The Busters plus Peacocks plus DJ Ras Claude at Kulturkarussell Rössli in Stäfa, Zurich on Friday, May 27, 1994
This invitation comes from Markus Vogel (Reggae Fever). He also invites me to stay at his home over night. We both didn’t like too much this kind of Ska music from The Busters, Peacocks is OK, but have seen many times already. I mean, Markus is my record dealer and it’s funny to play his records as mine.
The audience was full of Skinheads. And it was kind of ruff and tuff. I remember a moment after the shows, where I play 007 Shanty Town and all the Skinheads had so much fun. But then I play Sock It To Em Soul Brothers, what a mistake. The dance is cleaned right away. I guess there stay only a handful (one is Markus). About 150 left ultimately.
I only remember this moment, but it wasn’t bad. I guess it was already about time to leave. To me this tune is nothing bad for Ska people. It is on Pama label released with other killer tunes. But not that kind of dance killer. I don’t know what shocked me more, the circumstance, that a Soul Brother tune is a no go for a Skinhead audience or the circumstance, that a Skinhead audience is that narrow, without knowledge of roots and musical history. I mean, even The Specials took a Soul Brother tune into their repertoire.
Wilson Pickett is a much a Soul Brother as Bill Moss is. And both tunes doesn’t work in a Skinhead audience.
Why did I select for a Skinhead audience? I’m not that narrow. I love Skinhead at it’s roots and I feel close. Why love Skinheads the music of Rico Rodriguez? I love it too. Rico told me, that his band often had fear to go on stage, when the audience specially in Germany was full of Skinheads. I love Skinheads. My good friend Laurel Aitken is the Godfather of Skinheads.
To me, this DJ-job was a great experience. In 1996 when I was DJ on tour with The Skatalites, Laurel Aitken and House Of Rhythm, I was happy about this experience in Stäfa.