Esteemed scribe, proper DJ, and discreetly deft twiddler Bill Brewster, drops the latest instalment in his ‘After Dark’ series, for Late Night Tales.
A throbbing, louche and leisurely affair, groove is very much at the heart of this freestyle selection, a vibe which Bill de- scribes as “a basement, a red light and a sound system. Or, as the Beastie’s once rapped, slow and low, that is the tempo”.
There’s Hawaiian drum machine bossa balearica from Island Band, percussive afro post punk from Czech jazz singer Jana Koubkova, and breathy-bubbling-dubwise-slap-bass-soul from Debbe & The Code.
There’s also sultry deep house mood music from Lanowa, infectious bouncy jazz funk breaks from Canada High, and Nail’s life affirming re-edit of singer songwriter Gilbert O Sullivan’s electro pop gem ‘So What’.
Bill’s own studio skills are present and correct too, featuring an undulating bassy version of country troubadour Jeb Loy Nichols, reworked along Alex Tepper under their Hotel Motel moniker, and a chugged-up squelchy disco take on Khruangbin, this time paired with Raj Gupta, as Mang Dynasty.
Chock full of exclusives, tracks are either completely brand new, or available digitally for the first time, whilst others are wallet-rinsing rarities if purchased elsewhere. Whichever way you slice it though, every tune is a highlight, working equally well as standalone nuggets, or within Bill’s fluidly cohesive mix.
Whether he’s taking the roof off a club with his unique selection of deep and tough house music, enchanting a backroom with a genre-bending set of disco, Balearic, rock and hip hop or playing chillout music in a bay in Croatia, Bill Brewster is the man for all occasions.
In a former life, Bill was a punk rocker, a chef and also the co-editor of football magazine When Saturday Comes but has been a record nerd all of his life. He began DJing in the 1980s, but came into his own in the early 1990s, particularly during a two-year stint in New York running DMC’s office, where nights at the Sound Factory and hanging out with Danny Tenaglia gave him the musical grounding you can still hear in his music today.
Bill was also one of the founding residents at Fabric in London, a position he held for five years. There are few still playing regularly today that have his dedication, eclecticism and encyclopedic knowledge of music.
His parallel life is as a writer, and with his long-term part- ner-in-crime Frank Broughton, they have written four books together, including the acclaimed ‘Last Night A DJ Saved My Life’ (latest edition published last July), ‘How To DJ (Prop- erly)’ and ‘The Record Players’. The pair are also behind the legendary DJhistory.com and their party, Low Life, has been running for nearly 30 years.
He has been working in the industry’s fringes for over 40 years including the running of various labels from Twisted UK and Forensic in the ’90s to Disco Sucks and Anorak in the noughties.
He is one of NTS radio’s new residents for 2023 and his ‘Low Life Loves You’ show is available on the first Tuesday of every month.
STAFF COMMENTS
Ashley says: A smooth-as-silk collection of deep lounging groovers, airy disco numbers and thumping percussion, brought together with Bill Brewster's incomparable musical ear. A thoroughly rewarding collection.
TRACK LISTING
2LP
A1 Island Band – Idle Hours 4:55
A2 Chaz Jankel – Manon Manon 4.56
A3 Gilbert O’Sullivan – So What (Nail Edit) 8.44*
B1 Rheinzand – Kills And Kisses (Scorpio Twins Remix) 8.10*
B2 Canada High – Le Chiffre 5.02*
B3 Lanowa – Burning Up 6.38*
C1 Khruangbin – So We Won’t Forget (Mang Dynasty Irreverent Dub) 7.16*
C2 Fernando – 1998 7.00*
C3 Debbe & The Code – Code Of Love 6.02
D1 Jana Koubková - Nijána 6.15
D2 IPG V Hot Toddy – Open Space 7.32*
D3 Smashed Atoms & Backdoor Man – Hey Dreamer 6.50*
*After Dark Vinyl Exclusive
CD
1.T.O.E – Infinite Consciousness*
2.Island Band – Idle Hours
3.Jana Koubková - Nijána
4.Dan Wainwright – Come Home*
5.Jeb Loy Nichols – Don’t Drop Me (Hotel Motel Remix)*
6.Nick Munday – Drum Lock
7.Khruangbin – So We Won’t Forget (Mang Dynasty Irreverent Dub)*
8.Rhythm Plate – We Were Made To Be Artists*
9.Debbe & The Code – Code Of Love*
10.Lanowa – Burning Up*
11.Gilbert O’Sullivan – So What (Nail Edit)*
12.Canada High – Le Chiffre
13.Smashed Atoms & Backdoor Man – Hey Dreamer*
14.Gus Paterson – Arphicelago*
15.Fernando - 1998*
16.IPG V Hot Toddy – Open Space*
17.Carl Finlow – Hyperkagome*
18.Rheinzand – Kills And Kisses (Scorpio Twins Remix)*
19.Chaz Jankel – Manon Manon
* After Dark Exclusive
