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Richard West, better known to you and me as Mr. C has probably seen and done all there is to do in electronic music over his 25+ years experience. From being at the forefront of the rave scene in the UK and Ibiza and bringing the cultural phenomenon to the masses via his iconic outfit The Shamen to running of the London’s sorely missed The End Club and his resurgent Superfreq label, he’s always been a man with his finger on the pulse and a story to tell. But, there was a time when even he was new to this here game and as a young artist coming through few people had an influence on his career quite like recently departed scene pioneer Colin Faver. Now we could wax lyrical about Colin’s monumental influence on electronic music ourselves but our words would seem a little hollow when compared with Mr. C’s affectionate and illuminating tribute piece which he’s published alongside a special three hour memorial mix. Check out both below.
“This mix is a tribute to my dearly departed brother, guru, mentor & Godfather of the UK electronic dance music scene, the legend that is Colin Faver.
For the new kids on the block who don’t know who Colin Faver is, he’s the reason that you’re dancing & enjoying the global dance music scene as we know it.
Rewind to the post punk era of the early 80s. It’s 1982 & Colin Faver gives up is job as a commercial graphic artist & is working for a record shop in Walthamstow London called Small Wonder records, who signed the first Cure & Bauhaus singles. It was then when the first wave of New Wave electronic music surfaced & Colin was mixing up electronic music at the New Romantic Institution that was the Camden Palace championing music from Kraftwerk to Afrika Bambaataa to Visage. It was this music that directly inspired the likes of Juan Atkins in Detroit & Frankie Knuckles (RIP) in Chicago, who were without doubt Colin’s American counterparts in the birth of House & Techno Music in the mid 80s.
Colin remained the resident at the Camden Palace into the late 80s as well as being resident at Pyramid at Heaven & Jungle at Busbys playing House & Techno as it had never been heard before in the mid 80s. After this came Colin’s residency at RIP at Clink Street in 1988, Dungeons in Lea Bridge Road in 1989, Rage at Heaven in 89-90, Knowledge in the early 90s & played at just about every top club in the UK that played dance music.
Colin was a regular DJ on London’s Kiss FM when it was no more than a weekend pirate radio station in the mid 80s & held down a weekly radio show once Kiss became legal for the best part of 2 decades.
Colin Faver is the reason I got started in this scene, allowing me to rap with him at the Camden Palace in 1984 & fully taking me under his wing, along with Eddie Richards in early 1986 as their resident House Music rapper, way before I was a DJ in late 87, when these two huge influences became my colleagues on the decks too. I have everything to thank them both for as they were my mentors & influences.
This tribute mix is coincidentally 3:03 long & was mixed using 100% vinyl from the 80s & early 90s, is emotional & has been uploaded unedited, warts & all, with pure love from the heart.
My condolences go out to Colin’s long term partner Brenda Russell & all those who loved him. Colin Faver R.I.P.”
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