Carolyn Harding – Pick It Up [Remixes]

Many, many years ago – 1996 to be precise – yours truly was editing a long-forgotten Manchester-based music, listings and lifestyle magazine called Metropolis. A good friend of mine had just moved to Sheffield, and told me about a new US house night that was launching at The Arches (I think it was). So we went along to review it… only something went a bit wrong, and in a venue that can comfortably hold 300 or so bodies, there were about 15. Seriously.

The promoter, very embarrassed, told the big-name US DJ who was due to play not to bother, just take the cash and go back to the hotel – which he did. But when told Carolyn Harding the same thing re: her PA, she just told him nah, she'd come all this way, she might as well sing… which she did. To 15 people, getting down off the stage and wandering the dancefloor with mic in hand, serenading each and every one of the audience personally.

So, massive respect to one of the most un-diva-like divas in the game, is what I'm saying.

Anyway as for this record… what we have here are four new rubs of Ms Harding's 1995 classic from the UK's own Sean McCabe. Given that the track's been mixed over the years by Kerri Chandler, Roger Sanchez and Jon Cutler, Sean's got some pretty big shoes to fill, but he does so admirably. His Club Vocal does the trad vocal soulful thing, comes with an accompanying instrumental, and is just fine… but it's the Club Dub that stands out for me here, dripping as it is in lush New Jersey-style organs. There's a fully instrumental version of this one as well but it's gotta be the one with the scat vox for me. Somewhat unsurprisingly!

If you're in need of some traditional US garage-style grooves, then you're not going to find much this week that's as good as this.

Out: This week

About: This is on King Street so you know where to go, don't you?