JALAPENO SOUNDSYSTEM present MAX SEDGLEY
Sat 13th February
Resident Trevor Mac is joined by Max Sedgley this month.
8pm-3am
Free before midnight/£5 after
Max Sedgley
Max Sedgley's career to date has been a tale of unabashed talent, irregular bouts of what Hollywood folk like to call serendipity and bloody hard work. That the man behind 'Happy', one of this century's most enduring clarion calls, is blessed with an uncanny knack for fashioning infectious, dancefloor-slaying nuggets goes without saying. However, Sedgley has had to persevere - he's earned his rhythmical stripes alright.
Max was always going to be a drummer. As a baby he was always hitting things. As a budding young drummer at school, his music teacher was friendly with one of this country's greatest ever percussionists, James Blades who passed on his expertise to Max.
Having released tracks on labels such as Second Skin, Om, Irma and Cookin' Records, and having drummed with the likes of d'n'b guru Roni Size amongst many others, he is a man of unique talents. His aim to "combine the analogue and the digital; the real and the electronic" so that "no matter what style it was it would always seem current" has been achieved.
The now club classic 'Happy' which everyone seems to know, was adopted by the disparate likes of Mr Scruff, Gilles Peterson, Erol Alkan and Pete Tong, and the DJs at Radio 1 were all over it like a bad rash. The track of course went onto soundtrack the exploits of Wayne Rooney and company when ITV used it as their main theme for Euro 2004 and after spending 10 weeks being played at Radio 1 reaching the Top 30, it went on to sell a staggering 25,000 copies.
You could say that it has become Max’ signature tune but hold on…… Mr Sedgley is no one-trick pony: From The Roots To The Shoots (“It's something which represents my old school influences in the roots and then the shoots is the modern, the colourful and contemporary”) is clear evidence of that. It's a joyous listen; an album enthralled by the possibilities of sound - the album George Clinton would have made if he had been a white South Londoner with a disco fixation.
Live it sounds like the best disco workout. With Max in control, the beat will always go on.
Trevor Mac
Trevor Mac runs Jalapeno Records and is resident DJ for Jalapeno Sound System.
Jalapeno Records have long been purveyors of all thing eclectic in the world of dance, from funk to lounge, breakbeat to house the label has no respect for boundaries or genre, the only prerequisite is of course quality. Label signings Kraak & Smaak, Skeewiff, IKON, Dr. Rubberfunk, Soopasoul, All Good Funk Alliance and more mean that they are on the cutting edge of nu-funk mixing the best of classic funk & soul with cutting edge club productions.
As an extension to the label, the Jalapeno Sound System was set up to spread the word and the vibe, and with dance music currently experiencing one of it's bravest periods with audiences more open than ever to experimental, anything goes setlists the sound system is going down a storm with open minded clubbing crowds. Booked to play a number of UK festivals this summer including Glastonbury and Bestival and with a new night starting at the Big Chill House this is a big year for JSS.
Trevor Mac is a music industry vet having put time on the clock at London Records, Polydor, Jive & Arista before breaking away to run Jalapeno Records in 2002. He is also a board member of AIM the trade body for independent music companies representing the interests of new and smaller companies.
