Campfire Presents: Blitzed - Romantics Past, Present & Future - with Rusty Egan

25th March 2021

Campfire Presents: Romantics past, Present & Future with Rusty Egan

Rusty Egan – the celebrated musician, producer and club promoter at the heart of the UK music scene for four decades. We showcased two videos including Rusty’s new single When We Were Young and talked about his recent documentary BLITZED – covering the New Romantic movement from its origins in London in 1979 to present day devotees.

"Everyone is special - they just haven't been discovered yet."

- Rusty Egan

When We Were Young

15 MINS

Taken from Rusty’s new EP Blitzed, When We Were Young pays homage to the people and the places that were at the heart of the nascent New Romantic movement in this Campfire commissioned video.

Catwalk (Around the World)

12 MINS

Inspired by the theatrical flamboyancy and fashions of the futurists, Catwalk’s unashamedly 80’s rhythms reflect the time when every club was a runway and every clubber a super model.

Hallogallo - Neu!

7 MINS

Rusty’s choice of personal favourites kicks off with NEU! Hallogallo, a record almost overlooked on release but now considered a classic. As Rusty explains, the ‘motorik’ drums have been a constant inspiration for him in the studio.

Wild Style - Afrika Bambaata

9 MINS

Rusty recalls the recording of Wild Style, when he met German producers Wunderwerke and after introducing them to Afrika Bambaata & Ian Tregonning, the track was written & recorded in one night. Regarded as one of the first uses of the digital sampler credit is also due to Kraftwerk & Chic for the beats.

Showroom Dummies - Kraftwerk

7 MINS

Released in the spiky days of Punk, Kraftwerk’s music became synonymous with late 70’s & 80’s clubbing. In a crowded field Rusty shares some love for the classic Showroom Dummies as his pick from the band.

Ballet Dancer - Rusty Egan

5 MINS

Rusty’s final choice is the track Ballet Dancer, taken from his album Welcome to the Dancefloor (2017), a surprisingly candid and deeply personal tale of love and dancing.

Mentorship & the Future

6 MINS

Beyond his music and DJing Rusty continues to help whenever he can, his continued enthusiasm for music and fashion has led him to mentor and advise many people. His first hand experiences of the industries treatment of artists has inspired him to find new and different avenues for those starting out to follow.

Audience Q&A

48 MINS

In a Q&A that could have lasted an hour and with questions from across multiple time zones, Rusty sheds some light on the clubs, the people and the music that made the scene so important as it went on to define the decade.