Get Involved blog

Well, it’s been a long while coming but I’m pleased to announce that Shing-A-Ling podcast No.3 has finally hoved into view! And this time it’s a dance-themed selection in celebration of the fact that Shing-A-Ling’s venue, The Smithfield Tavern, has (at last!) been granted an official “dancing license”. So yeah, stream or download it or subscribe to the podcasts if you haven’t already:

Shing-A-Ling podcast No.3 New!
“Do The Whatever!”
by G the P

DOWNLOAD IT(47Mb) / LISTEN TO IT / SUBSCRIBE TO THE SHING-A-LING PODCAST FEED

1. Baby Jean – If You Wanna
2. Ervin Rucker – Done Done The Slop
3. The Vocaleers – The Cootie Snap
4. The Debelaires – Wa-Wabble
5. King Coleman – Do The Booga-Lou
6. J J Jackson & The Jackals – Oo-Mi-Liddi
7. Bobby Miller – Uncle Willie Time
8. Lattimore Brown – Say What (Hully Gully Twist)
9. The Miracles – Mickey’s Monkey
10. The Liberty Belles – Shing-A-Ling Time
11. Round Robin – Do The Slauson
12. Marveluss Mickey & The Rock-A-Sonics
– Do The Robot
13. The Champs – Tequila Twist
14. Bob Landers with Willie Joe and his Unitar
– Cherokee Dance
15. The Meters - Chicken Strut

I’ve got dozens of early 60s “dance” records - (I feel sure y’all know how to do the Twist and the Mashed Potato) but hopefully there are some dances here that you weren’t aware of - such as the lesser-spotted Oo-mi-liddi and the not-often cited (or sighted) Cootie Snap. My advice is simple: clear away the tables and chairs, press play and do whatever dance comes naturally!

NB - It’s our Christmas Shing-A-Ling special on Friday 18th December - we’ll be partying till 4am and dishing out mince pies and mulled wine - as well as encouraging the development of new dance crazes. Facebook event page is HERE

This Friday night we’ll be officially launching our new Shing-A-Ling night at the Smithfield Tavern in London. I say “we” because Shing-A-Ling is the collaborative efforts of a group of vinyl-hoarding DJs of which I’m just one: Dean Chalkley (Shake!), Miss Red (Shuffle Off To Buffalo), Si Cheeba (Hip Drop / Shake!), DJ Paolo and G the P (that’s me) - are the main protagonists – and we will, no doubt, invite friends to DJ / party with us along the way as Shing-A-Ling is now happening EVERY FRIDAY NIGHT.

We’ll be spinning a jumped up blend of Rhythm’n'Blues, Ska, Soul and Rock’n'Roll (and whatever else we fancy) with the aim of keeping hips-a-twisting and faces smiling. Join us for the launch party this friday - free entry!

Look us up on facebook and on myspace for regular updates and irregular downloads.

Big thanks to Alex Spiro (No Brow) for the awesome launch party poster artwork

After three years of fun, Get Involved is winding down its monthly parties on Little Portland Street – ending with a suitably lovely party this Friday 19th December.

Get Involved has been an absolute joy to put on thanks, mainly, to the lovely guys and gals who work behind the scenes at The Social, but also because so many of you have come down to shake a tambourine and a tail feather of a Thursday evening with me. Thank you.

So, all that’s left for me to do now is to say thanks to all my guest DJs over the years – with an extra big special thank you to Becky “Grandmaster” Nolan, Leo the Amateur/Rave/Wizard, Paul Pensom, Mayor McCa and Dean Chalkley.

I’d also like to deliver a massive WHOOP to all the artists that have kindly created bespoke artwork for the night over the years. I’m both delighted and humbled to know that artwork created for the night has now appeared in FOUR different books - that you can buy in shops and everything. Amazing! Big shout to David and Jodie at Peskimo for creating the smiley maracas logo and for creating Hobson, the maraca and tambourine wielding monster that adorned a poster they created for Get Involved and who now exists as a KidRobot toy. Oh yeah!

The Get Involved website will remain up and running, as I regularly select music from my dusty old record collection for anyone to get involved with / download / read about etc – and do look out for Get Involved appearances at nights such as Dean Chalkley’s splendid SHAKE! at The Boogaloo, and at festivals such as Secret Garden Party Festival, Glastonbury and Bestival…

PLEASE come and get involved this Friday at our last party at The Social - at which we’ll be dishing out free schwag including instruments, badges, screenprinted posters and a rather lovely compilation CD - while stocks last!

Come along now, everyone… Get Involved!

This Saturday I’ll be babysitting Dean Chalkley’s fantastic SHAKE! night up at The Boogaloo. There’ll be a whole heap of rock’n'roll, twisted soul, boogaloo and psyche to keep toes tapping and hips twisting all night long.

I’ll be joined behind the decks by Harry and Mikyla from The She Set and together we’ll conspire to drop the hottest tracks (mainly on wax) from the 50s and 60s.

Wear a smile and don’t forget your dancing shoes. It’s gonna rock!

Full deets on Facebook

Everything that needs to be said about tonight’s Get Involved session is on the wonderful poster above – created for us by the lovely Rose Stallard. If the text is a bit small, I’ll paraphrase for you: Special guest DJs Leo the Amateur and Disgracie are joining Gav behind the decks to deliver a selection of tunes that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, your mouth grin, your feet dance and your brain wonder, “what, in the name of all that is brilliant, is this wondrous melody?”

Oh, one thing to note: there’s an album launch party at The Social early doors so Get Involved shenanigans begin around 8.30pm (rather than 7pm) tonight. Got a bag of maracas and tambourines to dish out too. Come and get involved!