Tales From A Disappearing City
by Controlled Weirdness
Hosted from a South London tower block by Neil Keating aka Controlled Weirdness. Tales from a Disappearing City is a chance for Neil to tell some untold subcultural stories from past and present, joined by friends from his lifelong journey through subterranean London. Neil is a veteran producer and DJ and has been at the front line of all aspects of club and sound system culture since the early 80’s. His musical CV includes playing everywhere from plush clubs to dirty warehouses as well as mixing tunes on a variety of iconic London pirate radio stations. He has released music on numerous underground record labels and was responsible for promoting and playing at a series of legendary early raves in the USA at the start of the 90’s. He still DJ's in the UK and throughout Europe and beyond and has an eclectic and seriously deep collection of music built up over time that reflects an appreciation of all elements of the London groove. Neil currently runs Presence Unknown, a vinyl and dig
Episodes
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Episode 33 - Philip Sallon Analyses Everything - special guest - Philip Sallon
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the mind of Philip Sallon, legendary club impresario, the original bin-liner wearer, and the man Johnny Rotten called a friend. In this unflinching, hilarious, and brutally honest conversation, Philip isn't here to mourn the "good old days." He's here to diagnose…
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Episode 32 - Dirty Punk to Holy Joy: 80s and 90s London Stories - special guest - Johny Brown
Send us Fan Mail From a "dirty punk" being shamed in his Newcastle school assembly to sharing a beer with the Sex Pistols, Johny Brown lived the explosive birth of UK punk. But that was only the beginning. In this episode of Tales of a Disappearing City, Johny takes us on a wild journey through...
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Episode 31 - Strictly Kev & DJ Food - special guest - Kevin Foakes
Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Neil sits down with Kevin Foakes (aka Strictly Kev and DJ Food) - legendary DJ, graphic artist, and archivist of UK counterculture - for a deep dive into four decades of music, raves, graffiti, and psychedelic experimentation. Kevin's journey is a masterclass in...
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Episode 30 - Free Party: A Folk History. Spiral Tribe, Bedlam, DIY and other underground tales - special guest - Aaron Trinder
Send us Fan Mail In this episode we take a deep-dive into Britain's underground festival counterculture with filmmaker Aaron Trinder, creator of the groundbreaking documentary "Free Party: A Folk History." Aaron reveals how the free festival culture of the 60s and 70s collided with the explosive...
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Episode 29 - Planet Wax: Record Shop & Vital Community Space - special guest - Dexta
Send us Fan Mail In the second part of our chat, we continue our conversation with Chris (aka Dexta), following his journey from aspiring DJ to co-founder of Planet Wax, the New Cross institution that has become a cornerstone of London's underground dance music scene. "Record shops aren't just...
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Episode 28 - Cereal Box Beats, UK Garage & Drum and Bass - special guest - Dexta
Send us Fan Mail In the first of a two-part conversation, we sit down with Chris (aka Dexta), co-founder of Planet Wax, a legendary record shop, bar, venue, and radio station in New Cross dedicated to underground dance music and its surrounding culture and community. This episode explores Dexta's...
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Episode 27 - 80's Ibiza, Ecstacy & Acid House - special guest - Ian St Paul
Send us Fan Mail In part two of our conversation, Ian St. Paul shares his remarkable journey through some of the most influential moments in dance music history. Beginning with his first trip to Ibiza in 1984, Ian recounts how what started as a holiday transformed into a life-changing adventure...
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Episode 26 - 70's London Soulboy Scene & Paradise Garage - special guest - Ian St Paul
Send us Fan Mail In this captivating first installment of our two-part conversation, Ian shares his remarkable coming-of-age story: from his teenage years in South London's vibrant soul scene of the 1970s to living in New York from 1980 to 1983, concluding as he departs for Ibiza in 1984. Ian St...
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Episode 25 - Pushing Boundaries: Playing Across Genres and Styles - special guest - Warlock
Send us Fan Mail In part two of my conversation with DJ/producer Warlock, we explore his fascinating musical evolution and contributions to UK electronic music. The episode traces his journey from playing UK hardcore in the early 90s to embracing the harder European techno scene as well as a...
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Episode 24 - Raves, Record Shops and Pirate Radio Stories - special guest - Warlock
Send us Fan Mail Join me for part one of my two-part conversation with Warlock. A raw, unfiltered journey through the golden age of pirate radio, and the birth of jungle. In this episode, Jason takes us deep into the underground scene of early 90s London. From running pirate radio in student…
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Episode 23 - Squat Parties, Record Shops and Techno - special guest - Jerome Hill
Send us Fan Mail This is the second part of my two-part conversation with Jerome Hill, a DJ and producer renowned for his exceptional skills behind the turntables. Since his first gig in 1990, Jerome has been mixing and scratching a wide variety of sounds, always bringing a selection guaranteed…
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Episode 22 - Early influences: Skating, Breakbeats and Pirate Radio - special guest - Jerome Hill
Send us Fan Mail Join me for part one of my two-part conversation with Jerome Hill, a DJ and producer renowned for his top-notch skills behind the turntables. Since his first gig back in 1990, Jerome has been mixing and scratching up an eclectic storm, always armed with a selection guaranteed to...
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Episode 21 - Acid Techno, Squat Parties and Sound System Culture - special guest - Gizelle
Send us Fan Mail Join me for the second part of my conversation with Gizelle, a key figure in London's 1990s underground acid techno scene. Starting in 1990, we explore the evolution of acid house and the emergence of multiple new genres in the UK music landscape. In this episode, Gizelle shares...
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Episode 20 - Lovers Rock, Charisma and Acid House - special guest - Gizelle
Send us Fan Mail Join us for the first part of our captivating conversation with Gizelle, a pioneering female DJ who witnessed the birth of London's acid house scene. From her roots in Lovers Rock to becoming a trailblazing DJ, Gizelle takes us on a nostalgic trip through late 80s and early 90s...
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Episode 19 - Black Market Records, Jungle and Dropping into Different Scenes - special guest - Miss Pink
Send us Fan Mail In this second instalment of our two-part conversation, we discuss Rachel's expanding career as a DJ, playing at more venues in London, including the influential Movement at Rumba and Herbal in Shoreditch. We talk about her job at the legendary Soho record shop Black Market and…
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Episode 18 - 90's London Subculture. Fashion, Clubs and Ambient Soho - special guest - Miss Pink
Send us Fan Mail Welcome to Episode 18, where I sit down for a lively chat with Rachel, better known as Miss Pink. Our connection dates back to the mid-1990s, a time when I frequented record stores like Ambient Soho on Berwick Street and Black Market Records on D'Arbly Street, places where…
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Episode 17 - Underground Raves, Electro and Releasing Tunes - special guest - Phil Klein
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 17, I speak again with my old friend and fellow rave war veteran, Phil Klein, also known as Bass Junkie. Phil is a highly respected UK music producer, having crafted tunes since the late 1980s, and is known for his deep love of Electro and Miami Bass. In this second of...
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Episode 16 - 1980's Electro, Scratching and Making Beats - special guest - Phil Klein
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 16, I speak with my old friend and fellow rave war veteran, Phil Klein, also known as Bass Junkie. Phil is a highly respected UK music producer, having crafted tunes since the late 1980s, and is known for his deep love of Electro and Miami Bass. In this first of our…
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Episode 15 - Breakdancing, Acid House and Pirate Radio - special guest - Uncle G
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 15, I speak with Uncle G, also known as Urban Intelligence. Godfrey has been deeply embedded in South London's music culture since his family relocated to South East London from the tumultuous and politically unstable climate of Chile in the 1970s. Growing up on the...
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Episode 14 - Berlin Riots, Anarchy and Techno - special guest - Brandon Spivey
Send us Fan Mail In Episode 14, the second part of my conversation with Brandon Spivey, an old friend and cultural provocateur, we delve into his experiences traveling to Europe in the mid-1980s. During this time, he actively participated in several riots in Berlin as a member of the Black…
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Episode 13 - Punk, Anarchy and Acid House in 1980's Manchester - special guest - Brandon Spivey
Send us Fan Mail In episode 13, I am joined by my old mate and cultural hooligan, Brandon Spivey. We delve into his initiation into radical music and subculture, recounting his upbringing in 1970s Macclesfield and subsequent relocation to Manchester in the 80s. As a class-conscious anarchist and...
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Episode 12 - Praxis Records, Dead by Dawn and Datacide. - special guest - Christoph Fringeli
Send us Fan Mail Episode 12 contains the second part of my conversation with Christoph Fringeli. We discuss his move to South London from Basel at the start of the 90's and how he started a new record label called Praxis in order to release some of the harder electronic music he was making and...
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Episode 11 - 80's Countercultural Explorations in Basel and London - special guest - Christoph Fringeli - Praxis - Datacide
Send us Fan Mail 80's Countercultural Explorations in Basel and London For the eleventh episode of "Tales From A Disappearing City," I am joined by my long-time friend, Christoph Fringeli, who runs Praxis Records and produces Datacide magazine. Christoph started Praxis in 1992, and since then, he...
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Episode 10 - 90's Raves and Subnet Vinyl Network - special guest - Ben - Dead Silence - Audio Illusion
Send us Fan Mail For the tenth episode of "Tales From A Disappearing City," I am once again joined by Ben McCusker, a member of the Dead Silence Syndicate and co-founder of Audio Illusion Recordings. In the second part of our conversation, we delve into the discussion of how, following several...
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Episode 9 - Electro, Pirate Radio and Raving in the Woods - special guest - Ben - Dead Silence - Audio Illusion
Send us Fan Mail For the ninth episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined by Ben McCusker, member of the Dead Silence Syndicate and co founder of Audio Illusion Recordings. We first met in the 90's at an illegal warehouse party and have been good friends ever since. In this episode we...
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Episode 8 - 80's Electro, Go-Go and Acid House - special guest - Simon Dexorcist
Send us Fan Mail For the eighth episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined by my old mate Simon Brown aka The Dexorcist. We first met at an illegal rave in the mid 90's and instantly bonded over our love of old school electro, acid house and rave culture. In this episode we discuss...
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Episode 7 - Politics and Dancing in the 80's and 90's - special guest - Neil Transpontine
Send us Fan Mail For the seventh episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined again by Neil who produces a couple of respected blogs that have consistently documented all aspects of what we cover on TFADC. "Transpontine" features all things subcultural from the South side of the river...
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Episode 6 - Post Punk and Journeys to the City - special guest - Neil Transpontine
Send us Fan Mail For the sixth episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined by Neil who produces a couple of highly respected and long running blogs that have consistently documented all aspects of what we cover on TFADC and so it was essential to touch base and hear some stories and...
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Episode 5 - TechNet, Break/Flow and Dead by Dawn - special guest - Howard Slater
Send us Fan Mail For the fifth episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined once again by my good friend Howard Slater aka Flint Michigan. I first met Howard in the mid 90's at Dead by Dawn which was a legendary monthly party that took place at the 121 squatted art and community Centre…
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Episode 4 - Post Punk, Squats and Techno - special guest - Howard Slater
Send us Fan Mail For the fourth episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined by my good friend Howard Slater aka Flint Michigan. I first met Howard in the mid 90's at Dead by Dawn which was a legendary monthly party that took place at the 121 squatted art and community Centre in Railton...
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Episode 3 - Free Parties and Sound Systems - special guest - Blackmass Plastics
Send us Fan Mail For the third episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined once more by my good friend Ian aka Blackmass Plastics. This is the final part of our recent chat. We talk about how free parties and festivals joined with the emerging rave movement in the 90's in the UK as well...
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Episode 2 - 90's Record Shops and Raves - special guest - Blackmass Plastics
Send us Fan Mail For this second episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined again by my good friend Ian aka Blackmass Plastics to discuss our memories of 90's record shops as well as key parties and raves. This is part two of our chat and we start in the early 1990's and finish as free...
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Episode 1 - Early vinyl and record shop memories - special guest - Blackmass Plastics
Send us Fan Mail For this first episode of Tales From A Disappearing City I am joined by my good friend Ian aka Blackmass Plastics to discuss our early memories of buying vinyl and visiting record shops. This is part one of our chat and we start in the 1970's and finish as the 1990's begin. We...
About this show
Hosted from a South London tower block by Neil Keating aka Controlled Weirdness. Tales from a Disappearing City is a chance for Neil to tell some untold subcultural stories from past and present, joined by friends from his lifelong journey through subterranean London. Neil is a veteran producer and DJ and has been at the front line of all aspects of club and sound system culture since the early 80’s. His musical CV includes playing everywhere from plush clubs to dirty warehouses as well as mixing tunes on a variety of iconic London pirate radio stations. He has released music on numerous underground record labels and was responsible for promoting and playing at a series of legendary early raves in the USA at the start of the 90’s. He still DJ's in the UK and throughout Europe and beyond and has an eclectic and seriously deep collection of music built up over time that reflects an appreciation of all elements of the London groove. Neil currently runs Presence Unknown, a vinyl and dig
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Controlled Weirdness
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