there is an infamous video that's been circulating on the intarwebs since it was resurrected a few years ago with cutty ranks performing in jamaica back in 1986. i thought cutty was improvising and deejaying from the top of his head but i later found out that he was doing a variation of his debut single "gunman lyrics".
this song has been done as a "cleaner" (?) version as "fishman lyrics" or "insect lyrics" as he calls it the first run on the video. it's all good but it took me a while to enjoy "gunman lyrics"/"fishman lyrics" on the original "things and time" riddim since selector ansill cuts up the sleng teng riddim in a way that's just awesome.
it also had to do cutty ranks really goes in for it and that constipation face and ants in the pants dance brings the overall experience to a whole different level. i know i'm probably the umpteenth person to write about this one but i don't care. every one has to see this video, hear this song and so and so on.
buy here (7digital)
also, part of the performance as seen on the video can be found as "intro: live at skateland (1986)" from the same compilation you can get "gunman lyrics", "limb by limb", "a who seh me dun" (known to most as the "six million way to die, choose on" tune) and all his other classics
buy here (7digital)
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Friday, 24 February 2012
soso - who's gonna love me (el-b remix)
this one i heard on national radio and my interest was peeped on the get-go, i didn't know who it was but i heard the start and those drums and synth stabs said, "don't turn this off". i found out afterwards that it was an el-b remix of new sophia somajo project "soso" and it all made sense.
well not about sophia somajo (but i do like her), it was el-b and i should have spotted that from the start. it has his touch all the way with the tight drums and choppy vocals and of course fierce bass. el-b made two versions and for his ghost remix he went a bit darker and with louder bass but for this one it's the kind of garage that el-b made a name for himself.
it's sort of throwback and that's partly the charm but i do also think that i'd rather hear the ghost mix in a club as it's atmosphere and sounds would sound proper. but for listening on my own or in sets, i'd work the el-b mix
buy here (beatport)
well not about sophia somajo (but i do like her), it was el-b and i should have spotted that from the start. it has his touch all the way with the tight drums and choppy vocals and of course fierce bass. el-b made two versions and for his ghost remix he went a bit darker and with louder bass but for this one it's the kind of garage that el-b made a name for himself.
it's sort of throwback and that's partly the charm but i do also think that i'd rather hear the ghost mix in a club as it's atmosphere and sounds would sound proper. but for listening on my own or in sets, i'd work the el-b mix
buy here (beatport)
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
weeping willows - falling (masse remix)
i've already talked about the original song, the spatio kass remixes and probably this remix as well on the intarwebs. it's a great song and i bought the cd-single a long while ago in '02 or '03 and have been loving it since then.
i was reminded of it when it was a big focus on the salazar brothers the last couple of days, or last week even now that they have won awards and been highlighted for their quality production etc etc. swedish hiphop's own archivist claes uggla aka majestic flow was talking about some rarities, remixes and such in his twitter and he mentioned a remix of another song and that triggered me to dig up this track again.
the original had a gary numan and/or martyn ware kind of thing to it and masse's version flipped it into a completely different scene. magnus carlsons vocals are set to a rhythm consisting of a cutup piano rhythm, a sleeker bassline and some crisp drums. the end result is a great version of a great song, the way it should be.
listen here (grooveshark)
i was reminded of it when it was a big focus on the salazar brothers the last couple of days, or last week even now that they have won awards and been highlighted for their quality production etc etc. swedish hiphop's own archivist claes uggla aka majestic flow was talking about some rarities, remixes and such in his twitter and he mentioned a remix of another song and that triggered me to dig up this track again.
the original had a gary numan and/or martyn ware kind of thing to it and masse's version flipped it into a completely different scene. magnus carlsons vocals are set to a rhythm consisting of a cutup piano rhythm, a sleeker bassline and some crisp drums. the end result is a great version of a great song, the way it should be.
listen here (grooveshark)
Monday, 20 February 2012
linn & freddie - be thankful for what you got
i found about this one by checking out freddie cruger's own blog and noticed that he posted a new song on his soundcloud. he posted the song well over a month ago though and i didn't notice it until two weeks ago. i had a hunch from the title that it was going to be a take on william devaughn's classic and it was.
but don't expect freddie cruger to do a straightforward cover and his take on it is in a reggae slant and it's sort of a recreated mashup. the foundation is a nod to soul brothers' "free soul" and that is known to most as being sampled for lily allen's "smile". it employs that rocksteady groove and on top cruger's long time collaborator linn segolson is singing in a nice and lazy way.
massive attack also did a cover of this song in the early 90's and when i first hear linn & freddie's take on "be thankful" i thought they did something that was more massive attack than massive attack themselves.
it's currently on freddie cruger's soundcloud but i believe it's forthcoming in a near future, if i believe what i read on twitter, on gamm.
listen here (soundcloud)
but don't expect freddie cruger to do a straightforward cover and his take on it is in a reggae slant and it's sort of a recreated mashup. the foundation is a nod to soul brothers' "free soul" and that is known to most as being sampled for lily allen's "smile". it employs that rocksteady groove and on top cruger's long time collaborator linn segolson is singing in a nice and lazy way.
massive attack also did a cover of this song in the early 90's and when i first hear linn & freddie's take on "be thankful" i thought they did something that was more massive attack than massive attack themselves.
it's currently on freddie cruger's soundcloud but i believe it's forthcoming in a near future, if i believe what i read on twitter, on gamm.
listen here (soundcloud)
Saturday, 18 February 2012
rnd - transform II
a few months or so i went to peruse one of the charity-shops in the greater stockholm region, it's a store that i've found very good stuff over the last year. this time i found a number of things but one of them being the ohm records label cd compilation.
ohm was one of the first swedish dancemusic labels and it had a little run before other stockholm labels such as planet rhythm, loop and later drumcode, h productions and svek became the more prolific ones. this compilation is valuable to the heads and i think the vinyl issue changes hands for fifty quids.
the compilation has a number of leiner productions, a few cari lekebusch ones and tracks from some other obscure producers. i was happy to find it because it includes the almost the full selftitled robert leiner/source ep. it's missing the the track "random input" but to be honest that track is rubbish anyways. but it does include "levitation" and owning it on a physical format is blissful.
overall some of the tracks have not dated well an they don't work in any way with the music i play in any way but some are useful such as source's "levitation", andromatic's "pure energy", trauma's "coming up good", cerebus' "nechromancer" and then "transform II" from fredrik almquist aka rnd.
i've got to be honest that i'm not that familiar with almquist's backcatalogue but i do know that was a key player in the swedish techno scene but he didn't become the name that adam beyer, cari lekebusch and joel mull did, then again so didn't leiner but he had glory days before being forgotten by a whole generation.
"tranform II" is an electro track and it has the robotic and metallic elements that i love. it also has some key sounds that's in line with the kind of trance or techno influenced electro that was being made in europe after the 80's. after hearing this i did try to find any other of the tracks that almquist made during this period and i found that it did sound like them.
the closest one would be the rnd remix of cyro lab's (that's another almquist moniker) "robotopia" but that is only electro during the intro and then it goes into the trancy sounds that he was making at the time. but aurally it's all there only the trancy/techno productions where a little fuller in it's 4/4 groove.
the thing i like about "transform II" is that it does go on the subtle side and the melodic aspects are in line with the sound and there is no cliché except for how the vocal sample is worked. i also love the bubbly sounds coming through in the second half and especially the filtered not-acid line that's there in the background.
ohm was one of the first swedish dancemusic labels and it had a little run before other stockholm labels such as planet rhythm, loop and later drumcode, h productions and svek became the more prolific ones. this compilation is valuable to the heads and i think the vinyl issue changes hands for fifty quids.
the compilation has a number of leiner productions, a few cari lekebusch ones and tracks from some other obscure producers. i was happy to find it because it includes the almost the full selftitled robert leiner/source ep. it's missing the the track "random input" but to be honest that track is rubbish anyways. but it does include "levitation" and owning it on a physical format is blissful.
overall some of the tracks have not dated well an they don't work in any way with the music i play in any way but some are useful such as source's "levitation", andromatic's "pure energy", trauma's "coming up good", cerebus' "nechromancer" and then "transform II" from fredrik almquist aka rnd.
i've got to be honest that i'm not that familiar with almquist's backcatalogue but i do know that was a key player in the swedish techno scene but he didn't become the name that adam beyer, cari lekebusch and joel mull did, then again so didn't leiner but he had glory days before being forgotten by a whole generation.
"tranform II" is an electro track and it has the robotic and metallic elements that i love. it also has some key sounds that's in line with the kind of trance or techno influenced electro that was being made in europe after the 80's. after hearing this i did try to find any other of the tracks that almquist made during this period and i found that it did sound like them.
the closest one would be the rnd remix of cyro lab's (that's another almquist moniker) "robotopia" but that is only electro during the intro and then it goes into the trancy sounds that he was making at the time. but aurally it's all there only the trancy/techno productions where a little fuller in it's 4/4 groove.
the thing i like about "transform II" is that it does go on the subtle side and the melodic aspects are in line with the sound and there is no cliché except for how the vocal sample is worked. i also love the bubbly sounds coming through in the second half and especially the filtered not-acid line that's there in the background.
Friday, 17 February 2012
david alvarado - the day
i have a certain tendancy to buy some music and then listening to it a few times, like it and forget about it until i go through my collection again. this track comes from one those records, alvarado's 2004 album "transfiguration". i know i bought the album for "luna" or "sol" but when i went through this album again, it was this track that had me repeating it a few times.
"the day" is aurally much in line with the rest of the record, it employs heavy atmosphere and there a hefty dose of dub influences in the mix. most of the longer tracks on the album are four on the floor and the shorter three minute tracks are with breakbeats and so is this one.
this track is a little longer than that (only two minutes though) and is a sort of deeper dubby house meets electro thing. it's the kind of modern electro that i love but to be honest, i have a dear fondness for anything electro (that is the real mccoy mind you, with be breakbeats, not 4x4 drums).
alvarado knows his grooves and this is no exception, the only thing i'm missing a more firmer bassline but it has a great bottom end in general. the soundscapes are deep and sounds are darting in and out in a dub fashion. the synthline that comes in halfway through with it's piercing resonant sound is near shivering. he follows it up with a round twinkling sound to slowly walk along till the break where it brings back the sampled dialogue from the intro.
this track is well recommended but so is most tracks off this album, "raindance" and "but why" are however too short of their own good. they are immense and would be a little better with a more flesh like this one.
buy here (junodownload)
"the day" is aurally much in line with the rest of the record, it employs heavy atmosphere and there a hefty dose of dub influences in the mix. most of the longer tracks on the album are four on the floor and the shorter three minute tracks are with breakbeats and so is this one.
this track is a little longer than that (only two minutes though) and is a sort of deeper dubby house meets electro thing. it's the kind of modern electro that i love but to be honest, i have a dear fondness for anything electro (that is the real mccoy mind you, with be breakbeats, not 4x4 drums).
alvarado knows his grooves and this is no exception, the only thing i'm missing a more firmer bassline but it has a great bottom end in general. the soundscapes are deep and sounds are darting in and out in a dub fashion. the synthline that comes in halfway through with it's piercing resonant sound is near shivering. he follows it up with a round twinkling sound to slowly walk along till the break where it brings back the sampled dialogue from the intro.
this track is well recommended but so is most tracks off this album, "raindance" and "but why" are however too short of their own good. they are immense and would be a little better with a more flesh like this one.
buy here (junodownload)
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
paul keeley - slick & slim (dennis desantis remix)
this one i discovered when i was getting into netlabels and you quickly found that thinner kept releasing quality stuff. i found the transatlantic nightclub ep (where this comes from) on a few years after it was released but it was gold and i've been working a number of tunes from the release in sets over the years.
right from the get go i was more interested in keeley's two originals from this ep but desantis' efforts grew on me. this remix of "slick & slim" kept the vibe of the original but set it up differently. the original is a sombre affair with a very prominant saxophone, courtesy of andrew spence.
desantis' version is built on the groove and locks it down strong and then introduces the sax on the latter half of the song. the sax is chopped up a bit to fit the deep funk coming from desantis' own groove. i know saxophones with house music is a real divider since it comes of tacky or fake but this really nails it.
the track also has a structure where it's more or less building the whole five minutes and then when it's climaxed it ends and i would lie if i said that that sort of songstructure hasn't given me troubles since have to remember which tracks go really well with it or use filler/bridges, in mid-set that is.
but it's all worth it i say, the track is killer and it's compact and doesn't fuddle around in one bit. well recommended.
listen here (soundcloud)
right from the get go i was more interested in keeley's two originals from this ep but desantis' efforts grew on me. this remix of "slick & slim" kept the vibe of the original but set it up differently. the original is a sombre affair with a very prominant saxophone, courtesy of andrew spence.
desantis' version is built on the groove and locks it down strong and then introduces the sax on the latter half of the song. the sax is chopped up a bit to fit the deep funk coming from desantis' own groove. i know saxophones with house music is a real divider since it comes of tacky or fake but this really nails it.
the track also has a structure where it's more or less building the whole five minutes and then when it's climaxed it ends and i would lie if i said that that sort of songstructure hasn't given me troubles since have to remember which tracks go really well with it or use filler/bridges, in mid-set that is.
but it's all worth it i say, the track is killer and it's compact and doesn't fuddle around in one bit. well recommended.
listen here (soundcloud)
Thursday, 9 February 2012
joi - cravin' (piano dub)
this one i got acquainted with through the intarwebs i believe, i didn't know who joi was nor this song but i was given a heads up somewhere that it was a really deep house track with killer piano work. a little while after i found out that it was joe claussell behind the remix and everything made sense.
the original is a japanese sort of lounge and sort of m.o.r. ballad but it's a great track and the track came out in '00. a few years after joe claussell got his hands on it and did what almost only he can do, create beautiful music. he utilised the best parts of the original and reshaped it into a lenthy deep house gem filled with atmosphere, great musical features and all the usual trimmings.
his original remix does the song justice and then goes into an piano session which is also in line with the structure of original, but it goes on for longer. then it does go back to the original song but that middle piano part is the highlight of this track. so for the piano dub claussell strips it all down and focuses on those ivories.
the one playing the keys is brian mitchell and he's one of the musicians that claussell hires on a usual basis and listening to this, you can hear why. he keeps within the motif of the original but does some wonderful improv work going through chords and passages.
now to be fair the kind of romantic piano work that goes on this track doesn't resonate with some people. the same way saxophones or flutes doesn't resonate well with others either. what's delightful in someone's ear can be schmaltz to someone else. it's the curse of smooth jazz in the end, wonderful idea but it has been horribly executed by a lot of people.
this is something that if it didn't have that element of bite in the bottom end and a solid foundation would be the equivalent of kenny g's "songbird". thankfully claussell knows his craft well and can knock out an awesome tune like this. well recommended.
buy here (djtunes)
the original is a japanese sort of lounge and sort of m.o.r. ballad but it's a great track and the track came out in '00. a few years after joe claussell got his hands on it and did what almost only he can do, create beautiful music. he utilised the best parts of the original and reshaped it into a lenthy deep house gem filled with atmosphere, great musical features and all the usual trimmings.
his original remix does the song justice and then goes into an piano session which is also in line with the structure of original, but it goes on for longer. then it does go back to the original song but that middle piano part is the highlight of this track. so for the piano dub claussell strips it all down and focuses on those ivories.
the one playing the keys is brian mitchell and he's one of the musicians that claussell hires on a usual basis and listening to this, you can hear why. he keeps within the motif of the original but does some wonderful improv work going through chords and passages.
now to be fair the kind of romantic piano work that goes on this track doesn't resonate with some people. the same way saxophones or flutes doesn't resonate well with others either. what's delightful in someone's ear can be schmaltz to someone else. it's the curse of smooth jazz in the end, wonderful idea but it has been horribly executed by a lot of people.
this is something that if it didn't have that element of bite in the bottom end and a solid foundation would be the equivalent of kenny g's "songbird". thankfully claussell knows his craft well and can knock out an awesome tune like this. well recommended.
buy here (djtunes)
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
gerd - in love with you (feat. ernesto)
this one i came across when i was looking for more jonathan bäckelie tracks a few years ago, i've established that i am a fan of his vocal work and i tend to enjoy most of the tracks he produces/colloborates on. the person he collaborates with on this is no other than dutch techno legend gert-jan bijl/gerd.
this track is from gerd's second album and it's a very good r&b song in the style of babyface's productions. it's groundwork is a great bassline, some snappy drums and of course keys, pads and strings. but it's all low-key and i like it like that. if anyone read my entry about miguel & j.cole's "all i want is you", this description doesn't come as a shock.
the track stays grounded and so does jonathan until the last part where bäckelie unleashes a sort of frustration that's powerful. this whole modus operandi is typical late 80's/early 90's r&b and i really like how the track unfolds.
buy here (junodownload)
but there is something weird of introducing gerd as a techno producer and then talking about an r&b song. for anyone that knows gerd's productions after the millenium it's established that he's shifted sound towards more soulful sound. before he was known for the techno, in particular the mid 90's techno that was coming out of holland that was not quite tech-house, not quite techno and not quite trance.
so i think it was a sort of an electric dylan moment, the same that happened to john beltran when he left his detroit techno and started making latin house, when gerd turned out an album in 2001 that was filled with trip-hoppy stuff, some drum & bass flirts, latin influences, broken beat and basically anything not techno. it was well produced and so was john beltran's material but it wasn't techno.
i think eventually some of the people who shunned the albums will give it's props again and not dismissing it as lounge material in gerd's case and in beltran's case, clichéd latin house. or whatever, i'm probably talking out of my arse on this one but it's just the way i see it.
i do have to mention that on gerd's first album he does something as awesome as an instrumental cover of leon haywoods classic "i wanna do something freaky to you" (known to most people as dr dre & snoop dogg's "nuthin'd but a g-thang"). gerd knocks out of the park with his synth-work and i love the subtle french horn in the back while the bass is packing underneath.
buy here (junodownload)
another well recommended track, but do get leon haywoods original as well, it's that sexy.
buy here (amazon)
this track is from gerd's second album and it's a very good r&b song in the style of babyface's productions. it's groundwork is a great bassline, some snappy drums and of course keys, pads and strings. but it's all low-key and i like it like that. if anyone read my entry about miguel & j.cole's "all i want is you", this description doesn't come as a shock.
the track stays grounded and so does jonathan until the last part where bäckelie unleashes a sort of frustration that's powerful. this whole modus operandi is typical late 80's/early 90's r&b and i really like how the track unfolds.
buy here (junodownload)
but there is something weird of introducing gerd as a techno producer and then talking about an r&b song. for anyone that knows gerd's productions after the millenium it's established that he's shifted sound towards more soulful sound. before he was known for the techno, in particular the mid 90's techno that was coming out of holland that was not quite tech-house, not quite techno and not quite trance.
so i think it was a sort of an electric dylan moment, the same that happened to john beltran when he left his detroit techno and started making latin house, when gerd turned out an album in 2001 that was filled with trip-hoppy stuff, some drum & bass flirts, latin influences, broken beat and basically anything not techno. it was well produced and so was john beltran's material but it wasn't techno.
i think eventually some of the people who shunned the albums will give it's props again and not dismissing it as lounge material in gerd's case and in beltran's case, clichéd latin house. or whatever, i'm probably talking out of my arse on this one but it's just the way i see it.
i do have to mention that on gerd's first album he does something as awesome as an instrumental cover of leon haywoods classic "i wanna do something freaky to you" (known to most people as dr dre & snoop dogg's "nuthin'd but a g-thang"). gerd knocks out of the park with his synth-work and i love the subtle french horn in the back while the bass is packing underneath.
buy here (junodownload)
another well recommended track, but do get leon haywoods original as well, it's that sexy.
buy here (amazon)
Monday, 6 February 2012
m-flo loves chemistry - astrosexy
when my otaku phase was the biggest i started listening to other acts rather just hamasaki ayumi and apart from the other singers that were hot on the scene i also started getting into m-flo. they are/were a japanese hip-hop act that originally consisted of dj/producer(/and occactional rapper) taku takahashi, rapper verbal and singer & rapper lisa although the latter left after their second album.
to explain m-flo to anyone that haven't heard them i'd say a japanese take on black eyed peas wouldn't be that far off. even though black eyed peas stayed backpacker for longer and m-flo had already gone into electronic sounds when black eyed peas was still dipping their toes into it.
also m-flo did hoodie rap and r&b as well after they went more electronic and the thing to know is that it didn't go fully house oriented, it was a whole lot of drum & bass and some garage and big beat flirts.
anyhow, after lisa had departed they started taking on various j-pop singers & acts and having them guest on their tracks. this is where i got into the game when it was near impossible to escape a song called "miss you" (that had an amazing video), the b-side to miss you was this track "astrosexy".
this was a track i originally didn't like but damn if it was catchy and eventually it won me over. to be really honest it sounds like they were trying to a daft punk kind of thing but with little party hip-hop action going on. it kicks off with some nice rough drums that make you think it'll be a big beat nod but it then goes into the filterfunk but with a 2-step slant.
it shifts back and forth throughout the track and this was another factor for me to liking the song. taku takehashi's production on this is insane as there is so much sound swelling through and it keeps consistent. even when he just randomly throws in the riff from marshall jefferson's "move your body" in a bridge, it alls just makes sense.
the featured act on this is called chemistry and are/were a number one selling japanese r&b act, i have no idea about them elsewise as i wasn't interested to hear their songs before and neither am i now but i do want hear this more. but i'm more likely to play the instrumental version of this.
listen here (youtube)
i think it's also available buying on itunes but i can only find the japanese link (here), this song was also redone as "now or never" for the japanese astro boy series. that version is a bit smoother around the edges and loses it's charm.
to explain m-flo to anyone that haven't heard them i'd say a japanese take on black eyed peas wouldn't be that far off. even though black eyed peas stayed backpacker for longer and m-flo had already gone into electronic sounds when black eyed peas was still dipping their toes into it.
also m-flo did hoodie rap and r&b as well after they went more electronic and the thing to know is that it didn't go fully house oriented, it was a whole lot of drum & bass and some garage and big beat flirts.
anyhow, after lisa had departed they started taking on various j-pop singers & acts and having them guest on their tracks. this is where i got into the game when it was near impossible to escape a song called "miss you" (that had an amazing video), the b-side to miss you was this track "astrosexy".
this was a track i originally didn't like but damn if it was catchy and eventually it won me over. to be really honest it sounds like they were trying to a daft punk kind of thing but with little party hip-hop action going on. it kicks off with some nice rough drums that make you think it'll be a big beat nod but it then goes into the filterfunk but with a 2-step slant.
it shifts back and forth throughout the track and this was another factor for me to liking the song. taku takehashi's production on this is insane as there is so much sound swelling through and it keeps consistent. even when he just randomly throws in the riff from marshall jefferson's "move your body" in a bridge, it alls just makes sense.
the featured act on this is called chemistry and are/were a number one selling japanese r&b act, i have no idea about them elsewise as i wasn't interested to hear their songs before and neither am i now but i do want hear this more. but i'm more likely to play the instrumental version of this.
listen here (youtube)
i think it's also available buying on itunes but i can only find the japanese link (here), this song was also redone as "now or never" for the japanese astro boy series. that version is a bit smoother around the edges and loses it's charm.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
the persuader - centralbron (birdy remix)
this one i heard a while after i heard the original and i don't know what was wrong with me because i know i did not like it at first, then again "centralbron" was not a track i did like from the get-go either. it wasn't a "djurgårdsbron", "gamla stan" or "södermalm" or any other jesper dahlbäck/the persuader tracks that had that sort of sound.
i was quite transfixed with the persuader being dahlbäck's more lush & deeper house sound when i digged deeper and noticed that dahlbäck did more rigid techy ordeals under this name. i did catch on and i certainly did catch on to this remix, i think it had to do with listening to something right and not in the background.
i know i'm planning to write more about svek and i even mentioned in the entry about "my world (night drive mix)" that i am a fan of the label and can go on and on about it but i don't have to really. the tracks speak for themselves and the fact that certain records are still being played out by dj's is proof of that.
this remix came out on the tail end of svek's livelyhood while the original came out in the prime. the original was more or a stripped down robot funk house kind of number, something that can be described as minneapolis meets perlon. this version kept the robot aspects but kicks up the tempo, changes the groove and adds more funk. the endresult is very electro and unbelievably funky.
because birdy is grieder & dahlbäck, i think dahlbäck saw an opportunity to revisit his original and do it in a way that was sounding like the techier side of the sunday brunch records.
buy here (beatport)
i was quite transfixed with the persuader being dahlbäck's more lush & deeper house sound when i digged deeper and noticed that dahlbäck did more rigid techy ordeals under this name. i did catch on and i certainly did catch on to this remix, i think it had to do with listening to something right and not in the background.
i know i'm planning to write more about svek and i even mentioned in the entry about "my world (night drive mix)" that i am a fan of the label and can go on and on about it but i don't have to really. the tracks speak for themselves and the fact that certain records are still being played out by dj's is proof of that.
this remix came out on the tail end of svek's livelyhood while the original came out in the prime. the original was more or a stripped down robot funk house kind of number, something that can be described as minneapolis meets perlon. this version kept the robot aspects but kicks up the tempo, changes the groove and adds more funk. the endresult is very electro and unbelievably funky.
because birdy is grieder & dahlbäck, i think dahlbäck saw an opportunity to revisit his original and do it in a way that was sounding like the techier side of the sunday brunch records.
buy here (beatport)
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
blackstreet - no diggity (teddy riley jungle mix)
i remember seeing this version on the back of the blackstreet single "don't leave me", probably saw it in a charity shop but i had never heard of that track before. but the idea of teddy riley making a jungle version of "no diggity" did catch my attention and warranted it definitely a buy.
i did however know that there was a jumpup version by urban takeover (aphrodite & mickey finn) and i don't know if this was done before or at the same time. maybe teddy riley heard of the bootleg and thought of making a proper rerub himself. i have to say though that i'm don't rate the effort of aphrodite & finn did, it does have some good ideas but then it also has that awful bass that aphrodite over-used.
while the urban takeover mix was done by using a combination of acapella & original, riley did his remix with a few new vocals. queen pen's verse which kicks the track off (beside the jamaican style hype-ups that riley added himself) is not the same one from the original but the verse that was used for the new remix of no diggity called "das diggity".
other than that riley built this with a crisp rolling break that i can't name at the moment, the bass is subby and it's not that accentuated like urban takeover did. the track loses the bill withers sample of the original but it does use that piano-fill. i quite liked this version and it does rate high within the versions i've heard of "no diggity"
i.e. the all-star remix that uses the same charmels sample as rza and features queen pens original verse uncensored. also the infamous billie jean remix/version and the das mix which uses the beat/samples from das efx's "they want efx".
it's always fun to see or hear people who are defined to a particular sound, in this case with teddy riley it's new jack swing and r&b, doing something else way outside of their usual comfort zone. i think it would have been less shocking if riley's done a bumping house version because he's delved into that before. i quite like this remix and while it's not anything i would play in a set i think it's steady and really good. well recommended
listen here (youtube)
i did however know that there was a jumpup version by urban takeover (aphrodite & mickey finn) and i don't know if this was done before or at the same time. maybe teddy riley heard of the bootleg and thought of making a proper rerub himself. i have to say though that i'm don't rate the effort of aphrodite & finn did, it does have some good ideas but then it also has that awful bass that aphrodite over-used.
while the urban takeover mix was done by using a combination of acapella & original, riley did his remix with a few new vocals. queen pen's verse which kicks the track off (beside the jamaican style hype-ups that riley added himself) is not the same one from the original but the verse that was used for the new remix of no diggity called "das diggity".
other than that riley built this with a crisp rolling break that i can't name at the moment, the bass is subby and it's not that accentuated like urban takeover did. the track loses the bill withers sample of the original but it does use that piano-fill. i quite liked this version and it does rate high within the versions i've heard of "no diggity"
i.e. the all-star remix that uses the same charmels sample as rza and features queen pens original verse uncensored. also the infamous billie jean remix/version and the das mix which uses the beat/samples from das efx's "they want efx".
it's always fun to see or hear people who are defined to a particular sound, in this case with teddy riley it's new jack swing and r&b, doing something else way outside of their usual comfort zone. i think it would have been less shocking if riley's done a bumping house version because he's delved into that before. i quite like this remix and while it's not anything i would play in a set i think it's steady and really good. well recommended
listen here (youtube)
Monday, 30 January 2012
paganini traxx - zoe (timo maas remix)
as far as this one, i know i bought the record back in 2003 in a clearence sale and i think i grabbed it because i had seen the name on a few tracklists back then. probably also of the strength of timo maas, who i wasn't that much of a fan anyways but for in great condition and 20kr, i'll bite.
i listened to the record after i took it home and it really puzzled me how long that intro and outro was, but yeah it was a good track. the original back then always had me thinking, this track sounds like... and i couldn't name what, later on i realised i was thinking of underworld's "rez".
the original is nice but for something that has two musical ideas and only one being good it squanders about too much. maas did a simple but effective remix on this and he kept the groove which is the best part of the original. he also kept the buzzing "rez"-type lead and left that stupid high pitched acid-clone squeal in the bin.
maas also understood that there was no point in going with the track for too long as while the two-three good ideas it has, there is no point in doing more than tighten it up. now some other producer would add more but maas (and when i say timo maas, i of course mean maas, martin buttrich & andy bolleshon who worked together) wasn't really known for doing elaborate productions, (well under timo maas' own name).
but heaven knows why he didn't just give the five minutes that is the meaty part of his remix if that was truly the intent, but the two minutes who precede and sescede the main part are made for the dj. the track is brilliant as an intro or outro, the latter form hasn't been used that much but i still think it's a good last track if you weren't planning to end on bombast.
buy here (junodownload)
i do have to drop a word on the remixes that led to this re-release (should be noted that maas remix was part of a re-release as well but only after two years as the original was out in '96 and his remix in '98). i'm going to drop a qualified guess that funkagenda is the one who probably made some remix or whatnot and next thing you know the track it's out on toolroom trax.
garraud, funkangenda, blake jarrell & sam paganini himself all use timo maas' version as guideline but there is one big difference, the tempo is taken down from 138bpm to 128bpm. typical but they lost the plot when it comes the structure as they took one to many notes from the original mix.
while maas' remix was (in reality) a compact five minute track with a break that was as much as it needed to be, these new version have breakdowns that are senselessly too big and take too long. it's all big room fodder with the excuse of paganini's remix which isn't bigroom but repeats itself
in short, they really missed the boat on what timo maas tried to do with his remix.
i listened to the record after i took it home and it really puzzled me how long that intro and outro was, but yeah it was a good track. the original back then always had me thinking, this track sounds like... and i couldn't name what, later on i realised i was thinking of underworld's "rez".
the original is nice but for something that has two musical ideas and only one being good it squanders about too much. maas did a simple but effective remix on this and he kept the groove which is the best part of the original. he also kept the buzzing "rez"-type lead and left that stupid high pitched acid-clone squeal in the bin.
maas also understood that there was no point in going with the track for too long as while the two-three good ideas it has, there is no point in doing more than tighten it up. now some other producer would add more but maas (and when i say timo maas, i of course mean maas, martin buttrich & andy bolleshon who worked together) wasn't really known for doing elaborate productions, (well under timo maas' own name).
but heaven knows why he didn't just give the five minutes that is the meaty part of his remix if that was truly the intent, but the two minutes who precede and sescede the main part are made for the dj. the track is brilliant as an intro or outro, the latter form hasn't been used that much but i still think it's a good last track if you weren't planning to end on bombast.
buy here (junodownload)
i do have to drop a word on the remixes that led to this re-release (should be noted that maas remix was part of a re-release as well but only after two years as the original was out in '96 and his remix in '98). i'm going to drop a qualified guess that funkagenda is the one who probably made some remix or whatnot and next thing you know the track it's out on toolroom trax.
garraud, funkangenda, blake jarrell & sam paganini himself all use timo maas' version as guideline but there is one big difference, the tempo is taken down from 138bpm to 128bpm. typical but they lost the plot when it comes the structure as they took one to many notes from the original mix.
while maas' remix was (in reality) a compact five minute track with a break that was as much as it needed to be, these new version have breakdowns that are senselessly too big and take too long. it's all big room fodder with the excuse of paganini's remix which isn't bigroom but repeats itself
in short, they really missed the boat on what timo maas tried to do with his remix.
Saturday, 28 January 2012
håkan lidbo - tuffa pojkar
my good friend jan henrik gave me the heads up on this one some years ago and it's one of those tunes that you either like/hate on the instant. it's a catchy tune that's not quite neo-electro and not quite italo but it's all robots and robots are awesome, well not when they take over the world and kill all mankind but that's just inevitable.
the track has a buzzing bassline that has almost the chord progression as new order's "blue monday" or some other track i can't seem to name at the moment. it has lidbo doing vocals in as mentioned before vocoder/talkbox but it's in swedish. i think this is what made me love this but i think it would be charming to a non-swedish speaking person as well.
if you want to know what the lyrics are about then it's about how "cool guys" are, they are not that insipid but they are inane enough. fact is that lidbo could have done the track in english and i'd be a fan, it's such a strong piece of pop music.
the rest of the ep contains of a cracking ghetto-tek meets electro type tune ("sex slave"), more robotic neo-electro fun ("i don't love you") and a house track with robotic elements and retro bass ("dj superstars"). i'm not a fan of the latter but i do think it's a well produced track. in fact the whole ep is brilliant. well recommended stuff here.
buy here (bandcamp)
the track has a buzzing bassline that has almost the chord progression as new order's "blue monday" or some other track i can't seem to name at the moment. it has lidbo doing vocals in as mentioned before vocoder/talkbox but it's in swedish. i think this is what made me love this but i think it would be charming to a non-swedish speaking person as well.
if you want to know what the lyrics are about then it's about how "cool guys" are, they are not that insipid but they are inane enough. fact is that lidbo could have done the track in english and i'd be a fan, it's such a strong piece of pop music.
the rest of the ep contains of a cracking ghetto-tek meets electro type tune ("sex slave"), more robotic neo-electro fun ("i don't love you") and a house track with robotic elements and retro bass ("dj superstars"). i'm not a fan of the latter but i do think it's a well produced track. in fact the whole ep is brilliant. well recommended stuff here.
buy here (bandcamp)
Thursday, 26 January 2012
etta james - all the way down
i was torn about talking about an etta james track or a shem mccauley/slacker track seeing as they both passed away recently. because i tend to talk about electronic music in general the obvious thing would be talk about the latter but it's more cliché to talk about the former.
i'm going with etta james because i've been blessed to hear a lot of her gems recently, and i'm not even talking about after she passed away. i've known who she was and that she could sing ferociously but a familiarity to her catalogue besides big ballad numbers like "at last" and "i'd rather go blind" was lost on me.
but like most people that get into funk, soul and all that jazz in recent times my nods towards discovering other tracks came from hiphop. but this time not in terms of sampling but hearing certain swedish dj's, producers and other profiles talk about certain songs.
swedish rapper petter mentioned "seven day fool" in an interview for his latest album and spouted out this platitude: "when a young singer talks about being dumped it doesn't resonate to me at all. but when etta james says that she is pissed because her man dumped her, you feel that in your heart".
(note "seven day fool" isn't about being dumped though, it's about being treated like shit by your partner and taking it because you really love him/her, and that is not the exact translated quote as i don't have the magazine in front of me)
while that is a horrendous cliché thing that can only lead to the everpresent "nothing was like it used to be", it did trigger me to want to hear the song. i liked it even though the lyrics disturbed me a bit but it was a mighty funky number. which led me to find more of that because while i like the soul ballads and whatnot, i like the funk.
fact was that it was rather easy to find just on youtube but on other blogs as well i could find recommendations on tracks. tracks like "jump into love", "you give me what you want" and this one "all the way down".
the track starts very norman whitfield like and it reminds me a lot of the temptation's "papa was a rollin' stone" (and that's not a bad thing since that's probably my favourite song of all time). but then it goes into a kind of sleek interpretation of what james brown was doing. etta james even had that same vocal presence of brown but a bit more raw.
the topic of the song is a bit like convoluted in the beginning since it comes off like she is saying loose words that fit the groove and is rhyming but listening closer it's about fame and class. very much like james brown in the songs that come off as ten minute jams ("talkin' loud & sayin' nothing") but have a topic, it's just it's lost in the groove.
i know i mentioning james brown (and by james brown i mean brown and the whole cast of j.b.'s) a lot now but my frame of references isn't completely big and some one else might say that they can name maybe sly stone or whatever but i have no clue. for me the kind of the raw funk that's set in it's groove and goes on for what can be fifteens minutes or even more is james brown since he used to let his band just go on and on and every once a while break but then go back to that groove.
should be noted that is much like modern dance music yes but anyways, this track is that groove for most of the track and it has one break/bridge and then it kicks back in. for the break it goes even more raw and bit more rock & roll with it's fuzz guitar and heavier bass groove. the blurb/review on allmusic says something about a janis joplin influence and while i wouldn't know about that since i haven't listened that much to joplin i do have to agree somewhat. it's definitely rocking, and rolling and funky. it's awesome.
buy here (7digital)
i'm going with etta james because i've been blessed to hear a lot of her gems recently, and i'm not even talking about after she passed away. i've known who she was and that she could sing ferociously but a familiarity to her catalogue besides big ballad numbers like "at last" and "i'd rather go blind" was lost on me.
but like most people that get into funk, soul and all that jazz in recent times my nods towards discovering other tracks came from hiphop. but this time not in terms of sampling but hearing certain swedish dj's, producers and other profiles talk about certain songs.
swedish rapper petter mentioned "seven day fool" in an interview for his latest album and spouted out this platitude: "when a young singer talks about being dumped it doesn't resonate to me at all. but when etta james says that she is pissed because her man dumped her, you feel that in your heart".
(note "seven day fool" isn't about being dumped though, it's about being treated like shit by your partner and taking it because you really love him/her, and that is not the exact translated quote as i don't have the magazine in front of me)
while that is a horrendous cliché thing that can only lead to the everpresent "nothing was like it used to be", it did trigger me to want to hear the song. i liked it even though the lyrics disturbed me a bit but it was a mighty funky number. which led me to find more of that because while i like the soul ballads and whatnot, i like the funk.
fact was that it was rather easy to find just on youtube but on other blogs as well i could find recommendations on tracks. tracks like "jump into love", "you give me what you want" and this one "all the way down".
the track starts very norman whitfield like and it reminds me a lot of the temptation's "papa was a rollin' stone" (and that's not a bad thing since that's probably my favourite song of all time). but then it goes into a kind of sleek interpretation of what james brown was doing. etta james even had that same vocal presence of brown but a bit more raw.
the topic of the song is a bit like convoluted in the beginning since it comes off like she is saying loose words that fit the groove and is rhyming but listening closer it's about fame and class. very much like james brown in the songs that come off as ten minute jams ("talkin' loud & sayin' nothing") but have a topic, it's just it's lost in the groove.
i know i mentioning james brown (and by james brown i mean brown and the whole cast of j.b.'s) a lot now but my frame of references isn't completely big and some one else might say that they can name maybe sly stone or whatever but i have no clue. for me the kind of the raw funk that's set in it's groove and goes on for what can be fifteens minutes or even more is james brown since he used to let his band just go on and on and every once a while break but then go back to that groove.
should be noted that is much like modern dance music yes but anyways, this track is that groove for most of the track and it has one break/bridge and then it kicks back in. for the break it goes even more raw and bit more rock & roll with it's fuzz guitar and heavier bass groove. the blurb/review on allmusic says something about a janis joplin influence and while i wouldn't know about that since i haven't listened that much to joplin i do have to agree somewhat. it's definitely rocking, and rolling and funky. it's awesome.
buy here (7digital)
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
quant - miracle man
i've talked about quant and jonathan bäckelie (ernesto) before, it's obvious that i'm a fan but when you make funky music like this you can not be. this track was the first single from quant's second album "getting out", an album that is very much quant but also had some change in the sound.
the singles were much more of the digital funk numbers that you could hear on "quantastical quantasm" but the album but they leaned towards the jazzier sound. sort of makes sense as this album wasn't released on dot as the previous one and it was on austrian label echo.chamber which worked the kruder & dorfmeister/rainier trüby sound.
but as mentioned this track was quant as i fell in love with on the first lp, the synth & keyboard work is accented and the funk is heavy. the resonant almost acid-like bass is thick and gives it a nice stanky groove. the drums are punchy as usual and the track in general sound like how a good modern interpretation of 80's r&b should sound.
almost forgot to talk about ernesto's effort on this, it's in his usual high standard. he really feels the track and does the prince thing quite well. sort of how jamie lidell performs in his early funkier numbers as well. bäckelie is a powerful singer and i understand why he sang on so many of the gonkyburg massive tracks.
buy here (amazon)
the singles were much more of the digital funk numbers that you could hear on "quantastical quantasm" but the album but they leaned towards the jazzier sound. sort of makes sense as this album wasn't released on dot as the previous one and it was on austrian label echo.chamber which worked the kruder & dorfmeister/rainier trüby sound.
but as mentioned this track was quant as i fell in love with on the first lp, the synth & keyboard work is accented and the funk is heavy. the resonant almost acid-like bass is thick and gives it a nice stanky groove. the drums are punchy as usual and the track in general sound like how a good modern interpretation of 80's r&b should sound.
almost forgot to talk about ernesto's effort on this, it's in his usual high standard. he really feels the track and does the prince thing quite well. sort of how jamie lidell performs in his early funkier numbers as well. bäckelie is a powerful singer and i understand why he sang on so many of the gonkyburg massive tracks.
buy here (amazon)
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
fc/kahuna - microcuts
i picked up fc kahuna's "machine says yes" album a while ago and i did what i usually do when i take home a new piece of music. i skim through the tracks to asses if it's anything i can work in a mix or if it's a listening thing completely. i already knew some of the tracks and knew that there was going to be prime beats on it.
this one i almost thought it was going to be hiphop thing from the beginning, don't ask me how i came to that conclusion. but then the italo like melody came in and later a four on the floor came romping in, there was no doubt in my mind.
this was one of those album gems that's under the radar that could have an impact as long as the right person picks it up and works it again. i'm not saying that would be me but i will be working it. i love sort of mesh between the italo, the neo-electro and the bumping house groove.
you also have a stunning live bass is rumbling under neath and there is a whole deal of attention to detail. there is a number of small breaks that culminates with effects & filters and one goes into this double beat right before kicking in strong.
the melody sequence is also really hypnotic, it draws you in, well that has to be the reason since i've listened to this a few times in a row now and wants to be heard again. lovely track really. support and bang it out
buy here (junodownload)
this one i almost thought it was going to be hiphop thing from the beginning, don't ask me how i came to that conclusion. but then the italo like melody came in and later a four on the floor came romping in, there was no doubt in my mind.
this was one of those album gems that's under the radar that could have an impact as long as the right person picks it up and works it again. i'm not saying that would be me but i will be working it. i love sort of mesh between the italo, the neo-electro and the bumping house groove.
you also have a stunning live bass is rumbling under neath and there is a whole deal of attention to detail. there is a number of small breaks that culminates with effects & filters and one goes into this double beat right before kicking in strong.
the melody sequence is also really hypnotic, it draws you in, well that has to be the reason since i've listened to this a few times in a row now and wants to be heard again. lovely track really. support and bang it out
buy here (junodownload)
Monday, 23 January 2012
mini reviews #8
eight edition now and for this one i asked another person i've had in mind of asking when i started this thing. he is jack moss and is an opinionated fucker (like me) and a music journalist, or not. his blog states that he is not but he's made clear elsewhere that what he wants to do. he's not anyone shy of a debate about music, arts or anything in general.
he is also a person who doesn't like when people like to describe as genres or subgenres as being dead just because the trend of said genre/subgenre is over, it's all a matter of digging deeper and so forth. he also try to knock out a few mixes here and there and they are mostly themed in a special manner and try to feature tracks that noone (read, the beatport top 10 followers) plays. yunno, how a real dj does it but i'm not sure he'll call himself that either....
01. actraiser - wip3out | youtube
punchy trance that wears dub influences, i like this and i like the idea of that reverbed out compressed 909 snare but it's annoying in the end.
02. amoebassassin - the rollercoaster | youtube
it does flow like a rollercoaster with the builds & release within the track, only heard oakey's mix before. i enjoyed this one more than his.
03. amorphous androgynous - ephidrena | youtube
nice heavy electronic dub, i've heard this one before and i enjoy it a lot
04. deep space organisms - into the blue | spotify
i liked this one a lot, it's trancy and ultra-melodic but in that good way that is quite rare.
05. faust vs. dälek - t-electronique | youtube
the heavy drums and guitar feedback caught my attention, it can't go downhill from there and it didn't. top stuff.
06. geomatic - shesqi | youtube
more drums, quite liked this as well. sounds like a bit like juno reactor circa bible of dreams.
07. basil poledouris - tower of set | youtube
while i may appreciate it when it's played in it's context, i did not like this one at all.
08. shpongle - periscopes of consciousness (greg hunter edit) | youtube
the first half is horrendous but once the taiko drums kick in, it's tolerable but then the vocals come in again... ugh.
09. taho - the sun star | spotify
good melodic prog but it's also sort of wallpaper.
10. union jack - water drums | youtube
heard this one before plenty of times and as much it's near cretu & sanchez levels of cliché, i still like it.
thanks for those ten jack. and as always i asked if he wanted to anything extra about his picks and his response was:
he is also a person who doesn't like when people like to describe as genres or subgenres as being dead just because the trend of said genre/subgenre is over, it's all a matter of digging deeper and so forth. he also try to knock out a few mixes here and there and they are mostly themed in a special manner and try to feature tracks that noone (read, the beatport top 10 followers) plays. yunno, how a real dj does it but i'm not sure he'll call himself that either....
01. actraiser - wip3out | youtube
punchy trance that wears dub influences, i like this and i like the idea of that reverbed out compressed 909 snare but it's annoying in the end.
02. amoebassassin - the rollercoaster | youtube
it does flow like a rollercoaster with the builds & release within the track, only heard oakey's mix before. i enjoyed this one more than his.
03. amorphous androgynous - ephidrena | youtube
nice heavy electronic dub, i've heard this one before and i enjoy it a lot
04. deep space organisms - into the blue | spotify
i liked this one a lot, it's trancy and ultra-melodic but in that good way that is quite rare.
05. faust vs. dälek - t-electronique | youtube
the heavy drums and guitar feedback caught my attention, it can't go downhill from there and it didn't. top stuff.
06. geomatic - shesqi | youtube
more drums, quite liked this as well. sounds like a bit like juno reactor circa bible of dreams.
07. basil poledouris - tower of set | youtube
while i may appreciate it when it's played in it's context, i did not like this one at all.
08. shpongle - periscopes of consciousness (greg hunter edit) | youtube
the first half is horrendous but once the taiko drums kick in, it's tolerable but then the vocals come in again... ugh.
09. taho - the sun star | spotify
good melodic prog but it's also sort of wallpaper.
10. union jack - water drums | youtube
heard this one before plenty of times and as much it's near cretu & sanchez levels of cliché, i still like it.
thanks for those ten jack. and as always i asked if he wanted to anything extra about his picks and his response was:
these are all tracks I find "interesting". none of them are wildly experimental, more subtly subversive. i want to use most of them in a dj set but can't make them work, although this tracklist might flow weirdly well as a mixtape.right on.
culture beat - der erdbeermund
this song came to me when i was going through a crate of records that a mate of mine had bought for dirt cheap and asked if i wanted to rummage through. i knew that culture beat had done tracks before the big breakthrough known as "mr. vain", infact i like "no deeper meaning" and have worked it on some euro sets.
most true heads know that torsten fenslau (r.i.p.), the driving force and producer of culture beat (before his untimely death in late '93), had done credible records and really good tracks. most known is abfahrt tracks and it's not-quite-body, not-quite-trance classic "alone (it's me)" and a few other tracks.
i have been given to believe that certain projects were meant for the "underground" and some were for the mainstream and i think culture beat was not meant as underground but this track still shoots for it. it's a track that heads in the know talk about when mentioning fenslau and culture beat.
while i like the track and wouldn't mind playing it out the fact is and it's probably something that's been pointed out before, it's just a re-take on mr. fingers' "can you feel it". the big difference is that the vocal isn't chuck roberts or martin luther king as in larry heard's original, it's klaus kinski.
this track is based around his reading of the paul zech translation of a francois villon's poem (which in german is known as) "ich bin so wild nach deinem erdbeermund". this is intarwebs information since i had no clue on the origins of this one so i don't know the original french title, tried looking it up and i got nowhere.
most true heads know that torsten fenslau (r.i.p.), the driving force and producer of culture beat (before his untimely death in late '93), had done credible records and really good tracks. most known is abfahrt tracks and it's not-quite-body, not-quite-trance classic "alone (it's me)" and a few other tracks.
i have been given to believe that certain projects were meant for the "underground" and some were for the mainstream and i think culture beat was not meant as underground but this track still shoots for it. it's a track that heads in the know talk about when mentioning fenslau and culture beat.
while i like the track and wouldn't mind playing it out the fact is and it's probably something that's been pointed out before, it's just a re-take on mr. fingers' "can you feel it". the big difference is that the vocal isn't chuck roberts or martin luther king as in larry heard's original, it's klaus kinski.
this track is based around his reading of the paul zech translation of a francois villon's poem (which in german is known as) "ich bin so wild nach deinem erdbeermund". this is intarwebs information since i had no clue on the origins of this one so i don't know the original french title, tried looking it up and i got nowhere.
fingers inc's original came out in '88 and as i wasn't even concious of that track but taken in consideration that the track did get a lot of attention back then and it probably became an insta-classic. maybe that statement is bullshit given the hype that concerns all early chicago and detroit releases but "can you feel it" must have reached this iconic status quite fast given how much it's still is being jizzed over.
fenslau put out his version the following year and saying that he was just remaking a house classic that i want to write seems stupid as even though the original was a hit, he could have easily redone joe smooth's "inside my mind" or whatever. i call this a remake of "can you feel it" but it does have some enought merit grant it to be played and not just be referred as a clone.
the dark acapella intro in "der erdbeermund" is lovely and sets a nice tone, the groove is really nice and while it does not have the same thump of the bassline or as good of a ride-hat that larry heard worked out it does give the same vibe. fenslau added some own melodies to the table including some plucked keys and a lovely guitar.
as i said it is heavily inspired by "can you feel it" but it does bring new aspects to the table and does them well. i do have to say though that given between the vocal and the instrumental, i'll mostly play the instrumental but i can easily play the vocal.
original vocal: listen here (youtube)
instrumental: listen here (youtube)
Sunday, 22 January 2012
sweep - running up that hill (jam's labyrinth mix)
i saw the cdsingle in a charityshop i believe and i've heard of this one before but i never actually heard the track but i think there was a consensus on that jam el mar's remix was a classic. then again i think the single was for 10kr and it had the name jam el mar on it, i would have bought it anyways or anyhow.
i did listen to the original cover version of the tune but i'll be damned if i remember how it sounded. the jam el mar remix however hit all the right notes and i did remember it because of that weird snare in the middle of the track.
jam el mar's take is very much like his works at the time and it's deep, very trancy and it just builds and builds. it's quite lovely, right from the intro that creates a just a smidge too much tension for the track. after that it's just subtle layers upon layers that slowly grows onto the track and the end result is quite hypnotic.
it doesn't even matter that el mar bring in a soft pad to play the original melody and create a setting for the vocal, the overall groove is that hypnotic and there isn't a disruption. the track just goes until it gets heavier and heavier and right at it's most powerful it stops there. the sweeping pad from the intro makes a re-appearence but in reverse and it still creates as much tension as in the beginning.
i think most people who like classic trance (this means '90-'96 not '99) know of this tune but i didn't and my life was slighty empty without it. now i just have to find a way to actually work the track into a set, something tells me i will fuck up a many of times until i get it right.
listen here (youtube)
i did listen to the original cover version of the tune but i'll be damned if i remember how it sounded. the jam el mar remix however hit all the right notes and i did remember it because of that weird snare in the middle of the track.
jam el mar's take is very much like his works at the time and it's deep, very trancy and it just builds and builds. it's quite lovely, right from the intro that creates a just a smidge too much tension for the track. after that it's just subtle layers upon layers that slowly grows onto the track and the end result is quite hypnotic.
it doesn't even matter that el mar bring in a soft pad to play the original melody and create a setting for the vocal, the overall groove is that hypnotic and there isn't a disruption. the track just goes until it gets heavier and heavier and right at it's most powerful it stops there. the sweeping pad from the intro makes a re-appearence but in reverse and it still creates as much tension as in the beginning.
i think most people who like classic trance (this means '90-'96 not '99) know of this tune but i didn't and my life was slighty empty without it. now i just have to find a way to actually work the track into a set, something tells me i will fuck up a many of times until i get it right.
listen here (youtube)
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