This was one of the most played tracks at the orbital raves, the few I went to almost used it as punctuation. It didn’t seem to matter who was playing, the unmistakeable riff would come pounding through the speakers intermittently as the accompaniment to the wanderings of rudderless ravers with bewilderment in their eyes. Incredibly influential and a tune that I still have in my head every day.
Sunday, May 05, 2024
Friday, May 03, 2024
Track Of The Day: Derek Carr - Nite Drive (Part 3) (Trident Recordings)
There’s something very banal about tracks that intone repetitive lyrics that shine the spotlight in them. And such is the case with this piece of sleazy electro brilliance from Derek Carr. “Night drive, city streets, techno music, techno beats.” That’s about the size of it, and wonderfully effective it is too. I remember an interview with Andrew Weatherall were he remarked, in reference to The Hydronaut vs Morgan Geist’s ‘Deep In The Feeling’ that the eponymous spoken sample, no matter how cheesy, was necessary in order to set the mood, or something like that. That track opened his 1996 Essential Mix, and is a deep banger. This piece of understated machine funk boogie is very much in the same vein. Conjuring up a hot and humid ambience as it gets bumped in your very own metaphorical low rider.
Thursday, May 02, 2024
Track Of The Day: Sandals - Nothing (Hard Hands Ritual) (FFRR)
Well this is a surprise. The mind does play tricks on you from time to time and for whatever reason I wake up with this in my head. A forgotten chugtastic gem years ahead of its time fusing The Sandals, with Leftfield in the year they released ‘Song Of Life’. (Leftfield had already produced The Sandals debut 'A Profound Gas’.) The great thing about Leftfield is that they need revisiting, something I’m happy to to with almost anyone. When looking through their back catalogue it really feels like I’m hearing a lot of their output for the first time. It sounds different and fresh. This dub is one such piece. Absolutely brilliant stoned immaculate, atmospheric plodding which straddles trip hop before it was a thing, and enlightened disco. Come on feel the vibes.
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Robin Wylie - What Is Zero (Ritual Poison)
Title: What Is Zero?
Artist: Robin Wylie
Label: Ritual Poison
Cat Number: RP011
Genre: Advanced Beat Dynamics
1: What Is Zero?
2: Pulse Track
3: Shadows In The Sunlight
4: Kid Dynamite
‘What Is Zero?’ is a difficult to pigeonhole release that, I’m happy to say, feels very natural. Demonstrating elaborate second nature beat comprehension. The title track is proto hardcore, albeit polished and very much in the present moment. ‘Pulse Track’ is all bleeps and elaborate, urgent percussion, in spite of which it bounces along purposefully and cleanly. ‘Shadows In The Sunlight’ is one of those that you dread having to explain. “Is this electro or breaks?” I’m veering much more towards the latter due to the its busy nature. However, there’s a case to be made for the former. Just don’t find yourself standing next to me when its being played. ‘Kid Dynamite’ definitely finds itself in the fragmented category though, leaning on acid, amongst other things, to plot a steady course through choppy, wonky waters. And that’s just about it. A release that is nothing if not versatile and very danceable, with portentousness, funk, yelping and a different beat for each occasion. All very satisfying if you ask me; which you didn’t. Thankfully.
Track Of The Day: CTI - Dancing Ghosts (Doublevision)
Released on Cabaret Voltaire’s Doublevision, originally an outlet for video, but then the records followed (I had the VHS of ‘Johnny Yesno’.) ‘Dancing Ghosts’ is the work of CTI, aka Chris Carter, Cosey Fanni Tutti and John Lacey. And is a piece of music ahead of its time. I don’t know much about these things. However, it is apparently one of the first tracks to combine the Roland TR808 and TB303”. Of course we’re talking acid house well before it was a thing. And this is an astounding piece of work. A friction filled piece of slow, haunting dance music that must have really felt like the future to anyone lucky enough to have heard it at the time. Which I didn’t, and I’m surprised at that as I was a big Cabs fan and one of my best friends had bought everything by Throbbing Gristle. A deep, elemental piece of electronic music is this, in which so much that followed can be heard. Arguably, one of the most important and influential tracks ever made. Hyperbolic? Moi?
Monday, April 29, 2024
Kosh - Enslaved EP (Convergence)
Title: Enslaved
Artist: Kosh
Label: Convergence
Cat Number: CONV003
Genre: Breaks/Trance
1: Enslaved (Vox Mix)
2: Enslaved (Bonus Beats)
3: Supernova
4: Above & Beyond
5: Enslaved (Sorrow Mix) (Digi Only)
Having come into prominence on the back of electro & breaks on Casa Voyager, Kosh now seems to be going through some changes. The title track (Vox mix), still dabbles in this sound very effectively, the beats having a live feel, the vocals coming straight from some trippy prog rock improvisation. The hallmark are the keys though, which embellish and expand the foundation and remain a constant throughout all versions. The digital only ‘Sorrow Mix’ is notable in that it departs completely from the original into trancealvania. There are good and bad elements here, the bad being the plodding little riff that breaks the track up. The rest is ok. ‘Supernova’ uses a guitar loop that reminds me of ‘Prescription Every Night’, but in reality is pretty far away from it. It reaches a crescendo that is backed by a vocal that sounds like an aerobics teacher with a cold giving orders. ‘Above & Beyond’ is another track uses trance elements, more upfront this time, and feels like it wants to be at the forefront of a Goa revival. Having said that, it’s good; keeping itself in check and resisting the temptation to go full on Juno Reactor. So, along with the title track, probably my pick from always interesting and imaginative release.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Track Of The Day: Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here (Harvest)
This song, and the eponymously titled album, came out when I was gripped by commercial glam rock, my only musical lifeline at the time being ‘Top Of The Pops’. I didn’t know of a lyrical landscape beyond it, until 1977 and a massive paradigm shift. Pink Floyd and their ilk were, consequently, very much derided but they were never on my radar anyway. Something I always found curious was that they were a big scal favourite, and then I moved within that orbit and understood why. Great music transcends everything though innit. And having just watched ‘Have You Got It Yet’, and been totally entranced by it, I’ll be reviewing the situation going forward.
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Track Of The Day: Giovani & Mosler - Untitled B (Giovani & Mosler)
Giovani & Mosler were Casey Hogan and Alexi Delano. And they adopted these monikers to issue a string of faceless releases at the peak of the tribal house explosion around the turn of the century. These tracks easily fit in with the west coast house sound put out by the likes of Siesta and Grayhound, but preserved an anonymity that still goes very much under the radar. This track is one of the best they made. A pacey, percussive twatter with dubby trace elements that layers vocal snatches and siren like noises alongside dramatic sonic swoops. Nicolas Lutz, or one of the Romanians plays it, and its value skyrockets overnight. It’s a banger.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
