Down Town
Encyclopedia
"Down Town" was the a 1987 release by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (better known as The KLF
). The song is gospel music
driven by house music
rhythms, incorporating a sample
of Petula Clark's
1964 single "Downtown
".
and Jimmy Cauty
formed The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), and busily released provocatively sample-heavy
electronic music with beatbox rhythms and Drummond's socially aware raps
. Their debut single "All You Need Is Love
" and album 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?)
were both investigated by the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society, who ordered The JAMs to recall and destroy all unsold copies of 1987. A new single, "Whitney Joins The JAMs
", followed, along with a satirically edited version of the album, 1987 (The JAMs 45 Edits), and the debut release from spinoff project Disco 2000
, "I Gotta CD". By the time of the release of "Whitney Joins The JAMs", the duo's independent record label
had been renamed KLF Communications
, and in the coming year The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu would mutate into The KLF
. In the meantime, "Down Town" was The JAMs' and KLF Communications' final release of 1987, a 7" and 12"
single release of 30 November. It did not enter the UK Singles Chart
, but made inroads into the UK independent chart.
In an interview with NME
, Drummond and Cauty maintained that the record was originally intended to be sample-free, but, quoting the Book of Proverbs
26:11, Drummond admitted that "as a dog returneth to his vomit so a fool returneth to his folly". In addition to Petula Clark's "Downtown", "Down Town" used elements of the distinctive bassline to Harold Faltermeyer's
1984 # 1 single "Axel F
". Indeed, the labels of the record claimed that: "All sounds on this recording have been captured by The KLF. In the name of Mu
, we hereby liberate these sounds from all copyright restrictions, without prejudice". Although The JAMs sought permission from Tony Hatch
, who wrote Clark's "Downtown", Drummond admitted in KLF Communications
newsletter: "We were surprised to read in the papers that Pet Clarke [sic] had given her permission for us to sample her classic 'Downtown' on our record of the same name. When we attempted to contact her, at her Swiss
home, to do just this thing, we didn't get further than her refusing to accept our transfer charge
."
The inclusion of Petula Clark's "Downtown" was claimed by Drummond to be a striking coincidence:
"Down Town" was not included on either of The JAMs' albums, instead featuring on their 1988 compilation
and remix album
, Shag Times
, along with an instrumental remix credited to The KLF.
realised as house music
. Its central theme is social exclusion
, poverty and homelessness, in which snatches of Clark's "Downtown"—an awestruck ode to hedonistic
city nightlife
—are juxtaposed with raps by Drummond, wailing sirens and original choral gospel
vocals full of Christmas optimism, provided by the London Community Gospel Choir
. These disparate elements are held together by a beatbox rhythm, a bassline borrowed from "Axel F", and an accompaniment of piano and Hammond organ
.
During one verse, Drummond raps: "Downtown, down and out, dying in the dead of night, with your Special Brew and your special view of a world that could be right". Joined by the gospel choir's refrain of "Glory!", Drummond continues "[Glory!] What glory? [Glory!] In a wine bar
world? [Glory!] in a tenement
block? [Glory!] OK, let's hear it!". In each chorus, the gospel choir sing of Jesus
' birth. This juxtaposition of Christmas with urban homeless
alcoholism
was revisited by Drummond and Cauty's later arts project, the K Foundation
, whose final act to date involved distributing thousands of cans of strong lager to London's homeless on Christmas Eve
in 1995.
in a pair of stilettos
".
The following week, NME journalist James Brown
interviewed June Montana and Cressida Cauty (Jimmy Cauty's wife), vocalists for Disco 2000
, a KLF Communications side-project produced by Drummond and Cauty. Brown noted the accomplished dance music production of recent KLF Communications releases:
However, Record Mirror
did not approve of The JAMs' comparatively sample-free offering, calling "Down Town" "a creature tamed" and wondering "without outlaw credentials what's left?"
12" single (UK)
12" single (UK) (one-sided white label
, 500 pressed)
The KLF
The KLF were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
). The song is gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
driven by house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
rhythms, incorporating a sample
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
of Petula Clark's
Petula Clark
Petula Clark, CBE is an English singer, actress, and composer whose career has spanned seven decades.Clark's professional career began as an entertainer on BBC Radio during World War II...
1964 single "Downtown
Downtown (Petula Clark song)
"Downtown" is a pop song composed by Tony Hatch which, as recorded by Petula Clark, became an international hit – No. 1 in the US and No. 2 in the UK – at the end of 1964.-Original recording:...
".
Origins
In 1987, Bill DrummondBill Drummond
William Ernest Drummond is a Scottish artist, musician, writer and record producer. He was the co-founder of late 1980s avant-garde pop group The KLF and its 1990s media-manipulating successor, the K Foundation, with which he burned a million pounds in 1994...
and Jimmy Cauty
Jimmy Cauty
James Francis Cauty is a British artist and musician born in Liverpool, England, in 1956...
formed The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu (The JAMs), and busily released provocatively sample-heavy
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
electronic music with beatbox rhythms and Drummond's socially aware raps
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
. Their debut single "All You Need Is Love
All You Need Is Love (The JAMs song)
"All You Need Is Love" is a song by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, independently released as their debut single on 9 March 1987. A politically topical song concerning the UK media's AIDS furore, the track was initially given a 12" white label release because of its sampling of other records.The...
" and album 1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?)
1987 (What the Fuck Is Going On?)
1987 is the debut album of The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu . 1987 was produced using extensive unauthorised samples which plagiarised a wide range of musical works, continuing a theme begun in The JAMs' debut single "All You Need Is Love"...
were both investigated by the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society, who ordered The JAMs to recall and destroy all unsold copies of 1987. A new single, "Whitney Joins The JAMs
Whitney Joins The JAMs
-Release:"Whitney Joins The JAMs" was given a low-key release in the UK, initially as a run of 500 one-sided 12-inch singles in generic monochrome KLF Communications sleeves. The vinyl labels contained only the title and "120 bpm"...
", followed, along with a satirically edited version of the album, 1987 (The JAMs 45 Edits), and the debut release from spinoff project Disco 2000
Disco 2000
Disco 2000 was a British pop band, a side project of The KLF. Vocals were handled by Cressida Cauty and June Montana, also known as Mo...
, "I Gotta CD". By the time of the release of "Whitney Joins The JAMs", the duo's independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
had been renamed KLF Communications
KLF Communications
This discography lists the key British and notable international releases of The KLF and the other pseudonyms of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. It also details the other releases on their independent record label, KLF Communications, by KLF-spinoff Disco 2000 and Space...
, and in the coming year The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu would mutate into The KLF
The KLF
The KLF were one of the seminal bands of the British acid house movement during the late 1980s and early 1990s....
. In the meantime, "Down Town" was The JAMs' and KLF Communications' final release of 1987, a 7" and 12"
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
single release of 30 November. It did not enter the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, but made inroads into the UK independent chart.
In an interview with NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Drummond and Cauty maintained that the record was originally intended to be sample-free, but, quoting the Book of Proverbs
Book of Proverbs
The Book of Proverbs , commonly referred to simply as Proverbs, is a book of the Hebrew Bible.The original Hebrew title of the book of Proverbs is "Míshlê Shlomoh" . When translated into Greek and Latin, the title took on different forms. In the Greek Septuagint the title became "paroimai paroimiae"...
26:11, Drummond admitted that "as a dog returneth to his vomit so a fool returneth to his folly". In addition to Petula Clark's "Downtown", "Down Town" used elements of the distinctive bassline to Harold Faltermeyer's
Harold Faltermeyer
Harold Faltermeyer is a German musician, keyboardist, composer and record producer.He is recognized as one of the composers/producers who best captured the zeitgeist of 1980s synth-pop in film scores...
1984 # 1 single "Axel F
Axel F
"Axel F" is the electronic instrumental theme from the 1984 film Beverly Hills Cop performed by Harold Faltermeyer. The title comes from the main character's name, Axel Foley , in the film. It topped musical charts in 1985 and remains a popular remix track. Mixes of "Axel F" topped European pop...
". Indeed, the labels of the record claimed that: "All sounds on this recording have been captured by The KLF. In the name of Mu
Mu (lost continent)
Mu is the name of a hypothetical continent that allegedly existed in one of Earth's oceans, but disappeared at the dawn of human history.The concept and the name were proposed by 19th century traveler and writer Augustus Le Plongeon, who claimed that several ancient civilizations, such as those of...
, we hereby liberate these sounds from all copyright restrictions, without prejudice". Although The JAMs sought permission from Tony Hatch
Tony Hatch
Anthony Peter "Tony" Hatch is an English composer, songwriter, pianist, music arranger and producer.-Early life and early career:...
, who wrote Clark's "Downtown", Drummond admitted in KLF Communications
KLF Communications
This discography lists the key British and notable international releases of The KLF and the other pseudonyms of Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty. It also details the other releases on their independent record label, KLF Communications, by KLF-spinoff Disco 2000 and Space...
newsletter: "We were surprised to read in the papers that Pet Clarke [sic] had given her permission for us to sample her classic 'Downtown' on our record of the same name. When we attempted to contact her, at her Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
home, to do just this thing, we didn't get further than her refusing to accept our transfer charge
Collect call
A collect call in the USA and Canada or reverse charge call in the UK and other countries is a telephone call in which the calling party wants to place a call at the called party's expense...
."
The inclusion of Petula Clark's "Downtown" was claimed by Drummond to be a striking coincidence:
"Down Town" was not included on either of The JAMs' albums, instead featuring on their 1988 compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
and remix album
Remix album
A remix album is an album consisting mostly of remixes or re-recorded versions of a music artists' earlier released material.One of the earliest remix albums was 1971's Aerial Pandemonium Ballet by Harry Nilsson, which was released by Nilsson after the successes of Everybody's Talkin and The Point!...
, Shag Times
Shag Times
Shag Times, sometimes called Shag Times , is a UK compilation and remix double album released in 1989 by The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu...
, along with an instrumental remix credited to The KLF.
Composition
"Down Town" is, like most of Drummond and Cauty's work of 1987, a social critique of Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
realised as house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
. Its central theme is social exclusion
Social exclusion
Social exclusion is a concept used in many parts of the world to characterise contemporary forms of social disadvantage. Dr. Lynn Todman, director of the Institute on Social Exclusion at the Adler School of Professional Psychology, suggests that social exclusion refers to processes in which...
, poverty and homelessness, in which snatches of Clark's "Downtown"—an awestruck ode to hedonistic
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
city nightlife
Nightlife
Nightlife is the collective term for any entertainment that is available and more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning...
—are juxtaposed with raps by Drummond, wailing sirens and original choral gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
vocals full of Christmas optimism, provided by the London Community Gospel Choir
London Community Gospel Choir
The London Community Gospel Choir is a successful gospel choir located in the United Kingdom.-History:The London Community Gospel Choir was founded in 1982 by the Reverend Bazil Meade with the assistance of Lawrence Johnson, Delroy Powell and John Francis.Initially the idea was for a single concert...
. These disparate elements are held together by a beatbox rhythm, a bassline borrowed from "Axel F", and an accompaniment of piano and Hammond organ
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
.
During one verse, Drummond raps: "Downtown, down and out, dying in the dead of night, with your Special Brew and your special view of a world that could be right". Joined by the gospel choir's refrain of "Glory!", Drummond continues "[Glory!] What glory? [Glory!] In a wine bar
Wine bar
A wine bar is a tavern-like business focusing on selling wine, rather than liquor or beer. A typical feature of many wine bars is a wide selection of wines available by the glass. Some wine bars are profiled on wines of a certain type of origin, such as Italian wine or Champagne...
world? [Glory!] in a tenement
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...
block? [Glory!] OK, let's hear it!". In each chorus, the gospel choir sing of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' birth. This juxtaposition of Christmas with urban homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
was revisited by Drummond and Cauty's later arts project, the K Foundation
K Foundation
The K Foundation was an art foundation set up by Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty in 1993, following their 'retirement' from the music industry. The Foundation served as an artistic outlet for the duo's post-retirement KLF income...
, whose final act to date involved distributing thousands of cans of strong lager to London's homeless on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
in 1995.
Reviews
"Down Town" was, after "All You Need Is Love", the second of The JAMs' three 1987 singles to become NME "single of the week". The British music paper called it "One massive hell-hating holler of a song", and concluded: "[The JAMs] may not be the hippest, sanest or sweetest band to stalk the Earth this year but they're certainly the most imaginative ... [T]hey've fired a musical trail so shocking they couldn't have kept you more on your toes if they'd stuffed a handgrenade up your ass and sent you out to tap danceTap dance
Tap dance is a form of dance characterized by using the sound of one's tap shoes hitting the floor as a percussive instrument. As such, it is also commonly considered to be a form of music. Two major variations on tap dance exist: rhythm tap and Broadway tap. Broadway tap focuses more on the...
in a pair of stilettos
Stiletto heel
A stiletto heel is a long, thin, high heel found on some boots and shoes, usually for women. It is named after the stiletto dagger, the phrase being first recorded in the early 1930s...
".
The following week, NME journalist James Brown
James Brown (editor)
James Brown is a British journalist. He is best known for creating the modern men's magazine market with the launch of his title Loaded in 1994, a magazine that was said to define a generation...
interviewed June Montana and Cressida Cauty (Jimmy Cauty's wife), vocalists for Disco 2000
Disco 2000
Disco 2000 was a British pop band, a side project of The KLF. Vocals were handled by Cressida Cauty and June Montana, also known as Mo...
, a KLF Communications side-project produced by Drummond and Cauty. Brown noted the accomplished dance music production of recent KLF Communications releases:
However, Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
did not approve of The JAMs' comparatively sample-free offering, calling "Down Town" "a creature tamed" and wondering "without outlaw credentials what's left?"
Formats and track listings
7" single (UK)- "Down Town (118 BPM)" (edit) - 4:01
- "Down Town" (voxless) - 5:55
12" single (UK)
- "Down Town (118 BPM)" - 7:23
- "Down Town" (voxless) - 5:55
12" single (UK) (one-sided white label
White label
White label records are vinyl records with adhesive plain white labels affixed. Test pressings, usually with Test Pressing written on the label, with catalogue number, artist and recording time or date, are produced in small quantities to evaluate the quality of the disc production...
, 500 pressed)
- "Down Town" (voxless) - 5:55