Category Archives: BEDMO DISCO NEWS

DECADE DUBS: CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF BEDMO DISCO

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It was 10 years ago this month that we put out our very first record, a collection of “wrong reworks from Bristol, England” entitled Bedmo Disco Volume 1. That collection, crafted by Five-Stylez and myself (he did the hard work – I mostly barked instructions), marked the beginning of the Bedmo Disco story.

A decade on, much has changed – Bedmo Disco has been a trio, with the addition of our good pal, fine DJ and superb producer Awon, for over six years – but we’re still as enthusiastic, passionate and excitable as ever.

This weekend, we’re beginning our 10th birthday celebrations in earnest via a joint party with the boys from Bodywork, one of the best parties in Bristol over recent years. The event at the Crofters Rights on Saturday, May 6th has been created to draw attention to Soundwave Croatia, the superb summer festival we’ve been playing at since the tail end of the noughties. Alongside the Bodywork crew, we’ll be playing at the festival again this July. At Saturday’s party, we’ll be joined behind the decks by two other Soundwave-bound DJs, former Bristol resident Harri Pepper (Slix Disco/Stamp The Wax) and Yadava, one of the resident DJs behind Manchester’s essential So Flute party.

Given that this is kicking off our 10th anniversary, we thought it would be good to do something a little different; something that showcases some of the music we’ve made, released and re-edited, but is a little more dynamic than a straight-up DJ set. So, over the last few weeks and months, we’ve developed a special show entitled “DECADE DUBS”. We will debut this decks, hardware and effects workout on Saturday night. Sadly, Five-Stylez can’t make it – though he will be involved in future performances – so it will just be Awon and myself dashing between portable samplers, gadgets and the twin Technics 1210s.

So what is “DECADE DUBS”? Naturally, we don’t want to give too much away in advance, but it’s a semi-improvised performance created using loops samples from music that’s been released on Bedmo Disco Records and Pointless Edits over the years, previously unreleased “secret weapons” (Awon’s superb “Saxy Time”, for starters), specially created re-edits, and new interpretations of a couple o well-known tunes. Like a live show, there is a set-list, but there’s a lot of flexibility for jamming and spontaneous changes of direction within that. You won’t be surprised to hear that it’s heavy and synth-laden, for the most part, and includes a few cheeky surprises that we think dancers will really respond to.

We’d naturally love it if you could make it on Saturday to check out what we’ve been working on. It’s no lie to say that we’ve been living and breathing DECADE DUBS for the last six weeks, first getting together the elements to play around with, and then working them into the kind of seamless, non-stop show that puts the needs of dancers first and foremost.

If you’re lucky, we’ll post a couple of previews on social media in the days to come. In the meantime, head over to Facebook to find out more about the party.

SELL BY DAVE, 03/05/17

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NEWS: BEDMO DISCO RADIO IS BACK

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Summer has finally arrived in Bristol (about time etc.), and ahead of a new period of Bedmo Disco DJ gigs, we’re returning to the (virtual) wireless.

This Tuesday (19th July, 2016) we’ll be making our debut on Soultrain Radio, with the first in a series of monthly shows. The team behind the station have been keen to get us involved for a while, to supplement existing shows from fellow West Country disco/boogie crews Feel The Real and Boogie Cafe (the latter helmed by our old pal and occasional label artist Jimmy The Twin).

Tomorrow’s show will feature Awon and Sell By Dave (sadly, Five-Stylez is otherwise engaged playing hip-hop for another radio station), will be broadcast live from the Soultrain studios here in Bristol, and will feature us dropping some killer wax from across the discoid universe.

We’ll also be looking ahead to Soundwave Croatia, which kicks off on 4 August at The Garden, Tisno, and features us lot playing records, as well as loads of other top notch bands, selectors etc.

So do tune in, as we’ll be playing lots of rather good music, and no doubt Sell By will be his usual idiotic self on the mic (“disco’s own Alan Partridge”, as a regular listener to Bedmo Disco Radio once famously described him). That’s got to be worth two hours of your time, right?

Tune in to Bedmo Disco Radio from 10pm-12midnight BST on Tuesday 19th July 2016 on Soultrain Radio.

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NEWS: BEDMO DISCO PRESENTS JD TWITCH AT THE SMALL HORSE INN

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Here’s something you wouldn’t want to miss: a rare chance to see Optimo’s JD Twitch flying solo behind the decks in Bristol. As you can see from the handy graphic above, the party takes place this Friday (October 9th) at The Small Horse Inn on Small Street, the new late night drinking/dancing establishment from Team Love (the people behind The Love Inn, the Love Saves The Day festival, Love International in Croatia, and loads more besides).

When we originally put the event together, it was due to take place at The Doghouse, and some listings may still state this as the location. However, we lost confidence in the management of the Doghouse and decided to switch it to The Small Horse Inn, which opened last weekend. We’re familiar with the space already, as it was previously Native and Big Chill Bristol, where we hosted many other Bedmo Disco Presents parties. To become the Small Horse, the space has had a total makeover, with a freshly tuned and re-built sound system that was sounding particularly impressive on its’ opening weekend. Certainly, we’re excited about the possibilities of the space, and with its’ intimate layout, it should make for a great atmosphere on Friday night.

Twitch himself should need little introduction. Keith McIvor, as his close friends and family call him, began his DJ career in Edinburgh at the turn of the 1990s, where he was resident at now legendary house/techno night Pure. It’s for Optimo [Espacio] and spin-off labels Optimo Music/Optimo Trax that he’s best known. The Optimo parties at Glasgow’s Art School (and these days Sub Club, amongst other places) are the stuff of legend, and feature Keith and DJ partner Jonny Wilkes joining the dots between a multitude of sounds and styles whilst focusing on the dance floor. It’s for this reason that Optimo has attracted a cult following around the world, and why finding a spare date in their packed gig schedule is tricky, to say the least. It’s also why we were so keen to get Keith down to play for us; you know he’ll get it right, get the party going, and play music that makes you go “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!” whilst still dancing your ass off.

Upstairs in what the venue is calling “The Lodge”, you’ll find Legendary Tone and Spice Route delivering mellower flavours, whilst keeping an eye on the dance floor. Both have amazing record collections, and will play some killer material.

There are no advanced tickets for this, and it will be first come, first served on the door. Entrance is £3/4, though the venue is open from late afternoon, so those who are really keen could turn up before we start at 10pm for a few free-drinks and avoid the charge. Either way, we’d advise being down before midnight (and ideally 11.30pm) to guarantee entry. It will be worth the effort, though – Keith will absolutely smash it, we’re sure.

Should you want something to get you in the mood for Friday night’s revelry, Sell By Dave has put together an all-vinyl mix of dance floor treats for the Wax Exchange crew. You can stream it via the Soundcloud player below.

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NEWS: THREE MORE CHANCES TO DANCE (LIKE YOU MEAN IT)

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The festive period is upon us, and that means a whole load more chances to “dance like you mean it”, as Bedmo Disco hit the Christmas and New Year period hard. This time, there are no headline guest DJs in tow – just Awon, Sell By Dave and Five-Stylez mixing up the good time grooves, obscure disco and boogie jams, unreleased re-edits and secret weapons.

Here’s what we’re up to over the next few weeks…

FRIDAY 19th DECEMBER – BEDMO DISCO PRESENTS CHRISTMAS PARTY @ BIG CHILL BRISTOL
Six hours of us mixing it up for your drinking and dancing pleasure. Expect a mixed-up, floor-friendly selection of gems from the depths of our ever-growing record collections. There’s free entry to this one all night long… get in!

WEDNESDAY 31st DECEMBER – COLSTON HALL NYE SWING DANCE (MAISON PARADISO COCKTAIL LOUNGE) @ COLSTON HALL, BRISTOL
This New Year’s Eve, we’ll be providing the music in The Lantern, the smaller venue attached to Colston Hall, as part of their “NYE Swing Dance”. We’ve teamed up with Maison Paradiso and will be keeping things lively in their room, dropping a party-friendly mix of disco, boogie, house, classics and occasional random drunken selections.

SATURDAY 3rd JANUARY, 2015 – BEDMO DISCO  @ BIG CHILL BRISTOL
To celebrate the start of our new Saturday night residency at Big Chill Bristol (the first Saturday of every month, kids) we’ll be pitching up at our favourite city centre watering hole-turned-intimate club space and playing lots of great music to get you going in 2015. New Year, new you… same old Bedmo Disco!

Join us at least one of these… we can guarantee great music and good times!

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MUSIC: AUNTIE FLO’S GREATEST HITS

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As you’d expect, we’re rather excited by the prospect of Auntie Flo – AKA Glaswegian DJ/producer/walking font of musical knowledge Brian D’Souza – swinging by Big Chill Bristol for Bedmo Disco Presents 008 this Friday (28th November).

Production-wise, Brian has been on fire for a few years now – ever since the 2011 release of his debut EP Goan Highlife on Huntleys & Palmers. He has some terrific music in the pipeline (some of which he’s promised to drop on Friday night), but in the meantime we thought it would be good to take a quick spin through some of the highlights of his career to date, with the assistance of some handy YouTube links.

AUNTIE FLO – HIGHLIFE

Where it all began. A modern day afro-futurist masterpiece originally created to be played as the final tune at Highlife parties in Glasgow. Still sounds fresh, three years after its’ release.

AUNTIE FLO – LA SAMARITA FEAT. MAMACITA

Taken from 2012’s Future Rhythm Machine, the Auntie Flo debut album (a follow-up is currently in the works). If you’ve not checked that album, you should. This track, featuring vocalists Mamacita, is a dose of percussive South American sunshine.

AUNTIE FLO – KISUMU

Back in 2012 Brian dropped an excellent 12” of globally inspired house and techno tracks on Japan’s Mule Musiq label. Titled “Sun Rituals”, it was designed as a tribute that great big fiery thing in the sky we see all to infrequently in the UK. “Kisumu”, a chunk of rolling, melodious deep house, was arguably the EP’s highlight.

AUNTIE FLO – LUMBALU

We can’t praise the Highlife Edits series highly enough. This densely percussive number – all cowbells, timbale and thunderous kicks, plus looped vocals – helped launch it with a bang back in September 2013.

AUNTIE FLO – SUN RITUAL II

Taken from the second Highlife Edits 12”, Sun Ritual II sounds like the perfect end-of-night darkroom record – a 12-minute opus that begins as a dense, bass-heavy, Afro-techno jam before flowering into a wide-eyed chunk of synth-laden euphoria. If he drops this on Friday night, there’ll be a few people on the dancefloor having a “moment”.

AUNTIE FLO – HEY DON’T MAKE TROUBLE (VIDEO EDIT)

Killer afro-futurism that’s been a staple of Bedmo Disco radio shows and DJ sets all year. Brian’s first outing on Munich’s Permanent Vacation label. It still detonates the dance if dropped at the right time.

AUNTIE FLO – JAS

Brian has previously talked about the influence the early releases from Mathias Aguayo and company’s Comeme label had on the foundation of the Highlife night, and his distinctive global futurist style. “Jas” is taken from Comeme’s Gasoline compilation, and sounds like a pitched-down South American rave record. Late night sleaze par excellence.

DUOLOGUE – PUSH IT (AUNTIE FLO’S REMIX)

A rare remix outing, which originally featured on Innervisions’ offshoot Philomena. An inspired chunk of string-laden, bass-driven deep house peppered with moments of pure Balearic bliss.

AUNTIE FLO – DAABI

JD Twitch’s Autonomous Africa series raises funds for projects in Africa, the idea given being to give Africans a chance to control their own destiny. Brian has contributed to a couple of the EPs, with this killer cut from the third installment in the series being our favourite.

Auntie Flo headlines Bedmo Disco Presents 008 at Big Chill Bristol on Friday November 28th. For more details click on the links below.

Facebook Event page
RA event page

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NEWS: AUNTIE FLO NEXT UP AT ‘BEDMO DISCO PRESENTS…’

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The last few Bedmo Disco Presents… sessions at Big Chill Bristol have been pretty special. September’s session with Alexander Nut was memorable for all the right reasons, while Daniel Wang’s set at our Halloween party was a thing of rare beauty – a dance floor disco and house mix that kept us guessing throughout. We think our next event, featuring the one and only AUNTIE FLO, will be one of most memorable yet.

If you’re unfamiliar with the distinctive sound of Glaswegian in London Auntie Flo (AKA DJ/producer/musician Brian D’Souza), then you’re missing out. D’Souza is one of the UK’s foremost purveyors of 21st century global fusion, where rhythms from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia are paired with the unmistakable pulse of house, techno and disco. He was instrumental in setting up Glasgow’s acclaimed HIGHLIFE parties, alongside HUNTLEYS & PALMERS label boss Andrew Thompson. The two collaborate on HIGHLIFE EDITS, an offshoot of H&P that delivers shit-hot reworks of obscure Afro-disco, Afro-funk and Middle Eastern records.

As a producer, D’Souza has been on great form for some time. Following his breakthrough single, the brilliant ‘Highlife’/’Goa’, he’s released a superb full-length on Huntleys & Palmers and subsequent singles for Permanent Vacation, Kompakt Extra and others. He’s also a regular contributor to JD Twitch’s Autonomous Africa project, which raises money for projects in sub-Saharan Africa. He also performs impressive Auntie Flo live shows alongside regular studio collaborator Esa.

For his appearance in Bristol, he’ll be taking to the decks and delivering a set that joins the dots between a myriad of global styles and 21st century “Western” dance music. Expect tropical rhythms, heavy basslines and percussion for days. Oh, and plenty of sweaty dancefloor moments!

In addition, we’ve enlisted Rough Draft bossman and all round badman DJ ELDRIDGE to take care of duties in the study. Expect a lesson in crate digging as he drops a vinyl-only selection of jams from across the musical spectrum.

Supporting Auntie Flo downstairs will be Bedmo Disco (that’s Awon, Sell By Dave and Five-Stylez to you).

With our usual sound system tweaks and extra speakers, Big Chill Bristol will be sounding better than ever. The last few parties have been chock-a-block, so arrive early to guarantee entry. Remember: it’s free before 11pm, then £3 after. 

To get you in the mood, here’s a taste of Auntie Flo in action, in the shape of a vintage Boiler Room excursion from 2012…

 

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MUSIC: NEW BEDMO DISCO “WORKOUT” MIX FOR BODYWORK

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It’s been a while since the last Bedmo Disco mix, and even longer since Sell By Dave, Awon and Five-Stylez all contributed to one. Clearly, we needed an excuse, because last week we put one together for our friends at Bodywork Bristol. They uploaded it to their Soundcloud profile earlier today, and you can find it below.

There is, of course, a good reason they asked us to contribute to their “Workout” series (mixes inspired by working out, trips to the gym, that kind of thing). On Saturday (11th October) they’re hosting what looks to be a particularly tasty party at Basement 45 here in Bristol. The headliner is top notch Canadian selector Eddie C (Endless Flight, African Shakedown, Kolour, Crue-L, Common Edit… the list goes on). In support, you’ll find us playing back-to-back with Bodywork residents Hank Champagne and the Prince of Persia. These guys are top DJs with excellent record collections – as anyone who heard them play at Bedmo Disco Presents… a couple of months back will no doubt agree – so we’re particularly excited about sharing the ones-and-twos with them (and, of course, warming up for Eddie).

You can find out more about the party here and buy tickets (recommended) on Resident Advisor here.

As for the mix, we went in hard on the “workout” tip. It features plenty of samples from our little-known collection of ‘80s workout VHS tapes, plenty of original Italo-disco, some forgotten house gems, a smattering of boogie dubs, a slew of unreleased Bedmo Disco dubs and 30 minutes of shirts-off disco at the end. Oh, and Arnie. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

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NEWS: WIN TICKETS TO ALEXANDER NUT AT BIG CHILL BRISTOL

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This Friday sees the mighty ALEXANDER NUT head to Bristol to play the latest instalment of Bedmo Disco Presents. We’ve been making a song and dance about this for a while – we’re genuinely excited about the party. We won’t bore you with the usual spiel, but suffice to say we think it will be one of our best yet.

We’ve teamed up with our friends at Don’t Panic to give away a bunch of tickets (well, guest list, as we’re not printing tickets in advance). You can find out all the details and enter by clicking on the link below. Good luck!

Win Tickets to Alexander Nut with Don’t Panic Online

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NEWS: BUMPER AUTUMN LINE-UP FOR BEDMO DISCO PRESENTS

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Ever since we launched our Bedmo Disco Presents… series back in April. we’ve been working hard to put together a strong line-up of guest DJs for our autumn schedule. We’re excited to finally be able to announce the guests for our next three parties. We’re biased, of course, but we think it’s a killer line-up.

First up, on September 29th, we’ll be welcoming Eglo Records boss, Rinse FM DJ and killer party-starter ALEXANDER NUT to Big Chill Bristol. We’ve been enormous fans of Alex’s mixed-up, anything-goes-as-long-as-it’s-soulful approach to DJing since we first heard him play at UFO in Bristol a few years back. We’ve been lucky to dance hard to his sets on numerous occasions since, and he always kills it. For his appearance at Bedmo Disco Presents, Alex will be playing for three hours, joining the dots between boogie, soul, disco, broken beat, modern soul, house, funk, hip-hop, techno futurism and everything in between. It will be deliciously soulful and dancefloor-friendly. Knowing Alex, he’ll also get on the mic, probably after sinking copious amounts of rum. It will undoubtedly be special. While Alex is rocking it downstairs, our old friend OWAIN K from Cardiff will be joining the dots between styles up in the study. He’s an excellent DJ and a talented producer, too, as anyone who has checked his releases on Dessous Recordings will tell you.

Then, on the final Friday in October, we have a very special treat for anyone who loves disco: a return to Bristol for the effervescent DANIEL WANG. Now based in Berlin after years spent earning his stripes in New York, Danny is without doubt one of the finest disco DJs around. His record collection is absurdly deep, and he always gets a party going. He’s only played in Bristol twice before – at UFO first, then at the Motorcycle Showrooms in 2013 – but both times he absolutely killed it. We’re delighted to have him on board, and look forward to hosting him. He’s something of a legend, all told, having spearheaded the first wave of “nu-disco” in the late ’90s and early 2000s – first with his own label, Balihu, and later on Morgan Geist’s Environ imprint. He’s also released material on Ghostly International, while his latest re-edit 12″ under the Otto Gelb alias (simply titled Volume 3) is – predictably – another killer. We’ll write more about Danny and his long career closer to the time.

Finally, in November, we have Huntley’s & Palmers resident AUNTIE FLO. Those with an interest in the modern wave of African-influenced music – and Afro funk and afro0-disco full stop – will know all about the London-based Glaswegian. He’s released a mixture of killer edits (a number on the excellent Highlife Edits series) and original material for the likes of Permanent Vacation, Autonomous Africa and Kompakt Extra. His original music is particularly exciting, as it blends African rhythms with contemporary electronic styles and all manner of global influences. He’s not played in Bristol before as far as we can make out, so it will be thrilling to give him his debut in our fair city.

For all of these parties, we’ll be addressing the sound issues that some have complained about. We’re going to be tweaking the system and repositioning the speakers, with additional stacks, to get a warm, rich sound befitting the quality of the music. We’re heads, and sound is of massive importance. The venue has given us their blessing to do this, and we’re working with sound engineers to get it right. It should enhance what will be great parties.

Don’t forget we’ll also have a 4am licence for these, special guests in the study, and ourselves warming you up and sending you home happy at the end. Oh, and it’s always going to be £3 in, so you can come and “dance like you mean it” without spending a fortune.

We’ll be talking more about our guests and these forthcoming parties on September’s Bedmo Disco Radio, which takes place tomorrow (Tuesday 2nd September) on www.infader.fm, starting at 8pm.

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NEWS: THE BOOGIE CARTEL ON BEDMO DISCO RADIO

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It’s been a busy month for us here at Bedmo Disco towers, with a memorable trip to Soundwave Croatia – the highlight of which was the unbelievable reaction of the Beach Stage crowd to our Saturday night set – and various gigs leaving us happy but exhausted. We should thank Noah and Rob at Soundwave for having us back for the fourth time, and for all those who came and danced hard. It was a blast!

While we’re thanking people, we should also extend our gratitude to the boys from Bodywork and People Like Us, who played brilliant sets at the latest edition of Bedmo Disco Presents at Big Chill Bristol a couple of weeks back. They got the party pumping, and it was great to see local talent getting an even better reaction than some of our headline guests from overseas.

Tonight (Tuesday 5th August) we return to the virtual airwaves with the latest instalment of Bedmo Disco Radio on www.invader.fm. We kick off at 8pm, and will be reflecting on the past month as well as looking forward to our next big party on 29th August. On that date, we’ll be joined at Big Chill Bristol by the boys from The Boogie Cartel. We’ve been following the progress of Captain Turtle and the rest of the Boogie Cartel guys for a few years, so it seemed the right time to give them their Bristol debut. They put on particularly good parties at the Horse and Groom in Shoreditch (amongst other places) and recently smashed up the Downlow Radio tent at Glastonbury. They’ll no doubt bring the party, as they always do.

You can get a taste of what the Boogie Cartel have to offer on tonight’s edition of Bedmo Disco Radio. We’ll be airing a 30-minute guest mix from Captain Turtle just after 9pm. We’ve been listening to it all morning, and suffice to say you won’t be disappointed.

So tune in to Invader.fm from 8pm, sit back and enjoy our usual selection of ace tunes, idiotic mic banter and pointless references to Awon’s cat, Lionel. Five-Stylez is otherwise engaged, so we probably won’t be playing any INXS or Bobby Brown. Still, it should be a good show nonetheless!

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