hot one

Oye, what a weekend.

No introduction to today's track: Throbbing Gristle. Excellent!

Throbbing Gristle- Hot on the Heels of Love

Tomorrow, some BC-style techno courtesy of Gez Varley.

Today, a departure from the gayness and the house for something a bit leftfield from One of Them, one of the newest signings to Chris Fortier's Fade Records imprint.

"Contagious Error" is one of those rare minimal techno gems that pays a weird sort of homage to industrial noise music along with that genre of yesteryear, IDM: the percussive elements of "Contagious Error" sound like the rusted machineries of old factories set into hypnotic motion again, with a disarmingly low bass rumble, deep kicks, hi-frequency blips, a subtly gorgeous melodic line, and secondary synth elements that emerge from the roar quite slowly. The track has a similar aesthetic to last year's excellent Tupperwear record on Klitekture, as it seems that One of Them has an abiding love for the noisier, more rough-hewn edges of techno music. Quite beguiling stuff-- definitely recommended for any into IDM, rough techno or noise music.

One of Them- Contagious Error (Original Mix)

Tomorrow, a return to form with a smooth house jam.

hold on baby

So, with school and all the craziness of living in San Francisco, along with writing my effing brains out all the time, I've decided that I'll only be updating the blog from Thursday- Monday. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are too crazy. Five posts a week, guaranteed, from now on!

All right, today I have a 2006 joint from Michoacan, originally released on Bear Entertainment, a label well-known for their fantastic disco and proto-house releases. "Hold on Baby, We'll Make It" is a 123-bpm proto-house tune, with heavy kicks, a resounding mid-frequency bass-line, whistles, hi-frequency washes, and some truly elegant strings. Spacy synths that come halfway through are excellent, and the secondary percussive elements are also a treasure. While I'd love to hear a disco diva wailing over this excellent instrumental track, it stands alone as a lovely bit of beardo-disco. Certainly hasn't gotten enough love from fans, so get to it and get down.

Michoacan- Hold on Baby, We'll Make It

Tomorrow, something real-- for real.

blinding

Today, a track from Common Factor, aka Nick Calingaert, who seems to have dropped from the scene completely after his last release in 2006. In 1998, Calingaert released his first EP on Carl Craig's Planet E label, and its second wave Detroit sound attracted many followers. "Will," perhaps the most complex track from that EP, is a 125-bpm monster, with a low humming bass-line, furious kicks, excellent secondary percussion elements, and several layers of harmonic intensity in both the mid- and hi-frequencies. Hypnotic in its splendid syncopation, the track has a stoned, dancing-by-myself quality that is hard to beat-- a real treasure of the late 90s, and most definitely a track from an artist whose work shouldn't be forgotten.

Common Factor- Will

Tomorrow, some new stuff for your ears!

you like it

No apologies for my absence, just this: disco, drag queens, and a crazy apartment in Hunter's Point.

Today, I'm offering up a 1977 disco jam that seems to be rather rare, which I happened upon on vinyl many years ago in a Cleveland record shop. Southroad Connection only did a few singles, but "You Like It, We Love It" seems to be their ultimate accomplishment. With a destructively funky bass-line, string stabs that recall a more raw Philly sound, and the requisite bright horn section, "You Like It..." is a lost gem that deserves some more love. The group vocals have just enough reverb, and leave enough breathing room for the instrumentation to really burn the floor. Excellent stuff-- too bad the group was so short-lived.

Southroad Connection- You Like It, We Love It

And as a special treat, I'm going to point you towards a sick 1980 jam that DJ Bus Station John spun at the Tubesteak Connection this past Thursday-- Coffee's "I Wanna Be With You." As my friend Janine says, "I can't get over how good this song is." You won't be able to get over it, either.



Tomorrow, thinking some downtempo, perhaps. Or maybe a surprise?

Today, two treats since I've missed the past two days!

First up is an Arthur Baker-produced joint from 1983, the electro-synth classic from Freeez, "Pop Goes My Love." With a stupidly catchy Hi-NRG-style main riff, classic early drum machine sounds, backing electric piano lending some soul, and some leftfield hallucinogenic moments, "Pop Goes My Love" is an essential track for any lover of early electro and house music-- easy to imagine this being played in all manners of Chicago spots back in the day!

Freeez- Pop Goes My Love



The second track I'm offering up is a strange beast-- a Larry Levan bootleg mix of a 1976 Philly International classic, Jean Carn's "Free Love." Released on white label in 2004, this is apparently an original Paradise Garage remix/edit that Levan committed to tape. Quite something-- the track is stretched to SEVENTEEN MINUTES and becomes the closest to disco hypnotism I've ever heard. Seriously, if this were pumping in a club, I wouldn't be surprised if the dancers didn't realize it is so long, as I certainly didn't before I digitized it! A real crazy gem, I think-- recommended!

Jean Carn- Free Love (Larry Levan Live at the Paradise Garage Mix)

Tomorrow, thinking Detroit!

shake

Today, a departure from disco and house for some hard, fast techno, courtesy of one of the doyennes of the genre, Monika Kruse. With Patrick Lindsey, she released a string of releases under the 'Monika Kruse @ Voodooamt' moniker in the late 90s and early 2000s, and they are representative of the dark, hard techno that eventually gave way to minimal. "Shake that" is a 136-bpm floor-burner with intensely deep kicks, a frenetic two note bass-line and other stunning qualities, including a backwards section that is quite surprising. Sometimes, I really dig dancing like some E'd out raver to this shit-- so much energy, so much forward momentum that the tracks make it hard not to wile out! Great stuff.

Monika Kruse @ Voodooamt- Shake that

Tomorrow, a return to the disco and the gayness.