Athens Of The North label-head Euan Fryer joins us for the 28th edition of the Off The Record Mix Series with an hour and a half of 45s (and one 12″) without any planning, pulled right out of the collection and play box. Tracks inside from Marcos Valle, Honey And The Bees, 9th Creation, Alicia Myers, High Fashion, Leon Peterson, East Coast Love Affair and more. Full tracklist and interview below. Enjoy!
Hey Euan, great to have you on board for our Off The Record Mix Series, can you tell us about where the inspiration for the mix came from?
I don’t tend to do a mix with a theme, idea or style in mind, the same as when I play at a club, I honestly don’t have the time to prepare or structure a mix upfront, I enjoy going with what feels right in the moment, preparing would result in me overthinking, if you are not enjoying that translates. I have enough records around here that It’s never hard to find things you want to play. I have always preferred mixes where content is king, scrappy with personalty, speed changes etc.. Perfect blends of easy to mix records do nothing for me.
Can you tell us a bit about Athens Of The North and what you guys are all about?
We are a record label and studio based in Edinburgh. We collect, release and DJ Disco, Soul, Modern, House with a sprinkle of anything else we are into that day. We also release very select new bits from bands and Artists, Linkwood, Greg Foat, Andrew Wasylyk and the mighty East Coast Love Affair
What was it that initially made you want to start a label of your own?
I worked for Jazzman Records in Camden doing re-issues for Gerald for 12 years, so I knew the score when i started the label. I had come back to Edinburgh, and it was just time for me to do my own thing, I also wanted to work with artists and build a studio (which I have done with the help of well known producer/artist Linkwood), get out my comfort zone and make some vocal tracks and learn from people a lot better than me how to make as well as release music.
Are any of the records in this mix recent discoveries? If so, where did you stumble across them and what drew you to them?
Most of these are 7″s are out of my play boxes and immediate collection (e.g not in comic boxes under the house), I have been collecting Funk45s, modern soul and disco 45s seriously for 20 plus years. I’m happy with the Marcos Valle 45 ‘Girassol’ I start the mix with, it was made for supermarket chain ‘CB’ in Brazil, a very very hard to find 45 that sells way too cheap for its rarity, maybe the lyrics sound silly in Portuguese.
What else do you and the label have in store for us in 2022?
A truly wonderful Other Lands LP (Gavin Sutherland) should be with us for summer. East Coast Love Affair has a few bangers on the way we worked on during lockdown, A cover of Roy Ayers ‘Chicago’ which has been smashing clubs and rebuild of United Spiritual Singers (last tune on this mix) flipped with a Tom Noble mix. I have a ton of extremely rare disco and boogie 45s coming also with help from my 45 collecting network.
Thanks, Euan!
Marcos Valle – Girassol
Honey And The Bees – Together Forever (Arctic)
Ron Feaster – Don’t Laugh In My Face And Steal My Man (Linco)
Wizdom – I’m So In Love With You Drive)
Bliss – You Will Always Be (Lansel)
9th Creation- Much Too Much (Hilltak)
Personal Touch – It Ain’t No Big Thing (P&P)
Marlena Shaw – Look At Me, Look At You (We’re Flying) (CBS)
Oattes Van Schak – lovelight (Portrait)
One way – I Didn’t Mean To Break Your Heart (MCA)
Family Of Eve – Please Be Truthful (Full Sail)
Alicia Myers – Don’t Stop What Your Doin'(MCA)
C.S. Lewis – You Belong To Me (Sounds Of A City)
High Fashion – You’re The Winner (Capitol)
Starpoint – Bring Your Sweet Lovin’ Back (Casablanca)
Quatr’As – Le Travail C’est Pas La Santé (Virgin)
Jonathan Butler – Overflowing (Jive)
Harri Stojka Express – What A Funky Night (WEA)
Ramona Brooks – I Don’t Want You Back (Q Records)
Brand New – Thousand Years (Duvern)
Norma Lewis – Magic Bullet (Jive)
The Britain Singers – Woman (Equipe)
Leon Peterson – Dont Squeeze The Sherm (Fire Mountain)
Alfonzo – Your Booty Makes Me Moody (Larc)
East Coast Love Affair Feat. United Spiritual Singers – Too Late (Athens of the North)
