It's not usual a single release warrants its own review here but DJ Hell 'U Can Dance' is one that does.
DJ Hell has teamed up with Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry and Peter Kruder to produce a killer take on an unreleased Ferry song from yesteryear. It first featured on Hell’s album Teufelswerk but comes into its own now with remixes courtesy of Carl Craig, Simian Mobile Disco and Tim Goldsworthy.
The fanfare of the previous album single, ‘The DJ’ featuring P. Diddy, would normally be hard to trump but nothing is impossible when Carl Craig is on remix duties and over two blinding remixes he delivers gold. Both adopt Craig’s usual creative genius and madness with one mix taking on a more stabbed and bouncy groove, holding the vocal at the forefront while the other is more stripped back and pushes a darker groove with perfectly timed trippy synth tweaks and refrains. Craig’s first mix in particular is nothing short of genius - one of his best recent remixes - and is one of those records which has elements you didn't even notice at first come to life when played on a decent sound system.
Tim Goldsworthy's 11 minute mix is an interesting take - quite laid back initially but taking lots of twists and turns along the ride - adding in live percussion elements, detuned keys and drum solos to give an almost live band feel for large sections. Simian Mobile Disco deliver a slow-burning stripped back remix which chugs along in their usual style until kicking into top gear around 6 minutes in. It’s solid but not the main event in this case. Craig’s two mixes show again why he’s almost untouchable amongst dance music's edgier remixers.
DJ Hell feat Bryan Ferry 'U Can Dance' is set for release in January 2010 on International Deejay Gigolo Records.
This month is a mixed bag of Detroit, deep, dubby, disco and tribal tracks. Carl Craig once again delivers with his remixes of DJ Hell's 'U Can Dance'. Angel Alanis shows he's still got the good with his tracky remix of rising Bulgarian artist Inert. Slam also return with a bottom heavy chugger on their own new label Paragraph.
1. DJ Hell feat Bryan Ferry - U Can Dance (Carl Craig Remix 1) (International Deejay Gigolo Records)
2. Inert - It Depends (Angel Alanis Remix) (A-Squared Muzik)3. m0h feat. Graciella - Disrupted (M.in & Patrick Kunkel Remix) (Ground Factory Recs)
4. Edmund - Dont Know Why (DeepClass Records)5. Kris Wadsworth - Deep Inside (Dark Energy)6. YNK feat. De La Maso - Flatuare (Micro.fon Digital)
7. Slam - We Doin This Again? (Paragraph)8. 7. Samuel L Session - Tight Stack (Be As One Imprint)9. 2 Human - Burn The Witch (Mak.Tub Music)10. M.in, Ynk & Ben Anders - Do You Speak House (Emerson Remix) (Weplayminimal)
Classic pic/remake: Soho - Give It Up (Passion mix). From the same producer as Earth People 'Dance' and released around the same period 'Give It Up' is a sparse, groovy, deep house classic.
Although progressive house never really went away the limelight has definitely been off it the past couple of years. Maybe it was the rise of electro house or minimal, but maybe it was that prog had ventured so far up its own nether region it well.... too often just sucked. Much of it in any case. Thankfully the tide against McElectro-hou5 seems to be waning and prog is reviving itself somewhat.One label I enjoyed in the early 00s and then drifted away from was Plastic Fantastic. They've revived their Plastica sub-label in serious style in 2009 with what I'd rate as some of the coolest prog I've heard in ages.Dan Cat (aka half of Cheshire Catz) had a superb release with 'Outa Bongolia' - taking the cake for coolness and the absolutely brilliant Q-Burns remixes of Kicksy & Alif Groove "Out Of Nowhere" make for one of the best feel-good records I've heard in ages.Check out:Dan Cat - Outa Bongolia / That Was Hot (one of the most orignal prog tunes you'll hear in ages!)Corrugated Tunnel - Bulfin
Kicksy & Alif Groove - Out Of Nowhere (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix)Bentley & Ben Gomori - Out Comes Fabianski (with a great dub by Fabregas - release 23 Nov)Plastica Recordings website
Terrence Parker has been around for literally decades - longer than I recall at least. I recently noticed his label, Parker Musicworks, generally an outlet for his own works, has started dropping some seriously dope stuff by other artists.A few worth a mention have been on the disco-sampling tip which, by usual standards, would be a sign they're probably rubbish. Too many artists fail badly when sampling old disco tunes - the results are usually just plain soul-less rubbish. Parker however has found a really good bunch of artists doing really solid stuff. It makes a nice change from the harder styles which seem to dominate most scenes.Matt Veloce 'Let's Get Some Love' and the lower-key Chic-sampling 'Come On' have wicked grooves reminiscent of mid-90s Cricco Castelli releases. Understated and funky as hell. Support coming from taste-makers Luke Solomon, Tedd Patterson, Anthony Shakir and more.Another, by Parisian DJ Leandre, is a more chunky affair with Funk/Jazz/Disco influences but made with a modern house approach. 'Tripping Out' in particular is a sleazy, infectious gem - the sort of record you'd expect Dimitri From Paris to bust out. Solid stuff.Matt Veloce - Let's Get Some Love at JunodownloadParker Musicworks label page on Traxsource
The year is hotting up with tons of labels and artists saving their best till the home stretch. Milton Jackson's latest, 'Falling', is a great return to a more hypnotic sound for him, and U&K's 'Elastic Exit' is a mad, futuristic Detroit-inspired gem worth checking out. If you're after a warm, summery prog vibe the Q-Burns remix of Kicksy & Alif Groove 'Out Of Nowhere' is your ticket!Derrick May's Transmat Records also relaunches in style with Greg Gow's 'The Bridge' which ought to be this years Blackwater/Jaguar - take your pick.1. Milton Jackson - Falling (Deep Mix) (Dark Energy)2. Greg Gow - The Bridge (Late Night Grand River Mix) (Transmat)3. Tim Sheridan - Bionic Language (House Mix) (Veryverywrongindeed Recordings)4. U&K - Elastic Exit (Redflux Cinnabar)5. Mark O'Sullivan - Within You (Secret Groovers Remix) (Nice & Nasty)6. Elef.ant - Mudma (Weplayminimal)7. Gary Caos - Madre Terra (John Lagora Dub) (Frequenza)8. Kicksy & Alif Groove - Out Of Nowhere (Q-Burns Abstract Message Remix) (Plastic Fantastic)9. Nima Nas & Nikko - Poser (Original) (Slanted Black)10. F-Sonik - Experiencia (Aenaria Tribal)
A few gems which made it into the Our House Magazine review section. Techno is on fire this year as is a quiet resurgence of deep, dubby prog.Orlando Voorn – Angles (Nice & Nasty)‘Angles’ is the next in line for Irish techno label who've turned to some locals for remixes. The original is magic - as you'd expect from Voorn - a morphing of house and techno with raw rhythms and a hypnotic synth which hooks you in without resorting to any bells or whistles. Dave Ellesmere’s remix retains much of the soul but goes for an almost pounding tribal rhythm which will definitely work on the dance floor while Manuel Perez takes the cake with a deeper version which morphs and twists through a distorted synth and a stark piano line. It all fits together so so well. Simplicity has always been the magic of Voorn’s releases and this is no different. More remixes by Itokim, Fran Hartnett and Jamie Behan due shortly. Angles @ JunodownloadMarkus Wesen – Kindergarten EP (Ohral Recordings)Kindergarten sampling minimal house is the name of the game here. The original is a bouncy sparse groovy with various cut up samples of children talking and singing. It’s actually not as odd as it sounds and makes for a quite infectious groove. The killer here is the M.in remix which is no surprise at all – 2009 has been a breakthrough year for the German. In his usual hooky, percussive style he builds a great vibe using subtle delays and thumping deep bassline. When the vocals finally feed into the mix half way through they add that extra hook to seal the deal. Very quirky. Kindergarten EP @ BeatportSerial Smokers – Talk = Cheap (Fatal Music)The label which lives and breathes tribal rhythms returns with a stormer. The meshing of Spanish tribal sounds into more modern minimal style of tribal house makes this record bouncy, funky and very infectious. Nicely cut up vocals complete the hook and a well-paced arrangement make the ride a good one. Jaimy's remix serves up an even more current sound which has the sort of bite which is so lacking in most so-called tribal records. His mix adds plenty of twists and turns to make it a sure winner on any open minded dance floor. Talk = Cheap @ BeatportDaniel Kyo – Synecdoque (Ready Mix Records)Daniel Kyo has hit the mark a couple of times with his remixes so it’s good to hear his debut on Ready Mix. Synecdoque is sort of futuristic deep house in a similar vein to Stan Kolev. It has summery vibes and sits at the deep and progressive crossover point with good results. It floats and morphs with subtle changes rather than big drops and grooves along nicely. Da Fun's remix takes the idea and twists it into a steppy electro-tech version with a more peak-time vibe. Edwin & Ferdy’s remix is almost a reprise with the focus taken off the kick/snare. It oozes the vibe of a day by a pool chilling and grooving with subtle keys, claps and vocal snippets. Nice! Synecdoque @ BeatportCheck out my Junodownload Future Garage chart for September.
A major month for great music with both Japan and the Netherlands pumping out Detroit-esque futuristic sounds courtesy of Itokim and Orlando Voorn, two of the most talented producers out there as of late. Tribal rhythms also have a foot in the door with Serial Smokers "Talk is Cheap" and Rissidium "Midnight to Twilight".
Future Garage Top Ten
1. Itokim - Colourless (Itinerant Records)
2. Orlando Voorn - Angles (Itokim Praise mix) (Nice & Nasty)
3. Ascion & D.Carbone - Bad Bass (Alexi Delano Remix) (Smallroom)
4. Daniel Kyo - Synecdoque (Edwin & Ferdy Remix) (Ready Mix)
5. Serial Smokers - Talk is Cheap (Jaimy Remix) (Fatal Music)6. Rissidium - Midnight to Twilight (NightChild Records)
7. Jackie Misfit - Kundi La Mapendo (Nima Gorji remix) (Jesus Loved You)
8. Fer Ferrari - In the Way (DeepClass Records)
9. Sick Fuck - Where Is The Kitchen? (Twisted)
10. Duomek - Bahrat (original mix) (Mintgum)
Classic Pic: Gerd - Arkest's Blaze (Music Man)
A 1995 backwards beat intro techno monster. Made famous on Stacey Pullen's DJ Kicks mix. Gerd records as Literon and Amplified Orchestra these days.
I was jamming with some oldies in preparation for an old-school house gig coming up at Cassette 9 and was inspired to make a mini-mix of Chicago house classics....
Spanning the mid-80s and some of my favourites from the mid 90s is this 36 minute mix - perfect for when stuck in traffic or for your aerobic Oz-style session.
It includes music from Farley 'Jackmaster' Funk, Adonis, Armando, Lil Louis, Fingers Inc, Ralphie Rosario, Frankie Knuckles, Glenn Underground, DJ Sneak.
Download it right here: Chicago Classics - A mini-mix by Rob Warner at Soundcloud.
"History Of Dance - Chicago" is at Cassette 9 in Auckland on 29 August. The theme is Warehouse and Chicago house classics with DJs Philippa, Soane, Dan McGlashan and myself. Should be a great night.Sick Disco at Cassette Nine
I'm not normally a fan of progressive house in the UK prog sort of vibe but there have been piles of releases about recently which strike me as almost making prog cool again. I'm not sure they'd have me raving in a stadium but they're showing some quality meshing the best of early 00s darker prog and current tech-house styles etc. Office Gossip is back in fine style with 'Sirius A' which also comes with a rocking remix from Kruse & Nuernberg.And as is often a relative newcomer impresses with an original number in the form of 'Horn Rash' by Nick Verwey. Fantastic track!Rob's August 09 Top Ten1. Office Gossip - Sirius A (Dark Energy Records)
2. Nick Verwey - Horn Rash (Playtime Records)3. The Quasar & The Pressure - Take Me Over (Eelke Kleijn Remix) (Ready Mix Records)4. Danny Howells - Long Hot Summer (Dig Deeper)5. King Roc - Beautiful But Weird (Sasse Remix) (Process Recordings)6. M.in - Bap da Pap (WePlayMinimal)7. Ariel lights Figueroa - The Cup (NightChild Records)8. Moti Brothers - Fire Magician (Pure Substance)9. Ducer - Heavy Cloud (Andy Slate Deep tech Mix) (Redflux)10. Frunk29 - Chicken Daughter (E-teb rmx) (Indéks Music)Classic Pick: Bjork - Isobel (Dim's Enchanted Forest Mix - 1995) - Dimitri From Paris at his soulful best.
It's not usual a single release warrants its own review here but DJ Hell 'U Can Dance' is one that does.
