21.8.07

the palms sweat and sway



Several months ago, I happened to be in Pittsburgh. Now, other than some good museums and architecture, the Iron City doesn't have that much going for it any longer; in fact, Pittsburgh kind of sucks. But one saving grace of the town is an AMAZING record store in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Jerry's has more records in one place than I've ever seen in my life, including more than 20,000 45's (!). I walked out of Jerry's with two bags full of (mostly) excellent records, and only $60 lost from my coffers. So if you are in Pittsburgh for whatever reason, it is a stop worth making.

At Jerry's, I picked up a 12" from a group called Canto Azul because of two Faze Action remixes on it, and needless to say, those remixes are quite something. The job that the Faze Action boys do dubbing out what was a Latin House track is especially noteworthy-- from the mesmerizing bass-line to the congas, from the insanely delayed guitar bits to the straight padded house beat, the Fazed Action Dub of "Resolution" is a heady affair that fits in nicely with some of the Idjut Boys more dubby experiments, and could even slip into the balearic sets that seem to be burgeoning at the moment. The organs and mid-level writhing guitar samples are a nice nod to other Latin musics, too. On the now-defunct Resolution label, there is little information about Canto Azul available-- if you know anything about them, do let me know! Most of all, though, enjoy this bit of dubby house madness. (Hint: the apex comes right before the five-minute mark).

Canto Azul- Resolution (Fazed Action Dub)



Next up is a track from Haneef Raisani, the father of the house and techno scene in Dubai. Amid all the excesses and beauty of that fabled city, Raisani has made a place for foreign labels and DJs, as well as fostering a burgeoning Middle Eastern house scene. (Almost makes you want to move, right?)

Raisani pairs with Pierre Guidera to create an absolutely slamming remix of their own track, called "French Orgasm." On Raisani Records' 50 Degree Dubai Heat compilation EP, the track is a perfect mix of high-frequency whooshes (and...uh, orgasm noises), deep and padded kicks, congas, beautifully syncopated synths, moments of harmony and a peak that crushes. Sometimes reminiscent of Ingrosso's '06 remix of "Swimming Places," Raisani and Guidera are on a deep mission to bang you into dust and swirl you about Dubai's oasis-like scenery. Apparently a big hit at the WMC this past March-- not that being a big hit in Miami makes you a legend any longer, sadly enough-- "French Orgasm" is peerless in 2007 for bringing a loud, complex and boisterous flavor to the somewhat austere and Teutonic current deep house scene. Watch out for Raisani in the future-- he might just make Dubai into the best new party destination.

Raisani & Guidera- French Orgasm (French Do It Better Mix)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey, i doubt about raisani, just a guy with money and history in the commercial music business...music - nothing special, and i don't know about you, but i want my music to be special these days..best, and although i'm anon i read your blog frequently.

COPY COPY said...

ted i thought you might enjoy this
http://mutant-sounds.blogspot.com/2007/08/harte-10-st-lp-1983-germany.html

COPY COPY said...

and that canto azul track is hot

trees said...

hey thanks for reading the blog, anon. i still like the track quite a bit-- part of it, admittedly, is that i like the fact that it is from an area of the world not known for its techno/house prowess. i think this lends it a bit more of an edge than you do, but eh, different strokes.

anyway, thanks for reading, and i hope that you've liked some of the other tracks i've talked about.

Anonymous said...

i certainly have enjoyed some of the music you've posted on, so don't let my rambling get to you. last year i've spoke to pascal feos whether the border for trends and innovation is mooving towards the east, you know, it's fun to exploit serbian trumpets like villalobos did in Fizheuer Zieheuer. it has to do more with trends and perception than with music itself. being from that area and knowing it's musical culture i can tell you that villalobos did a poor job integrating this heritage into the global collaborative project known as electronic (minimal) music. when my friends heard it we were like hahah what the fuck was that, my grandfather is more eloquent on the trumpet, and it IS the eastern trumpet but it's totally superficial for someone who has heard hundred or thousands of these trumpet lines. like a child trying to play classical music with no prior education.

on that note, a friend of mine did this synthesis a few years ago, but he had it reversed - great local motifs but poor quality of using every other part from this collaborative project i wrote about. so i figure, if things are set up right to suit the underground sound, you could just play anything on top and it would sound like something new - and that's not real innovation - it's underGROUND but it's not GROUND braking.

but now you said music from yet undiscovered or remote places lends it a bit more edge, that's certainly the thing i was trying to put through to mr. feos and i'm glad i was right, since few years ago.

so i'll say it again, you can expect some really wicked music from places most people thought did not have electricity yet, let alone electronic music producers. let's hope the media picks it up coz shit IS going down here..

peace
anon

Anonymous said...

WOW....i just came across this blog page and was surprised to read about my music. First, thanks to 'Deep Movements' for liking my beats, that is flattering to hear such nice comments about my work but one thing i tell you that i am strictly into HOUSE :-)...no trance at all (maybe just the soft/beautiful side of techno :-))...but i do appreciate all kinds of good music....
Secondly to Anonymous....i think you need to do your homework first before talking crap about people...not just me but anybody...!!! and yes, i do have a GOOD history in the music business and and i am not a guy just with money but the BRAINS too...atleast i have the KHRUM to come here and accept the good and bad in me unlike you who hides behind a machine who only knows how to put others down....

Peace n Sunshine From Dubai

Haneef Raisani
Raisani/Deeper Sounds of Raisani
www.myspace.com/deepersoundsofraisani

trees said...

hey haneef, glad you found this page! i played 'french orgasm' out at a very crowded party a few weeks ago and everyone was slamming down. so, no matter what anon says, it is a special track and i look forward to hearing more from you.

that said, to anon-- i think that part of the point of the 'fizzy zizzy,' as some have called it, is that the playing from the samples is not perfect. i understand what you're getting at, but it isn't the best example.

and finally, len faki is blowing my mind right now.