1981-1983
18 May 2008

Photo courtesy of pamelaklaffke on Flickr

K.I.D. - Don't Stop

Given that Alan Braxe is returning to New York with Lifelike for the next FIXED party on June 7th, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to post this track which serves as the base sample for "Most Wanted". In addition to appearing in a slew of disco mixes, it's sampled by Pryda on his "Remember" track which, no surprise here, I've previously posted. "Dont' Stop" appears on a 12" originally released in 1981 by New York's SAM record label, the b-side being "Do It Again". You can listen to it on Youtube via the discorecords user channel.

Punkin' Machine - I Need You Tonight

Don't tell anyone but I think I was possibly the last person on the planet to hear the James Murphy & Pat Mahoney Fabriclive.36 mix. This was on the tracklist and it's one of those disco songs I'd heard out everywhere in the last year thanks to parties put on by DFA affiliates. The thing is I didn't have a clue what it was until now. Here's the original from start to finish with no mixed outro (meaning it's not ripped from the aforementioned Fabric mix).

Mirage - Woman (Cosmic Club Mastercuts)

While I'm having another one of those "everything must be related" epiphanies (which I'm sure has every record collector about 10 years my senior laughing hysterically) this track appears on Cosmic Club's Mirage/Punkin' Machine split, a limited edition, unofficial 12" and the first in the Cosmic Club series. It's a 1983 italo-disco tune and the Cosmic Club Mastercuts version is a sped up dub of the original.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 16:51 | |


Wash Inside-Out
07 May 2008

Photo taken from the Compression party gallery

Jonathan Troupin - Wash Inside-Out

In case you hadn't noticed, some of Europe's finest talent in techno have been paying a proper homage to the audial wonders of laundry, its every swish, spin and low humming vibration, for years now -- Tomas Andersson with "Washing Up", Workidz's "Wash Machine" EP, even Ellen Allien on "Washing Machine is Speaking". Audio Werner keeps it in the kitchen with his "Wash the Dishes" track however. Way to defect, Werner.

All astute observations aside, Jonathan Troupin, who nowadays simply goes by the name of Jona, is one of Get Physical's secret treasures. New Yorkers may remember him closing out the evening with a stellar DJ set at the FIXED party with headliner Gui Boratto. Or if you're in Bristol, you may have caught him at Dojo Lounge's Loco party last Friday.

Native of Brussels, Jona has accumulated a four year back catalog of original releases and remixes (M.A.N.D.Y. and Junior Boys to name a few) that have landed him on the top of German dance music charts in addition to receiving praise from Carl Craig, Laurent Garnier and Claude Von Stroke.

"Wash Inside-Out" is not entirely indicative of Jona's current sound given that it was actually from his first release, the Smile EP, put out by Strobe in 2005. I just happen to be in love with this one. Tracks like "Manta" and his most recent 12" on Planet E, "Altiplano", demonstrate his growth in both production abilities and style which has shifted ever so slightly to a more classic Detroit sound. You can stream for yourself on Myspace. Jona is currently in the studio working on new material for a future full-length on Get Physical in addition to an upcoming tour of Australia and Japan.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 21:40 | |


We Like This
05 May 2008


Lars Moston - We Like This (Philipe de Boyar Remix)

Massive post-London holiday lethargy on this end. Here's a brief, albeit mad recap in no particular order: Uniqlo party/hipster staredown contest/cheap champagne triple-fisting free for all across the road from Rough Trade featuring super cute performance by Metronomy (I could hum "Radio Ladio" all day), Eric Prydz-themed chat on the terrace of The Macbeth, $14 sandwich at The Breakfast Club, Fluokids party or international gathering of attractive bloggers plus a very intoxicated New Young Pony Clubber, $20 salad at The Rivington, inflatable back-breaking Aero Bed of doom, $4 box of 10 bandaids and the unforgettable Disco Bloodbath anxiety attack.

I really need to stay away from Europe for a while, vacation-wise. But let's go on a figurative journey to Switzerland where we'll find Philipe de Boyar, an electro/house/breaks-ish DJ and producer that, from the looks of things, has yet to hit puberty. Fortunately, with youth comes an excellent sense of sophomoric humor for which I applaud de Boyar: example here.

Philipe's been around the blog block, most recently making an appearance on Berlin Battery with his remix of Siriusmo's "All The Girls". Boyar's remix of Lars Moston's "We Like This" appears on the single released by German label Hammarskjöld Records which came out many moons ago, before man could walk completely upright, in January of 2007.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 23:16 | |


Rocket City
27 April 2008


Golden Bug - Rocket City

Yes, I've been on a disco kick lately; be it Euro, Italo or just regular, made-to-order, "I'm pretty sure my parents were dancing to this outside of Studio 54 because they weren't cool enough to get in" disco. It's only a matter of days before I post Dance Reaction, Phaeax or Mr. Flagio and then you'll all have to head for the hills with your hands over your ears or seek refuge on some of the more popular, blinding, day-glo blogs.

After that last post it's nice to stay in the same groove with a more current artist. Golden Bug is Antoine Harispuru, a Parisian producer based in Barcelona. He's one half of the newly developed Silicone Square Garden label with Aurelien Haas or Rove Dogs. His latest track, "Rocket City", sounds like something straight out of an ultra-cosmic robotic future where it's possible to perfectly synthesize elements of disco, funk and heavily distorted electro in a way that put tracks like "Da Funk" on the map.

"Rocket City" is taken from the I Can't Stop 12" out on superior German label, Gomma Records. By the way, dearest Gomma, I'm more of a dresses and heels kinda girl but I'm prepared to grovel for an out-of-stock, Munk-inspired Kick Out The Chairs t-shirt.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 01:11 | |


Barely Breaking Even

Photo courtesy of snowstorm on Flickr

Universal Robot Band - Barely Breaking Even

You could say this is "off the beaten path" in terms of what I regularly post but it reminds me of the time I went on a job interview and I was perplexed by the notion of writing about dance music without being able to discuss electro, techno, house and so forth. What do you mean? So naive it's embarrassing. Dance music comes in all forms and this is just an excellent example; a funk-soul-disco gem originally released in 1982 with an all too familiar "moog squelch" and lyrics that I think all of us Americans with our devalued currency and outrageous gasoline prices can relate to:
"Maybe it's the system
Maybe it's the cost of living
Every single weekend
I never know where the money goes
Still I'm always giving
And I'm just barely breaking even
I've got to get some for myself"
Greg Carmichael, Patrick Adams and Leroy Burgess were the trio behind Universal Robot Band who first scored a hit in 1976 with "Dance and Shake Your Tambourine" (pretty stellar cover art plus JD Twitch of Optimo previously remixed the track as well). "Barely Breaking Even" was recorded after the group had already split but then reformed in the '80s. Luckily Moonglow repressed this essential underground classic in 2005 so you can rest your crate-digging fingers. Being broke and downtrodden never felt like much of an excuse to dance, but here's one 11 minute reason to.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 00:49 | |


Flott Flyt
22 April 2008


diskJokke - Flott Flyt

For all of you disco house lovers, here's a beautiful track from Norwegian producer, Joachim Dyrdahl a.k.a. diskJokke's latest release, the Flott Flyt 12". Such a great tune it almost begs the question "Lindstrøm who"? Alright, I kid. Despite both producers being Oslo natives with similar influences, facial hair and some weird Hawaiian/Tropical genre inside joke (please refer to their respective Myspace sites), there's no sense of competition between the two, only collaboration -- diskJokke previously remixed Lindstrøm's "Breakfast in Heaven" single, afterall.

"Flott Flyt", which also appears on diskJokke's debut full-length Staying In, is a lush, full-bodied track with an intricate melody. Almost feels like floating. Despite all of the added flare you usually find in contemporary disco house, there's a great, stripped down break in the middle with just the essentials: cowbell, a plucky bassline and a shimmering tambourine. The B sides, particularly "Gadgets" with its ultra slick swagger, round out the rest of the record perfectly. Grab this one from Full Pupp while you can.
Note: diskJokke will be doing a live set in London tonight at White Heat with New York's Hearts Revolution, so choose your own adventure and give us all a full report when you get back.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 00:24 | |


Seven Fourty Nine
21 April 2008

Photo courtesy of Federilli on Flickr

Prompt - Evolve

One of Beatport's top minimal tracks in February, released on the 7'noise label, came from Spanish producer Manuel Fernandez Llorente or Prompt. If the name sounds familiar, it's probably because you've heard of Llorente's previous work with Alex Escohotado, Electro-Prompt. If it doesn't, well, there's some useless knowledge you can regurgitate when you want to impress nobody.

While a majority of my friends think all minimal sounds like the monotonous sound of a pin dropping in an empty hallway at 125 BPM with an occasional hissing noise in the background, "Evolve" is nothing of the sort. Sure it's a bit repetitive but it has this stellar crescendo that shatters the glass, so to speak, plus a great vocal loop that reminds me of the one used in Matias Aguayo's "Drums and Feathers" track.

Llorente's productions have garnered support by Danny Tenaglia, Dubfire and I hate to say it but it starts with a Tië and ends with a sto who featured the Gothek D.C. remix of Prompt's "Beside Me" track on one of his compilations, "In Search of Sunrise 5". Wait, don't run away yet! As you all probably know, Tiësto makes my sun want to collapse into a white dwarf so in spite of the latter, it's worth noting that Prompt is also a favorite of Matthew Dear's, with both "Evolve" and "Elephant" appearing on his Essential Mix on BBC Radio 1.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 13:40 | |


Aston Shuffle & Klaus Hill
19 April 2008

Photo courtesy of mushroom_and_rooster on Flickr

Aston Shuffle - For Everyone (Malente Remix)

I love Australia. And it's not because they have billboards like this up in Melbourne or because the Aussie hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Nolita, Ruby's, has amazing coffee and the highest number of Ksubi clad patrons I'll see on any given day. Nope, it's because of the frequency of delightful exports like this one from Hussle 'N' Bussle.

Aston Shuffle's "For Everyone" exploits the democratic nature of fun and the universal appeal of a Daft Punk-esque vocal and influence. The single can hold its own without any tweaking, but here you'll find one of Germany's top producers and DJs, Malente, giving the track a proper makeover that's equally as good despite taking the self-described "big happy summery song" in a slightly different direction. Then of course you have Klaus Hill's remix which goes absolutely wild with the bass much like English producers Stupid Fresh's version.

Klaus Hill - Boombaclart

When I was about 14 years old I started collecting a lot of mid to late '60s/early '70s Jamaican vinyl (weird, yeah). I had a hard time getting into later reggae and dancehall because patois was way over my head, but I grew up in Queens, NY which is probably one of the most ethnically diverse places in the entire US; you couldn't throw a pebble two feet without hitting someone from another part of the world. I managed to pick up a few words, most of which were pretty derogatory in nature, "bumbaclot" being the one everyone had hysterical fits over me using. Well, that and "nash" or "jook" as in, for example, "I'm going to jook her (nash) with vengeance tonight". Self-explanatory.

All personal anecdotes aside, I hear the title "Boombaclart" and I think Jamaica, obviously. I listen to the actual track and upon hearing that sort of dirty, heavy bass reminiscent of most bassline house I think "definitely from England". Despite being based in Australia today, Klaus Hill is originally from the UK where he had his humble beginnings in drum & bass before moving onto breaks/breakbeat garage, house and electro. Nicknamed "Klaus the Heavyweight Hill", it's only proper that he founded and owns the label Title Fight, but this track comes from The Undefeated EP, also out on Hussle.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 22:56 | |


The Magik Touch


Magik Johnson - Bushman (Club Mix)

I may be well travelled but when I think of New Zealand, I unfortunately think of two things: sheep and Lord of the Rings. Luckily, Auckland producer Magik Johnson has done much in the way of improving my perceptions of the geographically isolated country (and you thought Australia was exotic) with a career that spans over a decade and a pretty impressive resume to boot: Magik, among other feats and accomplishments, actually had a residency at the Hacienda from 1993-1997 during the whole acid house craze.

The East West Connection 12" is currently out on UK tech-house label Underwater Records, also home to a handful of releases by Tom Deluxe. Call me crazy but do I hear a little bit of Fedde Le Grand's "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit" in there? Affirm or negate.

The record features remixes of "Bushman" by Irish producer Arveene as well as Italy's own Crookers, the latter of which, at the risk of sounding terribly rude, has a tendency to be a one-trick pony. I'd stick with the club mix in all of its colorful, floor-thumping glory.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 00:07 | |


Going Devo
11 April 2008

Photo taken from Rekids Official site

Jjak Hogan - Devo

Jjak Hogan has to be one of the most unexpected signings to Matt Edwards' Rekids label. When I think of that particular imprint, I think of Radioslave, Jesse Rose or Luke Solomon as I'm sure most people do. Imagine meeting two MCs from Augusta, Georgia, Slim E. Neutron and David Koppa Feel (or Donte Oliver and Wayne Brooks but I prefer the former). They just got off the stage opening for Modeselektor in silver tinsel wigs and Dockers pulled so high, they make Louis and Gilbert from Revenge of the Nerds look like they're on the cutting edge of fashion. Then they tell you that they've just put out a record on appropriately named label Rekids.

"No way."

That's the best response I could conjure up. It was a good "no way" in the sense that it's nice to see labels expanding their scope by taking in artists that don't necessarily fit their aesthetic, for lack of a better word. At the end of the day, music is music regardless of genre. If Aaron Carl's fantastically dirty single "Down" went to the future and returned as quasi interdimensional booty bass/ghettotech, I'm about 97% sure this is what it would sound like.

Jjak Hogan - Devo (Vogel PMPEngine Remix)

Now imagine those same MCs telling you they've been remixed by mad, experimental, electronic music composer/genius from Barcelona, Cristian Vogel. I don't typically consider myself close-minded when it comes to music, but I was equally surprised about this one. I loved Vogel's The Never Engine on Tresor. Can you go wrong with a track like Vogel's "xpute the woopwoop"? No, so you certainly can't go wrong with a remix that takes "Devo" to a completely different level.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 19:46 | |


It's Automatic

Photo courtesy of janinens on Flickr

Anthony Rother - Don't Panic (Dataclash Mix)

German producer and label owner, Anthony Rother, has had quite a prolific career with releases dating back to 1997. I hesitate to use the word "prolific" actually since it seems like a bit of an understatement. This Dataclash mix in particular is pure 4/4 electro with a heavily vocoder-ed "Don't panic/It's automatic" lyric, which comes as no surprise given that Rother is often credited for the "revival" of electro from the '90s going into the year 2000 and beyond.

Rother has also released ambient albums and of course is no stranger to the techno scene having produced records by Sven Väth (in addition to collaborating with Väth under the appropriate Väth & Rother moniker) and remixed tracks by Miss Kittn, DJ Hell and the list goes on. Other artists he's worked with include electronic percussionist, Karl Bartos, of the venerable Kraftwerk. But, I suppose to make this more relevant to blog-hausers, his Datapunk label put out Boys Noize's second official release, the 2005 record "Are You In?".

Ellen Allien - Trash Scapes (Anthony Rother Remix)

As an added bonus you can download the 2003 remix Rother did of Ellen Allien's "Trash Scapes" track which makes an appearance on a minimix by Rex the Dog. Not only does it appear on said mix, it's blended with the intro to Mel & Kim's "Respectable". Mel & Kim!


Posted by Mary Ann @ 15:52 | |


FABRICLIVE. This Friday
08 April 2008

Photo courtesy of watchlooksee on Flickr

This week's edition of the Fabriclive party is no less stellar than the one before, the one before that, the next party or future parties that haven't even been dreamed up yet. I wouldn't be surprised if they had the ghost of Larry Levan on the bill one day, rocking the rotary.

Fabriclive is something I've been hearing about since I first got into dance music, recommended by colleagues at Modular Records, friends at XLR8R and Flavorpill, just about every touring DJ I know and the list goes on. I'm giddy with excitement since I'll be in town the first weekend of May for my first Fabriclive experience. I have a feeling it'll be like prom night but without all those tears of regret.

BBC's Radio 1 host Annie Mac dominates Room One, BBC Soundsystem holds down Room Two among others, while behind the doors of Room Number Three you have Filthy Dukes and more. Check out the flyer here for more info.


Speaking of BBC Soundsytem, you can stream this mini mix that the Spank Rock DJS XXXChange, Devlin & Darko did for Fabric in conjunction with the Spank Rock FABRICLIVE 33 release, the latter of which PopMatters refers to as "a whole chunk of brilliant ass-shake". Go figure. With tracks from Kurtis Blow to a Maurice Fulton remix of Hot Chip to the Busta Rhymes/Daft Punk mash-up by Speaker Punks, it's worth pressing play.


Posted by Mary Ann @ 13:49 | |