compiled by moonboots and balearic mike

Ex Paratrooper and dolphin trainer Moonboots is a legend in his own white-linen-fashion-pants. Initially warring with Mike Smith for the vacancy as dance buyer in Vinyl Exchange, thankfully he failed the interview (you are tested by reciting barcodes) and landed a job at Eastern Bloc, there he went on to abuse and disrespect the majority of Manchester’s dance music buying public. Celebrity DJ’s regularly went there for an ‘ego check’, perhaps most famously Danny Sanchez was told ‘lose the vest’. Though a harsh critic and occasionally a ‘bit moody’, Moonboots has become associated with quality control, having left Eastern Bloc over 7 years ago, he is still contacted by many a dance buyer for his esteemed opinion, helping a good few of us avoid a stinker or two over the years. Coming from a strictly indie background, Moon was converted to dance music after going to the big stripey club in Manchester and since that moment has been a steady player in Manchester’s clubbing scene, as a guest but more importantly with Aficionado, the city’s longest running Sunday night shindig. A perfect counter part to Balearic Mike he is a serious chap with a sharp tongue, although one thing is for sure, you can feel the love when greeted with one of his bear hugs and a sloppy, bearded kiss.

Sth Notional Yawn yawn yawn This is a lovely little Japanese sunset number, with lush cellos and spoken word. An impossible record to track down. (Thanks to Phil for the tip!)

The Night-S-Press DanceClassic italian balearic with big pianos nicked from the Thrashing Doves and ace pop vocals.

Band aid A tour in Italy (dub)...by the sea, right by the sea. Big in Levenshulme!

B:dum B:dum Sound IstanbulI picked this up at the sadly defunkt Decoy records in the early 90’s. It has a lovely African Headcharge vibe about it and remains an elusive record to find.

Cantoma Maja (dub) This is an exclusive dub mix from Phil Mison, who makes perfect sunshine music. Ace new med vibes.

Mountaineer A town called Ivanhoe Great opener to their When The Air Is Bright They Shine LP. Lovely, modern, German bossa.

Mike Smith is no stranger to the oddball - growing up under a chimney breast adorned with a recreation of Bowie’s Aladdin Sane sleeve (which his Dad painted with 3,642 tins of Humbrol paint) was always going to leave its mark. A doubtless obsessive when it comes to vinyl, Mike has, over the years, found himself enamoured with dance music. This obsession has enriched many lives - Vinyl Exchange was always one of those shops where you check your wallet before you decide to go in, you never look on the way out. For 17 years the store created the perfect setting for Mike, extolling the virtues of weirdo LP cuts, fantastic one-off 12’s and Bonnie Tyler. Mike has showcased his brand of off-kilter dance music in many cities, yet it is his mix CD’s that really are the alchemic fruits of his collecting and DJ skills. The Cosmic Alphonsus series have gained him recognition the world over, they were never expected, but the day that a new one turned up, you could pretty much expect at least three ‘what is that?’ moments. A worthy compiler, musical fanatic and the light to Moonboots dark.

Flayer Wanna get back your love If 10CC had taken a leaf out of New Order’s book and buggered off to Ibiza to record I’m Not In Love, rather than hole themselves up in Strawberry Studio’s in Stockport, this is how it might have sounded. Pure bliss...

Tony Espostio Je NaCrazy Italian shit that sounds like Eno era Talking Heads. Backed wth the almost as wonderful Pagaia. Tony’s funky jesus image is a big influence on my own ‘look’.

Radio Band Radio BandIn the early days of the internet, Moon and I used to spend hours trawling through all the Ron Hardy mixes. A big favourite of ours was a half hour snippet of a mix, much more sedate than his other heart-attack enducing sets, which contained this absolute gem. It took me a few years to track it down and it really is as rare as rocking horse shit.

Byron Too much As lovely a Balearic beauty as you would ever hope to find. Who is Byron? How much is “Too Much”. Thank you Mark Seven.

Fist of facts First strikeIt’s impossible to overstate the influence of Salvatore Principato’s rather more widely known band Liquid Liquid. This lesser known gem appeared on the b-side of a Swiss only release. The a-side, Fugitive Vesco appeared on a booty way back in ‘98, causing quite a stir amongst the cogniscenti, but it wasn’t until several years later that my good friend Oscar (aka Oscar from Trax’), dug out his copy of the original EP, blowing Myself and Moons beards off in the process. I was introduced to Sal last year in New York by Citizen Kane and what a lovely bloke he is.

Sth Notional - Yawn yawn yawn Byron - Too much Band aid - A tour in Italy (dub) Tony Esposito - Je na Written by Tony Esposito Radio band - Radio rap The Night-S-Press - Dance B:dum B:dum Sound - Istanbul Written and produced by B:dum B:dum Sound Fist of facts - First strike Produced by Salvatore Principato and Ken Calderia, Felice Rosser - guitar, Shlomo Sonnenfeld - slide guitar, Ken “Man” Caldeira - bass, keyboard & percussion, Salvatore Principato - vocal & percussion Cantoma - Maja (dub) Written & produced by Phil Mison, mixed and engineered by Robin Twelftree. Published by Copyright Control, cantomamusic@hotmail.com Mountaineer - A town called Ivanhoe Written by Henning Wandhoff © & P 2006 Type Recordings Ltd www.typerecords.com Flayer - Wanna get back your love Written by A Salvati Bonus track Smith & Mudd Wem Written by Paul Murphy and Benjamin Smith

Mastered by Sean P Sleeve notes Danny Webb Photography Ian Williams Design Mudd PR www.splendidcomms.com

Mudd thanks: Rabbit, Moon, Mike, Sean P, Ian Williams, Danny Webb, Simon Purnell, Phil Mison, Sal P, Dennis Kane, Mark Seven, Matthew (our adopted one) & Jolyon, Thomas for introducing us, Alec Samways and Nick at Splendid Communications and Jamie Crossley. Moon thanks: Paul & Jess, Mum & Dad, Sarah, Lee & Josh, Mary & Ian, Mike & Jo, Leon Davis, James Barker, Stuart Burnell, Phil & Ange, Jolyon & Matthew, Craig, Molly and the nippers, Steve & Les, Spencer, Oscar, Danny Webb, Andy Chimp, Boardyman, Lilac Camel, Sad Rob, TJ & Maddy, Charlotte Hale, Dano & Tony 586, Jamie & Sarah, Rob J & Caroline, Dan & Conrad, Chris Edwards, Phil South, Martin Dutton, Thomas, Terje, Daniel, Rune, Jørn and Pål, Adriaan Denorme, Liverpool FC, all @ BETA, Elkin, Nelson, Rosie and my muse, Topsy von Salkeld. Mikes love, thanks & inspiration: Jo and SP, Jan & Mary, Moon & Sarah, Leonado, Kelvin & Danny, Craig & Molly & Maddie & Sylvie, Phil & Ange, Steve & Lez, Oscar, Irene & John, Chris & Beth & Bill & Caroline & Kat & Eleanor & Lillian, Jessica Rabbit, Jason & Tim @ Aficionado, Rachel & Abs, Kathy Mac, John McCready, Mark Seven, Danny & Neil El Diablo, Moggsy & Luke & Justin, Matthew & Jolyon, Bill @ DJHistory.com, Phil South, Citizen Kane, Lee & all @ Dulcimer, Chris and the Soft Rocks boys, Nick @ DJFriendly, all at Vinyl Exchange, all at Piccadilly Records and everyone else... A very special thanks to Paul, without whose vision and hard work this would never have happened

P & © Claremont 56 2008. Due to the diverse nature of this release we were unsuccessful in trying to locate some of the repertoire. If you want to contact us, please email muddsworld@inbox.com

www.claremont56.com

Claremont

When I was contacted to write these sleeve notes I got excited, rarely is the opportunity given to write a line or two for a compilation that was actually worth compiling. Having watched the label steadily put out some classic 12 Inch singles this was always going to be far more than a vanity project, or indeed a nod to this months cool sound for kids with no shoe laces.

Claremont 56 has been busy, being a proponent of some of the finest musical talent to ply their trade in studios, nightclubs and bars the world over. When the idea for the label was mooted it sent a little shockwave around record shop buyers, bringing the exciting prospect of some decent tunes hitting our shelves late on a Thursday afternoon.

Now in it’s second year trading this label is going one step further again, drawing a faint line deep into the belly of dance music. This is a line that connects the cities with less glamour, the scuzzy dancefloors and the Sunday sessions that often provide the dance music firmament with their anthems of tomorrow.

What we have here is the essence of dance music itself, the indefatigable taste makers who trawl the charity bins one week, plump for a £30 LP cut the week after and still find time to tell their local buyer whether their recent crop is actually shit or not. Without these people our dancing diet would be a thin, tasteless gloop. The search still goes on daily for these guys, their rewards have been plenty and you can share them. Take pleasure in what’s on offer here for two reasons: Firstly, a combined music knowledge that has been nurtured over many years and true classics that have, in a way, shaped this very city. Secondly, with a label such as this and an owner so entrenched in the music, you can be assured that the characters and records selected are of the highest quality.

Claremont 56, a label of love.

Danny Webb, Manchester