Empty Dancefloors - A Tribute To Dingwalls

[Greg Belson]

Here's something a tad different for this board.......a tribute to an iconic club session that is no longer with us as the force it once was, hence the 'Empty Dancefloors' moniker. The mighty DINGWALLS!

 

https://www.mixcloud.com/gregbelson/empty-dancefloors-a-tribute-to-dingwalls/

 

Dingwalls was a Sunday afternoon hotbox club session tucked away in a dark room in London’s Camden Town. Where hardcore jazzers, soulies and most importantly DANCERS, gathered amidst the market-going public for a few intense hours of jazz fueled happiness, sweatiness and enlightenment. The tunes were provided by Gilles Peterson , Patrick Forge and the occasional guest, whilst front of house was handled by Janine Neye…...and what tunes they were……..almost like we were all discovering them together, so they became OUR tunes. The Sunday session was really born out of a couple of other clubs, namely the ‘Belvedere’ in Richmond and ‘Cock Happy’ where Gilles shared a residency with Chris Bangs. It was Mr. Bangs who first coined the phrase ‘Acid Jazz’…..the complete meaning of that term is a whole ‘nuther topic, but safe to say, it helped define a style that was part and parcel of these sessions. But it was so much more than that…..jazz in its entirety, no stone left unturned. It’s almost impossible to break down the excitement and diversity of the tunes that exploded out of the speakers at Dingwalls within a one hour timeframe, so I’ve selected some tunes that I hold dear to my heart. From a time when clubbing was so beautifully intense, and friendships were made on the dancefloor……where professional dance crews like IDJ, Brothers in Jazz, the foundations of Jazzcotech etc, all rubbed shoulders with the jazz lovin’ clubber. I’m smiling all over again just thinking about it. Here’s hoping this tribute mix does the same for you too……..!

 

For more information regarding this legendary session, check out this link;

 

https://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/nightclubbing-dingwalls