Monday 20 September 2010

Mix - Tony Humphries, KISS NYC, Jan 1992


This is the story behind my my favourite ever mix tape. In 1991 one of my best friends moved to New York. It was a bit of bummer as New York is quite far away. But it did have its upsides, like holidays to New York, shopping in New York, clubbing in New York… and mix tapes from New York.

One of those mix tapes made an indelible mark on my musical psyche . I’m not quite sure why, because it wasn’t one of those carefully planned set-piece mixes all  your mates go on about, it was simply a recording of a reguar Saturday night show, the Mastermix Dance Party, show on New York’s KISS, but there was something about how this mix was put together. By a certain Tony Humphries.

I imagine that as Mr Humphries was doing these every week, with new records, they must have been off the cuff. And some of the mixing would suggest that is right, because it’s not always in key, sometimes the vocal overlap, some mixes are forced and stuff like that, but, and it’s a BIG but, it works because he makes it works it!

He kicks off with the sublime Mr Fingers ‘Closer’, before wheeling through a few English tracks like the Joey Negro mix of Brand New Heavies ‘Dream Come True’ and Slam ‘Eterna’, then it just builds and builds and by the time he’s working two copies of Adeva’s ‘Independent Woman’ mixed up with Musto and Bones, he’s just firing! But the best is yet to come, with the mix he drops of Gypseymen ‘Hear The Music’ and C-Bounce ‘Keep The Faith’. The mix is not perfect, in fact technically it’s a bit rough, but working both records in and out, pretty much sums up that Humphries x-factor. There is something about his style which injects pure energy into the music. It is organic, instinctive, raw even, rather than clinical precision of some DJs, especially in today’s world of laptops and CDJs. And that is why I love it.

Mix wise, I don’t think anything I have heard ever has had this impact. I was 22 when I first heard it and used to English DJs boring on with prog house and Italian screamers. I’m not sure exactly what the difference is but there is a difference.

I rinsed this tape to death. Walking to work with my Sony Walkman, after clubs, in the car, in fact, it’s amazing it’s survived at all. It did though and I’ve stuck it up on Soundcloud for your listening pleasure.

Tony Humphries - KISS FM NYC - Mastermix Dance Party - 12 Jan 1992 by Humphries Kiss NYC Tape

Tracklist

Mr Fingers – Closer
Brand New Heavies – Dream Come True (Joey Negro mix)
Endangered Species - Endangered Species
Red Light – Who needs Enemies?
Slam – Eterna
Sounds of Blackness – Testify (CJ Macintosh dub)
Anambi - Our Love Climbs Higher
Love Root II - Funky Emotions
Chic – Chic Mystique
Sax – House Is A Feeling
Adeva – Independent Woman (Tony Humphries mix)
Adeva – Independent Woman (Tony Humphries dub)
Musto & Bones – The Music Is Right (R&B Dub)
Gypseymen – Hear The Music
C-Bounce – Keep The Faith
Latour – Cold
Black Traxx - Pump It
Monica Deluxe – Love On My Mind
Desiya – Coming On Strong
What It Is - Do You Believe
4th Measure Men – Just A Dream
James Howard – Wake Up
Lifeforce – Feel Your Body
Syndicate 305 - I Promise
Hardrive - Sindae

11 comments:

roco said...

great mix, thanks for sharing (and I like "cold" by latour!

pipecock said...

nice one, i love Humphries, checking this now...

Miles said...

These are the tracks I know - fill in the gaps!

Mr Fingers – Closer
Brand New Heavies – Dream Come True (Joey Negro mix)
Endangered Species - Endangered Species
Red Light – Who needs Enemies?
Slam – Eterna
Sounds of Blackness – Testify (CJ Macintosh dub)
??? – [higher?]
Chic – Chic Mystique
Sax – House Is A Feeling
Adeva – Independent Woman (Tony Humphries mix)
Adeva – Independent Woman (Tony Humphries dub)
Musto & Bones – The Music Is Right (R&B Dub)
Gypseymen – Hear The Music
C-Bounce – Keep The Faith
Latour – Cold
??? - [pumping like you want?]
Monica Deluxe – Love On My Mind
Desiya – Coming On Strong
??? – [do you believe]
4th Measure Men – Just A Dream
James Howard – Wake Up
Lifeforce – Feel Your Body
??? – [I want you]
Hardrive - Sindae

RJJNYC said...

Thanks so much for posting this, I moved to NYC Jan 2, 1992 so this brings back some cherished memories. If I remember right Red Alert would be on until midnight then Tony Humprhies until 2am? Something like that. It was heaven. I wish I'd taped more of his shows, who knew then that it wasn't going to last.

Some more IDs:

pumping = Black Traxx - Pump It
do you believe = What It Is - Do You Believe
i want you = Syndicate 305 - I Promise

Anonymous said...

Rinsing not mincing. Yeah!

Miles said...

Tracklist complete!

andy said...

very first track is basil hardhouse -city streets

:)

p-u-m-p

bicep said...

oh yea didnt see the t/l mr fingers completely ripped that track off

check it

http://www.discogs.com/Basil-Hardhouse-City-Streets/release/93708

Reno-kid said...

Yo, this mix is fly! I'm talkin so fly, it's outta sight!

Hey, if anybody has the mp3 for this, please post. I've gotta have this mix, especially for that song 'The Music is Right' for my mp3 player. That track is slamming and I love the rapping that the dude does in that track.

If you have the mp3 for this, please lemme know.

Miles said...

I don't have the mp3 but I gues sit's here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04pYGj5-WDc

Unknown said...

I have a tape like that, also Tony, from 1991 I think. I played it about 1000 times despite its poor quality (it was a copy of a copy...).
The amazing thing is that a lot of the records he played were never released, at least not in the same version.