vinyl smell

Got myself out of bed early this morning to get to the Vox Populi record fair on time-- though I only had thirty bucks at my disposal, I believe I came out with some real gems. Here's a list and some comments-- look forward to some selections from these being posted in the next couple of days!

- Best of House Music Volume One (Profile Records)
The double LP version that I got isn't listed on Discogs, which is somewhat surprising. Contains tracks by Marshall Jefferson, Screamin' Rachael, Hercules, and so on.

- Liddell Townsell- Party People Jack Your Body (Trax Records)
Note the extra 'D' in Mr. Townsell's first name. A classic, with production by Adonis, among others.

- Hashim- Al-Naafiysh (The Soul) (Cutting Records)
The original 1983 pressing of this instant electro-breaks classic. In good shape, too, especially for $3!

- Sylvester- Step II (Fantasy Records)
I'm gay, and I love Sylvester. You should too, even if you're not batting for my team.

- Fania All Stars- Habana Jam (Fania Records)
An apparently rare record by the old Fania Records star composers and players. No presence on Discogs, either!

- Black Moon- Who Got the Props (Nervous Records)
One of the first releases on Nervous, this is the 1992 re-pressing. Good shit!

- Coldcut- Doctorin' the House (Ahead of Our Time)
One of the classics of UK acid house, I got my hands on a copy of this version for a mere dollar, and the record itself is in mint condition.

- Funkadelic- One Nation Under a Groove (Warner Brothers)
Figured I ought to have this-- in great shape, super-cheap.

- The Universal Robot Band- Freak in the Light of the Moon (Red Greg Records)
Another somewhat rare find, this group included Leroy Burgess. "Doing Anything Tonight" is one of my favorite disco-soul stompers. Really excited about this one.

- The Westland Steel Band- The Sound of the Sun Nonesuch
From the Explorer series, this record isn't on Discogs either. Perfect condition, bought mainly for sampling purposes.

Made out pretty well, huh? Look forward to the Universal Robot Band tomorrow!

awakening

I am one of the unlucky citizens of the U.S. who has never witnessed a live set by Ricardo Villalobos; even his last performance in North America, at Mutek 2006, was out of my reach. However, it is easy enough to find some great live sets bumping around, and these have taken up quite a bit of space on my various hard drives. Though the seven-hour-long set from Fabric last year is often lauded as the best-- and most leftfield-- I believe Ricardo's set from the Netherlands' Awakenings festival, recorded in early July of 2006, displays his best work. Here is my reasoning:

1) According to my own research, it is the first readily available DJ set where his remix of "Sinner in Me," as well as "Fizheuer Zieheuer," are heard.

2) It builds to a colossal peak perfectly, and doesn't just drop out to some beatless valley. Rather, it does a nice slide downward, ending with the "Fizzy Zizzy," as some like to call it.

3) The first 45 minutes are absolutely fucking unstoppable. I had always liked Ricardo before I heard this set, but the work in this first half convinced me that he is a higher-caliber musical gem. All the hyperbole aside, it is an undeniably slamming set, with rhythm changes and melodic surprises throughout.

4) At almost one hour and forty minutes, it is a perfect length for just about anything. Be forewarned, though-- it takes up approximately 90.25 MB of space.

Okay! Without further ado, here it is:

Ricardo Villalobos- Live at Awakenings Festival, Netherlands (01.07.06)

Tomorrow, who knows? I am going to the Vox Populi record fair here in Philadelphia, so perhaps my senses will be stimulated there.

coming...

I'm out of Ohio for a bit, and still without computer-- I'm typing this from my old 2003-era Dell Inspiron 5100-- but tomorrow, I'm going to give you one of the best DJ sets I've ever heard, from the ubiquitous Mr. Villalobos. If you're familiar with the Awakenings set from early 2006, then you know what I'm talking about. If not, be prepared to have your mind blown. Also, I'm happy that the Shonky and Anja Schneider have been well-received!

sprung

All right, since my iPod has been inaccessible to me for the past day or so-- I left it at a friend's place-- I'm going to give you two soon-to-be-released tracks from two of Europe's finest producers.

First, there is "Maki," an excellently dubby techno number from Mobilee head Anja Schneider. Taken from her upcoming debut album, Beyond the Valley, "Maki" is probably the best track on the LP. Its delayed main guitar sample, ever-panning and echoey piano line, hi-frequency strings, and congas make it an irresistable track that would fit right in with something by Brendon Moeller. The rest of the album is equally impressive, and when it hits in May, I'd hurry out to get my hands on a copy.

Anja Schneider- Maki



Second off, I got my paws on Shonky's debut album, TimeZero, and it is phenomenal. Sexy, subtle, and banging, with much influence from menacing West Coast psychedelic house and the acid-drenched loops of Detroit. Carl Craig-style hypnotism can be found in many tracks, particularly "Galactica," one of the LP's stand-out tracks-- with a worming bass-line, spacy ascending melodic line, whale-like synth wails, and well-chosen vocal samples, the track is a prime slice of cosmic techno. On Dan Ghenacia's Freak'n'Chic imprint.

Shonky- Galactica

Both Shonky and Anja Schneider have dates set for the WMC this week, so if you're in Miami or heading down there soon, try to catch their sets-- guaranteed goodness! It is my first time away from the WMC in two years, so drink a drink for me on the beach, if you happen to be there.

rinse, repeat

Today's post may be a bit delayed. My computer is done for. Though I need a Mac in order to work with music software and whatnot, I am tempted at this point to just throw in the towel and buy a cheap PC. My old Dell laptop worked almost as well as the piece of garbage I am now in possession of.

Why will it take a while to post today? Here are the hoops: I need to install Senuti on a lab computer; get the two tracks I promised you off of my iPod (since they're relatively new, I hadn't backed them up on my external HD yet); put those tracks onto my external HD; then send them. Sounds like my afternoon is ruined, yeah? Yeah.

printing

Today, a track from 2006 by one of the more fantastic minimal DJs working today, Dominik Eulberg. I closed my set before Boys Noize with "Der Buchdrucker" for a reason-- it is a banging tech track at its most basic, but is perhaps one of the more subtle minimal tracks I have ever heard. With well-padded kicks going at 130-bpm, a weirdly effective yet strangely syncopated bass-line, hi-frequency washes, and nimbly crisp hi-hats, "Der Buchdrucker" is a sure winner with peaks and valleys galore. What's more, the melodic line that comes in halfway through the track is in the same league as the melodic line from Villalobos' "Dexter": hauntingly sad yet triumphant, spine-tingling at its best. The line ends the track after all other elements drop out, making it a memorable and perfect set-ender. One of my favorite Eulberg tracks, this is highly recommended stuff! On Traum.

Dominik Eulberg- Der Buchdrucker

Tomorrow, two tracks: a truly great tech-house remix of Fukkk Offf's "I'm A Freak," and a new tune from the dOP boys, favorites here at deep movements.

beat you raw

Some readers might remember that back in mid-January, a friend of mine gave me his collection of hard UK acid, breaks and hip-hop records. One of the choicer picks from this bounty is a most unlikely record: Raw as Fuck's The Slammer/Theme from Raw, a side bit from the infamous UK breaks crew, Freestylers. Released in 2002, "Theme from Raw" might be one of the more slamming records I own: 138 bpm, a dirty-ass distorted bass-line, descending acid squelch lines, haunting backing synths, and a vocal sample that kills (and is totally amazing to mix with). Though breaks aren't usually my thing, the track below will please just about anyone with ears-- I guarantee it.

Raw as Fuck- Theme from Raw

Tomorrow, a rarely-heard track from Dominik Eulberg that sends chills up a crowd's spine. And after? New stuff from Europe-- no, really!

ambushed

My set opening for Boys Noize went down quite well, and I am sufficiently recovered to begin posting again. I would share the whole set with you, but because I've posted some of these tracks here before (and some of them are ubiquitous at this point), I'm going to give you a list.

1. Kerri Chandler- Dat Da Da
2. The Unknown- Dancin Music
3. Francois K.- Road of Life (Quiet Village Sound Factory Dub)
4. Cajmere- Percolator (Keep Movin' Mix)
5. Dennis Ferrer- Son of Raw
6. Kerri Chandler- So Let the Wind Come (Tomo Edit)
7. Martin Buttrich- Full Clip
8. Raw as Fuck- Theme from Raw
9. Underground Resistance- Ambush
10. One Smith-Hall- Theme
11. Dominik Eulberg- Der Buchdrucker

I tried to keep it as slamming as I like it while attempting to appeal to the crowd, most of whom are more into new filter house stuff. Got a lot of great feedback, and another gig or two, as well-- might be doing a set before Kelley Polar in the spring!

For the next couple of posts, I'll be giving you some of the more notable tracks from the set that night. Today, "Ambush" by Underground Resistance, one of their less-heard but totally amazing tracks. With polyrhythmic African-style beats, lush backing synths, some good acid squelch, and a fucking great synthesized horn solo, "Ambush" is quite a gem. The crowd on Wednesday was pretty down with it, too-- got lots of whoops and hollers. Originally taken from UR-040, whose label reads:

"You've been waiting for your adventure vacation all year and now you're finally here headed up river and you're gonna have fun regardless of the poverty, corruption, political unrest, fragile ECO systems and reports of rebel forces in the area. After all it's your god given right to have fun all over the world wherever you please right? Suddenly your friendly native guides become uneasy. Their acutely tuned jungle senses tell them something is very wrong. All life seems to stop in its tracks, the silence is deafening, your heartbeat sounds in your ears, the boat is close to the bank. The beads and trinkets the travel agency told you to give the natives for save passage won't work this time. You smile and try to take pictures of these ghosts in the forest to ease the tension but they remain in the underground silently reluctant of your 15 minute fame and pacifying technology. Finally they appear their war painted faces staring. Didn't the missionairies teach them this is wrong? You feel their power of their god thru their eyes, it's the jungle itself. One of the hostiles wears an old shirt, that reads 'UR unexploitable'. Your immanent destiny calls and as with all pollutants UR consumed by nature as she punishes her children who cannot dance to her drums."

Damn right. Here it is:

Underground Resistance- Ambush

Tomorrow, some fast techno-tinged breaks from Raw as Fuck.

cookin slow

Felt bad about not posting new tracks, so I'm going to give you a special little number by our man Ron Trent; namely, his nearly-balearic 1995 slow-burner, "Pop, Dip & Spin." Get your baby in the car and go for a drive, or if you're in the sunshine, put it on a boombox and stroll in the sand. You'll know why I'm telling you this once you take a listen.

Ron Trent- Pop, Dip & Spin

More tomorrow!

boys making noise

Sorry I've been a bit slack on the new posts-- I'll have a mix, some good leftfield Krautrock, and more old-school techno coming your way soon.

You see, I've been going through hell with my computer. And I've been planning my DJ set opening for BOYS NOIZE, which is tonight! If you're in Ohio and want on the guestlist, let me know-- everyone is welcome. Starts at 10 PM in Dionysus Discotheque, Oberlin College.

More about the experience tomorrow!

pound for pound

As promised here is a bit of fast and dirty minimal techno from 1998, courtesy of Andrew Richley & Ryan Rivera, two producers who worked together for nearly ten years. "Trackman" was initially their first break-out hit, and the track inspired many remixes, the best of which comes to us from Gaetano Parisio. A true slammer, Parisio's remix of "Trackman" comes in at 139 bpm, and includes dry hi-hats and snares, deep resonant kicks, a squelchy melodic loop that would make any of the originators in Detroit proud, and almost Hardfloor-esque backing synth bits. Highly recommended, and thanks to Tom Arsenault for bringing these guys to my ears.

Andrew Richley & Ryan Rivera- Trackman (Gaetano Parisio Mix)

Tomorrow? You'll see.

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!

relaxing white nights

Today, a bit of a departure from what I've been posting recently. In 2006, Booka Shade released the acclaimed Movements record, which launched them into the heights of the electro-house scene. "In White Rooms" is most certainly one of the better cuts of the album, but like much of the record's other tracks, its slick production makes it a bit...well, soulless.

Thus, when Stockholm-based Kornel created a remix/mash of "In White Rooms" and Corona's "Rhythm of the Night," it was a bit of a godsend-- an astounding piece of electro-house paired with one of the best eurodance tunes to come out of the nineties. Booka Shade's track became a thing of soul, with its peaks punctuated by Giovanna Bersola's excellently-sampled vocals. Thus, despite the fact that my love for Booka Shade has waned, I believe "White Night" to be one of the nicest hard-to-find electro-house tracks kicking about. It also can destroy early-hours dancefloors, getting people pumped up for more hard-hitting tracks.

Booka Shade & Corona- White Night (Kornel Mix)



Next up, one of the more truly groovy, jazzy tracks that Kerri Chandler has ever produced. "Relax Have Another Spliff" appeared on two compilations in the early 2000's, and it is almost certain that it has been playing in chillout rooms all over since then. With soft synth progressions throughout, saxophone solo bits, and a super-smooth guitar section, the 123-bpm track bridges the gap between chillout/lounge and deep house without the waiting-room atmosphere that so much loungey stuff has going for it. Indeed, the track makes the listener want to relax, have another spliff, and enjoy the day. Another winner from the king of New Jersey house!

Kerri Chandler- Relax Have Another Spliff

Also, here is a recent interview with Mr. Chandler from dayrobber, a pretty fascinating site with lots of video content relating to techno, old and new.



Tomorrow, a truly lush spring mix from the likes of Vince Watson.

said i'm a freak

I cannot apologize enough for my absence of the past few days-- I went on a little jaunt to New York and Philly, and was out of the loop in terms of internet access. Daily posts and extra tracks coming at ya now!

Today, I'm going to commit the cardinal sin of posting something another blog posted a few weeks back; namely, DJ Slugo's remix of Surkin's "And You Too." This might just be the catchiest, sexiest juke track that has arrived recently-- at 150 bpm, the track is nothing out of the ordinary in most ways, but its male vocal samples are deeply sensuous and well-manipulated, the bass-line is a subtly writhing animal, and many of the punctuations are more akin to those found in New Jersey techno and house. Trust me when I write that if you play this out at a party, the floor will catch all sorts of nasty fire.

Surkin- And You Too (DJ Slugo Remix)



Next up is a track that some of you might have heard before if you've been following the escapades of the Hollertronix series. A friend sent me this just the other day, and I immediately fell in love: how can one not love a remix of "Smooth Criminal" that is so elegant, so banging, so infectious? On the seventh installment of the series, "Okay Annie" by the Boogie Down Bottlenose Dolphins (a name that I find charming despite its try-hard nature) is the track to cut out to-- it demands action on the dance-floor, as its choices and arrangments of samples can almost be said to rival Jacko's original. High-octane stuff, and at 136-bpm, it can fit easily into a banging techno set.

Boogie Down Bottlenose Dolphins- Okay Annie

Next post, a very special Booka Shade vs. Corona track, a Kerri Chandler video and track, and maybe more. Once again, I apologize for my days-long absence.

PS-- Thanks to those of you who have been tuning into my radio show at WOBC. Last night I got messages from Hamburg! Going international, ja, gude laune. Anyway, it happens every week from 7-9 PM EST on Tuesdays. Tune in next week!

mainframes

I know that I have been harping on how ill the productions of Jamal Moss and Noleian Reusse are, but I cannot help but post another track from their Mogadishu EP, released under their Africans With Mainframes moniker.

"Mogadishu" alone could justify the AWT name-- no techno track I've ever heard matches it in its incorporation of African musical traditions to technology. Shifting polyrhythmic beats, exacting melodic lines, a plethora of harmonic changes-- if the two were using traditional instruments rather than analog synthesizers and drum machines, "Mogadishu" could fit right in with East African tribal music. That said, the low end is deep, the high end is dry and acidy, and the mids are puncturing-- quite a track from quite a pair of producers. If you've liked any of the stuff I've posted from Hieroglyphic Being in the past, this is right up your alley. Highly recommended!

African With Mainframes- Mogadishu

Next up, a bit from Surkin, the ghetto-electro king of Paris.

display of power

As promised, today I'm treating you to a track from Brian Eno and his famous collaboration with Moebius, Roedelius and Plank. I first heard this track about a week ago, and since then, the 138-bpm monster has been blowing me away. Though recorded between 1976 and 1983, "Speed Display" contains elements that are more late 80's Detroit than Berlin or London-- squelchy synth loops, laser-like stabs, heavily processed vocal bits, and hi-frequency whistles punctuate the track. Along with its writhing bass-line and live drums, "Speed Display" is one of the more prescient electronic tracks I have ever heard-- its sound fits right along with stuff by Underground Resistance (especially the early EPs, like Riot) and fellow Detroit producers. Needless to say, the sound is claustrophobic, paranoid and certainly slamming. Highly recommended!

Brian Eno-Moebius-Roedelius-Plank - Speed Display

Unfortunately, my computer seems to have come back to me with more problems than it had before. However, I've backed up my entire music collection, and will continue daily posts using my external hard drive and lab computers. Sucks for me, but good for you! Keep coming back.

goin to L.A.

Back in the saddle here. Sorry about all the computer bullshit of the past week!

Today, I'm giving you a great 2002 track from Dynamix II, two Floridians who have sold more than a million records in their time. "Pledge Your Allegiance 2 Electro Funk" is a hi-bpm throwback of a track that recalls the late eighties more than the millenium years, with excellent vocoded vocals, a sick bass-line, and totally jive synth flourishes. What's more, this track demands that the listener dance. So get on the floor.

Dynamix II- Pledge Your Allegiance 2 Electro Funk

Next up, some sick pre-techno from Brian Eno.