Rikki Turner's San Pedro Collective are back with a new EP called Phase Two featuring the laid back, 70s acid jazz/ funk vibes of Time (originally out back in January) and a new song In Your Way (Calito's Way Remix). SPC are building a bigger sound if In Your Way is anything to go by, a clipped guitar part, big chords and some urgency, led by the voice of Jasmine Needham. The loose collection of characters and players Rikki is putting together are pushing the group in different directions, no stone unturned.
Back in 2019 Rikki worked with Suddi Raval, formerly of Together (of Hardcore Uproar fame) and they found the motherlode with The Things You See, dark acid house dreamt up in the suburbs near Stockport. A bouncy, sinuous 808 bassline and a vocal from Millie McBean, club music from the darker corners of the dancefloor.
Just in case you need a reminder of the range of Rikki's talent few years ago he led The Hurt who hit the mark with this epic, brooding, seductive tribute to the German capital, a song that gives me shivers whenever I go back to it.
Rikki Turner, former Paris Angel, ex-New Southern Elektrik and The Hurt, is a restless soul who just keeps moving- when one project ends another begins. His latest group is San Pedro Collective, named after the town in California that was home to Rikki's favourite writer Charles Bukowski (and also home to Bagging Area favourites Minutemen). San Pedro are preparing for a release in July, an e.p. called The Demon Sessions, which will include this song (appearing here in a brief snippet and remixed by The Winachi Tribe).
The Things You See is a collaboration between Rikki and Suddi Raval, with a thundering acid house bassline, plenty of late night, dancefloor vibes and a sultry vocal from Millie MacBean. Also involved are Simon Wolstencroft (ex- Fall drummer), Antnee Egerton of The Winachi Tribe and Manc poet Karl Hildebrandt. The e.p. will feature the original mix of The Things You See and two further songs, San Pedro and A View From The Drowning Pool- the latter is a moody, electronic beast, bleeps and sirens over an 808 and Rikki's street poetics, spoken word vocal.
Suddi Raval was one half of Together who made two records I hold dear. The first was 1990 rave anthem Hardcore Uproar, piano house, a Star Wars sample and the crowd sounds from a rave in a warehouse at the Sett End in Blackburn.
The second was an unfinished remix Together did of Durutti Column's Contra-Indications. In 1990 Vini Reilly was experimenting with samplers and drum machines and his Obey The Time album chimed perfectly with the times. Together's remix was unfinished due to the tragic death of Suddi's partner in Together, Jon Donaghy, in a road accident in Ibiza. I've been coming back to The Together Mix for almost thirty years now and always get chills when I play it. Despite being unfinished Tony Wilson declared it magnificent and released it as a single anyway.
Rikki's former bands have all released songs that I've raved about here. In 2016 The Hurt released Berlin, a moody Scott Walker via Bowie, collar turned up against the falling Manchester rain.
Paris Angels were from Guide Bridge, near Ashton under Lyne, east of Manchester. Their first single is a legendary slice of 1990 Manchester, a marriage of acid house bass, jangly guitar lines and rattling machine drum with Rikki and Jane Gill's dual vocals. I once bumped into Jane at the Boardwalk- literally- and she told me to fuck off. Which was probably fair enough- I wasn't looking where I was going.
Perfume came out on indie label Sheer Joy and was widely played and praised. They followed it with two 12" singles- Scope and I Understand- before signing to Virgin (who re-released Perfume) and then put out an album called Sundew. Virgin was sold to EMI and a cull saw various bands removed from the label, Paris Angels among them (and PiL too). Which shows what major record labels know.
Last month I wrote about the new single from The Hurt, a Manchester four piece with Rikki Turner at the wheel. Sleeping was co-written with Stephen Evans from Cabbage. When I wrote about them in April I said 'Sleeping growls and grinds, Rikki's baritone vocals recalling a northern Nick Cave, hiding his face from the light. Darker Sun is a brooding, bass led thing with overloaded guitars and female vocals, a soundtrack to a night out under the streetlamps in the rain'. And I'm sticking with that for now. Out now on Blindside Records.
The Hurt are back in May with a new single, Sleeping backed with Darker Sun. They have two former Paris Angels in their ranks, Rikki Turner and Paul Wagstaff (also of Black Grape), pictured above by Paul Husband. These songs are a long way from the heady days of Madchester though. Sleeping growls and grinds, Rikki's baritone vocals recalling a northern Nick Cave, hiding his face from the light. Darker Sun is a brooding, bass led thing with overloaded guitars and female vocals, the soundtrack to a night out under the streetlamps in the rain. Both are well worth some of your hard earned. I'll put some links up to listen and to buy when its released.
As a reminder, last year they put out the excellent, uplifting Berlin which came with a remix of The Dead by acid house hero Suddi Raval (of Hardcore Uproar fame), available at Bandcamp and on the Bandcamp player below.
A quick turn around and I'm off again, with the family this time, down to the Dordogne in South West France for the next couple of weeks, stopping off in the Loire for three nights on the way back. It's looking good.
I'll leave you with a couple of songs to speed us on our way and to keep you happy. Rikki Turner's new band The Hurt released a cracking song a few months back, the moody and epic Berlin. The new one is a cover of Nico's One More Chance and is a stately throb.
The new Hardway Bros ep Pleasure Cry is one of my records of the year thus far. This song, Argonaut, was written specifically by Sean Johnston to be played on the boat at Croatia's Electric Elephant Festival. It starts off like Weatherall's mix of Come Together and then heads off into the sunset putting its arms around you and doing a little dance.
And just so's there's some screaming guitars and drawled vocals here's J Mascis and The Fog covering Teenage Fanclub's Everything Flows with Mike Watt on bass. It then diverts into Pavement's Range Life and The Ruts' In A Rut. Is it any good? Of course it is. It is seven minutes of good.
Rikki Turner has walked a long road from Manchester to Berlin via Paris (Angels). His new group The Hurt have their debut single Berlin out on Valentine's Day on Play And Record Records. Berlin is the sound of a gathering storm, a walk through the city at night- mirrors crack, lovers are lost, touches are cold. Electronics and driving guitars, doomy bass, gothic touches and Rikki's urgent baritone vocal but shot through with a touch of pop, 70s Bowie/Eno style. Tremendous, powerful stuff.
The single's B-Side The Dead has been remixed by Suddi Raval, formerly one half of Together who were responsible for Hardcore Uproar and a blindingly good remix of The Durutti Column. It's a dark, dangerous acid house version with 808 squiggles and washes of backing vocals before the Hacienda groove kicks in. Rikki's echo-laden vocal hovers over the breakdown and then the bleeps and kickdrums return. I can't share it at the moment but you'll want to hear it when the single comes out.
Rikki was lead singer in Paris Angels whose Perfume (All On You) is a big Bagging Area favourite. In The Hurt he's joined by former Paris Angel and former Black Grape Wags, Jack Scraggs and Keith Higgins. Before parting company with The New Southern Electrikk the group recorded Rikki's song Brown Eyes which I loved and posted.
