from what i've heard of and read the fischerspooner remix of "come into my world" was what kylie herself favoured the most. when performing the song on top of the pops she used their remix as the backing track and it is fairly nice, but i rate the ashtrax remix far over it.
i like the original a lot and love the michel gondry directed video and what ashtrax did was to use the melodies and sounds and refitted them. it is rather funky and dips more into a robotic side as they worked a breakbeat groove. somewhat of an indictation of what ashtrax would make further onto their musical career.
the only problems i've had with this track is how to fit in my sets as it's too rigid with all of it's funkyness. i find it weird playing it in the beginning and if i play it in midset it dips in energy as there isn't a driving bass or a clear offbeat hat groove. both of those elements are more inline to the drums and the remix in general is more up top than in the bottom end.
which means i've mostly enjoyed this as it's own entity and i think it's killer in that form.
listen here (youtube)
Friday 30 November 2012
fennesz - dheli plaza
about 18 months ago i had come home from a mental night out with my body being in all sorts of pain after dancing so hard to kevin saunderson's wonderful selection of dark & hard techno music. i ended up in my bed at six in the morning after taking the morning commute with a whole load of people that were probably off to work or whatnot. sleeping the whole day off seemed like a good plan but idiot that i was i left the blinds off and the phone on and i woke up at eleven and couldn't get back to sleep.
i did what i could but i figured i didn't want to fuck up my circadian rhythm and the weather was terrific so the new plan was to go on a half-day. do as little to strain the body and just hang around outside, i took a trip up to stockholm and checked out some recordstores and did eventually purchase fennesz' 1997 debut album "hotel paral.lel" along with a few others albums by other people.
from what i had heard austrian artist christian fennesz' music was seen as something that was as lifechanging as the first time you heard boards of canada or godspeed! you black emperor or sunn o)))) and so on. i had no clue what it sounded like really but i figured that day was as good as anyone to learn. for me it wasn't to that effect but it was amazing and his sonical manipulation was impressive. i felt frequencies fucking my senses and i liked it a lot and the key track at hand was this one, "dheli plaza".
the droning bass that hits you in the beginning was impressive on speakers but on headphones it took my ears on an impressive ride. i did feel that it sounded a bit stephen o'malley-like in but i enjoyed it a lot. when it's broken up by the noise in the middle of the track it brought something new to the soundscape. the glitching buzz and spiking white noise with hard metallic transients is something that i don't take lightly but it worked well in this context.
further on this kind of music makes for a different soundtrack to the hussle and bussle of everyday life as i was enjoying this a few days ago. my sights was stockholms suburbs coloured by the transition of autumn to winter as november becomes more darker and the rain showers are a frequent element. this piece of music that consists of mainly lower frequencies and rewards when you pay attention to it was in symbiosis and contrast with sights, smells and sounds of the outside world.
or something more pretentious than that.
buy here (junodownload)
i did what i could but i figured i didn't want to fuck up my circadian rhythm and the weather was terrific so the new plan was to go on a half-day. do as little to strain the body and just hang around outside, i took a trip up to stockholm and checked out some recordstores and did eventually purchase fennesz' 1997 debut album "hotel paral.lel" along with a few others albums by other people.
from what i had heard austrian artist christian fennesz' music was seen as something that was as lifechanging as the first time you heard boards of canada or godspeed! you black emperor or sunn o)))) and so on. i had no clue what it sounded like really but i figured that day was as good as anyone to learn. for me it wasn't to that effect but it was amazing and his sonical manipulation was impressive. i felt frequencies fucking my senses and i liked it a lot and the key track at hand was this one, "dheli plaza".
the droning bass that hits you in the beginning was impressive on speakers but on headphones it took my ears on an impressive ride. i did feel that it sounded a bit stephen o'malley-like in but i enjoyed it a lot. when it's broken up by the noise in the middle of the track it brought something new to the soundscape. the glitching buzz and spiking white noise with hard metallic transients is something that i don't take lightly but it worked well in this context.
further on this kind of music makes for a different soundtrack to the hussle and bussle of everyday life as i was enjoying this a few days ago. my sights was stockholms suburbs coloured by the transition of autumn to winter as november becomes more darker and the rain showers are a frequent element. this piece of music that consists of mainly lower frequencies and rewards when you pay attention to it was in symbiosis and contrast with sights, smells and sounds of the outside world.
or something more pretentious than that.
buy here (junodownload)
Thursday 29 November 2012
regina - nyt on jo myöhäistä
i was introduced to this song by my friend nikolai rasimus and if i remember correctly he'd recieved the 2005 album "katso maiesmaa" ("look at the landscape") from his father or somesorts. the music on this cd wasn't completely in his taste but he'd listen to it once a while and he gave me a heads-up on "nyt on jo myöhäistä" ("it's too late"). nikolai knew that the music was more something that i would listen to and that i had no issues listening to anything in finnish.
the name of the game is 80's influenced electropop/dancepop with retro synth sound and tr-808 & tr-909 sounds. in general there is a load of quality songs on the album like first single "olisitko sittenkin halunnut palata" and "tokio" amongst others. "nyt on jo myöhäistä" starts out with a long intro with this jerky off beat sequenced melody and singer iisa pykari delivering the first & second verse in a lovely manner. the counter rhythms and the build up for the first chorus creates great tension as the synths, sounds and white noise slowly accelerates.
as the pykari sings the first words of the chorus and the housey like piano kicks in it goes into the meat end of the song with a sturdy tr-909 that grounds that sequencer sound from the beginning. the piano re-appears in the break and it's all a very festive feeling as the synthesized horns are blasting out over the keys and the conga drums.
what i love the most about "nyt on jo myöhäistä" is the fact that it's a breakup song and suits the theme in the moody and somewhat dissonant beginning. when the piano kicks in the first appearance of the chorus, song goes from sad to cheery even though pykari is singing about heartbrake.
buy here (itunes)
the name of the game is 80's influenced electropop/dancepop with retro synth sound and tr-808 & tr-909 sounds. in general there is a load of quality songs on the album like first single "olisitko sittenkin halunnut palata" and "tokio" amongst others. "nyt on jo myöhäistä" starts out with a long intro with this jerky off beat sequenced melody and singer iisa pykari delivering the first & second verse in a lovely manner. the counter rhythms and the build up for the first chorus creates great tension as the synths, sounds and white noise slowly accelerates.
as the pykari sings the first words of the chorus and the housey like piano kicks in it goes into the meat end of the song with a sturdy tr-909 that grounds that sequencer sound from the beginning. the piano re-appears in the break and it's all a very festive feeling as the synthesized horns are blasting out over the keys and the conga drums.
what i love the most about "nyt on jo myöhäistä" is the fact that it's a breakup song and suits the theme in the moody and somewhat dissonant beginning. when the piano kicks in the first appearance of the chorus, song goes from sad to cheery even though pykari is singing about heartbrake.
buy here (itunes)
Wednesday 28 November 2012
funkenteller & the deep space 69 - all this jelly (featuring mapei)
this one was a tune i heard a long time ago, probably when it was released in 2008 or so, but i was reminded by it again. this one was from rikard skizz bizzi's project in-between the up hygh years and the stockholmssyndromet project. it resulted in this single and an absolute ridiculous ep called "prelude to 2012" with the brilliance that is "smash him" & "emulator".
but this song differs greatly from all of the projects and tracks mentioned at hand, mainly because skizz isn't the originator of the beat for it. that would be anton augustinsson aka drums that made it and while i can't say i have his style pegged down, i know that the bizzi's beats are rougher and have heavier bass. never the less it's a great track and the really slow groove works wonders when skizz and mapei flow over it.
lyrically the hook it taken from the infamous lines from destiny's child's "bootylicious" and the song is all about booty. skizz would later do one of the ultimate booty tracks as stockholmssyndromet with "lårparti". some of the lines that he says in english in "all this jelly" are flipped into swedish with some modification. the interesting factor with song is that you have a female perspective as well. henceforth when bizzi spits about that he wants his partner to eat more mapei goes off on that and talks about eating so much that she'll end up 300lbs and still craving more.
mapei's verse together with this luscious slow groove is what makes this song for what it is. brilliance.
buy here (junodownload)
but this song differs greatly from all of the projects and tracks mentioned at hand, mainly because skizz isn't the originator of the beat for it. that would be anton augustinsson aka drums that made it and while i can't say i have his style pegged down, i know that the bizzi's beats are rougher and have heavier bass. never the less it's a great track and the really slow groove works wonders when skizz and mapei flow over it.
lyrically the hook it taken from the infamous lines from destiny's child's "bootylicious" and the song is all about booty. skizz would later do one of the ultimate booty tracks as stockholmssyndromet with "lårparti". some of the lines that he says in english in "all this jelly" are flipped into swedish with some modification. the interesting factor with song is that you have a female perspective as well. henceforth when bizzi spits about that he wants his partner to eat more mapei goes off on that and talks about eating so much that she'll end up 300lbs and still craving more.
mapei's verse together with this luscious slow groove is what makes this song for what it is. brilliance.
buy here (junodownload)
Tuesday 27 November 2012
landslide - hear my people
heard this one after buying hospital record's "out patients 2" double vinyl set that was purchased a few years ago along with jody watley's "saturday night experience" and jtq's "get down on the floor". i didn't really know many of the tracks on the compilation but it contained cuts from swell session (and anyone who've read the blog knows that i'm a big fan of andreas saag), jazztronik and yukihiro fukutomi amongst others.
basically it was a done deal and when i finally listened to the records i took a big liking towards "hear my people". from the get-go with a really bumping groove and nice melodic stabs, it was easy to like. when the bassline comes after the first drop it's a pleasure to the ears. it's so warped but smooth and since the drums are sort of cut off in the lower end, it's given a whole load of room for the impact.
loretta haywood's vocals are a nice touch as well and they remind me a bit of corrina joseph or celetia martin. i think the accents and adlibs are the best parts as they reflect well with the other musical elements. like the occasional horn blares and hits that tim landslide is brilliant at working in, as andreas saag wrotes in his notes about when he collaborated with landlide for "had it comin'" on "swell communications".
"hear my people" has those nice crazy broken beat meets garage stylings but with a deeply rooted house mentality and makes it's easy to work in sets.
buy here (hospital records webshop)
basically it was a done deal and when i finally listened to the records i took a big liking towards "hear my people". from the get-go with a really bumping groove and nice melodic stabs, it was easy to like. when the bassline comes after the first drop it's a pleasure to the ears. it's so warped but smooth and since the drums are sort of cut off in the lower end, it's given a whole load of room for the impact.
loretta haywood's vocals are a nice touch as well and they remind me a bit of corrina joseph or celetia martin. i think the accents and adlibs are the best parts as they reflect well with the other musical elements. like the occasional horn blares and hits that tim landslide is brilliant at working in, as andreas saag wrotes in his notes about when he collaborated with landlide for "had it comin'" on "swell communications".
"hear my people" has those nice crazy broken beat meets garage stylings but with a deeply rooted house mentality and makes it's easy to work in sets.
buy here (hospital records webshop)
Monday 26 November 2012
joel mull - warm breeze
"warm breeze" is a track that i heard when i bought the compilation "sportif sound system presente stockholm sounds vol. 1". it was compiled by a stockholm clothing shop by the name of "boutique sportif" and features some heavy tracks from stockholm acts and producers at the time. it has a bit of quality swedish hip-hop, some house and techno and even a jungle cut or two. this track in particular is by joel mull and the more music i've heard from him, the more i've been a fan of his works.
the thing that struck me with "warm breeze" was the awesome intro that consists of a lovely pulsating synth pad. as someone who is a bedroom dj and likes to find good starter tracks, this was brilliant as it has that attention grabbing aspect but it get's going fast. it also goes into high gear and you hear a nice shuffled groove and a steady bassline, both of which are something that mull knows his way around.
as the track progresses mull works the pad from the intro onto the track and the synth washes gives a slight atmospheric touch. it also fits well as mull probably wanted it to have a bit of moodyness along with relentless rhythm. it's techno music meant for dancing or atleast keeping one part of the body moving.
the thing that struck me with "warm breeze" was the awesome intro that consists of a lovely pulsating synth pad. as someone who is a bedroom dj and likes to find good starter tracks, this was brilliant as it has that attention grabbing aspect but it get's going fast. it also goes into high gear and you hear a nice shuffled groove and a steady bassline, both of which are something that mull knows his way around.
as the track progresses mull works the pad from the intro onto the track and the synth washes gives a slight atmospheric touch. it also fits well as mull probably wanted it to have a bit of moodyness along with relentless rhythm. it's techno music meant for dancing or atleast keeping one part of the body moving.
Sunday 25 November 2012
komeda - a simple formality (quant's electrokitchen)
this one comes from a single that i bought two years ago and i knew of the band but had never heard "a simple formality" before. i would have skipped the purchase if it didn't come with remixes. the versions at hand came from artists of the north of no south sublabel dot records and included star, sarilou, friend and quant. i really have no clue on who the first two acts are but i am a fan of the works of friend and quant, as anyone who've read my blog may have noticed.
for jonas quant's version, he took advantage of the fact that komeda used a bit of talkbox action and decided to do a chunky electro rerub. the atmospheric sounds from the original is also in affect with the bumping groove at hand. i love this because it does remind me of the works that jonas quant made on his album "quantastical quantasm" except not as fast.
for jonas quant's version, he took advantage of the fact that komeda used a bit of talkbox action and decided to do a chunky electro rerub. the atmospheric sounds from the original is also in affect with the bumping groove at hand. i love this because it does remind me of the works that jonas quant made on his album "quantastical quantasm" except not as fast.
Saturday 24 November 2012
dj koze - the geklöppel continues 3
the first time i heard of this song was after i'd heard a mashup of dj koze's "the geklöppel continues" and suzanne vega's "tom's diner". it was certainly an effective track and i loved that bass and henceforth i had to have "the geklöppel continues". on the single there are three tracks and the other two are untitled but are informally called track 2 and 3 (digitally) or b1 and b2 (vinyl).
all three tracks on the ep is brilliant and chances are that i'd play the title track more in a djset but the real beauty is track 3. the whole track revolves around this loop that sounds like it may have been taken from some old swing or jazz record. it's very fuzzy and crackled but it's done in a rather smooth way. the sequence is accentuated with trumpets, keys, vibraphones and synthy touches.
as this is stefan kozalla aka dj koze we are talking about, one would know that he isn't just an expert at making killer house and techno grooves. he's also brilliant at bringing out the bottom end and a lovely thick bed of bass is also present in this track. the pure brilliance of this one is the combination of the tweaked out jazz sounds and the heavy low frequencies.
buy here (junodownload)
all three tracks on the ep is brilliant and chances are that i'd play the title track more in a djset but the real beauty is track 3. the whole track revolves around this loop that sounds like it may have been taken from some old swing or jazz record. it's very fuzzy and crackled but it's done in a rather smooth way. the sequence is accentuated with trumpets, keys, vibraphones and synthy touches.
as this is stefan kozalla aka dj koze we are talking about, one would know that he isn't just an expert at making killer house and techno grooves. he's also brilliant at bringing out the bottom end and a lovely thick bed of bass is also present in this track. the pure brilliance of this one is the combination of the tweaked out jazz sounds and the heavy low frequencies.
buy here (junodownload)
maas - 911 angel
"911 angel" is a track i heard first on that second "trance central" compilation that i bought a while ago. much like juan atkins/infinity's "think quick" it wasn't one of the tracks i bought the compilation for. however all it needed was one listen and i took a big liking and it's an amazing piece of music by mr. ewan pearson.
it is from his first release on soma but his second release as he put out a single a year prior with someone called john tyrell as dirtbox. "911 angel" was on the flip for the ep that was titled "san narcisco" but i've also seen it titled as "ep 01". it is also the only track on the ep that still holds up as i think both versions of "nemo" are terrible dated. the title track "san narcisco" is decent but there are better summery & housey acid breakbeat material and it's trying to much to sound like the hardkiss crew.
what grabbed me first was that weird melodic sequence that start the track with accentuating pads and it really sets the tone for the first half of the track. "911 angel" sort of sits between melodic techno and progressive house and it reminds me a whole lot of salt tank's material at the time. i really like the progression of "911 angel" and it starts out very sad. the melancholy is being laid on think for most of the track but it's broken up by an arpeggiating piano that dominate and brings something else to the table.
as the piano plays out it's last note the track is starting stripping down to it's rhytmic part for a few bars and it's then it starts this outro part. you notice this as a breakbeat has replaced the four on the floor and the melodies from the first half is back. there is also some movie dialogue from some film that i recognize but i can't identify, as googling the spoken words are pointless.
now to be honest while i love this track it is a bit dated as well in the way it works drumloops and such but the melodic parts are so brilliant that i'd play it in this day and age.
buy here (soma webshop)
it is from his first release on soma but his second release as he put out a single a year prior with someone called john tyrell as dirtbox. "911 angel" was on the flip for the ep that was titled "san narcisco" but i've also seen it titled as "ep 01". it is also the only track on the ep that still holds up as i think both versions of "nemo" are terrible dated. the title track "san narcisco" is decent but there are better summery & housey acid breakbeat material and it's trying to much to sound like the hardkiss crew.
what grabbed me first was that weird melodic sequence that start the track with accentuating pads and it really sets the tone for the first half of the track. "911 angel" sort of sits between melodic techno and progressive house and it reminds me a whole lot of salt tank's material at the time. i really like the progression of "911 angel" and it starts out very sad. the melancholy is being laid on think for most of the track but it's broken up by an arpeggiating piano that dominate and brings something else to the table.
as the piano plays out it's last note the track is starting stripping down to it's rhytmic part for a few bars and it's then it starts this outro part. you notice this as a breakbeat has replaced the four on the floor and the melodies from the first half is back. there is also some movie dialogue from some film that i recognize but i can't identify, as googling the spoken words are pointless.
now to be honest while i love this track it is a bit dated as well in the way it works drumloops and such but the melodic parts are so brilliant that i'd play it in this day and age.
buy here (soma webshop)
Friday 23 November 2012
greta aagre / erik honoré - strangeness
this tuesday i was listening to radioprogram "jazzlandet" on swedish national radio station p2. i would describe it as an actuality program regarding jazz and associated forms of the music with focus on swedish jazz mostly. tuesdays program was dedicated to playing some "musical highlights in the november darkness" and i enjoyed all the music that was played but there was one track that really stood out.
about fourtyfive minutes into the show märet tells about a song that she's about to play from two norweigans by the name of greta aagre & erik honoré. the key words for me to pay special attention was mentions samples and quirky sounds. as "strangeness" i heard the musical collage that consists of atonal sounds, field recordings, murmur, crackle, cut up musical elements and other sounds. all of this backed up a really deep bass to complement greta aagre's wonderful vocals.
i really like how honoré and aagre sculpted the track with all the random sounds. even though this kind of electronic jazz fusion is far from unique, it's executed brilliantly and this is all that matters.
buy here (website)
about fourtyfive minutes into the show märet tells about a song that she's about to play from two norweigans by the name of greta aagre & erik honoré. the key words for me to pay special attention was mentions samples and quirky sounds. as "strangeness" i heard the musical collage that consists of atonal sounds, field recordings, murmur, crackle, cut up musical elements and other sounds. all of this backed up a really deep bass to complement greta aagre's wonderful vocals.
i really like how honoré and aagre sculpted the track with all the random sounds. even though this kind of electronic jazz fusion is far from unique, it's executed brilliantly and this is all that matters.
buy here (website)
Thursday 22 November 2012
blue six - let's do it together (speakeasy remix)
"let's do it together" is the starting track on jay denes' first blue six album and the first time i heard the song and the album it wasn't really love at first sight. it was a good track but i can't say that this is something like "sweeter love", "music & wine" or "pure" who all are brilliant. infact when i got the single for "let's do it together", it was sort out of completion as i was into all of that but i found myself playing miguel migs' petalpusher dub only.
eric stamille and gaelle addison's speakeasy remix was broken beat and i don't remember if i was into it at the time but i was trying to work some of that material in sets. when i look on this single nowadays, it is the best version and part is because they took the song in a different direction. then again so did miguel migs but his purpose was to make it work in a main room set.
this however spun of the second half of the original where it breaks down to bongo drums and the piano and bass changes motifs. this is also by far the most interesting part of "let's do it together" and the way it's re-interpreted with a different rhythm is brilliant. part of what i didn't care for the original was lisa shaw's vocals for the most part was really uninteresting. here they've used the basic parts and worked them in a good way.
i know i've played this plenty of times for personal listening but i can't remember if i ever worked it in a set. it's really easy to get into and would work excellently with other records. reasons for why i've held it off has to be because it goes a little epic with the strings near the end. it felt like a near the end/closer track and when i was playing this kind material i was in mid-set. i do love this one though.
buy here (junodownload)
eric stamille and gaelle addison's speakeasy remix was broken beat and i don't remember if i was into it at the time but i was trying to work some of that material in sets. when i look on this single nowadays, it is the best version and part is because they took the song in a different direction. then again so did miguel migs but his purpose was to make it work in a main room set.
this however spun of the second half of the original where it breaks down to bongo drums and the piano and bass changes motifs. this is also by far the most interesting part of "let's do it together" and the way it's re-interpreted with a different rhythm is brilliant. part of what i didn't care for the original was lisa shaw's vocals for the most part was really uninteresting. here they've used the basic parts and worked them in a good way.
i know i've played this plenty of times for personal listening but i can't remember if i ever worked it in a set. it's really easy to get into and would work excellently with other records. reasons for why i've held it off has to be because it goes a little epic with the strings near the end. it felt like a near the end/closer track and when i was playing this kind material i was in mid-set. i do love this one though.
buy here (junodownload)
Wednesday 21 November 2012
pillbox - pounding your soul
about six or seven years ago i was quite obsessed with really long dj-sets for some reason and i had found this five hour behemoth with roger sanchez. it quickly became a favourite set of mine and included a multitude of songs that i liked, songs that i've never heard of and some that was soon to be my favourites. this song lands in the latter of those categories and for a long time i really didn't know what it was called.
it was a vocal track and those by default means that they are more easier to identify but even with the help of google and some asking, i was hitting dead ends. then some years after that just typing in the lyrics found myself hearing the song and all was great in my world. truth be told i was a little lazy with the searching as i should have looked on what else roger sanchez was playing in his sets at the time or what his label was releasing. as "pounding your soul" was available through stealth recordings about six months after roger had played his set on queen's day in amsterdam.
with all that being said it's a cracking dark progressive house track, much like "salty" which i wrote about three days ago. a thick & lush groove with a really chunky bassline and a seductive vocal with echoes and all the trimmings. it is a great track on it's own without the vocal but the way it's worked is, as i said in the entry for "salty", something that i'm a sucker for. however i really emphasise the former of the latter in that last sentence because it's a bit too easy making big room progressive house like this.
take for instance josé nunez's "bilingual" which is just a sparse groove and a dirty seductive vocal. i do like this song as well but take out the vocal and it's not really interesting musically. but it doesn't matter as no one is going to care in a club enviroment that "hey this track is so dependant on that vocal, what a lazy hack". especially since something like "bilingual" is brilliant soundwise at a club, same goes from "pounding your soul" but the former sound thinner at home comparing to latter.
well recommended track.
buy here (junodownload)
it was a vocal track and those by default means that they are more easier to identify but even with the help of google and some asking, i was hitting dead ends. then some years after that just typing in the lyrics found myself hearing the song and all was great in my world. truth be told i was a little lazy with the searching as i should have looked on what else roger sanchez was playing in his sets at the time or what his label was releasing. as "pounding your soul" was available through stealth recordings about six months after roger had played his set on queen's day in amsterdam.
with all that being said it's a cracking dark progressive house track, much like "salty" which i wrote about three days ago. a thick & lush groove with a really chunky bassline and a seductive vocal with echoes and all the trimmings. it is a great track on it's own without the vocal but the way it's worked is, as i said in the entry for "salty", something that i'm a sucker for. however i really emphasise the former of the latter in that last sentence because it's a bit too easy making big room progressive house like this.
take for instance josé nunez's "bilingual" which is just a sparse groove and a dirty seductive vocal. i do like this song as well but take out the vocal and it's not really interesting musically. but it doesn't matter as no one is going to care in a club enviroment that "hey this track is so dependant on that vocal, what a lazy hack". especially since something like "bilingual" is brilliant soundwise at a club, same goes from "pounding your soul" but the former sound thinner at home comparing to latter.
well recommended track.
buy here (junodownload)
chloé - take care (abe duque remix)
this was something that i used to play in plenty of my sets and came to mind a short while back when i saw the name chloé on a compilation that i own. i'm trying to remember how i heard this first but best believe that it ws through one of the big jocks at time, maybe digweed or howells? this was when i was growing sick of epic trance or trance in any shape or form and was starting to look elsewhere for material.
originally by french producer & dj chloé thevenin, most remember this song by the small vocal bits saying "ooh" "agh" and "i don't care" in a hazy but heavy accent. also it has a sort of new wave synth melodic aspect but that didn't come through in carlos ducue alcivar aka abe duque's remix. he used chloé's sounds and effects but mended them into his own distinctive late 80's/early 90's throwback acid house sound.
abe duque also expanded on the acidlike bassline that thevenin worked into her original and made it squeel with glee. this is the aspect of abe duque's remix that made more interested as i'm always up for more acid lines in techno or house music. be it that they are waggly or wobbly or squelchy or even subtle, just as they are present and worked well into the groove.
bumping acid house from the duque and it' well recommended.
listen here (youtube)
note: this is technically available for purchase digitally (for example here) but it's not the whole track and it's from a mix-cd. which makes it pointless to purchase, especially if one wants to play it in their own sets.
originally by french producer & dj chloé thevenin, most remember this song by the small vocal bits saying "ooh" "agh" and "i don't care" in a hazy but heavy accent. also it has a sort of new wave synth melodic aspect but that didn't come through in carlos ducue alcivar aka abe duque's remix. he used chloé's sounds and effects but mended them into his own distinctive late 80's/early 90's throwback acid house sound.
abe duque also expanded on the acidlike bassline that thevenin worked into her original and made it squeel with glee. this is the aspect of abe duque's remix that made more interested as i'm always up for more acid lines in techno or house music. be it that they are waggly or wobbly or squelchy or even subtle, just as they are present and worked well into the groove.
bumping acid house from the duque and it' well recommended.
listen here (youtube)
note: this is technically available for purchase digitally (for example here) but it's not the whole track and it's from a mix-cd. which makes it pointless to purchase, especially if one wants to play it in their own sets.
Tuesday 20 November 2012
moloko - sing it back (herbert's tasteful dub)
first of all i want to send some love to dj bas el gharib of the plastic love crew that played this in a recent mix and reminded me of it again. then again, i was probably going to write about this track eventually as i've played it plenty of times over the years. good dj's know when to dust off some classics and place them in a modern context, since there are tracks nowadays that are sharing the same type of sounds and aesthetics.
despite what most people think the original does not sound like a disco throwback, it's more in line with moloko's prior output. in the first half of the song it consists of a mark brydon chopping up and reconstructing a jazzy drum break and róisín murphy's sweet vocals on top. as the song progresses you hear a didgeridoo-like bass sound and more structure in the drums.
there was a whole lot of remixes that was ordered up and they followed two particular guidelines. either they used mark brydon's contributions to the track or they just used róisín murphy's vocals. all of the remixes were in housier territories or tempo as the original was made at that tempo. the only exception to the tempo was dj plankton (aka mark brydon)'s dub that is in halftime and levent canseven's ragtimey "1930 mix"
most of the version from the peppermint jam direction (boris dlugosch, mousse t, michi lange, levent canseven) and booker t were of the other route. i don't think brydon is crying blood over they ignored his parts as they were successful on dancefloors and the charts.
the efforts from todd terry, the dope smugglaz*, herbert and of course dj plankton/mark brydon were of the first route with regard to them, they are more interesting musically. i think it's weird that todd terry's remix didn't became that big as the boris dlugosch remix since terry was still a high profiled producer/remix at the time. but i'm not here to talk about that version as it's matthew herbert's rerub that will always have top billing in my book.
he actually made two versions of the song but only the dub is easy to find online and to purchase digitally, his "falling away mix" can be heard as a sample on the nuloop store. i have heard the full version and it's far more "uptempo" than his dub but i think the dub is better musically. matthew herbert's skill has been for me to take a set of sounds and twist & reshape them so they are worked into this one very original piece of music.
one of the most striking things on this remix of "sing it back" has to be drums and i really think he one upped mark brydon's chopping. they form such a crunchy backbone to that track when they are stripped of the reverb that brydon threw on. herbert doesn't only twist the percussive sounds or the pads that were provided but he also tend to throw the shift on the vocals. all of this aural trickery is being done to form this really deep piece of house with a great groove.
listen here (youtube)
*might i add that this has to be one of the stupidest monikers of all time
despite what most people think the original does not sound like a disco throwback, it's more in line with moloko's prior output. in the first half of the song it consists of a mark brydon chopping up and reconstructing a jazzy drum break and róisín murphy's sweet vocals on top. as the song progresses you hear a didgeridoo-like bass sound and more structure in the drums.
there was a whole lot of remixes that was ordered up and they followed two particular guidelines. either they used mark brydon's contributions to the track or they just used róisín murphy's vocals. all of the remixes were in housier territories or tempo as the original was made at that tempo. the only exception to the tempo was dj plankton (aka mark brydon)'s dub that is in halftime and levent canseven's ragtimey "1930 mix"
most of the version from the peppermint jam direction (boris dlugosch, mousse t, michi lange, levent canseven) and booker t were of the other route. i don't think brydon is crying blood over they ignored his parts as they were successful on dancefloors and the charts.
the efforts from todd terry, the dope smugglaz*, herbert and of course dj plankton/mark brydon were of the first route with regard to them, they are more interesting musically. i think it's weird that todd terry's remix didn't became that big as the boris dlugosch remix since terry was still a high profiled producer/remix at the time. but i'm not here to talk about that version as it's matthew herbert's rerub that will always have top billing in my book.
he actually made two versions of the song but only the dub is easy to find online and to purchase digitally, his "falling away mix" can be heard as a sample on the nuloop store. i have heard the full version and it's far more "uptempo" than his dub but i think the dub is better musically. matthew herbert's skill has been for me to take a set of sounds and twist & reshape them so they are worked into this one very original piece of music.
one of the most striking things on this remix of "sing it back" has to be drums and i really think he one upped mark brydon's chopping. they form such a crunchy backbone to that track when they are stripped of the reverb that brydon threw on. herbert doesn't only twist the percussive sounds or the pads that were provided but he also tend to throw the shift on the vocals. all of this aural trickery is being done to form this really deep piece of house with a great groove.
listen here (youtube)
*might i add that this has to be one of the stupidest monikers of all time
Monday 19 November 2012
shaznay lewis - you (terror danjah & dva featuring klashnekoff remix)
file this under song and/or version of said songs found from buying cd-singles from crate digs and the likes. the single came in a big jewel case which made me think it had more than three versions but never the less it's a song that i really like. upon the purchase i thought that the remix by switch was going to be the version to hold on to as it was the main dancefloor remix.
even though i was sort of into fidgety house at the time, i didn't think it was that good. upon revisiting the remix a while ago, i found a bigger liking but the best version of the single was the other remix. it was done by uk grime producers terror danjah & dva, whom invited rapper klashnekoff to add a verse. being that they are well invested in hiphop they probably recognized that the original somewhat sounded like "93 'til infinity".
henceforth they played it up and rejigged billy cobham's "heather" in the same stylings that a-plus of the souls of mischief did. it's not a complete bite but mor of a nod and they pull it off really well. the way the song ended up with punchy drums, lush strings and a nice spanish guitar makes this brilliant on it's own.
buy here (itunes)
even though i was sort of into fidgety house at the time, i didn't think it was that good. upon revisiting the remix a while ago, i found a bigger liking but the best version of the single was the other remix. it was done by uk grime producers terror danjah & dva, whom invited rapper klashnekoff to add a verse. being that they are well invested in hiphop they probably recognized that the original somewhat sounded like "93 'til infinity".
henceforth they played it up and rejigged billy cobham's "heather" in the same stylings that a-plus of the souls of mischief did. it's not a complete bite but mor of a nod and they pull it off really well. the way the song ended up with punchy drums, lush strings and a nice spanish guitar makes this brilliant on it's own.
buy here (itunes)
jori hulkkonen - you're my excuse for being me
"you're my excuse for being me" is one of my favourites from jori hulkkonen and first time i heard it was by recommendation from a friend. first of all the title itself is brilliant as a statement but it brings a different dimension with the mood that the track is expressing. it's sort of romantic but more bittersweet and it's really conveyed by the strings throughout the track.
the reason this track got into my head again was when i wrote about rinneradio's "atlandisk". i was talking to my friend jamey since she also likes electronic music from finnish producers and acts. the conversation swiftly headed into jori hulkkonen's music as she had purchased "when no one is watching we are invisible", which includes "let me luv u" and other brilliant tracks. i mentioned that "you're my excuse for being me" was one of my favourite hulkkonen tracks and wanted her to hear it. her opinion about the track was that she didn't think it was anything special but that it was good. i swiftly disagree, i think it's drop dead gorgeous.
hulkkonen's knack for making warm technohouse comes through with the long intro which leads into a really bumping groove. however that this track is more ambiance than dancefloor but i have no question that it would work in a club, given a right placement. you probably have to play it with song that works harmonically but the payoff with the melodic aspect will bring a difference to the soundtrack of the club.
buy here (junodownload)
the reason this track got into my head again was when i wrote about rinneradio's "atlandisk". i was talking to my friend jamey since she also likes electronic music from finnish producers and acts. the conversation swiftly headed into jori hulkkonen's music as she had purchased "when no one is watching we are invisible", which includes "let me luv u" and other brilliant tracks. i mentioned that "you're my excuse for being me" was one of my favourite hulkkonen tracks and wanted her to hear it. her opinion about the track was that she didn't think it was anything special but that it was good. i swiftly disagree, i think it's drop dead gorgeous.
hulkkonen's knack for making warm technohouse comes through with the long intro which leads into a really bumping groove. however that this track is more ambiance than dancefloor but i have no question that it would work in a club, given a right placement. you probably have to play it with song that works harmonically but the payoff with the melodic aspect will bring a difference to the soundtrack of the club.
buy here (junodownload)
Sunday 18 November 2012
dylan rhymes featuring katherine ellis - salty
about four or five years ago i was sent a link to a fellow on youtube who called himself the dj tutor and i started watching his clips as i found it interesting to watch. i liked johnathan lewis' style of presenting and teaching as he was quite a character. when he was still using vinyl as the guide, he used a few records for certain genres when mixing them.
for the housier tracks he played "salty" by dylan rhymes more than one time and it did get stuck in my head. i would have to say that i was transfixed with katherine ellis' rich diva vocal and it was on top a good groove. i had never heard the original before that as i heard meat katie's breakbeat rerub only through crystal method's second "community service" mix-cd. meat katie took certain liberties with his remix and one was pitching down ellis' vocal and changing the nature of the track.
i was however puzzled that i hadn't heard it before as it was the kind of progressive house as i did like if i'd heard this when it was released. tracks with heavy grooves, driving chunky bass and a brilliant vocal was the type of material i was playing anyways at the time. this was when i was trying into the scumfrog's material and loved trying to fit everything into the "magical tempo" of 131bpm.
truth be told that it isn't that different from other big room progressive house record that was released then or even now. however the bass is really good and the way rhymes works katherine ellis vocal makes me a sucker for this.
buy here (beatport)
for the housier tracks he played "salty" by dylan rhymes more than one time and it did get stuck in my head. i would have to say that i was transfixed with katherine ellis' rich diva vocal and it was on top a good groove. i had never heard the original before that as i heard meat katie's breakbeat rerub only through crystal method's second "community service" mix-cd. meat katie took certain liberties with his remix and one was pitching down ellis' vocal and changing the nature of the track.
i was however puzzled that i hadn't heard it before as it was the kind of progressive house as i did like if i'd heard this when it was released. tracks with heavy grooves, driving chunky bass and a brilliant vocal was the type of material i was playing anyways at the time. this was when i was trying into the scumfrog's material and loved trying to fit everything into the "magical tempo" of 131bpm.
truth be told that it isn't that different from other big room progressive house record that was released then or even now. however the bass is really good and the way rhymes works katherine ellis vocal makes me a sucker for this.
buy here (beatport)
les rythmes digitales - oberonne
i bought the wall of sound compilation "back 2 mono" about two years ago and again, it was a blind purchase. i had a clue on nearly all of the artists on the compilation and but i hadn't heard any of the tracks on it. the tracks i was most interested about was ceasefire's "trickshot", artery (jon carter)'s "viva revolucion" and stuart price aka les rhytmes digitales' "oberonne".
most of the album is rooted in slower side of bigbeat and that by default means producerdriven uk hiphop. it's not by any means a bad compilation but it wears it's date on it's sleeves. now for me, i don't care that it really sounds like the 1995 soundtrack of brighton's clubs & cafebars and commercials & films. i love to throw this type of music with modern music because there is still that raw edge to the music. producers were still getting sued for sampling but that just drove people to dig deeper in the crates for obscure versions and the likes.
"oberonne" is one of the few tracks on the album that goes over the 110 bpm mark and i really love this track. i have never heard this track before but after hearing it the first time it was something that was missing in my life. it was weird hearing a romping big beat track like "oberonne" from stuart price as i've never heard his first album "liberation". it also had to do that i associated this moniker with more eighties influenced material rather than this. for the record "oberonne" was also an oddity on "liberation" as most of the album was more downbeat.
what also attracted me to this track beyond the dub influences and the fierce driving rhythms was that it went into halftime at the end of the record. when i discovered this track i was trying to incorporate dubstep, grime and uk bass records of the likes into my sets but i always found it annoying how it sometimes dropped in energy as the rhythms changed.
this was excellent on how it kept the melodic aspects of the song but kicked off the regular breakbeats went into the aesthetics of halftime bass music. it is always handy to have tools like this in your crate if you want to be diverse.
listen here (youtube)
most of the album is rooted in slower side of bigbeat and that by default means producerdriven uk hiphop. it's not by any means a bad compilation but it wears it's date on it's sleeves. now for me, i don't care that it really sounds like the 1995 soundtrack of brighton's clubs & cafebars and commercials & films. i love to throw this type of music with modern music because there is still that raw edge to the music. producers were still getting sued for sampling but that just drove people to dig deeper in the crates for obscure versions and the likes.
"oberonne" is one of the few tracks on the album that goes over the 110 bpm mark and i really love this track. i have never heard this track before but after hearing it the first time it was something that was missing in my life. it was weird hearing a romping big beat track like "oberonne" from stuart price as i've never heard his first album "liberation". it also had to do that i associated this moniker with more eighties influenced material rather than this. for the record "oberonne" was also an oddity on "liberation" as most of the album was more downbeat.
what also attracted me to this track beyond the dub influences and the fierce driving rhythms was that it went into halftime at the end of the record. when i discovered this track i was trying to incorporate dubstep, grime and uk bass records of the likes into my sets but i always found it annoying how it sometimes dropped in energy as the rhythms changed.
this was excellent on how it kept the melodic aspects of the song but kicked off the regular breakbeats went into the aesthetics of halftime bass music. it is always handy to have tools like this in your crate if you want to be diverse.
listen here (youtube)
Saturday 17 November 2012
whitney houston - in my business (featuring missy elliott)
the plan has been to write about "in my business" a long time, even prior to whitney houston's passing in february and i thought of doing it around that time but i didn't want to do it then. it's been one of my favourite whitney houston songs ever since i heard it and that was when this album was released. my mate at the time had the album and we we're at his place playing video games and he'd play albums in the background.
whitney's "my love is your love" album was something that was given a lot of spins and he wasn't into "in my business" but i loved it. i think it fit really well with her voice and it was the type of classy r&b that whitney should have done when trying to do the music "that the kids were into". the topic at hand and sound were something you could expect from the producer crop at time and especially from the hands of missy elliott.
it wasn't actually shake'spare or darkchild that was responsible for the production but elliott and kelvin bradshaw & lloyd "spec" turner. the latter two was formerly of obscure r&b group basic black, not something that i knew but i thank discogs for that information.
the three also produced another song for houstons album called "oh yes" but i remeber that i didn't like that. i think it sounded like toni braxton's "unbreak my heart" and i really don't like that song.to be honest i think "in my business" also sounds like something else, mainly destiny's child's "bills, bills, bills" & tlc's "no scrubs" but i like those songs so i don't mind the slight similarities.
buy here (7digital)
whitney's "my love is your love" album was something that was given a lot of spins and he wasn't into "in my business" but i loved it. i think it fit really well with her voice and it was the type of classy r&b that whitney should have done when trying to do the music "that the kids were into". the topic at hand and sound were something you could expect from the producer crop at time and especially from the hands of missy elliott.
it wasn't actually shake'spare or darkchild that was responsible for the production but elliott and kelvin bradshaw & lloyd "spec" turner. the latter two was formerly of obscure r&b group basic black, not something that i knew but i thank discogs for that information.
the three also produced another song for houstons album called "oh yes" but i remeber that i didn't like that. i think it sounded like toni braxton's "unbreak my heart" and i really don't like that song.to be honest i think "in my business" also sounds like something else, mainly destiny's child's "bills, bills, bills" & tlc's "no scrubs" but i like those songs so i don't mind the slight similarities.
buy here (7digital)
Friday 16 November 2012
örtz - secret garden (brother brown dub)
"secret garden" was something i discovered a few years after it's release when browsing the big star records output on discogs. i didn't know about it or "we don' talk" which was the single prior to it. örtz was started as trip-hop act and was by hans hensen and majbritt örtz. they used the tried and tested uk formula of the man making tracks and the woman singing a la lamb & mandalay.
"we don't talk" was taken from their 2000 album "another eden" and i don't know who made the decision but big star picked it up and ordered up plenty of remixes. fellow countrymen brother browns version served as the main club mix but it had versions by fairlite, asle (also danish acts), drax & gooding, kaycee and alaska. the brother brown remix did well on charts and dancefloors and this led to a second single on big star.
"secret garden" in it's original state is something between mandalay's "flowers bloom" & the beloved's "the sun's rising" with a big touch of giorgio moroder, all filtered through a modern progressive house perception. helping out hans hensen on production was brother brown and while the original is nice i think their dub is much better.
apart from the obvious that the vocal being taken a backseat role, the sounds are shifted focus and they use the guitar parts in affect along with the vocals to fit the nature of the track. while the midrange-y bassline is moving the fastest with it's 16th note movements the rest of the track is trawling at a moderate pace. the downbeat is dominated more by the reverbed bongo groove and i think this is done to evoke a dubby soundscape.
it really makes for an interesting track and a great production.
buy here (beatport)
"we don't talk" was taken from their 2000 album "another eden" and i don't know who made the decision but big star picked it up and ordered up plenty of remixes. fellow countrymen brother browns version served as the main club mix but it had versions by fairlite, asle (also danish acts), drax & gooding, kaycee and alaska. the brother brown remix did well on charts and dancefloors and this led to a second single on big star.
"secret garden" in it's original state is something between mandalay's "flowers bloom" & the beloved's "the sun's rising" with a big touch of giorgio moroder, all filtered through a modern progressive house perception. helping out hans hensen on production was brother brown and while the original is nice i think their dub is much better.
apart from the obvious that the vocal being taken a backseat role, the sounds are shifted focus and they use the guitar parts in affect along with the vocals to fit the nature of the track. while the midrange-y bassline is moving the fastest with it's 16th note movements the rest of the track is trawling at a moderate pace. the downbeat is dominated more by the reverbed bongo groove and i think this is done to evoke a dubby soundscape.
it really makes for an interesting track and a great production.
buy here (beatport)
miguel migs - moving on (delightful dub)
when i bought "moving on" a number of years ago i was actually looking for "do it for you" but i couldn't find in the recordstores of stockholm so i picked up "moving on" instead. eventually i did also pick up "do it for you" but if i would write about that, i'd pick the "bump the tech dub". which is the breakbeat version of the pack and so is this version of "moving on"
"moving on" features the vocal talents of lagerald normand which also has been heard on migs' classic naked music classic "surrended". it is a funky house track with a chunky bassline and this phased keyboard sequence. as with migs more uptempo output there is the element of syncopation with in the drums and the groove.
you noticed this especially if he titles versions of the song as "bump" and being a bit of a fan of migs work i have seen all sorts of variations & combinations of :"dub", "tech", "rub", "bump", "deluxe" and "pusher". the latter one comes from his moniker naked music moniker "petalpusher". "bump" in miguel migs case means a counter element in the percussion right before the snare and kicks, often resulting in a sound that people in the urban music scene call "dem bow". from the rhythmics on shabba ranks' 1991 single, which was produced by bobby "digital" dixon. in modern times it's known for being the key rhytmical element in reggaeton.
the "delightful dub" takes off some of the percussion from the four on the floor groove and the result is that the bassline shines even more. in general it is more lighter but it has a more of a swing and is the kind of track that would work nice in a set because of it. i play it with more breakbeat related elements and especially uk garage but i think it was meant for more housier grooves but it works either way. it's a great piece of bump.
buy here (junodownload)
"moving on" features the vocal talents of lagerald normand which also has been heard on migs' classic naked music classic "surrended". it is a funky house track with a chunky bassline and this phased keyboard sequence. as with migs more uptempo output there is the element of syncopation with in the drums and the groove.
you noticed this especially if he titles versions of the song as "bump" and being a bit of a fan of migs work i have seen all sorts of variations & combinations of :"dub", "tech", "rub", "bump", "deluxe" and "pusher". the latter one comes from his moniker naked music moniker "petalpusher". "bump" in miguel migs case means a counter element in the percussion right before the snare and kicks, often resulting in a sound that people in the urban music scene call "dem bow". from the rhythmics on shabba ranks' 1991 single, which was produced by bobby "digital" dixon. in modern times it's known for being the key rhytmical element in reggaeton.
the "delightful dub" takes off some of the percussion from the four on the floor groove and the result is that the bassline shines even more. in general it is more lighter but it has a more of a swing and is the kind of track that would work nice in a set because of it. i play it with more breakbeat related elements and especially uk garage but i think it was meant for more housier grooves but it works either way. it's a great piece of bump.
buy here (junodownload)
Thursday 15 November 2012
safri duo - all the people in the world (f&w remix)
the original was a song that my older sister liked at the time it was released. i think i bought the cd-single because i had heard one of the remixes and was into it. it was this one and i was quite into the epic trance at time. i liked safri duo's "episode II" album but "all the people in the world" wasn't the obvious hit for me like say "played-a-live" was and i was reluctant to it but i bought the single anyways because it had remixes.
and if it was something i loved with the safri duo songs, it was the a load of remixes that was done. i really enjoy spanish fly's lush version of "played-a-live", riva's groovy trancy take of "samb adagio", dj asle's progressive house version of "everything" and not forgetting atfc's swanky house versions of "baya baya". on this cd single the remixers included steve mac, dj isaac and their country men f&w. there was also a remix by the "copenhagen clubbers" but i'm not mourning the loss of that on my single.
steve mac's remix is something that i have tried to give a chance to many of times but it really doesn't click with me. dj isaac's take is bog ol' hardstyle and it's not the type of hardstyle that i might enjoy either and the version that resonated with me was this by lars fredriksen and søren weile or f&w. their previous track record include producing "light a rainbow" as tukan and making the immensly brutal hardcore classic "sensless" as zekt as well as making a whole load of other tracks.
the f&w sound was very synthesizer driven and it can easily be mistaken as the dutch epic sound but it's different. several of the melodies sounded like those leadlines but it was their use of ducking that could tell it apart. the kick really cuts across the cloud of buzzing resonance and there was a groove, even with the synth on synth action that dominated the soundscape.
because of all this focus on the synth you would wonder, are they using safri duo's drums & percussion? the answer is yes but they aren't audible in that way. this is why the groove is alright as the bassline and the drums work wonders with it.
now in a context of dj, i don't want to play this as much if i was playing trance. reason beings that it uses two breakdowns and i haven't gotten around to doing a re-edit that has worked out yet. also because of it's heavy synth sound makes it a nightmare to mix in midtrack and i really don't believe in mixing from the drops.
i still like this a lot though and i well recommend it.
buy here (itunes)
and if it was something i loved with the safri duo songs, it was the a load of remixes that was done. i really enjoy spanish fly's lush version of "played-a-live", riva's groovy trancy take of "samb adagio", dj asle's progressive house version of "everything" and not forgetting atfc's swanky house versions of "baya baya". on this cd single the remixers included steve mac, dj isaac and their country men f&w. there was also a remix by the "copenhagen clubbers" but i'm not mourning the loss of that on my single.
steve mac's remix is something that i have tried to give a chance to many of times but it really doesn't click with me. dj isaac's take is bog ol' hardstyle and it's not the type of hardstyle that i might enjoy either and the version that resonated with me was this by lars fredriksen and søren weile or f&w. their previous track record include producing "light a rainbow" as tukan and making the immensly brutal hardcore classic "sensless" as zekt as well as making a whole load of other tracks.
the f&w sound was very synthesizer driven and it can easily be mistaken as the dutch epic sound but it's different. several of the melodies sounded like those leadlines but it was their use of ducking that could tell it apart. the kick really cuts across the cloud of buzzing resonance and there was a groove, even with the synth on synth action that dominated the soundscape.
because of all this focus on the synth you would wonder, are they using safri duo's drums & percussion? the answer is yes but they aren't audible in that way. this is why the groove is alright as the bassline and the drums work wonders with it.
now in a context of dj, i don't want to play this as much if i was playing trance. reason beings that it uses two breakdowns and i haven't gotten around to doing a re-edit that has worked out yet. also because of it's heavy synth sound makes it a nightmare to mix in midtrack and i really don't believe in mixing from the drops.
i still like this a lot though and i well recommend it.
buy here (itunes)
jessie ware - no to love (ewan pearson's permissive society remix)
"110%" has been something that was circulating in my head for the last couple of days. reason being that i was very late on catching on to that track but i don't know what to write about it that hasn't been said already. anyhow i recently started following ware on soundcloud and remies of album track "no to love" was uploaded and since it included names such as george fitzgerald, todd edwards and ewan pearson, i was interested.
never heard the original prior to that but after hearing it to check on what the following producers had done to it, i did like it. the original is very early 90's r&b from the british perspective, countless reviews mention the words "lisa stansfield" & "soul II soul" and i can hear it. especially with the combination of her collaborator dave okumu adding a rap to the song.
fitzgeralds remix is well done and would work nicely on a dancefloor but it doesn't grab me. todd edwards version has a killer drum loop that dictate the groove and i like it a lot. i had problems with picking between pearson's interpretation and edwards' remix as they are both stellar but in the end the former won. reason being that edwards' may have the groove but pearson has the mood and the seductive build.
ewan pearson works up a slice of hypnotic techno with a rolling bassline and chorus-affected percussion. the main synth sequences are buzzing in all the right ways and the resonance sparkle when it changes keys. pearson uses the vocal bits to great use and you hear both okumu and ware's lines in repetition. as it progresses the tension really cuts through and in the breakdown it reaches as elements are dragged in delays. the result is the classic approach of cold metallic beats meets warm vocals and elements that is quite techno.
buy here (beatport)
never heard the original prior to that but after hearing it to check on what the following producers had done to it, i did like it. the original is very early 90's r&b from the british perspective, countless reviews mention the words "lisa stansfield" & "soul II soul" and i can hear it. especially with the combination of her collaborator dave okumu adding a rap to the song.
fitzgeralds remix is well done and would work nicely on a dancefloor but it doesn't grab me. todd edwards version has a killer drum loop that dictate the groove and i like it a lot. i had problems with picking between pearson's interpretation and edwards' remix as they are both stellar but in the end the former won. reason being that edwards' may have the groove but pearson has the mood and the seductive build.
ewan pearson works up a slice of hypnotic techno with a rolling bassline and chorus-affected percussion. the main synth sequences are buzzing in all the right ways and the resonance sparkle when it changes keys. pearson uses the vocal bits to great use and you hear both okumu and ware's lines in repetition. as it progresses the tension really cuts through and in the breakdown it reaches as elements are dragged in delays. the result is the classic approach of cold metallic beats meets warm vocals and elements that is quite techno.
buy here (beatport)
Wednesday 14 November 2012
alina devercerski - jag svär
what's this, another swedish pop song? that is correct and "jag svär" ("i swear") is the first of devercerski's three singles that i genuinely like outside the context of drunken shenanigans. the last comment is regards to the fact that i have danced and had a good time to her breakout single "flytta på dig" ("get out of the way") but it was annoying after a while. "ikväll skiter jag i allt" ("tonight i don't give a shit") was a clone of "flytta på dig" and a really poorly one while we are at it.
a big reason why i like this is the drums and the snares that is really cutting through. when they are given a solo, they play this roll that is sort of marching band but more machinegun. there is also the synthmelody that sounds like it's emulating an oboe that plays the right kind of sweet melancholy. deverceski's singing reminds me of avril lavigne for the lack of any less obvious reference points but i don't see it as a negative thing.
the track in general reminds me of le tigre but with more rave. it's excellent.
buy here (itunes)
a big reason why i like this is the drums and the snares that is really cutting through. when they are given a solo, they play this roll that is sort of marching band but more machinegun. there is also the synthmelody that sounds like it's emulating an oboe that plays the right kind of sweet melancholy. deverceski's singing reminds me of avril lavigne for the lack of any less obvious reference points but i don't see it as a negative thing.
the track in general reminds me of le tigre but with more rave. it's excellent.
buy here (itunes)
illuminatae - brick house (l.b.'s theme)
this one i first heard on torsten fenslau's set from german radiostation hr3's special clubnight event at the hessentag in july of 1993. a friend of mine passed the set onto me in 2006 or so and it quickly became a favourite as it was all sorts of madness. fenslau had a fired up crowd and played some of the big club hits the first half of the set and then started playing more different stuff. i discovered things like structure's "emergency", tranceformer's "be my lover", bassman / de la ray's "las palmas" and this track.
"brick house (l.b.'s theme)" is from the second illuminatae / xvx ep where the a-side is the sublime acid trancer "tempestada". the persons behind is gordon matthews and doug osbourne, or as they're more known respectively dj edge and one third of sourmash and razor's edge. part of made like this track was that it changed mood over the following six minutes.
it starts very atmospheric and there is an idea of maybe it could be a balearic piece of music but that is nixed when as the percussion kicks in. once the beat is full force it's kind standard 90's club techno and when the bassline kicks in there is a nice groove. then comes an element that is very early 90's where it goes into a section of a chunky ravey lead dominating. that doesn't stay for long and it goes back into the groove but it starts to build for the small drop near the end. those pads from the intro makes an appearance again and as the break ends it goes into beats as it's mixout section.
structurally it's very ninetees as it cuts through sections and there isn't the idea of taking time for the music as the dj knows how to play something like this. it's fun but i've had terrible experience playing it as i didn't know how to work it but that changed eventually. it's a killer track and a few years ago i would have said, i have no idea if it would ever fit the context of a modern set but given the room and it would.
listen here (youtube)
"brick house (l.b.'s theme)" is from the second illuminatae / xvx ep where the a-side is the sublime acid trancer "tempestada". the persons behind is gordon matthews and doug osbourne, or as they're more known respectively dj edge and one third of sourmash and razor's edge. part of made like this track was that it changed mood over the following six minutes.
it starts very atmospheric and there is an idea of maybe it could be a balearic piece of music but that is nixed when as the percussion kicks in. once the beat is full force it's kind standard 90's club techno and when the bassline kicks in there is a nice groove. then comes an element that is very early 90's where it goes into a section of a chunky ravey lead dominating. that doesn't stay for long and it goes back into the groove but it starts to build for the small drop near the end. those pads from the intro makes an appearance again and as the break ends it goes into beats as it's mixout section.
structurally it's very ninetees as it cuts through sections and there isn't the idea of taking time for the music as the dj knows how to play something like this. it's fun but i've had terrible experience playing it as i didn't know how to work it but that changed eventually. it's a killer track and a few years ago i would have said, i have no idea if it would ever fit the context of a modern set but given the room and it would.
listen here (youtube)
Tuesday 13 November 2012
mini reviews #14
fourteenth edition now and again one long overdue in my mind. another person that is on my mind when i was starting this but for whatever reasons it was left in the back of mind, sorry for that. he is jason c (also known as le freak) and i know him from a musicrelated forum where he's proven to be quite a character. i did not like him in the beginning but his taste in music and dj-sets have turned me over and the fact that is one of the best at being the internet douchebag you love.
he's from the great country of canadia but stems with italian roots and swears that he is the longlost brother of chilean techno dj ricardo villalobos. he's also great and marketing himself and will hand you a link to his latest or not so latest djset in a heartbeat, and chances is that you will like it. on with the selections then...
01. somfay - fricative white (from a whisper to a scream) [archipel] (2007) | soundcloud
this owes a lot to brian eno but it's brilliant. it's a masterful piece of techno,...errr not just techno, music.
02. jean leloup - je joue de la guitare [audiogram] (1998) | youtube
on the fence with this one. i really like the emotion he pours into it but otherwise it doesn't faze me.
03. tanita tikaram - twist for tanita [bootleg tago 001] (2010) | youtube
i've never liked the original. this refix doesn't change that fact.
04. unkle featuring mike d - the knock (drums of death part 2) [mo wax] (1995) | youtube
proper solid hiphop, good stuff from all parts involved. shadow's mpc fuckaround-session in the middle is insanely immense.
05. free - mr. big [island records] (1970) | youtube
that groove, it's so funky.
06. hugh masekela - mama (metro area birthday dub) [verve records] (2003) | youtube
loved this ever since i first heard verve remixed 2 back in '05.
07. omar-s - set it out [fxhe] (2003) | youtube
it's nice but i'll take midway's original any day over it.
08. cave - street carnival [ignoma] (2003) | youtube
like this quite a bit, it was seen as a "give it up" clone when it was released but it used the sergio mendes samples well.
09. icarus - round midnight [jericho] (1998) | youtube
tenaglia played this on his first global underground mix where it was pitched down, great piece of techno, prefer it slower though.
10. sista bob - charmin [pastamusik] (2003) | youtube
the way jichael mackson slices up the mancini sample is immense. the outcome is house with the herrmann's theme from psycho but on uppers.
thanks for those ten jason. and as always i asked if he wanted to anything extra about his picks and the response was:
he's from the great country of canadia but stems with italian roots and swears that he is the longlost brother of chilean techno dj ricardo villalobos. he's also great and marketing himself and will hand you a link to his latest or not so latest djset in a heartbeat, and chances is that you will like it. on with the selections then...
01. somfay - fricative white (from a whisper to a scream) [archipel] (2007) | soundcloud
this owes a lot to brian eno but it's brilliant. it's a masterful piece of techno,...errr not just techno, music.
02. jean leloup - je joue de la guitare [audiogram] (1998) | youtube
on the fence with this one. i really like the emotion he pours into it but otherwise it doesn't faze me.
03. tanita tikaram - twist for tanita [bootleg tago 001] (2010) | youtube
i've never liked the original. this refix doesn't change that fact.
04. unkle featuring mike d - the knock (drums of death part 2) [mo wax] (1995) | youtube
proper solid hiphop, good stuff from all parts involved. shadow's mpc fuckaround-session in the middle is insanely immense.
05. free - mr. big [island records] (1970) | youtube
that groove, it's so funky.
06. hugh masekela - mama (metro area birthday dub) [verve records] (2003) | youtube
loved this ever since i first heard verve remixed 2 back in '05.
07. omar-s - set it out [fxhe] (2003) | youtube
it's nice but i'll take midway's original any day over it.
08. cave - street carnival [ignoma] (2003) | youtube
like this quite a bit, it was seen as a "give it up" clone when it was released but it used the sergio mendes samples well.
09. icarus - round midnight [jericho] (1998) | youtube
tenaglia played this on his first global underground mix where it was pitched down, great piece of techno, prefer it slower though.
10. sista bob - charmin [pastamusik] (2003) | youtube
the way jichael mackson slices up the mancini sample is immense. the outcome is house with the herrmann's theme from psycho but on uppers.
thanks for those ten jason. and as always i asked if he wanted to anything extra about his picks and the response was:
if you aren't random you aren't trying. http://www.soundcloud.com/le-freak. this list would be different on different days. rhis is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for pleasure, this is for fun.right on.
age of love - the age of love (sign of the time mix)
here is another case where pointing out that the first time i heard about said song is pointless because of it's stature in trance music. for whatever reason it's heralded as one of the first trance records as it was released in 1990, but it's not and the original is more rooted with in belgian new beat & techno than trance. the original however never saw the big shine like it got in 1992 licensed off belgian label diki to uk label react and was given a new treatment by german act jam & spoon.
the original was produced by bruno sanchioni and giuseppe cherchia (aka pino d'angio). the latters role in the track has been heard quite minimally in versions after the 1990 release. cherchia delivered a rap of some sorts and the parts that has been used in other releases are this segment where he says "the age of love" in a rhythmic style. sanchioni's melodies and sounds in the two/three (depends on how you count as it's two variations on one of the mixes) are found in future versions but after jam & spoons remix they seem to work on how they used them.
i would guess as a lot of the producers making remixes after 1992 saw jam & spoon's watch out for stella remix as the defacto original and it's been regarded as that. now jam el mar and mark spoon recorded two versions of their remix of "the age of love" and the "sing of the time mix" is the least known one. i wouldn't say it's obscure as it's been on other releases and most of the kids that downloaded "the age of love" has heard it but i don't think it's the version they like.
to be honest i didn't like it either at first as it was crude and a little rawer than the "watch out for stella mix" and it was a breakbeat mix also. i would say that steve gerrard (wrecked angle)'s breakbeat remix from '02 was much better produced and also favoured by dj's such as sasha & john digweed and the likes. my good friend jyri lehtinen said it was because it's the watch out for stella remix with updated production and breaks.
part of my liking of this version and it is my favourite version of the song is because it's unorthodox in it's shape and the rawness of the production. it all starts with the big intro with the melodies & vocals that slowly build up this version. once it reaches a fever pitch jam & spoon uses the age old move of taking it down again and it works really well. when it kicks in it's a fairly decent percussive groove and the main synthsequence that greets you and then a big tr-808 kick punches in.
the clap comes in later but it doesn't really fit with the kick as the sound it's tailed with takes makes too much of a presence. the build up with the beat is equally brilliant as in the "watch out for stella mix" as highpitched acid sounds create such brilliant tension for it all to release halfway in. it's also here where the beat changes as that bassheavy tr-808 kick punches in at all four. the payoff isn't as obvious as in the main mix but it's enough to make it work in a set.
my favourite moment in the song is when it's just the kick and the choir sample and there is a great dissonance. the bass that is coming off from the lower end is clearly clashing with the choir and it's maybe done purposely but i doubt it. however it was done, it's a great remix of "the age of love"
buy here (beatport)
the original was produced by bruno sanchioni and giuseppe cherchia (aka pino d'angio). the latters role in the track has been heard quite minimally in versions after the 1990 release. cherchia delivered a rap of some sorts and the parts that has been used in other releases are this segment where he says "the age of love" in a rhythmic style. sanchioni's melodies and sounds in the two/three (depends on how you count as it's two variations on one of the mixes) are found in future versions but after jam & spoons remix they seem to work on how they used them.
i would guess as a lot of the producers making remixes after 1992 saw jam & spoon's watch out for stella remix as the defacto original and it's been regarded as that. now jam el mar and mark spoon recorded two versions of their remix of "the age of love" and the "sing of the time mix" is the least known one. i wouldn't say it's obscure as it's been on other releases and most of the kids that downloaded "the age of love" has heard it but i don't think it's the version they like.
to be honest i didn't like it either at first as it was crude and a little rawer than the "watch out for stella mix" and it was a breakbeat mix also. i would say that steve gerrard (wrecked angle)'s breakbeat remix from '02 was much better produced and also favoured by dj's such as sasha & john digweed and the likes. my good friend jyri lehtinen said it was because it's the watch out for stella remix with updated production and breaks.
part of my liking of this version and it is my favourite version of the song is because it's unorthodox in it's shape and the rawness of the production. it all starts with the big intro with the melodies & vocals that slowly build up this version. once it reaches a fever pitch jam & spoon uses the age old move of taking it down again and it works really well. when it kicks in it's a fairly decent percussive groove and the main synthsequence that greets you and then a big tr-808 kick punches in.
the clap comes in later but it doesn't really fit with the kick as the sound it's tailed with takes makes too much of a presence. the build up with the beat is equally brilliant as in the "watch out for stella mix" as highpitched acid sounds create such brilliant tension for it all to release halfway in. it's also here where the beat changes as that bassheavy tr-808 kick punches in at all four. the payoff isn't as obvious as in the main mix but it's enough to make it work in a set.
my favourite moment in the song is when it's just the kick and the choir sample and there is a great dissonance. the bass that is coming off from the lower end is clearly clashing with the choir and it's maybe done purposely but i doubt it. however it was done, it's a great remix of "the age of love"
buy here (beatport)
Monday 12 November 2012
toffer - kebabrulle
one of my earliest entries was about sexfemman's wonderful ode to the art of fika, or coffee-break as it would be known elsewhere maybe, called "punchrulle". i still to this date love that song and when i heard dj grass play a version of it on ametist azordegan's radioshow "en kärleksattack på svensk hiphop" i was intrigued.
found out quickly that it was swedish rapper toffer who went and did the version and i thought it was going to be on a future mixtape or release so i waited. it was played another time on the show and toffer kept tweeting out his variation of the hook from time to time. in toffer's version it became "till min zuttish vill ja kanelbulle, fyra/fem snickers och en kebabrulle" ("to my doobage i want a cinnamon bun, four or five snickers (bars) and a (döner) kebab roll*").
until a few weeks ago when he tweeted out a different variation of the hook with the punchline ending on "veganrulle", which is a wrap of vegetables and mushrooms. a little later there was a link to a soundcloud file from patrick arve/swedish tiger sound (also one third of teddybears sthlm). toffer spit a variation of the song on the dnb version of his wild animal ting riddim, i thought it was amazingly good as it was toffer's surefire flow on some banging amen drums.
i was going to write about that version but when i thought of doing so, the song was taken down and i asked toffer on twitter what was the deal. he responded with that it was a matter of record company business and when i asked when the regular version was to be released, he said "soon". a few days after that petter & dj sleepy's label baba recordings announced that "kebabrulle" was to be a new single. since the original "punchrulle" was produced by marcus price and released on price's slang musik label, the ability to release a version of a song like this is easier without all the legal hassle.
toffer's version of the song if an ode to the munchies that appear with smoking weed and whatnot and toffer does it really well. i enjoy his flow and his take on the song and i am loving this track, maybe not as much as the original but it's close.
buy here (itunes)
*döner kebab served in a wrap of pita bread with salad, tomatoes, sauce, garlic and fefferoni (pickled green pepper/peperoncini)
found out quickly that it was swedish rapper toffer who went and did the version and i thought it was going to be on a future mixtape or release so i waited. it was played another time on the show and toffer kept tweeting out his variation of the hook from time to time. in toffer's version it became "till min zuttish vill ja kanelbulle, fyra/fem snickers och en kebabrulle" ("to my doobage i want a cinnamon bun, four or five snickers (bars) and a (döner) kebab roll*").
until a few weeks ago when he tweeted out a different variation of the hook with the punchline ending on "veganrulle", which is a wrap of vegetables and mushrooms. a little later there was a link to a soundcloud file from patrick arve/swedish tiger sound (also one third of teddybears sthlm). toffer spit a variation of the song on the dnb version of his wild animal ting riddim, i thought it was amazingly good as it was toffer's surefire flow on some banging amen drums.
i was going to write about that version but when i thought of doing so, the song was taken down and i asked toffer on twitter what was the deal. he responded with that it was a matter of record company business and when i asked when the regular version was to be released, he said "soon". a few days after that petter & dj sleepy's label baba recordings announced that "kebabrulle" was to be a new single. since the original "punchrulle" was produced by marcus price and released on price's slang musik label, the ability to release a version of a song like this is easier without all the legal hassle.
toffer's version of the song if an ode to the munchies that appear with smoking weed and whatnot and toffer does it really well. i enjoy his flow and his take on the song and i am loving this track, maybe not as much as the original but it's close.
buy here (itunes)
*döner kebab served in a wrap of pita bread with salad, tomatoes, sauce, garlic and fefferoni (pickled green pepper/peperoncini)
sir sampalot - crack rock man
this one comes from a recently released mixtape by the good folks of teknomadix records and they wanted to keep it to the truest form of the word. an actual cassette and the a-side was produced by DØS.pütin and the b-side was produced by rikard bizzi aka skizz, sir sampalot, funkenteller, one half of stockholmssyndromet and formerly of up hygh. needless to say, i am a fan of bizzi and his mastery of beats and bass but also his rapping, lyrical abilities and also his smoky seductive singing voice.
i head the mixtape when skizz favourited the upload by teknomadix a few weeks ago and i had to have it when it was released. i enquired teknomadix on twitter if it was going to able to purchase digitally because i don't have a tapedeck but i still want to support skizz as i liked it. yeah, sure enough and i bought it yesterday and bizzi's beats and bass was blasted all day yesterday.
one of the best tracks of the whole set was this one "crack rock man", but to be really honest i could write about a number of tracks as they are all brilliant. 16:30 into the tape comes a really familiar melody and anyone who's played megaman 3 knows it as the whistle melody that plays when proto man / break man shows up. reason the the track is called crack rock man is clever wordplay as megaman was originally called rock man in the japanese release and rock or rocks is slang for crack cocaine.
bizzi replays it perfectly and sets it to his drum machines and synths and forms an awesome piece of music. the bottom end bangs hard as usual with bizzis productions and the detail in the melodic elements is perfect with more of the original song being played. i had this segment or song play on repeat for a long time when i bought the file.
more brilliance from the tape also include "bully", "phonkk", "oil slick", "c-shells by the c-shure" and his remix of keak da sneak's "cop heavy".
buy here (bandcamp)
i head the mixtape when skizz favourited the upload by teknomadix a few weeks ago and i had to have it when it was released. i enquired teknomadix on twitter if it was going to able to purchase digitally because i don't have a tapedeck but i still want to support skizz as i liked it. yeah, sure enough and i bought it yesterday and bizzi's beats and bass was blasted all day yesterday.
one of the best tracks of the whole set was this one "crack rock man", but to be really honest i could write about a number of tracks as they are all brilliant. 16:30 into the tape comes a really familiar melody and anyone who's played megaman 3 knows it as the whistle melody that plays when proto man / break man shows up. reason the the track is called crack rock man is clever wordplay as megaman was originally called rock man in the japanese release and rock or rocks is slang for crack cocaine.
bizzi replays it perfectly and sets it to his drum machines and synths and forms an awesome piece of music. the bottom end bangs hard as usual with bizzis productions and the detail in the melodic elements is perfect with more of the original song being played. i had this segment or song play on repeat for a long time when i bought the file.
more brilliance from the tape also include "bully", "phonkk", "oil slick", "c-shells by the c-shure" and his remix of keak da sneak's "cop heavy".
buy here (bandcamp)
Sunday 11 November 2012
dialect & matter - changes (produced by wizard)
i heard "changes" when dialect tweeted out the link to the youtube page a little while ago. i was interested in his tracks after hearing him battle in don't flop against double l and later impact. upon hearing it i took notice of the track and liked it since it sampled barrington levy's classic "many changes in life" and was a banging track.
after that i was interested but there was no chance to buy or download the track at the time so it fell out of my memory until i saw the don't flop title battle between oshea & tony d. don't flop head honcho cruger put the track in the intro and it mentioned that it was on wizard's latest mixtape, so i grabbed it. the mixtape also includes some nice cuts like "doolally" by lunar c & jme, "grown man shit" by rtkal, roxxxan & soniq and "silly billy" by scizzahz, nugget & depth.
both dialect and matter deliver lyrically and flow really well on top of wizard's heavy beat. this track has been on repeat in my headphones ever since i grabbed it. it's immense.
listen here (youtube)
download here (sb.tv)
after that i was interested but there was no chance to buy or download the track at the time so it fell out of my memory until i saw the don't flop title battle between oshea & tony d. don't flop head honcho cruger put the track in the intro and it mentioned that it was on wizard's latest mixtape, so i grabbed it. the mixtape also includes some nice cuts like "doolally" by lunar c & jme, "grown man shit" by rtkal, roxxxan & soniq and "silly billy" by scizzahz, nugget & depth.
both dialect and matter deliver lyrically and flow really well on top of wizard's heavy beat. this track has been on repeat in my headphones ever since i grabbed it. it's immense.
listen here (youtube)
download here (sb.tv)
Saturday 10 November 2012
dimlite - when devices off
"when devices off" comes from dimlites first album and was released on jazzanova's sonar kollektiv record label. the whole album is a mish-mash of all sorts of sounds and grooves to an extent that pidgeonholing it into one folder is pointless. but i am an expert as fitting a square peg into a round hole so i would say it's uptempo bristol music for this day and time, meaning untraditional hip-hop.
dimitri grimm (dimlite) is one of the many in the plethora of producers that takes apart what hip-hop meant 30 years ago and reconstructed into all sorts of rhythm work. if you want to draw a parallel into the jungle movement that also started out sample heavy, this kind of hip-hop is much like the drill'n'bass that richard j james, squarepusher & hrvatski would start making.
the album is constructed as an entity and i enjoy it as a whole but there is a few tracks that stand out for me and they include "when devices off". it is also quite straightforward and is built around this beat that include beatbox sounds which is almost always a big plus in my book. the beats in the beginning remind me of spleen's "bitches on the ground" and i love that track. after a minute of beats the pads and sounds that slowly fade in are now in dominance and the beatbox is out and rhythm changes into a more swinging one.
it's around this movement in the track the song becomes really interesting as the different sounds form a puzzle of with all the contrary sounds that come into play. all under this loud keyboardsequence that is really wonderful but it also eventually broken up as the sounds are at it's loudest. it's taken down to an even more off beat rhythm with with buzzing and quirky noises surrounding the kick and snare and the rhodes.
much like before it is again built up and then then broken down and all and all, it's a brilliantly produced track and a great song.
buy here (sonar kollektiv shop)
note: the sk-shop has autoplay on said selected tracks with no stop-button but the whole track can be heard
dimitri grimm (dimlite) is one of the many in the plethora of producers that takes apart what hip-hop meant 30 years ago and reconstructed into all sorts of rhythm work. if you want to draw a parallel into the jungle movement that also started out sample heavy, this kind of hip-hop is much like the drill'n'bass that richard j james, squarepusher & hrvatski would start making.
the album is constructed as an entity and i enjoy it as a whole but there is a few tracks that stand out for me and they include "when devices off". it is also quite straightforward and is built around this beat that include beatbox sounds which is almost always a big plus in my book. the beats in the beginning remind me of spleen's "bitches on the ground" and i love that track. after a minute of beats the pads and sounds that slowly fade in are now in dominance and the beatbox is out and rhythm changes into a more swinging one.
it's around this movement in the track the song becomes really interesting as the different sounds form a puzzle of with all the contrary sounds that come into play. all under this loud keyboardsequence that is really wonderful but it also eventually broken up as the sounds are at it's loudest. it's taken down to an even more off beat rhythm with with buzzing and quirky noises surrounding the kick and snare and the rhodes.
much like before it is again built up and then then broken down and all and all, it's a brilliantly produced track and a great song.
buy here (sonar kollektiv shop)
note: the sk-shop has autoplay on said selected tracks with no stop-button but the whole track can be heard
Friday 9 November 2012
looptroop rockers - fuel
now for something completely different then and it's the newest track from the looptroop rockers. i was aware that they were recording new material and it's been said that there are two albums in the making. one in english and the other one, for the first time, in swedish. "fuel" probably marks the start of the promotion work for the new albums or just something to hold on to, eitherway it's a cracking track.
it is much like when they kicked off previous album "professional dreamers" with "on repeat", a song about far right party sweden democrats entry into the parliament of sweden following the 2009 election. this one is all about oil and fires critisim against carl bildt and lundin oil, carl-henric svanberg and bp and a whole lot of targets.
"fuel" lyrically is on point and is something to expect from promoe, cosm.i.c. and supreme, especially since promoe recorded "folkmordsmiljonären" ("the genocide millionaire") last year. it was about carl bildt, lundin oil and the issues in the ogaden province and southern sudan and the capture of journalists martin schibbye & johan persson and the jailing of dawit isaak.
it was also a play on words on another single by swedish hiphop duo mohammed ali and their "postkodsmiljonär" ("area code millionaire"). which itself took the term from a lottery ordeal, but term "folkmordsmiljonär" was coined by swedish journalist leo lagercrantz but was popularised after journalist & columnist åsa linderborg quoted it. i liked "folkmordsmiljonär" but i got sick of it after a while, dj larges stripped down production is really good but promoes delivery is a bit too dreary.
"fuel" delivers in both those points with sharp delivery from the looptroop rockers and a great production from embee. the lyrics are filled with references to public enemy productions and it's no secret that they've been an influence to the fellas. embee's production is nice and dark with cracking jazz drums and eerie & dark atonal pads and sounds that emphasise the lyrics well.
great music from one of sweden's most longlasting hiphop acts and an act that hasn't compromised in their visions or music.
listen here (youtube)
download here (ltr website)
it is much like when they kicked off previous album "professional dreamers" with "on repeat", a song about far right party sweden democrats entry into the parliament of sweden following the 2009 election. this one is all about oil and fires critisim against carl bildt and lundin oil, carl-henric svanberg and bp and a whole lot of targets.
"fuel" lyrically is on point and is something to expect from promoe, cosm.i.c. and supreme, especially since promoe recorded "folkmordsmiljonären" ("the genocide millionaire") last year. it was about carl bildt, lundin oil and the issues in the ogaden province and southern sudan and the capture of journalists martin schibbye & johan persson and the jailing of dawit isaak.
it was also a play on words on another single by swedish hiphop duo mohammed ali and their "postkodsmiljonär" ("area code millionaire"). which itself took the term from a lottery ordeal, but term "folkmordsmiljonär" was coined by swedish journalist leo lagercrantz but was popularised after journalist & columnist åsa linderborg quoted it. i liked "folkmordsmiljonär" but i got sick of it after a while, dj larges stripped down production is really good but promoes delivery is a bit too dreary.
"fuel" delivers in both those points with sharp delivery from the looptroop rockers and a great production from embee. the lyrics are filled with references to public enemy productions and it's no secret that they've been an influence to the fellas. embee's production is nice and dark with cracking jazz drums and eerie & dark atonal pads and sounds that emphasise the lyrics well.
great music from one of sweden's most longlasting hiphop acts and an act that hasn't compromised in their visions or music.
listen here (youtube)
download here (ltr website)
darin - en apa som liknar dig
this song was recently debuted on the swedish tv-show "så mycket bättre", which is a version of dutch tv format "the best singers" where a number of artists are joined up to cover each other songs and whatnot. it's on the third season and includes sylvia vrethammar, miss li, maja ivarsson, magnus uggla, pugh rogerfeldt, olle ljungström & darin zanyar.
zanyar & ljungström are the ones involved in this song where former teen idol zanyar covered ljungström's 2000 single "en apa som liknar dig", off his fifth solo album. fact is this tv-show takes control of the charts from october to january much like how the circus that is the eurovision tryouts takes over from march to june. a number of songs are going to get massively big depending on what crowd and who sang it and what forces are behind it.
darin took a fairly traditional route of remaking the song for the current charts or the dancefloor and fact is that works. i can't even deny that i don't like this but it also has to do with the fact that it's borrowing heavily from another song. zanyar copied the benny benassi & chris brown collaboration "beautiful people" and performed "en apa som liknar dig" onto it.
the reason i like the song is because of that and i'm actually grateful that zanyar ripped that song because i also like that song but i can't listen to it consciously. that would be supporting chris brown after his abuse of rihanna and it's morally wrong in my book. now you can easily say: "well what about miles davis, james brown, etta james, woody allen, michael jackson, ike turner or a fuckloads other people who are rotten human beings".
my answer is that you let certain things slide if their contributions to the arts are substantial, but you do think twice about supporting newer works after convictions or recent reports and whatnot. chris brown has never been anyone that you think: "wow, that's a forwardthinking genius" so i will not let that slide at all.
but i am ok when people copy or re-do something that they make a living out of, especially if they do it better. like when lady leshurr outdid him on her version of "look at me now" or when darin zanyar makes a killer version of "beautiful people". it is playing tricks on your moral code but it works in this case.
buy here (itunes)
zanyar & ljungström are the ones involved in this song where former teen idol zanyar covered ljungström's 2000 single "en apa som liknar dig", off his fifth solo album. fact is this tv-show takes control of the charts from october to january much like how the circus that is the eurovision tryouts takes over from march to june. a number of songs are going to get massively big depending on what crowd and who sang it and what forces are behind it.
darin took a fairly traditional route of remaking the song for the current charts or the dancefloor and fact is that works. i can't even deny that i don't like this but it also has to do with the fact that it's borrowing heavily from another song. zanyar copied the benny benassi & chris brown collaboration "beautiful people" and performed "en apa som liknar dig" onto it.
the reason i like the song is because of that and i'm actually grateful that zanyar ripped that song because i also like that song but i can't listen to it consciously. that would be supporting chris brown after his abuse of rihanna and it's morally wrong in my book. now you can easily say: "well what about miles davis, james brown, etta james, woody allen, michael jackson, ike turner or a fuckloads other people who are rotten human beings".
my answer is that you let certain things slide if their contributions to the arts are substantial, but you do think twice about supporting newer works after convictions or recent reports and whatnot. chris brown has never been anyone that you think: "wow, that's a forwardthinking genius" so i will not let that slide at all.
but i am ok when people copy or re-do something that they make a living out of, especially if they do it better. like when lady leshurr outdid him on her version of "look at me now" or when darin zanyar makes a killer version of "beautiful people". it is playing tricks on your moral code but it works in this case.
buy here (itunes)
Thursday 8 November 2012
spirits - spirit inside (marshall jefferson mix)
when i saw the cd-single for "spirit inside" i had never heard of this track or project prior to it but it had versions done by cj mackintosh, bump and marshall jefferson and i saw little to reason that it would suck. i found out afterwards that it was the second single in a gospel/r&b type garage house project by damon rochefort, whom prior wrote and produced nomad's classic "devotion".
the singers involved in the project was two persons by name of beverly thomas & osmond lloyd jr. and according to discogs they haven't recording anything after this single. don't know who they are but they are really trying to sound like the winans and pull it off well. the original mix by rochefort and aron friedman is a nice garage houser with pianos, organs and a whole load of uplifting gospel type vocal.
on the remix tip the additional version hold up really well but i will focus on the marshall jefferson remix. cj mackintosh delivers a stellar chunky remix as well but i don't rate it as high as some of his other work. bump's progressive house mix is good but i wanted a little more epic thrown into the soundscape. if i may quote the signature mattsanity, i wanted a little more of that "ill ass renaissance shit".
jefferson keeps his remix quite tidy and doesn't include the organs or that famous korg m1 patch that mk and stonebridge helped popularise. it's just a tr-909 kick, some light hi-hats and tight bells and some fills that the groove consists off. jefferson lets the pianos, the strings and uplifting vocals dominate the track and it does it really well. proper nice house music.
the singers involved in the project was two persons by name of beverly thomas & osmond lloyd jr. and according to discogs they haven't recording anything after this single. don't know who they are but they are really trying to sound like the winans and pull it off well. the original mix by rochefort and aron friedman is a nice garage houser with pianos, organs and a whole load of uplifting gospel type vocal.
on the remix tip the additional version hold up really well but i will focus on the marshall jefferson remix. cj mackintosh delivers a stellar chunky remix as well but i don't rate it as high as some of his other work. bump's progressive house mix is good but i wanted a little more epic thrown into the soundscape. if i may quote the signature mattsanity, i wanted a little more of that "ill ass renaissance shit".
jefferson keeps his remix quite tidy and doesn't include the organs or that famous korg m1 patch that mk and stonebridge helped popularise. it's just a tr-909 kick, some light hi-hats and tight bells and some fills that the groove consists off. jefferson lets the pianos, the strings and uplifting vocals dominate the track and it does it really well. proper nice house music.
Wednesday 7 November 2012
delia gonzalez & gavin russom - relevee (baby ford remix)
like most people at the time i was blown away by the carl craig remix of "relevee" at first hearing of it. there was a lot of talk of craig's retroflavoured analogue synth techno and it was that four minute intro that really said: "play this as an intro, you dumbass". well in all honesty, the reason it sounded very synthy and hypnotic was because of the original which was an odessey through this one melody-sequence and it's progressions.
i bought the single which contained carl craig's remix but also an alternate version by gonzalez & russom and a remix by dfa which also was quite popular. the fourth version included was a rerub by baby ford and this is a remix that i haven't heard any substansial buzz about. reason being that it's the version that focuses on the lower end rather than the rich treble and midrange of the synthesizers.
because baby ford made it so bottom heavy was the reason i was blown away by it and it was a great experience listening to it when i was out walking. it's very hypnotic and dark but on a glance it doesn't change much at all but listening deeper you hear the subtleties. it uses gonzalez & russoms melody but plays it as a bassline and you don't notice it unless the volume is loud and can hear the portmanteau and the likes.
it's not really that suited for home listening but it's excellent piece of dark minimal techno. it goes without saying that it's night music but i would also say it's music for dreary falls or early spring mornings.
buy here (amazon)
i bought the single which contained carl craig's remix but also an alternate version by gonzalez & russom and a remix by dfa which also was quite popular. the fourth version included was a rerub by baby ford and this is a remix that i haven't heard any substansial buzz about. reason being that it's the version that focuses on the lower end rather than the rich treble and midrange of the synthesizers.
because baby ford made it so bottom heavy was the reason i was blown away by it and it was a great experience listening to it when i was out walking. it's very hypnotic and dark but on a glance it doesn't change much at all but listening deeper you hear the subtleties. it uses gonzalez & russoms melody but plays it as a bassline and you don't notice it unless the volume is loud and can hear the portmanteau and the likes.
it's not really that suited for home listening but it's excellent piece of dark minimal techno. it goes without saying that it's night music but i would also say it's music for dreary falls or early spring mornings.
buy here (amazon)
Tuesday 6 November 2012
the naima train - goodbye 5 times
the first time i heard of maria nyström or the naima train was on the 2010 edition of musikhjälpen, the swedish version of dutch program serious request. it was loopstation music and i would say that it did give me the same squeel of awesome as when i saw imogen heap perform "just for now" with loopstation. nyström has also cited that clip as a reference point as when she wanted to also try it out.
after that performance there has been a calling for nyström to get her music out as people were asking for it. by her own words it was a matter of perfectionism getting in the way of releasing something. as result her live shows became an ordeal and something to cling onto until about two months ago. she mentioned on her facebook that some music is being recorded and would be out in november.
"goodbye 5 times" was something that could be heard and bought on her bandcamp page a month ago. i liked the song but i wanted to wait to see if the b-side "strategy" was more awesome as that wasn't available at that time. hence i am writing about "goodbye 5 times" instead and it is an amazing song.
the good thing about recorded material is that you skip the point of building up the song but i can hear how this would be done in a live setting. the amazement of nyströms material wasn't just that she was doing a song by loopstation but on her voice. in normal mode it's low key and brittle but then she takes on the higher pitches and it's beautiful when takes on those notes.
i hope nothing but good things for nyström as this is an amazing song and a great first single. also the cover art by emma karlsmark elfstrand is beautiful, i'm a sucker for kaleidoscopic things like that and the way it's been layered is perfect.
buy here (itunes)
after that performance there has been a calling for nyström to get her music out as people were asking for it. by her own words it was a matter of perfectionism getting in the way of releasing something. as result her live shows became an ordeal and something to cling onto until about two months ago. she mentioned on her facebook that some music is being recorded and would be out in november.
"goodbye 5 times" was something that could be heard and bought on her bandcamp page a month ago. i liked the song but i wanted to wait to see if the b-side "strategy" was more awesome as that wasn't available at that time. hence i am writing about "goodbye 5 times" instead and it is an amazing song.
the good thing about recorded material is that you skip the point of building up the song but i can hear how this would be done in a live setting. the amazement of nyströms material wasn't just that she was doing a song by loopstation but on her voice. in normal mode it's low key and brittle but then she takes on the higher pitches and it's beautiful when takes on those notes.
i hope nothing but good things for nyström as this is an amazing song and a great first single. also the cover art by emma karlsmark elfstrand is beautiful, i'm a sucker for kaleidoscopic things like that and the way it's been layered is perfect.
buy here (itunes)
Monday 5 November 2012
losoul - open door
certain pieces of music are built on repetition and in certain type of minimalism there is an idea of how much you can push it. with certain dance music historians they have written about what dj's such as ron hardy used to do with the best sections of the tracks he was playing. the result would be a groove that is locked in for a really long time and but the crowd was feeling as tension was building. of course given with what type of sounds are coming from that groove.
"open door" proves this really well as it's one groove for eleven minutes or so and it's nothing short of awesome. with that being said, it is not actually the sound of a loop for that timespan as that is just stupid. the core is one disco-loop that is being filtered in and out along with a saxophone blare on the four. the sax sound along with the bassline always made me think that peter kremeier might have sampled a jazz loop.
however after hearing other remixes that used the groove in an unfiltered fashion i would have to say that it is a disco or funk loop but i have no slightest idea on what it is sampled. a part of me is bothered by it but the rest of me don't care a single bit about that. all that matters is that groove and the way it goes up and down and how the other elements that are brought on nicely to help in the role of building and releasing tension
part of why i like this is the reason most people like something like armand van helden's "flowerz" or kenny dixon jr. "i can kick this feeling when it hits". armand van helden says it best in the 2001 documentary "pump up the volume": "it's all about that groove. and what that groove does, makes everything else secondary". with most music historians heads, they would stem the idea behind this to james brown and the funk.
with regards to dancemusic as brown would have his band play a groove for like ten minutes, break it for a bridge or sorts and then go back into it. just listen to his live records or even the full length versions of the songs that were actually funk jams and not songs. case in point the fourteen minute version of "talkin' loud and sayin' nothing" or from parliament funkadelic where "give up the funk" becomes a fifteen minute song on stage.
it's all about the groove, don't fuck it up and i will not fuck you up. luckily losoul does a brilliant job so he is safe. not that i would ever do anything to hurt him nor does a threat like "i will not fuck you up" scare anyone. especially from someone motherfucker writing about music in a blog that no one read anyways.
buy here (junodownload)
note: for the digital release playhouse mixed up the titles for this release so the 19minute track is "ooooooo" and nothing else.
"open door" proves this really well as it's one groove for eleven minutes or so and it's nothing short of awesome. with that being said, it is not actually the sound of a loop for that timespan as that is just stupid. the core is one disco-loop that is being filtered in and out along with a saxophone blare on the four. the sax sound along with the bassline always made me think that peter kremeier might have sampled a jazz loop.
however after hearing other remixes that used the groove in an unfiltered fashion i would have to say that it is a disco or funk loop but i have no slightest idea on what it is sampled. a part of me is bothered by it but the rest of me don't care a single bit about that. all that matters is that groove and the way it goes up and down and how the other elements that are brought on nicely to help in the role of building and releasing tension
part of why i like this is the reason most people like something like armand van helden's "flowerz" or kenny dixon jr. "i can kick this feeling when it hits". armand van helden says it best in the 2001 documentary "pump up the volume": "it's all about that groove. and what that groove does, makes everything else secondary". with most music historians heads, they would stem the idea behind this to james brown and the funk.
with regards to dancemusic as brown would have his band play a groove for like ten minutes, break it for a bridge or sorts and then go back into it. just listen to his live records or even the full length versions of the songs that were actually funk jams and not songs. case in point the fourteen minute version of "talkin' loud and sayin' nothing" or from parliament funkadelic where "give up the funk" becomes a fifteen minute song on stage.
it's all about the groove, don't fuck it up and i will not fuck you up. luckily losoul does a brilliant job so he is safe. not that i would ever do anything to hurt him nor does a threat like "i will not fuck you up" scare anyone. especially from someone motherfucker writing about music in a blog that no one read anyways.
buy here (junodownload)
note: for the digital release playhouse mixed up the titles for this release so the 19minute track is "ooooooo" and nothing else.
asle presents frost - wait for me (simon & shaker remix)
first time i heard of this was in the shape of max graham's remix and then i thought it was actually a remix of the norweigan act frost. that is actually per "mental overdrive" martinsen and aggie peterson and this is from danish dj asle bjørn and featured vocalist anne k, to my defense they have similar voices but not really. anyhow, the single had jimmy gomez 6am mix and graham's remix, where the former worked as the de facto original mix.
it was released uk label oven ready and there was talk on graham's remix at the time because of it's bassline and by the time i heard about it, the single wasn't easy to purchase and i missed out. henceforth i grabbed the remix disc on t.u.s.o.m., a sublabel to d-formation's beatfreak recordings. here the version that was given top billing was simon & shakers version.
they took a more trancier route in general but still on the drummy progressive house sound that was coming out of spain at the time. it was called the iberican sound but that in general it focused more on the drums than this. there is the common contrarhythms in the remix, but i hesitant to call it tribal because they used more than one drum loop.
simon & shaker also added a tougher beat and changed the bassline into a more rhythmical one, instead of the reverbed out reese warbles or resonant saws being sidechained. the former however take shape in the midrange synth sections as pads reprise them instead. the synth hook that that is from jimmy gomez version appears in a much bigger shape as they break out a mighty fine epic trance melody that makes this work in a modern trance set as well.
after years has gone i rate simon & shaker's remix over graham's version. i mean yes, graham's version has the awesome bass but that's about it. the rest isn't that interesting. i still play simon & shakers remix with the breakdown shortened and it does wonders in a trancy set.
buy here (junodownload)
it was released uk label oven ready and there was talk on graham's remix at the time because of it's bassline and by the time i heard about it, the single wasn't easy to purchase and i missed out. henceforth i grabbed the remix disc on t.u.s.o.m., a sublabel to d-formation's beatfreak recordings. here the version that was given top billing was simon & shakers version.
they took a more trancier route in general but still on the drummy progressive house sound that was coming out of spain at the time. it was called the iberican sound but that in general it focused more on the drums than this. there is the common contrarhythms in the remix, but i hesitant to call it tribal because they used more than one drum loop.
simon & shaker also added a tougher beat and changed the bassline into a more rhythmical one, instead of the reverbed out reese warbles or resonant saws being sidechained. the former however take shape in the midrange synth sections as pads reprise them instead. the synth hook that that is from jimmy gomez version appears in a much bigger shape as they break out a mighty fine epic trance melody that makes this work in a modern trance set as well.
after years has gone i rate simon & shaker's remix over graham's version. i mean yes, graham's version has the awesome bass but that's about it. the rest isn't that interesting. i still play simon & shakers remix with the breakdown shortened and it does wonders in a trancy set.
buy here (junodownload)
Sunday 4 November 2012
lill lindfors - tåget rusar fram
second entry about madame lill lindfors and again it's a version of another song, in this case it is the doobie brothers' "long train runnin'" from 1973. it's from an lp called "kom igen!" that was released the same year and consists of mainly covers and versions. i bought it because it holds the swedish version of "killing me softly with his song". i am well aware that there is a few swedish hiphop samples on it, although none of which i care about since i don't like those tracks.
just like the cover of "feel like makin' love", this song was done in collaboration with björn j:son lindh and anders burman. what makes "tåget rusar fram" as good as the original is the funk and lindfors strong sense of rhythm. seeing as it was released on swedish metronome records and recorded in their studios, i would think that the strong stable of musicians are playing on the records. it doesn't actually give out information unlike on "fritt fram" but i can hear the drumming of ola brunkert, the guitar of janne schaffer and the bass of janne bergman amongst others.
this is yet again why this records holds such high quality and why i love it
buy here (itunes)
just like the cover of "feel like makin' love", this song was done in collaboration with björn j:son lindh and anders burman. what makes "tåget rusar fram" as good as the original is the funk and lindfors strong sense of rhythm. seeing as it was released on swedish metronome records and recorded in their studios, i would think that the strong stable of musicians are playing on the records. it doesn't actually give out information unlike on "fritt fram" but i can hear the drumming of ola brunkert, the guitar of janne schaffer and the bass of janne bergman amongst others.
this is yet again why this records holds such high quality and why i love it
buy here (itunes)
Saturday 3 November 2012
dani siciliano - think twice
chances are that most may have heard of dani siciliano through her many collaborations with her husband matthew herbert or her twisted jazz cover of nirvana's "come as you are". for me that is a positive on both and i really like her productions and vocal style. her voice also reminds me off roisín murphy which is a big plus on any level.
this track comes from her second album, which unlike her first solo album wasn't a full collaboration with herbert but mere aided. reason i bring up herbert's name is that his type of sounds and aesthetics within the making of the music is shining brightly. however it's not a negative thing and with the rest of her album, i can hear that siciliano may have been influenced but knows how to handle sounds herself and is brilliant at it.
i've read an piece that pitchfork did about siciliano and georgia ann muldrow about their respective albums and such. one of the sources was from the official album interview done by the record label studio !k7. she explained the concept of album title "slappers" which is a negative term for women but she wanted to turn it around.
sicilano said in the video that "yes it's about women. no, it's not a feminist album" and much like pitchforks remarks, i don't believe the latter statement for a single bit. the albums lyrical content is dripping of strong feminist ideas even though it's played very subtle and i love it. the fact that she is doing mostly herself is also a subtle but powerful statement but i think she doesn't want to play up the idea but instead, those in the now will understand and the rest won't probably listen to it.
not because of it's lyrical ideas or such but the fact that the music that dani siciliano or herbert, of the accidental records roster for that matter isn't that accessible. even though i would say that it's really easy to get into considering the off-putting sounds coming from other directions that is eaten up by a mainstream crowd.
that being said, let's talk about "think twice" then. this song is one of my favourites the album but i could really pick any track from it and go on and on about it. "think twice" grabs you with a damn catchy and funky bassline and i would say that this bears a slight influence from p-funk and the likes. even though the drums are more of a combination of swing and rock and roll the bent keyboard sounds and the bootsy collins like bass is funk.
as per usual with siciliano and herbert, you get a whole array of sounds into the spectrum. everything for small jittery parts to swirling melodic glimmerings and some that will cut through with their presence, even when it gets really busy at times. being that the lyrical topic at hand is about thoughts within a relationship, there is a great level of subtle anger and frustration in her singing. i quite like how she manages to convey the message of "we could have been something, but you really fucked it up" in a great way.
buy here (itunes)
this track comes from her second album, which unlike her first solo album wasn't a full collaboration with herbert but mere aided. reason i bring up herbert's name is that his type of sounds and aesthetics within the making of the music is shining brightly. however it's not a negative thing and with the rest of her album, i can hear that siciliano may have been influenced but knows how to handle sounds herself and is brilliant at it.
i've read an piece that pitchfork did about siciliano and georgia ann muldrow about their respective albums and such. one of the sources was from the official album interview done by the record label studio !k7. she explained the concept of album title "slappers" which is a negative term for women but she wanted to turn it around.
sicilano said in the video that "yes it's about women. no, it's not a feminist album" and much like pitchforks remarks, i don't believe the latter statement for a single bit. the albums lyrical content is dripping of strong feminist ideas even though it's played very subtle and i love it. the fact that she is doing mostly herself is also a subtle but powerful statement but i think she doesn't want to play up the idea but instead, those in the now will understand and the rest won't probably listen to it.
not because of it's lyrical ideas or such but the fact that the music that dani siciliano or herbert, of the accidental records roster for that matter isn't that accessible. even though i would say that it's really easy to get into considering the off-putting sounds coming from other directions that is eaten up by a mainstream crowd.
that being said, let's talk about "think twice" then. this song is one of my favourites the album but i could really pick any track from it and go on and on about it. "think twice" grabs you with a damn catchy and funky bassline and i would say that this bears a slight influence from p-funk and the likes. even though the drums are more of a combination of swing and rock and roll the bent keyboard sounds and the bootsy collins like bass is funk.
as per usual with siciliano and herbert, you get a whole array of sounds into the spectrum. everything for small jittery parts to swirling melodic glimmerings and some that will cut through with their presence, even when it gets really busy at times. being that the lyrical topic at hand is about thoughts within a relationship, there is a great level of subtle anger and frustration in her singing. i quite like how she manages to convey the message of "we could have been something, but you really fucked it up" in a great way.
buy here (itunes)
rachid taha - non non non (system 7 remix)
a few years ago i was looking the remix catalogue for system 7 after being very much into their versions of ozric tentacles' "sunhair" and joujouka's "aoki uro". this item stood out because of the stature of taha as an raï artist and system 7 as an electronic music act which at this this time was mainly doing psytrance. however when looking deeper it wasn't that random really.
the producer of "non non non" was steve hillage of system 7 and gong and has been a collaborator of taha ever since the mid 80's. taha is one of the raï artists that wanted to make different type of raï music and mix in rock music and other elements from "western music". this kind of thing isn't anything new as some artists that operate in a local music genre want to do something else than just the regular.
as far as raï artists go, taha isn't the first one to make something more directed towards paris and london than algiers. one of the biggest stars of the genre, khaled (or cheb khaled as he was known as first) made his crossover breakthrough when collaborating with don was. that resulted in hits such as "n'ssi n'ssi", "didi" and later on "aisha".
but it doesn't stop there, former married couple fadela & sahraoui scored a fluke hit in '87 with "n'sil fik" which used drum machines and the likes. that record has been heard in uses of sampling as cheb sahraoui's chant in the beginning has been employed by coldcut, lennie de ice and bomb the bass amongst others. now with this blatant attempt at crossover appeal, you could take it even further in '77 when libyan singer ahmad fakroun made disco records on the request of his manager. one of which was recut and extended by french dj & producer prince language back in '07 which spawned some new interest in fakrouns music.
basically, it isn't anything new that you hear traits of so called exotic music in some music that is mainly dominated by a core of fairly traditional homogeneous sounds (to it's genres). but it is always interesting when the person from the other side of the fence is doing. it's no secret that goa & psy-trance employs all sorts of chants, sounds and imagery raided from all parts of the globe.
somehow i like to think it is part of the post-hippie pseudo-spiritualism that psychedelic trance wants to employ. with that include melodies that use musical scales from traditionally arabic or hindu regions, i believe in musical terms it's called the aeolian scale and has to do with the halftones and quatertones used. now we have done all that sidetrack, which is why no one really cares about this blog as most of the time it's superfluous text which you can piece together with wikipedia and discogs, so let's get down to this track.
"non non non" comes from an album that sounds nothing like it, it's a psy-trance song in proper system 7 style, it reminds me also a bit of ben watkins style at the time. lyrically it's a protest song and social commentary on the arabic immigrants in france. it's kind of interesting in this case as it's very much of what acts like fun-da-mental were doing in the 90's as well but on different kind of beats.
for the remix steve hillage didn't really do any changes, beyond taking most of the vocals sans the "non non non" chant that appears sporadically. it's more of a case of extending the track and letting musical elements take their time pushing frequencies in the soundscape. it's all built on a firm base of a four on the floor tribal groove with a typical goa-esque bassline which later is strengthened with acid squelches and the all the trimmings.
the track kicks off fast and then builds a bit for a small peak before taking it down and this time the actually builds proper. the acidline that appear prominent in each bar builds so much tension that used properly this goes off hard in a set. anyone who likes this should seek out more of system 7's works, it's well recommended
the producer of "non non non" was steve hillage of system 7 and gong and has been a collaborator of taha ever since the mid 80's. taha is one of the raï artists that wanted to make different type of raï music and mix in rock music and other elements from "western music". this kind of thing isn't anything new as some artists that operate in a local music genre want to do something else than just the regular.
as far as raï artists go, taha isn't the first one to make something more directed towards paris and london than algiers. one of the biggest stars of the genre, khaled (or cheb khaled as he was known as first) made his crossover breakthrough when collaborating with don was. that resulted in hits such as "n'ssi n'ssi", "didi" and later on "aisha".
but it doesn't stop there, former married couple fadela & sahraoui scored a fluke hit in '87 with "n'sil fik" which used drum machines and the likes. that record has been heard in uses of sampling as cheb sahraoui's chant in the beginning has been employed by coldcut, lennie de ice and bomb the bass amongst others. now with this blatant attempt at crossover appeal, you could take it even further in '77 when libyan singer ahmad fakroun made disco records on the request of his manager. one of which was recut and extended by french dj & producer prince language back in '07 which spawned some new interest in fakrouns music.
basically, it isn't anything new that you hear traits of so called exotic music in some music that is mainly dominated by a core of fairly traditional homogeneous sounds (to it's genres). but it is always interesting when the person from the other side of the fence is doing. it's no secret that goa & psy-trance employs all sorts of chants, sounds and imagery raided from all parts of the globe.
somehow i like to think it is part of the post-hippie pseudo-spiritualism that psychedelic trance wants to employ. with that include melodies that use musical scales from traditionally arabic or hindu regions, i believe in musical terms it's called the aeolian scale and has to do with the halftones and quatertones used. now we have done all that sidetrack, which is why no one really cares about this blog as most of the time it's superfluous text which you can piece together with wikipedia and discogs, so let's get down to this track.
"non non non" comes from an album that sounds nothing like it, it's a psy-trance song in proper system 7 style, it reminds me also a bit of ben watkins style at the time. lyrically it's a protest song and social commentary on the arabic immigrants in france. it's kind of interesting in this case as it's very much of what acts like fun-da-mental were doing in the 90's as well but on different kind of beats.
for the remix steve hillage didn't really do any changes, beyond taking most of the vocals sans the "non non non" chant that appears sporadically. it's more of a case of extending the track and letting musical elements take their time pushing frequencies in the soundscape. it's all built on a firm base of a four on the floor tribal groove with a typical goa-esque bassline which later is strengthened with acid squelches and the all the trimmings.
the track kicks off fast and then builds a bit for a small peak before taking it down and this time the actually builds proper. the acidline that appear prominent in each bar builds so much tension that used properly this goes off hard in a set. anyone who likes this should seek out more of system 7's works, it's well recommended
Friday 2 November 2012
angel haze - cleaning out my closet
when i was thinking of what to write about, i've had in mind to do another entry on lady leshurr as she's one of my favourite emcees currently. then i heard angel haze's "new york" again and i was sure to drop my word about that. i'm late on the angel haze train but after hearing her last mixtape but i am a fan now.
she dropped a mixtape recently and people have been bugging out about her take on eminem's "cleaning out my closet" and so have i. henceforth i couldn't write about about "new york" or leshurr's "upset" from the "l yeah!" mixtape but i really like that tune. every other song seemed irrelevant to this track at the moment, even other really strong songs such as säkert's "allt som är ditt" or billie holiday's "i'm left alone".
on eminem's original the topic at hand is airing out things that happened in the past and so does angel haze only her story is something else then marshall mathers. haze tells a really graphic and souldraining story about when she was sexually molested by a relative when she was very young. the level of detail gets you into her state of mind and when you hear the whole track, you are disgusted with all of humanity.
no person deserve to ever be abused, wether it's sexually or physically or mentally but you need to hear strong testimonials like this to remind yourself that some people have real problems. chances are that you will be disgusted with yourself after hearing this song, but you do want to hear it again. to analyze what haze is saying in deep accounts and to hear brilliance.
listen here (soundcloud)
she dropped a mixtape recently and people have been bugging out about her take on eminem's "cleaning out my closet" and so have i. henceforth i couldn't write about about "new york" or leshurr's "upset" from the "l yeah!" mixtape but i really like that tune. every other song seemed irrelevant to this track at the moment, even other really strong songs such as säkert's "allt som är ditt" or billie holiday's "i'm left alone".
on eminem's original the topic at hand is airing out things that happened in the past and so does angel haze only her story is something else then marshall mathers. haze tells a really graphic and souldraining story about when she was sexually molested by a relative when she was very young. the level of detail gets you into her state of mind and when you hear the whole track, you are disgusted with all of humanity.
no person deserve to ever be abused, wether it's sexually or physically or mentally but you need to hear strong testimonials like this to remind yourself that some people have real problems. chances are that you will be disgusted with yourself after hearing this song, but you do want to hear it again. to analyze what haze is saying in deep accounts and to hear brilliance.
listen here (soundcloud)
Thursday 1 November 2012
bass clef - so cruel
first time i heard "so cruel" was in a set by german dj da tilt and it was a track that i piqued my interest instantly. first of all it is a great production and the bassline is of massive proportions, it really hits in the deep frequencies and every bottom end punch is a delight. secondly was because it samples the sugababes' "round round", which is a favourite song of mine.
the bassline shows it presence immediately but it stays in the deep end unlike the current trends of bass music. what fascinates me is how ralph cumbers (aka bass clef) manages make the kick which is also of a deep character stand out with the massive bass surrounding it. the kick really cuts across and each subby assault hits with double the strength as bass and kick strikes with great force.
on the top there is a more quainter keyboard parts and of course various vocal samples from "round round". the keyboard parts include something that sounds like a staccato tb303 without the wiggle makes an appearence first and then a very resonant phased pad comes after that. after the phasing is removed the same pad is heard in halftime on the tail end but with more twinkle.
i also liked how he worked the vocal samples as he took it from the breakdown from the original. he played repeated form but with some chops and edits and works musically with the track. this is something that is a problem in some tracks when using large vocal samples and having them dominate when the rest of the music is uninteresting. cumbers takes another part from the original and works it as a bridge and it plays naturally as the music is reacting to it.
buy here (junodownload)
the bassline shows it presence immediately but it stays in the deep end unlike the current trends of bass music. what fascinates me is how ralph cumbers (aka bass clef) manages make the kick which is also of a deep character stand out with the massive bass surrounding it. the kick really cuts across and each subby assault hits with double the strength as bass and kick strikes with great force.
on the top there is a more quainter keyboard parts and of course various vocal samples from "round round". the keyboard parts include something that sounds like a staccato tb303 without the wiggle makes an appearence first and then a very resonant phased pad comes after that. after the phasing is removed the same pad is heard in halftime on the tail end but with more twinkle.
i also liked how he worked the vocal samples as he took it from the breakdown from the original. he played repeated form but with some chops and edits and works musically with the track. this is something that is a problem in some tracks when using large vocal samples and having them dominate when the rest of the music is uninteresting. cumbers takes another part from the original and works it as a bridge and it plays naturally as the music is reacting to it.
buy here (junodownload)
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