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Eddy Says
Eddy Says: Looking back at a great week, and more yet to come
By Eddy Temple-Morris | Published on Tuesday 18 October 2011
After a very, very busy week, presenting and producing no less than three different radio shows, Eddy looks back at some particularly good co-host guests this weekend, a combination that truly demonstrated the ethos of The Remix – a great new(ish) band in Officers and a legend in the form of Adam F. And with co-hosts the topic for the day, Eddy previews some of the guests he’s got lined up for the rest of the year.
Last week was so bursting at the seams that I’m afraid I’ve been remiss with Eddy Says this week. Normally I’d think about it throughout the week and have a topic to write about sorted by now, but the past few days have been extraordinarily occupied.
I had to produce and present a bi-monthly show, called Wired, for Air New Zealand, then plan, produce and present two more, both for Xfm – my usual Remix show, and a further show on Saturday, filling in for an on-leave Mary Anne Hobbs. And, as most of you know, I’m also a single dad with custody of an amazing eleven year old boy. These days he usually stays with his mum at weekends, but this weekend he was with me. So, as you can see, it’s been a bit hectic over the last seven days. Not that I’m complaining, of course!
Some shows really do stand out as extra special. I don’t know what it is, something in the air, the water, the guests, or our collective frames of mind, but some shows I really feel on fire, and last Friday’s show was a particular joy to present. It was great to see Officers and hear them really come of age. They occupy a place in UK music that’s almost unique, a British version of Nine Inch Nails, who come close to the brilliance of their inspiration.
I also felt last Friday’s show really embodied its own ethos – to champion new music and to balance that with the odd legend – and this week it was Adam F who supplied that equilibrium. Hearing him talk as enthusiastically as a teenager about Knife Party making him feel like smashing his studio with a giant axe was a joy to hear. He reminded me of myself, and the proud fact that neither of us, no matter what happens, will ever stop being fanatical music lovers. This is a state of mind I’ve written about here before and will mention again no doubt, it is part of the glue that holds and keeps us together.
Which reminds me, presenting Mary Anne’s show was an equally massive pleasure, not least because that one was done with the help of another brilliant, eclectic and enthusiastic champion of new music, Hervé. Funnily enough, Adam and I had bigged him up not 24 hours previously, then he and I were eyeball to eyeball, sharing music with each other and many of you. Doing Mary Anne’s show was a fantastic chance to delve deeper into electronic music and give some well deserved ‘mainstream’ airtime to artists usually reserved more for night-time. And I must thank True Tiger and CRST for doing mixes for the show, at a moment’s notice.
This is a very long winded way of saying that I haven’t got anything of massive import to say this week, except that – having waxed lyrical about my recent co-host guests on Xfm (all of which you can listen again to right now on the RadioPlayer) – perhaps I could share with you details of some of the co-hosts still to come, because we’ve got some great people booked in. And again, it’s a marvellous and reflective balance of new artists and the odd legend, the star spangled fuel that has kept the home fires of The Remix burning for nearly twelve years.
So, coming up in the next few weeks:
High Contrast – Lincoln is booked to come in next week and provide the sprinkling of legend stardust that has kept us flying for so long.
Ayah Marar – I love Twitter. The other day I was writing Ayah’s name on my playlist for the gajillionth time, then I thought: “Hang on, I wonder if she’s on Twitter”. Two clicks later I’d found her, reminded her we met when Calvin Harris headlined The Remix Stage at Big Reunion a few years ago (she sang ‘Flashback’ from my Album Of The Year at that time, and was part of his live band) and invited her to come in and co-host the show. A matter of minutes later and Ayah and I were conversing, with Paul Pendulum interjecting and publicly throwing love her way, then a plot was hatched and she was booked, within minutes of my first random thought. There are definitely not enough girls that really rock in dance music, and it’ll be awesome to show some support for, and to hang out with, one of our finest.
Shock One – Karl, from Perth, used to be in a metal band with the boys from Pendulum. They’ve known each other since they were kids, and it shows. His music is stunning, and I can’t wait to see what he’ll bring to the table for an hour of Xfm airtime that will probably wake up the dead.
Those guys are all coming in over the next few weeks, then we can look forward to the following, whom I’ve asked to come in, who’ve all said yes, but I’ve not confirmed a date as yet:
Tom Vek: This has been a long time coming. No radio show in the UK has shown the unconditional love for Tom that The Remix on Xfm has over the years. We kept the fires burning while he dropped off everybody’s radar in between the debut and sophomore albums.
MJ Cole: UK garage’s most important and influential producer and someone I have massive admiration for. His first job in music was with a mutual friend, Vini Medley from Sound Of The Underground, who went onto establish Botchit & Scarper and Emotif Records, a trail-blazer of UK future-electronica.
Richard Russell: Boss of XL Recordings and as such one of the most fascinating characters in the UK music industry. He signed The Prodigy right through to Adele and I mentioned him reverentially here in Eddy Says when I wrote about the art of A&R. I can’t wait to meet him and shoot the shit over the Xfm airwaves.
If all these come to fruition this year, then, my gosh, we’ll be all the way through to Christmas, and my Bombs Of The Year show, all so fast that my head is spinning just thinking about that. Then looking forward to another year and the horizon which will bring us next year’s Skrillex, next year’s SBTRKT, or next year’s Nero.
So, there you go, lots to look forward to – and don’t forget, you can hear the Remix on Friday at 10pm, or again on Sunday at the same time, on Xfm, or at anytime during the week via the RadioPlayer. And while I’m hear talking about things to look forward to, don’t forget to spread the word about Brixton Electric and the Get Loaded night every Friday.
They are championing new music there in much the same way as the Remix has, and in the words of Dan Le Sac, who DJed at the launch party: “This place has massive potential, the drinks are so cheap in there, and they’ve got really interesting DJs and new bands, as soon as people realise it’s cheaper to get a pint or a short in there than it is in a local pub, then they’ll see the crowds they deserve”.
This week, reflecting what I’ve said above, is a heady cocktail of new artists topped off by a legend… we have Remix hero Jon Carter playing a Monkey Mafia DJ set. Watching that while clutching a pint that cost you less than your local boozer is my definition of happy days.
And friends of mine don’t even pay to get in, so get in touch via the usual ways, via Twitter or my Facebook pages here and here and let’s give Jon the crowd he deserves.
X Eddy
