Ten records from 88-94 played by Graeme Park

Graeme Park was one of the early British House music scene founders. He was an important figure in the North of England, where he helped introduce house music to the masses.

He grew up in Scotland but later moved to Nottingham. In the early 80s, he started working in a record shop called “Select-a-disc”, located in Nottingham, England. He started building up his record collection at the record shop and mixing and playing tracks at a local club.

This brought him to the attention of Manchester legend Mike Pickering, who invited him to play at the Hacienda nightclub. He remained a resident at the club for around ten years.

These days Graeme is still a very busy man, playing at various clubs worldwide. He hosts and produces multiple radio shows, including the “Long Live House Radio Show”.

He’s also a significant part of the superb Hacienda Classical shows, which still fills out large concert venues today.

For more details and to view his upcoming shows, see his website.

How Graeme Park Got Started DJ’ing And What He’s Famous For

A comment on Discogs pretty much nails what this great man did and achieved in those early formative years.

In the comments section on Discogs, ‘Manchester’ writes:

“Graeme Park or ‘Parky’ as known to thousands of misty eyed devotees from 1988-95 was THE original British House DJ’s DJ. Along with Mike Pickering, he was the first British DJ to champion house music in 85-87, long before Rampling, Oakenfold et al supposedly brought it back from Ibiza (& contrary to what the London-centric media would have you believe!).

He was the first British DJ to really master the art of seamless mixing – which may not seem that great a feat nowadays. However back in the day when early house music was making inroads into the UK club scene, most DJs couldn’t mix to save their lives – the likes of Rampling, Oakenfold, Weatherall etc might have had an ear for a good tune but they were technically defunct.

Park was a maestro for all up and coming budding DJs – Sasha, Garnier, Seaman, and countless other DJs who listened to Park at the Hacienda in the early days will testify to that.

What set Parky apart from other DJs was the construction of his sets which always flowed so beautifully – almost like telling a story & he would mix vocals out of vocals seamlessly. Listen to DJs nowadays and anybody can mix beats after beats, but try mixing many of the classic vocal House & Garage records and get them to flow perfectly.

Parky used to sell mixtapes of his sets at the Hacienda from the DJ booth at the beginning of a night – the tapes were usually from the previous week. Thousands of lucky punters who have copies of many of these legendary tapes will testify what a fantastic DJ Graeme Park was. From the period 1988-1992, Graeme Park was without doubt THE GREATEST HOUSE DJ IN THE WORLD.

This was confirmed by the fact that he won the prestigious DMC DJ of the year award in constant succession during these years. He broke so many fantastic records at the Hacienda during this period and many other DJs (Sasha included) followed his lead.

The fact that Graeme was such a humble down to earth guy, who would always spare the time for a chat at the DJ booth, and the fact that he wasn’t a great self publicist or arrogant like so many other big name DJs, makes him a great DJ in my eyes. After Parky DJs got too big for their own boots and started believing they were some kind of demi gods – as Park himself said, “I’m only a DJ playing other people’s records”. However that’s not to take away from the fact that he was an incredible DJ during his peak years at the Hacienda & he had many a big name American DJ eating out of the palm of his hands – legends such as Humphries, Knuckles and Morales all greatly respected and admired Graeme Park.

Although post 1995, Graeme for reasons only known to himself – probably due to the money from commercial radio and the fact that he’d been there at the beginning of the dance music explosion & seen it & done it, started playing more and more obvious commercial dance music & lost his edge that made him such a great DJ. BUT the guy should be remembered as one of the finest British House DJs (if not the finest in my humble opinion) of his generation, who influenced and spawned a thousand imitators & spread the gospel of gorgeous, uplifting house music to a generation that will never forget. RESPECT PARKY!”

Ten Records Which Graeme Park Used To Play Around 88-95

As the commenter above says, Graeme has always played vocal house. And by ’95ish, a lot of vocal house music was coming out, and it was very samey.

So in this article, I decided to focus on the earlier stuff Parky played, as many consider this to be when the man was at his best and most innovative.

Krush – House Arrest (The Beat Is The Law)

It is an excellent record that still sounds good today. And it’s a record which you frequently hear on BBC six music. Famous for using this sample: “If you’re looking for love, don’t follow me, we’ve got this house under arrest”.

This tune was very similar to a lot of the British House from 1988 to 89. It has a very cut-and-paste feel and is like a lot of Bomb the Bass stuff.

House Arrest is a great track and an excellent example of the first commercial wave of acid house, which was hitting the UK charts around that time.

I still play this record quite a bit in my DJ sets today, and it’s aged well.

Kenny “Jammin” Jason Feat. “Fast” Eddie Smith – Can U Dance? (Can U Dance? Mix)

Like Krush House Arrest, this is another record that still sounds nice by today’s standards, and it’s another which gets frequently played on BBC 6 music.

Many people regard Fast Eddie as the pioneer of hip house; an early style of house music that crossed hip hop and early rap with house music.

Fast Eddie made some cracking albums back in the day, and they are worth checking out if you like this sort of stuff. His first album, “Jack to the Sound”, is full of banging tunes – it’s a great snapshot of the era. I highly recommend obtaining his first three albums if you like early acid/Chicago/Trax style house music.

“Can you Dance” is a tough-sounding record, encompassing lovely deep basslines, memorable synths rises, and that unforgettable chorus lead hook.

There’s a great quote from Danny Rampling regarding this record, a quote which sums this records legacy:

“Danny Rampling: When I came back [from Ibiza for first time in 87], my radio show went from downbeat smoochy soul sevens from Atlanta, to pumping Chicago house and alternative Balearic. Some folk were horrified. The listeners increased by thousands; I probably had about ten listeners before. I started playing things like Kenny ‘Jammin” Jason’s ‘Can U Dance?’, which still sends a surge of positive energy through me when I hear it. I’ve got that record framed at home.”

Annette – Dream 17

Dream 17 was a big Madchester tune and Hacienda record. The production on this record is second to none. But when you consider who made it, it’s no wonder. Ricky Rouge (otherwise known as Guy called Gerald), Mike Pickering (famous Hacienda DJ resident who also worked for creation records) and T-Coy are credited with creating this anthem.

Anette is a lovely haunting tune. It’s a tune with gorgeous bubbling acid sounds, reversed piano drones and that evocative dreamy vocal whispering the chorus throughout the track. A heavenly song that still holds up well today. And it’s also a fine example of great music coming out of Manchester around that time and an excellent example of what was getting played at the Hacienda during this era.

Cut The Q ‎– Who Needs A Love Like That

Another Hacienda classic from 1989 – a lovely upbeat track.

It has a real fusion of elements, including a sparsely used vocal, gated acid hook, a bit of breakbeat and a lovely warm deep bassline. And then there’s a piano hook sprinkled in various parts of the track.

Fast Eddie ‎– Let’s Go

Another belting banger by Fast Eddie. As I mentioned earlier, Eddie was a prolific producer.

This is an excellent example of the American jacking house which was coming out in 1988. It was also a big track in the USA club scene, being played by the likes of Jr Vasquez at the Sound Factory.

Many samples are used in this record, but one of the main ones is the vocal from “First Choice – Let no man put us asunder”, a sample used heavily in many other dance tunes.

Farley Jackmaster Funk*, Ricky Dillard ‎– It’s U

“It’s U” is a typical Farley Jack Master Funk tune. Minimal in essence but with a belting and strong vocal was sung by gospel singer Ricky Dillard. The vocal seems to be heavily influenced by Colonel Abrams – Trapped. If you listen to that record, you can see that Dillard mimics Abrams style to a degree.

This record came out on DJ International Records, one of the big pioneering American house labels. That label pumped out some absolute classics in its time, including records by Joe Smooth, Fast Eddie, Tyree, etc. An important label that produced some very important tracks.

Reese & Santonio ‎– Truth Of Self Evidence

This record is a classic slice of Detroit Techno. A record made by the Inner City legend Kevin Saunderson and his long time music production partner Santonio Echols.

This was a big tune around 88-89 and was played by many early techno pioneers like Richie Hawtin.

The record lifts a sample from Dr Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. But the rest of the tune leans heavily into throbbing techno, and you can hear a hint of that early rave sound in other parts of the record.

A good record that still holds up well today.

Metropolis ‎– Metropolis

Funky house number, which was released on Union City records.

Metropolis is a dark, plodding dark tune with lots of clever sample usage. The piano sample is lifted from Nikita Warren’s ‘I Need You’. That piano sample was heavily used in many other later house records.

One of the most surprising things about this record is that it was made by Future Sound of London (FSOL) but released under one of their many aliases. If you’re familiar with FSOL, you’ll realise that this record was a real departure from what that had been releasing at the time (which was a lot of crazy but superb-sounding breakbeat hardcore and bleepy stuff). I’m a big FSOL fan, and it does show you that those guys can turn their hand to any style of music.

Mombasa – Cry Freedom

Man, I love this record. It’s on this mix of mine (click to download) and this one. I usually try to avoid reusing records twice in the DJ mixes I publish on this site, but this track is too good and is one of my all-time favourites.

It’s an underrated gem that doesn’t get played as much as it should. I think that’s because it can be a bit of a bastard to mix. There’s quite a bit of tempo fluctuation on the track, and the vocals come in at unusual times, so it can be tricky to mix – hence why you probably don’t hear it loads.

Both mixes of this record sound similar but are equally good. There are minimal differences in them apart from their structure.

This is a shining example of an early progressive house when it still had a more euphoric feel.

The African vocal and chanting sample on this record is divine. When played, it’s sure to send a tingle up your spine: the blissful piano sample, the haunting vocals, and the exquisite arrangement all help to produce an absolute classic tune.

You are missing out if you haven’t got this in your record collection. This record still tears dancefloors apart even today. Great stuff indeed.

Ten City ‎– That’s The Way Love Is

Another belting jacking tune made by producers of the finest pedigree. Ten City consists of Byron Stingily, guitarist Herb Lawson, and keyboard player Byron Burke. But the mighty Marshall Jefferson was also involved in this group.

The production levels on this track are immense, whether it’s Stingley’s rising falsetto vocals, the fighting pianos, or Jefferson’s tough Trax influenced beats and bass. And don’t forget those dreamy strings layered throughout the track.

This is early soulful house music at its best which still sound fantastic today.

Conclusion

That concludes my list of ten early house records which Graeme Park played.

Graeme is still an active DJ today (in fact, I saw him play an excellent set the other week). So it’s easy to catch the great man in action.

Also, he’s still actively involved in other things too. Some regular music items he produces are:

He has a daily radio show on Mom’s Spaghetti radio

He’s frequently producing mixes on Mixcloud

I hope you enjoyed this list.

Feel free to share your thoughts below in the comments. I always respond.

And if you like this music, make sure you check out my free mixes here.

Keep on scratchin’

DJ Kippax