I'm Not One Of Those DJs Who . . . Part The Third

The sands of time pass and I haven’t made a chart. One of the reasons for this could be because I haven’t bought much music this year. A lot of good stuff has come out, as ever, but I’m feeling a bit pickier in my old age. Part of the reason for this is that I’m still cataloguing my records on Discogs, when I remember, and I’m depressed at the amount of money I’ve wasted over the years. However, a lot of the shite I’ve acquired, and a lot of it is really crap, is still in demand somewhere, somehow. Discovering this kind of cumulative shite is enough to have you call your taste into question.

What never fails to gratify me, however, is the constant stream of the good stuff. It’s out there, and it doesn’t take much effort to find it, as long as you’re switched on in the first place. I’m forever grateful that my synapses have been wired to such a wide range of essential frequencies that I’m touched by everything, while at the same time being critically aware. Of course this state may put me in opposition to those who feel more in tune with such an environment, but I’m happy with my lot.

New sounds that have tickled my fancy recently are on the Stardub label. A series of anonymously released coloured vinyl pressings, (there is a core of artists behind it though), which champion dubby grooviness. Nothing complicated, just linear, chunky goodness with great mixing potential. Kindred spirits to the likes of Mosaic, but without the kudos built over years of bespoke strategy. A bit grubbier, but no less dancier. Another cause for celebration is the steady stream of Thule releases, both reissues and new stuff. What a timeless label; and it’s not that difficult, as long as you don’t fuck things up by overcomplicating a simple approach. We’re still ploughing a dubby, groovy furrow here, but this is what is currently floating my boat. I suppose it’s what is always bobbing along in my mind. There’s a new release coming on AE, its sub label, from Cold, who released the first tracks on Thule. He’s had something of a hiatus, one lasting more or less twenty years . . .  but now he’s awake and back on the case. Review imminent on these pages.

Yesterday For Tomorrow - Leonid/Laak (Soul Print Recordings)

Title: Yesterday For Tomorrow

Artist: Leonid/Laak

Label: Soul Print Recordings

Cat Number: SLPVNL 006

Genre: Deep House

1: Urania 1 – Leonid

2: Urania 2 – Leonid

3: SP – Laak

4: Waiting For Tomorrow – Laak

A fine release, with Leonid’s bounce and momentum offering a nice contrast to Laak’s more introspective stance. Both ‘Urania’ tracks have a mesmeric quality which each work on a different level. ‘1’ is as light as a feather, underpinned by pinging percussion, while ‘2’ let’s the space acid rip and drives deeper. Laak is a little less conventional, with the off-beat rhythm of ‘SP’ becoming more addictive as it goes on, the 303 again being an important element. ‘Waiting For Tomorrow’ raises the pitch a little, keeping to a similar tempo while making use of a more liquid approach.

Space Entrance - Nibiru Humans (World Peace Music)

Title: Space Entrance

Artist: Nibiru Humans

Label: World Peace Music

Cat Number: WPM 004

Genre: Deep House

1: Space Entrance

Taking their cues from the cosmic debris of ancient history, in which “ancient Sumerian Anunnaki aliens from the planet Niburu made humans and run planet Earth”, this single sided blue vinyl release is a piece of rolling, stellar deep house heaven. Larry Heard has his analogue fingerprints all over this one, but while it’s not him, (or is it? I have no idea who made this record), it would be churlish to say that the sound has been plagiarized. There are lots of records like this, but a mere scattering stand out, hitting the spot in exactly the way you want. Needless to say, this one does.

Immaculate Inception EP - Exchange Place Crew (Sound Theories)

Title: Immaculate Inception EP

Artist: Exchange place Crew

Label: Sound Theories

Cat Number: STH 003

Genre: Deep House

A1: Needles And Threads – Joey Anderson

A2: Enter The Polygon - Art Gallery

B1: Seizure Rhythm – DJ Qu

B2: Red Pill – Nicuri

A class four tracker, three years since the last Exchange Place release on Inimeg. Nicuri’s ‘Navigation 8^TH Density’ was the standout that time for me, and ‘Red Pill’, its European trance credentials to the fore, has echoes of it. ‘Enter The Polygon’ wins track title of the year so far hands down, and, like everything on here, has an otherworldly quality. Joey Anderson’s contribution sounds a little like his recent remix of ‘Dead Soul’ for Hunter/Game, but slightly more discordant; haunting and enveloping. DJ Qu goes off on a tangent by comparsison, with the very abrasive ‘Seizure Rhythm’, as onomatopoeic a track as you’re likely to get.

Dopplereffekt - Cellular Automata (Full Album)

I'm Not One Of Those DJs Who . . . Part The Second

I’m spewing this stuff out on Record Store Day, a pointless piece of self-promotion which satisfies the vanity of a relative few, at the expense of those for whom vinyl is a way of life. It was when I interviewed DJ Guy a couple of years ago that I realised this. He had a double EP slated for release on the Danish label Nord at the end of March 2015, but when I interviewed him in June it still hadn't come out. This was due to the few pressing plants left being completely snowed under by Record Store Day special editions. So while I’m all for anything that engages people with music of all forms, Record Store Day can do one.

I completed a mix this week and, as said in the accompanying post, they evolve in spite of themselves. Mine always seem to start off really well, but then I try too hard, shoehorn tracks in which maybe shouldn’t be there, and the whole thing falls apart. Let me elaborate. I’ve been the quintessential bedroom DJ for a long time now. Record collector, music consumer in earnest since July 1977, an obsession which continues to occupy my mind most of the time. 'Looking For The Perfect Beat was The Soul Sonic Force's mantra, and it’s been mine as well for the past twenty five years or so. It’s enough for a few seconds of a mix to be a slight gallop to do my head in. Two hours can be ruined by ten seconds. I’ll play the offending part back over and over again and try to convince myself that there’s nothing wrong, but it’s always there, gnawing away on an undercurrent of discontent.

Having recently resumed the cataloguing of my record collection on Discogs, I’m a little depressed at how many of my records I want to sell, and at how much money I’ve wasted down the years. More than that though, is the fact that so much of the really good part of my collection got damaged during last year’s flood, while what I’ve been filing over the last week or so escaped unscathed. Poker Flat, Minus, Highgrade . . . What was I thinking? Putting all my Underground Resistance and Mills stuff at water level . . . I suppose I’m very motivated now though; motivated to slowly restore what I lost with better stuff.

Having said that, for the first time in a while there’s not as much good stuff out there as usual. I haven’t done a chart this year. I guess I’m not feeling as inspired as normal. I am more inclined to delve into the past and spend money on Discogs, forever mindful of getting ripped off, than buy new releases, my current collection being a reminder of taste’s transitory nature. This is a good interview. A simple philosophy with a timeless message. I’m going for it.