few things of the equipment and I played him a Cassette of my mixes, but also an idea I had based upon, just my Drum Machine and my cheap Casio Sampler...
I was at home...this was where my future lay...all my hopes and dreams at the time, to become a Producer like my heroes...to get all these ideas and tunes in my head out, that my skills and fingers couldn't do...this place could help and mold me...it did!
I stopped buying vinyl for a few weeks and used all of it to pay for Studio time and must have spent about £300 on being in the Studio, plus I had to pay for hiring an 8 Track recorder...I ended up with a Track that you can hear below...complete Shite when I listen to it now, but this sparked off an obsession that continues to this day, which I'll go into how I ended up being on Radio, in Magazines and being Signed by a Record Company...
You can hear below the outcome of my first ever track in 88...It's off Cassette, so sounds awful...but brings a smile ;-)
I wanna know by Magikroom
Of course, this wasn't strictly my first exposure to Music...At the age of 2 and being surrounded by Musicians (Mum and Dad) It was kind of in my Blood...lol. Yes, I had Blonde Hair then..and don't you just love that 70's Decor! ;-)
Me with the Microphone and Drum Sticks in my Hand...lol