James Hamilton was the British DJ and dance music columnist for Record Mirror, possibly one of the most influential weekly music newspapers of its time. The newspaper published music news, pop and dance charts in the UK, and through his column, James made or broke records.
He also apparently pioneered BPMs and continuous mixing, shaping the foundations of British club culture and the modern DJ’s technical approach long before the rave era. DJ Greg Wilson and author Mike Atkinson now document his legacy in a new book.
‘When Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ dropped as an album track, James’s instant enthusiasm helped to secure it a rush-release as a single; a few weeks later, it was at the top of the pop chart. This was just one of many future dance classics that caught James’ ear well ahead of the world at large, and which he wrote about before anyone else.’
‘Dance Pages 1983-1989’ chronicles the emergence of Electronic Music, through club scene notes, reviews, charts and mixing tips, all aimed squarely at the working and modern DJ. It picks up the story where its predecessor (‘Disco Pages 1975-1982’) left off, as the old disco era makes way for the new electronic era.
As Pete Tong recently observed, James “validated and inspired a whole generation of the club scene. He could make your day or ruin your week with his opinions, but he always had respect because – for a long time – he was always there.” Reading back through his columns, you can observe the establishment, development and growth of UK club culture as it actually happened, with James Hamilton observing, recording and guiding it all.
Perhaps most notably of all, a revelatory moment at New York’s Paradise Garage watching Larry Levan inspired James to champion the art of beat-mixing in the UK, initially against stiff opposition; from January 1979 onwards, he manually timed every record he reviewed, thus introducing the term “BPM” to his readers for the first time.
Before James started writing his weekly columns in June 1975, there was no national communication network for British DJs. Their names were unknown outside their local areas, and none of them knew what the others were playing. James immediately set about changing all of that: printing news and views from DJs around the country, tipping them off to all the new releases, and apparently single-handedly compiling the first-ever national club chart, based on dancefloor reactions.
As the decade progressed and the disco era took shape, he became the music’s most authoritative and influential advocate, his columns regarded as essential reading for DJs and music business professionals. At the same time, regular punters scoured his reviews for purchasing tips.
A staunch opponent of revivalism, he kept his ears open to every new development in dance music, from seventies jazz-funk through to futurist synth-pop, electro-funk, Hi-NRG, hip hop, house and garage, acid and techno. ‘Every time, as the scene’s established gatekeepers recoiled in horror, he was there, passionately making the case for the next new thing, and invariably placing himself on the right side of history.’
This new book catalogues month by month, year by year, the decade that has had a great impact on dance music and club culture, featuring every major dance release that filled floors across the nation.
Greg Wilson and author Mike Atkinson launched the book in London on Saturday, 20 December.
© justaweemusicblog.com
Write a comment