Record shopping with Matt Harding – Love is the Answer

I remember sometime in 2002 I was record shopping in Cardiff with Matt Harding, and I mean physically walking to a store and buying records. You know, ‘old skool’.  At the time me and Matt were DJ-ing and hanging out a lot buying the same records.  This could often prove a problem if we DJ-ed together as our set list was basically the same.  On this particular day Matt’s eyes nearly popped out of his head (more than normal) as the headphones clamped firmly over his ears and played a new and sublime sound.  We were at opposite ends of the record shop and his head started bobbing manically,  he looked in my direction and began waving his arms with gusto and pointed to the 12 inch black shiny vinyl laid perfectly on the 1210 in front of him.  Matt’s face had wrinkled into that familiar “this track is fucking awesome“ pose.  I was used to seeing this facial expression at every one of our gigs so I laughed and gave him the obligatory thumbs up.  I continued lifting and placing the needle enthusiastically on my record, an action I repeated almost daily in those days.  Its funny now because the same movement seems alien to me, a forgotten muscle memory of an analog age.

My point is I deliberately ignored Matt’s choice, even though he had so enthusiastically procured it.  I was still thinking about our record collection and how they resembled Panini Stickers spares, doubles carried everywhere at social occasions.  A fool’s decision, I had missed the opportunity to pick up a truly great track, and to this day I am still missing a copy on Vinyl.

I am referring to Africanism’s – Love is the Answer.

Love is the Answer

Sometimes with music people often talk about a song or group of songs representing a period in their lives, encapsulating all the happy memories and good times.  ‘Love is the Answer’ is one of those tunes that is lodged within my brain  the sound track to so many happy times, as I listen to the track below endless visual images are at the forefront of my consciousness, DJ gigs, festivals, long summer drives even running on the tread mill, and finally perhaps most worryingly of all, Matt Harding’s mug.

Africanism – Love is the Answer

Matt Harding presents a show on Reel House FM every Tuesday 20:00 – 22:00 and DJ’s across the UK.  Check out his Syncopated Series volume 1.

www.veryfunkyrecords.com