Live Recording: In The Heat Of The Night @ Snugg 2/8/14

Been holding on to this one for way too long, about time I got it up for sharing. Live set here, field recorded on dodgy equipment last year during the Snugg residency held down by In The Heat Of The Night.

I love a field-recorded set, something raw that captures the vibe vibe of a night or party. It was always a bit of a dirty secret, the flipside to the high-end systems that we dig playing on or a quality home deck and hi-fi setup. Then I learned that Aba Shanti-I records all their parties with a handheld tape recorder, and suddenly the bootleg-style fetish had validity. Especially when the DJs are playing wax, there’s always that extra element of atmosphere that seems to be going in through the needle as it tracks along the record groove.

And as a side-note, if you ever get a chance to listen to any of those Aba Shanti recordings make sure you do. Sounding proper rough as they do they still capture the pure spiritual emotion that Aba Shanti brings, making them a better listen than any touched up studio thing that often gets peddled out by labels for promo.

This set isn’t a ten thousand strong party, nor is it Jimmy Monsta Funk and cohorts tapping in to the techno, house and floor-moving vein their well known for. It is however, a brilliant selection of tunes that suited the night, drawing on two of the best record collections we know about, going across the board with genres including jazz, funk, house, beats, broken, hip-hop and dub. It’s all good.

With their ‘No Dancing Allowed‘, ‘Vinyl Only‘ and ‘Unrestricted Selection‘ policies, Jimmy Monsta Funk and D held it down in style, and we’re sure it’s not the end of In The Heat Of The Night.

Thrown up here as it was recorded, proper raw with restaurant, DJ banter and trainspotting record fans talking to the selectors on big tunes. For those wanting to get straight to the first track it kicks in around the fifteen minute mark. Love it.

‘Snugg is delighted to host the Lawrence Smithee music consultancy team responsible for the soundtrack to the soon to be released Hollywood remake of the 1967 award winning IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT. Stereo procured, please come join us as they share their favourite records in this free unrestricted selection..’