RECORD SHOPPING IN MY SLEEP
in 1997, I was living in London and one thing i loved the most about that country was PIRATE RADIO stations. On any given night there was up to 10 stations playing music programmed by fans and bedroom DJs pumping out commercial free music non-stop . I slept next to the radio every night falling asleep to the latest Garage, or Broken beat mixes and when a great song came on I would lucidly press play on my tape recorder while still asleep. The next day was like unwrapping chistmas presents because i was never sure what i’d find but always excited when I’d rewind the tape and listen back .Then I’d go to the record stores ( remember them?) , play them the little bit off my walkman and they’d tell me who it was. Anyway….the best song ever to be discovered while record shopping in my sleep was GABRIEL. Peven Everett’s positive yet haunting voice still lifts my spirits to this day and when the horns come in ..I still get chills . Roy Davis Jr. produced the track and this song has been a staple thruout the years . It was a turning point for music track as many felt it started the “two-step” sound which was refreshing as drum n bass had become a dickwaiving cliche with little soul, great MC’s like Cleveland Watkiss were delegated to live only gigs but not recorded for fear of giving up publishing B.S. ( thanks Goldie) ,and lost it’s sense of humor, much like heavy metal distorted rock n roll with it’s hardness , as happens to every thriving new musical genre after about 10-15 years into it . This song was a much needed return to love and good times . in it?
OTHER things I loved about living in London was that free health care for everybody really worked ( even though the brits complained -they never knew how good they had it-greener grass) , there were very few homeless ( compared to the U.S. and usually by choice if any ) , no sign of grimey ghettos , poverty yes but the govt provides the basics like housing and healthcare. ( nothing close to the ghetto wastelands across the U.S. in nearly every cities SE side ) London is a music loving city and as someone once said-“theyr’e the librarians of every culture”. After 10 years I moved back to the US thinking Bush was about to be voted out his second term. My heart sank as I arrived on voting day only to witness he stole another rigged election. The countrywas stillin shock and awe under the propaghanda storm created by republican owned mainstream news networks and radio. It’s songs like this that will always be there to help us through such difficult times. -Lady Kier