After Steve Wright’s passing in February, I didn’t expect to be writing a tribute to another name from music who has left us, long before their time, so soon. Sadly, we lost Paul Spencer, a.k.a Dario G this week.
You’ll likely know him best for his late 90s dance hits Carnaval de Paris and Sunchyme. I was always a big fan of the latter, it took on a whole new meaning over a decade later though, when it became associated with our band, Canada Water.
We must have been having a nostalgic moment with the song in the summer of 2009, when we used it to soundtrack a YouTube video of us, ‘couch surfing’ (or more realistically ‘floor surfing’) through a week in London while we recorded our EP One Shot Farewell.
The video drew out a shared fondness for the track from friends and followers of the band, so much so that we used it as the ‘walk on’ song at the EP release show in December. The momentum that we’d built around the band in the lead up to this event, hit a height we hadn’t reached before in 5+ years of playing in bands. The show was a sell out and as far back as I could see everyone was singing the lyrics I’d written.
When I hear Sunchyme now I’m reminded of that moment and the overwhelming feeling, just as much as when I play back our own songs, possibly more so.
Years later, my bandmate Ed and I spoke about the song on our podcast,Two Track Mind. We’d tagged Dario G in social media posts for the episode, but were so surprised to receive a message from Paul referencing our conversation in a way that was only possible had he listened to the show. It meant the world to us.
I can’t claim to have known him, or his wider discography very well. From this limited interaction alone, he seemed like a lovely chap. 53 is no age. This song will live on for a long time.
Liam Toms 