Compiled from his record lists of the time.
As played at Wigan Pier and Legend (Manchester).
Listen to the full rundown here:
1.(-) P Funk All Stars ‘Hydraulic Pump Pt III’
Written by George Clinton / Sylvester Stewart / Jimmy Giles / Ron Ford
Produced by George Stone & Sly Clinton
US Hump 12”
2.(-) Xavier ‘Work That Sucker To Death’
Written by T. Phillips / R. Harris / R Hunt Jr / J Mitchell
Produced by Terry Phillips, Rahni Harris & Ted Currier
Mixed by Terry Phillips
US Liberty 12″
3.(-) Mystic Merlin ‘Mr Magician’
From LP ‘Full Moon’
Written by Jerry Anderson
Produced by Alan Abrahams
US Capitol LP
4.(-) Was (Not Was) ‘Tell Me That I’m Dreaming’ (Souped-Up Version)
Written by D. Was / D. Was
Produced by Don Was, David Was & Jack Tann
US Island / ZE 12”
5.(3) Stone ‘Time’ (Instrumental)
Written by Auvil Gilchrist / Daniel Terry
Produced by Auvil Gilchrist
Mixed by Tee Scott
US West End 12”
6.(-) Rafael Cameron ‘Boogie’s Gonna Get Ya’ (Instrumental)
Written by R. Muller
Procuced by Randy Muller
Mixed by François Kevorkian
US Salsoul 12”
7.(1) Oneness Of Juju ‘Every Way But Loose’
Written by Plunky Nkabinde
Produced by Plunky Nkabinde & Muzi Nkabinde
US Sutra 12”
8.(-) Electrik Funk ‘On A Journey (I Sing The Funk Electric)’
Written by E. Matthew / M. Watson
Produced & Mixed by Eric Matthew & Darryl Payne
US Prelude 12”
9.(-) War ‘You Got The Power’
Written by H. Brown / H. Scott / J. Goldstein / L. Oskar / L. Rabb / S. Allen
Produced by Jerry Goldstein & Lonnie Jordan
US RCA 12”
10.(-) Sharon Brown ‘I Specialize In Love’
Written by Golden / Scher
Produced by Eddie O’Loughlin
Mixed by Tee Scott
US Profile 12”
Other big tunes this month:
Komiko ‘Feel Alright’ 12” – Touch ‘Keep On’ 12” – Maxine Singleton ‘Don’t You Love It’ 12” – Kleeer ‘Taste The Music’ / ‘Wall To Wall’ LP – Roy Ayers ‘Our Time Is Coming’ / ‘Turn Me Loose’ LP – Savanna ‘Never Let You Go’ 12” – The Band A.K.A ‘Grace’ LP – Brass Construction ‘Can You See The Light’ 12” – Don Latarski ‘Beginning Song’ LP – Kasso ‘Walkman’ LP – Rah Band ‘Funk Me Down To Rio / Winter Love’ 12” – Universal Robot Band ‘Barely Breaking Even’ 12” – Michael Wycoff ‘Still Got The Magic’ 12” – Goldie Alexander ‘Show You My Love’ 12” – Patrice Rushen ‘Forget Me Nots’ 12” – Pleasure ‘Sending My Love’ 12”
GREG WILSON’S EARLY 80S FLOORFILLERS:
A fascinating insight on how the fading Jazz-Funk scene gave way to the emerging Electro-Funk movement in the early 80s, ‘Greg Wilson’s Early 80s Floorfillers’, marks the 30th anniversary of when these tracks first appeared. Compiled from his record lists of the time, and unfolding month by month, Greg Wilson counts down the Top 10 Floorfillers played at his venues during the key years of ’82 and ’83. Featured, most notably, on his Tuesday sessions at Wigan Pier and Wednesday gatherings at Legend in Manchester, the most cutting-edge weekly black music nights of the era, these were the clubs most associated with the evolving Electro-Funk sound.
The majority of music played on the black scene in the UK was initially only available on import, mainly out of New York during this period, with the club nights described as ‘upfront’, meaning that the DJ’s were way ahead of the curve – what they played now, others played later, or not at all. Without these DJ’s, many now classic dance tracks would never have become UK hits (many without enjoying similar crossover success in the US) – the reason they were released here in the first place was because these specialist DJ’s were breaking them via the underground.
Things would change in a big way during those 2 years; we were entering the hybrid age for dance music, and the oncoming House and Techno and Hip Hop directions would all owe a huge debt to this era of dance alchemy and groove experimentation.
© Greg Wilson, March 2012
