Steve Mason
started out with the Beta Band in the late 90’s. The Scottish band caused a surrealistic hype and couldn’t live with the fame. After the sad unfolding Mason didnt need a lot of time to heal his wounds. As King Biscuit Time he came back even stronger – releasing one of the best albums of 2006, «Black Gold». An album under the moniker Black Affair followed before Mason finally recorded an album under his given name in 2010.
Those two records define what I was about as a school kid. There used to be a record shop in the little town where I grew up. One time I went there to get this X-Ray Spex single and there was this guy in the queue before me. He was like the really good looking guy at school that got all the girls and was really good at sports and all that kinda crap – everything that I just thought was totally meaningless, apart from the girls unfortunately. And he asked for «Two Tribes». I mean he wasn't even buying it because he liked it. He was buying it cuz it was Number 1 and he thought he should have it. That record really sums it up for me about all these fucking horrible good looking guys at school. And what I was buying was relatively an obscure record for the age I was. Having said that, I think «Two Tribes» is still a fantastic record.
At Glasgow Green in 1990. I was once again tripping on acid, and I don't remember a whole lot about the gig really, just a lot of emotions and feelings and mainly colors and stuff like that. It was an incredible experience. They were just completely on it that night. I think that was the last gig they really did together before they kind of finished off. Which was a real shame. It was one of those magical nights. It was in this big marquee tent and everybody was just there. Sweat dripping from the ceiling. An amazing feeling of togetherness and being completely out of your mind. Being on drugs. Not being afraid. Just feeling excited. Everything was full of melodies. Everybody looked good. What a beautiful night!
This tune is just completely evocative of a period of time for me. Back in the early 80s we were all kinda B-Boys up in Scotland dancing to keep warm. And the first time I heard this tune was when I saw «Beat Street». But it wasn't on the soundtrack. So nobody really knew what the hell it was. We just had a mix tape where it was on – probably recorded off the TV. So eventually when I found it, I got a compilation album called «Tommy Boy Greatest Beats». And there it was! It brought back all those feelings and wanted me to get back in time. Actually I was lucky enough to get there once. The main scene in «Beat Street» – where there is a big breakdance battle – was filmed in a club called «The Roxy» in New York. I played there when I was playing with the Beta Band. So me and a couple of guys from the crew did some backspins on the dancefloor for old times sakes.
Probably quite an unusual choice. I thought I was in love before. But then I met this girl and she just was beautiful, funny and smart – and she was really into hiphop which I was into as well. I bought this album for her – I can't remember if it was for her birthday or something like that. And we just used to sit around and listen to it all the time and talk, have sex, and eat. That was pretty much the soundtrack to the first few months of that relationship. It was great to go out with a girl that was into the sort of music I was into. And it's nice to have a girl appreciate a hiphop album as well. Because it must be hard for girls listening to most hiphop. Most of it is all just sexist fucking crap. But this particular album is just a great record.
Before I was born, when I was in my mum's womb she used to play this a lot. And then after I was born she used to sing it to me when I was laying in my little crib. So whenever I hear that song I kind of have these strange warm feelings of being a child again. That was literally the first piece if music I ever heard.
It's that kind of record they play at the very end of the night – usually on the scooter ralleys. It's like everyone basically saying: «See you next time, I'm getting off.» It's not like saying goodbye forever it's just like saying: «We've had a great time together and we will be doing this again very soon». I think that's what I have played at my funeral. And «EMI» by the Sex Pistols. As a final farewell to my record company.
I went through a peroid of going to lots of different clubs in Glasgow. And even in the house clubs they would occansionaly play that record. Everywhere I went everybody in Glasgow absolutely loved «Move On Up». It seems they have some kind of love affair with that particular song and I never quite understood why. When it comes to Curtis Mayfield I prefer stuff like «Pusherman». But whenever I hear that record I always think of Glasgow.
Around 1990 I was taking a lot of acid, smoking weed and going to lots of clubs. «Back By Dope Demand» was one of many records that was the major soundtrack for that particular summer. During those days we used to hang around in this car parking and waiting for this guy with his ice cream van selling weed to us. Whenever he was arriving all you could hear were the opening bars of that track being played thru the PA system of his van. So everyone run over and bought their drugs for the weekend. Even now, it's one of the few records that I own, I know every single word off by heart and there's not many records that do that to me. And whenever I hear it in a club I go fucking berserk. I absolutely love that tune. Fantastic!
This was introduced to me by the same girl that I fell in love to while listening to «Wrath Of The Math». I actually heard it many years before when I used to go to Nothern soul clubs and have totally forgotten about it. But when she played it to me I realized what an amazing record it is. And it was also one of the last records that we were both into before we split up. Whenever I listen to this song now I'm thinking of those dying days of our relationship and how sad it was. But at the same time there's something very uplifting about this record as well and it kinda makes you feel that you can move on and look forward to the next heartbreak. Because a heartbreak is quite an exciting place to be at times.
It's such a massive call to arms. It's such a powerful record! When you hear it in the movie «Do The Right Thing» by Spike Lee it gives you that feeling of summer heat and tension in the air and of how people want to change things and want to smash the system but maybe being slightly not quite sure of how to do it, so they sort of end up almost turning on each other. It's just a great record and makes you wanna go and smash up the House of Parliaments. I'd love to make a record like that! Absolutely!
That's the record that makes me shake my skinny Scottish behind whenever I hear it. It's from 1989 and by Kevin Saunderson. It's a classic house anthem. I recently re-discovered Detroit. Not only the old stuff but also new acts like Jimmy Edgar. His album is amazing, especially the track «My Beats». Detroit is just an incredible place for music. It just keeps on moving and keeps on changing whilst staying within almost a set bunch of rules. It reminds me a litle bit of reggae. They have such set rules of what you can do and you can't do. But these people are so creative within that little span. It blows my brains out...
Well, this song hasn't aged so well. But I still really like some of their other, earlier stuff. I think their first album, «Dirk Wears White Sox» is a great album. They're kind of a strange band. Even now they sort of divide people. Either you absolutely hate them and think they're totally shit or they bring back amazing childhood memories of being into Adam & The Ants. For me they're such an amazing pop band cuz they just didn't look like anybody else. Adam Ant was such a batty kinda guy and they were making this really bizarre music. You never get a band like that these days. In the mainstream anyway everything's so dull. You know exactly what a band's gonna sound like just from they way they dress. It's all so heavily marketed and aimed at specific demographs. The concept of a band like Adam & The Ants is crazy on paper and in the flesh it's even crazier. I was absolutely head over heels into them when I was at primary school. A loooong time a go....
I dread to think!
It's just a beautiful record. I think Chaka's got an amazing voice and is totally underrated. A fantastic pop song! The lyrics are very simple but they're not obvious. It's heartbreaking but it's still danceable. And that's exactly something I'd like to achieve with my music as well: Dancing while you're crying.
