Private press soul, jazz funk and disco.
Irish DJ Ricky Chong is a vinyl patron. A dedicated collector and vinyl DJ, Chong–who works with an E&S rotary mixer–has brought his dynamic, genre-splitting performances to the Irish festival circuit (AVA Festival, Life Festival, Beyond The Pale, Electric Picnic) and further beyond.
A monthly resident at Dublin audiophile bar The Big Romance, Chong has developed a name through his discerning tastes across funk, soul, jazz and more. Here, he joins us for a VF mix showcasing the breadth of his collection that’s guaranteed to boost your mood.
Tell me about your selections for the mix.
I’ve decided to show off some of my current favourites. Nothing too club-orientated, mainly some new finds of disco/soul/funk that I haven’t had the chance to play out in clubs as much as I’d like to. There are so many gorgeous sounding records that I could talk endlessly about and today I’m featuring a few private press soul 7-inches, a couple of staples from the disco era, followed by some jazz funk and uplifting love-themed goodies towards the end!
When did you begin collecting vinyl?
I’ve always been a bit of a hoarder since I was a kid. My dad is a huge record collector and audiophile nerd and builds his own hi-fi speakers–he has amazing taste in music and sound in general. Growing up surrounded by all that, it fascinated me. The jazz and ‘world music’ side of me was hugely influenced by him.
It was only later on in my early teens that I started to buy some roughed-up copies in dusty old charity shops with the little money I –standard jazz, classic rock bits, soul/funk LPs and classics like The Gap Band’s Gap Band IV and Oscar Peterson’s We Get Requests. I remember when I was 14 at a local flea market, I found a banged-up 7-inch copy of – ‘And The Beat Goes On” by The Whispers for a few cents and was so delighted with it.
What does vinyl mean to you?
It’s so many things. A passion for one and along with that comes obsession. It’s quite a therapeutic thing if I’m honest. Flicking through records, having something physical to feel and look at, sitting down and listening through an album from start to finish the way it was intended to be listened to–for me, it calms the mind. I’m quite an anxious individual, but digging in record stores is a sure way to kill that stress.
I can easily spend hours and hours within a shop if there are enough interesting records to reel me in. There’s proper enjoyment in finding new music and not knowing what you could pull out next from the crates, maybe discovering your new favourite record, holy grail or artist. It is quite exciting. There’s the community aspect of digging too, which is fascinating since I’ve met so many like-minded individuals in record stores that share the same kind of love and obsession. It’s a great way to connect and share.
Why do you DJ with vinyl?
I wouldn’t be the type who says you should only DJ with vinyl or say it’s the superior format–I do carry USBs with me to every show I play at. These days not every venue or club is properly equipped to handle vinyl and I’ve run into problems with feedback and isolation issues in certain venues before. While I understand playing digital files on CDJs is more convenient, it definitely isn’t as exciting as mixing records.
A lot of the music I play is only available on vinyl. Playing wax also means you’ll have to take more care in what you pack. Selections have to be on point since you’re limited with space and you have to be conscious about that. There’s the extra challenge of mixing two physical records as opposed to looking at screens, so it’s generally more exciting and rewarding but music is music at the end of the day and having fun is the important part, regardless of the format.
How do you discover new records for your sets?
Nowadays it’s mainly Discogs. It’s a quick way to go through specific labels I’m after and can usually lead me down some ridiculous rabbit holes and jaw-dropping realisations of pricing. While it isn’t as engaging as going to a physical store, it’s an effective and informative way of digging.
When I travel around I make sure to visit record stores in the area, get to know the owners etc. That for me is the most enjoyable way to dig. YouTube is also another great place to find amazing obscure music and there’s a plethora of channels out there uploading killer obscure stuff.
I have some private dealers based in Ireland now that are selling their record collections, so it’s quite interesting sifting through the hard work they’ve put into collecting throughout the years and hearing their stories.
Another way is through my friends, sharing music with each other is a huge part of our friendships and I’m grateful I’ve got knowledgable friends who introduce me to new old music. Some of my favourites have been discovered through them!
Listen to the mix in the player above, view the tracklist below, and read on for some more handpicked selections from Chong himself.
Tracklist:
The Laventille Movement – Party People
Bliss – If You Need Somebody
Lloyd Parks & We The People Band – Standing In The Shadow Of Love
Shawne Jackson – Loveline
Morrissey Mullen – Come And Get Me
Satin Dream – Stay Away From My Lover
Carmen – Show Me The Love (Instrumental)
Sanctuary – I Am Going To Love Him
Claudia – Don’t Give Up
Cake – Make Up Your Mind (Unreleased Extended Version)
Tierra – Street Scene
ELS – My Loves Gonna Getcha
Mams & Hart – Gotta Give It Up
Samiel – You Baby You
Huntington Barber – Shake It Up
Cherish – For You
Pure Release – I’ll Know It’s Love For Sure
The Laventille Movement
“Party People”
I thought I’d start the mix off with a rare 7-inch. I’ve been spinning this non-stop since I picked it up from a Portuguese record dealer a few years back and it’s never left the bag. Killer island funk private press from Barbados.
Bliss
“If You Need Somebody”
Harlem-based label Enjoy Records had a lot of that early cheesy hip hop-sounding stuff in their catalogue but also the odd funk/soul release. Bliss consisted of Frank Jackson and Maureen Reid and this B-side has a nice sound to it. The flip side of this is a more downtempo vibe worth checking out! They came out with another release a year later, “Groovin (On A Love Song)”, which I highly recommend if you’re into that disco flavour.
Morrissey Mullen
“Come And Get Me”
Cheap heat that’s been rinsed plenty at my monthly residency shows at The Big Romance. It’s a great double sider, and the vocal work by Carol Kenyon is gorgeous. It’s hard to believe this British jazz-funk record didn’t become a hit at the time. It ticks all the boxes for that staple disco sound.
Mams & Hart
“Gotta Give It Up”
Nigerian boogie madness. I think it’s still fairly unknown and quite difficult to source, most copies are in rough shape–as is mine which I picked up in Munich a good few years ago on a trip. There’s something about this era of African boogie/disco that is incomparable. Proper fun uptempo afro heat.
Samiel
“You Baby You”
This one is an uptempo Big Romance favourite which always seems to get the crowd dancing towards the end of the night with those lyrics and a brilliant sax section in the middle. Information on this private press from New York is limited but it was produced by a guy named Julius Brockington, who has written and produced many other amazing records, notably that super rare gospel LP Spirit Of The Living God by Roslyn & Charles. He’s got quite the track record, I’d recommend looking up his work, you’ll find an abundance of quality music under his name. Styrene copy also, beware!
Cherish
“For You”
No joke I listen to this record so much that it’s wearing out, I may need to buy a spare soon. It’s super fun with mesmerising and uplifting vocals guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face.
Pure Release
“I’ll Know It’s Love For Sure”
I thought I’d finish off the mix with a personal favourite. Recorded in East LA in 1981, “I’ll Know It’s Love For Sure” features a killer rhythm section and dope vocals. Tambourine Party Records label did God’s work by putting out a reissue in 2022 as well as reissuing Pure Release’s 1980 album On The Loose, which includes a different version of “I’ll Know It’s Love For Sure”. However, the 45 version I play here was re-recorded a year after the original release, which sounds better in my opinion. Just proper gorgeous music.
Read more: VF Mix by Marion Hawkes
