12/03/2025
Fascinating stuff/ très intéressant:
Massive props to Alexis Petridis for his wonderful The Guardian article about James Hamilton and the recently published 'Disco Pages 1975-1982' book, which compiles James' Record Mirror columns. Links to both article and book in comments.
Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong and Gilles Peterson share some memories of James. Norman tells the story of his first venture into cut & paste vinyl, a decade before Fatboy Slim superstardom - a 12" called 'The Finest Ingredients', which he released, as DJ Mega-Mix, and very much a hush-hush project until James blew his cover, creating its own set of problems.
Pete remembers James as "the oracle", whilst Gilles describes how seeing his name mentioned in James' column for the first time was "the highlight of my life to that point."
Pete and Gilles explain how James' influence waned with the acid house explosion, and how this became 'year zero' for the rave generation - a disassociation from a past where James had been fundamental.
For the last three decades, James has been lost to time, so receiving The Guardian's endorsement is an important milestone in helping restore his legacy as a central figure in the evolution of UK club culture. Reading the comments to Alexis' piece, it's clear it's awoken fond memories for many readers, whilst others, too young to have read his columns, are left surprised that they'd never heard of him previously.
