Friday, January 30, 2026

Sound Of The Suburbs - Jolly Good Eggs Pt. 3

 

    

Title: Jolly Good Eggs Pt. 3

Artist: Sound Of The suburbs

Label: N/A

Cat Number: 

Genre: House


1: The Birds & The Beats

2: Vardy’s Door

3: Flat Note (freedom for cash)

4: Can You Rock?


The latest release on what is a comeback for Sound of the Suburbs (albeit with tracks that aren’t that recent); ‘Jolly Good Eggs Pt. 3’ is classic surf London/Croydon fin de siecle messy stuff. ‘Can You Rock’ is pacey west coast tinged house, with driving, undulating percussion highlighted by gossamer light keys and woozy synth lines. ‘Flat Note (freedom for cash)’ evokes classic Chicago house. Dark beats and a spoken word sample that sounds just that little bit out of sync. It’s an effective jack track, the strength of which is that it doesn’t go overboard. ‘Vardy’s Door’ (no relation to Jamie or Rebecca), is a piece of mid-paced, stripped-down house that has elements of filter disco in it and is a great momentum builder. And the most capacious, tribal track, ‘The Birds & The Beats’ is also probably the one with the greatest floor-filling potential. Carried by multiple rimshots and an eponymously spoken word sample, it, like the rest of this release, is probably best appreciated under some railway arches somewhere, with just a strobe or two for company.

Track Of The Day: Angine de Poitrine (Tamebsz) Live . Concert Gatineau le 11 Septembre 20...


Reminds me of Captain Beefheart, which is only a good thing.

Track Of Yesterday: Basic Channel - Q1.1/Iii (Basic Channel)


Aside from the dub techno templates, the influence of which will be felt for a long time to come, Basic Channel were also responsible for gems like ‘Q1.1ii’, the likes of which blend the aforementioned sub-genre with the strain of insect menace techno pioneered and perfected by Jeff Mills. The result is an elegant slowed-down piece of machine funk that shimmers under the wright of its own friction.

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

Track Of The Day: Leonid - Woodwalk (Verdant)


Leonid has released on labels like Patrice Scott’s Sistrum and Steffi’s Dolly in the past, but he hasn’t done anything better than this delicious slice of deepness for Andy Green’s Verdant. A very restrained slow burner that elects interest immediately and then keeps it in a stranglehold, this is a track full of dense, trace sonic elements and is the perfect set opener.  It would appear from his Discogs page that Leonid hasn’t released anything for a few years. Let’s hope that changes soon.

Rhadoo at Waking Life 2025

 

Monday, January 26, 2026

Track Of The Day: DJ Buck - Make It Hot (Dub Mix) (Siesta)


My Siesta vinyl has been slowly ebbing away, having put most of it up for sale on Discogs around a year ago. I did hang on to a few though and, needless to say, ‘Make It Hot’ is one of them. Having heard of DJ Buck’s shuffling off his mortal coil, I feel obliged to post one of the standout tracks f early 00s West Coast tribal house. Nothing you could do to this track would make it better.

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Track Of The Day: Longhair - Sistema Solar (MM Discos)



I came across this a mere five minutes ago, courtesy of Napoli-based MM Discos. ‘Sistema Solar’ is a lovely piece of space disco courtesy of Longhair, who have spread their collective mane over the likes of Permanent Vacation, Bordello a Parigi and Love On The Rocks. There’s so much to admire here, one of the prime reasons is the effortless genre-straddling. This track could find its home in so many diverse sets; its cunning blend of disco, trance underpinned by a low bpm house pace have got the lies of ALFOS written all over it. That is, in itself, a stereotype. A very positive one though.

PDA MIX 22 ♥ Optimo (Espacio)

 

Saturday, January 24, 2026

Track Of The Day: JJ Cale - Cocaine (Philips)


I know as much about JJ Cale as I do of The Grateful Dead, which is to say nothing. So, imagine my surprise when I felt compelled to put ‘Cocaine’ as TOTD. Is a drug that amplifies the arsehole in one really a good subject for a song? Well, I guess it is. Having said that, after hearing this sub three minute ditty, built around a simple guitar  riff and a languid vocal, it’s difficult to believe that JJ Cale choosier to release this as a pain to said drug. Anyway, number one in New Zealand for a week.

Jane Fitz - The Gardens - Boom Festival 2025

Coyote- Bodega Jan '26

 

Friday, January 23, 2026

Track Of The Day: Gudj - Vortex (Metronome)


This is the type of track that Barac pays ad infinitum, and why not? He’s made his name on the back of it and, even though some others may seek to imitate, no one else has the Romanian master’s way with a groove. It’s not unusual to listen to some of his mixes and get the impression that he plays the same stuff all the time. And, while that might be true to a certain extent, it’s not really thence. He’s a master of sonic shifting; his sets having a preternatural ability to stretch themselves according to the time and then place he plays certain tunes. Their adaptability and versatility allowing them to be in more than one place at a time. This, from Gudj on Bulgarian label Metronome is, as already said, more than typical of the stuff he plays. Minimal, trance, dub, house all rolled into one. And in the right hands, a dream machine.

Track Of Yesterday: Floppy Sounds - Ultrasong (François K Studio A Mix) (Wave)


I can remember buying this from a young Ivan Smagghe at Rough Trade Paris like it was last week. (Actually, I can remember lots of similar transactions taking place, so this one isn’t unique, but I can’t use this phrase too often, so let’s get it over and done with.) This double pack is all about François K’’s Studio A & Studio B mixes. Each go off in a slightly different direction tempo wise, and each is every bit as good as the other. It’s just a question of choosing the version that best suits the occasion. This particular mix differs from the other in view of the fact that it has a great kick and a better low end. There’s also the intermittent flange and that pervasive electric guitar strum also, around the middle, there’s a bit where the syncopation goes to uncharted regions of the diaphragm. The other mix is a bit more out there, while this one is much more linear and a better tool. Horses for courses innit. (This is the second time I've featured this rack as 'TOTD', and it's all because of a story that young Peter Hurst told me. I shall say no more.)