dance music
Puro Sesso
When we moved into our lucky flat in Westbourne Park in 1991, we found ourselves below Joe Bonington (son of Chris, the mountaineer). Joe was in what could be best described as an experimental phase and was an enthusiastic clubber. We would often find ourselves experiencing the latest tune through the ceiling when he got home in the middle of the night.
I had been collaborating with loads of different people, Davy Henderson (post-Win), John Millarky, Catherine Buchanan, David White and Helen Sheppard, and now I had moved into the workshop in the basement of the former Trident Studios in St Anne's Court in Soho (thanks to my recording engineer mate Nick Rogers), I had become quite interested in Dance Music. Joe and I decided to make a record. A shady mate of Joe's called Chris played us a record that set the tone. We got another mate of Joe's called Junior (Tyrell Morgan) to do some creamy, slightly suggestive voice-over stuff. Sally-Ann Marsh, who I think we met through David White, did a vocal on one of the mixes. Joe came up with the name Puro Sesso and "Bump and Grind" was born.
It was well-received at the time. Johnnie Walker and Justin Deighton, Boomshanka (Ben Mitchell and Lofty), Rocky and Diesel did remixes. There was even a whisper that Mark Moore of S-Express was interested in doing a remix too.
Mind the Gap
Around this time I also hooked-up with Stuart and Richard, the two guys who ran Unity, the Record Shop in Beak Street. We wanted to make a harder, darker techno record. We took a DAT recorder down into Piccadilly Circus, the last station that had the old-fashioned male announcer saying "mind the gap" and "stand clear of the doors please". With one mix in the bag, I brought in Danish techie whizz, synth programmer Jesper Siberg, who I had met through Henrik Balling of Gangway. I think this was the first time we worked together. The record became "Underground Turbulence" by R+S Project (5).
Furthermore, it was a chance visit to Unity Records by a producer from advertising agency JWT that gave me my break into commercials.
UltraViva
Wind forward to 2003. I was about to do a wine-related meeting in the cafe opposite The Winery when I spotted Mark Moore at another table. I decided to introduce myself. "You don't know me, I'm David Motion" I got a surprising response, "Wow, of course I know you, I loved Strawberry Switchblade. The sounds were amazing." I also mentioned he was in the frame to remix Puro Sesso. Turns out he loved the record but was never asked. Hey ho. "Do you want to make a record?" he asked. Well why not. And so UltraViva was born. On and off, over about twelve months, we did a couple of remixes (Dead or Alive "Spin me Round" and Billy Ray Martin "Rollerskates") and wrote a handful of stripped-down electro tracks as Ultraviva (6/7). Sian Overton, who was in Dog Bonfire at the time, added vocals.
Innocent
Dirty Mother
21st Century Love
I Adore