sweeping

Usually, I'm not too pleased when I read the Top 50 Charted Monthly Tracks over at Resident Advisor- usually, the best stuff is in the middle, or at the bottom, but occasionally, a fantastic track ends up somewhere in the top 5. In June, the number one charted track was Joris Voorn's "Sweep the Floor," a genuinely sick and slick piece of tech-house. Slowly emerging synth stabs, a bouncy bass-line, crisply syncopated percussive elements- the track has everything to make a dance floor explode and then some, what with the female vocal clips, a very MJ-esque 'woo' and apex-delivering male vocal samples. Voorn's work has been coming up a lot more recently in terms of my rated European tracks, and listening to "Sweep the Floor," it is pretty easy to see why. On Voorn's own label, Rejected.

Joris Voorn- Sweep the Floor

Tomorrow, thinking something a bit left-field...

don't touch that handset

Today, a new piece from Connecticut's DJ Jus Ed, whose recent Resident Advisor podcast has definitely brought him into the current spotlight on deeper sounds from both the US and Europe. Though I had always been a bit non-plussed by Jus Ed's earlier works, his newer stuff is definitely much more striking, and today's track is no exception: "Don't Answer the Phone" utilizes a minimal sonic palette to create some fancy grooves that are definitely in-line with second-wave Chicago sounds: hollow-yet-lithe kicks, sweaty hand-claps, crisp hi-hats and marimba synth melodic bits punctuate the track. Perhaps most notable, though, is the smooth-as-silk bass-line that rides throughout, with acidy squawks and blips working a lovely syncopation. From his most recent piece with Levon Vincent.

DJ Jus Ed- Don't Answer the Phone

Coming soon, something new from a house diva of yore.

living

Of our beat-driven tracks today, the first is a downtempo minimal number from Hreno & The Mole. "Living" utilizes deep kicks and obscured secondary percussion much in the Chain Reaction style, and a simple three-chord minor progression drives the 120-bpm track. One-third of the way into the track, a subtle shift occurs as a voice intones 'living' every eight measures: the number of percussive elements is raised, though still obscured by filters and EQ mastery. A very nice track indeed, especially for a wet day in the city.

Hreno & The Mole- Living



Thomas Cox of Infinite State Machine recently did an interview with Rick Wade on Resident Advisor, and it got me thinking about which Wade tracks have always stuck out to me. It came down to tracks from 1999's Deep Threats 12", and in the end, I chose to give you "Still Angry," perhaps one of the more hypnotic deep house tracks of the late 1990s. With crisp hi-hats, deep kicks, a blazing four-note melodic loop, and a bass-line that drops in and out like wild, the 125-bpm track is a real breath of fresh air, especially given how many producers have been aping this style recently to much lesser effect! Highly recommended!

Rick Wade- Still Angry

Tomorrow, thinking something a bit noisy.

lush spring throb

There is little to say about Glasgow's Vince Watson except that he is one of the more chronically underappreciated producers working today. The man has recently released records on Planet-E, among other labels, and has his hand on the pulse of the lushest Detroit sounds. His soothing pads and sense of syncopation are unbelievable, and there is a palpable atmosphere of awakening involved in the mix I'm giving to you today. Just in case you caught on to the Resident Advisor podcasts late, here is Vince Watson's contribution to that fine series, originally released around this time last year. More information and discussion here, but know that most of the tracks featured on this mix are his own.

Vince Watson- RA 47

Tomorrow, a bit of dirty late 90's German minimal to get you pumped for the week ahead!