Having been diagnosed with HIV in 1989, Mat Sargent decided to do something to help out the various charities that supported him and in 1995 he began the Sex, Drugs & HIV project to release a fundraising album.
Through his work as a musician on London's punk scene, notably with SHAM 69, CHELSEA and SPLODGENESSABOUNDS, he called in a few favours.
Taking 16 years to complete, the album was initially released in 2014 in 2- and 3-disc versions, making thousands of pounds for charity. Now Mat has decided to release the full Sex, Drugs & HIV sessions in a mammoth 8-DVD set. Boosted by numerous outtakes, bonus tracks and extras, the set features contributions from over 200 guest musicians, including Adam Ant, Afrika Bambaataa, Beki Bondage, Boz Boorer, Brian Robertson, Captain Sensible, Charlie Harper, Damien O'Neill, Dick Lucas, Gina Birch, Gizz Butt, Jerry Dammers, Jimmy Pursey, John Otway, Kelly Johnson, Lee Thompson, Mark E. Smith, Mickey Fitz, Mike Spenser, Nicko McBrain, Paul Gray, Paul Samson, Pauline Black, Poly Styrene, Tony Hadley, TV Smith, Vic Godard, Wurzel and dozens more...
“I was diagnosed HIV+ in 1989 and the beneficiary charities for the project were my first port of call at the time. It was a scary time, I was just a teenager and was given between 3 - 5 years to live. It was 1995 when I had the mad idea to record the album with many of my musician friends and people I'd met on the road.
“I wanted to give something back to the charities that helped me through my journey in life. The Sex, Drugs & HIV album was released in 2014, it took 16 years to finish all the recordings and I was happy with the mixes for all the songs. The first release was the special edition 3 disc version (2xCD + DVD), this did very well so it was repressed as the 2-CD version. The project has made thousands of pounds for the charities so I'm happy it continues to sell and make money for the charities.”
Proceeds from sales of the set will benefit Cancer Research, Rape Crisis, Release and Terrence Higgins Trust.
For more information and a full list of contributors, and to buy Sex, Drugs & HIV -The Studio Sessions, go here.