DHS - the lies, the damn lies and the statistics...

... well, the statistics anyway.

During a period of relative quiet for the blog I thought I'd give an update on the 'popularity' of the blog - where it's read, by how many and what the most read posts are...

(click all images to enlarge)

The Overview

Where are we read?!

Most read posts

Make of that lot what you will...

DHS 12 - Part 13 (S)

Straight in - no fuss, no nonsense - no unnecessary use of clichés and certainly not just typing words, haggard, for the sheer, pilfering, joy of them.  Assuage.

*shakes head*

H
Etherwood, check - Talabot remix, check (Duff - I think the track this reminds you of might be by Gloworm - not sure though - I'll let you check and let us know...) - the Fort Romeau remix, ideal for 4pm on a Tuesday afternoon as you neck a cheeky half on Mambo headland in Ibiza... - Caribou - struggled with this until I heard the Mano Le Tough remix and then went back to the original and suddenly it was all there - I'm an arse like that sometimes... - Daniel Bortz, Tuff City Kids remix - yeah, I get you - it's nothing special yet it's very, VERY, good - kind of embodies a whole sound I'm really into which I can't describe very well at all - the best I can do for now is, 'the-sound-that-twelve-years-ago-and-14-bpm-faster-would've-had-you-going-mental-to-at-3am-in-Heaven-but-now-is-much-more-laid-back-maybe-'cos-we're-all-old-no-real-idea-love-it-though'.  Hope that clarifies it...


D
Largely speaking all, ALL, in favour of this selection - your most obscure, esoteric and strongest for a good little while.  Special nod to 'They Won't See Me' by The Field which is simply mag-nif-i-cent and has been procured for future mixing purposes (along with some very interesting remixes but I'll leave you to explore them for yourselves...).  You've picked a couple of 'alt-j' tracks - by absolute coincidence they have a new album exclusively available on Spotify today!  Both tracks are new to me and good - pick of the two would be 'Hunger Of The Pine' - but I shall be listening to the new album thanks to you.  Aim - Demonique - really like this.  Absolutely all over the place in a terrific way.  Big fan.  Dustin O'Halloran - there's a tradition on DHS of emotional, mournful, piano tracks and, simply, this is a worthy edition to that cannon.



S
It's been about a year now since I did a straightforward DHS selection of five bumping dance records - so that is exactly what I'm doing now...

Dr.Packer - this guy is the best 'edit' artist to emerge since Late Nite Tuff Guy a couple of years ago - his stuff is amazingly good - loads of 'edit producers' head for the classic/obvious records to rework when they want to make a name for themselves - when this guy reworks a tune it's the best version of that tune you've ever heard - consistently.  This one is his best yet.  Yes, it does help that I absolutely loved the original ('Magic Touch' by Loose Ends - 1984/5?) but this rehash (released this week) is going down to universal acclaim and just is very, VERY, good.

Je'Couleur - obscure track off an obscure compilation of down-tempo 'nu-disco' - it's chuggy, 'deep', (very) slow trance music as far as I'm concerned - totally hypnotic with small little elements being added just exactly where you think they should be as it ever-so-slowly builds - beautiful

H.O.S.H. & Andhim - relentless, simple, burgeoning, effective & gorgeous

Lord Of The Isles - probably my pick of all the producers I've heard over the last 12 months - and I've said so for a while now - I know Hodge has heard this before - possibly you both have - but it is without a shadow of a doubt one of the very best records of 2014 - available in a 6 minute, more dancefloor focussed, version and this, longer, more headphone friendly epic. 

Little Dragon - ever since I heard the gorgeous "co20" by Lord Of The Isles (above) I've grabbed everything released with his name on it - this track simply justifies my actions...

xx

DHS 12 - Part 12 (D)

And here we are again, and with echoes of ‘where’s my music yo’ ringing in my ears I have finally managed to get around to my DHS update, almost a month after Hodgson and with me having berated his tardiness last time as well. Poor effort on my part. Still I’m doing all the typing during the day, where I’m also listening to tunes so that surely has to count for something ? You’ve gotta love that last month before redundancy eh…  

Anyway, I’m back in the badlands of south London, although to be fair no-one has been beheaded or shot dead by police down here recently that I know of so maybe that whole south London stereotype needs to be revisited. Peckham Rye does have 9 (count ‘em) beauty salons within the first 100 yards of the train station so that’s something to get used to, it’s a whole different culture down here. You have to wonder why people put so much time, effort and money into how they look, rather than who they are, but maybe that’s just the way of the world – after all facebook is everywhere, even now in this very room…

But that’s enough social commentary – my thanks as ever for some wonderful music from you lads:

S

Kicking off with Domain – this is what the word lush was created for I think – a nice representation of Canon here. Lovely.

Love Beat – that’s quite a description you’ve got there Kev. Like with the first track it is lifted from somewhere, or more likely knowing you this is the original use of that riff – certainly recall it in some 90’s tune or other. Its really beautiful and yet not very uplifting for me and the chat at the beginning is completely unnecessary I think. Nice though.

You are my sister – you’re definitely spot on about the emotion of the delivery, that’s unquestionable for me. However this song makes me feel uncomfortable. I really cant put my finger on why – possibly having a sister myself I just find it too saccharine sweet and the idea of me saying this to mine is what jars me !

Reverie – you have nailed it here Kev, this is definitely immense. And a nice use of ‘miasma’ too. Not much more to add, a great atmospheric record that just keeps getting better – on the master playlist.

Hold your breath – and again mate – what a vocal, great piano and some insistent drum and bass – love it.

A really great selection there bigman, muchas gracias.

H

Etherwood rmx – really like this one too, and have to agree this etherwood chap knows how to make a good tune ! Really works well around the vocals, giving them centre stage. Always nice to have an enjoyable d&b tune

Talabot remix – this reminds me of a really old record, possibly on hooj called something like ‘lift up my cup’ or something like that. The production is really slick, but don’t really like that tune – its what I’d recognise as a good tune, but just not one that rocks my boat overall, even though there are a couple of nice moments. My loss Im sure !

Fort Romeau Remix – Agree about the summery sunshine house comment, is really very chilled and would feel just right by the beach, goes up a notch towards the end which is always good I think. Nice piano loop too.

Caribou – you chaps may have got a hint that I really rather like this record. A 6 music one for me (more on that below) that made me stop what I was doing and turn it way the fuck up – cue dancing around the kitchen and hurried search on spot, followed by some appropriate cheering when said record was there. The climax of this record is HUGE and just keeps coming. Would deffo be on my list of tunes of 2014. Love it.

Tuff City Kids rmx – I see what you mean about this signifying that it was about to kick off, it really has a feel to it that you’d know in a top dj’s set could only mean one thing. A great ‘layering’ track I would say, in that you could have long mixes at either end of it with the right tracks and create smooth layers of tunes (if that makes sense ?!)

Anyway, another top selection.

So one could say that I have been rather spoilt with the latest round. However I really feel confident that I can hold my own this time, so here goes:

The Field ‘They won’t see me’

I stumbled upon this on a random search through spot, and it was very much an ‘interesting, interesting, very interesting…’ (its better if you can hear Barry Davies saying it) with a crescendo of ‘oh my word you have to say that’s magnificent’ which summed up my thoughts on it. A moody, growing, pulsating piece of 4am drug music. Aces.

Alt-J ‘Tessellate’

This has been on  my playlist for a few months here – props to my very cool girlfriend who sent it to me. Alt-j have their own genre as far as Im concerned, if you go through their tunes, they are almost impossible to pigeon-hole and even just on individual records. What is this one for example ? Haunting voal, great arrangement, almost a dubstep beat but with no bass ?! I’ll just settle for an amazing piece of music. And its not even their best tune…

Alt-J ‘Hunger of the Pine’

Nsafuyfsdavsasfv. Hmph. That’s me trying to convey the brilliance and originality of this record, and failing badly. I adore this tune, and like the above its incredibly produced in a genre all of its own. I don’t like all of alt-j’s tracks but I will be keeping a close eye on them as when they’re good, fuck me are they good. 6 music first brought this to my ears, god bless ‘em.

Aim ‘Demonique’

6 music again – easily the best music station around, especially on Saturdays and especially on Huey’s lunchtime show (he of the fun loving criminals). This was another ‘stop what Im doing’ moment, just for the backing sample to be honest – that’s an immense backdrop. It all gets a bit sinister with the film sample (Halloween) when I was really hoping for a great hip-hop track after the intro. But its very original to me, and my god, that sample and the bass riff together – huge. “We’re all afraid of the dark inside ourselves” !

Dustin O’Halloran ‘We move lightly’

From something to dark to something oh so light. Tell me this isn’t one of the most beautiful piano tracks you have ever heard !! It has a gentleness that cannot be overstated, melancholy yet uplifting and obviously constructed with tenderness and care. Adorable.

 Until next time

One love

DHS 12 Part 11 (H)

Sorry.  Over a month has passed.
D
C&C - huge
Bee gees - huge
Sister sledge - HUGE
daft punk - don't even get me started on tunes off their first LP... I know they're not terribly complicated but I was 17 when that album came out and it had a massive impact on me and how my adult tastes evolved into what they are now (I'm notably talking about the chuggy disco stuff which I've loved over the last 4 or 5 years)
Morricone - I think my love for his music in the big clintwood spaghetti western trilogy is well documented.  Some people don't rate the pictures but I love them.. I grew up watching them with my old man and regard them as classics.  I just like listening to his best of cd/playlist... I get why they used this for dramatic effect/as an opening but the crowd stuff just bugs me... I'd rather not have to hear them!

S
Domain - beautiful... Yes it is in there for sure... Subtly done.  Lush.
Love beat - painfully beautiful... The a side of this has been in my potential list for several years now
You are my sister - nicely delivered vocal as you say and fair play to him
Reverie - saw this on the forum and immediately added it to my masterlist... It is without question another of the best records from this year.  STRINGS! Reminds me of that epic funk d'void remix of Vince watsons work from about three summers ago.  Pure class.
Etherwood - how have I not been on this kid since his LP came out end of last year?!... Def the man of the moment for me.....

Neatly, KS' last track leads me into my next five, a small taste of my soundtrack to the summer

Etherwood Rmx - just lush... The kid is really talented  with his own work and he can also tear up a remix and make it infinitely better than the source material as this shows.  So lush.

Talabot Rmx - someone posted this on a (once fun and informative) music forum.. I check in from time to time and I'm glad that I do when people bother to use it for what it's meant for: sharing the great music that's out there and chatting about it.

Fort romeau Rmx - bought two or three things that fort romeau did last year... This being probably my favourite... Cracking melody, feel good, summery-sunshine house.

Caribou - back with something to challenge the uplifting melody of "Jamelia" ... Similarly I think this is crying out for someone to edit it and bolster the kick drums to make it a bit of a bigger sound.  No doubt one of my faves this year though.

Tuff city kids Rmx - I CANNOT get this out of my head ... I absolutely love it and truth be told I have no idea why... I find it completely infectious, but it's not as if the bass line is exactly anything complicated... The shimmery/spectral echoey sound, simple but adds a great mood... The even love the frankly weird sounding vocal.... Digweed stuck it on the Miami compilation and I've listened to it non stop since... This is another of those tunes that if heard in a club would signify to me that it was about to step up a gear and kick off.  Def a highlight for the summer.

Hope you enjoy one or two... There's lots more to add from his year, it's been a belter so far in my opinion.

K.O.K.O
H

DHS 12 - part 10 (S)

Evenings are drawing in then...

H
Joy To The World - all I can say is 'Thank You' - genuinely 'Thank you' - not so much for the introduction but for the very, very timely reminder - what a dribblingly gorgeous thing...

Broken - you're right, it sounds absolutely immaculate - was initially torn on whether I'd ever play it but I've picked the EP up and am 87/13 on the yes side so stand by your pause buttons...

Okinawa - can't fault it in any way other than that tiny 'spark' that just somehow isn't there for me

Rift Valley - (think D conflated his description of this and your description 'The End' in his last posting - maybe not - whatever...) - the fact that I pretty much built a mix around this a while back (as H alluded to) tells you what I think of this - it's beautiful.  It's wonderfully, wonderfully, uplifting.  It's simple as all hell but it's so, so good.  What a fantastic remix.  (To suggest that it takes slightly too long to get the 'money shot' and then it's over too quickly, would be churlish...)

The End - big fan of Joe T Vanelli since 20 years ago - big fan of HS82 since 3 years ago - two of them together was never going to go wrong was it...  Just about as good as 'bog-standard' house music gets in 2014 - and I mean that to sound better than it comes across when you read it...


D
C&C - always uses to get this lot muddled up with Snap! - having explored both again before writing this I think Snap! just edge it for me although 'Sweat' is better than 'Ooops Up' and 'Cult Of Snap' but behind 'The Power' and 'Rhythm Is A Dancer'.  There is no need  at all to bring Technotronic into it at this stage...

Bee Gees - you'll never find me saying anything bad about this lot or this tune...

Sister Sledge - or this lot and this tune - although a separate exploration of the various edits/remixes of it might be interesting to pin down a collective favourite - I think this original has been bettered...

Daft Punk - I think your description was bob-on D, 'filtered summer beach fun'...

Metallica - I'm all for the crowd involvement and atmosphere but there's only room in my ears for one Metallica tune - sorry, I know that's pathetic but that's the way it is... (it's 'Nothing Else Matters' performed with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra)

S
Domain - so, we've had Pachelbel's 'Cannon' when H posted the 'original' - then I slung it up in the guise of a 90's indie band sing-a-long and now it's here again - or is it, drifting in and out between crashing wave sounds and metallic wind-charmer chimes, it's kind of there but it isn't really and yet it absolutely is - a retrospective glance back at the Future Sound of London.

Love Beat - this is the musical equivalent of meeting someone you've known for years and kind of fancied from afar but kept your 'cool' distance from because you're 'cool' right?  But then suddenly you're confronted up close and personal and all pretence has gone straight out the window and you're just a gibbering wreck unable to control syllables let alone sentences as the beauty that you always knew was there is suddenly made manifest x1000 and your eyes glaze over and you don't even want to breathe anymore and then the piano kicks in and you dissolve into pointless gloop...

You Are My Sister - Boy George guests on a duet from 2005's Mercury Prize winning album - suggest you put aside the gender-bending logistics of the lyric and just wallow in the emotion of the delivery...

Reverie - every now and then a dance track leaps unheralded from the miasma surrounding it and grabs my attention.  For every ten that do so there's maybe two or three that get more than one or two subsequent plays.  Relatively rarely then does a track leap unheralded from the surrounding miasma, grab my attention, get played several times and then go on to be microscopically lasered into the very fabric of my musical clothing.  This one did.  Immense.

Hold Your Breath - piano, emotive vocal, gigantically swelling strings, thundering breakbeat, incredibly laid-back bass - repeat in various combinations - fade - genuine musical perfection 

xx

DHS 12 - Part 9 (D)

Afternoon all,

Im off to Hampton Court Palace to watch the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with some picnic action and fireworks tonight, which could really be something - cant wait. Not that the RPO will be gracing my selections anytime soon I wouldn't have thought, but in such a setting it should be an evening of aural pleasure. Speaking of which, my grateful thanks for your recent selections...

S-Dog
Enola Gay is a tune I am sure I must have heard before - the infectious hook sounds very familiar as does the melody. Proper nice tune that, and while its very 80's the lyrics are not as asinine as you usually got from the synth bashers at that time. Nice.
Dreamy Days is a tune I havent heard before, and neither have I listened to Roots Manuva at all - MacArthur Park again - impressive effort there Kev. Best rapper from the UK ? Hmmm not so sure about that but this is a boss cut, added to my list. Top work.
Fantastic man - I see what you say about it being bonkers; its certainly that but I have no idea whether I like it or not. Even after at least half a dozen listens I cant tell, some days I like it some days its like someone dragging an iron glove across a blackboard !
Winter in June - solid enough prog record for me, cant quite feel the amount of love for it that you do my friend but nice enough.
All Together Now is a stone cold classic. Takes me back to my mis-spent youth and even though it fills me with some melancholic feelings thats more to do with what was happening at the time rather than the record. Top tune.

H-Bomb
Sorry mate, but Joy to the World is bringing no joy to me at all. To me it's really bleak, cant get onside with it, just makes my skin itch.
Broken however is an absolutely wonderful tune - so atmospheric and that bass break is immense. Great filtered vocal and a wonderfully restrained feeling to the whole thing - on a big system it would blow your socks off. Definitely deserves that medal !
Okinawa - you are right, I totally wouldnt associate this with Digweed but its been so long since I heard him or one of his mixes that to be honest I have no idea what he plays. This is very nice though, understated for me against 'hugely uplifting' for you - which says a lot about our difference in tastes I think !
The Rift Valley - no idea what 'burning man' mix you mention here, but then I am so far out of the dance music groove in the last few months thats not surprising. Care to forward on. This reminds me strongly of 'somewhere over the rainbow' by the IZ and really is very nice indeed - great use of melodies and strings you're right. Top job.

Ok my lot - a summery selection that always gets my toes tapping or makes me smile...
Gonna Make you sweat - C&C
On first impressions this is just a throw away pop song - certainly those lyrics suggest so, but I think its so much more than the normal trash that is wheeled out - the difference here is the production is immense. The layout and arrangement is very clever, bringing parts of the record in and out and thankfully keeping the 'rapping' to a minimum which actually gives it some charm for me. A step up from normal pop records.
Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive
I have to fight the urge to strut when I hear this and Im walking somewhere. If I was at a party or a club and it came on - I'll be giving it plenty. Proper party music.
Sister Sledge - Lost in Music
Stone. Cold. Classic. No idea why we dont have a sister sledge record in DHS already...
Fresh - Daft Punk
Filtered summer beach fun with the Punk, one of several stand out tracks on their debut.
The Ecstacy of Gold - Metallica
Pretty sure they're just playing the Morricone recording as they use this for their intro, AND we've had this before but I absolutely adore the crowd joining in, gives it another dimension. So here it is. And here it is on youtube if you are so inclined: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihimYfIbrVo

One love

DHS 12 - Part 8 (H)

Much time has lapsed and much has changed for me lately so apologies for the delay.  I seem to remember posting a series of tunes from our last break in the West Country (about two years ago) under much more malign circumstances so this time will be a brighter feel :)

D,
Not really feeling this selection as much as some of your others to be honest mate... That said I like Alpha Male and Deesh for the reflective/moody vibe and they will be added to one of my electronica lists so nice one :)

S,
OMD - it's bona fide as one of the most instantly recognisable melodies of its era.  Geezers voice winds me up a little, but I'm sure there was an instrumental version? A mate of mine used to play it after fabric.. Could have that wrong though given the state of us back then.
Roots - could bang on and on and on about this kid. To me he he represents the birth of true UK hip hop becoming credible and from the streets to the (semi)mainstream. I CANED his first LP Brand new secondhand at uni and it still sounds good to this day. This is also a tune... I didn't really follow him properly after the first two LPs but ll be revisiting him by the power of spot now.
William O - cheeky chirpy little number which made me grin
Dance disorder Rmx - put simply this is quite possibly one of my fave tunes of the year thus far. This and co2o absolutely sublime.
The Farm - stunning. I'll be the one with my lighter in the air shouting "ONE MORE" at the top of my voice.

So, as seems to be the case with many of my additions .... Some tunes I've been nailing recently:

T-tauri : absolute stone cold classic record. Been listening to a few of JD's mix efforts recently, old and new (see below), and i dug out the first disc of his choice mix for the train which is I think is easily one of my fave retro mixes and contains a load of stuff you wouldn't necessarily associate with the bedrock boss. Lush tuneage.

Jobe - I posted on the board a few months back "the man deserves an award/medal for that bassline"... Pretty much sums it up really. Superb build, lovely pace and an utterly filthy bass drop.  So crisp, countless listens, never get bored... Great producer.

GA Rmx - fair play to sasha for churning out a couple of freebie mixes last year (1 mixmag cd, one online, both from Ibiza) which worked pretty well. Heard this Rmx and it really stuck out, immediately looked it up and was not at all surprised to see it was Gabriel Ananda... Has totally smashed it for five yrs+ now, really has this deep melodic sound nailed down... Gives it the wonky treatment on this outing which isn't usually my taste but it works superbly well.

RVD Rmx - The first two discs of JD's Argentina mixes are absolutely blinding (bar perhaps two tunes)... Again what I love about this is that you wouldn't necessarily associate this with Diggers yet if you go and see him play a full set (8hours) he will spend a good three or four hours playing lush, deep groovy records and the room has a superb party feel to it.  This is a prime example. Hugely uplifting (and one a I know struck a chord with another of our number considering its inclusion in a recent online mix release!). Summer happiness.

HS82 - another total gem from "that" Lee burridge mix from burning man festival.... Think it's been caned by all and sundry to be honest and rightly so.  What a totally stunning melody/string section/breakdown, vocal, production.... Just some totally lush sounding corresponding noises.  Great stuff.

Hope all goes well with each of you.
As ever: keep on keeping on,
H

DHS 12 - Part 7 (S)

H's 'hosing it down' selection;
Burial x 2 - both terrific - wonderful mood on Night Bus and Archangel is as classic a record as DHS has ever seen.  I would take this opportunity to say though that I've been somewhat disappointed with the recent Burial offerings that I've heard - the guy had such a distinctive and innovative sound that it was genuinely exciting to see where he'd go next but I'm left feeling a little flat...

The Cure - Plainsong - I don't need to say anything but could probably do two thousand words on it without pausing for breath.  Brilliant song from a faultless album - D, I implore you to give the album another chance...

Clubroot - Closure - this guy is beautifully mining the seams that Burial unveiled - gorgeous - fits the theme of your selection wonderfully but then half a dozen others across either album would've done.

Area Forty One - PRTCTN - the only one of the five not known to me previously - like it a lot - listened to the rest of their stuff on Spot and like it too - good work...

I would close that little section by saying it is absolutely hosing it down once more as I listen to the above again and write this piffle - all five wonderfully augmented by the rain hammering off the skylights - very apt.


D's 'all about two albums' selection;
I get somewhat conflicted by dance music artist albums - when they're good they're genuinely brilliant but by and large I just don't get them - God knows I've tried over the last 20+ years but time and again band after artist after band, album after album after album, fails to hit my spot - hey ho...

Royksopp x 2 - always had Royksopp filed under 'remixes are better than originals' - and listening back to these two does nothing to shift me from that although the initial build on Alpha Male is quite buoyant - leaves me wondering how good it could be if someone remixed it...

Mogwai - got intrigued a dozen years ago always seeing Sigur Ros bracketed alongside this lot (as well as Godspeed You Black Emperor and Mum!) so I investigated - almost all of it left me chilly if not cold but a GYBE track did make it onto Terminal Moraine.  Then, out of the blue, my 17 year old nephew asked me to source this, 'Rave Tapes', album for him in January, which I duly did - so this was my second opportunity to flick through the album.  Nothing here to dislike but hard to find stuff to adore - their sound seems to be halfway between Sigur Ros and God Is An Astronaut and I think I prefer each of the extremes.  I'd take 'No Medicine...' out of these three.


S's 'properly eclectic' selection;
OMD - Enola Gay - I was absolutely obsessed with this tune as kid in 1980 - so much so that I really wanted to know what 'Enola Gay' meant - I remember asking my teacher at school but he, nor anybody else, could help me so, pre-internet, I had to resort to getting my Dad to take me to the local library (we ran there and back together one afternoon before tea for some bizarre reason!) to research it and thus the lyrics all made sudden sense and added a greater poignancy to what I already felt as a strangely emotional tune.  Arguably THE first synth-pop classic and all about what remains the only ever unequivocal usage of WMD...

Roots Manuva - Dreamy Days - so, I've thrown MacArthur Park at you both twice, firstly in the guise of Richard Harris and then Donna Summer and I did tell you it hadn't finished - you'll find a sample thereof herein!  Boss tune from the best rapper this country has yet produced.  And that's me finished with MacArthur Park for now...

William Onyeabor - Fantastic Man - hang onto your hats lads, this is madness...  I got sent this late last year by a message board mate who wanted to use it in a mix but needed it 'warped' so it held a constant beat and wondered whether I could help.  It wasn't the easiest thing I've ever warped and by the time I was finished it was burnt into my head, where it remains to this day.  Absolute stone-cold bonkers mentalism. 

Snuff Crew - Winter In June (Dance Disorder remix) - this wasn't in my selection till last week - for the simple reason that I hadn't heard it this time last week.  Then a (completely different message board) mate posted it on his Google Plus feed and BOOM.  Hooked.  Completely.  Still don't know if I've made the right decision going for the remix over the original but I've done so simply 'cos the remix is longer and the bliss therefore lasts slightly longer.  Fantastic record.

The Farm - Altogether Now (Classical Mix) - Pachelbel innit.  Lads, I promise you now - if I ever get to play one last closing set, at a half-decent venue, with a decent crowd, this is my last, closing, tune.  Savagely fabulous.  Thank me later...

x

DHS 12 - Part 6 (D)

Evening all. Here I am fresh back from a weekend in the country, and my 2nd farm in as many months, albeit this was the first one where I made friends with a donkey. Donkeys are brilliant Ive decided, even if they do try and eat your jacket. I also found out that sheep can (almost) climb fences and cows are bastard big when you get up close to them - especially the Angus bulls. Had a nutsack like a space hopper that lad. Christ.


Anyway, thanks once again for your latest choices chaps - my thoughts are as follows:


S
The new short tunes were my first sustained listen to Northern Soul (I presume they are all NS ?) and Judy Street is a jaunty upbeat number, cant really say anymore than that, enjoyable, wouldn't turn it off but wouldn't hunt it down either. Mama Cass was another track in a similar vein and I'd say the same really although this one was a bit better for my money. John Edwards is a nice enough soul track but it did make me laugh with some of the lyrics 'the topic of Sir Galahad' just made me think of Monty Python & the Holy Grail ! Ive listened to this several times and I still don't have a Scooby what that lyric is doing in there - spoils an otherwise nice enough tune for me. Gary Numan isn't really my cup of tea either - theres something about his voice that grates a bit I think, only really heard 'cars' before and I didn't really notice it so much but here I do. Is this still Northern Soul ? Im thinking not but I guess it doesn't matter that much really. When in Rome is ok I think, very much of its time I suppose but doesn't really do much for me im afraid.


H
Night Bus is indeed atmospheric, there's no denying that. Could it be an opener ? I suppose so, even though it doesn't do very much - would have a liked a bit more to this track as I think it sets up a mood then doesn't see it through. Nice enough though. Plainsong is not one I have heard before and I think its stunning, an outrageous piece of music. So much so that I listened to the album but the rest of the tracks sadly dont live up to the standard of this one, apart from maybe 'lullaby'. Added to favourites - top tune mate. Archangel reminds me strongly of a timbaland cut called something like 'kill you' from the first shock value album, only with a kind of garage vibe over the top. Not for me I don't think, but definitely get the walking around London when its gloomy idea ! I really like the clubroot track, nice beats and subtly done with the wailing and strings, rising and falling ever so slightly with the insistent beat, very nicely produced. PRTCTN (does that mean 'protection' ?) is nicely moody too, wouldn't always be one you'd rack up but I can see this being a late night tune that would go very well.


My selection consists of two albums really - the only job was getting it down to 5 tunes ! The first was borne of a desire all of a sudden to check the original of 'what else is there' by Royksopp and I really liked it so as I had been checking out albums for the DHS LP I decided to give it a go and I wasn't disappointed - a top album I highly recommend if you haven't heard it before, gave it several rotations and could have picked the opener 'triumphant' and the original of 'what else is there' but this one only gets 2 tracks as I think you may know it. So Im going with 'sombre detune' which is a quirky piece of electro / prog house I think, with some nice strings and perky melodies, as well as 'alpha male' which is an absolute beast with a cracking build and some wonderful variation in highs and lows - a really wonderful record. The second album is courtesy of 6 music. I love 6 music, it does play some obscure shit, but nowhere else can you hear (uncensored) public enemy, sigur ros and young mc on consecutive breakfast shows. Really resonates with me. Anyway, one night in the shower and this tune came on and it was so good I had to make a note of it straight away (gawd bless digital radios showing song titles) and that track was 'remurdered' by Mogwai from the album rave tapes which I also checked out and is very good indeed. Remurdered is also a big brooding heaving beast of a tune with a raucus break and some crashy drums that I really like. I have also gone for 'Deesh' which is a nice moody tune for me, always hinting at more to come and delivering in a quite unusual way I think, possibly the best cut on the album. I finish with 'No Medicine for Regret' which is beautifully melancholic and even quite uplifting by the end.


So there you have it. Probably way too many words as usual but that's how it goes.


One love

DHS 12 - Part 5 (H)

D,
I like natura sonoris very much, have bought a lot from the label across a 4 or so year period.  The best was a label comp in 2009.  Personally I think the quality has been lacking recently due to the similarity of what Saiz's artists (and indeed even himself) churn out... There are better artists and better labels out there now.  That said I like the tracks you've picked, I bought the LP from beatport when it came out because it had some exclusives from Saiz's balance mix which he put out in '10.. I never put this comp in the DBOX though so if you ever feel like having these outside Spotify let me know and I can up it, although KS will prob have a higher quality copy you can have.
Underworld, classic... Still relevant now.  So, so good.

S,
Judy Street, Mama Cass - classics
John Edwards - new to me, bloody lovely, repeat plays.  Beautiful drum work, sounds so crisp, beautiful everything in fact.
Gary Newman - not for me this guy, just don't buy it at all.  Notwithstanding I appreciate its relevance in the music we listen to now.  He sounds to much like he's trying to be a modern Bowie for my liking and for that kind of sound I'd rather listen to the legend himself.
When in Rome - I feel like I know this from childhood... I very much like this.

Well, not time like the present (given half the country is flooded) to whack up my favourite tracks to listen to when it's pissing rain...

Burial - D not sure you're familiar with this kid, one day I will give you the back story.  Very simply he sat on the bus and recorded the pissing rain for a journey and then built a track around it at his studio in his bedroom.  I think it's lovely and atmospheric and a great opener.
Cure - I just can't begin to describe how much the LP means to me... I first heard the opening bars of this followed by the miserable mumblings of Smith in a soaking wet November of 2009 on amazon website prior to purchasing immediately and it's impact on me was immense.  I didn't listen to ANY other tracks just something about this opener told me how much I would completely love the whole thing.  I couldn't have been more correct if I tried.  Thanks S for the recommendation.
Burial - this might sound dated because SO many people have copied his style of small studio production.  But believe me when this kid put this out my ears just pricked up to a whole new level.  Very cleverly done and fuses so many little nuances from other styles in.  Wonderfully melancholic with a tinge of rave.  Beautiful for walking round London when it's gloomy.
Clubroot - one of the guys I suspect copied Burial.  More upbeat and juicy beats but moody all the same.  Proper crisp, great drum programming matched with great melody stabs.
PRTCTN - wow, when tale of us used this in their renaissance mix I was massively pleased.  SUCH a great production effort... Stunning all round.

Go out and get wet with your headphones in,
H

DHS-LP 03 (D)

My apologies for my terrible tardiness at getting onto this great idea. I have learnt the error of my ways and will now bring it all up to date...


Interpol - can see why it's a favourite singalong album, it was enjoyable enough although indie/rock albums have to be pretty special for me to really like them and this one didn't grab me - agree with Hodge that after a while you do crave something different. I have a similar fave album which if I didn't like I'd think the same about so totally get the singalong vibe. Music is so often about the environment when/where you heard it and maybe that's a factor here.

Photek - not the sort of thing I would normally listen to and on reflection I think there are only 2 situations it would appeal - either last thing at night to get you to sleep, or driving late at night. Definitely makes more sense against a backdrop of darkness, but is subtle to the point of being sparse to these ears. No warm analog sound, very little basslines and even fewer melodies give this a post-apocalyptic industrial feel for me, all concrete and metal. The title track was the best of the lot for me but none of it comes anywhere close to the remix of 'lie down in darkness' which is a shame.

The Jam - again not my normal fare, and I have considered how much music I like that was around before I got into music properly, and it's not much. Some soul and disco mostly. However this is very enjoyable, Weller has a good voice and it wasn't as punk-influenced as I was expecting, which is all very fast beats and shouting as far as i can tell - thankfully this was far from that. Must have heard some of these before I guess but none I recall. Some really good tracks on here, well arranged and delivered with edge that makes it more listenable than say Interpol. Must have been massive when it came out. And Kingston Rifles has quite a bassline.

Dubnobass - I have never heard this album before. Seriously. The first thing that struck me is how good the 'dark train' version of dark and long is when you start from the version on here, which is also good. I imagine if you'd only heard this one then heard the remix you would be even more impressed than I was just judging it on its own merits. Also the Essex roots of these boys really comes out. I think Underworld see everyday things in an unconventional way and that helps make them different, and better. Skyscraper & DaL are both examples of this. Found this to be a very good album, surf boy is nice as is dirty epic which is certainly epic - especially loving the piano that comes in towards the end. Cowgirl is of course ace (even if the bedrock remix takes it to a new level). M.E. is a nice closer too - good album.

Richter is an interesting choice, I think it could well be the first classical album I've ever listened to (on the way home from Bath today) and so therefore have no immediate frame of reference. However music is music regardless of genre and can inspire the same feelings and emotions no matter what. It is certainly very emotive music, sometimes mournful, sometimes aggressive but always powerful and open to so much interpretation I think - will be different things to different people. I really enjoyed it and can see very obvious comparisons with dance music, certainly the pop end of it as the big parts are very immediate without too much build up. Easy to see why you rate this so highly Hodge, although as you were raised on this sort of music it would have more of an impact on you than it could on me because, like i said, i have no frame of reference but I really like it too - i even think he saved the best track to last. Excellent shout. This will be getting repeat listens.


I thought quite a bit about what album I should put up next, something that meant a lot personally to me and was firmly fixed in my roots was the order of the day I felt, and I went back to the very beginning, the album that left an indelible mark on me aged 10 years old. Now there have been other albums that maybe had more of an effect (at the time) in my formative years, like for example Bad by Michael Jackson, Bigger & Deffer by LLCoolJ, License to Ill by the Beastie Boys or Born in the USA by the Boss - all of which may appear here at some point, but nothing has lasted for me like this one. So its the album that first got me interested in music and indeed blew the world away - I am of course talking about Thriller by Michael Jackson.


After Jackson only received 1 grammy for 'Off the Wall' he stated that the next record he made would be the greatest album in music history. That's entirely subjective and up for huge debate, and I would even say is impossible to ever truly decide because different records mean different things to different people at different times. However that drive and hunger, coupled with the dream team of Jacksons undoubted singing and dancing talent and Quincy Jones' production genius created the biggest selling album of all time with estimates anywhere between 50 and 110 million copies sold. Lets think about that for a minute - 50,000,000 units of anything is a very big amount indeed.

The production of the record is so slick it could make me weep with its perfectionism - it's as if every note, every beat has been deliberately placed in the most optimal position for that track and indeed the record overall. The word genius is recklessly used and is rarely true, however this album is clearly a work of genius and that is why it is rightly the biggest selling album of all time.


Thriller is a devastating combination of talent, skill, audio and visual. An album so good that it changed the entire landscape of pop music. From the raw energy of 'Wanna be Startin' something' there is funk and soul dripping from every track - even with the almost twee 'the girl is mine' a little crowbarred in. To then have 3 of the biggest records of the decade and indeed in history one after each other on the same album is a feat that has never been matched. Thriller is a cracking track in its own right - original, creative and with a killer hook and juicy bassline. Throw in that video that aired on prime time national tv and suddenly everyone knew what was possible in a music video. Next up was Beat It and a guitar solo from Eddie Van Halen that won 'guitar solo of the decade' (whatever that means) and came with another video, also inspired by film. If that wasn't enough the 3rd track is the single greatest bassline in dance music history and a beat that personally I find impossible not to dance to. Another iconic video and a performance at the Motown 25th Anniversary show that blew everyone away and introduced 'the moonwalk' to popular culture.


Often copied, never bettered, Michael Jackson became the first black artist to have a video played on MTV and the mark he left on music history is as big if not bigger than any other recording artist. Aged 10 I simply could not have not liked it - I have no doubt I'll still be enjoying it in another 30 years, and this is my entry into the DHS-LP pantheon.


One love

DHS-LP 03 (H)

Well, lots of time has passed and sadly I failed to add an album in the last round so I will tackle everything in chronological order:-

S - Interpolantics
I have given this several full listens now (and some half listens when it came out, most notably on a journey up the motorway in a mates car).  Anyway, the last time I played it was the end of last year and sadly it's not one I think I will revisit in full.  Something about the lead singers voice grates on me - there were plenty similar at the time (I'm mainly thinking the Bravery here, again good in small doses); I get through the first half of the LP quite easily (NARC, Take you on a cruise and Slow Hands is a solid little back-to-back trio) but after Public Pervert I find myself starting to want other noises to listen to, which is a great shame because I very much like the final tune (you need to be in the right frame of mind for it I think) and it is one I am happy to go and listen to as a standalone track.  Can't remember if we're rating these - seem to remember some scores on ten first time round; so - 6/10.

D - Exit Planet Dust
I don't really need to say a great deal here because I'm openly a big fan of this record and have added one of my all time faves of theirs in our main lists (One too many mornings.... one of the lushest electronica records I'd ever heard when it came out and it still has huge appeal now..... Chico's Groove is also very lovely in the same vein).  I think it is far easier for me to state the disappointment in the penultimate two tunes... Life is Sweet is not great for my money and Playground For a Wedgeless Firm is simply poo, can't dig it at all.  Fortunately they finish on Alive Alone which is a droning warm acidy trip which has some really lovely production considering the era.  8/10.

S - Setting Sons
To be truthful I didn't properly get into the Jam until I went to uni and a flatmate just hit me up consistently almost everyday with The Smiths and The Jam.  I had of course heard and loved the BIG singles, In The City; Down In The Tube Station At Midnight; Eton Rifles, That's Entertainment which I still think are some of the most important and influential social comment pop records that have been released in the UK (in the late 90's and throughout the 00's we had so many virtual copycat bands (in terms of format, comment and content) so numerous that I cannot even begin to list them - it almost became depressing - not one of them came within a country mile of what Weller managed).  Anyway - this is another of those LP's that I know but haven't ever really listened to all the way through unless by accident at uni as it's nice to revisit it fully from top to bottom.  This, I think is the most solid LP we've had on thus far.... there is only one minor, and I do emphasise minor, dip; Wasteland - and it's almost ludicrous mentioning it because musically it is superb it's just that everything else outstrips it lyrically in my opinion.  I am not a fan of the Heatwave cover because I think of the original as really quite sacred, that said I do understand why Weller did it and his move into blues-ier territory was a bold step when he made it.  Slight hijack:-  I have to say here, in case we never get another stab at The Jam on the LP front (which we may not if we're trying to vary it up a bit) that one of my favourite tunes they ever released was English Rose.... very much off-kilter compared to their more well known jumpier, punk-infused efforts but it's just a beautiful love song - I'm not big into schmaltzy when it comes to songs but this is pristinely crafted and beyond reproach in its delivery.  8.5/10

I will save my comments for Dubno.... at the next interval which is July if memory serves.

VIVALDI - THE FOUR SEASONS - RECOMPOSED BY MAX RICHTER
I do not wish to bang on too much about this album because it might seem too self-indulged. I found it purely by accident and it is one of my most treasured finds of the last decade I would say.  I am a HUGE fan of Vivaldi's original (safe to say I was essentially raised on Vivaldi's Four-Seasons, Mozart and Beethoven) but this epic re-envisioned, modern take has totally blown me away with its scope (even in spite of its lack of distance in terms of running time!).  You will, if you know the work, recognise much of the melodic phrasing - however there are some totally new sounding interpretations and some which really throw you off-track whilst still pulling you in with their familiarity.  The main pull for me on this LP is the modern composers touch with long drawn-out, driving melodies underneath the main phrases... it is for want of a better analogy Vivaldi for the electronic generation.  Some of my reactions (hairs on end - prickly neck syndrome) to certain pieces have been akin to that of hearing an absolute belter of a deep melodic house track.  I may be alone with that reaction but I had to share this one on here...it's already very important to me and I'm shocked at how much so seeing as if someone had said to me "Ok, we're gonna take Vivaldi's Four Seasons and re-imagine it with a modern touch...." I would have categorically told them, in two words, where to go.  My only criticism of this record is that it is just so phenomenally short at 45 mins but it is so perfectly and considerately put together that I can just about forgive it this shortcoming... sometimes I just want tracks to be twice the length but all I end up doing is playing the whole LP back to back to quench my thirst.  I hope you enjoy one or two even if you don't know the original or like classical music.

H 

DHS 12 - Part 4 (S)

H
Pachelbel's Canon - (is it pronounced Packelbel or Pashelbel - I've never known?!) help yourself to another point for picking something on one of our lists, i.e. mine!  A classic bit of classical music which I've long loved and listened to.  And take another bonus point for the long overdue inclusion of any piece of classical music. 

Love Sensation - no surprise here but that gets two huge thumbs up from me - this original simply reeks class but I'm more than happy to admit to also liking (and playing out) the Freemason's Remix - there's also a rather lovely ambient 'Angel Love' mix too.

These Waves - great tune - two more thumbs up - probably the record more than any of the others that proved that Disc 1 of NE1 was greater than the sum of its (albeit considerable) parts.  This track has classic status, and rightly so, but it was standing on the shoulders of (and sandwiched beautifully between) Cascade and Raincry.

Sugarhigh - of this selection this was the one I didn't immediately know - I certainly don't recall ever having heard it at Bedrock and, after several listens, I'm still not sure I'd ever heard it before anywhere!  On the one hand I'm not surprised 'cos I really wasn't BIG into this kind of sound 13 years ago but, you know what, this is a TUNE.  Would definitely play it and will be procuring with a view to doing just that.

Last Rhythm - for anybody to suggest that this isn't a 'true classic' is to suggest there is no such thing as a 'true classic' house record - clearly there are and equally clearly this is one of them.  Fitting enough, for me anyway, that this appears on this list courtesy of a Hacienda Classics compilation 'cos that's exactly where I was when I first heard this (albeit it that the VERY first time I heard it it was the 'Original Battle Vocal Mix' - which astonishingly is also on Spotify - then, later that same night, this version was played).  I left Manchester that weekend with a (VERY) precious TDK that a fella up there mixed for me - umpteen classic tunes (a few of which were, Drug Fits The Face, Papua New Guinea, Appolonia, Rabbit City, Hoomba Hoomba and, of course, Last Rhythm) - battered it but still have it to this day.  This tune is another that has been subject to untold remixes - pretty much heard all of them, bought loads of them but it's no surprise that the best one of the lot is the one that sticks most closely to this mix - the Martijn ten Velden remix - more of a sympathetic update than a fully overhauled remix and I played it out several times in Clapham and it was guaranteed a big, positive, response.  Definitely one of those bedrock tunes (no capital 'B' - original definition of the word) on which so much that has come after has been based and a more than worthy selection for our 1000th tune.

D
The Natura Sonoris selection
Dosem - great little mood-setter/mix-starter - sort of thing Sasha might well have used early on for his GU San Francisco mix if it'd had been around
Kitkalitto - nice enough
Hal Incandeza - again, nice enough
Henry Saiz - not sure if your reference to the 'tune which has been taken from somewhere which I just can't place' was slightly tongue in cheek or not but, on the basis that it was genuine, it's 'Good Vibrations' by The Beach Boys - pick of this bunch
Underworld - hadn't heard this 'edit' before and having done so now I'd rather you'd have had us 'make do' with the full length original but nonetheless it's a more than worthy inclusion.  It was your selection of this that tangentially sparked me off and resulted in my submission of
'Dubnobasswithmyheadman' as my DHS-LP selection earlier this week.  I must have realised before, but if not certainly did so again this week, that this shares (most of its) title with a very different track from that album - and then I was listening to the album AGAIN, and now it's on DHS-LP.

And now S;
For this selection, and in order to save some time for those of us who 'listen to the other's selections more than once to really get a feel for them', *wink* I have ditched my previously selected next batch, put my possible selections list into ascending time order and picked five of the shortest.  So, on the plus side, not much time needed to work through them but, on the other hand, it does mean some more Northern Soul.  Still, as the old saying goes, every silver lining has a cloud eh...

Judy Street - simple - classic.
Mama Cass - rather lovely hangover from my time with Samantha - one of her favourite records and on my possibles list for almost three years
John Edwards - I have no recollection of when or how I first heard this but, oh my, am I glad I did
Gary Numan - this sounds so energetic, vibrant and immense now that I cannot imagine how on earth it sounded to people when it was released in 1979.  Numan got 'synth-pop' into the charts pretty much before anybody else and is a massively under appreciated influence on the last 35 years.  And he's still going...
When In Rome - bought for me on 12" by my then girlfriend this was very much a 'guilty pleasure' back in '88 when it was supposed to be all about hip-hop, funk and early house stuff - but I (quietly) loved this then and still do now - only in the last couple of years have I come to understand it's one of many widely loved euro/italo-pop style anthems from the time.

S
x

DHS-LP 03 (S)

Short and sweet - nothing to say about either of your previous selections 'cos neither of you made one!

So mine for the next six months is;

Underworld - Dubnobasswithmyheadman [1994]

Until yesterday I had no intention of picking this at all.  In fact it's not, nor ever has been, on my list of DHS-LP possible albums.  But for reasons I'll explain elsewhere I listened to it again yesterday - twice - and it was like unexpectedly bumping into an old mate and having a great evening out.  Twenty years old this year and I'm genuinely 100% certain that this is my absolute favourite dance music album ever.  (The first Prodigy album would come close, as would Peter Benisch, one of the Orbital albums and, of course, Leftism - but I don't think any of them are as good.  I know I don't like any of them more than I like Dubnobass...)

It spawned a handful of epic singles.  It led to some immense reworkings and remarkable follow ups.  It inspired who knows what amount of creativity and it has soundtracked a disproportionate chunk of my last 20 years.  It's not the most obscure choice I'll ever make and I fully expect you both to be very well acquainted with most, if not all, of it.  But I just couldn't run the risk that someone else might get in there and choose it before me - it's too personal and taken up too much of my last 20 years to allow that to happen - so I kind of panicked and had to get in there and nail it down for myself right now.

Job done.

S

DHS 12 - Part 3 (D)

Good evening gentlemen, its time to begin the second millennia of DHS tunes after the H-bomb took us to the magic number. But before we get to that a review of the previous ten tracks...

Mr Sullivan
Im not a big northern soul fan, but the Frankie Valli track is most enjoyable, for me its all about the vocal, and the bassline is ok but I'll take your 'The Night' and raise you a 'Billie Jean'... then its on to the Donna Summer fest and not the first time you've put on an 18 minute track either - for those of us that listen to the others selections more than once in order to really get a feel for them, it all takes a bit longer ! A contender for the most laboured metaphor ever included in a record, MacArthur Park is a very strange track. Enjoyably done by Disco Donna though, but I don't like her other records that much (Heaven knows is better than one of a kind) on this 'track', and would have been better just done alone for my money. Great voice though. I must confess I have absolutely no idea who Marti Caine is - looked her up and her face does look familiar though don't know why ! All I can say here is that its not for me... Wavespeech is of course a classic, not really much more to say about that - except there are 20 (twenty) versions of it on spot there. One of them by a guy I used to work with and actually came along to my Intensity gig - Elliot Wright. Teenage Spaceman could be the best of the lot I think, really like this, not surprised you love it fella - really bubbles along nicely and that melody gets right inside your head. Good effort chap.

Mr Hodgson
Canon in D - heard it many times, its very nice indeed when you're in the right mood, although if im honest the amount of times I listen to classical music is very small indeed - definitely 'progressive' in its day though. Take one of those long forgotten about points for Love Sensation mate, was on my list of possibles which has actually grown to a respectable size recently. Big vocal of course and I don't think its camp at all mate if I honest. Huge. These waves is a contender for the best track on NE1 for my money - its that or Raincry really, top work hunting it down and adding it here chap. Sugarhigh does exactly what it says on the tin doesn't it, very boshy and happy uplifting trance business. KU has really changed his style recently I think - when he began wasn't it all electro (of the day) ? He seems much more progressive in the last couple of years. And that brings me to record number 1000. Well. Im not sure what I think of this choice. It is, apparently, a classic so it ticks that box. However does it mean anything to me ? Not at all. Its an ok track in the way that 'break of dawn' and 'passion' are and of its day no doubt. But does it represent all we've done in DHS ? I don't think so, as it would surely be a track we all liked ? But then is it supposed to ? Its your selection after all. So a big 'hmmm' from me about that one. Once we've built up this 1000 thing was never gonna be easy mate, and maybe I just expected something like 'Xpander' or 'Heaven Scent' to signify the whole Bedrock coming together that we have at our roots. Anyway, another strong five, nice one.

So my 5 are as follows:

Spotify told me that Dosem had a new track out (Atica) so I went and checked but it wasn't for me so I wandered through his back catalogue and stumbled across 'August Lovers' which I love, lovely melody and blissful laid back feel. I was keen to see where it came from and was an album called 'Natura Sonoris' which rang a bell as did the track 'Onice' which I believe you added Hodge although on your notes there was no mention of the album so I presume you knew the track and went hunting for it. I decided to go through the album, and boy am I glad I did - its an untapped source of treasure, and so there are 3 further tracks there from me. Next up is 'Letting Go' by Kitkaliitto which has a wonderful offbeat vibe going on and couldn't be more chilled - nice little break where I was just begging for the beat to kick back in, which it does somewhat reluctantly. A different track but a good one I reckon. Then its onto 'Fractal God Mirage' which is an early contender for my tune of 2014 (that Ive heard) as its just keeps growing and growing, layer upon layer and the break when it finally comes is immense as it teases and tantalises before giving it all up. TUNE. Finally from this album is 'The Way the Sunlight Plays Upon her Hair' which is a genius piece of production for me, with a tune that's been taken from somewhere I know, but I just cant place. Lovely acid bassline and the production on the vocals and indeed the melody, is top notch - bubbles along at a fair old pace as well. And seeing as we're all doing it this time round, its my NE1 offering, being 'Dark & Long' seeing as 'Raincry' isn't on spot... and you know it well enough, so the edit will do.

Happy New Year bitches

One love