feelings change just like seasons

After a day off, in which I listened to old house classics non-stop, I'm back with a track that is sure to get you dancing around your room. Byron Stingily was a member of the R & B/house group Ten City that had a number of chart-topping dance hits in the late 1980's. One of these was an amazing track called "That's the Way Love Is," which Stingily later remade and released in 1999 to similar acclaim. Though some fans of Ten City weren't too happy with the more raw sound evident on Stingily's later remake, they are probably insane-- the newer version is just as lush with strings, orchestra hits, smooth-riding bass-lines, well-padded kicks, and Stingily's iconic vocals. What's really something, though, are the remixes on the 12" revision, courtesy of Martin Buttrich's former group, Sounds of Life. They take the original and add a hypnotizing horn loop, place the strings higher in the mix, and eschew the more disco-infused lushness of the original, making for a house track that is more dramatic, funky, emotionally resonant-- and just as danceable as the original. On the esteemed house label, Nervous Records. Check it!

Byron Stingily- That's the Way Love Is (Sounds of Life Vocal Dub)

Next post, a track produced by Chez Damier for the unfortuately-named Chuggles.

get your mind thirsty

The other day, after a night that I would care to forget-- well, did forget-- I came into a large amount of records. Not only did my friend the lfam send me a load of amazing records, but my friend Tom came over with his entire record collection as a gift, as he is moving soon. Tom was quite into hard techno and UK acid stuff in the early part of this decade, and while I was listening to the records to see what was what, I got inspired to make a mix.

It turned out to be the best mix I've ever made. Granted, my ears are goop after so much bass for two days straight. One tiny section transition section aside, I think it is quite an engaging mix. No editing has been done, but for some reason, the recording program I was using skipped a millisecond of information on one transition, and needless to say, it's the same track as the other transition, just at the opposite end. I guess the Teutonic Chilean dancefloor-slayer brings me bad luck?

Anyway, here it is. Please enjoy and get totally fucking hype to this amazing stuff.

Get Your Mind Thirsty Mix by deep movements

1. Andrew Richley & Ryan Rivera- Mental Suffering
2. The Roots- Thirsty!
3. Renato Cohen- Pontape (Trevor Rockliffe Mentor Remix)
4. Pounding Grooves- Untitled (24-A)
5. UR Presents Aquanauts- Spawn
6. Raw As Fuck- Theme from Raw
7. Valkan- Doornrossje
8. Ricardo Villalobos- Lugom-Ix
9. Marco Bailey- Jesters
10. Adam Beyer- Remainings III (D)
11. La Factoria Posse- Smart!
12. Sedona- Pulsation (Ascending)

Just a note: not all of this is hard techno, per se. Raw As Fuck is more electro-funk breaks, and The Roots are a popular hip-hop group who are known to everyone, and who happened to release a killer lo-fi techno track at the end of one record. In fact, most of it is just hi-bpm UK or German acid or minimal. So, the 'hard techno' label is a misnomer, but I think it fits the mix.

Next up: a really sweet Sounds of Life remix!

let's exchange the experience

Today, a departure from the beats for a bit of ambience. In the summer of 2006, four friends of mine jammed for days straight in a farmhouse on the outskirts of Oberlin, Ohio. Among the many recordings that sprung from these recordings is a lush and haunting take on Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)." The vocals are stretched out to the horizon, cut, and given much reverb and delay for maximum effect; a hum hovers over everything; and it seems as if Miss Kate is indeed singing from the highest hill in the world, or from the bottom of the ocean. It is noisome at moments, and undoubtedly hallucinatory, but inevitably an astounding version of what may be one of the best pop songs ever written. Highly recommended! Featuring Eric Sarai (whose beautiful graphic design graces many records and posters), Owen Cannon (organ-player extraordinaire and general wunderkind), Mario Diaz de Leon (whose gorgeous megatone works have been featured on deep movements before), and Tom Arsenault (whose musical genius and friendship is a treasure I'm glad to know).

Eric:Mario:Owen:Tom- Hilltop

Tomorrow, a hard techno mix featuring artists ranging from Marco Bailey to Ricardo Villalobos, the Aquanauts to Pounding Grooves. Stop by to hear some heavy beats that are sure to get you ready to slam.

take me high

As promised, here is a classic track from Ron Hardy. To give a bit of a history lesson about Mr. Hardy would almost be silly because so many people have done it before. So, if you're into finding out what the story is behind this guy, I recommend going either here or here.

"Liquid Love" is a 100-bpm slow burner, with dramatic vocal stylings, lush piano chords, strings mixed quite low, and a heavy beat that has been sampled by innumberable numbers of hip-hop producers as well as re-edit masters like Theo Parrish and Mungolian Jet Set. The crunchy synth bass-line is also notable for this reason-- you'll undoubtedly be able to recognize it if you've been listening to hip-hop or house for a bit. Also worth mentioning are the excellent remixes and edits of this track, especially the "Can U Feel It Mix." So, get to it, and spread some liquid love all over.

Ron Hardy- Liquid Love (Clean)

In the coming days, look forward to an ambient take on Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)," an old remix from Sounds of Life, and a hard techno mix I've been working on. Check back every day!

the jam

Today, I'm treating you to a great house track from Black Science Orchestra, who were mostly active in the mid- to late-90s. Though all their tracks are sickly good jazzy house, the first I ever heard of them was "Save Us (The Jam)," which appeared on the 1996 album, Walter's Room. Since it was this track that first turned me onto them, I thought I'd share it with you, though it is worth finding all of their releases.

"Save Us (The Jam)" is based on an excellent vocal/guitar loop, around which a very jazzy bass-line wanders. The 125-bpm kicks are nicely low in the mix, leaving room for rousing handclaps and crisp hi-hats to do their thing. Additionally, a synth that sounds strangely like the shenai, an aerophone used in classical Indian music, rides high over much of the track. Saxophone bleats and a refrain of people singing, "save us," enter into the track later on, along with xylophone, vibraphone and nice lush keyboards. A real classic with only one strike against it: it ends too soon!

Black Science Orchestra- Save Us (The Jam)

Next post, look forward to a Ron Hardy classic!

a white sand daydream

It is quite frigid here in the midwest, so in the interest of bringing warmer climes to mind, I'm posting a slow, lush, tropical remix of Alton Miller's "Tulum." The Koomba Project, consisting of Scott Ferguson and the incomparable Reggie Dokes, create a 114-bpm daydream of a track, with well-padded kicks, bright rolling synths, horn samples, and secondary percussive elements that bring the beach-- perhaps Tulum itself-- to mind. I can only dream about being in such a paradise at this point, but Alton Miller and the Koomba Project definitely make the dream that much easier to have. On the Detroit Beatdown Remixes Volume One compilation EP on Third Ear Recordings

Alton Miller- Tulum (Koomba Project Remix)

Tomorrow, a classic from Black Science Orchestra!

gotta have a man who treats me right

As promised, today I'm offering up an old-school house remix from Kerri Chandler. In 1993, Shawn Christopher, a sometimes singer with Chicago weirdos the Thrill Kill Kult, recorded a fantastic vocal house track called "Make My Love" that Chandler remixed for the original release. Chandler's take on the track is in line with his trademark smooth, groovin' bass-lines, lush piano parts, and harmonic flourishes that bring the sound to the next level. Ms. Christopher's soulful vocals make the track a sure-fire slammer, as Chandler adds just enough reverb and delay to make her voice roll as smoothly as the bass. The heavy kicks, dry hi-hats and finger-snaps are all there, too, as one would expect from Chandler. Great to play out!

Shawn Christopher- Make My Love (Kerri Chandler Remix)

Now for a recommendation: head over to Random Circuits and download Kalim Shabazz's "Peak Bomb." It is hard-hitting, gorgeous deep house that has really been pleasing my ears for the past couple of days. Definitely a necessary track to get your hands on!

Tomorrow, a trip to the slower, smoother side of house!

hazin'

Gavin Herlihy is perhaps one of the better-known names in techno, with a plush job as features editor at Mixmag and a short if spotless list of productions under his belt. His "Machine Ate My Homework" was a floor-filler of 2006, and his 2007 remix of UNKLE's "Burn My Shadow" was among the best remixes of that copiously-remixed, Ian Astbury-fronted track. Among his most recent efforts is the fantastic tech-house EP, Opium Haze, put out by Get Physical off-shoot Kindisch. The title track is banging number with excellent secondary percussive elements, a plethora of interesting bubbly sound punctuations, and a bass-line that wiggles its way from three notes to four notes almost effortlessly. The flute samples are overwhelmingly high in the mix, and while in many tracks this would detract from the overall sound, Herlihy manages to make this bit of jazziness work to the max, creating excellent drama that is only furthered by orchestra hits and breathy female vocal snippets that certainly bring to mind the hazy, violet-scented plushness of an opium den.

Gavin Herlihy- Opium Haze

To end the day's post, it is worth mentioning that I am looking for work, so if you have any ideas (or you're an editor!), send me an e-mail or post a comment. Finally, as I'm a bit strapped right now, I decided to give in and start putting Google ads on the page. I know, they aren't very pretty, but those are the breaks, at least until I get back on my feet a bit more!

Tomorrow, a great remix from Kerri Chandler!

ahck!

Don't really understand why these apparently wasted youths from Luxembourg showed up when I GIS'ed the word 'ahck,' but alas, the picture is bizarre enough to merit inclusion.

So, unless you're completely unfamiliar with Minilogue, you'll know that today's post deals with a remix of their 2006 track, "Ahck." The remix, by Karl Axel Bissler, turns the original on its head a bit, eschewing Minilogue's hi-bpm, somewhat dry beats for a more dubby, padded, smoothed-out sound. The bass-line is a writhing hook-worm, and the synth samples from the original are washed-out, riding the hi-frequencies above the constant soft synths below. Many of the more irritating sounds of the original are avoided, and if they're included at all, they're toned down so as to fit with the more laid-back atmospherics of KAB's remix. Definitely a fantastic take, with a bigger pleasure factor as well as a much higher chill-out factor than the original. Taken from the Ahck Remixes 12" on the WIR, which also features a super-stoned remix from favorites Jichael Mackson.

Minilogue- Ahck (KAB Remix)

Next up, a new track from Gavin Herlihy that I've been digging quite a bit as of recent.

into the nature

To release consistently good records for more that fifteen years is quite a feat, and Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker of Hardfloor have managed this achievement nicely. The acid squelch that these two have put out differs much from much US acid-house in that there are often layers of lush synths behind the dry kicks and wailing 303's that are the hallmarks of the sound. Though one cannot deny that some of their tracks are a bit samey, for the most part, these two are always expanding the acid sound into interesting territory. Below are two of my favorite Hardfloor tracks, taken from the TB Resuscitation double-12" that was put out by techno mainstays Harthouse way back in 1993. "Into the Nature" uses a lush, two-note synth line riding above the fast-paced acid below, and along with some well-placed flute-like bits, the track manages to effortlessly create an ecstatic floating feel uncommon to much acid. "Am-Trip" is a bit darker in sound, but essentially utilizes the same palette as "Into the Nature," with the inclusion of an astoundingly gorgeous, expansive synth break around five minutes into the track. Both are always included on my iPod (ahem), and I lust after all the Hardfloor records in the collection of WOBC.

So, get your acid hats on and enjoy these two classics from Hardfloor.

Hardfloor- Am-Trip AND Into the Nature

Next up, a surprise from my record collection!

horizon with undimmed imagination

So, I might have been exaggerating last post when I wrote to look forward to something leftfield. I meant more...classic, and not really in line with what I usually post.

Nonetheless, Tangerine Dream have always been my favorite of the krautrock groups, and the live track below makes it pretty clear as to why: their sequencing is impeccable, the synths are wide-ranging in sound and motion, and the drum programming and sampling is just...well, sick. Listen to "Horizon" and you'll understand why Tangerine Dream should be listed as a primary influence on much of what is going down currently in techno-- so many of the sounds and timbres are similar, it's almost a bit eerie. From the Polish version of the Poland album, recorded live in Warsaw in 1983.

Also, if you ever get a chance to see Tacita Dean's "The Green Ray," a shot from which the above image is taken, you should jump at it. It is a gorgeous film.

Tangerine Dream- Horizon

If you've been reading for a bit, you'll remember that I once promised to up some classic Hardfloor tracks, and never did. Well, next time, look forward to two great bits from Hardfloor!

mixin with winter

Despite the fact that I buy and download lots of mp3s, my first love shall always be vinyl, for reasons that should be evident. I also prefer DJing with vinyl, and though I've only had a working set of decks and a proper mixer for a bit less than a year or so, I think my skills are coming along nicely. So here's a mix for you-- any comments, suggestions, criticisms, praises....just leave me a note!

Winter Light Mix by deep movements

1. Julien Jabre- Swimming Places (Sabaudia Gabin Remix)
2. Underground Resistance- Timeline
3. Kerri Chandler- So Let the Wind Come (Tomo Edit)
4. Heiko Laux- Sun City
5. One Smith-Hall- Theme
6. Round One- I'm Your Brother (Chicago's Twisted Mix)
7. Ame- Shiro
8. Vince Watson- Renaissance
9. Gez Varley- Bayou Paradis
10. Nomadico- Planeta
11. Daze Maxim- Mathematical Breakfast Remix
12. MLZ- Dark Days

It runs about an hour-- I think the only bits that are somewhat naff come in the transitions between tracks seven, eight, and nine. Otherwise, I'm rather proud of it. Enjoy! (And by the way, if you are tight for space on your hard drive, you can always listen to my radio show tonight on WOBC, from 7-9 pm EST. I'll be playing the mix along with other tracks I've been digging during this blustery month).

Next post, look forward to something a bit leftfield.

the stars can only get brighter

So, the most infectious new tune of 2008 has already graced us with its presence: Hercules & Love Affair's "Blind" and its fantastic Frankie Knuckles remix are all over the internet, and for good reason. So why post about it here, you might ask? Well, because none of the other blogs did anything but a cursory mention of the track before posting it. It deserves more than that!

While the original is a great piece of dance music, the Frankie Knuckles remix sort of knocks it on its ass. He pumps up the bpm count, adds lush Chicago house synths and piano chords, samples horn bits from the original in a masterful way, puts in some pan-pipey samples, and avoids the somewhat grating electric guitar bits that mark the original. In addition, the minimal bass presence of the original is discarded in lieu of a grooving, flowing bass-line, the kind for which Knuckles is justly admired. Finally, much talk has been spilled over the resurgence of vocal house and techno, and this remix is perhaps one of the best new examples of this trend-- Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons fame) has the perfect set of pipes to bring raw emotion to a dance track, and he delivers in an incredibly powerful manner. Courtesy of those DFA boys, who've really been pumping out the jams recently.

Hercules & Love Affair- Blind (Frankie Knuckles Remix)

Next up? A mix I've been working on, featuring some old favorites and some new ones, too.

sharp central vision

One of the best and least heralded names in deep, dark dub-techno is Konstantinos Soublis, aka Fluxion, whose talents peaked in the late 90s with a smattering of releases on Basic Channel off-shoot, Chain Reaction. Fluxion's work ranges from hard-driving, dubby techno to ambient washes that would make B12 blush. Today's selection, "Fovea Centralis," is very much in the first camp-- 133 bpm kicks with crisp hi-hats and dubby washes of chords that slowly build until the feeling of being underwater (or flying above the cloudline) is impossible to escape. Though Soublis has not released any records recently, we are lucky to have such a large back catalog to enjoy-- especially recommended are the second two 12"s, and the Bipolar Defect album. (Special note: I finally got a bit-rate converter, so everything I post now, even from my own vinyl collection, will be between 192 and 320 kbps).

Fluxion- Fovea Centralis

Next up is a special treat from the DFA that has been causing quite a stir!

dark garden dance

Recently got a copy of Dan Ghenacia's latest record on his own Freak n' Chic label, and it has been worming its way into my brain since. With accolades from Laurent Garnier, Satoshi Tomiee and Matthias Tanzmann, the Garden EP is sure to be heard on dancefloors this winter and spring. The title track is a 126 bpm monster, with pads that bring Adam Beyer to mind, lovely background sounds/washes, disco laser punctuations, and a mesmerizingly dark main melodic line that is sure to bring late-night crowds to that next level. Additionally, the bass-line is a tricky little thing, changing slightly when one least expects it. Ghenacia is definitely at the top of his game, and it's no wonder he's one of the darlings of the Paris techno scene.

Dan Ghenacia- Garden

Next up, a track from my impossibly large collection of Fluxion records.

the ill

Just a heads up that this Luciano set is quite excellent, and is most certainly representative of the great sets that he did much of last year-- I definitely recognize many bits from his trip through the US, particularly his late May outing at Cielo.

You won't regret downloading this mix-- it is more than two and a half hours of techno mastery.

NEWS FLASH: the set has been re-upped, if you haven't hit it yet, I recommend you do so.

sable skies

Today's offering comes to us from a record label with one of the finest track records in recent memory-- Modern Love. MLZ, one part of Pendle Coven, delivers an intense, dark piece of dub techno, though one would almost hesitate to label "Dark Days" under that rubric; in reality, the sound exhibited on "Dark Days" is very much influenced by a foreboding jungle vibe that is once again coming back to the fore. With complex rhythms, deep bass, mind-twisting delay effects and haunting low-frequency washes of near-percussive quality, it is difficult to not fall for MLZ's debut solo effort upon first listening. Though not hazed and dreamy like much current dub techno, this record is sure to send some pins up your back. Hell, it may even give you nightmares...

MLZ- Dark Days

Next time?

Who knows, but soon.

road to space

A return, finally! Thanks for all of your great feedback-- I look forward to a great '08 with all of you.

As promised, today's post deals with a great remix/dub by the ever-popular Quiet Village Project, who release so many records that the two guys who make up the group must never sleep or be on crazy speed all the time. The two did a great set with Cielo regular Francois K. back in November, and now, they've given Mr. K. the remix treatment. The original of "Road of Life," while quite mesmerizing, is a narcotizingly slow track-- in fact, the original is more akin to a Quiet Village track than the remix itself! Taking a bit out of the bell synth loop of the original and speeding the track up to 120 bpm, the Quiet Village boys create a bass-heavy, well-padded monstrosity of a track, definitely appropriate for peak hours. One interesting aspect of the remix, too, is that the bells mentioned above are eerily similar to those used in the ubiquitous "Magic M" by Lucio Aquilina. Not a complaint, really, but an observation-- the track are so differently excellent. Try playing them simultaneously and you'll hear what I'm talking about. On Wave Music.

Francois K.- Road of Life (Quiet Village Sound Factory Dub)

Next post coming soon with some dub-techno from MLZ. And before I forget, for the month of January, I'll be on the radio from 7-9 pm (EST) at WOBC. Tune in for a treat!