INSPIRATION INFORMATION

It hasn't really sunk in yet, but after thirteen years of sharing the decks with Phil Asher, our partnership at Inspiration Information has drawn to a close. Heavy heart? For sure, but I'm just truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a soulful and inspirational force within the London music scene, it's been thirteen years of the greatest camaraderie, laughs, thrills, spills, plenty highs, a few lows, but mainly great all-consuming passion for the music. There's not even a trace of acrimony in this parting of the ways; rightly so, Phil is committing his energies to his work as an artist and producer and label boss, pushing restless soul ever higher as he continues to delight and astound us with a stream of quality music. During the time I was based in Okinawa and after our session re-located to East Village, Phil took on the entire workload of organisation and promotion, booking djs, arranging flights, flyers etc etc. So I reckon we should all be grateful he'll now have more time to focus on production where his energies are definitely best spent! However I have to extend my deepest gratitude for his endeavours, which allowed me to keep a toe-hold in the London scene on my frequent returns.

Phil's personality was an enormous part of what Inspiration information was about, his humour, his belief, his bonhomie, his gregariousness, his whole musical credo; things that can't be replaced, and Inspiration Information will be very different without him. Perhaps the times I will always cherish hark back to our original days at NHAC, when we started at 8pm ( before we introduced the earlier start, The Ladies 1st team and live acts, and before the smoking ban!!); we'd both arrive early and whilst the club started to fill up there was free reign to play whatever we wanted. Those early sessions not only set the tone for the night ahead, they dug the foundations of what Inspiration Information became. Of course we were there to entertain, but also to educate, sometimes just each other, playing music that had depth, resonance and soul across the genres both old and new. The music that united us was classic boogie and disco, and at the time of it's inception Inspiration Information gave us both the chance to relieve our frustration that we had nowhere to play that sound. Indeed back in those days there was nowhere to hear that music.

However as much as Inspiration Information represented those classic NY and London traditions there was always a twist, with Jazz and Latin broadening the flavours and new music providing a contemporary edge. We were the first club to truly champion the broken beat sound, and Dilla beats and the soulful vanguard were always a big part of what we were about. We were bangin' Amerie's "1 Thing" long, long before it came out, in fact there's a long list of classic tunes that had there first club plays at our session. After the transfer to East Village the musical focus shifted towards the classic repertoire if only for the reason that there was a surfeit of good new music that fitted the bill, and, we were able to book a stream of stellar guests who could all bring a unique interpretation of that classic sound.

Now the session is looking forward to a new era, a fresh start, and a new interpretation of the Inspiration Information concept. Of course the spirit of the session won't be compromised, but the balance of the music will change with a no holds barred approach to music from across the soulful spectrum, from classics to the cutting edge. I'm proud to say that I'll be joining forces with Jimbo, the man behind one of London's most wicked dance nights, Groove Sanctuary. Running for over 10 years at Madame Jo Jo's, it's always been a great session with a healthy representation of serious dancers. However recently the influx of a new generation of young House dancers has added a whole new dimension to the night. As co-resident and promoter Jimbo will be drawing on his experience with Groove Sanctuary to reach out to a new network of dancers, djs, and artists to bring a fresh dimension to Inspiration Information. We'll be giving over the upstairs room at East Village to the next generation, with many different styles and flavours and a few surprises and special features. Downstairs will be hosted by the residents with some serious guests ready to throw down for Inspiration Information.

The new chapter begins on Friday 10th September with an exclusive dj set from Jurgen from Jazzanova, in the upstairs room Renegade and Demi bring a dancing crowd for an 80s/90s Hip Hop selection, and D-Lo hosts a Beat Box battle!