Natty Bo presents Killer Dillers - Sat 29 Nov

Natty Bo's Killer Dillers club night returns to central London for a second outing on Saturday 29th November. This time the venue is Guy's Bar near London Bridge - another club owned by The King's College Student Union, so expect the same super cheap drinks prices. Natty tells me this venue is more intimate and more atmospheric than Tutu's, though I'm not sure whether this one has a view of the river.

Musically you can expect another phenomenal night of 78rpms from Natty and Count Sizzle covering blues, jazz, swing, calypso, mento and Latin sounds so don't miss out!

Killer Dillers (part 2) @ Guy's Bar
St. Thomas Street (through courtyard), London Bridge, SE1 9RT
9pm - 2.30am
£5 admission

DJs battle all weekend - 21st & 22nd November

Maybe it's something about the cold winter air that makes us DJs feel all competitive, but the last ever Wheelie Bag Clash took place last Sunday at the 100 Club and now there are two more clashes to look forward to this coming weekend!

First of all is The Sagaboys DJ Cup Clash on Friday 21st November in Clapton. I am taking part in this myself and would love to see some of you down there. It's hotting up to be quite a night so make sure you bring your whistles and make some noise! For full details see my previous blog post here.

Then on Saturday 22nd November some of the biggest revival reggae DJs in London are gathering to clash in Dalston. Names include Gladdy Wax, Tiny T and Asher G (The Rocksteady Daddy). One things for sure, this will be quite a contest with some amazing tunes being showcased. Especially as the winner will walk away with £1000 (the winner of the Sagaboys Clash just gets a trophy!)

Details as follows:

I Remember That! (clash and dance) @ Bar 512
Saturday 22nd November 2008
512 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London, E8 4AE
10pm - 5am
admission: £7

URGENT - Ronnie Scott's night CANCELLED - 15 Nov

I am extremely sorry to announce that just half an hour ago I received a phone call telling me the management of Ronnie Scott's have cancelled my night there tomorrow (15 Nov). Apparently they double booked the venue and forgot to tell the promoters and DJs until this evening! Unfortunately there was absolutely nothing I could do to change this decision.

As you can imagine, I am shocked and upset by this. In seven years DJing and promoting this has never happened to me before and I would never have expected a world-famous venue like Ronnie Scott's to display this level of unprofessionalism.

All I can do is offer my sincerest apologies to you all. Especially for the unbelievably short notice. If I had any idea this could have happened I would never have arranged the night there.

Not only has this messed up my weekend and wasted many hours of my time spent in promoting and preparing the night, but around 150 people have also had their weekends messed up including people who were going to celebrate their birthday there and some who had planned to travel from outside London like those from Brighton & Hove and even the Midlands. I really hope this hasn't put anyone out of pocket.

Please could I ask you to pass this information on to anyone you know who might be planning on attending tomorrow night? I would really hate for anyone to waste their time and money travelling down there.

I can only apologise again and assure you I will do everything in my power to never allow this to happen again at any venue I DJ at in the future.

Thank you for the music

More sad news today. I was shocked to read of the death of legendary South African singer Miriam Makeba - also known as Mama Afrika.

You can read the story here: www.miriammakeba.co.za

This comes just days after the death of Byron Lee whose band The Dragonaires were responsible for some of the finest ska, rocksteady, calypso and reggae recordings of the 1960s.

Despite the joy the news of Barack Obama being elected the first black president of the United States has brought to the world, this is a sad time as we have lost so many inspiring musical heroes during the last few weeks, including one of my all time favourite singers - Alton Ellis.

Read more about the passing of Alton Ellis, Byron Lee and other Jamaican greats here

Other legends who have just recently passed away are Levi Stubbs (lead singer of The Four Tops), Dee Dee Warwick (soul singer and sister of Dionne Warwick) and Andrew "Mike" Terry (Funk Brother and Detroit saxophonist who played on so many of the great 60s soul tunes).

This coming weekend I am playing Right On! sets at The Vibe Bar and Ronnie Scott's and am dedicating the sessions to the memory of all these wonderful singers and musicians. I will be paying tribute by playing many of their fantastic and life-affirming recordings. Their music will live forever.

Beanos record shop to close

After threatening to close some time back and then downsizing instead, it seems Beanos record shop in Croydon is sadly now to close down for good.

I've just received this message from David Lashmar, the owner:

"A severe and, I believe, permanent downturn in music retail has forced me to realise that I can no longer continue to finance this business as I have done for the last two years. Since, in fact, when we announced that we would have to close back in 2006.

Regular subscribers to our 'beamails' will know that we have had several exclusive special offers. Our last beamail explained that we were still experiencing desperately poor trade and that we were extending our 'Half Price Sale' to the general public during October.

Unfortunately this did not provide the boost in sales that we expected and I have had to take the decision to wind down BEANOS. After well over thirty years this is very difficult for me.

However, I will now have the time to devote myself totally to the design and launch of 'MARKET PLACE' our exciting way to revitalise this fine building.

RIGHT NOW

We are selling off all we have left and there is plenty! A lot that has never been on display will be coming out on a daily basis. Since this is the final demise of BEANOS as a Record Dealer we will have to stop buying in any more items. It feels strange to say that after years of encouraging you to sell to us. Changing times, I guess.

So, although Beanos as a record dealer will disappear fairly soon, its spirit will live on in Market Place as this will be run with the same flair and incorporate a lot of the design ideas that made us so famous. It is also going to be run on innovative principles which will guarantee somewhere really special. It will be busy, colourful, exciting and safe. It will not be anything like the tatty indoor markets that seem to spring up everywhere. I have spent a long time looking at other indoor markets and I know exactly what to avoid. I will be sending a further beamail fairly soon giving more details of how this will be structured and, believe me, this will be a fantastic project and will re-vitalise this area of town. I did it with Beanos and I will do it again!

But, I am sure you must realise how much I am going to miss the shop. It has been my life since it first opened in 1975. It has given me great rewards and been a major part in the musical lives of thousands of our loyal customers, many of whom I know personally and will miss greatly. However, I hope that you will continue to support my new scheme and help to make Market Place as great a success as Beanos was.

We will still have our doors open well into 2009 as we sell off all that we have left and I will continue to email you with news as we convert the ground floor into something very exciting, in fact, you will see what we are building when you come in and, if you want to have a look at what we have done with the top two floors, just ask to have a preview.

This is both a sad time and an exciting time for me. Although I might be of a retiring age I am not of a retiring nature so, please take note, David Lashmar has not left the building!"

To find out more about the new Market Place venture visit: www.beanosmarketplace.co.uk

Alternatively you can contact David by email at david@beanos.co.uk

Adam of London launch website

Excellent West London menswear boutique Adam Of London have finally caught up with the 21st century and launched a website.

Run by former mod Adam Shener, Adam Of London has been in business for many years selling well-cut mod style suits, coats and shirts but has never had an online presence until now. Although the layout is quite simple and still seems a bit buggy, the site is fairly easy to navigate and it is even possible to purchase online.

Check it out here: www.adamoflondon.com

Adam Of London is located at:
Unit 11, Portobello Green Arcade, 281 Portobello Road, W10 5TZ
Telephone: (020) 8960 6944

Fantastic London - free films at The Birkbeck Cinema

Titled "Fantastic London", The Birkbeck Cinema is currently showing another series of films presented by the London Screen Study Collection. The theme of the series is "London re-imagined".

These screenings are free and take place every Tuesday at 2.30pm. 9th December is the finale and highlight of the series - another chance to catch "London Loves" which was shown last month in Trafalgar Square as part of The London Film Festival. This is a harvest of excellent rarities from London's archives including clips of Fluffers cleaning the London Underground, Eel and Pie Houses and "The Elephant Will Never Forget" from 1953 which documents the moving story of London's last trams.

The Birkbeck Cinema is located at: 43 Gordon Square, London, WC1H 0PD

For more information, including full programme, contact Angela English on a.english@bbk.ac.uk

Skatalites live at The Albany - 5th December

The world's greatest ska band, The Skatalites, are to play live at The Albany on Friday 5th December. This is their only London date this year so don't miss it!

These internationally renowned veteran musicians are true masters of ska, rocksteady and reggae. Original members Lloyd Knibb, Lester Sterling and vocalist Doreen Shaffer are complemented by talented musicians like Cedric "Im" Brooks and Vin Gordon (aka Don Drummond Jr).

"The Skatalites - Jamaica's answer to the Motown house band and Booker T. and the MG's combined" - Rolling Stone

The Skatalites live @ The Albany
Douglas Way, Deptford, London, SE8 4AG
Friday 5th December
Doors: 7.30pm

Tickets: £15 in advance or £20 on the door. All tickets are standing only.

Box Office: (020) 8692 4446
www.thealbany.org.uk

For more information about the Skatalites, visit their website: www.skatalites.com

Jean-Paul enters DJ Clash - Fri 21 Nov

I'm taking part in the the 2nd Annual Sagaboys DJ Cup Clash on Friday 21st November 2008 and need your support. Admission is free so come down and cheer me on! Last year I came second out of twelve DJs, losing only to Daddee Samson. I'd never taken part in a clash before so wasn't quite sure what to expect, but this year I am fully prepared and want to win the cup from him!

Crowd response plays a big part in judging the DJs, so the more people who come down and clap and cheer for me the better.

The Sagaboys are one of Europe's leading Soca crews and they have many talented soca and reggae DJs amongst them. The music played at this clash is primarily soca and reggae, though there should also be a freestyle round where anything goes (soul, funk, rare groove, etc.)

Like last year, I will be representing the foundations of these genres with my collection of rare calypso, mento, rocksteady and early reggae on original vinyl. If you love this music then please come along. You'll hear some great tunes and be supporting one of the few DJs in London playing old-school calypso to the masses.

You'll also hear some fantastic music courtesy of Daddee Samson, Lady Heartbeat and others, who will certainly be putting up quite a fight.

Details as follows:

The 2nd Annual Sagaboys DJ Cup Clash
Friday 21st November 2008
@ Sam Uhriah House
136 - 142 Lower Clapton Road, London, E5 0QJ
9pm - 2am
FREE entry

Defending the 2007 cup: Daddee Samson

Registered contestants so far: Jean-Paul Séculaire (Right On!), Junior Passion (Klimax Radio), Musik Lover, Paradise Vibes, Zigzag, Nexus, DJ Serenity (Klimax Radio), Lady Heartbeat

MC for the night: Sagaboy Phil Fingarz (Tempo Radio)