Woody
I met Woody sometime in the early 90s whilst he was skateboarding and I was drinking Kestrel Super. These things can’t go on forever, skateboarding is dangerous, we lost touch and then I started to hear of his prowess as a turntablist. Sometime in his 20s when I was watching afternoon reruns of Columbo Woody went to America and came back ITF world champion. I think he caught everybody off guard including himself, but he had the kind of dedicated virtuosity you see rarely in instrumentalists of any sort. I was as impressed as everyone in our humble shithole town. We ran into each other here and there over the years and talked but the decision to make a full album came about in the buffet queue at a Burnley Golf Club wedding. The resulting album, Point of Contact, is undoubtedly a showcase of Woody’s skill and dexterity but also of his musicality and skill as an arranger.
In September 2016, just after I turned 40 Woody, Carl Sharrocks and me took a short set to the DMC finals at Kentish Town Forum. I brought a couple of keyboards and nobody knew what the fuck they were looking at. I could’ve been a talking dog or a hover pan as far as these people were concerned. I like that though, bravely stepping where no keyboard player has stepped before. We were good I think. The album is pretty amazing too, and worth your time. Possibly even your money.