Colin Curtis joins Greg WIlson and Mike Atkinson for a countdown of the first Disco Top 20 of 1983: a time when electro-funk was in the ascendant, and even long-established soul/funk acts were incorporating electronic elements. Scratching was this month's new thing; jazz-funk was on the wane, club hits weren't always guaranteed pop crossover hits, a superstar's follow-up was briefly struggling, and a couple of formative underground classics from the 1970s were being repurposed to new audiences.

In the vanguard as ever, as he had been since starting his career in 1967, Colin was breaking new tunes at places like Manchester Ritz, Birmingham Powerhouse and Nottingham Rock Citty, and embracing the changes as eagerly as he had done at Blackpool Mecca with Ian Levine, before pivoting to jazz dance, electro and eventually early Chicago house. Always a tastemaker and never a follower, he casts an expert eye on a chart that reflects an ever-changing scene, at a particularly transitional time.

To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.

Further listening: other tracks mentioned in this episode (YouTube)

Further reading:

* James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (800 page hardback book)

* James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (550 page hardback book)

Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Graeme Park joins Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for a look at the dance music of October 1986: a time when Graeme was the resident weekend DJ at The Garage in Nottingham, blending Chicago house with hip hop, soul/funk and Washington DC go go. Listed in James Hamilton's columns as the first British DJ to routinely feature house music in his sets, Graeme provides us with expert guidance through this eclectic era, with stories to tell and memories to share.

To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.

Further listening: other tracks mentioned in this episode (YouTube)

Further reading:

* James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (800 page hardback book)

* James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (550 page hardback book)

Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Having spent all of summer 1987 in Ibiza, dancing to Alfredo at Amnesia and experiencing an epiphany, Lisa Loud returned to London with a new-found determination to break into the music industry. By the time of this chart, she was DJ-ing at major venues and working in promotions for Virgin Records, where she was responsible for breaking acts such as Neneh Cherry, Massive Attack, Soul II Soul, and the act at Number One on this particular Club Chart. While the first wave of acid house was reaching its peak, Lisa was also travelling around the UK, delivering acetates to tastemaker DJs and generally "having the time of my life".

Joining Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson for our first episode based on the second volume of James Hamilton's columns, Lisa guides us through a pivotal time for UK club culture, where acid house, hip hop, soul, funk and Balearic beats intermingled, and sampling was rife, as yet unburdened by copyright concerns.

To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full, or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets.

Further listening: other tracks mentioned in this episode (YouTube)

Further reading:

* James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (800 page hardback book)

* James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (550 page hardback book)

Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.