California Dreaming.

Jose Feliciano California Dreaming

ColouringIn.

Another vump. exclusive here in the shape of huge new electronica project ColouringIN. One half, fresh young producer talent Henry Bennett, one half house stalwart Tom Neville. So check this. Square housebeat and dramatic rising bass chords following the path of a increasingly concerned robot who is really in need of the restroom. Get it while its hot.

ColouringIn Robot Restroom

vump. volume 2.

vump. volume 2.
the most delicious: first letter to the babylonians

So vump. volume 2. gets the synth metal treatment from new kids on the block The Most Delicious. This is the first of a series of mixtapes that my good friends will be broadcasting from their Brick Lane Robot Squat studios. Expect much more exclusive content from this group of talented artists. The mix is relentless, nuclear powered, amyl nitrate charged electro. Enjoy.

1. The Shoes Knockout (GWhiz Crooked Grind Bail)
2. Danger 9H20
3. Yelle A Cause des Garcons (STA Mix) / Kayne West Flashing Lights
4. Dj Mehdi Signatune (Spiller Remix)
5. Tommy Trash Slide (STA Mix)
6. Party Shank Penis Vs. Vagina
7. Larry Tee LICKY (Herve Goes Low Remix)
8. Smith n Hack Space Warrior
9. Goose Black Gloves (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
10. Choreo Cut the Dust
11. Bloody Beetroots Ezekiel Eats Red Hoodie
12. The Teenagers Starlett Johansson (Blamma! Blamma! Scared of Spiders Mix)
13. Yelle Tristesse/Joie (Rolf Honey Remix)
14. Party Shank Music Box
15. Teller/Oizo/Sebastian SkateSteak(Gilbot Soulja Steak)
16. The Toxic Avenger Escape (Bloody Beetroots Remix)
17. Beat My montreal (GWhiz Manual)
18. Revl9n Someone Like You - (MSTKRFT Remix)
19. Teller/Oizo/Sebastian C.H.I.V.E.R.S
20. Rage Against the Machine Freedom
21. Boyz Noise &Down
22. Robots Need Sun Too G Whiz (Gilbot's Robot)

Amato Distribution.

Recently the Amato distibution company went under. The company distributed music for several small but significant independent UK labels, including 2020 Vision, Rekids, Buzzin' Fly, SecretSundaze, Fat!, and Freerange. Check out their websites to buy music which isn't going to be in the shops for a while.

Sendai. September.

* Gagle / Cro-magnon / Kohei @ Jazzy Sports records night, Club Junk Box (15th September 2007)

Club Junk Box is the main live venue in Sendai - the city I live nearest to. Its in the second basement of a massive department store and when you go into its depths you enter the centre of the store machine. Above the ground its a big shiny shop, below its a maze of decrepit corridors lined with cheap dirty staff cafes and lockers. The venue is basically 10 minutes underground. Fairly intense.

Jazzy Sports is a record shop and label based in Shibuya, Tokyo. They push down tempo trip hop, hip hop and funk. This night was part of their 'Rebirth of Cool' Japanese tour showcasing their bright young talents. First up was Kohei who wasn't bright or young or talented! A bald-too-old-to-be-a-rapper-but-too-dumb-to-know-better style vocalist! Not very exciting. He set expectations of what was to follow pretty low.

What followed blew Kohei, me and the rest of the Japanese (mainly students) in the place completly apart. Cro-magnon [myspace]. Their live jazz/funk/house/disco/hip-hop jam band performance makes them legendary in Japan. Apparently they only play 5 or 6 times a year. And it is all about their live show. The continous 60 minute jam saw synths, drums and guitar, sampler and drum machine combine for long interludes of talented improvised funk between spiraling euphoric climaxes. In the encore they dropped the bass line from Daft Punk 'Robot Rock' and the guitar hook from 'A Bit Apachy'. No filth. Squeaky clean. Check the (old school looking) video and how much the crowd feel it.


Gagle headlined the night and were a tight jazzy hip-hop outfit. The two frontmen were brothers and they rapped in Japanese so I only really understood their when they were counting (in English). Nothing on Cro-Magnon though.

Jazzy Sports [myspace] label + record shop (Shibuya, Tokyo).

Bonde Do Role Split.

So just heard an interview on this weeks Annie Mac show* with Rodrigo 'Gorky' from Bonde do Role saying they've split up until further notice. If you haven't heard their music its fresh revved up bosa nova. Lots of drum machines and latin lyrics. The band from Brazil exploded last year in the UK and from the sounds of the interview things had got tense. Listen here.*

I definitely preferred remixes of their tracks and been meaning to put up this Radioclit remix for a while so here you go. You may have heard the Gasolina Radioclit mix but this is sicker. Off the virtually faultless Radioclit 'Hard Workclass Vol 1'.

So RIP Bonde do Role?!

Bonde do Role Melo do Tabaco [Radioclit Remix]

*Check Annie's show in the next 24 hours for a Bonde do Role and Kissy Sellout minimix and SMD DJ set from fabric. New wave GOLD!

Deep House.

Deep and it jacks.
Riton v Heidi To The Gum
(Get Physical 06/2007)

Steady ticky bassy.
Stimming Funkworm
(Dinaymic 08/2007)

Capitol A.

Just found this track and it reminded me of another.

Ben Mono [ft Capitol A]Beatbox [Jesse Rose remix]
(Compost 06/2007)

Capitol A from back in the day. An Annie Mac introduction. From the mighty Sonar Kollektiv. Wait for the vocal drop (1:22).

Slope [ft Capitol A] Komputa Groove
(Sonar Kollektiv 2005)

Fink. Sideshow. Simple. Aus.

So I picked up acoustic singer Fink's album 'Biscuits for Breakfast' two year purely by chance, really just because the sleeve looked nice. Its brown recycled cardboard with Fink's face on it! It turned out to be an album I played endlessly. Only 38 minutes long and pretty easy listening. Stoned earthy lyrics about doing pretty normal stuff, chatty vocals and good guitar hooks.

Fink Pills In My Pocket
^ He's at Glastonbury 2000 trying to find his girl. He finds her. She's with someone else. Fairly standard. Pissed off he gets messy. In his tent.

His lastest Fink album 'Distance and Time' came out in October. And its more of the same. A lot of the time the accompaniment is more held back so its more of his voice. Not a bad thing though.

I also recently found Fink's alterego Sideshow. Sideshow, put out on Will Saul's experimental, Simple sister label, Aus, takes that acoustic energy into a leftfield electronic space. The best tracks are dubby slowed up electronica on 'Polar Bear Dub' which has the same integrity as when he poses as Fink. Erie 'Scary Biscuits' which leads you threw a strange twilight nowhere and 'You've Changed Dub' that starts off with frantic prescussion confusion before finally dropping (along with the penny) into spacey electronic dub. The LP also comes with deep spacey dancefloor versions that without would have made the album a bit weak. Mike Monday, John Tejada and Mathew Jonson all get to work on the originals. But by far my favourite is Jesse Rose's jacked up version of 'Philly Soundworks'. Still very mellow.

Sideshow You've Changed Dub
Sideshow Philly Soundworks (Jesse Rose)

Juan Maclean.

Most fun I've had all day.

Juan Maclean Every Little Thing (Cajmere remix)
(DFA 2005)

Speicher 55.

New 2 track Kompact single. New Gui. New Russians.
Deep delicate space house.

I was excited but it doesn't match Shebang. God I love that track.
Gui Boratto Matryoshka*

Second track on the single is from new Russian signings SCSI-9.
SCSI-9 Another Day Acid*

*Both tracks ripped to 128kbps. Buy the originals.

One for the Ladies.

A vump. double exlcusive, check the brand new single from self-proclaimed pioneers of rhythm & filth, The Loose Cannons. Our loose unit buddies have covered pop icon Janet Jackson's 80s classic 'What have you done for me Lately'. The cover gets the full LC band treatment with Sauce throwing Prince into the vocal, and Fader getting the funk driven into that dirty bass line. Sleazy! Its getting girls giddy everywhere.

The Loose Cannons What Have You Done For Me Lately
Buy it exclusively at Urban Amplified.
Janet Jackson What Have You Done For Me Lately

As well as that check this Loose Cannons white label remix of bit-hop artist Ben Mono. I think they call it SAWTOOTH!

Ben Mono Hit The Bit (LC's Spanish Freak Mix)

Stream the loudestKiss 100 show right now.

Dizzee.

A Dizzee remix I picked up off the First Up blog. Somebodys given Pussy'ole a gunshot beat.

Dizzee Rascal Pussy'ole (Aaron LaCrate & Debonair Samir Gutter Mix)

Dolby Anol.

With a lot of shit home-made 'electro' out there Glasgee-heads Dolby Anol are refreshing. The boys have talent and their tracks carry an intensity many lack. From the "I'm gunna fuck your mum, your dad and your sister" on Bang! to the completely nonsensical mayhem on 'Groove n Move' their analogue records are chaotically uncontrived. Shiny bass drum lines, jerky vocal samples and plenty of astro sound FXs. Its annoying and its dark.

They already have remixes of The Gossip and Tronik Youth under their belt and have remixes for Chromeo, Shadow Dancer and Blende lined up.

Dolby Anol Bang!
Dobly Anol Groove and Move
Dolby Anol Sexy Jack
Tronik Youth We Are (Dolby Anol Tronik remix)

Check out their myspace for more tracks, then buy their debut Tiger Bass EP Dolby & Gabbana. And keep track. They definitely have not reached anywhere near their potential yet.

Mathew Jonson.

I never posted up any tracks from Cobblestone Jazz from the night I saw them in Tokyo, so I thought I would put a couple up.

Cobblestone Jazz Dump Truck (Sample)
Cybotron Clear (Cobblestone Jazz remix)

So that's Mathew Jonson's more recent work but I prefer his older records. The recorded Cobblestone Jazz tracks don't really move me that much. However, his older solo output I love. Pure seminal techno. The track Marionette (released in 2005) is epic. It is the climax on an old Sven Vath mix (Sound of the Sixth Season). Rising and falling, rising and falling.

Mathew Jonson Marrionette*
*ripped from the mix. Highly recommended.

And then there is Decompression (2004). It features bass from another planet!
Mathew Jonson Decompression

Some serious tech.yes.
Let me know what you think.

Buy all these tracks there.

vump.

through and through.

Death Comet Crew.

Tokyo Hip Hop outfit Death Comet Crew. One of my buddies played this record at the last party I DJed. The squelchy bass is unexpected and gets fatter all the way threw.

Death Comet Crew ft Rammellzee Exterior Street (Protien Version)

Burial.

Check this preview of UK dubstep prodigy Burial's new album 'Untrue' which has just come out. Samples of album tracks are mixed by Kode 9 for Mary Anne Hobbes Radio 1 show 'Experimental'. She describes the mix as the most wonderful mosaic of sound she's ever heard in her entire life.

Burial Untrue (Album preview mixed by Kode 9)*
*linked from Missingtoof

Its breathtaking.

My favourite track on first listen is 'Ghost Hardware'.
Burial Ghost Hardware

On the show Mary Anne says the reclusive producer said he hopes with the albums release "the underground will glow". It will. That all encompassing bass, the intricate micro precussion detail and hypnotic vocals have such incredible soul. 'Untrue' is perfect company for the loneliest of dark cold nights that lie ahead.

Highly recommended.
Buy it.


On second listen I think my favourite track is the title track 'Untrue'. Dark. "The way. I feel inside. Its all. Because you lied." Oh this is so good.

vump.

through and through.

IFM.

The first Prescription post here. So The Prescription will bring out the more mellow cuts. Sunday afternoon listening. The antidote to those relentless bass kick drum bangs to the head.

TOP 3 Prescription tracks from the rather make-shift 2006 broadcast were
Sebastian Tellier La Ritornelle
Air Sexy Boy (Etienne De Crecy et Les Flower Pistols remix)
Fluir You & I (Trentemoller Free Dub)

______________________________________

So on to newer finds and this next track I located on Paper Thin Walls. The reviewer described it as a fine slice of "IFM". Intelligent Fuck Music. Can't really say any fairer than that. Released on Ghostly International. Shifting, slowed up, freezing warm electronica.
Kiln Fyrepond

I stole the next track from my good friends at Plastic Cowboys. Chuck posted this up last week. Its output from an artist called Milanese on Warp and has a similar (if not more static darker) IFM vibe. Cheers for this track boys.
Milanese Cowboy

Staying on Warp and IFM (and another from the broadcast that nobody heard). This old track from Andrew Weatherall's Two Lone Swordsmen is fairly restorative. "It [any release from his 'Rotter Golf Club' label] should sound human, uncontrived and raw."*
Two Lone Swordsmen The Bunker

Andrew Weatherall has actually just started writing a blog, which should make for interesting reading. Also this vintage interview from 1992 also popped up on the Resident Advisor Feed recently. When blogs were Fanzines and the Manic Street Preachers were good. Heres hoping there's more in the acid house pioneer yet (apart from the new Basics residency - stepping up in the light of Paul Woolford steeping down).

Infectious.

Superpitcher Baby's on fire
(Kompact, 2004)

Hot Chip.

A few incredible remixes from Hot Chip.

Chungking Voodoo [Hot Chip remix]
Insanely beautiful vocal. Turn it up loud.
Highly highly recommended. Buy it here

The Chap Woop Woop [Hot Chip remix]
Deep, dark, chugging (well a bit faster than chugging), bubbling.

Junior Boys In The Morning [Hot Chip remix]
Spacey, driving bass when it kicks in, good vocal.

Matthew Dear Don & Sherri [Hot Chip remix]
You knows it! They've gone to work on Matthew Dear's new classic. I found this remix on the Booka Shade 'DJ Kicks' which is off the hook by the way, especially towards the end. Who would have thought they'd be fans of The Streets.

Music really does deserve spending hard earned cash on. These artists are all exceptional. Hot Chip are back on tour in the new year and you can buy that Booka Shade 'DJ Kicks' here and Matthew Dear 'Asa Breed' here.

vump.

through and through.

Podcast. ArePeopleReal.

I've been loving this fortnightly podcast released courtesy of The Broken Hookers. Apparently they "enjoy playing music to strangers, friends and lovers." Don't we all. But seriously its a good job these guys do. Their podcast is so well put together. In between the best indie and new wave their very own Broken Hookers mixes mash up a stupid array music. On top of that add a big up and comer guest DJ mix and sometimes if you're lucky another guest's mini track selection. All this with an upper class robot narrating the show. ArePeopleReal makes for great listening. The track selection is as tight as you'd like it and the artwork is pretty nice too.

So far they have had guest mixes from among others Duke Dumont, Kissy Sell Out, Casper C, Zombie Death Squad, Yuksek, Brodinski, Skull Juice and Ajax.

I really like the guest mix in episode 20 coming from Pilooski. Down tempo electronica and stripped down funk among other things, it sounds like its been mixed entirely from film scores. The continual sampled dialogues add to the illusion.

Best moment so far.
Check the end of ArePeopleReal 17 [Brodinski]

"...this is a northern coast, a viking coast, and the noise that drifted up was viking music, table thumping music..."

Spoken word into heavy dub step.
Rob Hindle Buenos Aires 2am (Read By Jonathan Tafler).
Skream Bahl Fwd.
Genius.

Link to the podcast.

vump. volume 1.

vump. volume 1.
simon knockton.

1. Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom Rise [DFA remix]
2. Kraak & Smaak No Sun In The Sky [Henrik Schwarz remix]
3. Tronik Youth We Are [Dolby Anol Kronik mix]
4. Alter Ego Why Not?! [Joakim remix]
5. Kenny Dope and Terry Hunter Monopoly [Kenny Dope remix]
6. Caged Baby Hello There [Matthew Radioslave remix]
7. Pier Bucci Hey Consuleo [Samim remix]
8. Pig and Dan Sly Detector
9. Rolando Knights of the Jaguar
10. Tiger Stripes Survivor
11. Gary Martin Turkish Tavern [Turned Out Wrong SK edit]
12. The Klaxons Not Over Yet [Brodonski remix]

Oddjob.

Re-birth of analogue cool...Tucker. Laptops. Fuck Laptops.
(Check the Tokyo. September. post).

Tokyo. September.

* Cobbleston Jazz / Pier Bucci / Jeff Milligan @ Real Grooves, Spacelab Yellow (22nd September 2007)

So this time Yellow - Tokyo’s oldest underground club. A cavernous basement club in outer Roppongi. Its walls are jet black with the bottom main room a dark intimate pit. Matthew Johnson’s live techno trio Cobbleston Jazz kicked off the headline acts. One of the trio played synth and sang while Matthew Johnson and his other buddy tweaked racks of midi controllers hooked up to two synced MacBooks. Matthew actually says it better than I do. “Danuel is mainly focused around the Rhodes piano and vocoder while Tyger works mostly percussion and atmospherics, and I do mostly basslines, simple drum programming, as well as mixing most of our stuff in the studio. In our live shows, me and Tyger have similar roles while Danuel focuses on keys.” (Fact mag interview)

I am trying to remember if it was techno. The 3 jammed for possibly two hours maybe a bit less and there was definitely some deep bass getting kicked out, but the sets dropped into waves of more minimal sounds. Whatever it was, it was deep heavy free form electronica that was moving the crowd and MJ was having a great time performing.



Another Canadian, Jeff Milligan cracked on to the decks from the other end of the main room. He has a pretty unique style riding four turntables he cuts tracks in and out stupidly quickly. His finger work on the tracks levels is mad. He played a solid, measured deep house set. Bass kicking in and out, in and out. Check his style.




Up last was Cross Town Rebel, Pier Bucci. All I wanted to hear all night was the deathly vocal of Hey Consuelo, but no such luck. Pier didn’t drop a vocal until near the end of the set. He played deep house and even deeper techno through nothing but his Macbook. It looked like he was playing a typewriter. Standing in front of the crowd tapping away. He played the crowd really well, bringing a dead-pan middle hour to an intense climax.

Pier Bucci - Hey Consuelo (Original edit)

Real Grooves is a very apt name for the night. The whole night flew by in one very real and deep groove. The programming was tight but maybe a little too tight. All exceptional deep house and techno but after 6 hours I was a bit bored. Massive night though, Yellow has an incredible atmosphere, and the promoters and DJs were very cool.

* Lupe Fiasco / DJ Krush / Tucker / Dex Pistols / Nameless Tribal House DJ @ G-Shock, agEha (23rd September 2007)

Deepest darkest industrial south-east Tokyo. Well not that dark, but a trek from the centre. agEha is massive with a capacity of well over 3000. It’s a pretty slick club. Big rooms, big production, shiny. Think trance club! The first bar has huge video screens with mug shots and set times of the featured artists rotating on them. You need it as well as there must have been 30 artists performing all over the complex. There is a swimming pool outside, coupled with funk DJ and cocktail bar. Everyone congregates round the pool hopeful that sooner or later someone will fall in. This terrace looks out over a massive dockland waterway with the skyscrapers of downtown Tokyo in the distance. The main arena is vast and regularly plays host to big name concert performers as well as DJs.

Lupe Fiasco was definitely the main attraction that night. I never really heard about Lupe until a few bloghouse remixes started coming through on blogs last year. Not being a massive commercial US hip-hop fan, he does stand out as a refreshing artist. From Chicago, not the East or West coast he has a unique style and when he bounced on to the stage in Tokyo his energy was properly big. The Japanese girls loved him. He made some funny references to British electronic music as well, playing an interlude rapping over Gorrillaz – Dare and also the track on his album that covers Daydream by I –monster. Remember that track! He put on a fun show.

Lupe Fiasco - Kick Push (Estew remix)

The main artist I was pysched to see was Tucker. Tucker is probably the most crazily talented artist I have ever seen. He's a musical prodigy. I saw he completely by chance at Sonar 06. He woke me up on the third day in front of on the Sonar Day main stage. Knackered from whole Sonar carry-on the standard Spanish experimental fare that was going on stage had put me to sleep. Tucker came on and everyone lounging round on the fake grass were quickly up on their feet and piling to the front. He’s a maniac, totally hyperactive running around playing a full on band ensemble and more. Using a pedal, he was looping a guitar, drum kit, bass, his accordion and then scratching up the product. Every time he jammed out a climax on his accordion he flipped into a headstand on top of it. He's a nutter.



He was in a marquee outside at agEha. Unfortunately he wasn't up on a stage so only the people at the front could really see how sick he actually was. This time he used 3 different guitars and a bass to loop different rifts, as well as his drum kit and the ridiculous accordion melodies to jam out dance-able rock rhythms. Oh and he also set his accordion on fire. He actually deserves a full post of videos. OK i'm going to put a full post of videos of him up! If Tucker ever comes anywhere near you, check him out!

So after that I got lost in the club for a whlie and next thing I remember is the Dex Pistols. These guys are Tokyo's answer to Soulwax and it seems also honorary Ed Bangers. The party boy DJ duo played across the board from Beastie Boys to Franz Ferdinand, The Beatles to Prodigy. It was good clean/filthy synth metal fun right at the end of the night and by the finale of their set they were standing on top of the decks mashing it up. It kept me dancing half dead on my feet at what was quickly becoming the wrong side of a two day Japanese bender. I can't remember whether I'd caught DJ Krush and even if I had I don't even think I would have know what he looked/sounded like. Anyway by this point there were two hours left before I could leave for the first bullet train back to Sendai and some fairly shocking tribal house DJ played the last of the straglers out until 6am.

All in all funny shit! Tokyo is sick.

Only Love Can It Make Right. In The Middle Of The Night.

Disco twist up.

Check out the DFA Fall 'Radio Mixes'. Liking Disc 2. Apparently it was recorded Justin Miller & Jacques Renault live @ 205 club in New York a few weeks ago. If you only listen to track two 'In the Middle of the Night' it'll be worth it. That track is also in their myspace player.

Tokyo. August.

Guns n Bombs (Kitsune) @ Womb (27^th August 2007).

Womb is a hidden cathedral, barely visible from the street. Its Tokyo’s most well known club and what everyone talks about it who’s been to Tokyo.

Dork fact - The installation of the Phazon sound system was infamously overseen by the sound designer from New York institution Twilo. He did a good job.

Going up the stairs and into the main room is sick. There is a super high ceiling and super massive disco ball. The night I was there Kitsune’s Guns n Bombs were tearing up the best new wave and the crowd were going ape shit. It wasn’t just every well known track every half an hour people would get up a little, it was every single break down of every single track the crowd were loosing it. Loosing the plot and screaming! Giving credit GnB were relentless, quickly welding track into track into track layering vocals, basslines and synths beautifully! It didn’t wear out the crowd. Check the video. Big soundsystem, big sound, stupid energy. The crowd were cool as well, really friendly and surprisingly well dressed for the way they were going for it.

Who knows what happened towards the end. In an attempt to keep up I had drunk myself silly. By the time we left at 5 there were still hundreds of people queuing to get in. Ears bleeding, eyes blinded by the sun, trying to communicate with my buddies I was screaming as I left the front door. A bouncer quickly pounced.

“Vhisper, people sleeping”.

Jokes!

Why Not.

Alter Ego's new album Why Not?! was released mid way through October. This is their first LP release since Transphormer. The one that featured Rocker and came out in 2005. Its good to see that since then they haven't started taking themselves too seriously.



As we have seen from recent Alter Ego tracks such as the Alter Ego & Ghost Writers - Ghost Musick they can produce at one end of the spectrum banging bloghouse tracks. The farting bass line from 'Fuckingham Place' sounds like a Sinden production and the 8-bit synth lines on 'Jolly Joker' and 'Chicken Shag' are both crying out Switch. At the other end of their spectrum 'Blank', 'Pleasure Island' and 'Exile on Bleep Street' are bleaker louder harsher techno tracks. Loud and obnoxious and at the same time still (especially EoBS) retaining that humour. The album outro 'Welcome to Germany' takes the piss!

Its difficult, no no I'd say its impossible, to listen to the whole album in one sitting. Its just way too much. Way too much. It is just an album of peak set killers. Over to Sven (below)...

My favourite tracks are the awesome 'Why Not?' and fat rising synth track 'Gary'. Loving the Joakim remix of the 'Why Not?' as well.

Alter Ego Gary
Alter Ego Why Not?! (Joakim remix)
Alter Ego & Ghost Writer Ghost Musick (Baltimore remix)

Years Gone By.

OK to start with these are a few musical highlights from years gone by.



Aged 13 I taped Leftfield's seminal LP Leftism from my brother. He played it constantly in his car. It moved me passed Jean Michel Jarre which had been on repeat in mi mam's car. It didn't leave my walkman for a year.

It is why I am obsessed with electronic music. Dubby and tribal, its 12 years old now but still can't be beaten.

Check this recording from Glastonbury 2000.

Leftfield Chant of a Poor Man (live)
Leftfield Storm 3000 (live)



Post-Top 40 tape deck recording days, early clubland exploration, lead to a certain flirtation with funky house. I think Chicago house tracks like MAW - 'To Be In Love' were partly responsible as well as a hedonistic gay scene in Leeds. The institution that is SpeedQueen and the now international night Federation were heavily debauched carry-ons!

Funky house liking didn't last long (well maybe it lasted much longer than I care to admit to myself), but as soon we discovered Back II Basics things soon got deeper, and if they didn't get deeper they got darker and dirtier! It all started to make sense.



In 2003 and 2004 Paul Woolford, Ralph Lawson, Frenchy, and DJ Sneak pushed everything 4/4, deep and acidic down into me. Now trying to pin down what those epic tracks is difficult I but found these still have impact.

DJ Rolando Kights of the Jaguar
Shatrax Mispent Years
Beats International Dub To Be Good To Me
Switch Get Ya Dub On
Paul Jackson The Push

__________________________________________

The likes of Ninja Tunes, Sonar Kollectiv and Sunday Best got me into more left field sounds. One misty winter morning driving back from a car park party that had got raided by the police in Manchester we flew down the M62 set into the hill above a belt of industry that looked as if it was floating in the cloud that clung to the valley bottom - not sober! Nightmares On Wax's DJ Kicks was the soundtrack and this sound became etched.

Kenny Dope Get On Down

The now concluded Blue Room on Radio 1 hosted by Rob da Bank and Chris Coco inspired me to host my own postclub uni internet radio show 'The Prescription'. Defining tracks were the following.

Sebastian Tellier La Ritornelle
Air Sexy Boy (Etienne De Crecy et Les Flower Pistols remix)
Fluir You & I (Trentemoller Free Dub)

Its a pity it filled the graveyard airways and my only regular listeners were friends abroad in far flung time zones. Its also a pity my narration was so weak! I'll post up some Prescription playlists though as we found some gems doing it.

_________________________________________

On to more recent times.

Top 3 Nights in 2006 and 2007

1. Trentemoller / My Robot Friend @ Dirty Disco, Northern Light, Leeds (1st April 2006)
One of his first ever UK DJ dates. I love all his work from his downtempo stripped out house and techno on The Last Resort to his riotous crunching tech- house. At Dirty Disco he and Dj Tom of course brought the filth. I've heard interviews were Anders says how he prefers performing with his band live more than DJing because people "actually listen to the music", but people were listening that night! Check the bass drop. (RIP Northern Light - that venue was so sick. Great production in a huge sound system and great AV with the towering VJ projection. Lovely crowd.)



Following Trentemoller was freak or unique (definite freak) NY club kid My Robot Friend. He releases his tracks on Soma who knows why but at the end of the day MRF is not just about the music. His live show is ridiculous. Wearing a huge full on light suit and camera fixed on his wierd little face and projected massively behind him he sings "I KNOW WHAT WOMEN WANT!".
At Bestival 06 he faked his own death while we were watching, which was. wierd. But its all showmanship from the 5' foot something Howard Robot. Must be seen to be believed. The 70+ year old Grandpa MC that came on that night in Leeds was a little much. Barking lyrics off a song sheet. Check.

1.

So this is a space for myself and others, with far better taste than myself, to vent and pump out some cool new music and some cool old music. I'll be writing about any music I can get my hands on from funk to electronica, techno to trip-hop. Expect tracks more often than not to feature electronic bass drums.

Testing.

1, 2. 1, 2.