Tag Archives: Live

Italo, house, acid, and proto-disco at the London institution.

In VF Live, our favourite DJs take you inside their homes, record stores, studios, and radio stations, for intimate mixes and performances.

Raised in Detroit, producer, DJ, and label head Demi Riquísimo now resides in London, where he cultivates his acid, Italo, house, and disco-inspired sonic palette. In addition to his own production work and remixes for Alfresco Disco, Ninja Tune, Wolf Tone, Shall Not Fade and HOMAGE, Riquísimo is the founder of vinyl-only imprint Semi Delicious imprint.

Ahead of the release of Semi Delicious’ Peripheral Visions EP, featuring tracks by Demi, Baby Rollen, Harry Oscillate, Gallegos and Tech Support, he makes his VF Live debut:

“Phonica has become of great importance to me since moving to London. It’s the first record store I felt comfortable going in and having vinyl recommended to me by the staff. I do much of the distribution for Semi Delicious myself. Hand delivering the releases to the store is always a highlight for me.

For this set, I wanted to share the vinyl that I collected over the lockdown period, to portray the moods and sounds I was feeling during that time. There’s Italo, proto-disco, acid, house, and breaks, as well as a few older favourites. I also play a new, unreleased test pressing of the forthcoming record on Semi Delicious. Two tracks from the test pressing are included in the mix as exclusives:’Sanitise’ by Demi Riquísimo and ‘Peripheral Visions’ by Baby Rollen.

Head here for more from Semi Delicious.

Photos by: Dan Medhurst

A soul 45s special from her London HQ.

In VF Live, DJs take you inside their homes, record stores, and studios for intimate selects and mixes.

London DJ Scarlett O’Malley returns for her monthly VF Live residency with a 100% soul 45s special.

“Now that I am with y’all every month for my new residency, I decided that my second VF Live would have to be a straight soul 45s special!

Soul music is the first genre I started obsessively collecting, and was the first genre to truly capture my heart, so I wanted to go through tunes that really mean something to me.

This set is very much a display of my tastes, as well as how my tastes have grown. Many of these records were the first ones that I acquired when I really got into buying and collecting. They also hold a special place in my heart from when I first started to DJ.

I start with an ode to the 100 Club 6Ts Rhythm and Soul all-nighter party that I have been going to for years, and I drop their most recent anniversary release. Next, I go on to play some of my favourite Northern Soul tracks, followed by some of my most-loved women of soul. From there, it wouldn’t be a soul special without some crossover. Finally, I end with super deep, slow, low-rider, tear-jerker weepy records.

I’ve sprinkled lots of little anecdotes along the way, which also made me realise how much emotion I attach to records, and soul music.

Nearly 90 minutes of tunes, with so much more to play… I am glad, grateful, and blessed to be able to do a set for you every month.”

Watch and listen to Scarlett’s latest VF Live show above, and check out the tracklist below.

Tracklist:

1. Darrow Fletcher – (Love Is My) Secret Weapon
2. Bobby Kline – Say Something Nice To Me
3. The Classic Example – Right On
4. Ace Spectrum – Don’t Send Nobody Else
5. Harold Melvin and The Bluenotes – Get Out (And Let Me Cry)
6. The Artistics – It’s Those Little Things That Count
7. Smokey Robinson and The Miracles – Whatever Makes You Happy
8. Patty and The Emblems – Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl
9. The Hesitations – Is This The Way To Treat A Girl (You Bet It Is)
10. Harold Jackson and The Jackson Brothers – Freedom Riders
11. Arnold Blair – Trying To Get To Next To You
12. Alice Clark – Never Did I Stop Loving You
13. Aretha Franklin – Day Dreaming
14. Margie Joseph – I Can’t Move No Mountain
15. Big John Hamilton – Just Seeing You Again
16. The Philly Devotions – I Just Can’t Say Goodbye
17. The Fantastic Puzzles – Come Back
18. Dee Dee Warwick – You Tore My Wall Down
19. The Decisions – We’re In Love
20. Sonji Clay – Nobody
21. The Lovelites – My Conscience
23. Joy Tones – This Love
24. Jackie Wilson – The Tear Of The Year
25. Eddie Holman – This Can’t Be True
26. The Intrigues – The Language of Love
27. The Five Stairsteps – Come Back
28. William Bell – I Forgot To Be Your Lover

Broken beat, house, and techno records from his Birmingham HQ.

In VF Live, our favourite DJs take you inside their homes, record stores, and studios, for intimate mixes and performances.

DJ, producer, and Cafe Artum founder Jayson Wynters makes his VF Live debut, playing Broken beat, house, and techno records from his Birmingham HQ.

First cutting his teeth in the garage scene as an MC in the late ’90s, Jayson has continued his musical journey weaving through different scenes in his hometown, as well as further afield – in the UK and across the globe.

“My inspiration behind the mix was paying homage to nights like Co-op at plastic people, Bruk up at the Hare n Hounds in Birmingham and Bruce Q’s Liquid Fusion at Zinc Bar. All in the name of Broken Beat/Nu Jazz and the people/usual suspects who are responsible for this sound.”

Watch and listen to the set above, and check out the tracklist below.

Tracklist

1. Yukiro Fukotumi – Is it Featuring Ion Fine
2. Kaidi Tatham – In search of hope pt 2
3. Dub Basement – Thrill Seeker
4. Cosmosis – The Land of the forgotten dreams of Zoo
5. Matt Wood – No Time (Neon Phusion Mix)
6. Ben Hauke – Simple Feat Jerome Thomas
7. Da One Away – Trash Da Junk (808 dub Version)
8. 2000& Black – Two way here one way go
9. Untitled
10. Bossa Tres Jazz – Easy in
11. DJ Rels – Eclipse Parts 1 & 2
12. Daniel Maunick – A Vicious Circle
13. Samrai – Khadi (JTC Remix)
14. Untitled
15. Sir Lord Commix – Motionvibe
16. 4Hero – We who are not as others (Jazzanova Remix)
17. Watching Windows (Roni Size Meets Nu Yorican Soul)

Listen to Jason Wynters’ forthcoming The Affect Heuristic EP on Delsin Records here.

Photo by: David Stanley

A soul, disco, and house special with the West London DJ.

In VF Live, DJs take you inside their homes, record stores, and studios for intimate selects and mixes.

London DJ Scarlett O’Malley makes her VF Live debut with a soul, disco, and house special from her abode:

“I was born and raised in West London, which is where this set was recorded. I have been collecting records since I was about 13 years old, and DJing for six years – starting in Southampton while I was at university playing house parties and local venues.

As a kid, I started collecting records at car boot sales because I had a record player and was already into soul music at the time. All these years later, my collection is about 1,500-strong made up of mostly rare soul, crossover, disco, house, garage, and dance music. About 80% of my collection is made up of 45s. Over the past year or so I have really been building up my house collection too. My absolute pride and joy.

I base my weeks around checking out local record shops, and searching for tunes online. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

The inspiration behind these selections comes in two parts. First of all, I am playing my favourite records – tunes that really have some significance in my life whether it be a memory of when I first heard it, how often I play it, or responses I’ve had to it when DJing. All of these records are linked to the best experiences I have had with nightlife.

I also love looking at these records within the context of their lineage in the dance music timeline. Soul music is what created disco music is what created house music, and that length and breadth is truly the music I love most. As someone who studied history at university, discovering the history behind these releases, the climate in which they were made, and how they informed later music are just as important to me as the sounds.

The music, collecting these sounds in vinyl form, and my love of history are all the perfect combination of what I am most passionate about in life.

This set was also a chance to play records from my favourite artists and labels. Amazing soul music is continually being re-discovered, and reissued to wider audiences. On that note, big ups are due to Athens of the North, Epsilon Records, and Soul Direction for a good portion of the inspirations behind this mix. Summers spent in Ibiza, and nights at the 100 Club are also behind a lot of the memories contained within.

Tracklist:

1. Oliver Cheatham – Don’t Pop The Question
2. The Fantastic Four – As Long As I Live (I Live For You)
3. Leroy Hutson – I Think I’m Falling In Love
4. Edwin Starr – Running Back And Forth
5. The Constellations – I Don’t Know About You
6. United Sounds – It’s All Over (Baby)
7. Nobody’s Children – Shardarp
8. Romeo & Juliet – You Got What It Takes
9. Jax Transit Authority – Life Is A Miracle
10. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes – Baby, You Got My Nose Open
11. Liquid Blue – Take It Anyway You Want To
12. The Nu-Rons – All My Life
13. Paris Ford – Boogie On Down
14. Mind & Matter – My Love Is Like A Fire
15. Prince Phillip Mitchell – One On One
16. he Miracles – Can’t Get Ready For Losing You
17. Timeless Legend – Everybody Disco
18. Arnie Love & The Loveletts – We Had Enough
19. Black Ivory – Mainline
20. Brand New Heavies – Stay This Way (Danny Krivit Edit)
21. MD X-SPRESS – God Made Me Phunky (Original Mix)
22. Stabbs – Joy and Happiness
23. 280 West feat. Diamond Temple – Fly (280 West Mix)
34. Leon Ware – Why I Came To California

Boogie, funk, and jazz from his Brighton HQ.

In VF Live, DJs take you inside their homes, record stores, and studios for intimate selects and mixes.

Brighton-based DJ Kirollus has been working at his local specialist record store Uptight Records for the past eight years, amassing a mighty collection along the way. In 2020, he also launched a bi-weekly mix series called Forty Minutes of Funk, to help push boogie, funk, and soul, and the talented DJs within the scene.

He returns with an uplifting live set featuring boogie, funk, and jazz records:

“This mix is a bit unusual in the sense that it’s split into two halves that are musically quite different, but somehow manages to work. I kick off the freestyle session with a fierce, female-fronted synthesizer boogie record. The mix then takes an unexpected turn after the all-time classic ‘Expansions’ by Lonnie Liston Smith, which inspired me to delve into a lesser visited part of my collection.”

Watch and listen to the set above, check out the tracklist below.

Tracklist:

1. Feel ‎– Got To Have Your Lovin’
2. Oliver Cheatham – Mama Said
3. Samson & Delilah ‎– I Can Feel Your Love Slippin Away
4. K.I.D. ‎– Hupendi Muziki Wangu? ! (You Don’t Like My Music)
5. Lonnie Liston Smith – Expansions
6. The Judy Roberts Band – Never Was Love
7. Flora Purim – From The Lonely Afternoon
8. Seawind – He Loves You