Psychedelic music is born Anglo-Saxon and radical chic, that means solidly rooted into the American counterculture of the 50’s. Why is it worth to deepen facts and movements of 50-55 years ago? Because, surprisingly for someone, the spine of the political correctness of today, that tends to be global, has exactly the same content. Which content? A brief list of keywords: feminism, antiracism, equalitarianism, support to LGBT rights, strong criticism towards traditional values and traditional institutions, militant hedonism, and faith in the God of pharmaceutical chemistry, including his “black angels”. Nightclubbing has been an answer to the great Prohibition, and American-Italian mobsters have been the earliest of the cited “black angels”. From trafficking illegal alcohol and illegal drugs, “Italian” mafia gained a role of management of nocturnal, collective entertainment, chiefly in the USA, but even in the UK, and other European countries. Despite of some similarities, the process of emersion of disco music in the UK, that inspired the major European countries, has been different from the one that you can read on the home page, that’s chiefly dedicated to New York, the galaxy of pleasure and pain.
A brief and solid definition of “disco music” is dancing at nightclubs to the sound of vinyl records, according to a musical program prepared and performed by one or more DJs, due to an audio equipment whose sound source is one turntable, or more. While in the USA disco music emerged around the year 1965, in the UK it emerged earlier, and with a different name. British audiophiles started to name themselves “modernists” in late 50’s, after the diffusion of the earliest hi-fi consumer turntables (Garrard 301 in 1953, and Thorens TD 124 in 1956), and of LPs at 33 RPM (from 1948)/single records at 45 RPM (from 1949). The original modernists were record collectors, chiefly imported from the USA. The musical genres were various, even if some British experts have cited the “modern jazz”. In reality, the true new praxis was musical consumerism. Like many writers have written, in the year 1963, in London, musical consumerism evolved to the equivalent of disco music, locally called “mod movement”. Thanks to a phenomenon absent in the USA, the popularity of pirate radio stations, British music lovers were soon ready to listen to the performance of an unknown DJ, and to dance to the music proposed by the cited person at a nightclub. The initiator of the new collective dances was Mr. Guy Stevens, the earliest professional DJ of a nightclub of history, at a place named “Scene Club”, that was a part of a building hosting a hotel in Soho, London. Mr. Guy Stevens was a musicologist and a collector of rare records, whose purpose was spreading his music, republishing the single records under his own record label, named “Sue Records”, and selling the reprinted records to the frequenters of the Scene Club. In summary, he was a promoter, a producer, and a seller of records. No article says whether Guy Stevens received a salary for the DJ activity or not, because the news about the management of the Scene Club is rather scarce. I have had the impression that, similarly to what happened in the USA, local mobsters had a notable role in the matter of Soho nightclubs. The impression can be reinforced by the fact that in 1967 Mr. Guy Stevens himself went to prison, for crimes of the easily imaginable kind (drugs possession and trafficking, after the legislative ban of recreational use of amphetamines, that dates back to the year 1964).
As you can read above, the mod movement was consumerist and dark, with other words, it consisted of dancing in the dark, and under the influence of the dark hands of mobsters. More than that, there was a growing sexual ambiguity, deeply connected to the trippy side of mods. Beside traditional drugs of natural origins, the disco music of the USA was chiefly fueled by clandestine methamphetamine, and disco biscuits (quaaludes). Meth and disco biscuits led the crowds to a boom of anal intercourses, to a notable growth of homosexuality, and to eligible rhythms chiefly from 105 to 120 BPM. Differently, the disco music of the UK, under the name of “mod movement”, was accompanied by a large abuse of prescription amphetamines, more precisely Dexedrine (“dexies”), Durophet (“black bombers”), and Drinamyl (“purple hearts”). Amphetamines led the crowds to sexual promiscuity, to miniskirts, to ambiguous outfits, to “liberation” of women (the so called “Swinging London”), and to preferred rhythms faster, chiefly from 130 to 250 BPM. For that, logically, the conclusion is equal to the title of the page. Dear friends, the political correctness of today, as seen by simple followers and common sustainers, is almost equal to the modernity emerged in Europe in the 60’s.
In the early 90’s, in the UK a new musical trend is born, named “jungle music” or, lately, “drum and bass”. Musical critics are affirming that the new musical trend has been a sort of rebellion, against the austerity of Thatcherism. You can notice that the rhythms of the “new” musical trend are the same of the mods of the 60’s. Of course, I’ve recorded a mix of mod classics, at the same rhythms of jungle/drum and bass. Listen to it, and you will see that the similarity is deeper than a profane might think.
File name is “mods at rhythms faster than 165 BPM, by Max Look DJ (Aug 2024)”, 1 hour and 20’ of the best of mod music, from 168 to 225 BPM, each track mixed on the beat, all original versions remastered on CD. The best traditional disco DJs can discover a mistake I made in programming the playlist. Well, I programmed a track after an evaluation by ear of the rhythm. I thought that the track would be at about 200 BPM, but it is about 228. The remedy has been a massive usage of the pitch control, a praxis that I don’t like. However, you need a well-trained ear to say which is the track.
To the heart of mod movement, the playlist:
Marvin Gaye - can I get a witness (1963)
Philip Upchurch - you can't sit down pts 1 & 2 (1961)
Richie Barrett - some other guy (1963)
Ray Charles - hit the road Jack (1961)
James Moody - summertime (1959)
Sir Douglas Quintet - she's about a mover (1965)
Ray Charles - what'd I say (1960)
Top Notes - twist and shout (1961)
Otis Redding - shout bamalama (1962)
Chiffons - one fine day (1962)
Sugar Pie DeSanto - soulful dress (1964)
Shades Of Blue - oh, how happy (1966)
Boys Blue - you got what I want (1965)
Chuck Berry - roll over Beethoven (1956)
Booker T & the MG's – outrage (1965)
Hollies - we're through (1964)
Duke Pearson - chili peppers (1968)
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Mickey's monkey (1963)
Easybeats - Friday on my mind (1965)
Manfred Mann - bring it to Jerome (1964)
Yardbirds - over under sideways down (1966)
Bobby Parker - watch your step (1961)
Creation - biff bang pow (1966)
Pretty Things - don't bring me down (1964)
Mose Allison - eyesight to the blind (1961)
Manfred Mann - 5-4-3-2-1 (1964)
Big Al Dawning - I feel good (1964)
Joey Dee & the Starlighters - Peppermint twist (1961)
Daylighters - oh mom (teach me how to uncle Willie) (1964)
Bobby Blue Bland - turn on your love light (1961)
Cyril Davies and his Rhythm & Blues All Stars - country line special (1963)
Larry's Rebels - it's not true (1966)
Muddy Waters - got my mojo working (1956)
Fleur De Lys - wait for me (1964)
