The A side of a release which also has an amazing B (‘Time Is Running Out’). ‘Re-B1tch’ is one of those tracks which, contrary to popular belief, may sound a little better pitched up. ’Tis of no matter though, as pitched down it could also slide into many a psychedelic disco set. I reckon I’d refer it in full groove flow though, aligned with some very dubby house, designed to keep the beans effervescent and at peak time delirium. A permanent slow burner.
A piece of timeless vocal house music from A:xux, aka Abacus, aka Austin Bascom, who is truly one of the unsung deep house producers, even if he gets kudos what he gets isn’t enough.And this is fabulous. Atmospheric, soulful, jazzy and powerful. Taken from the film ‘Bagdad Cafe’, but nothing like the original. I’m glad about that because watching that film at the Screen on the Hill in 1987 with Peter Pulford brings back vivid memories ozone of *The* great acid trips. I have no idea where we went after the film, but before it started we went on one of those LSD walks that you do, going past and exploring the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. I mean going into the hospital and walking around it like a couple of weirdos. The film came next and was incredible, the cinema was almost as good as the film, so we had it to fall back on if things got boring, which they didn’t. One of the great acid experiences was had that night. I think it was probably when later we were on the tube and got off at Wood Green to listen to the escalators, which we thought were descending into hell. I have no idea where we ended up, but it was one of those life-defining experiences. I haven’t watched the film again, but coming across this track today has awoken all sorts of memories. All of them good.
Listening to this feels like the last thirty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Electro has been going through something of a renaissance in recent years. When this was made though, it was maybe fifteen years into its lifespan. And this, as now, didn’t sound dated at all, even if a lot of its building blocks had already been well-used within the fraternity. Anyway, this blend of handclaps, concave end, multiple uses of the “fresh`’ sample, and a vocoder, amongst many other things, show the way forward then just as they did then. A proper piece of break-dancing madness.
It’s the hottest day of the year so far (which wouldn’t take much). So, a day after armageddon didn’t happen here I am basking in West Suffolk in the low twenties and, instead of listening to sunshine music I’ve got that Melina Serser at Houghton 2025 mix on. I mean the while mix is proper ork music. Play loud, in the dark and swing lots of chains around. It’s an amazing mix though, taking chug to a much darker place. And this pops up somewhere near the beginning, about 20 minutes in I think. It’s the somnolent backing vocals that get me the most, as well as the relentless pounding towards the Eye Of Sauron fog horn. Outside the kids are playing in the park and people are having picnics, and I’m listening not this wondering what motivates those who make such weird shit.
From the brilliant ‘Ten Days Of Blue’, which surfaced in the mid nineties, ‘Deluge’ really is an onomatopoeic track. And although the album is probably more defined as an ambient album more than anything else, it’s not really. The beats in this tune eventually give way to a dramatic, symphonic clash at the end, so there’s more than a bit of genre-bending going on. Above all this is a great piece of techno, and it’s sad that the label doesn’t hold it’s artists in high regard. This was posted almost ten years ago on the album’s Discogs release page.
”This Is John Beltran. This release is illegal. Peacefrog has ripped me and many others off for years. I've never been paid a cent. Now they must be in need of money or something. Don't give it to them. I released the LP on Band Camp for free yesterday and or for a donation to an animal shelter in Peacefrogs country. They have blocked that release with a copyright infringement letter. It's not about the money anymore. Now it's personal.”
Title: Oracles
Artist: Om Unit
Label: Local Action
Cat Number: LOC 092
Genre: Breaks
1: Remember
2: Rustt
3: Ripples
4: Healing Tool
5: Survivor
The hook of ‘Remember’ sounds like it came straight out of the court of Henry Vlll. It’s some weird Tudor melody injected into a loose break beat context. There’s also the Enya - like vocals to consider as well. So you can probably appreciate the dynamics within which are being worked. From then on it’s probably correct to say that ‘Rustt’ and ‘Ripples’ are the heavier of the four tracks left. ‘Rustt’ has great definition. Every part feels distinct yet works in complete tandem with each other. It’s a bouncy, yet deep tune where the break beats often give way to space and time. ‘Ripples’ is heavier due to a grinding low end and god use of echo. It’s a tad more urgent, but this is kept in check by what sound like frantic hand claps. ‘Healing Tool’ deploys erratic beats over a more relaxed, therapeutic backdrop, and ‘Survivor’ feels like a clear fusion of more than one sphere of influence. I’m getting strong jazz vibes from it, as well as string led soul. The whole EP is a dynamic piece of work, built on a foundation of break beats, but defined by the myriad of flourishes that play across them.
Title: When There Is No Sun
Artist: Sun Ra Arkestra
Label: Omni Sound
Cat Number:
Genre: All Over The Place
01. Underground Resistance - When Angels Speak featuring Saul Williams 5:24
02. She Spells Doom - Somebody Else’s Idea featuring Sun Ra Arkestra (SHE Spells Doom Remix) 5.17
03. Chez Damier & Ben Vedren - The Three Dimensions of Air featuring Anthony Joseph (H2H Kora Mix) 6.12
04. Calibre - Chopin featuring Sun Ra Arkestra (Calibre Remix ) 8.29
05. Ricardo Villalobos - I have Forgotten featuring Tara Middleton (Ricardo Villalobos Earlier than Late Remix 2) 10.23
06. Chez Damier & Ben Vedren- The Endless Realm featuring Tunde Adebimpe (H2H Mix) 6:20
07. Underground Resistance – The Outer Darkness featuring Saul Williams 5:07
08. A Guy Called Gerald - Message to Black Youth featuring Mahogany L.Browne (Gerald Rework) 3.15
09. She Spells Doom - Portrait of the Living Sky featuring Sun Ra Arkestra (SHE Spells Doom Remix) 5.34
10. Ricardo Villalobos - I Have Forgotten featuring Tara Middleton (Ricardo Villalobos Earlier than Late Remix 1) 11.55
11. Baris K – Somebody Else’s Idea featuring Abiodun Oyewole 6:34
12. Calibre - Chopin featuring Sun Ra Arkestra (Calibre Ambient Remix) 6.22
Not being your well-rounded Sun Ra scholar, I see no relevance in reviewing this release as a comparison to the original material. I first became aware in Sun Ra in the early 1980s. However, in spite of that passage of time, I’ve never really listened to him. And I think that’s the situation for a lot of people. Sun Ra remains an enigma. Someone who we’ve heard of but never dipped our toes into. An interesting element to stimulate conversation when it might be flagging. “Oh, have you ever heard Sun Ra, he’s really out there”. Anyway, whatever the case, this Ricardo Villalobos compilation is a lot more cohesive than anything Sun Ra himself ever produced. And although I guess that also means it’s a lot more conservative as well, there’s a lot of variety within the general structure. Standouts for me are ‘Chez Damier & Ben Vedren- The Endless Realm featuring Tunde Adebimpe (H2H Mix)’, a full-bodied keys led house shuffler; ‘Underground Resistance – The Outer Darkness featuring Saul Williams’ spoken word alongside some sharp minimal syncopation; ‘Baris K – Somebody Else’s Idea featuring Abiodun Oyewole’, a respiratory-inspired sounding remix which melds percussion and disembodied voices into a chug-friendly stomper; and finally the other Chez Damier contribution, which blends a subtle kora with Anthony Joseph’s clear and concise proclaiming ‘The Three Dimensions of Air featuring Anthony Joseph (H2H Kora Mix)’.
I played all of ‘Lifeforms’ before. It was a lovely morning and this weekend has been the first time this year that we’ve been a blue to have coffee in the garden without putting a coat on. Anyway, I was able to hear some bits better than others over the outside ambience, and the melody that floats over the top of this really stood out. Sort of like an electro flute over primitive, tribal percussion. One of those melodies that takes one back to a pastoral prehistory and always makes me think of the many raves and outdoor parties I went to in the middle of nowhere. The sun slowly coming up and illuminating everything and everyone. Also something that, no matter how silly it sounds, feels quantifiably of this place.
Before I got into house, etc, I was really into hip-hop, and when I moved down to London, Elephant & Castle, in June 1987, I had just started seriously buying it. Of course I can’t remember the name of the shop, but it was a small one off Walworth Rd., much closer to the Camberwell end than the Elephant one. There were record shops on every street corner back then, or so it seemed. Anyway, this particular one was mostly US imports I think, and it had a small, but perfectly formed hip-hop section. I’d heard that Scott Le Rock had recently been murdered in New York, but wasn’t that familiar with his music, so I bought ‘Criminal Minded’ on sight and found out all about the beef between the Bronx and Queens. I’ve still got this record within a few metres of me, but I doubt I’d find it in five minutes. I saw BDP live at The Town & Country club a couple of years later and it was one of the best hip-hop Gigs I ever went to. Better than EPMD mumbling and miming their album.
This track needs no introduction, except to say that it was being played by everyone and no one could possibly ruin it, unless they didn’t play it all. A contender for the best vocal acid track, as well as evidence that Larry heard can do no wrong. And the reason I’m posting it is because I just heard in on an Optimo mix. Which is nice.
Title: Waves Of Reverie PT 1
Artist: Kerrie
Label: Cultivated Electronics
Cat Number: CE 049
Genre: Electro
A1: Enter The Vortex
A2: Beware Of Monotony
B1: Waves Of Reverie
B2: Funk Fidelity
I get the “waves” element instantly. ‘Enter The Vortex’ is made up of just that. It’s a heavy, slightly fidgety piece of electro that eternally unfurls over the electronic matrix that supports it. ‘Beware Of Monotony’ is sparser but no less imposing. A vocoder intones something that I don’t quite understand, but has me craning towards my speaker in hope. The melody sounds like a flock of seagulls on acid (the birds, not the group). This one is all about the bass. The title track leans in a similar sonic direction to what has gone before, and maybe falls in between the opening two as far as weight is concerned. There’s a feeling of tempered relentlessness, something which is further emphasised on ‘Funk Fidelity’, whose abrasive beats and rawness round off this release in style. It’s no holds barred stuff this, the type of electro that reimagines the genre squeezing into that techno nether region and not escaping.
Title: Minacore Vol. 1
Artist: Various
Label: MIna
Cat Number: MINA001
Genre: Beats
1: Phoebe - Swamp Head
2: Violet - Early Shift
3: BLEID - 8AM PM
4: marum - Nothing Gold Can Stay
It’s a mixed bag this; ranging from the acid-tinged stomp of ‘Swamp Head’ to the beatless 1970s-tinged electronica of ‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’. In between ‘Early Shift’ gives us drum and bass with some interesting tempo switches and ‘8AM PM’ invokes tribal abandon through layers of percussion. If we’re picking faves, as would be the case on such a release where difference is such a calling card, ‘Swamp Head’ takes the plaudits, with its 303 infused chug. However, each tune is an exercise in shape throwing tenderisation, from the most pummelling (‘8AM PM’), to the lightest of palpitations (‘Nothing Gold Can Stay’). And ‘Early Shift’ being the most dynamic.
The opening track from one of the best albums ever released, and one I remember buying very clearly., I was with my dad and brother on the way down to, or back from a holiday. He had recently left my mum and was showing some sort of paternal duty by taking us on a holiday to Seaford on the south coast. We stopped in London and I went to HMV at the tTottenham Court Rd end of Oxford Street. ‘Unknown Pleasures’ had just been released and was all you could see when entering the shop. Factory definitely had their marketing dept. On full alert with it. Anyway I think it cost £2.99 at the time and I remember thinking that it, along with ‘Electricity’ by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark both had very tactile sleeves. ‘Disorder’ is such an incredible opening track. Curtis’ lyrics are amazing and sonically it takes you to a place that most bands of that time weren’t capable of, or hadn’t conceived. You can feel the way things were going to evolve well before New Order started. Every element is perfect.
Definitely a b anger this one. DJ Ali came up with some quite original tunes when tribal west coast house was at it’s peak. However, most of those he’ll be remembered for were vocal led by Tim Fuller. ‘In The Day’ is a more functional piece in that respect. However, there is a lot more to it than meets the ear. It drives along relentlessly, powered by level upon level of percussive bombast, all of which is topped off by the most subtle use of the 303 which is, as far as I’m concerned, it’s hallmark.
The other side of ‘Dem Young Sconies’, so often overlooked; ‘Bosconi’ is every bit as sonically interesting as the A, probably because it really does sound that it came out of the same recording session. The two tracks are two sides of the same coin, with the more languid, horizontal sound of this track playing off against something more upfront and abrasive. Kenny Dixon Jnr very quickly established a sound which is simultaneously abstract and soulful, wrapped it in mystique and, in the process, became house music’s most enigmatic producer. It can often feel like he gets away with murder, but that’s all part of the appeal.
It’s been a while since I posted anything by Miles. How did that happen? Anyway it’s Monday, I’m resting up after some minor surgery and out of action, so how about an interlude that lasts over twenty minutes and is a completely immersive piece of fusion. And I think the world is starting to catch Miles up as far as this era of his artistry is concerned. The album on which this features, ‘Agharta’ divided a lot of listeners at the time. Which I imagine was part of the motivation for making it in the first place. I guess that’s easy to understand when comparing stuff like it, recorded in an afternoon in 1975 at a concert in Osaka, to what came before ‘In A Silent Way’. There’s such a minimalist approach, particularly to Davis’ own input, compared to what was previously expected of jazz musicians. So without wanting to overstate anything, this is as out there as it gets, at any period in the evolution of music.
Originally released just as this century was starting on Emoticon, Connective Zone’s ‘Qwerty’ EP badly needed a rerelease to prevent it from becoming a “lost classic” and to defang the Discogs sharks. And it’s aged very well. ‘Dude’ is a wonderfully lush break beat banger, which bangs as much as it can while under a metaphysical headlock. So it sounds blissful as it’s twatting your head against a brick wall.
First released in 1991, and then later in 1995 as part of a compilation, ‘Parallel’ is a great example of the incredible sound that The black Dog were producing at that time. The design and density of this track is as good, if not better, than anything that came before and has been released since. It’s wonderful when hearing music like this for the first time and trying to imagine what inspired it. Your head really starts spinning at the thought of the multiple concepts that are involved in the imagination necessary to put this tune together. So apart from the music, the mystical dimension to this composition really comes through. And once the grey matter has grasped the calibration of transcendence, you are in the right place to be taken somewhere else.
If we all hang around long enough every Mood ll Swing release will make it onto these pages. It’s as inevitable as Tom Cruise winning an Oscar in his dotage. Anyway, as far as I can see this gen hasn’t been posted yet. Iy has the hallmark groove of a classic Mood ll Swing track with added drum rolls, but what sets it apart is its synth work, which up close sounds like a wildly flanging guitar. One to raise the hairs on the back of your neck on the dance floor when all else is lost to inebriation me thinks.
This is one of Galaxian’s best, even though it might sound a bit earnest for some. Atmospheric and, as a result of some sterling work with disembodied voice transfiguration, sinister and poignant simultaneously. (Read that last bit in the exaggerated accent of a hippy Californian futurist). A set ender if ever I’ve heard one, leaving the crowd to disperse to their early morning food for thought.
File this under “one of those tracks I’d forgotten I’d bought but I’m glad I did”. Sten, aka Lawrence is the label head of Dial, along with Carsten Jost and Turner. And this piece of gothic flavoured, cinematic deep house sounds like it emerged straight from the watery, boggy steppes with its menacing credentials intact. It’s a wall of sound tune, immersive, sinister and uncanny which has the power to sweep you away on the dance floor or, equally, take you to another dimension while sitting in your metaphysical drawing room wrapped up in your thoughts and insulated from the outside world.
A quarter century since this was released. That makes you think innit. I can remember going into Black Market Records in Soho to buy this. And when ‘Miura’ came out shortly after 9/11 I repeated the process. This is such a great, understated track though. Three parts electro and three parts disco, lifted from the lino onto the dance floor. I used to play ‘24K’ out a lot more, but would throw this on if the crowd needed a Kraftwerk fix. Bloody marvellous.
Title: Heritage Vol. 2
Artist: Innershades
Label: Altered Circuits
Cat Number: ALT023
Genre: Evocative Sleaze
1: Mind State
2: System Breach
3: Fuse Memory
4: Rhythm Composer
I guess if anything it falls into the loosely-categorised compartment of “club music”, currently used as a coverall for the dark, the seedy and the messy, then this might be a good example. The kick is stronger on ‘Mind State’ and ‘Rhythm Composer’, with the latter running away with itself into the hills of trance. ‘System Breach’ and ‘Fuse Memory’ are lighter, and a little slower. There are certain motifs that cover most bases here though. Such as the electronic barrel organ sound that Innershades seems to be particularly fond of. This dominates ‘Mind State’ particularly and pops up sporadically on tracks 2 and 3. It has arpeggios in its DNA. There’s a very euro disco through the looking glass feel to the whole release which is a very good thing. However, a little bit more variation on a theme would be nice.
Title: Our Darkness
Artist: Anne Clark
Label: Dark Entries
Cat Number: DE-340
Genre: Electro Disco
1: Our Darkness (Remix)
2: Our Darkness (Dub Mix)
3: Our Darkness (Razormaid Mix)
4: Sleeper In Metropolis (Extended Remix)
5: Poem For A Nuclear Romance
I have to confess that this is a new one on me, whether or not it was played in the clubs I used to frequent in mid 80s Liverpool. A very minimal, dense and autodidactic piece of work. The vocal is spoken and comes across as somewhere between a proclamation and a poem, delivered in such a way as to amplify the pain between the lines.This type of stuff has always been appealing on the discerning dancefloor, the one that treads a fine line between hope and despair. So, It’s easy to see how it was so influential in the early Chicago and Detroit scenes. There’s not much variety between the three versions here btw. ‘Sleeper In Metropolis’ goes down a similar path, utilising slowed down breakbeats and an intense, arpeggiated synth. ‘Poem For A Nuclear Romance’ terminates this release and is very much of its time. I’m glad I didn’t hear this at the height of the cold war. Maybe play it before watching ‘Threads’, just to get in the mood?
Still sounding fresh today, ‘So Tough’ appeared on ‘Cut’ and has funk in spades. The rest of the world is still catching up with stuff like this, in spite of it being almost fifty years old. And if there is one group which was ahead of the curve at this time it was The Slits. No other quartet playing at that time made light of such a wide range of influences and, in the process, managed to fuse them into something unique. The Pop Group would not have existed without them, nor the next generation of DIY beat combos. Their influence runs deep and they aren’t lauded enough.
Here are gentle hippie folk System 7, aka Steve Hillage and Martine Giraudy, getting theremin treatment from Plastikman, aka Richie Hawtin, at the height of his powers. There’s something so satisfying about the sound that comes from the 303 on this track. It’s ust a kick and a long drawn out acidic squelch until the handclaps come in, and they sound magnificent too. This is big room techno before the concept existed, but the beauty of it is is it’s excellent. Not a loopy cop out. And once the hi-hats come in at around4 minutes there’s no going back. The intensity just builds and builds. Layer upon layer of sound battering you into submission. And yet it manages to remain eternally funky.
From the ‘Minimal Nation’ double pack on Axis that I discovered while leafing through the disorganised boxes in Salinas, a record shop in Montmartre in the early nineties. Tracks like ‘Museum’ defined Robert Hood’s artistic vision at the time and usher din a whole new approach to techno which was undeniably from Detroit, but darker, more introspective, funky and subtle. ‘Museum’ is probably most notable for its elastic approach to syncopation. So much is done with singular elements in this track. Less is more innit.
If Peace Division are known for anything, it’s for their all-out percussive bombs, most of which coincided with the west coast tribal tech house boom at the turn if the century. ‘Feel My Drums’ sort of eponymously explains this. Like a lot of the tracks of the time it sounds better pitched down. Even doing this doesn’t distract from the sonic maelstrom that you find yourself in the middle of though. The drums are the sharpest tool in the box here, with the other elements ranging from the dub, to the parasitic, synthetic embellishments that provide focal points throughout. This was made more than twenty years ago and the magnitude of this sound has never been replicated.
An incredible, early piece of work from Carl Finlow, amongst others. ‘Surface Intention’ is the AA side to the magnificent ‘Moonax’. It’s a brooding, intergalactic monster whose power is in its restraint. I mean the drums don’t kick in until around half way through. It’s all about rewarding the listener, but it is also a bit of a tease. I like tracks where the different elements seem to have been atomised. Everything here feels like constituent base element meltdown. This what happens when you attempt to put a tune in a centrifuge and then try and make sense of it while your head is still spinning.
It’s great when a track sums up its title in such a contradictory way. ‘Feelings Of The Future’ is one such expression. This would have been appropriate in the mid eighties, around the time I visited Berlin for the first time, (about to go for the second this June), and the cold war was in full swing. Not that I was A space-age synth disco connoisseur at that time. That would have made life more interesting. It did seep through though, from time to time. And whether or not I was immersed in it, this track IS it. The “looking back to look forward” aesthetic distilled into fine freaky minutes.
This has recently been released on the excellent We’re Going Deep’ which is overseen by Paul Wise, aka Stasis. The back catalogue is pretty special, so getting Gerard Hanson to contribute is the cherry on top of what has been released so far. All of the tracks are more than worth your while, and I’ve chosen this one because it underscores a lot of what makes Hanson such an outstanding producer. The elements within; sinister growling base, spacial awareness of sound, the disparate flourishes and embellishments which gather around the space but never seem to crowd it out, and the momentum it has, which isn’t always apparent in electro, but is definitely one of Hanson’s calling cards, all contribute to make this track unmistakably one of his. Tracks like this soundtrack our dreams and our imagination And although this is a reworking of one which is nearly twenty years old, it still sounds like the future.
One of many tracks that Jay Tripwire has made over the years, and also one that perhaps typifies more than most a very particular era in house music. This tribal sound, imported mainly from the west coast of America, was everywhere around 25 years ago. You do have to wade through the tech house marshes to extract the good stuff however. So many labels and artists, but maybe only a handful were producing this sound with any real flair. It was absolutely huge in clubs like Wiggle and its various offshoots, and is having its day again. I guess the essence of it is fusing tribal percussion with dub and a thick low end. There are plenty of mutations though. Anyway, this is a lovely piece of work so get the drugs out and throw some shapes.
A lovely, sensurround dub excursion. Mike Huckaby, who died in 2020, left a wonderful legacy and this eloquent piece of abstract dance flies on the energy generated by its own sonic emissions. It’s another one of those tracks that you can get completely lost in and which unravels slightly differently each time. It’s make up a multitude of inflections based upon whatever you happen to be thinking about.
