First off a brief review of D's closing five selections from DHS8 and an apology for having been so remiss;
Do The Right Thing - total class
House Music - amibivalent to this for some reason
Pump Up The Jam - undeniable record but not a personal favourite
All Funked Up - one of the 90's highest points, massive (MASSIVE) thumbs up from me
Tyrantanic - not my favourite mix of this but still enormous
... and then onto the ten choices since my last go;
Slowdance - hmmmm, vaguely Sigur Ros'ish but not quite there...
Truth - nice little song - putting it onto the phone for further listens
Universe - lush - Giggsy's been hammering this on FB - occasionally irritated by the vocal but it is a great record
Far Nearer - loving the steel drums aspect - Jamie XX did a very well received mix recently that I keep meaning to get round to
Onice - given the label it's on I kind of expected it to be bigger but it's pleasant enough once I realised it wasn't going to be full on
Set Adrift On Memory Bliss - still remember exactly where I was (in the car driving through a storm in Devon) when Tong played it as his Essential New Tune. Probably the best hip-pop record ever?
Battle Without Honor or Humanity - first 40 odd seconds are immense, thereafter it tails a bit but WHAT an opening - brilliant film too
Secret Smile - vaguely remember this - nice little pop tune
Limited #4 - loving all the Circulation stuff
Energy Flash - hmmmm, not so much going for this 'live' version but the original cut is indisputable
... and then finally onto my next five;
The Sugarhill Gang - 8th Wonder - was listening recently to 'The Official Adventures of Grandmaster Flash' and remembered that the sample from this is my favourite part of that (epic) 12", so had a look for it on Spot and voila - first class party tune, cheesy-as-all-hell-ol'-skool-raps and THE funkiest horn section you can imagine
K.I.D. - Hupendi Muziki Wangu - partly because of the crazy title but mostly because this sums up just about perfectly the underground, original, disco stuff that is totally doing it for my ears right now. Just a wonderful old record. If it appeals then I thoroughly recommend the album and ALL the Horse Meat Disco stuff.
Solee - Legends - OK, not sure one of us has done this before and I have thought long and hard about it but, having done so, I think it's more than justified. Two mixes of the same tune in one selection. The first one is laid back and blissed out. The second one is absolutely firing. Both share top-notch production, some lush sweeps and strings and the most addictive, kind-of-synthesized-tuba, hook. Pick your favourite or, as I do, adore them both! And if that wasn't enough then the John Tejada remix on the same package takes it brilliantly in a slightly more tech-house direction. MASSIVE.
E.M.F. - Perfect Day (Chris & James' Epic Adventure Remix) - Everyone remembers EMF's 'Unbelievable' and I was always a fan of D:Ream's remix of 'They're Here' but, good though they were, this is totally different gravy. Chris & James did some full on remix stuff in the mid 90s but they've never bettered this. From the firing breakbeats at the beginning that give way to a stomping flat four pattern, the brass, the 'chorus voices', the relentless build, the beginnings of the piano, the breakdown, the perfectly sampled vocal, back in with the breakbeats, piano mayhem, the second build, the second breakdown is just disgusting - really shouldn't be allowed. And from there the breaks fire back in for a while and then, and only then, does it gradually begin to relax its grip as it starts to head for home, via one more little build and break. Gentlemen I cannot commend this record to you highly enough. Really I can't. Best remix of a pop song I have ever heard by miles. Possibly the best remix I've ever heard. Honestly. Remarkable.
*goes to lie down*
S
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