Greg Wilson (https://www.facebook.com/DJGregWilson/), Mike Atkinson (https://www.facebook.com/miketd) and a special guest discuss a randomly selected Record Mirror Disco Top 20, from any week between 1975 and 1989. These charts were compiled by dancefloor reaction reports, sent in by DJs from across the UK. We'll also look at how they were reviewed at the time by Record Mirror's legendary James Hamilton, whose columns from this period have been published in book form as James Hamilton’s Disco Pages 1975-1982 (https://superweirdsubstance.com/product/james-hamiltons-disco-pages/) and James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (https://superweirdsubstance.com/product/james-hamiltons-dance-pages/). Each episode comes with its own playlist (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/playlists/record-mirror-disco-charts/), so that you can listen to all the tracks continuously.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Early Chicago House Classics, with Marshall Jefferson
For this special episode, Chicago house pioneer Marshall Jefferson (https://www.instagram.com/marshall_jefferson/) joins co-hosts Greg Wilson and Mike Atkinson, as we take a look through a list of eighteen early Chicago house classics: compiled and supplied to James Hamilton by Jesse Saunders and Vince Lawrence, and published in Record Mirror in October 1986.
"You may be amazed", James said at the time, as these tunes - played by Frankie Knuckles at the Warehouse and the Power Plant, and by Ron Hardy at the Muzic Box - belong to the period directly before Chicago acts started making their own music, and represent a canon that was far removed from UK club culture during the same timespan.
As the episode unfolds, we try to determine what made these tunes "house" music, before the genre was formally defined and codified; we discover that many of them were in fact created by the same pool of people, particularly from the Philadelphia International and Salsoul labels; we discuss the impact that house music's commercial UK breakthrough in 1986 had on its founding fathers; and we learn more about some of Marshall's own musical inspirations, which lay far beyond the world of dance music.
To accompany this episode, you can listen to this entire Top 20 in full (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/record-mirror-disco-charts-house-classics-special/), or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/record-mirror-disco-chart-top-20-16th-december-1989-snippet-medley/).
Further listening:
* other tracks mentioned in this episode (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLErmUWfGwjk0) (YouTube)
* random monthly megamixes (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/playlists/random-month-megamixes/), 1975-1989
Further reading:
* James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (https://superweirdsubstance.com/product/james-hamiltons-dance-pages/) (800 page hardback book)
* James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (https://superweirdsubstance.com/product/james-hamiltons-disco-pages/) (550 page hardback book)
Mike Atkinson also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? (https://shows.acast.com/which-decade-is-tops-for-pops)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
31 Aug 2026
16th December 1989, with Terry Farley
For the final Club Chart of 1989, we are joined by Terry Farley (https://www.facebook.com/TerryFarleyOfficial/): DJ, remixer and producer, whose career was in the ascendant just as James Hamilton was on the verge of ceding full control at Record Mirror. Hip house was waning, Italian house was the new big thing, piano riffs were everywhere, and while some acid house pioneers were slowing their BPMs right down, others were emerging from the warehouse rave scene with a wholly different agenda.
To accompany this episode, you can list (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/record-mirror-club-chart-top-20-18th-march-1989/)en to this entire Top 20 in full (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/record-mirror-disco-chart-top-20-16th-december-1989/), or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/record-mirror-disco-chart-top-20-16th-december-1989-snippet-medley/).
Further listening:
* other tracks mentioned in this episode (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDn2wxJHHs2M) (YouTube)
* random monthly megamixes (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/playlists/random-month-megamixes/), 1975-1989
Further reading:
* James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (https://superweirdsubstance.com/product/james-hamiltons-dance-pages/) (800 page hardback book)
* James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (https://superweirdsubstance.com/product/james-hamiltons-disco-pages/) (550 page hardback book)
Record Mirror Disco Charts mugs and T-shirts are available from our merchandise store (https://record-mirror-disco-charts.myshopify.com/).
Mike Atkinson also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? (https://shows.acast.com/which-decade-is-tops-for-pops)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
30 Jul 2026
23rd November 1985, with Luke Una
By late 1985, Luke Una (https://www.instagram.com/lukeunabomber/) had started to immerse himself in dance music and club culture – initially in his native Sheffield, just ahead of a move to Manchester – and so many of the tunes in this chart served to lay the foundations for his pioneering and influential DJ career.
At the end of a year largely dominated by glossy, polished, but still fairly orthodox soul/funk productions (some of which appear here), new shoots were emerging that would grow into street soul, garage and house, while hip hop was on the brink of a commercial rebirth, and Washington DC go go influences were seeping into other areas. Social commentary “message songs” were popular with some, while others were seeking out a more elemental, stripped-down sound, via fully instrumental tracks and dub remixes.
To accompany this episode, you can list (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/record-mirror-club-chart-top-20-18th-march-1989/)en to this entire Top 20 in full (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/record-mirror-disco-chart-top-20-23rd-november-1985/), or alternatively as a shorter medley of snippets (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/record-mirror-disco-chart-top-20-23rd-november-1985-snippet-medley/).
Further listening:
* other tracks mentioned in this episode (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUj7QoxXUTws) (YouTube)
* random monthly megamixes (https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/playlists/random-month-megamixes/), 1975-1989
Further reading:
* James Hamilton's Dance Pages 1983-1989 (https://superweirdsubstance.com/product/james-hamiltons-dance-pages/) (800 page hardback book)
* James Hamilton's Disco Pages 1975-1982 (https://superweirdsubstance.com/product/james-hamiltons-disco-pages/) (550 page hardback book)
Record Mirror Disco Charts mugs and T-shirts are available from our merchandise store (https://record-mirror-disco-charts.myshopify.com/).
Mike also hosts the podcast Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? (https://shows.acast.com/which-decade-is-tops-for-pops)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Who has been a guest on Record Mirror Disco Charts
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Bill Brewster
John Morales
Peter Hook
Arthur Baker
DJ Paulette
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
18 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 9 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
4
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
32
Contact Record Mirror Disco Charts
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
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