Best of DHS 11 & 12 (D)

Well, it's been a long time as Rakim might have said. DHS 11 & 12 have encompassed almost 3 years of our lives, beginning on 11th December 2012. For me personally this has been quite a time of experience and change; 2013 was when I realised for the first time that the job I'd had for years was not for me and was taking too high a toll. My football team got promoted to the premiership, continuing their rollercoaster ride, and capping that year off I met Su and began a 'courtship' that took me 7 hours to get there and required 2 trains, 1 ferry and a bus ride. Never was my time so well spent...

Since then I've left my job, undertaken a massive gamble on a completely new life, left London, got engaged, started a different career and generally laid the foundations for the rest of my life. And Palace are still in the Premier League, which is nice. Quite a lot for 3 years I think. But hey, my life has been many things, but rarely dull...!

And through it all, there has always been music to keep me going. A little slower on DHS sadly, but I constantly hope it will pick up again. Maybe it will, maybe it won't but no matter what I'm glad it's here for now and in its 7th year.

A lot of fun was had in selecting 6 tracks for this best of, and I got it down to 8 before it really got tricky (and a bit nerdy) to decide. Honourable mentions go to Jobe for 'Broken' and to Fred V & Grafix for 'Forest Fires' but in an escalating order of magnitude for me, here are my favourite 6:

The Charmels 'As Long as I've got you'
Dripping with soul and with that great brass section, topped off by a soaring vocal that is free as a bird. Sweet soul music in all senses of the word. Lovely.

Roland M. Dill 'Tzycho'
This is what progressive music should sound like for me - it's got drive, intensity, a killer bass line and a fantastic break that builds and builds and requires fist-pumping / pogo-ing / general bonkers behaviour when it kicks back in. On a big sound system this would be HUGE.

Bubble Club 'Goddess'
If goodness and warmth had a sound, this would be it. It's a totally lush soundscape that simply washes over you and invites you in for a big hug. It gently builds with wonderful melodies as you drift along happily and contented. A wonderful piece of music.

Etherwood 'Hold Your Breath'
What. A. Fucking. Tune. This is what drum 'n bass should be all about, you can keep all the moody nonsense. Good lyrics, GREAT vocal, totally works with the piano and strings build up and then the beats couldn't be anything else, love the filter in and then WALLOP! it's all up in your grill. Tune.

Caribou 'Can't do without You'
Easily the best dance record of 2014 for me. Original with immaculate production, a simple hook and then increasing tempo and mayhem behind it, offset by a lovely ethereal vocal making a great contrast. Then it builds and builds some more until it's a total monster. The production is incredible.

The Cure 'Plainsong'
The best record of DHS 11 & 12 for me is by the Cure! Who saw that coming? Certainly not me, as to my eternal regret I judged this band by how their lead singer looked when I was an impressionable young man and it's completely my loss. Kudos to you Kev for insisting I give this album a couple of goes. I don't love it like you do, but I think it's really good and this is the best track. I just love the epic scale, it makes no excuses and just aurally assaults you, and it is simply brilliant. Nice contrast with the vocal - no other would do it justice I don't think, and it all works perfectly. Love it!

So that's me done. Where will the next 3 years take us? I hope DHS is still going, but even more so I wish us all well (and that Palace are still in the premier league!)

One Love