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Live Greg Wilson recording from Melting Pot @ Queens Park Bandstand 08.07.18.
Three hour mix available to stream/download, recorded earlier this month at the Melting Pot takeover of Glasgow’s Queens Park Bandstand amidst the UK's summer heatwave, which was fortuitous given this was an outdoor occasion, my slot on a Sunday evening between 7pm and 10pm.
It was still very warm but slightly overcast when I started, but the sun, I’m told, broke through with the Confidence Man mix I’d just done with my son, Ché, which I debuted – its lyrics perfectly coincidental, people later messaging me to ask what the ‘sunshine’ track was. This is the one – just made for this weather:
https://soundcloud.com/confidenceman/confidence-man-out-the-window-greg-wilson-che-wilson-mix
Kicking off with ‘Reality’, the Late Nite Tuff Guy rework of Soul II Soul’s ‘Back To Life’, I played 31 tracks in all, 32 with a ‘one more tune’ inclusion, which I went back to hastily put on a couple of minutes after what I thought was my final track had finished (I edited the gap out in the recording to spare you the wait). The Glasgow crowd got their way, but how could you refuse them, it had been such a joyous 3 hours, not to mention the previous 2 hours with Andrew & Simon from Melting Pot hitting the right vibe, as ever, with the tunes they played.
It’s pretty much as good as it gets when it comes to Melting Pot, they really know how to set up a DJ and make sure that’s what’s going out of the speakers sounds as good as they can possibly make it – it was no surprise when they were brought in a number of years ago to assist in setting up Davis Mancuso’s London Loft parties, working with the most meticulous of sonic perfectionists. The spirit of The Loft still continues via Lucky Cloud, with Colleen 'Cosmo' Murphy, a frequent Melting Pot guest, playing a big part.
Their approach to hi-end sound rightly sets the bar high, and whilst you’re DJing you know that they’ve got a close ear on everything, not just when you start, but right up until the final note of the very last tune you play – they really pride themselves on their sound system, and it shows, Loud & Clear Hi-Fi helping give them that special edge.
Having run their parties for 17 years, DJs throughout the world cite it as a favourite stop-off. The Melting Pot crowd know their music, there’s a whole history now to what’s been cultivated in Glasgow during this time. As they say themselves, they provide the setting for a DJ to play whatever they feel.
It’s the type of environment where it’s easy to introduce new stuff you’ve been working on (providing it grooves, of course). Along with a trio of tracks I’ve been busy on with Ché, there are also a couple of ‘70s singles I’ve reworked with Henry Greenwood, Marshall Hain’s ‘Dancing In the City’ and El Coco’s ‘Mondo Disco’.
The Confidence Man track suggested me finishing with Primal Scream’s ‘Movin’ On Up’ (or at least I thought that would be the case), referencing, of course, the band’s origins in the city. However, the one before this, the Flight Facilities rework of Paul Simon’s ‘You Can Call Me Al’ was played completely without knowledge that the great singer/songwriter was appearing in Glasgow just a few days later as part of his farewell tour.
I won’t name the last track – a spur of the moment choice, but one that felt so right as it played out for those last few minutes before we all made our way back into the night, my drive home to Liverpool with Primal Glyn accompanied by that fluffy feeling of satiation, having shared a memorable musical evening with a wonderfully receptive crowd.
- Genre
- Live DJ Mix