OK, here's one for y'all. Last night on Radio 1 (the UKs national pop station, for the benefit of non-UKers on the list), Dave Pearce played Detroit Grand Pubahs' 'Sandwiches' (or whatever it's called). Pearce said he'd first heard it on Pete Tong's show and had had to search high and low for an import copy. He also said that he'd had loads of calls about it and that it was going to get a UK release.
Given the above, and bearing in mind the listening figures (both into the millions) that both Pearce and Tong's shows attract and their track record, it's likely that if they're pushing it, it'll be a hit. What I want to know is what you all think about this. Would a hit record be a good thing for the DGPs or not? It seems to me that a big hit record is often a death sentence for a dance act (and I use the term in its loosest sense). They can come to appear as novelty acts, as they rarely follow up with anything as catchy, people only ever associate them with that one record and everyone gets bored very quickly. If I was them, I'd play it very carefully. If the record is to come out here, I wouldn't overdo it by doing too much press etc and - although I doubt very much whether they'dbe able to influence this - I personally would make sure that only enough copies were pressed to allow the record to go so far and no further. I realise that whover has licensed this record here is very unlikely to take this approach, of course. On the other hand, they might relish the idea of a hit and be confident that they can follow through, in which case good luck to them. I just think it's more likely that they'll have one big hit, one mediocre hit (in terms of chart position) after that and then be forgotten and dismissed, like so many acts before them. What do people think on this? Should make for an interesting thread... On a related note, doesn't it just show once again that given some exposure there are many more potential hit records in the 'electronic'/'underground' scene than is usually assumed? Look at Mr Oizo's 'Flat Beat' - plonk it on an advert and watch it scale the charts, bought by people who would never normally even have noticed it were it not for Levi's. I always thought that Super_Collider's 'Darn (Cold Way Of Lovin)' could have been a monster if it had had any primetime radio support, for example. And can I just say an early happy birthday to Alan Oldham, you old bastard? Thanks for everything, man. - Tom Magic Feet - NP: The Hacker: Melodies En Sous-Sol LP (GoodLife) - slammin
