Why do we love library music so much? Take a listen to John Cameron's "Swamp Fever" for an idea. Air-tight musicianship, out-front back-beat, sparse arrangement, crisp recording, effortlessly funky. It's as if it were made with the beat lovers of the future in-mind.

"Swamp Fever" is featured on our Music For Dancefloors collection, and originally appears on one of the heaviest and most sought after of all KPM LPs, Afro Rock, recorded at Morgan Studios by John Cameron and Alan Parker in London in 1973. As well as being a library music veteran (with over a dozen different LPs recorded for KPM and Bruton Music since the '70s), Cameron is a bona fide film composer whose credits include Kes from 1969 and 1973’s A Touch Of Class (starring Glenda Jackson and George Segal) for which he received an Academy Award nomination.

Music For Dancefloors: The KPM Music Library (Deluxe version) is released on April 2nd on 2xCD (original studio recordings and live concert), 2xLP featuring the original studio recordings and 2xCD insert of the full CD content, and digital (original studio recordings and live concert).

Ashley Beedle is one of those incredible DJs who has most likely forgotten more about music than most of us will ever know. Hyperbole aside, it's a thrill to hear him speak about his early nightlife experience, the transition from soundboy culture into early club days, and the music that soundtracked the different times of his life. We're honored to have Ashley on the line-up for our Christmas Party this week, and hope you can join us for what promises to be an incredible evening!

You used to talk about soul clubs in North London that you went to when you were young. Can you tell us about those days?

Yes, I was 16 or 17 when I was going to places like Bumbles, which was either in Tottenham or Palmers Green, and the Royalty in Southgate. I actually saw Marvin Gaye perform there. At the time, I was dabbling with sound systems and I was involved with Stateside which was a sound up in Wembley. My cousin Ricky Bushell hooked me in and I travelled around with them. Already at that stage it wasn't just about being a pure reggae sound - 2-step soul had started to come in since reggae was a very male phenomenon at his height. The DJs had realised that they had to appeal to the girls and it was soul tunes like Natalie Cole's 'This Will Be' that worked and got them onto the floor. Norman Jay was doing that too with Joey on his sound.

My first club experiences were really during my last year at school when London's West End was big. Clubs like Crackers and Obie J's. Where I was living, Harrow (North West London) had a big club scene at the time - there was a big Asian and black population there and the soulboy thing was big. Places like Harrow Leisure Centre, the Kings Head at Harrow On The Hill, Circles in South Harrow, the Headstone in Harrow & Wealdstone and the Co-Op disco which was very influential. There was a white guy, Dave, who ran a sound system called Channel One - not the reggae one we know today - and he played big reggae hits next to tracks like Fatback Band 'Spanish Hustle' and 'Going To See My Baby', then Elton John's 'Philadelphia Freedom', Mass Production - 'Cosmic Lust'. I went to Wembley too - the Hop Bine. The dancers from Crackers used to go there and they moved around different clubs and cut each other up. It was a really interesting time. Hammersmith Palais did a Sunday gig where Kelly's Roadshow played . The biggest tunes were The Real Thing's 'Can You Feel The Force' and GQ hits like 'Standing Ovation'. I remember there was a turning point when jazz funk became too insular - you'd be paying £20 for a rare album with just one playable track on it. Then kids got into Slave, Freeez, the Brit funk wave which was massive during the early '80s. There was crossover with the punk scene too as punks took elements of Soulboy fashion like mohair jumpers and plastic bag tops while studded belts and winkle pickers crossed into the soul crowd. That doesn't often get mentioned.

Which were your favourite clubs during the heyday of electro and boogie around '83-'85? Any life-changing club moments at that time? Where did you used to buy your records back then?

This was a strange time for me - I opted out a bit during this period. I was checking bands like The Clash, A Certain Ratio, Orange Juice and Siouxsie And The Banshees. At the same time, Rob Mello and I used to go to Bentleys where Derek B was the main DJ. I first started to hear electro and boogie there, all mixed up, just as the B Boy thing was coming through. Then there was Spats in Oxford Street where Tim Westwood was the resident. He'd play that US remix of Tears For Fears with the big break, Ryuichi Sakamoto 'Riot In Lagos'. It all changed so quickly. Boogie was big and I got totally caught up again after being an indie kid for a while! I had blue plastic brothel creepers, a quiff, the lot! There was a lot of crossover with electro and boogie. A seminal record back then was Terence T 'Power' which was a big record when pirate station LWR first started up. Rumour had it that it was Terence Trent D'Arby behind it but it wasn't! It came out and I remember that you could only get it in Tower Records in Piccadilly. We had no mobiles so it was all word of mouth at that time - a collector called Rajan tipped me off that they had copies. I got there and the queue was round the block! I used to go to obvious small shops like Groove Records in Soho but HMV and Tower used to have some good records back then too. Groove would sometimes even buy their copies there. Reggae shops too - Hawkeye in Harlesden brought in UK boogie tracks and soul to broaden their selection.

How did you find the transition from sound system DJ to club DJ back in the day? Or was it a natural move for you? Where did you first cut your teeth as a DJ in clubs?

I started to make my name when I was with Shock sound system. When we started that, it was just before acid house. Rare groove was really going on but then these proto house records started to appear. I went to Meltdown one night, a club run by Jonathan More and Norman Jay at The Crypt in Brixton. They were playing proto house records mixed in with Fela and James Brown and then eventually all these other house records appeared and they played them too. There was a 12 called 'JB Traxx' by Duane & Co. - a massive record. That was the vibe, then Trax came in. We were then given our own room at Clink Street and that was the first time that we did longer sets, playing 2-3 hours. None of us really went to Shoom at the time but the Shoomers came to Clink St after Shoom had finished. We were playing the black end of house which was very different to their sound and we still played soul too staying tru to our suburban soulboy roots. Then Phil Perry, who had Queens in Windsor, approached me to play there - that was the first time I saw Phil, Breeze (God rest his soul) and Weatherall. They played odd records but I adored them and I kept going up to booth asking 'what's that, what's that!' Tracks like Les Negresses Vertes 'Zobi la Mouche', 'Oh Well' by Oh Well, Belgian new beat. All coming in at different angles.

You're in Manchester now? How are you finding life there... and music?

It's one of the best moves I've ever done. London was good but personalities had started to outstrip what the music was about. I found that none of them talked about music - it was all about their careers. I met with T. Williams and listening to his stuff buzzed me up again. Julio Bashmore too. Floor-edged UK funky house that references the older stuff we played but in a great new way. I did my 'Yardism' EP in response to that (which is doing well, may I add!). So, I moved to Manchester partly to get out of London and my partner is also studying here. There are so many little scenes here - everyone knows each other and everyone is really helpful. There's some really new stuff up here and, dare I say it, it may be a bit ahead of London! Wet Play is a great night, Red Laser Disco, Hot Milk playing bashment (which Eoin Mcmanus who is connected to the Oi Polloi store is involved with). Another lot called New Bohemian, Irfan Rainey flying the flag for black house music - he runs a night called Community. Then the Electric Chair crews influence is here everywhere. They really were the forerunners of a lot of stuff happening in Manchester now.

At the Strut party, we're looking forward to you getting back to the original vinyl. Do you get a chance to spin the rare older tracks as a full DJ set these days?

I do and I don't. I try and keep a balance, making sure that I'm playing new material but bringing in old tracks too. I mix it all up. If you've been DJing as long as me, you start to know what your records are about. DJ Harvey said that you start to understand that when you hit 40! I'm looking forward to the Strut night - it should be great fun.

Ottawa's Souljazz Orchestra does not mess around. One look at the band's rigorous tour schedule makes it clear that this is a group of musicians on a mission. The super-group's dedication shines through the music as well of course, a distillation of a variety of Latin & African styles with a solid vocabulary of funk, soul and jazz. Check out the new track "Cartão Postal" which fuses Brazilian samba with Angolan semba, with lyrics (in Portuguese, of course) contrasting the generic "post-card" conception of the Tropics with the reality of poverty that pervades many of these idealized areas. The band's new album Solidarity will be out September 18th. For further information on these tour dates, visit the band's site.

Sep 22 - Ottawa, ON - Babylon
Oct 10 - Paris, France - La Bellevilloise
Oct 11 - Pau, France - Showcase Time
Oct 12 - Marseille, France - Cabaret Aléatoire
Oct 13 - Lille, France - Bal à Fives
Oct 14 - Chalon-sur-Saône, France - La Péniche
Oct 17 - Lyon, France - La Marquise
Oct 19 - Bordeaux, France - BT59
Oct 20 - Montpellier, France - Le Jam
Oct 22 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
Oct 23 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - MC Theatre
Oct 24 - Vienna, Austria - Fledermaus
Oct 25 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Bratislava Jazz Days
Oct 26 - Prague, Czech Republic - Agharta
Oct 27 - České Budějovice, Czech Republic - South Bohemia Jazzfest
Oct 28 - Dornbirn, Austria - Conrad Sohm
Oct 31 - Cologne, Germany - Stadtgarden
Nov 01 - Athens, Greece - Gazarte
Nov 02 - Athens, Greece - Gazarte
Nov 04 - London, UK - Jazz Cafe
Nov 09 - Toronto, ON - Wrongbar
Nov 10 - Kingston, ON - The Mansion
Nov 15 - Québec, QC - Le Cercle
Nov 16 - Montréal, QC - Le Belmont
Nov 17 - Gatineau, QC - Petit Chicago
Nov 28 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *
Nov 29 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall *
Nov 30 - New York, NY - Webster Hall *
Dec 01 - Washington, DC - Jammin Java
Dec 02 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live *
Dec 04 - Buffalo, NY - Nietzsche's *
Dec 05 - Detroit, MI - The Crofoot *
Dec 06 - Columbus, OH - Woodlands Tavern *
Dec 07 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle *
Dec 08 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock

* w/ Zongo Junction

As we celebrate the anniversary of one of our favorite, and certainly one of the most influential sound systems, it's nice to be able to take a look back at the development of Norman Jay's Good Times, and his shaping of popular tastes. Through conversations with Norman himself, and those close to him, we get to see some of the many things that made (and make) Good Times so special. Hats off to Norman, and to the parties which have brought so many people together.

One thing about working with Dennis Coffey: the man likes to keep things Detroit-centric as much as possible. Which is great. The sheer amount of talent coming out of the D is incredible, and his latest album was heavily enriched by contributions from some of the city's finest performers, including Mayer Hawthorne, Mick Collins of The Dirtbombs, Rachel Nagy of The Detroit Cobras and more. So it came as no surprise that when we started the discussions about putting together a remix compilation, the plan was to pull from Detroit's extremely rich electronic community.

We're partnering up with Fat Beats to give away the whole collection soon, which includes contributions from Dabrye, 14KT, Recloose, Nick Speed & more, but to kick things off we wanted to share with you this excellent remix from Ghostly's Shigeto. The Michigan beat maker puts a distinctive bounce underneath "All Your Goodies Are Gone," somewhere in between garage house and the signature Motor City hip-hop sound characterized by innovators like Jay Dilla. The remix collection, titled Outer Galaxies: Dennis Coffey Reinterpreted will be out soon. Dennis Coffey's Dennis Coffey album and Shigeto's Full Circle are out now.

All Your Goodies Are Gone feat. Mayer Hawthorne (Shigeto remix) by Strut

Norman Jay walks his own path as a DJ, a regrettably rare trait these days. His Good Times sound system is a festival mainstay, and an institution at Notting Hill Carnival, where Jay was instrumental in introducing a range of gritty, soulful styles to complement the predominantly reggae-based sound systems. Jay helped spread an appreciation for deep crates and eclectic selections during the rise of Acid Jazz, and was a force behind Shake ‘N’ Fingerpop, High On Hope and the seminal Talkin’ Loud label alongside Gilles Peterson, all of which built his reputation for open-minded soulful selections spanning soul, funk, disco, early house, reggae and hip hop. He is also the first DJ to be presented with the MBE honor. For you non-Brits, that's Member of the Order of the British Empire. Other honorees include, say, The Beatles.

Now, the maestro returns with a special 30th Anniversary collection for Strut, another bumper set of genre-hopping classics and rare Good Times favourites. Tracks include boogie rarity ‘Dreamin’ by short-lived band Zalmac and Fries & Bridges’ ‘Forever This’, a 4x4 belter featuring an early vocal by chart superstar Cee-Lo Green. Jay touches on independent hip hop with Basement Chemist, jazz grooves courtesy of Kira Neris and Attic Tree, skanking reggae from Jacob Miller and doo-wop soul courtesy of Little Anthony & The Imperials. The album is an incredible collection of music from a man whose one-of-a-kind selections have pleased crowds the world over. Look for it in July on CD, LP + digital download, featuring a new interview between Jay and journalist Lloyd Bradley, as well as career-spanning photos.

Tracklist:
1. MARK CAPANNI – I BELIEVE IN MIRACLES
2. AVERY SUNSHINE – I GOT SUNSHINE
3. TED TAYLOR – GHETTO DISCO (Edit)
4. ZALMAC – DREAMIN’
5. TERRI WELLS – WHO’S THAT STRANGER
6. LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS – I DON’T HAVE TIME TO WORRY
7. MARIO BIONDI – MY GIRL
8. JACOB MILLER & INNER CIRCLE – TIRED FE LICK WEED IN A BUSH
9. THE BASEMENT KHEMIST – EVERYBODY (L I F E)
10. J BOOGIE’S DUBTRONIC SCIENCE feat. GOAPELE and CAPITOL A – TRY ME (People Under The Stairs Remix)
11. ATTIC TREE – VOAR
12. CURTIS MAYFIELD – VICTORY
13. DANTE – FREAK IN ME
14. FRIES & BRIDGES – FOREVER THIS
15. THE DETROIT EXPERIMENT – THINK TWICE (Henrik Schwarz Remix)
16. ASHLEY SLATER – PRIVATE SUNSHINE

It feels really great to see deserving people get their due, and it's difficult to think of many people more deserving of recognition when it comes to Detroit music than Dennis Coffey. On April 15th, the day before Record Store Day, The Detroit Music Awards will be honoring Dennis with a Distinguished Achievement Award.  He'll be joined on stage by Mayer Hawthorne, to perform the track "All Your Goodies Are Gone," which appears on the new album.  Dennis is also nominated for the video for his cover of Cee-Lo's "F**k You," which features a host of notable Detroit folks.  If you're in the area, you can catch the show at The Fillmore Theater.