We (Dragnet) couldn't ask for more.
So then to the music. Thrown together like disco confetti in an anarchistic fashion. The space giving us the opportunity to play what we genuinely LOVE, be it big hits, rare tracks, lost gem's or anthems, and encompassing a riot of sounds and styles (defiantly anti-purist) from lush Philly soul to abrasive mutant disco, from original Harlem ghetto funk to Manchester punk funk, from Krautrock to Italo disco, from obscure post punk B-sides to 'Top of the Pops' synth pop, from hi NRG to EBM, from icy cold wave to sun-drenched Balearica and on and on. Some have said they didn't know the music and asked for playlist's, others have said we played too many pop hits - and yeah we hold our hands up 'guilty' we kept it unashamedly POP for the first few sessions, horses for courses, but it'll be different every session and we look forward to digging deeper.
So here's our pick of (some of) the tracks that got played over the first two sessions.
In no order...
Iggy Pop - Nightclubbing
The first song ever played at Dragnet had to be this. Iggy in Berlin soaking up the clubs.
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Grace Jones - Warm Leatherette
Grace covers the Normal to stunning effect.
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Jah Wobble & Holger Czukay
- How Much are they?
Wobble meets Can with sublime results.
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Cabaret Voltaire - Just Fascination
Sheffield industrial avant electro guru's - go pop, almost.
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The Droids - The Force
Star Wars influenced computer disco.
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Charlie - Spacer Woman
The ever popular Italo track
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Certain Ratio - Shack up
Perhaps the most well know tune by Manchester's finest post punk funker's, Shack up always gets the party started.
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Primal Scream - Uptown (Andy Weatherall mix)
Top hole remix of the finest track on the Screams last album, the band capture that late 70's Rolling Stones at Studio 54 feel while Weatherall works his modern day disco magic to duby dancefloor effect.
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Blamange - Living On The Ceiling
Taking it back to 82 with this classic slice of far eastern tinged post punk disco.
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Depeche Mode - People Are People
Depeche Mode in their industrial meets pop phase. Fantastic.
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Give Me Every Little Thing - Juan Maclean
Another great track by these DFA signed disco punker's. Funk in abundance.
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Emperor Machine - You Clapper
Best band of the last 4 years?
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Liquid Liquid - Optimo.
NY punk Funk classic that needs no introduction. Never fails.
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Haircut 100 - Favourite Shirts (boy meets girl) 12" version.
Ahhh unashamed pop music, when pop could be tight and loose, driving and funky all at the same time.
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Units - High pressure days
Fabulous track by much overlooked post punk group. Reciently re issued with a wealth of great remixes on Headman's Relish label.
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James White - Contort Yourself
Another out and out heavy hitter of the ze records / no wave into punk funk era.
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Gang Of Four - Damaged Goods
Proper Northern Punk Funk. Essential.
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Au Pairs - Were So Cool
... and more Proper Northern Punk Funk. Equally Essential
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Padded Cell - Word Of Mouth
modern post punk gem. Lovely.
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Shriekback - My Spine is the Bassline
Essential post punk disco nugget.
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Kano - It's A War
Funk infected Italo battle sounds.
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In Flagranti - Business Acumen
We're still loving this record.
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The Clash - Mustapha Dance
The bands own NYC style early hip hop/punk funk re mix of Rock the Casbah - which managed to get on WBLS (NY's most cutting edge dance station at the time) as a genuine NY dance track, not bad for a bunch of white london punks.
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Headman - On and On
Addictive, Punk Funk track with massive bassline.
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Impedance - Tainted love
Dirty cover version of a dirty cover version.
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Bronski Beat - Smalltown boy
Another unashamed pop smash.
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Dead or Alive - You Spin Me Round
The pop smashes keep coming but this time in the form of a rather twisted hi NRG lite production by Stock Aitken and Watermen - bizare but brilliant.
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Black Strobe - Me & Madonna.
Still lethal after all this time.
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Telex - Moscow Discow
Legendary French electro/disco pop.
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LCD Soundsystem - Disco Infiltrator
While waiting for the new album to drop, we dug this out and gave it a dust down... needless to say it went off.
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Yello - Bostich
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Everybody...
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Human League - Sound of the Crowd
Everybody's second favourite sheffield band (after the Cabs of course).
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Fred Wesley - Blow Your Head
FUNK BOMB.
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War - Low Rider
ANOTHER FUNK BOMB
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Machine - There But For The grace of god Go I
NY disco perfection.
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The Doors - Peace Frog
Jim and co get funky.
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Walter Murphy - A 5th of Beethoven
Disco Classical hybrid, novel but irresistable.
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Rob Base and EZ rock - It Takes Two.
Juggernaut Hip House.
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Divine - Shake It Up
Dragnets favourite dog shit eating overweight tranny. come on everybody...
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Nitzer Ebb - Join In The Chant
British EBM monster, a truly powerful and life enhancing record.
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Front 242 - Headhunter
Another anthem.
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Depeche Mode - Photographic
Early Mode Banger.
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Well thats just a few of the ones I could fine you tube footage for.
Sounds fantastic, loads of great song selections - wish I could have been there! x
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