Max Essa has moved. Into a new apartment. And two tapes of Murk playing live, which we bagsied nearly three years ago, have come out of storage. This is the first one. I`ll let Max explain….

“Back in the olden days, before music mated with the internet, before we knew everything about everything, information was somewhat harder to come by. In 1992 when the first mysterious releases from Murk records arrived on English shores from Miami they caused quite a stir. We all knew about New York, Chicago, and Detroit, but Miami ... I think the main reference point anybody in England had for that particular part of America involved Don Johnson and pastel linen suits. So imagine our surprise when we put the needle on a record like Liberty City - ‘Some Lovin’ or Funky Green Dogs - ‘Reach For me’ ... Definitely not pastel, no, these records, stripped to the bone and sweating, made you want to find a dark room immediately and dance yourself into a stupor.

In August 1993 Oscar G and Ralph Falcon, the men behind these amazing records, found themselves DJing at Sheffield And District Music Appreciation Club or SADMAC. Having spent all of my Giro money on Bachelors Beanfeasts and Red Seal I was unable to attend, however, recordings were made and I was lucky enough to get copies of the cassettes in the weeks that followed. God, I wish I’d been there. The mix includes quite a few of their own productions but the whole thing just reeks of that Murk vibe. I recently got around to digitising the tapes and they still sound as good as they did twenty-something years ago. I don’t know if Oscar and Ralph played back-to-back or were playing a few each but it’s live, unedited, pre-CDJ, and it’s fantastic!”