Review: Dan The Drum x Carmy Love ft. Darren Morris - Hurt So Bad - The Remixes EP (SJJL, Terry Jones, Leo Zero, and No'West Mixes) (F*CLR Music)

Dan The Drum x Carmy Love's version of 'Hurt So Bad' ft. Darren Morris with guests Joseph Nesbitt Larkin + Carl Davies on the original version are joined by the Terry Jones, Leo Zero and No'West remixes on this HUGE tune. Grab your limited copy by pre-ordering now - delivery expected in February 2026.

When the original version of this was released on F*CLR, that's the cover version (see review HERE), not the 1965 original of Little Anthony & The Imperials'  'Hurts So Bad', we knew that the chances are that a remix EP would be on its way, but could it be even better?

Well, we've got the orginal vocal mix, Terry 'Village Soul' Jones, over 7 minutes of Leo Zero and a 'No'West 'Survival '78' Vocal remix topper.

See order link below:

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: FCLR042 - Dan The Drum x Carmy Love ft Darren Morris - Hurt So Bad (The S.H.L.J Mixes) by Dan The Drum, Carmy Love, Darren Morris

=================================Regular readers will know that we are big fans on Dan's cover version on 'JazzCazz' (see review HERE) as a disco-jazz-house cover version that featured Emma Noble on vocals only to be followed by a curve ball 'duet' with Stuart Patterson (Deviant, Faith and best mate of Terry Farley) and the history lesson that is 'UK House Sermon' (see review HERE), so what hurts so bad on this new release?

On the 60th anniversary of the original, you recognise that Little Anthony and the Imperials' back catalog has been raided before primilary for their hits that made it big on the Northern Soul scene back in the 60s and then in the Casino/Ballroom years; notably 'Better Use Your Head' and 'Gonna Fix You Good (Every Time You're Bad)'.

So a bit of a surprise that 'Spursy' Dan (see interview HERE) gets all jazz-funk soulful on the 'Hurt So Bad' cover with Carmy Love doing her usual excellent vocals, Balearic sax (Carl Davies), electric guitar groove (Joseph Nesbitt-Larking), strings plus the addition of Darren Morris (in a totally different guise to his Union I & II sets - see review HERE) and a Latin poolside vibe.

We know "dyed in the wool" Northern Soulers can be a bit elitist about "their music" and whilst I may have made it sound a bit of 'kitchen sink' approach, in reality it's so smooth and additive I'm not sure why this is 'EP1'; we're told, "there is also a series of exciting remixes forthcoming from soul guru, Terry Jones, remixer extraordinaire, Leo Zero, and Disco renegades, North Street West."  

All I can say is that they're going to have to be bloody good to touch this version!

Artist: Dan The Drum x Carmy Love ft. Darren Morris
Title:  Hurt So Bad - The Remixes EP (SJJL, Terry Jones, Leo Zero, and No'West Mixes)
Release date: February, 2026
Label: F*CLR Records
Cat. No: FCLR046
Format:  Vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Dan The Drum & Stuart Patterson - UK House Sermon ft. Carmy Love (X-Press 2 Remixes)(F*CLR Records)

Already on the playlists of all the big DJ boys/girls, we now get the X-Press 2 Remixes that give it even more longevity on the dancefloor.

We told you that there would be remixes of the original (see review HERE) but don't think that because to cover has been stripped to a mostly blue palette that this is now the spiritual party to celebrate UK House culture, the stripped 'Wild Pitch' remix but still a sermon; albeit with limited vocals.

You won't need any introduction to X-Press 2 (unless you're really lazy [Ed. see what I did there] so go and check out their remix on F*CLR HERE for Joseph Malik, who's 'variant' album version was recently released - see review HERE) but their 'UK House Sermon (X-Press 2 Give Thanks Remix)' is even more captivating for listens 'again and again'.

Check out the Bandcamp page for vinyl version of the original HERE and the X-Press 2 Remixes (HERE).

Artist: Dan The Drum & Stuart Patterson
Title:  UK House Sermon ft. Carmy Love (X-Press 2 Remixes)
Release date: 2nd May, 2025
Label: F*CLR Records
Cat. No: FCLR038
Format:  Vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Credits: Dan The Drum: Production, arrangement, composition, percussion.

Stuart Patterson: Lead vocals, lyricist
Carmy Love: Lead vocals
Darren Morris: Production, arrangement, composition, keyboards, Synth Bass, percussion.
X-Press 2: Remixers, drum programming, synths
Mastered by Darren Morris at North Street West studios.

Review: Dan The Drum & Stuart Patterson - UK House Sermon ft. Carmy Love (F*CLR Records)

Dan The Drum & Stuart Patterson are a match made in North London, but don't let that put you off F*CLR's new 'celebration' of house, you could say it's the Sermon from the Clock End or White Hart Lane.

Football allegiances aside, Dan The Drum (who we know from 'JazzCazz' - see review HERE) and Stuart Patterson (Deviant, Faith and best mate of Terry Farley) are a pair that can tell you the history of UK House for hours; but in this case we've got nearly 8 minutes of e-vocal, an instrumental plus 5 more versions.

With label connections, there's UK house originals X-Pres2 on a 'Wild Pitch' remix, 'Give Thanks' Mix before the No' West team get involved (you know Beedle, Wallace and Morris, as seen on Twelve Caesars 'Ride The American Wave' - see review HERE)

The spoken 'London' intro sound pretty pirate radio advert style (authentic) and being a 'sermon', the gospel vocals of Carmy Love (a member of the London House Choir) gives us a classic house line - and if you don't get it, check the No' West Black Market dub or the piano house instrumental.

Closer to CJ Cooper's 'Live Love Give' featuring Robert Owens (see review HERE) but massively different from their last release from a couple of months ago, Accident Machine x Natasha Kitty Katt (see review HERE) but all are great plus the added bonus or trying to spot your younger self on the cover.

It might come out of the North London axis of Finsbury Park to Seven Sisters but the constituency extends way beyond the 'Special Branch' and the UK, a UK House Sermon for the world; summer anthem guarantued.

Check out the Bandcamp page for vinyl version HERE.

Artist: Dan The Drum & Stuart Patterson
Title:  UK House Sermon ft. Carmy Love 
Release date: 18th April, 2025
Label: F*CLR Records
Cat. No: FCLR037
Format:  Vinyl / Digital / Bandcamp

Review: Dan The Drum + Ronnie Turner - JazzCazz ft Emma Noble (Ramrock Red Records)

Trust a serious musicologist 'of the cover' version like Jo Wallace (Ramrock/F*CLR head honcho) to know that the 1980 disco chart buster 'Casanova' by Coffee was not the original version!  

The original tribute to the exploits attributed to Giovanni Jacopo Casanova was sung by Ruby Andrews in 1967 and I bet they'd never have imagined that song re-interpreted as Dan 'The Drum' Spalding and Ronnie Turner have in 2024 with Emma Noble on vocals. It's full of cool 60s Blue Note/Dave Brubeck 'Take Five' swing with Emma's vocals perfect for the jazzification of the lyrics; "Hey boy, your playing days are over". They've even squeezed in a bit of a nod to hip-hop and dub; kinda US3 'Cantaloop' that was just as massive.

We're told there's lots more to come from this Spalding/Turner set up that's going to appeal to BBC 6 Music's obvious candidates like Craig Charles (what did I say on his latest compilation on BBE - see review HERE) and Gilles Peterson - and way beyond.....trust me

Artist: Dan The Drum + Ronnie Turner

Title: JazzCazz ft Emma Noble 

Release date: 26th July, 2024

Label : Ramrock Red Records.

Catalog Number : RRR063

Format :  Digital / Bandcamp