SOUL GALLEN mit Greg Belson & Herr Wempe

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Freitag, 20. September 2019, ab 22h

SOUL GALLEN

mit

Greg Belson (Divine Discotheque/45 Live)

&

Herr Wempe (Soul Gallen)

Palace, SG

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Seit bald zehn Jahren ist SOUL GALLEN ein stetiger Wert: Monatlich lädt Gastgeber Herr Wempe versierte Plattenleger_innen ein, um gemeinsam dieses runde Schwarz aufzulegen und Menschen zum gemeinsamen Tanzen zu animieren. Zum Start in die Jubiläumssaison kommt hoher Besuch aus Los Angeles: Greg Belson, Mitglied der 45 Live-Crew, Produzent der gefeierten Divine Disco-Reihe und weltweit gefragter DJ.

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What's your name & where are you from?

I’m Greg Belson and I live in Los Angeles, California.

What are you doing?

I collect rare vinyl, archive records and I play them on the radio and around the globe. Always looking for music I didn’t know about 24 hours earlier.

Who influenced you musically?

In my early teen years it was the heavier production and harder sounds of metal bands, before switching it up to hiphop and the attitude from pioneers like Public Enemy, Schooly D, Big Daddy Kane etc. Other influences are David Axelrod, Charles Stepney & Gil Scott Heron, but what inspires me today musically evolves daily.

What was your first record?

My first record was bought for me by my parents as a gift when I was quite seriously sick….Bay City Rollers ‘Once Upon A Star’ LP, when I was 5 years old.

What are your favorite records at the moment?

There are always many across a myriad of genres dependent on my mood…but here are 10 I keep coming back to, for my own peace of mind;

Pervis Herder – Honkey tonk junk

Ruby – Hoops (Grantby remix)

Dan Greer – Love is the message

Goldie – State of mind

Ikah Moon – Sista

Larry Heard – Missing you
Fantastic Shadows – Time for peace

Rev. Harvey Gates – Price of love

Ludwig A.F. Röhrscheid – Velocity

William & Jerome Croom – Hallelujah!

What's your best digging story?

One of my best diggin’ stories was gaining access to a previously untouched warehouse full of LP’s in Kalamazoo, North Michigan. There were over 1 million boxed records in there, and the owner didn’t trust us enough to leave us by ourselves….so he stayed with us for the whole day. We had barely touched the surface when night time came around….we asked if we could carry on digging til the morning, so he went home, and locked us in! We dug that spot for 36 hours straight, and got through most of it…I know we missed some great stuff though, so it would have been awesome to go back! But this was the early 90’s pre-internet, so….we got lucky with that spot.

What's your favorite format? LP, 12", 7"?

Gold = 7”, Silver = LP, Bronze = 12”

What are your 10 alltime favorites?

Little Shadows – Judgement day

Minnie Riperton – Expecting

Chase & Status – Take me away

James Bynum – We are in need

Left Rev. Eugene McDaniels – Lovin’ man

David Axelrod – London

Mouly & Lucida – Chilled

Gil Scott Heron – We almost lost Detroit

Herman Adelsohn – Take a look at me

Arrogance – Searchin’

What's your most memorable dj gig?

My first year at NYC Downlow at Glastonbury Festival, June 2013…the perfect sound, in the perfect space, in a club regarded arguably as the best in the world. A beautiful experience, shared with the most amazing dancers. A DJ memory I’ll never forget.

What's the best concert you ever went to?

The first James Brown’s Funky People Reunion, Town & Country Club, London in 1985…close second, Larry Heard, IICON stage, Glastonbury Festival 2019.

Where & with who would your dream gig be?

The venue would be in the sky, floating on our own personal cloud…..the players would be directed by David Axelrod, with Charles Stepney composed strings, conducted by Lalo Schifrin featuring Dorothy Ashby on harp, Mike Clark on drums, Gil Scott Heron on rhodes piano and lead vocals, Althea Davis (Fantastic/Little Shadows) on harmony vocals, Airto Moreira on percussion, backing vocals curated by Juan D. Shipp and consisting of a slew of 70’s gospel underground artists, Charles Mingus on bass with Fred Wesley and the Horny Horns on brass duty. I think that would do it!!

What's your favorite food & drink?

Favorite food is English derived Indian curry….drink is….a cold cider or some super chill chocolate milk.

Any words of advice?

Evolve from your influences and develop your own tastes. Don’t be afraid for others not to approve….make your journey personal and always, always enjoy what you’re doing. Don’t feel pressured to do things any other way. Go to record shops if you want, go to record fairs if you want, or dig online if you want. There is no right or wrong, as long as you’re supporting legally released music…it’s your way, so own it, and don’t forget to smile when you’re winning!

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Das ist seine neueste Compilation, welche im September erscheint.

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