detroit cruise

Yesterday, I caved and bought some records at Tweekin in the Lower Haight, and also had some good talk with Chris, who runs this blog and is quite a knowledgeable head. Though I eventually settled on an '05 joint from Theo Parrish and the fantastic Move Me EP on Philpot from MXM, Chris wisely recommended the excellent Serge Ponsar track below-- a regular feature in Ron Hardy's sets back in the day, and definitely a fantastic buy.



Some downloadable stuff coming later today-- I'm gunning for this amazing upcoming track from Space-cadet Nima Gorji, but who knows?

channel spirit

Today, a track from a somewhat fresh face in house, Pierre LX, who cut his teeth in Brazil and now resides in London. His upcoming EP on Initial Cuts, Sketch Drive, is astonishing in its pure homage to deep, US house along the lines of older Delano Smith and more mellow Kerri Chandler. "Gabita" is a 120-bpm mellow bit, with booming kicks, sopping hand-claps, a subtle little bass-line, and lush backing synths. A familiar descending melody, horn punctuations and truly crystalline tambourine bits round out this track, making for some perfect house music that is sure to please even the Euro-haters on this side of the pond. The EP comes out in February, and features an awesome remix by Jus-Ed, so watch for it!

Pierre LX- Gabita

Later today, thinking some left-field hip-hop? Yeah.

returning from the hunt

I uploaded this for a friend a couple days ago, so jump on it quickly! African Pygmy music is some of the best in the world, and definitely some of my favorite stuff to listen to. A serious jam, this one-- the rhythms make you weep.

The Ba-Benzele Pygmies- Song of rejoicing after returning from a hunt (rhythm djoboko)

More. Later.

you got the love

Sorry for the absence-- friends in town, sleeping in my bed, going out to brunch, etc. In other words, I was having fun away from the computer for a bit.

But as promised, here is a track from 1991, which features the inimitable Candi Staton and the Source on a rework/mash of Jamie Principle's "Your Love." Sent to me by a dear friend, I'd never heard this piece. Quite shocking considering my love for Staton and Jamie Principle, but wonders never cease. Though I miss the sexy gay-ness of Principle, Staton's pipes really get to me on this track-- what a lovely voice, and what a fantastic career this woman has had!

Source featuring Candi Staton- You Got the Love

Later today, something new or (perhaps_) a bit older? And the 'later today' caveat is for real!

oasis

One of those producers that everyone has been talking about is the inimitable Omar-S, the grandson of Detroit techno whose "Psychotic Photosynthesis" made many 2008 best-of lists, and with good reason. Today, I'm offering up "Oasis One" from the 2004 collaboration that Omar did with Shadow Ray (under the name Oasis), a record I happened upon recently in my post-holiday shopping. A 122-bpm hypnotic monster of a track, "Oasis One" utilizes excellent minor-key progressions, echoey harmonies, some raw-ass drum programming and an astounding sense of foreboding atmospherics. The piece has enormous forward momentum, and definitely has an uncanny knack for worming its way into the listener's pysche. Omar-S has been killing it for a while, and this is yet another example of how he is ascendant to the throne of Detroit techno-- not that such hierarchical bullshit really matters! Bliss out on this tip.

Oasis- Oasis One

Tomorrow, look forward to something that came to me by way of a good friend!

the mood strikes

Though I actually did assemble a 2008 Year-End list, I never posted tracks or anything of the sort because of that internet hiatus that I took. But on that list was Party Lovers, the fantastic album by Damian Schwartz. Perhaps one of the only European full-lengths that really stirred something in me this past year, "In the Mood" is the album's standout track. With watery reverb through, some echoey piano stabs, excellent drum programming, a vocal signature loop that recalls "Que Belle Epoque" and some excellent old soul samples, it is a killer bit that could fit into a minimal set, a house set, or even a deeper, jazzier piece. Really an earworm, this is highly recommended!

Damian Schwartz- In the Mood

Tomorrow, slowing the roll.

take your time

The experience of not knowing the artist behind a song is sometimes quite bewitching-- for months, I listened to the track below without consciously realizing that it came to me courtesy of the great Terry Lee Brown Jr. and his label-mate, the Timewriter. It would plant itself in my brain and I would walk around singing 'take your time'-- the track became a sort of mantra. A smooth bass-line, airy synths and some deep tribal percussion makes this track one of my favorites. Originally released in 2000.

Terry Lee Brown Jr. vs The Timewriter- Take Your Time

the key of freedom

A couple days back, I was just cruising in North Philly, listening to WDAS, when 'Butter' started the Sunday-night dance party off with a James Brown track which was somewhat new to my ears-- a bit familiar, but nothing I could recall, which is saying something. My dad raised me on James Brown and Junior Walker, so when I'm confronted with a voice I know without knowing the song it's singing, I freak out.

And what good reason to freak out! "The Grunt," by the JB's, featuring James Brown on lead vocals, is a version of a well-loved classic, "Gonna Have a Funky Good Time (Doing it to Death)." But the version below is something else: more than twelve minutes of seriously DEEP funk grooves, with astounding sax work from Maceo Parker, a worming bass-line, some truly gorgeous slide guitar bits, and group vocals along with Brown's inimitable vocal stylings (and outpourings). "The Grunt" is truly one of those tracks that will stand the test of time: it was funky then, it sure as hell is funky now, and it'll still be funky in the future-- and it mixes well with some grooving deep house shit, too. Dig!

the JB's- The Grunt

Tomorrow, no posts because I'm in transit (back to CALI), but watch out for Saturday.

everything changes

In brief: I entered a non-internet space for a while, for numerous reasons. Most viscerally, I am on the East Coast, and the internet connection I have is painfully sluggish, rendering any sort of browsing nearly useless. Secondly, in a more quotidian sense, I wanted to indulge in a lot of pleasure reading of books, and this has been of paramount importance to my sanity and my own work. Thirdly, since I actually did lose some major stuff from my computer after my hard-drive crash in December, I lost my faith in technology for a bit, and simply didn't want to have anything to do with my computer. Happens to the best of us!!

No matter, though, because the experience made me think quite a bit about the reasons behind why I write this blog, and I realized that I felt I'd lost some of the original intentions I had when I started it; like most intentions, these have changed, mostly in ways I find appropriate. However, I found myself wondering why I sometimes put up tracks simply because they fit a mold of what a 'techno/house' blog would put up. In a way, I felt like I'd lost a bit of my own musical interests in a whirlwind of sacrifice to keeping the music in a certain vein.

Thus, 'deep movements' will now reflect my wider sonic interests much more accurately-- more ambient, more jazz, more soul, more new classical, more of what I consider important and aesthetically pleasing or interesting about certain musics. Of course, the house, techno and disco jams will continue to come at you, as I'm still bobbing my head and shaking my ass. The proof is below-- a favorite track from Vince Watson, whom I still consider one of the most underrated DJs and producers of our times-- this is some truly underwater Detroit techno, astounding in its syncopations and slick synth pallette. Enjoy, and get ready for the funk!

Vince Watson- Everything Changes