The ‘navvies’ of Chalk Farm: fist fights, rowdy pubs and raffling a dead body
August 29, 2024
Life was dangerous, drunken and relentlessly tough for the men who transformed the neighbourhood carving out the railways
Tell us a bit about how this remake of the Iggy Pop and David Bowie classic came about?
The ‘Trainspotting’ movie soundtrack was very influential among my circle when I first started DJing back in Venezuela, and ‘Nightclubbing’ was one of my favourite tracks from the movie. There was a club at that time in Caracas called Bar Two, where we liked to go because the resident DJs used to play an alternative set to the usual Latin anthems. They would play a lot of the British electronic influences of the time like Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ or early Chemical Brothers, and they would also play ‘Nightclubbing‘ when they wanted to slow down the tempo a bit. Since then I got into the idea that it would be great to have a more driven and funky version of it, but it didn’t exist. For several years I’ve been waiting to do a remake of the track. Fast forward to London and 10 years later and I started working with Del and thought this song would be a great match for his vocals. I’m super proud of how it came out. It’s such an iconic song and always ignites the dance floor.
Why is now the right time for ‘Nightclubbing’ to be back all over dancefloors?
It’s a timeless track so it’ll always be the right time for it, but the fact that clubs are now back in full force after the difficult time we all lived through in the past three years, it makes it even more special.
What do you feel that the funk licks and Italo stylings of the remixes lend to the swaggering 70s original?
I think it complements the original versions well. It crosses into another dimension while still respecting the original Iggy Pop version and you can defo feel the influence of the amazing Grace Jones version on Del’s vocal delivery, too.
What are your current tips for the best people and places in the neighbourhood to check out this spring?
It’s nice to see KOKO is doing really well. They are booking really interesting nights and the space itself is awesome. Kerri Chandler is resident every Saturday during February and on the 25th he’s joined by the legendary Moodyman. Also The Windmill in Soho is also doing some great club nights, and is a firm favorite of mine.
Nightclubbing by Funky Magnetic & Del Blake is out now on Imagenes Recordings.
Life was dangerous, drunken and relentlessly tough for the men who transformed the neighbourhood carving out the railways
A joyful romp through the baffling world of sexual awakening, complete with an audience participation kissing finale
We speak to writer-director Jude Benning about her play, which delves into flawed characters, shifting social values and what happens when a respected drama teacher loses his grip on power over a young class
This psychological thriller sees a widow discover her husband’s affair – and murder – through a book written by their close friend. It explores the ethical implications of writers using their and others’ lives as material for their work.
© Copyright 2023 The Local Content Company Ltd. All rights Reserved.
Regulated by IMRESS, the Independent Monitor for the Press CIC. For more info on our complaints policy, or to make a complaint, please see FAQ