On Saturday July 22nd Mind Fair (Dean Meredith & Ben Shenton) take their Klipschorns down to Bishton Hall, near Stafford. The party will be held in collaboration with Gin Jamboree, and Dean and Ben will be joined by special guest selectors, Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy, Andy “We Are The Sunset “ Taylor and Stuart Robinson from The Great Outdoors. 

2:00 PM til Midnight. You can get your tickets here. And here`s a top five tunes from last year`s shindig. 

Words & Music by Ben Shenton and Dean Meredith.

Tao / Eenie Meanie

This obscure slice of Scandi-Pop from 1984 is an instant vibe-inducer and a big favourite here at Mind Fair HQ. Little is known of the six piece Swedish combo other than they’re from Gothenburg and were rather partial to wearing ridiculous baggy white trousers. However this “Pop Not Pop” gem of a tune never fails to hit the spot. The nursery rhyme lyrics, faux Reggae melodica , cliched ’80s Linn drums and Dave Gilmour-esque guitar all say it shouldn’t work…..but  it does.

We​ve actually licensed this track for release on our new Rogue Cat Re Sounds imprint. There`ll be remixes from us, Mark seven, and Dan Tyler(Idjut Boys).

Womack & Womack / MPB (Paradise Ballroom mix)

An emotional rollercoaster of a tune in the shape of a hard to find Frankie Knuckles mix of the Womack & Womack classic.  Completely stripped back at the start, Frankie begins by teasing us with random guitar flourishes and occasional wafts of vocal and piano.  It’s a full three minutes before any sign of a beat emerges and from then in this monster just builds and builds, then drops, then builds again and so on. Everything about this mix is perfection which explains why this U.S-only Island promo has become so sought after. If ever a track deserved to be pressed as a singled sided 12, this is it!!!

I have to admit that when I saw the prices of this on Discogs I was shocked. I had to run and check my copy was where it was supposed to be (Rob). 

Travis Wammack / You Better move On 

A Rick Hall production. Recorded at the legendary Fame studios, Muscle Shoals. Wammack started his career early. He cut his first record at the tender age of twelve!!!!

The Clark Sisters / Hi Ya

Here at Rogue Cat Towers we  have a penchant for all things Gospel. From rootsy raw community choirs, right through to big Bible-tinged Disco productions. Whilst Mark Seven did a fine job of editing this for his Divine Edits 12” on Creative Use we’ve gone for the original. A big-ass production held together with a lovely grooving piano and heavenly harmonies that take you to ‘that’ higher place.

Grannens Förflutna / Utvandring

Wildlife Records describe this as the “record to rule them all” and we’re inclined to agree. A private pressing featuring the cosmic synth sounds of 18 year old Filip Lundqvist, it still sounds contemporary and as relevant as anything you’ll hear today. Despite being made over 30 years ago. Killer!

 

Ashford and Simpson / Bourgie Bourgie (Joe Claussell Mix)

A soaring string-soaked Larry Levan favourite given the full-on Claussell Deep-Soul treatment. It manages to keep all the original ingredients intact whilst raising the rhythm track in the mix and adding amazing Latin percussion flavours that lift the track even higher. We`ve fond memories of playing this last year. It literally jumped straight out of the Klipschorns and onto the dance floor. The sure sign of a well crafted record.