following hearing "can't hurt you" in which foxman collaborated with layo & bushwacka! i saw the release of solo single "return it" that featured "hypnotic dance" as a b-side. i quite liked the whole release and thought steffi's remixes of "return it" was brilliant and especially the "acid games" version but "hypnotic dance" is the star of the release.
it is quite an early chicago house-flirt but then again throwback house music is also the modus operandi of hercules and love affair so it shouldn't be a surprise. a bassline that sounds like an re-take off 808 state's "cübik" set the mood along with some pitched down vocals. i think the reference point for that is countless records like chip-e's "time to jack" but also strictly rhythm classic "the warning" by wayne gardiner aka logic.
kim ann foxman's own vocal is brought on also and it's done and arranged in a throwback style with repetition and all that jazz. about midway in a synth that sounds like a synthesised toysaxophone but a bit smoother. my favourite sound is the classic deep house pad that comes in after the second or third verse. it still plays the same notes as the main lead and the bassline but the airiness and the subtle drama it brings into the mix is really nice. so is the swirly acidline that is a bit tucked away in the background.
good house musics basically.
buy here (junodownload)
Sunday, 10 March 2013
Saturday, 9 March 2013
michelle amador - who you are
i discovered michelle amador through polar pair's remix of "higher" that i heard on soundcloud and was again intrigued by the voice but in combination to the rhythm. it is in that jazz styling that amy winehouse rocks out and i think i've stated this before but i really love that pitch or tone. i think it all stems from billie holiday or dinah washington but for a modern context i think winehouse is a good representation. to some degree also bajka pluwatsch, known for collaborations with beanfield.
the jazz element reigns supreme in the music as amador stems from that background and prior to releasing the album "higher", two full length albums had been produced and released independently. amador was at this time backed up by a group called the true believers which are also present on the album but on sporadic elements. the key collaborator for the album is dave jones aka zed bias which amador met through a red bull music academy gathering.
as a result of that meet the sound has with jones' influence been modified into a slightly electronic edge but it's still amador's jazz roots. with "who you are" it's a pacey jazz shuffle driven by a somewhat wonky drumrhythm and a bassline that is impossible to sit still to. as a song it's a great combination of structured verse/chorus but with the element of jazz improvisation. an example is the second verse just goes into harmonic ella fitzgerald-esque scatting and that is almost carried out till the end of the track.
bottom line is the song is some funky jazz music and it's well recommended.
buy here (webshop)
also the art bleek remix available elsewhere is quite nice as well.
the jazz element reigns supreme in the music as amador stems from that background and prior to releasing the album "higher", two full length albums had been produced and released independently. amador was at this time backed up by a group called the true believers which are also present on the album but on sporadic elements. the key collaborator for the album is dave jones aka zed bias which amador met through a red bull music academy gathering.
as a result of that meet the sound has with jones' influence been modified into a slightly electronic edge but it's still amador's jazz roots. with "who you are" it's a pacey jazz shuffle driven by a somewhat wonky drumrhythm and a bassline that is impossible to sit still to. as a song it's a great combination of structured verse/chorus but with the element of jazz improvisation. an example is the second verse just goes into harmonic ella fitzgerald-esque scatting and that is almost carried out till the end of the track.
bottom line is the song is some funky jazz music and it's well recommended.
buy here (webshop)
also the art bleek remix available elsewhere is quite nice as well.
Friday, 8 March 2013
cooly g - what airtime
i don't remember if it was "narst" or "phat si" that i heard first but it was some seriously forward thinking bassmusic and cooly g became a name that i was to remember. cooly g aka merrisa campbell said in a radio interview that coming from a soundsystem culture where campbell's father and uncle and other relatives was involved in different sounds. it all stemmed from the fascination of bass and the power of bass and this led to mixing at an early age but also production.
cooly g says that the music doesn't take to long to make and that an hour or so is all it takes for ideas of rhythm, bass and sometimes vocals to come rushing out. with regards to the different sounds and rhythms that has been coming out from out campbell's output i am incredibly impressed and is definantly looking for more. so did kode9 that seeked out cooly g's music for hyperdub which is why i know of the music in the first place as both "narts" and "phat si" was released on the label.
a full length album was also ordered up which came out last year in june and it has been in my head to have a listen to it for a long time. "playin' me" is in general filled with the ideas of rhythm and bass that you expect from cooly g but it still surprises me how they are executed. some of the tracks is somewhat straightforward tracks for the club like "what this world need now" and the titletrack "playin' me" and "is it gone".
however all of them question the idea of the "club banger", just like my second favourite track "sunshine" which is the exact opposite of that... but only on a glance. "sunshine" sounds like a dub ballad but hides a subtle counter rhythm which makes it perfect for the club. my favourite cut on the album is called "what airtime" and puts the atmosphere up front while a really driving broken rhythm is almost being undermined by it at first.
i like it also because it uses almost the same chordprogression for the deekline & ed209 remix of ol' dirty bastard's "got your money" for the atmospheric bits. but it then launches into a nice section of those driving drums rattling away with a heavy delay and a powerful subbass. it's a quite dubby effect when coupled together with some occasional sounds coming in at some "offbeat" parts so to speak.
the effect on a dancefloor is definitely vicious and especially as all the delay creates this incredible amount of tension. it does get it's release about three quarters in with a small ambient drop where the pads make an appearance again. even though it's not the typical uk bass kind of drop, it's an effective one with the nature of this track.
buy here (hyperdub webshop)
cooly g says that the music doesn't take to long to make and that an hour or so is all it takes for ideas of rhythm, bass and sometimes vocals to come rushing out. with regards to the different sounds and rhythms that has been coming out from out campbell's output i am incredibly impressed and is definantly looking for more. so did kode9 that seeked out cooly g's music for hyperdub which is why i know of the music in the first place as both "narts" and "phat si" was released on the label.
a full length album was also ordered up which came out last year in june and it has been in my head to have a listen to it for a long time. "playin' me" is in general filled with the ideas of rhythm and bass that you expect from cooly g but it still surprises me how they are executed. some of the tracks is somewhat straightforward tracks for the club like "what this world need now" and the titletrack "playin' me" and "is it gone".
however all of them question the idea of the "club banger", just like my second favourite track "sunshine" which is the exact opposite of that... but only on a glance. "sunshine" sounds like a dub ballad but hides a subtle counter rhythm which makes it perfect for the club. my favourite cut on the album is called "what airtime" and puts the atmosphere up front while a really driving broken rhythm is almost being undermined by it at first.
i like it also because it uses almost the same chordprogression for the deekline & ed209 remix of ol' dirty bastard's "got your money" for the atmospheric bits. but it then launches into a nice section of those driving drums rattling away with a heavy delay and a powerful subbass. it's a quite dubby effect when coupled together with some occasional sounds coming in at some "offbeat" parts so to speak.
the effect on a dancefloor is definitely vicious and especially as all the delay creates this incredible amount of tension. it does get it's release about three quarters in with a small ambient drop where the pads make an appearance again. even though it's not the typical uk bass kind of drop, it's an effective one with the nature of this track.
buy here (hyperdub webshop)
Thursday, 7 March 2013
frida scar - stick då (with skrokk)
syster sol's "bland dom" was a track that served as a possecut and an anthem for the femtastic camp and in the middle of the song you hear frida scar. this was my introduction to the rapper and i became interested as i heard scar opening the verse with a swedish version of the chorus from destiny's child's "say my name". from this day on i've been wanting to ask frida to do a full on cover but i've been a bit to afraid to ask.
never the less there was a whole load of attitude and good lyrics in the bars but sadly the flow wasn't the best. this didn't scare me like most people on youtube that claim that verse kills the track, in which i'd like to say: fuck off. i was still then interested of hearing more music from frida scar and noticed two tracks on scar's soundcloud account a while ago. "schhh" and "mot toppen" ("to the top") was fire and i think this was the start of an ep that i heard about being in the making.
it was released a few days ago and those two songs were included along with four other tracks and it's a good ep that gives a good idea of what's there to come. second track from the release "stick då" ("leave then") is what floored me as i love hard grimey beats. coupled together with a fiery attitude you have some thing that is almost on point to amplify dot or no.lay.
the sign of a good aggressive track is when the intro doesn't tell what is about to happen. as it drops scar goes off hard about how you are lesser than the person one the mic, typical grime topic or rap topic in general. i'm not a complete fan of the chorus but the verses are, to use a proper cliché, just fire. the other problem i have is the guestverse by skrokk whose flow is a bit stumbling but there is some nice lyrical elements that makes up for it.
great stuff in general.
buy here (itunes)
never the less there was a whole load of attitude and good lyrics in the bars but sadly the flow wasn't the best. this didn't scare me like most people on youtube that claim that verse kills the track, in which i'd like to say: fuck off. i was still then interested of hearing more music from frida scar and noticed two tracks on scar's soundcloud account a while ago. "schhh" and "mot toppen" ("to the top") was fire and i think this was the start of an ep that i heard about being in the making.
it was released a few days ago and those two songs were included along with four other tracks and it's a good ep that gives a good idea of what's there to come. second track from the release "stick då" ("leave then") is what floored me as i love hard grimey beats. coupled together with a fiery attitude you have some thing that is almost on point to amplify dot or no.lay.
the sign of a good aggressive track is when the intro doesn't tell what is about to happen. as it drops scar goes off hard about how you are lesser than the person one the mic, typical grime topic or rap topic in general. i'm not a complete fan of the chorus but the verses are, to use a proper cliché, just fire. the other problem i have is the guestverse by skrokk whose flow is a bit stumbling but there is some nice lyrical elements that makes up for it.
great stuff in general.
buy here (itunes)
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
terra deva - devastate
with the first listen of terra deva's singing on furry phreake's "soothe" i fell instantly in love with that voice and along with a number of others like diane charlemagne, deva is one of my favourite singers within dance music. it's those high tones that does it but the phrasings as well and the marriage of this voice to the tracks. for most of the time, deva's been associated with three producers. i do think the works with charles webster has been the best but i also like the songs with joshua michaels and darren biegel aka bugs.
in '98 came the only full length album so far in deva's career and to be honest i don't think it's a great effort as it's quite patchy but it does have some strong points. "lethal" is really aided by the guitar riff that has been replayed from isaac hayes' classic "walk on by" but also because of the emotion pouring out of deva. "over it" which is a fun but bumping broken beat cut and "fresh start" is great as well. however on i have listened to much to herbert's remix for me to get over the fact the original is drum & bass.
"devastate" is one of the most experimental songs on the album and i think deva and bugs really had fun with it. the beats are sort of pseudo drum & bass in that there is a rinsing drumbreak lurking to drop but it's kept in and i like the teases and the hints of double time. the vocals are treated with distortion and effects at times when you hear a chunky organ, here played by dave warrin.
terra deva's background of singing jazz definitely lurks latent in this song but also at the end of the album where a nice cover of jazz standard "speak low" is included. i quite like the playful approach to the song in both musical layers and while it's quite out of place in the album, it's a brilliant song.
buy here (junodownload)
in '98 came the only full length album so far in deva's career and to be honest i don't think it's a great effort as it's quite patchy but it does have some strong points. "lethal" is really aided by the guitar riff that has been replayed from isaac hayes' classic "walk on by" but also because of the emotion pouring out of deva. "over it" which is a fun but bumping broken beat cut and "fresh start" is great as well. however on i have listened to much to herbert's remix for me to get over the fact the original is drum & bass.
"devastate" is one of the most experimental songs on the album and i think deva and bugs really had fun with it. the beats are sort of pseudo drum & bass in that there is a rinsing drumbreak lurking to drop but it's kept in and i like the teases and the hints of double time. the vocals are treated with distortion and effects at times when you hear a chunky organ, here played by dave warrin.
terra deva's background of singing jazz definitely lurks latent in this song but also at the end of the album where a nice cover of jazz standard "speak low" is included. i quite like the playful approach to the song in both musical layers and while it's quite out of place in the album, it's a brilliant song.
buy here (junodownload)
Tuesday, 5 March 2013
nicole willis and the soul investigators - delete my number
already spoken about my love of this act but i felt as a terrible fan as i hadn't noticed that they released a new single last year and a new album called "tortured soul" just recently. it was thanks to a random association that i wondered what was nicole willis was doing as it's been quite silent from them in a while. i really thought that because it's been quite a few years since the release of "keep reachin' up" that it was to be a one-off project and not carry on like sharon jones & the dap-kings. the wait had to with willis studying and the soul investigators changing some members and such but all that matter is that their back in business
this album has many highlights and the full length version of "it's all because of you", the b-side to lead single "tell me when (we can start this love thing again)" is brilliant. it somewhat brings to mind the epic that is "no one's gonna love you" from "keep reaching up" but less blues and a little more groove. "break free (shake a tail feather)" is attentiongrabbing to say to the least and if may quote nina simone, funkier than a mosquito's tweeter. something tells me that it's going to be next single and if isn't then it should really be so.
but it is "delete my number" that got me stuck in that zone of awe and it has to do with the mood and the quiet/loud dynamic that is worked for it. the album in general differentiates itself from it's the prior outting in that the role of the fuzzy guitars has been stronger in the sound. where there was clear blues influences has now gone into more blues rock and this is a perfect example of that. willis sings the verses to a backdrop of drums and to a choppy organ and after a few subtle strummed licks, guitars come romping in hard.
my favourite moment is on the last verse when the guitar is doing all sort of picks and it sounds like a train at times and middleastern at the next second. the organ is playing long notes along with the bassline and then you hear the horns coming in as the last chorus is a really bombastic ender. the most remarkable thing is that you expect willis to really belt it out at several points but it never happens. it's really constaint but it plays perfect to song as it gets to be one belting it out and willis becomes the one shining through.
buy here (soulseduction)
this album has many highlights and the full length version of "it's all because of you", the b-side to lead single "tell me when (we can start this love thing again)" is brilliant. it somewhat brings to mind the epic that is "no one's gonna love you" from "keep reaching up" but less blues and a little more groove. "break free (shake a tail feather)" is attentiongrabbing to say to the least and if may quote nina simone, funkier than a mosquito's tweeter. something tells me that it's going to be next single and if isn't then it should really be so.
but it is "delete my number" that got me stuck in that zone of awe and it has to do with the mood and the quiet/loud dynamic that is worked for it. the album in general differentiates itself from it's the prior outting in that the role of the fuzzy guitars has been stronger in the sound. where there was clear blues influences has now gone into more blues rock and this is a perfect example of that. willis sings the verses to a backdrop of drums and to a choppy organ and after a few subtle strummed licks, guitars come romping in hard.
my favourite moment is on the last verse when the guitar is doing all sort of picks and it sounds like a train at times and middleastern at the next second. the organ is playing long notes along with the bassline and then you hear the horns coming in as the last chorus is a really bombastic ender. the most remarkable thing is that you expect willis to really belt it out at several points but it never happens. it's really constaint but it plays perfect to song as it gets to be one belting it out and willis becomes the one shining through.
buy here (soulseduction)
Monday, 4 March 2013
michelle owen - perchance to dream
because klas lindberg aka sasse is currently digitising all of the back catalogue on moodmusic i have been flooded with all sorts of tracks on the soundcloud stream as i'm following him there. generally lindberg puts up samples to new releases and i quite like the output from the label but samples are also being provided for the backcatalogue as well.
one of them that i might write about later was tuomas salmela's "roadnites" that was on a compilation and was previously unavailable digitally. then i heard some other track called "perchance to dream" and it was first the name chez damier that stopped me in my tracks as damier provided a few classy remixes. after listening a few times to damier's dub mix that i liked the most i wanted to hear how the original sounded and it did blow me away of it's awesome.
the track opens up with a piano motif that is carried throughout and it's almost the dominant force and drive but then a juggernaut of a bassline is introduced. fact is that plays the same notes as the piano but it's more swinging and the impact is stronger when it kicks back in after the small breakdown. it even shows it's strength prior to it when owens is drowning the piano in reverb as it going to drop and it stands clearly on amongst the haze.
i also really like the second part of the track as it progresses in a similar way but where this starts from the bare rhythm and has the piano growing in and then fade out near the end. very well produced track and where the melodic element is strong but not domineering and the groove is sturdier than a technichs 1200.
buy here (junodownload)
one of them that i might write about later was tuomas salmela's "roadnites" that was on a compilation and was previously unavailable digitally. then i heard some other track called "perchance to dream" and it was first the name chez damier that stopped me in my tracks as damier provided a few classy remixes. after listening a few times to damier's dub mix that i liked the most i wanted to hear how the original sounded and it did blow me away of it's awesome.
the track opens up with a piano motif that is carried throughout and it's almost the dominant force and drive but then a juggernaut of a bassline is introduced. fact is that plays the same notes as the piano but it's more swinging and the impact is stronger when it kicks back in after the small breakdown. it even shows it's strength prior to it when owens is drowning the piano in reverb as it going to drop and it stands clearly on amongst the haze.
i also really like the second part of the track as it progresses in a similar way but where this starts from the bare rhythm and has the piano growing in and then fade out near the end. very well produced track and where the melodic element is strong but not domineering and the groove is sturdier than a technichs 1200.
buy here (junodownload)
Sunday, 3 March 2013
kaylyn - your wildest dreams (the slick bass remix)
this was something was recommended to me about five or six years ago and i fell in love with this track instantly. i didn't know much about the artist as not much has been of kaylyn since the late 90's. from what i gathered up is that it was some sort of gothic techno meets trance project and it was aided by the fact that the first single "your wildest dreams" got a remix from cj bolland who was then quite on form.
"your wildest dream" in it's original state is a banging acid trancer with a driving bassline and works a few layers and sounds in the right way. i don't have any problems with it at all and i was actually questioning if i should have done the piece on it or on bolland's remix. it came down to the remix as i hadn't heard the original until about a week ago and even then i think bolland's remix is better by a smidge.
bolland's work on this is like many of remixes of the past where many parts have been used from the original but has been twisted around and reshaped. the prominent acidline from the original is present but has been pitched up to the highest octave and the settings have been tweaked. the bell that is employed has also been treated the same way but the vocals are almost intact.
there is a bit more focus on key phrases but bollands vision is this banging techno track that is actually quite minimal in aestethic and you can hear the influences from robert hood and the likes. bolland boils it down to the essentials and do as much with them as possible and the end result is quite a trip and a hypnotic one to boot.
buy here (itunes)
i was surprised to see it available for purchase online as ucmg germany went bankrupt a few years ago but since the song was quite a hit at it's release, it was licensed of to a few compilations and one of them was on itunes. but it should be noted that it's not the full version.
"your wildest dream" in it's original state is a banging acid trancer with a driving bassline and works a few layers and sounds in the right way. i don't have any problems with it at all and i was actually questioning if i should have done the piece on it or on bolland's remix. it came down to the remix as i hadn't heard the original until about a week ago and even then i think bolland's remix is better by a smidge.
bolland's work on this is like many of remixes of the past where many parts have been used from the original but has been twisted around and reshaped. the prominent acidline from the original is present but has been pitched up to the highest octave and the settings have been tweaked. the bell that is employed has also been treated the same way but the vocals are almost intact.
there is a bit more focus on key phrases but bollands vision is this banging techno track that is actually quite minimal in aestethic and you can hear the influences from robert hood and the likes. bolland boils it down to the essentials and do as much with them as possible and the end result is quite a trip and a hypnotic one to boot.
buy here (itunes)
i was surprised to see it available for purchase online as ucmg germany went bankrupt a few years ago but since the song was quite a hit at it's release, it was licensed of to a few compilations and one of them was on itunes. but it should be noted that it's not the full version.
Saturday, 2 March 2013
benisch & mull - shadows
peter benisch has been part of the swedish techno scene from the early 90's where his classic training helped out for those melodic and atmospheric but intense productions. after that he sort of removed himself a bit to concentrate on more downtempo material but he was still a part of the scene. his friendship with dahlbäck, lekebusch, beyer and mull resulted in some collaborations either in their own names or in shared billing.
for mull's imprint "inside" benisch was part of two releases called "phases" & "silhouettes" at the early noughts with adam beyer and also joel mull respectively. the collaboration with beyer came around as benisch helped out on a few productions and remixes but it always had a distinct sound. beyer's usual rhythmic backdrop and benisch's melodic elements and considering beyer's tightly compressed drumloop-driven techno, it was a nice marriage.
but for the collaboration with joel mull it was a whole different set of rules since mull also infused more deeper & housier elements into his productions. i am aware that beyer had his housey/melodic outing as conceiled project but that has nothing to do with benisch so it's irrelevant to this story. what is interesting with this release is that the techno tracks ("luminosity, "contrast" & "opacity") has that moody melodic tone coupled together with a deep bassline and throbbing rhythm. for the first two it's sounds like good trance music on the progressive end where as "opacity" is bit more balls to the walls techno.
however the track from i'm highlighting from this photography themed ep is called "shadows" and takes of the four on the floor for a breakbeat backing and is very electro. which brings to mind benisch's fpu project which was kicking about in the same time and i really enjoyed some of those tracks & remixes. it is a bit on a different styling as this has a bit of a rooting within techno and doesn't indulge completely in 80's nostalgia as the fpu songs tend to be.
a breakbeat leads the way and the dark mood is set as you hear dark pads and fragments creep up together with the buzzing atmosphere. benisch also provides a bit of spoken vocoder is worked in and at first this feels eerie but this changes after a while. as soon as the mull's & benisch's melodies become a mainstay in the middle of the track it turns from dark to moody and i enjoy this switch. it is a remarkable track and comes from a great ep that shows a great deal of versatility from benisch & mull.
listen here (youtube)
for mull's imprint "inside" benisch was part of two releases called "phases" & "silhouettes" at the early noughts with adam beyer and also joel mull respectively. the collaboration with beyer came around as benisch helped out on a few productions and remixes but it always had a distinct sound. beyer's usual rhythmic backdrop and benisch's melodic elements and considering beyer's tightly compressed drumloop-driven techno, it was a nice marriage.
but for the collaboration with joel mull it was a whole different set of rules since mull also infused more deeper & housier elements into his productions. i am aware that beyer had his housey/melodic outing as conceiled project but that has nothing to do with benisch so it's irrelevant to this story. what is interesting with this release is that the techno tracks ("luminosity, "contrast" & "opacity") has that moody melodic tone coupled together with a deep bassline and throbbing rhythm. for the first two it's sounds like good trance music on the progressive end where as "opacity" is bit more balls to the walls techno.
however the track from i'm highlighting from this photography themed ep is called "shadows" and takes of the four on the floor for a breakbeat backing and is very electro. which brings to mind benisch's fpu project which was kicking about in the same time and i really enjoyed some of those tracks & remixes. it is a bit on a different styling as this has a bit of a rooting within techno and doesn't indulge completely in 80's nostalgia as the fpu songs tend to be.
a breakbeat leads the way and the dark mood is set as you hear dark pads and fragments creep up together with the buzzing atmosphere. benisch also provides a bit of spoken vocoder is worked in and at first this feels eerie but this changes after a while. as soon as the mull's & benisch's melodies become a mainstay in the middle of the track it turns from dark to moody and i enjoy this switch. it is a remarkable track and comes from a great ep that shows a great deal of versatility from benisch & mull.
listen here (youtube)
Friday, 1 March 2013
tayo meets ctrl-z - every time
another track i heard first at the time of it's release when i was looking on juno for the newest tracks and soundbite just floored me. at this time i was still banging out tayo & acid rocker's remix of the classic "disco babes from outer space" by babe instinct so i knew of tayo's love of reggae and his employing of samples and the likes. both tracks from the release use these kind of samples but only one fell into my taste due to it's bassline.
the b-side which is called "lovers rock" uses a sample and a groove that is a bit to laidback and it was coupled together with a bassline that was too typical for nuskool breaks. here the sample is a one drop in which they load up with funky drums and this makes for a more interesting tune. also the focus isn't completely on the sample but on the groove and bassline.
the playful drops in and out together with the lazy horn stabs and the hardpacking drums does the business. there is also these killer bongos that even though are part of the groove in general really brings a smile to my face when they worked as fills. this has to do that even though i know all the most famous breaks in the world has been used countless times, i still light up and love it when they are used. it doesn't matter that the amen break is used in such and such song, if it's a track that i like i go nuts for that part when it hits or something.
buy here (junodownload)
the b-side which is called "lovers rock" uses a sample and a groove that is a bit to laidback and it was coupled together with a bassline that was too typical for nuskool breaks. here the sample is a one drop in which they load up with funky drums and this makes for a more interesting tune. also the focus isn't completely on the sample but on the groove and bassline.
the playful drops in and out together with the lazy horn stabs and the hardpacking drums does the business. there is also these killer bongos that even though are part of the groove in general really brings a smile to my face when they worked as fills. this has to do that even though i know all the most famous breaks in the world has been used countless times, i still light up and love it when they are used. it doesn't matter that the amen break is used in such and such song, if it's a track that i like i go nuts for that part when it hits or something.
buy here (junodownload)
Thursday, 28 February 2013
nick holder & jemini - no more dating dj's (pete rock remix)
on "underground alternatives", nick holder's second full length outing for nrk sound division in '00, he opened up the album with the track "america eats it's young". it's a swinging housey affair with spoken word artist joanne geiry aka jemini going off on the american societal problems back around the turn of the millennium. none the less i reckon it's still relevant today in the same way the gil scott-heron's "the revolution will not be televised" still holds up. both are loaded with references to specific events and pop culture for that particular time but carries the message through despite that.
for holder's following album for nrk, "the otherside", released three years after "underground alternatives" once again jemini was invited to collaborate. although on "no more dating dj's" the focus was shifted towards jemini and less on the rhythm. in fact holder's production is a bit too basic for my standard but i know its purpose as it's completely built around geiry's words and the track drops out at ever punchline of sorts.
the single release in '04 some remixes came up by john ciafone, yam who and pete rock. the first of which had the job of doing the 120bpm uptempo mix as nrk is more known as a house label. yam who did a small radio version that added some pads and bass and works quite well. pete rock did his thing with the track and this usually involves a new groove and it's a really good one.
pete rock also punches the drums in and out at every punchline but i like this version the most as the groove doesn't come to a halt. then again the beat is almost secondary with jemini's spot on observations of the life of living together with dj's. of course some of it is very tongue-in-cheek but it's also stories and revelations of people interested in music outside of actually practising instruments. even on that note i think it can be applied to as well since the personal lives of a lot of male artists include being tools to everyone that likes them, or at least so they say.
the only thing i could criticise jemini's story about is that it revolves the relationship male dj and female girlfriend & fellow musicenthusiast. the song was made over ten years ago and the ratio male to female dj's in the consciousness was without exaggerating about thirty to one, where as now it is maybe ten to one. part of which why i brought this up was as i was noting on a tweet by a swedish journalist and dj. this person wondered why the relationship of mockery falls together on mostly a male dj as there is more female dj's working out there now, in a true sense of equality of sorts.
my answer and reaction wasn't the normal stereotype of "there isn't any female dj's" but that "female dj's are less of a douchebag" (as in females are gentle human beings compared to those savage males) and less subjected in mockery in that sense. they are in general critiqued for if they actually have skill, you know because females couldn't possibly be dj's and selecting songs in an order and transitioning them is a thing for people with penises.
with this a separate thought came to mind about two special cases within the trance-related community with sandra collins and dj irene* especially in regards to other dj's with penises like sasha and dj keoki. collins had a reputation of heavy drinking and so had sasha, although sasha would consume all sorts of drugs at his most mental phases. only sasha's stories of him being off his tits in a ditch an hour before going on and mixing is regarded as legendary and are told with refrains, where as sandra collins stories are told with judgement and critisism.
for the other case with keoki and irene it has to do with both had used a heavy marketing ploy of the big egocentric rockstar dj. even though i know keoki has been in and out the gutter in his career, keoki has stand up with all of the mockery of this image but the backlash of dj irene is something you cannot imagine. the problematic is that with the sexist and judgemental society you do not want to bring up these cases as i don't think it does good for anyone.
i think men as a collective should be able to take the critism or mockery as females are subjected to a boatload of unjustified hate and discrimnation to a much bigger extent. in most cases of the critism that falls upon men it's for lowering or shattering ego's of individuals that take their role a bit to seriously. ultimately in a true sense of equality you should be able to do talk about female dj's as douchebags without the judgement but i still don't see this happening in the following years.
anyhow, i'm stepping down from the soapbox now. also the tune is brilliant.
buy here (junodownload)
*yes i know irene plays hardhouse and sandra collins went into progressive house but it's still all clobbmuzik over 135 bpm, even though collins hasn't gone over that tempo in years.
for holder's following album for nrk, "the otherside", released three years after "underground alternatives" once again jemini was invited to collaborate. although on "no more dating dj's" the focus was shifted towards jemini and less on the rhythm. in fact holder's production is a bit too basic for my standard but i know its purpose as it's completely built around geiry's words and the track drops out at ever punchline of sorts.
the single release in '04 some remixes came up by john ciafone, yam who and pete rock. the first of which had the job of doing the 120bpm uptempo mix as nrk is more known as a house label. yam who did a small radio version that added some pads and bass and works quite well. pete rock did his thing with the track and this usually involves a new groove and it's a really good one.
pete rock also punches the drums in and out at every punchline but i like this version the most as the groove doesn't come to a halt. then again the beat is almost secondary with jemini's spot on observations of the life of living together with dj's. of course some of it is very tongue-in-cheek but it's also stories and revelations of people interested in music outside of actually practising instruments. even on that note i think it can be applied to as well since the personal lives of a lot of male artists include being tools to everyone that likes them, or at least so they say.
the only thing i could criticise jemini's story about is that it revolves the relationship male dj and female girlfriend & fellow musicenthusiast. the song was made over ten years ago and the ratio male to female dj's in the consciousness was without exaggerating about thirty to one, where as now it is maybe ten to one. part of which why i brought this up was as i was noting on a tweet by a swedish journalist and dj. this person wondered why the relationship of mockery falls together on mostly a male dj as there is more female dj's working out there now, in a true sense of equality of sorts.
my answer and reaction wasn't the normal stereotype of "there isn't any female dj's" but that "female dj's are less of a douchebag" (as in females are gentle human beings compared to those savage males) and less subjected in mockery in that sense. they are in general critiqued for if they actually have skill, you know because females couldn't possibly be dj's and selecting songs in an order and transitioning them is a thing for people with penises.
with this a separate thought came to mind about two special cases within the trance-related community with sandra collins and dj irene* especially in regards to other dj's with penises like sasha and dj keoki. collins had a reputation of heavy drinking and so had sasha, although sasha would consume all sorts of drugs at his most mental phases. only sasha's stories of him being off his tits in a ditch an hour before going on and mixing is regarded as legendary and are told with refrains, where as sandra collins stories are told with judgement and critisism.
for the other case with keoki and irene it has to do with both had used a heavy marketing ploy of the big egocentric rockstar dj. even though i know keoki has been in and out the gutter in his career, keoki has stand up with all of the mockery of this image but the backlash of dj irene is something you cannot imagine. the problematic is that with the sexist and judgemental society you do not want to bring up these cases as i don't think it does good for anyone.
i think men as a collective should be able to take the critism or mockery as females are subjected to a boatload of unjustified hate and discrimnation to a much bigger extent. in most cases of the critism that falls upon men it's for lowering or shattering ego's of individuals that take their role a bit to seriously. ultimately in a true sense of equality you should be able to do talk about female dj's as douchebags without the judgement but i still don't see this happening in the following years.
anyhow, i'm stepping down from the soapbox now. also the tune is brilliant.
buy here (junodownload)
*yes i know irene plays hardhouse and sandra collins went into progressive house but it's still all clobbmuzik over 135 bpm, even though collins hasn't gone over that tempo in years.
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
herbert - in the kitchen
"in the kitchen" comes from herbert's album "around the house" and it's one of the crowning moments on that album. the concept per say is quite typical herbert in the sense of exploring what to do with recorded sound and molding it together with generated sound (for a lack of better term). matthew herbert took it upon him to really go into the concept of "house" and record fragments and samples from the ongoings at his own house.
with most of the tracks it's in herbert's normal modus operandi in which he creates songs that are meant to make you dance but is done with element with atypical origins of club music. "in the kitchen" however is what happens if you take the kickdrum out the equation. there is a rhythm involved and to a certain extent i'd think it's interesting to hear this played together with some slower stripped down techno but it should be at the right context.
for the most part the piece is really what is says on the tin as you hear matthew herbert and richard vine cooking a meal. slowly some music by herbert and vine is brought on but it's as both elements are coexisting layers of sound. you can hear it as one composition but it you can also choose if you want to focus on the music or the field recording and have it as mood piece or as lowkey dance music.
in my perspective this is a mood piece as i'm a homelistener and i'm interested in the whole thing in the way it builds and takes its form over the length of time. i hear this as lounge or background music that has a purpose other than to be the soundtrack to your latte or meal. to use a well worn out cliché in terms of this kind of music, it's something that rewards paying attention.
buy here (bandcamp)
with most of the tracks it's in herbert's normal modus operandi in which he creates songs that are meant to make you dance but is done with element with atypical origins of club music. "in the kitchen" however is what happens if you take the kickdrum out the equation. there is a rhythm involved and to a certain extent i'd think it's interesting to hear this played together with some slower stripped down techno but it should be at the right context.
for the most part the piece is really what is says on the tin as you hear matthew herbert and richard vine cooking a meal. slowly some music by herbert and vine is brought on but it's as both elements are coexisting layers of sound. you can hear it as one composition but it you can also choose if you want to focus on the music or the field recording and have it as mood piece or as lowkey dance music.
in my perspective this is a mood piece as i'm a homelistener and i'm interested in the whole thing in the way it builds and takes its form over the length of time. i hear this as lounge or background music that has a purpose other than to be the soundtrack to your latte or meal. to use a well worn out cliché in terms of this kind of music, it's something that rewards paying attention.
buy here (bandcamp)
Tuesday, 26 February 2013
f. massif - bitstreak
"bitstreak" was the b-side to "understatement" which i know was a track was cained hard with trance dj's, along with their remix of ferry corsten's "rock your body rock". for me however i never knew any of that or was oblivious to it in general, i have heard "understatement" in sets and it is very much no nonsense trance. but i guess i was out of it at the time or liking some other tracks or something.
as a logical move of that i heard "bitstreak" far after the run of all of the tracks mentioned and it was because of it's breakbeat nature that made interested in it. same time i was discovering that ferry corsten was actually signing a whole load of interesting material on his labels if you looked past the main trancy imprints. this actually came out on one of the sublabels that was sort of unprofiled but i think it could have easily been on tsunami special blend.
f massif was one of the many projects from frank van der brink, most of which i have never heard of prior and am not really interested in looking inte either. it was together with hugo soss which according to discogs hasn't put out anything beyond this project. it didn't last long other than two releases, two remixes and a collaboration called "show your style" on ferry corsten's "right of way" album.
what attracted me to "bitstreak" was it's versatility in that it's very driving but never really goes off and it's different phases is definitely for the dj at hand. it might seem heavy weight in the beginning on glance but it really doesn't power up until the last minutes where it then changes into a four on floor. the layers of crunchy and buzzing machine sounds is a good companion piece to the bassline and the snappy drumbreak.
you don't really expect what is about to come in the tailend of the track either as the eighties style pads that is brought on halfway into the track brings the mood down. the track may chug away but you get the impression that it's on a slower tempo. this also makes the impact on the switch to the four on the floor much bigger. it really a perfect tool for the dj when it's time to transition and the many times i've played this track it's been this way i've worked it.
buy here (junodownload)
as a logical move of that i heard "bitstreak" far after the run of all of the tracks mentioned and it was because of it's breakbeat nature that made interested in it. same time i was discovering that ferry corsten was actually signing a whole load of interesting material on his labels if you looked past the main trancy imprints. this actually came out on one of the sublabels that was sort of unprofiled but i think it could have easily been on tsunami special blend.
f massif was one of the many projects from frank van der brink, most of which i have never heard of prior and am not really interested in looking inte either. it was together with hugo soss which according to discogs hasn't put out anything beyond this project. it didn't last long other than two releases, two remixes and a collaboration called "show your style" on ferry corsten's "right of way" album.
what attracted me to "bitstreak" was it's versatility in that it's very driving but never really goes off and it's different phases is definitely for the dj at hand. it might seem heavy weight in the beginning on glance but it really doesn't power up until the last minutes where it then changes into a four on floor. the layers of crunchy and buzzing machine sounds is a good companion piece to the bassline and the snappy drumbreak.
you don't really expect what is about to come in the tailend of the track either as the eighties style pads that is brought on halfway into the track brings the mood down. the track may chug away but you get the impression that it's on a slower tempo. this also makes the impact on the switch to the four on the floor much bigger. it really a perfect tool for the dj when it's time to transition and the many times i've played this track it's been this way i've worked it.
buy here (junodownload)
olive - miracle (monkey mafia remix)
the discovery of this song definitely was when i got my big jon carter/monkey mafia kick and i really don't know if i had really listened to "miracle" prior to it. it was probably in the consciousness following the big success of "you're not alone" but i remember hearing "outlaw" more than "miracle". post that phase i had heard some hubbub about deep dish's remix but in terms of straight up house mixes i prefered murk's funky green remix from the re-release of "miracle".
i have mentioned this before but prior to ableton and it's effective and qualitative timestretching mechanisms you have would have problems with a vocal from the tempo of 75-85 bpm. that is if one planning a house remix and you would have to pick the route that sounds the best. murk picked the slower route for their full vocal mix and it's quite audible that something has been altered. deep dish didn't do a full vocal mix because of this and the only full vocal remixes came from roni size and monkey mafia.
what both of them have in common is that the tempos was less problematic for working but i still take doc scott's techstep meets atmospheric drum & bass remix of that. carter's version is also built on atmosphere but it's only the intro as once the drums hit those sort of sweeping synthetic or metallic sounds become a part of the soundscape. jon carter's take on hip-hop isn't that much different from say liam howlett and this one is definitely for someone who likes the prodigy's "poison".
listen here (youtube)
i have mentioned this before but prior to ableton and it's effective and qualitative timestretching mechanisms you have would have problems with a vocal from the tempo of 75-85 bpm. that is if one planning a house remix and you would have to pick the route that sounds the best. murk picked the slower route for their full vocal mix and it's quite audible that something has been altered. deep dish didn't do a full vocal mix because of this and the only full vocal remixes came from roni size and monkey mafia.
what both of them have in common is that the tempos was less problematic for working but i still take doc scott's techstep meets atmospheric drum & bass remix of that. carter's version is also built on atmosphere but it's only the intro as once the drums hit those sort of sweeping synthetic or metallic sounds become a part of the soundscape. jon carter's take on hip-hop isn't that much different from say liam howlett and this one is definitely for someone who likes the prodigy's "poison".
listen here (youtube)
Monday, 25 February 2013
donna dee - i want your love
for some reason the name "donna dee" popped into my head a few days ago and it wasn't even on a garage kick type thing. first time i heard about donna dee was through swedish tv-channel ztv back in '98 or '99 and they interviewed her as dee was playing in stockholm. it was probably in promotion for the album "spellbound" that had come out and dee also talked about garage or speed garage.
at that time i had no clue on what that kind of music was and i've stated this before but i didn't get it then, and wouldn't understand it until many years later and by then 2-step was a thing of the past. now that doesn't stop me digging up things and when i was doing my research and looked if dee was still active, i noticed that in '08 most of her backcatalogue was put up digitially.
it included the album "spellbound" as mentioned and an album released called "breaks in the heart" with material that came after the album. also another compilation that is pushed as a greatest hits but is more as the alternative version of "breaks in the heart" along with some odds and ends. there is also an acoustic ep that saw donna stripping down and playing some of the hits on guitar.
apart from that i haven't seen much activity but it did lead me to check out the catalogue and from the album "spellbound" comes "i want your love" which i liked a lot. it's very much a classic garage houser and was one of the album singles. a punchy four on the floor kicks along with some light keyes and elements and build up quite nice until the bassline and the vocals hits the track.
true to the genre the bass is quite subby and sound somewhat muffled with headphones and other systems but it booms really nicely in the bottom end. rhalia birch who also would up singing on donna dee & ils' "lurvin' you" and a few of the songs on the "breaks in the heart" does a stunning job with the vocal.
buy here (junodownload)
note that most of the songs are mistitled on juno and elsewhere.
at that time i had no clue on what that kind of music was and i've stated this before but i didn't get it then, and wouldn't understand it until many years later and by then 2-step was a thing of the past. now that doesn't stop me digging up things and when i was doing my research and looked if dee was still active, i noticed that in '08 most of her backcatalogue was put up digitially.
it included the album "spellbound" as mentioned and an album released called "breaks in the heart" with material that came after the album. also another compilation that is pushed as a greatest hits but is more as the alternative version of "breaks in the heart" along with some odds and ends. there is also an acoustic ep that saw donna stripping down and playing some of the hits on guitar.
apart from that i haven't seen much activity but it did lead me to check out the catalogue and from the album "spellbound" comes "i want your love" which i liked a lot. it's very much a classic garage houser and was one of the album singles. a punchy four on the floor kicks along with some light keyes and elements and build up quite nice until the bassline and the vocals hits the track.
true to the genre the bass is quite subby and sound somewhat muffled with headphones and other systems but it booms really nicely in the bottom end. rhalia birch who also would up singing on donna dee & ils' "lurvin' you" and a few of the songs on the "breaks in the heart" does a stunning job with the vocal.
buy here (junodownload)
note that most of the songs are mistitled on juno and elsewhere.
rivet - grifter
when i was listening to the radio show "elektroniskt i p2", which is hosted by andreas tilliander, i heard a segment about mika hallbäck aka grovskopa's new project rivet and was fascinated. previously i had seen the article on the rivet on resident advisor but i wasn't to up on the tracks featured except for "sleepwalker". the rest was techno that i wasn't feeling at the time really and i know i didn't take a full listen to "grifter" because i would have been in love for the second half.
"grifter" starts sort of mundane with a telephone call in french which then goes into a kick drum that has either a reverbtrail or is compressing something. as the track builds you hear a small dialtone everytime a new element is brought on and right up to the first two minutes it was like any other techno. which is why i discarded the track as standard material in october when i read that article.
past that point a distorted bassline carried on with a drumbreak is being filtered in and this is what caught my ear yesterday. hallbäck sampled this loop from baby d's hardcore rave classic "let me be your fantasy" and that is a track that i love. that section especially is something that i dispised when i was younger but is nowadays, for all i care, the main course.
this element does bring something special to the track as it's so dominant and heavy but hallbäck does also back it up with additional sounds so it works well in the mix. proper banging techno music,
listen here (resident advisor)
note, it's vinyl only as skudge's label who put this out is a vinyl only label.
"grifter" starts sort of mundane with a telephone call in french which then goes into a kick drum that has either a reverbtrail or is compressing something. as the track builds you hear a small dialtone everytime a new element is brought on and right up to the first two minutes it was like any other techno. which is why i discarded the track as standard material in october when i read that article.
past that point a distorted bassline carried on with a drumbreak is being filtered in and this is what caught my ear yesterday. hallbäck sampled this loop from baby d's hardcore rave classic "let me be your fantasy" and that is a track that i love. that section especially is something that i dispised when i was younger but is nowadays, for all i care, the main course.
this element does bring something special to the track as it's so dominant and heavy but hallbäck does also back it up with additional sounds so it works well in the mix. proper banging techno music,
listen here (resident advisor)
note, it's vinyl only as skudge's label who put this out is a vinyl only label.
Sunday, 24 February 2013
melody club - baby (stand up) (emmon remix)
might as well carry on the vibe from yesterday with someone from the last decade trying to sounds like the two decades prior. in this case swedish band melody club who is sort of the missing link between the human league and the ark. this song "baby (stand up)" was quite big when it was released in '04 and i really despised it during it's first run but got softer but my hatred softened eventually as it's to damn catchy.
when doing my runs in recordshops and the likes, i've seen the single for "baby" countless times but has passed up on it as i haven't cared to buy it. two years ago i did have a change of heart as i noticed that it also had remixes and that emmon was one of them. emmon is emma nylén of paris, swedish indie-rockband turned synthband, and is also one of the main singers & songwriters in the group.
emmon's rendition is quite faithful to the song except all of the instruments from the group has been tossed away and replayed electronically. the result it a driving italo-flirt with a killer bassline and it was this who made forget about the original song and make it the defacto original. nylén starts it quite soft and wistfull with the kick and a light pad and hints of the vocal but when it the bassline kicks in, it's down to business. the resonance and soft squelch is sort of acidy in tone and when the break hits near the end it's a great moment as you hear the power of it.
buy here (itunes)
when doing my runs in recordshops and the likes, i've seen the single for "baby" countless times but has passed up on it as i haven't cared to buy it. two years ago i did have a change of heart as i noticed that it also had remixes and that emmon was one of them. emmon is emma nylén of paris, swedish indie-rockband turned synthband, and is also one of the main singers & songwriters in the group.
emmon's rendition is quite faithful to the song except all of the instruments from the group has been tossed away and replayed electronically. the result it a driving italo-flirt with a killer bassline and it was this who made forget about the original song and make it the defacto original. nylén starts it quite soft and wistfull with the kick and a light pad and hints of the vocal but when it the bassline kicks in, it's down to business. the resonance and soft squelch is sort of acidy in tone and when the break hits near the end it's a great moment as you hear the power of it.
buy here (itunes)
Saturday, 23 February 2013
olga kouklaki - keep on going (volga select remix)
i saw the single for olga kouklaki's "getalife" a few years ago and i had never even heard of kouklaki prior but i picked it up on the strength of remixes. when i looked into the single on discogs and on the intarwebs i found out that kouklaki was part of a project called odd and released a record on sumsonic in '03. that track was called "don't look at me" and was cained by many of the top progressive house & breaks dj's at the time.
the artwork for the single was also enticing in the same way as arctic monkey's "whatever people say i am, that's why i'm not" as kouklaki is pictured on a leather couch smoking a cigarette and wearing a "i don't give a fuck" attitude. i don't really smoke or condone smoking either but i'm not going lecture people how to live and i think good photography transcends the horrid choices of living. but it wasn't just for the artwork i bought the single but it certainly was eyecatching.
"getalife" is sort of a body influenced track and i really like the cold nature of the song with kouklaki having the same vicious attitude and vocal styling of caroline hervé aka miss kittin. stepping on remix work is black strobe and volga select or basically ivan smagghe in two different constellations. the black strobe remix is nice weird techno and carries on the body vibe but goes further into darker territories.
volga select, who is a formation with kouklaki's collaborator on the song marc collin, flips "getalife" into a more italo direction. the vocal has been treated a bit but not as much as in the black strobe remix but in general the song is light on the vocal as the melodies are in focus. also thibault barbillon's bassline takes a much bigger place here as it's much more tucked away behind the machine noise and the kick on the original.
smagghe and collin takes some of the best parts on the original and work them well into the mix. they also helped them self out to change the name for the song but make no mistake, it's a remix of "getalife" and it's a very driving piece of italoesque techno.
buy here (itunes)
the artwork for the single was also enticing in the same way as arctic monkey's "whatever people say i am, that's why i'm not" as kouklaki is pictured on a leather couch smoking a cigarette and wearing a "i don't give a fuck" attitude. i don't really smoke or condone smoking either but i'm not going lecture people how to live and i think good photography transcends the horrid choices of living. but it wasn't just for the artwork i bought the single but it certainly was eyecatching.
"getalife" is sort of a body influenced track and i really like the cold nature of the song with kouklaki having the same vicious attitude and vocal styling of caroline hervé aka miss kittin. stepping on remix work is black strobe and volga select or basically ivan smagghe in two different constellations. the black strobe remix is nice weird techno and carries on the body vibe but goes further into darker territories.
volga select, who is a formation with kouklaki's collaborator on the song marc collin, flips "getalife" into a more italo direction. the vocal has been treated a bit but not as much as in the black strobe remix but in general the song is light on the vocal as the melodies are in focus. also thibault barbillon's bassline takes a much bigger place here as it's much more tucked away behind the machine noise and the kick on the original.
smagghe and collin takes some of the best parts on the original and work them well into the mix. they also helped them self out to change the name for the song but make no mistake, it's a remix of "getalife" and it's a very driving piece of italoesque techno.
buy here (itunes)
jamie myerson - everything is going to be alright
a few days ago i caught someone talking about guilty pleasures on twitter and this sent me on a rant that i developed since i came to the conclusion that guilty pleasures as a concept is wrong. i believe that you should stand accountable for all sorts of art or opinion and don't use this waiver or a copout and say that it's a guilty pleasure. there is just two sides to this artwork called music, there is good and bad. i have different shades of good where the lowest is "i don't mind it" and even then i still like it. on the bad there is just that category, bad because otherwise you are just splitting ends.
i like a lot of music that isn't credible at all but i've probably mentioned most of it here on this blog. it's everything between eurodance and epic trance, random chart fodder, the sort of classic & opera pieces that are regarded as for beginners and has crossed over to the mainstream. same goes for jazz music of that kind and also all sorts of mundane or inane music that will send simon reynolds into a rant or lecture.
with regards to the easily picked on of the ones mentioned here i can explain that eurodance by default doesn't take itself seriously. it's dance music about dancing, there was a whole lot of it that had "conscious" topics but it had already been said many times before. this fact shatters all sorts of questions about credibility and disposability and it's also why it's credible in it's own right.
the music might be mundane but it has bite and this is the issue and when you strip of all the bite from music you basically have musac, anti-music disguised as music. a lot of chart fodder pop that can send you to irritation about how "awful" it is at least provokes you because it plays according to formula. i really don't like alexandra stan's "mr. saxobeat" or carly rae jepsen's "call me maybe", to use two examples on songs that i've taken a shit on for this blog, but they have some sort of bite and i can tolerate them but i still don't like them.
so to the song at hand then and this song is from jamie myerson's "the listen project" album, much like "crucial" as i talked about a few weeks ago. it's a very emotional piece at glance and i think myerson and carol tripp wants you and i to think so. all i hear is this serious piece of music trying to be soulful, comforting and uplifting and i think it fails within all of that. somehow i get the impression that myerson wanted to make something that sounds like if 4hero and grover washington jr. had done a collaboration.
fusing together contemporary jazz with modern drum and bass but it comes off less as that and more like the really soft side of omni trio and kenny g or david benoit. it plays right into all the clichés and it's devoid of all sorts of bite in every element. whether it's the rhythmic backdrop or the keys or donald ward's saxophone or carol tripp's vocal. a part of me doesn't want pick on the saxophone as it's a problematic instrument thanks to it's constant use in schmaltzy smooth jazz but i have to as it does fit the bill in this case.
basically if you boil down all of that random malarky, it comes down to that all of my instincts are saying that this song is musac. it's disguised as drum and bass but it's musac. i have issues calling it music that i stand for but i can also honestly say that i love this song. there isn't any way to really defend it with with my logic on what constintutes as good music but i do actually really love it. this sort of problematic was delved into in my entry on madrid de los austria's "mas amor".
what differentiates them is only by a smidge and has to be that "mas amor" has better instrumentation and has some bite. even though they have the same kind of modus operandi and i might be actually bullshitting myself over that also.
buy here (itunes)
i like a lot of music that isn't credible at all but i've probably mentioned most of it here on this blog. it's everything between eurodance and epic trance, random chart fodder, the sort of classic & opera pieces that are regarded as for beginners and has crossed over to the mainstream. same goes for jazz music of that kind and also all sorts of mundane or inane music that will send simon reynolds into a rant or lecture.
with regards to the easily picked on of the ones mentioned here i can explain that eurodance by default doesn't take itself seriously. it's dance music about dancing, there was a whole lot of it that had "conscious" topics but it had already been said many times before. this fact shatters all sorts of questions about credibility and disposability and it's also why it's credible in it's own right.
the music might be mundane but it has bite and this is the issue and when you strip of all the bite from music you basically have musac, anti-music disguised as music. a lot of chart fodder pop that can send you to irritation about how "awful" it is at least provokes you because it plays according to formula. i really don't like alexandra stan's "mr. saxobeat" or carly rae jepsen's "call me maybe", to use two examples on songs that i've taken a shit on for this blog, but they have some sort of bite and i can tolerate them but i still don't like them.
so to the song at hand then and this song is from jamie myerson's "the listen project" album, much like "crucial" as i talked about a few weeks ago. it's a very emotional piece at glance and i think myerson and carol tripp wants you and i to think so. all i hear is this serious piece of music trying to be soulful, comforting and uplifting and i think it fails within all of that. somehow i get the impression that myerson wanted to make something that sounds like if 4hero and grover washington jr. had done a collaboration.
fusing together contemporary jazz with modern drum and bass but it comes off less as that and more like the really soft side of omni trio and kenny g or david benoit. it plays right into all the clichés and it's devoid of all sorts of bite in every element. whether it's the rhythmic backdrop or the keys or donald ward's saxophone or carol tripp's vocal. a part of me doesn't want pick on the saxophone as it's a problematic instrument thanks to it's constant use in schmaltzy smooth jazz but i have to as it does fit the bill in this case.
basically if you boil down all of that random malarky, it comes down to that all of my instincts are saying that this song is musac. it's disguised as drum and bass but it's musac. i have issues calling it music that i stand for but i can also honestly say that i love this song. there isn't any way to really defend it with with my logic on what constintutes as good music but i do actually really love it. this sort of problematic was delved into in my entry on madrid de los austria's "mas amor".
what differentiates them is only by a smidge and has to be that "mas amor" has better instrumentation and has some bite. even though they have the same kind of modus operandi and i might be actually bullshitting myself over that also.
buy here (itunes)
Friday, 22 February 2013
dajaé - day by day (chez 'n' trent vocal mix)
following being interested in ron trent and chez damier's catalogue a few years ago i came on to this one after listening to the all the other classics. it certainly struck a chord with me and i ended up bumming it many sets at the time as it was too good to not be played. i did like the original mixes from cajmere and a few of the other versions such as carl craig's dub and dj sneak's remixes.
it's a different rendition from the package and along with deep dish's remixes the song was taken out the mid 90's chicago-esque setting. i didn't really like deep dish's version because it's standard progressive house and further more they produced much better material at the time of this release. chez damier & ron trent saw that there was a soulful ballad hiding within cajmere's jacking beats and with a reshaping and refocusing of the vocal it could be executed.
one of the many words that has been used to describe this remix is classy and i have to agree but it's also a textbook example of taking a track and making it into a song. cajmere's original production isn't completely a track but i think it has that rawness that it makes it almost strictly for the feet where as this is also for the ears. i do think the piano in the original is great but the keyboard work here takes it to a different level and the relationship with the bassline is brilliant as well.
the last minute or so of the song holds such a high class that i don't want it to end and when i used to play the dub i would just loop sections of this to make it last longer. love it.
buy here (junodownload)
it's a different rendition from the package and along with deep dish's remixes the song was taken out the mid 90's chicago-esque setting. i didn't really like deep dish's version because it's standard progressive house and further more they produced much better material at the time of this release. chez damier & ron trent saw that there was a soulful ballad hiding within cajmere's jacking beats and with a reshaping and refocusing of the vocal it could be executed.
one of the many words that has been used to describe this remix is classy and i have to agree but it's also a textbook example of taking a track and making it into a song. cajmere's original production isn't completely a track but i think it has that rawness that it makes it almost strictly for the feet where as this is also for the ears. i do think the piano in the original is great but the keyboard work here takes it to a different level and the relationship with the bassline is brilliant as well.
the last minute or so of the song holds such a high class that i don't want it to end and when i used to play the dub i would just loop sections of this to make it last longer. love it.
buy here (junodownload)
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