Black Rose - Anthem

"Something special is in my..." and I'm not quite sure what he sings next. One thing is certain, there's something special in this post. What do you get if you put Henrik Schwarz and Jesse Rose together and ask them to produce a reggae-house tune? "Reggae-house?" you may say, "Henrik Schwarz," I say. Anyhow, they didn't need asking and what you get is a little play on names in a project called Black Rose and a killer tune in the appropriately titled "Anthem". Out last monday, EP includes original mix and live version.

Preview the 320 DL, then buy if you can: Black Rose - Anthem (EP)

Martyn & Mike Slott - Collabs Series No. 1 (2011)

All City Label from Dublin come correct with the first of their Collabs series. Much loved Martyn and label favourite Mike Slott join forces to produce an absolute belter in 'All Nights'. No hint of Detroit, this is all about the UK dance scene.


On the DL: Collabs #1

Mr Mageeka - Different Lekstrix

I've noticed the 'Detroit' tag in our cloud on the right is by far the biggest, so that's the last time I'll mention it in this post. According to the blogs there is some deep connection (see the vid below) - it seems fairly obvious to me. I don't know who Mr Mageeka is but I presume he's from this side of the pond, it's released on UK funky (?) label Numbers and there's a deeper, spacier and, well, heavier remix by L-vis 1990, but the original is rude enough:

DL the EP: Mr Mageeka – Different Lekstrix EP

Charanjit Singh - Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat (1982)

Ragas and disco?? I mean really?

You are forgiven for wanting to write this off without a listen, like so many fusions of different world styles few actually work, but when they do its literally like nothing else. I remember the first time I heard Ahmed Abdul Malik combine the sounds of Hard Bop and classical Egyptian music, it was like being torn in two, but after a while it just sounded so good. 'Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat' however is pretty much instantly palatable and sounds totally cosmic and almost like an acid track, which is interesting as the first recognised acid track produced is generally considered to be Phuture's Acid Trax which was made five years later in 1987. Since I got this LP I haven't sopped listening to it, admittedly to me I think it's a little fast (most tracks are around 138bpm) so I rerecorded the whole thing pitched down to 120bpm (the link is the original by the way). A track off it also recently appeared on the Ame FACT mix which I posted on here which just shows how quality it is.... those Germans don't play any rubbish!

I usually pop up a youtube clip for a taster but seriously you all need to download it now.

Clicky Here

ESSENTIAL MUSIC!

Ame & Todd Terje Live @ Horst, Kreuzberg, Berlin - 17-12-2010

This must have been a fun night! The mixes were posted on soundcloud and boy am I happy they did. These are quality mixes, enjoy.

Âme Live @ Horst, Kreuzberg, Berlin - 17-12-2010 by R_co

Track list:
Radioslave - Let It Rain [Cabin Fever]
DJ Koze - Rue Burnout [Pampa]
Lovers - Carvings (Catz N' Dogz Re-Edit) [White]
Mixworks - Berlin Dub [Mixworks]
Freaks - Turning Orange (Losoul Remix) [Playhouse]
Mood II Swing - I See You Dancing [Groove On]
Maya Jane Coles - What They Say [Real Tone]
David August - Peace Of Conscience [Diynamic]
Zepp 001 - Don't Sleep
Guy Gerber - Hate Love [Supplement Facts]
Tete - Zuckerzeit [Innervisions]
KiNK & Neville Watson - Full Flight [Our House Is Your Rush]
I:Cube - Oblivion (Dixon Edit) [Versatile]

Todd Terje Live @ Horst, Kreuzberg, Berlin - 17-12-2010 by R_co

No tracklist on this one but plenty of comments on the sound cloud page, we've been particularly enjoying the tune 23 mins in.

SHOOK ISSUE 10

"Poor old Blighty, hanging on to the memories of former glories like a beauty queen grown old, still thinking itself a sight to behold even though the eyes of the world are turned elsewhere. As it sells off its family heirlooms like the Welfare State to pay for one last blow-out, it desperately needs new inspiration. In this UK issue of SHOOK, we examine just what makes Britain great."

 I've followed SHOOK since day 1, if you haven't checked it out already then do so, its great!

Check SHOOK here lots to do and see and if you like it order some of the magazines, they are quality productions.

Waxpoetics - Detroit Techno

This issue of the formidable 'waxpoetics' sees a dance issue that digs deep into the world of Detroit Techno. Mine is on order so haven't read it yet, but you know its gonna be quality.

Click here to go to the waxpoetics website and see a load if wicked youtube clips that sum up the Detroit scene. Personally I thought there were some glaring omissions (lol) so I thought I would add some of my own:

Galaxy to Galaxy - Hi Tech Jazz

Los Hermanos - Quetzal

 

Eddie Flashin Fowlkes - Sex in Zero Gravity

Hse Mngo...

Admittedly it's been around for a while but seeing as Mr Joy Orbison's latest release is on a rather housey tip (see post below), I thought it might be appropriate to ask whether you'd heard this one yet? It's Mike Monday with an unofficial remix of Orbison's first and rightly celebrated release on Scuba's Hotflush label: 'Hyph Mngo'. According to Mr Monday, J.O. himself said this is the only remix he actually liked - that's a plus. Aptly re-titled 'Hse Mngo', it retains all the original elements giving just a little extra continuity in the beat structure for the house palate, and its almost ten minutes long - all the better. Sorry about the picture.

To DL click on the arrow on the right side of the soundcloud below.

Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts - 2 EPs

Two EPs by the excellent Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts. I first came across this guy (or guys?) on a pounding remix of a Shackleton track called 'Next to Nothing' and was thoroughly impressed. Apart from the ridiculously hyped Villalobos remix of 'Blood on My Hands' it seemed another rare success in making a worthwhile addition to the Shackleton original. Anyway, these EPs are of a different ilk, straight-up house, and decidedly French. There's something that holds me back from declaring 'Discotheque' on the 'Can't Have Everything' EP as my fav, for some reason it reminds me of some of Cassius's not-quite-there latter works, maybe it's a French thing, you can make up your own mind. The particular DL we've got of 'The Secret is in the Pudding' seems to be a high-quality vinyl recording with fuzz and all, but that only adds to the retro-funk badness of the record, 'Bada Bing' is killer.

DL:

Can't Have Everything

1. Can't Have Everything

2. Discotheque

The Secret Is In The Pudding

1. Bada Bing

2. Here We Go Again

In the meantime I'll see if I can dig up that Shackleton remix.

Happy listening!

Joy Orbison - BB / Ladywell

New s**t from J.O. and sounding pretty fresh, and definitely his housiest release so far, harking to the FXHE Detroit style that everyone loves at the moment. Two great tracks, I'm loving BB most at the mo, but that could change :). Being the second release on the Doldrums label, I'm looking forward to the 003 release by Braiden of Rinse FM fame, has a Kassem Mosse remix on it too.

DL here: JOY!

DJG - Voids

After suffering a period of misplaced conviction in the belief that America's hegemonic decline was decisively reflected in its popular music output and that nothing, let alone from some fake-ass commercialised underground scene, was worth tainting your eardrums with if it was produced or hyped in the USA... I stand corrected. Okay, back up, this record is not the one, its not where I repented for my prejudice, all that took was to stop thinking so much. But it is just one of numerous gems that have recently come my way from States-side. And its free. And I like what these people are doing, with their nicely presented, well thought out, free music. And you can choose to pay if you want, and you can send him an email. And read his blog. Americans...

Mind you, he's from the US chapter of the dub-camp so give the bass some respect. Voids Two is the easy listener and a good place to start.

So two albums. Voids One and Two takes you to the home page.

Oni Ayhun 003

Nothing really grabbing me out there at the mo so thought I would keep you entertained with this absolute classic from Oni Ayhun. The first 2 Ep's were good but the B-Side of the 3rd EP is just something else. Analogue house music, hints of techno, built like IDM... Oni knows how to create tension and when to release like a classical composer. Check the Youtube clip then get on the DL :)

This has been on near constant rotation for months now!

Oni Ayhun 003

Lone Emerald Fantasy Tracks (2010)

Still catching up on music from late 2010 and came across this little beauty today. Filed under UK Funky/UK Garage (whatever that means), this quality LP comes in a really nice gatefold vinyl too (buy it if you like it).  Think rave, think 808 state, more indebted to Detroit than breakbeats this really is the good s**t. Some even went as far as calling it 'a sense of classic-rave redux through the dewy ambience and nostalgia of Boards of Canada'.

Confused? Click here: Emerald Fantasy Tracks

"There are some principles we have that we can't share with the world."

In a rare interview in 1994 James Stinson, one half of legendary Detroit techno movement Drexciya, oultines his strategy for longevity:

"When we sat down to do Drexciya, we worked out our principles by putting together extensive protocols for how we were going to operate, like the idea of R.E.S.T [Research, Experimentation, Science, Technology]. We weren’t in it to sound like the new hippest thing; we didn’t listen to the newest hit record and say, ‘How can we sound like that, how can we get their sound?’ We loved electronic music, and we wanted to contribute to it to have a lasting influence."

Sensible enough, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Drexciya's underlying philosophy/myth of lost sea worlds and social activism, as Stinson says, "There are some principles we have that we can't share with the world." Perhaps these are best explained in the music which is after all what they are all about:

"We’re dealing with your personality, your emotions. We try to get you to open your mind up and listen to the sounds, and hopefully then you can paint a picture in your mind."

Take a dive >>>

On the DL: Andreaen Sand Dunes

Ame FACT MIX 2011

The chaps running the podcasts over at FACT have been relentless and deserve a pat on the back! The first installment for 2011 is no other than the Berlin Innervision maestros Ame. This is gonna be quality, get the direct download while it lasts :) In fact, just sign up to the podcast. DO IT... NOW.


Ame FACT mix

Tracklist:
1. Ame intro
2. To Rococo Rot – Forwardness
3. N.D.F. – Since We Last Met & Dorisburg – Sinai Hypnosis (Dub)
4. Von Spar – Daddy Longlegs
5. Charanjit Singh – Raga Megh
6. The Knife – The Seeds
7. Tete – Rotor
8. Ruede Hagelstein – Emergency
9. Lucky Dragons – Typical Hippies & B.D.I. – Industrial Kites
10. The xx – VCR (Four Tet Remix)
11. Ame – Rrose Selavy
12. Owen Palett – Red Sun No.5

Space Dimension Controller

Can't really get a more cosmic name than that! This lad is cosmo galacticus supremus on an intergalactic journey to the outer planetary reaches of the inner nebulous. Whatever.
'Journey to the core of the unknown sphere' is some heavy weight deep, atmospheric house music with a smattering Detroit. Also tearing up the scene, man of the moment Kyle Hall gives a remix where, in keeping with his remixes, sounds nothing like anything he's done before. These are some talented guys!


Journey To The Core Of The Unknown Sphere

RA Mix Maya Jane Coles

Little late on the RA podcast this week, they've not really been catching me of late, then Maya Jane Coles steps up! Whew, proper house music. Emerging talent from London keep an eye on this one.
Direct download available here:

Maya Jane Coles RA Mix

Tracklist

Rob Shields - Slum Room
DC Salas - Peru - Doctor Vinyl Records
Axel Boman - Depression
Maya Jane Coles - Run with the Wild
El_Txef_A - See It All (Edit)
Maya Jane Coles - Protect Them
Youandewan - Eidolon - Magicbag Music
Julian Perez - Nelipot - Recycle Records
Rhythm & Sound ft. Jennifer Lara - Queen In My Empire - Burial Mix Records / Funman, Kick Da Joey & Vansam - Get Down - VectoRecords 2.0
Miss Kittin - All I Need (Gesaffelstein Remix) - Mobilee
The Timewriter - Wasteland - Neurotraxx Deluxe
Rhythm & Sound - Why / T. Williams & Terri Walker - Heartbeat - Local Action / Asad Rizvi - Me Tangare (MJC Edit) - Reverberations
Luca Albano - Calinda (Francesco Bonora Remix) - High Definition Records
Greenville Massive - Lost - Soul Sheep Music
Axel Boman - Naomi
Joni Mitchell vs. Maya Jane Coles - Stardust

Osborne

Maybe if we all lived in Ypsilanti, Michigan we'd spend our free time repairing light aircraft, making Lego sculptures, operating an electron-microscope or building a hovercraft - that's what Todd Osborn gets up to in his hometown anyway. I say free time because he obviously spends a considerable other portion of his time crafting some fine house music. Fun, fresh and bubbly this is the soundtrack you want 'hovercrafting' across the Great Lakes on your way to another Detroit night out.

Outta Sight gives us a warm funky bassline, a nice little piano hook and an appropriately chopped up vocal, celestial goodness, all you need is a right-click, save as:

Outta Sight (mp3) from the Osborne - Osborne album, on Spectral Sounds (Ghostly)

Cottam 004

Cottam smashed into the scene in 2009 with three excellent EP's that all sold out and got a well deserved re-press. This is volume 4 in the Cottam series and the A-Side follows the 'afro-edit' theme which made him so popular for not only home listening but also on the dancefloor. This track drops the vocal this time and concentrates on the groove which has been likened to a carl craig remix! The B-Side is a soulful rework (if you can call it that) of a Plantlife track. With disco guitar licks, vocals from Jack Splash and that incessant bass and kick this is gonna rock any dancefloor.

Cottam 4

And just in case you missed the other 3 EP's I've decided to give you them as well :)
Music this good just has to be shared.

Cottam 1
Cottam 2
Cottam 3

And if I haven't convinced you enough, check out this acid track he made:

Sunrise Sunset

Kapow!

What I'm feeling

3 Classics for a Wednesday evening, Diana Ross, Serge Gainsbourg & Bridgette Bardot (KAPOW) and Ike White. All ESSENTIAL MUSIC!!!

Nicolas Jaar Edits

 This free EP came out from the Wolf + Lamb camp late last year and it is full of quality. A lovely use of a Nina Simone vocal, an edit of the Grateful Dead's 'Shakedown Street' and a New Order edit are all lurking within. Wolf + Lamb are on fire at the moment, Zev, Jaar, Soul Clap etc etc... these boys know how to make tunes!

6 Jaar Edits

The Beach
Come n get it
Mini Calcutta
Nico's feeling good
Shakedown
Stay in love

Grackle - Jungle (T. Keeler & Capablanca Rework)

There's a fine line between melody and cheese, and this one straddles it like a frilly cowboy on a bucking bronco. I still can't figure out what the connection is with the original Grackle tune or fathom how there could possibly be any. As far as Grackle, that uncompromisingly out-there American chap, we'll be hearing more of him in posts to come, but going back to the business at hand: we've only got a youtube on this one, still, who knows what will pop up? If not the original below then maybe the excellent Unit 4 remix, just watch this space. Enjoy!

Lee Jones - Yo Yo

Maybe I'm talking total bullwaste but for me Lee Jones is one of the first artists to successfully incorporate the spirit of classical music into techno. Bull, not because it might be true, but because I even just said that. But seriously, isn't that a classical organ?

On the DL:

Lee Jones - Yo Yo EP

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx - 'NY Is Killing Me'

Dark, rumbling and pensive this one is making quite a noise on the blogosphere of late. It's an edit/mashup of the classic Gil Scott-Heron:

She Wore Velour

Under the appropriately plush moniker Velour this mini LP of sultry bass and synth from the murky realms where dubstep re-encounters house is guaranteed to seduce.

Booty Slammer
The Scent Of Romance
Kick It Till It Breaks

She Wore Velour

On Night Slugs - NS007

Worst Friends - Neve's for None (2010)

Cosmic Balearic goodness with a great Eddie C remix. Who cares if its snowing outside!

1. Neve's for None (Eddie C Remix)
2. Del Boca Vista
3. Neve's for None
4. Neve's for None (Slow Hands Remix)

Worst Friends

Chicago Damn

Instantly pounced on this for 2 reasons, firstly its on Mark E's Merc Label, and secondly 'Chicago, Damn' is a track off one of my favourite Bobby Humphrey LP's Blacks and Blues.

This is good, if you like it, BUY IT!
Chicago Damn - Hold On

Cottam Causes of Colour Mix

Cottam can do no wrong. Recently(ish) signed to Warm Agency so hopefully will get to see him play out soon. This mix shows his soulful roots and rewards the patient! You dig.

Causes of Colour Mix

OOFT Edits

OOFT and the Revenge need no intro in the world of edits.... here are their latest free offerings:

OOFT Edits

And while you are over there don't forget to check out their amazing podcasts 'Ruffjamz', some absolute gems in there :)

Trujillo - Baby You're Still the Same (2010)

A slow burner up first, head straight for the Mark E Remix, that brummy goes deeeeep. A cosmic slo mo house chugger that builds in only the way Mark E seems to be able to do. Enjoy!

Trujillo - Baby You're still the same