Podcast Dusk Dubs
DD0510 - Erique Dial

[ Erique Dial ]

Podcast: Dusk Dubs
Artist: Erique Dial
Title: DD0510
Style: House, Soul, Rock, Funk, Blues
Time: 103 minutes
Date: 2018-06-03

Dusk Dubs returns with another incredible journey through sounds. As always, our guest provides us with music that has a special place in their memories and in their souls. Music that moves them, that invokes images of sunrises, sunsets, good times and good people. We then play each record, in full, giving it breathing space and allowing it to shine.

This week we we invite Writer, Producer, Keyboard Player and DJ Erique Dial to share his musical DNA.

Born into a musical family with a father who was a music teacher and played saxophone with Benny Goodman, and various Motown bands that would visit the legendary Howard Theatre, Washington, such as Sammy Davis, Jr., The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, and Dionne Warwick, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells.

Erique was mentored by the late Jerome Bell of Van McCoy fame and John C. Freeman, co-writer of The Main Ingredient’s soul classic “I Just Don’t Wanna Be Lonely.” From 1979 onwards, Erique toured with the legend that is Gil Scott Heron, and around the same time would became extended family to legendary P-Funk outfits Parliament and Funkadelic as their sound engineer. In the process of being wooed by Rick James’ camp, he was afforded an all-access pass to their to their world. He also co-wrote & played on Vaughan Mason’s top 40 track “You Can Do It”, and would later go on to work with Imagination, Martha Wash, Loose Ends, The Adventures of Stevie V, Robin S, Byron Stingily and the ‘Godfather Of House’ Marshall Jefferson.

In 1988 Erique Dial / E-RAZE played keyboards & made the samples on classic RAZE "Break 4 Love", selling over 3 Million units worldwide and appearing on "50" compilations. It was re-released 5 times by Champion Records between 1988-1994 breaking Top 30 each time.

Produced & co wrote RAZE's "All 4 Love" the final RAZE single in 1990 feat. Lady J & The SEC straight in at 28 on the National Chart.

Produced & co wrote "Let It Move U" under the name ESTB feat. MC Principal on the Famous Rap Hits Compilation, ZYX Records, Germany which feat. LL Cool J, MC Hammer & SNAP moving 500,000 units.

1991 played keyboards on The Adventures Of Stevie V's "Jealousy".

In 1992 Eric Robinson enlisted Erique’s help on the 1st solo album for Martha Wash formerly of the “Weather Girls” and C & C Music Factory.

Erique co-wrote and arranged “Hold On Part 2”.

Produced and co-wrote Oooh-Aaah another "Break 4 Love" spin off with Leee John for the Imagination LP "The Facination Of The Physical" in 1993.

1994 formed Dial-E-4FX with the track "That's How My Heart Sings" for Casper Pound's Rising High label.

In 1996 Erique became the musical director for Byron Stingily X lead vocalist for Ten City. performed "Everybody Get Up" & Feel Mighty Real" on Top Of The Pops, MTV & CDUK, while touring the UK and Europe 1998-99.

In 1999, he featured on Loop Da Loop "Hazel" on Manifesto / Mercury Records. The song hit No.20 in Europe and the UK with the video on heavy rotation on MTV, The Box & CDUK .

In 2000 moved back to DC from London and started his own production company “Dial Out Productions” for the next five years.

2005 "Break 4 Love" was added to the GTA Play Station game "San Andreas" which sold 60 million units.

2011-14 Erique Dial / E-RAZE moved to Barcelona, Spain playing select venues like La Terrazzza, BLVD, The Ocana, Cera 23, Zentruas, Moog & Family.

In London since Jan 2015-18 played Promised Land, Labrynth, Memory Box Parties, Detached Boat Parties ,The Egg, Heaven, The Garage, House Of Wolf, Union Club, Diversion Parties, Sqaut Life, The Wick, OTC Festival and plays the London Underground scene to the present.

You can find Erique HERE:
facebook.com/EriqueDial19
Twitter.com/eriquedial1
Instagram.com/eriquedial
Mixcloud.com/donaldvononzo
Discogs.com/artist/451746-Enrique-Dial

Tracklisting

1) Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild, one of the first songs I heard my mother playing on the record player, I remember playing along with the drummer with drum sticks on the carpet floor...

2) James Brown - Hot Pants, One of the first 2 45's I bought as a kid, influenced by funk music and many years later I met James Brown face to face in an elevator in 1984...

3) The 2nd 45 Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, and many years later in 1986 for 2 decades I started touring and working for Gil.... the most important job I have held in the music industry...

4) 1973 Herbie Hancock - Chameleon, I was fascinated with electronic jazz and sythnesizers and hypnotized by that bass line. Taught myself to play Chameleon on the piano and became obsessed with electronic jazz / fusion...

5) The Ohio Players - Funky Worm, a fantastic novelty record.. inspired by funk and a funky granny on vocals.

6) The Ohio PLayers - Skin Tight, a blend of jazzy funk and those electric keyboards played by Junie Morrison who I would meet in London in later years...

7) Parliament - Chocolate City, I was gravitating to funk music and it's deep bass driven grooves...

8) The Commodores - Machine Gun, an instrumental song filled with electronic keyboards and synthesizers right up my alley to further fuel me into playing keyboards....

9) The Barkays - Holy Ghost, A very rhythmic funk song with a heavy synth funky bass dominating this song...

10) Heart - Magic Man, moving to Ohio where rock music was king, and I gravitated to the funky rock with electronic keyboards in them...

11) Steve Miller - Fly Like An Eagle, another rock synth electronic keyboard driven song...

12) Johnny Guitar Watson - Real Mother For Ya, Still into my funk, this funk jazzy styled piece had the deep synth bass and funky drums with the funky guitar riffs but based on jazz music....

13) George Duke - Reach For It, modelled off Bootsy's Rubber Band styled funk again based firmly in jazz....

14) Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove, funk had taken over main stream music in America's urban black neighbourhoods and entered the pop charts...

15) Vaughan Mason - Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll, a powerful funk jam dedicated to roller skating and getting down this influenced me to no end, and again I would meet Vaughan Mason... write some songs for him and eventually collaborate on Raze's 'Break 4 Love'...

16) Chic - Everybody Dance, disco had taken over in the 80's, but Chic had made disco funky still with Nile Rodgers funky guitar riffs and Benard Edwards funky bass my fave disco band and allowed me to be into disco...

17) The SOS Band - Just Be Good To Me, a land mark song for me. I'm a big Jimmy Jamm and Terry Lewis fan and emulated there style, and again keyboards were the basis of there groove....

18) Prince - Let's Work, The Minniapolis funk personified and another big influence to my music career, Prince's keyboard style funky bass and drumming said it all.... a genius....

19) Chaka Khan - I Feel For You, written by Prince and made a massive hit featuring Chaka's brilliant vocals alongside Melle Mel and Stevie Wonder, who can be heard on the harmonica. One of my all time favorite songs.