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Change – Hold Tight
Sylvester – Too Hot To Sleep
Stephanie Mills – My Body
Jean Carn – My Love Don’t Come Easy
AD 2000 – Love Time Machine
Kashif – Lover Turn Me On
Melba Moore – It’s Really Love
Glen Ricks – Waiting For You
The Brothers Johnson – Caught Up
Michael Wycoff – Still Got The Magic
TZ Junior – Sugar My Love
Chicco – I Need Some Money
Egyptian Lover – I Cry (Night After Night)
Pink Rhythm – Melodies Of Love
Will Powers – Adventures In Success
Pamoja – Ooh Baby
Geraldine Hunt – Look Around
Slick – Space Bass
Coach House Rhythm Section – Time Warp
Meco – Moondancer
Marcos Valle – Para Os Filhos de Abraao
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes – Today’s Your Lucky Day
Aretha Franklin – Jump To It
Lemuria – Hunk of Heaven

This was an one-hour special to celebrate Soho Radio’s move from Great Windmill Street over to Fora (Broadwick Street).

Phyllis Hyman – Living Inside Your Love
Cream De Coco – Disco Strut
Dennis Wilson – Constant Companion
Gilberto Gil – Palco
Lalo Schifrin – Middle Of The Night
Skye – Ain’t No Need
The Emotions – You’re The Best
D-Train – Keep On
Sharon Redd – Beat The Street
Bobby Thurston – Check Out The Groove
Colonel Abrams – I’m Not Gonna Let You

Roy Ayers – Programmed For Love
Tony Palkovic – Born With A Desire
Private Agenda – Sienna
Alex Malheiros – Travelling Through Your Body
Emilio Santiago – Dentro De Você
Sandra de Sá – Guarde Minha Voz
Hiroshima – One Wish
Shakatak – Street Walkin’
Denroy Morgan – Happy Feeling
Peter Hunnigale – Untamed Love
Marcos Valle – Dia D
Junko Ohashi – Dancin’
Debra Laws – Long As We’re Together
Harvey Mason – Don’t Doubt My Lovin’
Booker T – Power In Your Love
The O’Jays – Put Our Heads Together
John Rocca – I Want It To Be Real
Professor Rhythm – Professor 3
Letta Mbulu – Kilimanjaro Take Us Higher
Toby Foyeh – Ore Mi
Gary’s Gang – Let’s Lovedance Tonight (Danny Krivit Re-Edit)
Pure Energy – Party On
Hitomi Tohyama– Exotic Yokogao
Lonnie Liston Smith – Bridge Through Time

I had so much fun DJing with Pete Fowler at Spiritland on 8th October! If you missed it, you can now listen back on Mixcloud –four hours of AOR, jazz, soul, funk and disco/boogie here.

Tracklist:

ART Wilson – Rebecca’s Theme (Water)
Todd Rundgren – Healing Pt. 1
Alice Coltrane – Journey in Satchidananda
Hailu Mergia and the Walias– Tche Belew
The Steve Miller Band – Wild Mountain Honey
Laid Back – Fly Away
Gary Bartz – Music is My Sanctuary
Patrice Rushen – Settle for My Love
Nohelani Cypriano – Lihue
Bee Gees – Love You Inside Out
Curtis Mayfield – Back in the World
Gloria Ann Taylor – What’s Your World
Asha Puthli – Space Talk
??? (tbc)
??? (tbc)
Jeff Phelps – Wrong Space, Wrong Time
Herbie Hancock – I Thought It Was You
Joni Mitchell – Help Me
Terry Reid – Dean
Steely Dan – Hey Nineteen
??? (tbc)
Ned Doheny – I’ve Got Your Number
Chaka Khan – Clouds
Donna McGhee – It Ain’t No Big Thing
Claudja Barry – Love for the Sake of Love
Letta Mbulu – Nomalizo
Marcos Valle – Estrelar
Todd Rungren – Love of the Common Man
Steely Dan – Midnight Cruiser
Robert Palmer – Every Kinda People
Nicolette Larson – Lotta Love
Kenny Rankin – Like a Seed
Happy End – Fuuraibo
Joni Mitchell – Car on a Hill
Traffic – Walking in the Wind
Kleeer – Open Your Mind
Michael Jackson – Rock With You
Sylvester – All I Need
Mary Jane Girls – All Night Long
Imagination – Just an Illusion
Dennis Parker – Like an Eagle
Bamboo – Hustlers of Life Never Survive
Grace Jones – Walking in the Rain
RAMP – Daylight
John Martyn – Big Muff
Loredana Berte – In Alto Mare
Edgar Winter – Above and Beyond
Cerrone – Give Me Love
Miroslav Vitous – Basic Laws
Sly and the Family Stone – Luv N’ Hait

Following the success of her single launch, Helene is set to perform at the Lexington, along with Deerful and Whoa Melodic. Buy your tickets here (all profits go to the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants).

Hello!

In the spring, I did a quite bit of recording for other artists. On one particular occasion I travelled up to Mary Epworth’s house to record some vocals with her and her other half, Will, for a (new-to-me) project called Papernut Cambridge.

The band is the brainchild of ex-Death in Vegas guitarist Ian Button, but there are a whole load of people in the band – Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter (formerly of Hefner), the Austrian journalist and musician Robert Rotifer (Rotifer), Robert Halcrow (Picturebox), Ralegh Long, Mary, Will and now me.

The first time I met Papernut Cambridge was backstage at the Lexington, before a Mary Epworth show. They all seemed lovely although there were so many of them and it took me a while to put names and faces together (via the medium of internet stalking, of course). Even more confusingly, every single musician in Papernut Cambridge also makes their own music, and they all play in each others’ bands. I love the idea of this.

Last month we travelled to Big Jelly Studios in Ramsgate to record some tracks for the next album. I won’t give too much away about it, but if you love 60’s and 70’s music (pre-punk era) then I think you’ll really love this. I had a lot of fun and it was lovely to get to record in a proper studio (only the second time I’ve done it!)

Here’s a photo of us awkwardly sat on a slide, trying not to spoon each other and grimacing in pain because there was nothing to grip on to, while the pug it was installed for because it can’t get down the steps looks on, highly bewildered.

Photo courtesy of Ian Button/Big Jelly Studios

Papernut Cambridge, Rotifer and Ralegh Long as all playing at Servant Jazz Quarters this coming Tuesday and Wednesday 25th and 26th November. Snap up your tickets here!

Hello folks,

I had a wonderful time with my band at Daylight Music in the Union Chapel this weekend. Diana Jarvis took some wonderful photos, which can be viewed here.

Here’s a video of us performing the song ‘Moon’ (with thanks to Andres Vicente):

Many thanks to all involved with Daylight Music, and to the wonderful musicians who performed with me – Mary Epworth (vocals), Ben Walker (electric guitar), Jeremy Radway (bass and vocals) and Ed Grimshaw (drums).

CH x

Last Sunday I had the privilege of playing guitar and singing with Mary Epworth at Maida Vale, as part of the BBC’s 6 Music 10th Anniversary celebrations. You can listen to the session here (link expires on Easter Monday).

Apart from the amazing experience of performing my first radio session in such an historic venue and making my band debut on the electric guitar, other highlights included:

– Meeting Cerys Matthews

– Having a conversation* with Joe Boyd

– Seeing and attempting to play a cuíca, and failing miserably

Photo by Wendy Venables

Looking forward to doing lots more gigs with Mary over the summer! You can find out more about Mary here.

CH x

* Telling him which jug had hot water in it, as he’d just poured coffee over his teabag

My New Year’s resolution is…

…finally fixing my 1/2″ 8 track reel to reel tape machine. It’s a Tascam 38, and it’s about the same age as me! It’s only taken me four years to get around to the task. Hope I don’t electrocute myself. Amazing what you can find to do when you have a tax return deadline looming, eh? (31st January, folks!)

I’ll post updates as things progress.  Let me know your thoughts – anyone else got one of these, or similar?

Helene x

Introducing Steve, my new electric guitar. He’s an Epiphone Casino (50th Anniversary edition, in Vintage Sunburst):

What do you reckon?

CH x