M Gee - YellowTwo DJs synonymous with the New England rave scene in the early- to mid-nineties were 333 and M Gee. British brothers, Paul and Mark Slater were regulars on the A-list East Coast club/rave circuit and held a residency upstairs at the original Loft on Stanhope Street in Boston. 333 played mostly trance in those days (but has since switched to house), while M Gee played mostly progressive house. Because of their foreign slang and infectious enthusiasm this duo were highly quotable. One of my favorites was Paul’s (333) response when I asked him at an afterhours in Montreal if he was going to play house: “House is for houses!” In other words, “F*ckin’ Goa – c’maown!”

Mark and Paul were not only accomplished and influential DJs but as promoters were in part responsible for some of the largest and most memorable parties in New England’s dance history. Together with Big Fun House, Pandemonium, and Tom Mello, they threw a spectacular series of events under the name Primary Productions; Blue, Yellow, Red, Green, Orange, Purple, Electric Blue, etc.

I helped out a bit at Yellow with set up and then later roaming around during the event doing whatever needed doing. I was moving around a lot, so nothing sticks out from the dj sets on the night but I do remember something about the concrete floor of the upstairs room cracking. Too much bass! The afterhours was crowded and full of classic rave drama. I believe Frankie Bones played and his girlfriend made a huge scene (took her clothes off I think). Lady Miss Kier from Deee-Lite was on the floor and we had a lot of fun dancing; smiles all around. The afterhours venue was carpeted and the crowd ignored the smoking policy (outside only) and ruined the carpet.

I DJ’d at a few of the Primary parties but my experience playing at Green was the best. Two large stages, one in a tent, were set up at the base of a grassy hill. At the top of the hill was a smaller tent showcasing New England local djs. I was scheduled to play in the locals tent at what is usually considered the peak of an event of this kind; around two or three in the morning. But as the hour drew closer some of the more aggressive locals used various tactics to bump the rest of us back and so I was rescheduled for the morning. Though I was upset about it at the time, this proved to be a good thing. I ended up playing at sunrise and while the tent was no longer packed with dancers, the hillside was crowded with people chilling and watching an epic sunrise. I had packed my records for 2am in mind but found when the time came that I had a great selection of deep and uplifting music appropriate for the hour. I remember the first two tracks of the set were Salt Tank “Sargasso Sea” [youtube] and Beat Foundation “Foundations” [youtube]. Playing the set was a moving experience for me, and for many years after the event I met people who told me how meaningful that morning and the music I played had been to them. Alas, no recording.

This mixtape was done by M Gee as a promotional teaser for the Primary event, Yellow (June 5th, 1993). It’s a wonderful, uplifting soundtrack for sunny spring and summer afternoons. The mix is crammed with deadly progressive and trance gems pitched way down for a really sultry, chuggy feel.


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Tracklisting
00:00 Roach Motel “The Right Time” (Fire Island Mix)
05:29 unknown
09:52 Lemon Interupt “Big Mouth” Underworld under another name.
12:54 unknown
17:33 unknown
21:47 unknown
27:40 unknown
32:59 Nexus 21 “Can You Feel The Beat”
34:39 Masters of the Monotonal Groove “Keep Pumping”
36:13 The Infinity Project “Feeling Weird” A year later TIP and Dragonfly would become synonymous with a new genre called Goa Trance (since renamed Psy Trance).
40:39 unknown
tape flips
45:49 Creative Thieves “Nasty Rhythm” (Sasha’s MFI Mix) Gives “Talk To Me” a run for the money as Sasha’s best work (assuming he actually did any of the work).
53:39 unknown
58:46 108 Grand “Te Quiero” (Darren Emerson Underworld Mix) Hands down my favorite track by Emerson or Underworld. Ferocious.
1:03:57 unknown
1:06:36 X-Press 2 “Muzik Xpress” (Double D Mix)
1:11:10 Frontline “The Scream” One of my favorite all time tracks.
1:15:38 Roach Motel “The Right Time” (London Disco Dub) I remember playing this when I opened for Orbital at Avalon in 1995. Dark and chuggy.
1:20:30 Deep Piece “Bup Bup Biri Biri” (Gypsy Mix) I always preferred the Dead Calm Mix [youtube] on the flip side; smoother, better bassline, and fantastic breakdown.
1:24:23 Lemon Interupt “Eclipse” So beautiful. So many glorious memories. Love it. Underworld under another name.

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