Compiled from his record lists of the time
As played at Wigan Pier and Legend (Manchester).
Compiled from his record lists of the time. Listen to the full rundown here:
1. D Train ‘You’re The One For Me’ (Instrumental)
Written by Hubert Eaves III / J. Williams
Produced by Hubert Eaves III
Mixed by François Kevorkian & Hubert Eaves III
US Prelude 12”
2. Lesette Wilson ‘Caveman Boogie’
From LP ‘Now That I’ve Got Your Attention’
Written by Lesette Wilson
Produced by Lesette Wilson
US Headfirst
3. Vicky D ‘This Beat Is Mine’
Written by Andre Booth
Produced by Gary R. Turnier & Andre Booth
US Sam 12”
4. Jones Girls ‘Nights Over Egypt’
From LP ‘Get As Much Love As You Can’
Written by D.Wansel / C. Biggs
Produced by Kenneth Gamble
US Philadelphia International
5. Goldie Alexander ‘Show You My Love’
Produced by Tony Green
Written by Kat Dyson, Remixed by Roy B
US Chaz Ro 12”
6. Dr Jeckyll & Mr Hyde ‘Genius Of Love’ (Instrumental)
Written by Tom Tom Club
Produced by Eric Matthew
US Profile 12”
7. Grover Washington Jr ‘Little Black Samba’
From LP ‘Come Morning’
Written by Grover Washington Jr
Produced by Grover Washington Jr & Ralph MacDonald
US Elektra
8.Aurra ‘Make Up Your Mind’
Written by S. Washington / C. Jones / S. Young
Produced by Steve Washington
Mixed by Steve Washington & Julian Robertson
US Salsoul 12”
9. Ray Barretto ‘Passtime Paradise’
From LP ‘La Cuna’
Written by Stevie Wonder
Produced by Creed Taylor
US CTI
10. Eazy ‘Project Funk’
Written by Darryl Payne
Produced by Darryl Payne & Danny Weiss
Mixed by Mark Berry, Darryl Payne & Danny Weiss
US Vanguard 12”
Other big tunes included:
Alton Edwards ‘I Just Wanna (Spend Some Time)’ 12” – Henderson & Whitfield ‘Dancin’ To The Beat’12” – Northend ‘Tee’s Happy’ 12” – The Whispers ‘In The Raw’ / ‘Turn Me Out’ LP – Oneness Of Juju ‘Every Way But Loose’ 12” – Garfield Fleming ‘Don’t Send Me Away’ – Gilberto Gil ‘Palco’ LP – T.S Monk ‘Too Much Too Soon’ 12” – Yvonne Gage ‘Garden Of Eve’ 12” – Gayle Adams ‘Love Fever (instro) 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.
Kicking off in January 1982, at a time when Greg, already recognised as one of the country’s leading Jazz-Funk DJ’s, things were about to change in a big way, and Greg would be at the forefront of this often controversial move towards the electronic. It’s interesting to note that Jazz artists, Ray Barretto, Grover Washington Jr and Lesette Wilson, all had massive tunes in the opening Top 10, illustrating how Jazz-Funk was still an essential part of the overall black music palette at that point in time, along with the ever popular Disco Funk (which would later be retrospectively labelled Boogie) and, of course, the more Soulful dance tracks (or 80s Groove to give it another retrospective tag). But this new electronic strain was already synthesizing, as illustrated by D Train’s ‘You’re The One For Me’ – nowadays regarded as a Disco classic, but back then a whole new sound. Things were about to change in a big way; 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, January 2012
