Podcast. 2020 Soundsystem.

The Yorkshire based deep house label 2020 Vision founded by Basics resident Ralph Lawson is (as you may have noticed) a favourite imprint of mine. They represent what British deep house is. Evolving, jacking and emotive, groove-driven, soulful dance music. From rich, organic and melodic textures to brain blagging digital nonsense. From the Basics heavyweights of Ralph Lawson and Paul Woolford to bass chugging Burnski, Ralph's live show 2020Soundsystem and the digitally jacking Audio....jack. The podcast is 22 episodes old right now and features a selection of live and studio mixes from 2020 artists. I checked it out a few weeks ago before going to to see Paul Woolford in Tokyo and loved the Simon Baker episode 21 mix. Paul Woolford who released his new album 'The Truth' a couple of weeks ago rocked Womb and has subsequently posted that live mix as the new episode. Slightly creamed myself!

So the Simon Baker (#21) march episode is an expertly mixed developing work out. A definitive deep house mix. Check this sample from the 45 minute mark.
2020#21 Simon Baker sample zsh


Wooly blew the crowd in Womb away so if you are hearing the hype around his new album and want to hear what this veteran DJ has to offer definitely check out the mix. The sample below is from the start of the recording just as Wooly was starting to up the ante!
2020#22 Paul Woolford live @ Womb, Tokyo sample zsh


Crack open iTunes and subscribe or sign up on the 2020 Vision website and download the full mixes from there.

Podcast. Fabric.

The sporadic Fabric podcast as you'd imagine is rather good. The format lets a music demi-god (or 'music luminaries' as fabric calls them) take the controls for 45 minute and introduce part of their musical story. I love hearing artists' influences and these shows let said artists dust off their classic old vinyl and tell you all about why it matters. The series is still pretty young, but so far they have had Andrew Weatherall, Doc Scott, Craig Richards, Jonny Trunk and Ross Allen present. At only 45 minutes they are a perfect commuting soundtrack especially if you're bored of your current music and need some old school inspiration.

Andrew Weatherall who's continual musical reincarnations span nearly two decades years looks back at the rockabilly and punk that influenced him. Craig Richards digs into his rare groove and soul back catalogue playing almost entirely tracks from the 60s and 70s. Doc Scott's I liked the most banging out everything from classic Chicago house to classic 80s hiphop, Pink Floyd to Kraftwerk. Jonny Trunk I'd never heard of before - apparently he is the man in charge of Trunk Records and their specialist London music shop. He presented a slice of that sound that focuses on vintage soundtrack rarities. And most recently A&R man and Giles Peterson-esque Sunday Best DJ Ross Allen takes controls presenting more rare groove treats.

Click here to stream the podcasts from the Fabric website or here to load up iTunes and subscribe.

Podcast. Resident Advisor.

ResidentAdvisor.net puts out content on all tings techno and deep house from around the world. New music reviews, artist interviews, global club listings and also a heavy podcast feature in a slick looking site. At the moment their Top everything of 2007 are up. From tracks to DJs, remixes to compilations. They also have up a Top 5 list of RA podcast from 2007, which looks a little like this.

5. Anja Schneider
4. Sebo K
3. Dixon
2. Efdemin
1. Joris Voorn

Usually you can only download their latest four podcasts, but for a limit time only you can get hold of this Top 5. Click here to open RA in iTunes. The weekly podcasts are usually (not exclusively) all about the best deep and minimal DJs and the vibes created in the mixes are often both hypnotic and fairly sonorous. They are rarely crazy all out bangers and normally more subtle refined and tasteful affairs. 2007 saw mixes from among others Joakim, Radioclit, Swayzak, Samim, Ame, M.A.N.D.Y., Prins Thomas, Underworld and Alex Smoke.

I really like the current RA084 Trickski podcast. Trickski from Sonar Kollektiv provide a very suitable mix for January. Nothing over stimulating for festively-fried brains. A tight groove. Fairly down-tempo. Restful. Start to finish.

The RA055 Sebo K podcast kicks much harder with some nice techno and one of my favourite (forgotten) vocals of all time on Josh One 'Contemplation'. Open up your mind. I also really like the vocal on the Larry Heard track 'The Sun Can't Compare' towards the end.

The dutch are represented on the RA062 Joris Voorn podcast which is a particulary accessible techno/house mix. It has depth and soul with some nice vocals that keeps the whole thing chugging along rather nicely!

Make sure you download them while you still can.

Banging.

OK so enough of the wierdy leftfield oddities. Check this banging 20 minute mix from the Broken Hookers. It is without a doubt the best mix I've heard in ageeeeeeeeeeeeees. Properly banging. Some nice old school references. Donna Summer and Curtis McClaine thrown in. And lots and lots of bass.

I ripped the mix from ArePeopleReal 21. I put a post up about the Broken Hookers APR podcast before. They put together an incredible fortnightly podcast with a mix from themselves and a guest together with loads of other gems.

ArePeopleReal. 21. Broken Hookers mix.
[Get the full show from iTunes]

1. Curses! This Is The Way [Drop The Lime Mix]
2. Envelopes Smoke In The Desert [Yuksek Remix]
3. In Flagranti Affective Placebo Effect
4. Colder To The Music (Optimo Remix)
5. Donna Summer I Feel Love
6. Surkin Kiss N Fly
7. Eurythmics Love Is A Stranger
8. Curtis McClaine Let's Get Busy
9. Alter Ego Why Not? (Joakim Remix)
10. Trevor Loveys & Sinden The Crossing


If you prefer your beats a bit more on the minimal side check this mix from Allez Allez curator Steve Nolan. Allez Allez are responsible for the Wednesday Kompakt nights at Plastic People, who have seen, among others, Gui Boratto (I was there!!) and SuperMayer grace the decks/plug in their laptops. This mix was done for french blog site Get The Curse which puts out regular podcasts.

Get into this minimally groove driven mix. Edgy, dark and anx-ridden. Lush, warm and accommodating. It breaks down really nicely towards the end.

Get The Curse. Allez Allez. Steve Nolan mix.
[right click and save link]

1. Reclick Agrofunk (8bit)
2. Christian Linder Stay Sharp (RZ Records)
3. Louderbach Grace / Anxiety (Underl_ne)
4. Gel Abril Very Wrong (Be As One)
5. Jichael Mackson The Grass Is Always Greener (Musique Risquée)
6. Kollektiv Turmstrasse Tristesse (Connaisseur Recordings)
7. Barrientos & Corrado No PC (Platform B)
8. Sarah Goldfarb DJ Is Not A Machine (Curle)
9. Richard Belsom Rhythm / Scrap remix (Jack Digitals)
10. Lindstrom Blast Of Loser (Feedelity)
11. Argy 1985 (Liebe*Detail)
12. Hardfloor The Life We Choose (Hardfloor)
13. The Sun God Ancient Echoes / A Tribute To Larry Heard (Klang Elektronik)

Look out for an Allez Allez night near you.

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.