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
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
Sunday, 5 January 2014
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
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
Friday, 13 December 2013
DHS 12 - Part 2 (H)
D
Plan B - not a fan of that spoken word at all I'm afraid, I like the beats, the piano and Plans flow is pretty good to be fair but that spoken word spoils it quite a bit for me I'm afraid.
Propellerheads - there's a name I didn't think I'd be typing in 2013! Totally forgotten about them to be honest! It's a good fun track - who doesn't love the Bond music?
Air - yeah this alongside the first Daft Punk LP (shortly followed by Cassius' first album) was the re-birth of French pop via a very retro-kitsch-chic heavily Glam-Disco influenced sound and I loved and still love pretty much all of it. Ace.
Desire - first heard this whilst watching Drive and love it very very much. HOWEVER, the version on the soundtrack has no spoken nonsense in the middle and that's the version I prefer. Breathy spoken stuff sounds overly tacky in my opinion. Great tune though and it's already in one of my lists on the strength of the music.
Grandmaster - it's just an absolute monster this tune. Cracking track to finish on mate - nice one.
S
Frankie V - This, for me, is one of the best records you've added since DHS inception. That is bold but it is such a bona fide classic record and one that I have loved since my mate played it to me at uni (he's a real northern soul fanatic)...the vocals are just immense - why can't/don't people make tunes like this anymore?! I own up completely to having bought the Pilooski remixes of both this and Beggin' when they came out (5/6/7 years ago?) - in truth he's done nothing special to them at all other than add chunkier beats which just transfers better for the car/full volume party listening.
Donna S - THIS version of MacArthur is really exceptionally catching...lyrically it is, of course, as mad as a bottle of chips, BUT Summer's vocals are just f-ing immense...and the Heaven knows section is pure gold; I love it.
Marti C - wow, very playable (Chuggy Disco), very much my kind of pace/production. Lush.
Pete L - hehehe; recently revisiting NE1 Disc 2 wasn't all bad then?! Smashing record, proper thumper with some brilliant bass.
Booka SA rmx - do like this very much, it's mega smooth with lush production BUT I've always plumped for the Booka In Space Mix myself.
Right - slightly daunting task but it's all good fun in the end... I've been dealing with this next five for around three months now. I have tried, although it might seem odd when looking at a couple of the tracks, to find some records which I think are either the background/building blocks to the music which bought us together, coupled with one or two more which are just pure celebrations of the same. I hope you enjoy... in all cases I wanted them to be uplifting and in my opinion any one of them is worthy of #1000 but that role could only go to but one tune....
996
This may seem odd but we don't have our beloved records without the structure of classical music. This, for me, is the most beautiful example of a Canon and a lot of the best (melodic) stuff we listen to revolves around a Canon in 2 (if not 3, sometimes more). I don't associate this with weddings fortunately, I just remember being 6, at primary school, and it was played on the way in to assembly one morning....how amazing it sounded and how I felt. As I've gotten older I think I've really appreciated, compositionally, its excellence. If you want to talk about 'progressive music' - the layering and progression in this is second to none.
997
Big jump now to one of THE most influential dance records of its era... we all know the numerous and most famous samples, of course, but this is actually a monster track all of its own and that is why I believe it is referenced so much in dance/pop even to this day (last sample was earlier this year or back end of 2012 if memory serves)... even in some modern r'n'b records I've heard phrasing/a direct vocal lift from this tune used. I'd have no compunction in playing this to an audience no matter how camp it might be (fortunately for the population of the world and their ears I do not play records to them)
998
Is there much that needs to be said?! We're in early-ish progressive mode now... truth be told it could have been either this or YAP from the eponymous LP but I knew this from a young age and it has a special place in my heart.... four other tunes from NE1 made it onto the shortlist (NE2.1 has been done to death by us it seems!) but I think this is an especially uplifting record and is a worthy addition.
999
Main room Bedrock mayhem. Proper 3am penultimate tune of the night material. Just relentless. I don't care if it might be termed 'euphoric' it was destruction on the dancefloor and caused me several minutes of meltdown on more than one occasion (that motorcycle bassline breakdown/growl followed by the kick back and melody - buzzin'). The good old days of three raves on the bounce, 72 hours of blurred brilliance.
1000
.....................................................................................................................................
I deliberated for a LONG time over this. I really wanted to get this right for all three of us - a tune which comes from the early years/'old skool' era of our music which is, in my humble, still relevant and playable now. Big melody, uplifting, superb production (considering it was 1990!) - unquestionably catchy with endless amounts of energy - I could listen to this more than once of a night out in a club, no problems. A true classic.
So many tunes that could have been used but in some instances the proper or original version was not available and so I have chosen the above. Again; I hope you've enjoyed a few.
Well done lads - some monumental music has been added to these 'ere lists - long may it continue and as ever.....keep on keeping on,
H
Plan B - not a fan of that spoken word at all I'm afraid, I like the beats, the piano and Plans flow is pretty good to be fair but that spoken word spoils it quite a bit for me I'm afraid.
Propellerheads - there's a name I didn't think I'd be typing in 2013! Totally forgotten about them to be honest! It's a good fun track - who doesn't love the Bond music?
Air - yeah this alongside the first Daft Punk LP (shortly followed by Cassius' first album) was the re-birth of French pop via a very retro-kitsch-chic heavily Glam-Disco influenced sound and I loved and still love pretty much all of it. Ace.
Desire - first heard this whilst watching Drive and love it very very much. HOWEVER, the version on the soundtrack has no spoken nonsense in the middle and that's the version I prefer. Breathy spoken stuff sounds overly tacky in my opinion. Great tune though and it's already in one of my lists on the strength of the music.
Grandmaster - it's just an absolute monster this tune. Cracking track to finish on mate - nice one.
S
Frankie V - This, for me, is one of the best records you've added since DHS inception. That is bold but it is such a bona fide classic record and one that I have loved since my mate played it to me at uni (he's a real northern soul fanatic)...the vocals are just immense - why can't/don't people make tunes like this anymore?! I own up completely to having bought the Pilooski remixes of both this and Beggin' when they came out (5/6/7 years ago?) - in truth he's done nothing special to them at all other than add chunkier beats which just transfers better for the car/full volume party listening.
Donna S - THIS version of MacArthur is really exceptionally catching...lyrically it is, of course, as mad as a bottle of chips, BUT Summer's vocals are just f-ing immense...and the Heaven knows section is pure gold; I love it.
Marti C - wow, very playable (Chuggy Disco), very much my kind of pace/production. Lush.
Pete L - hehehe; recently revisiting NE1 Disc 2 wasn't all bad then?! Smashing record, proper thumper with some brilliant bass.
Booka SA rmx - do like this very much, it's mega smooth with lush production BUT I've always plumped for the Booka In Space Mix myself.
Right - slightly daunting task but it's all good fun in the end... I've been dealing with this next five for around three months now. I have tried, although it might seem odd when looking at a couple of the tracks, to find some records which I think are either the background/building blocks to the music which bought us together, coupled with one or two more which are just pure celebrations of the same. I hope you enjoy... in all cases I wanted them to be uplifting and in my opinion any one of them is worthy of #1000 but that role could only go to but one tune....
996
This may seem odd but we don't have our beloved records without the structure of classical music. This, for me, is the most beautiful example of a Canon and a lot of the best (melodic) stuff we listen to revolves around a Canon in 2 (if not 3, sometimes more). I don't associate this with weddings fortunately, I just remember being 6, at primary school, and it was played on the way in to assembly one morning....how amazing it sounded and how I felt. As I've gotten older I think I've really appreciated, compositionally, its excellence. If you want to talk about 'progressive music' - the layering and progression in this is second to none.
997
Big jump now to one of THE most influential dance records of its era... we all know the numerous and most famous samples, of course, but this is actually a monster track all of its own and that is why I believe it is referenced so much in dance/pop even to this day (last sample was earlier this year or back end of 2012 if memory serves)... even in some modern r'n'b records I've heard phrasing/a direct vocal lift from this tune used. I'd have no compunction in playing this to an audience no matter how camp it might be (fortunately for the population of the world and their ears I do not play records to them)
998
Is there much that needs to be said?! We're in early-ish progressive mode now... truth be told it could have been either this or YAP from the eponymous LP but I knew this from a young age and it has a special place in my heart.... four other tunes from NE1 made it onto the shortlist (NE2.1 has been done to death by us it seems!) but I think this is an especially uplifting record and is a worthy addition.
999
Main room Bedrock mayhem. Proper 3am penultimate tune of the night material. Just relentless. I don't care if it might be termed 'euphoric' it was destruction on the dancefloor and caused me several minutes of meltdown on more than one occasion (that motorcycle bassline breakdown/growl followed by the kick back and melody - buzzin'). The good old days of three raves on the bounce, 72 hours of blurred brilliance.
1000
.....................................................................................................................................
I deliberated for a LONG time over this. I really wanted to get this right for all three of us - a tune which comes from the early years/'old skool' era of our music which is, in my humble, still relevant and playable now. Big melody, uplifting, superb production (considering it was 1990!) - unquestionably catchy with endless amounts of energy - I could listen to this more than once of a night out in a club, no problems. A true classic.
So many tunes that could have been used but in some instances the proper or original version was not available and so I have chosen the above. Again; I hope you've enjoyed a few.
Well done lads - some monumental music has been added to these 'ere lists - long may it continue and as ever.....keep on keeping on,
H
Monday, 9 December 2013
DHS 12 - Part 1 (S)
Ian Pooley - lovely - can say no better than have acquired it with a view to playing it
Voorn - see Pooley
Mano Le Tough - been some great remixes of Mano stuff this year and this is up there on top of the pile
Ten Walls - as you noted, it's not Requiem but it ain't bad - both were acquired for a while back for future airings
Roland M Dill - gone are the days when I can listen to stuff like this outside the context of a mix - the previous four stand up for me as individual tracks - this needs a mix into and out of to make it work. But yeah, it's very big. Got the EP.
Plan B - not sure that the Coronation Street of Cooper Clarke's delivery works well with the Eastenders of Plan B's and, not having seen it, the film samples mean nothing to me. Plan B is interesting - in all honesty and with bias to one side, he could do with some of Dan Kent's beats - the one underneath this sounds a bit tame compared to Dan's. Piano's lovely though.
Propellerheads - this lot were the music press darlings of the mid/late 90s - best thing they ever released though was the 'Reason' production software. Always had them filed under 'Trying to be Fluke'. They did something with Shirley Bassey too didn't they? Another Bond theme? Not for me anyway.
Air - D, the fact you admit to needing to Shazam this is one of the main reasons I started the (still yet to take off) DHS-LP - the Moon Safari album from which this comes would comfortably be in my all time top 20 and possibly inside the top 10 - the sound of what you'd get if you forced Moby and M83 to make an album together.
Desire - not heard it before - reminds me of something though...
Grandmaster Flash - it is high time this track appeared but I'm not sure about this 'rerecorded/remastered' version - drums sound wrong and sounds like he had a yoghurt pot on a string for a mic. Classic bassline though, which leads me nicley into...
Frankie Valli - The bassline alone ranks it above most other music ever recorded - add into that a great sentiment, a big tune, some killer melodies and a ranking as one of the ALL time great 'Northern Soul' records and this record too is long overdue on DHS
Donna Summer - a good while back now I put a track on here by the actor Richard Harris and, I think it's fair to say, neither of you entirely appreciated it... In fact I was ridiculed! And I said it didn't end there and it hasn't. Not only did Donna Summer, contemporaneously just about the biggest recording artist on the planet, think the song was worthy of a disco version (it was) she did a fuller, much rarer, version - the 'Suite' - which included not only her cover of the Harris classic but two other of her own tracks (One Of A Kind & Heaven Knows) woven in and out of the mix to provide an almost 18 minute flat out, bona-fide, glitterball classic. And, guess what, 'it' doesn't end here either...
Martie Caine - MARTIE CAINE!!! Can you Adam 'n Eve it? Marti Caine on DHS! As featured in Bill Brewster's recent, immense, Late Night Tales commercial mix, this is filth. Bassline. Again. Lovely arrangement, some fabulous strings - a middle section with no bassline that sounds almost 1920s'ish and then, whoomp, bassline back again. And a great vocal throughout. Tune.
Pete Lazonby - already got his Sacred Cycles on DHS - always felt this was a much bigger and better tune - cream from near the top of the Prog bottle - big for Digweed around the time of Northern Exposure and BY FAR the best Junior Vasquez remix I've ever heard.
Booka Shade - I absolutely love this tune - one of the best 'deep-tech' tunes of recent years - as close to perfect as any remix has a right to get
Audi...
Voorn - see Pooley
Mano Le Tough - been some great remixes of Mano stuff this year and this is up there on top of the pile
Ten Walls - as you noted, it's not Requiem but it ain't bad - both were acquired for a while back for future airings
Roland M Dill - gone are the days when I can listen to stuff like this outside the context of a mix - the previous four stand up for me as individual tracks - this needs a mix into and out of to make it work. But yeah, it's very big. Got the EP.
Plan B - not sure that the Coronation Street of Cooper Clarke's delivery works well with the Eastenders of Plan B's and, not having seen it, the film samples mean nothing to me. Plan B is interesting - in all honesty and with bias to one side, he could do with some of Dan Kent's beats - the one underneath this sounds a bit tame compared to Dan's. Piano's lovely though.
Propellerheads - this lot were the music press darlings of the mid/late 90s - best thing they ever released though was the 'Reason' production software. Always had them filed under 'Trying to be Fluke'. They did something with Shirley Bassey too didn't they? Another Bond theme? Not for me anyway.
Air - D, the fact you admit to needing to Shazam this is one of the main reasons I started the (still yet to take off) DHS-LP - the Moon Safari album from which this comes would comfortably be in my all time top 20 and possibly inside the top 10 - the sound of what you'd get if you forced Moby and M83 to make an album together.
Desire - not heard it before - reminds me of something though...
Grandmaster Flash - it is high time this track appeared but I'm not sure about this 'rerecorded/remastered' version - drums sound wrong and sounds like he had a yoghurt pot on a string for a mic. Classic bassline though, which leads me nicley into...
Frankie Valli - The bassline alone ranks it above most other music ever recorded - add into that a great sentiment, a big tune, some killer melodies and a ranking as one of the ALL time great 'Northern Soul' records and this record too is long overdue on DHS
Donna Summer - a good while back now I put a track on here by the actor Richard Harris and, I think it's fair to say, neither of you entirely appreciated it... In fact I was ridiculed! And I said it didn't end there and it hasn't. Not only did Donna Summer, contemporaneously just about the biggest recording artist on the planet, think the song was worthy of a disco version (it was) she did a fuller, much rarer, version - the 'Suite' - which included not only her cover of the Harris classic but two other of her own tracks (One Of A Kind & Heaven Knows) woven in and out of the mix to provide an almost 18 minute flat out, bona-fide, glitterball classic. And, guess what, 'it' doesn't end here either...
Martie Caine - MARTIE CAINE!!! Can you Adam 'n Eve it? Marti Caine on DHS! As featured in Bill Brewster's recent, immense, Late Night Tales commercial mix, this is filth. Bassline. Again. Lovely arrangement, some fabulous strings - a middle section with no bassline that sounds almost 1920s'ish and then, whoomp, bassline back again. And a great vocal throughout. Tune.
Pete Lazonby - already got his Sacred Cycles on DHS - always felt this was a much bigger and better tune - cream from near the top of the Prog bottle - big for Digweed around the time of Northern Exposure and BY FAR the best Junior Vasquez remix I've ever heard.
Booka Shade - I absolutely love this tune - one of the best 'deep-tech' tunes of recent years - as close to perfect as any remix has a right to get
Audi...
Thursday, 28 November 2013
DHS 11 - Part 18 (D)
Greetings gentlemen, I thought I would post this up before I left for western shores of sunny Scotland tomorrow morning. For sunny read bastard freezing. And probably raining too. Not that I'll be going outside much... Actually Ive just checked and its much like here. Marvellous. Anyway, Sully lamented a while back that this could be the first time we did not complete an entire playlist in a year. Well Im here to tell you we will - with 13 days to spare no less. So not our most productive year of DHSing but we're ending it well. In fact you boys have ended it very well indeed...
S
Quiller - like this a lot. Samples quite a bit of the same music that was on an avalanches track but there's much more of it that the avalanches didn't use. Nicely put together - only minor gripe was the ending just plodded on with no changes for too long... cool track though
Flashlights - Is certainly an 'early on' track Kev - would work very well on a big system, does plenty without doing too much, a wicked set builder for sure. Nice.
In Order to Trance - This is a wonderful wonderful cut. Love that insistent nagging riff and then the strings building up behind it and the effects on the drum pattern really add to it. Top tune mate.
Parade - But not as top as this one, fuck me what a great tune this is. It is indeed Immense Mr Sullivan. Builds very nicely and then the money shot is great arcing lines of jism splashing across a surprised 19 year olds face. Then when you think its done, an even bigger jizz-load puts her eyes out. So to speak. Huge.
Tides - this for me is not as strong as the other tracks. Its nicely produced but has a melancholy air that Im not quite feeling (I like my melancholy mobyfied generally). Nice flow to it though.
Overall your best 5 for me for a while Kev, quality.
H
I got you - totally agree Hodge, you can very much get lost in this record, and it does have a lovely deep groove. For me needs to be played at the 'right' time for it to make sense, but its certainly a cool tune.
Ringo - Its a musical track indeed mate, really put together well. Quite light for a large part of it, and then you have the break where you think it might go big, but it doesn't need to, just keeps the melody ticking along nicely and is 'bloody lovely'. Nice.
Primative People - ha ha very nice bass squelches indeed, but my hands don't get in the air for anything less than 128bpm mate. Love the treatment of the vocal, and the little riff underneath. Ok, maybe one hand...
Gotham - talking of bass squelches... very nice indeed, and an original arrangement to these ears. A really cool tune, would be a good building record, slightly after Kevs Flashlights in a hodgivan set.
Tzycho - fuck me mate, tune of the week, narrowly beating Parade into second place. I could listen to this monster all day long and would LOVE to hear it on a huge system. Will have to find a suitable time and blast it out of the zeppelin. Headphones in the meantime will have to do. If Parade was a double jizz load then this is a bukkake. With gagging. Bet you never thought that word would appear in a DHS write up did you ? Strong selection chap, top work.
How can I get anywhere near that ? Well to give myself a fighting chance I'll change the pace away from dance music...
'Pity the Plight' Plan B feat John Cooper Clarke
From the film Ill manors - I find this quite chilling to be honest, the tune is ace and I love the poetry but the excerpts from the film don't sit well with me and while they add something to the track that I think make it unique, its still unsettling. Its here for that reason as well anything else. Similar in some ways to 'dance with the devil' I think.
'On Her Majestys Secret Service' Propellerheads
Love this take on the James Bond theme, easily the best Ive heard and <gasp> better than Moby's effort.
'Kelly Watch the Stars' Air
Heard this recently and instantly Shazam'd it. Love the arrangement and the melodies of this, its just a happy record to me. Nice bridges in it too.
'Under your spell' Desire
Su and I have been swapping playlists on spotify and she sent me this in one of them. She thought Kanye's forever-ever line in Diamonds came from here (bless) rest assured I sent her 'Ms Jackson' in my next list. Love the sentiment, love the music in this one. Pretty original for my money and that always goes down well with me.
'White Lines' Grandmaster Flash
Amazed this wasn't on DHS already, but you bitches always moan if I don't end the playlist with a good one. So is this good enough for ya ??
Closing in on 1000 tracks - I make that 990 so far. Over to you boys. I shall be travelling 500 miles for a weekend of sex that we've been building up to for 3 weeks.... the first shag will need a second condom after I fill up the first one, balls like water melons im tellin' ya man...
One love x
S
Quiller - like this a lot. Samples quite a bit of the same music that was on an avalanches track but there's much more of it that the avalanches didn't use. Nicely put together - only minor gripe was the ending just plodded on with no changes for too long... cool track though
Flashlights - Is certainly an 'early on' track Kev - would work very well on a big system, does plenty without doing too much, a wicked set builder for sure. Nice.
In Order to Trance - This is a wonderful wonderful cut. Love that insistent nagging riff and then the strings building up behind it and the effects on the drum pattern really add to it. Top tune mate.
Parade - But not as top as this one, fuck me what a great tune this is. It is indeed Immense Mr Sullivan. Builds very nicely and then the money shot is great arcing lines of jism splashing across a surprised 19 year olds face. Then when you think its done, an even bigger jizz-load puts her eyes out. So to speak. Huge.
Tides - this for me is not as strong as the other tracks. Its nicely produced but has a melancholy air that Im not quite feeling (I like my melancholy mobyfied generally). Nice flow to it though.
Overall your best 5 for me for a while Kev, quality.
H
I got you - totally agree Hodge, you can very much get lost in this record, and it does have a lovely deep groove. For me needs to be played at the 'right' time for it to make sense, but its certainly a cool tune.
Ringo - Its a musical track indeed mate, really put together well. Quite light for a large part of it, and then you have the break where you think it might go big, but it doesn't need to, just keeps the melody ticking along nicely and is 'bloody lovely'. Nice.
Primative People - ha ha very nice bass squelches indeed, but my hands don't get in the air for anything less than 128bpm mate. Love the treatment of the vocal, and the little riff underneath. Ok, maybe one hand...
Gotham - talking of bass squelches... very nice indeed, and an original arrangement to these ears. A really cool tune, would be a good building record, slightly after Kevs Flashlights in a hodgivan set.
Tzycho - fuck me mate, tune of the week, narrowly beating Parade into second place. I could listen to this monster all day long and would LOVE to hear it on a huge system. Will have to find a suitable time and blast it out of the zeppelin. Headphones in the meantime will have to do. If Parade was a double jizz load then this is a bukkake. With gagging. Bet you never thought that word would appear in a DHS write up did you ? Strong selection chap, top work.
How can I get anywhere near that ? Well to give myself a fighting chance I'll change the pace away from dance music...
'Pity the Plight' Plan B feat John Cooper Clarke
From the film Ill manors - I find this quite chilling to be honest, the tune is ace and I love the poetry but the excerpts from the film don't sit well with me and while they add something to the track that I think make it unique, its still unsettling. Its here for that reason as well anything else. Similar in some ways to 'dance with the devil' I think.
'On Her Majestys Secret Service' Propellerheads
Love this take on the James Bond theme, easily the best Ive heard and <gasp> better than Moby's effort.
'Kelly Watch the Stars' Air
Heard this recently and instantly Shazam'd it. Love the arrangement and the melodies of this, its just a happy record to me. Nice bridges in it too.
'Under your spell' Desire
Su and I have been swapping playlists on spotify and she sent me this in one of them. She thought Kanye's forever-ever line in Diamonds came from here (bless) rest assured I sent her 'Ms Jackson' in my next list. Love the sentiment, love the music in this one. Pretty original for my money and that always goes down well with me.
'White Lines' Grandmaster Flash
Amazed this wasn't on DHS already, but you bitches always moan if I don't end the playlist with a good one. So is this good enough for ya ??
Closing in on 1000 tracks - I make that 990 so far. Over to you boys. I shall be travelling 500 miles for a weekend of sex that we've been building up to for 3 weeks.... the first shag will need a second condom after I fill up the first one, balls like water melons im tellin' ya man...
One love x
Monday, 25 November 2013
DHS 11 - Part 17 (H)
D
Nice bunch of tracks - the one that has gotten stuck in my nut is the Lynch remix... find myself humming it quite often. Moby's new LP is definitely quite samey when stood adjacent to 18... that's certainly not mentioned as a bad thing (18 is a solid LP) but I tend to find myself going back to his old/older stuff as opposed to his new material.
S
Quiller - it's familiar... find it a bit tedious at times to be honest but perhaps it will grow.
Avery - absolutely superb track and his LP from this year is a shoo-in for album of year, great producer, attention to detail man which I like very much.
JOTS (rmx) - very good indeed, one of my faves from this year, thanks for finding this.
Don't think I need to make my love for the Eulberg or Dixon remixes known any further, I have made this clear on email! - both of them are huge and again worthy potential tracks for best of 2013.
and on that note I guess end of November is a good opportunity to up some of my faves from this year.... I did have a cracking little five track line-up ready to go which all revolved around my 'rainy day faves', which I'm now going to have to save for.... errrrr..... a rainy day. Also, over the weekend, I got 5 SR tracks which I enjoyed the most from Wembley but it didn't somehow feel right to do that on Spot... plus I need time to drink that gig in a bit more I think!
So the tracks that have rocked my year (aside from about three tunes which I cannot add as they either haven't been released yet or aren't on Spot...)
I got you (Matthias Vogt rmx) - found this moody melodic beauty on Burridge's Burning Man mix (best live mix of the year btw), love the treatment of the vocal - overall it just has a lovely deep groove, very easy to get lost in and listen on repeat.
Ringo - the 'secret track' which JV wouldn't name or talk about which people like Diggers were playing end of last year (from memory) and Spring/Summer this year finally got released in September and it is bloody lovely. Very musical whe compared what one might typify for a German dance record.
Mano Le Tough (TOU rmx) despite Spot's mis-listing this is a Mano Le Tough track with Tale of Us remix. Right that's covered that, now turn up those bass squelches and get them hands in the air (slow/120bpm rave music - love it).
Ten Walls - these boys did Requiem this year too but it's not available... so we'll just have to settle for this which is pretty special if you ask me... the shimmering noises that start after around 3mins which build and form main focal point of the track are very beautiful.
Tzycho - absolute f--ing nonsense. This literally makes your stomach churn on a big system. PLAY ME LOUD PLEASE.
keep on keeping on fellas,
H
Nice bunch of tracks - the one that has gotten stuck in my nut is the Lynch remix... find myself humming it quite often. Moby's new LP is definitely quite samey when stood adjacent to 18... that's certainly not mentioned as a bad thing (18 is a solid LP) but I tend to find myself going back to his old/older stuff as opposed to his new material.
S
Quiller - it's familiar... find it a bit tedious at times to be honest but perhaps it will grow.
Avery - absolutely superb track and his LP from this year is a shoo-in for album of year, great producer, attention to detail man which I like very much.
JOTS (rmx) - very good indeed, one of my faves from this year, thanks for finding this.
Don't think I need to make my love for the Eulberg or Dixon remixes known any further, I have made this clear on email! - both of them are huge and again worthy potential tracks for best of 2013.
and on that note I guess end of November is a good opportunity to up some of my faves from this year.... I did have a cracking little five track line-up ready to go which all revolved around my 'rainy day faves', which I'm now going to have to save for.... errrrr..... a rainy day. Also, over the weekend, I got 5 SR tracks which I enjoyed the most from Wembley but it didn't somehow feel right to do that on Spot... plus I need time to drink that gig in a bit more I think!
So the tracks that have rocked my year (aside from about three tunes which I cannot add as they either haven't been released yet or aren't on Spot...)
I got you (Matthias Vogt rmx) - found this moody melodic beauty on Burridge's Burning Man mix (best live mix of the year btw), love the treatment of the vocal - overall it just has a lovely deep groove, very easy to get lost in and listen on repeat.
Ringo - the 'secret track' which JV wouldn't name or talk about which people like Diggers were playing end of last year (from memory) and Spring/Summer this year finally got released in September and it is bloody lovely. Very musical whe compared what one might typify for a German dance record.
Mano Le Tough (TOU rmx) despite Spot's mis-listing this is a Mano Le Tough track with Tale of Us remix. Right that's covered that, now turn up those bass squelches and get them hands in the air (slow/120bpm rave music - love it).
Ten Walls - these boys did Requiem this year too but it's not available... so we'll just have to settle for this which is pretty special if you ask me... the shimmering noises that start after around 3mins which build and form main focal point of the track are very beautiful.
Tzycho - absolute f--ing nonsense. This literally makes your stomach churn on a big system. PLAY ME LOUD PLEASE.
keep on keeping on fellas,
H
Sunday, 3 November 2013
DHS 11 - Part 16 (S)
H
Kotya - lovely - has it's place - easy to use in a mix and, one imagines, very worthwhile doing so
Goodbye Girl (Fairmont Remix) - see above
When The Past Was Present (Pachanga Boys Purple Remix) - hitherto my experience of the Pachanga Boys was that they offered up either fabulous tunes or stuff to be quickly glossed over and moved on from. For the first time this has me somewhere in the middle - nearer the better end of the spectrum to be fair but then they have set their own bar very, very, high.
Makin' A Living - instant heroin tune and onto the all-time classics list - used it in the first subsequent mix I could and am forever grateful for it being flagged up.
Cafe Del Mar (Roberto Rodriguez Suvilahti Remix) - cannot help but invite comparisons to the infamous Ricardo Villalobos, genre-defining, minimal, version - (also on Spot) - very pleased to say that this one wins the battle of 'how-best-to-understate-the-original'. A quick scan of one hard drive reveals I have at least 17 different remixes of the original and, for what little it's worth I'd go with the Nalin & Kane, the Humate Remix, and the Oliver Leib LSG Remix.
D
Noah's Ark (Moby Remix) - new to me - listened to both this and the original and have to say they're worlds apart - original is pleasant - Moby's effort is much better and shows what he can do (with other people's material)
The Poison Tree (David Lynch Remix) - again, listened to both a couple of times and it is as clear to me that, as much as I dislike the original, David Lynch should stick to what he made his name doing...
A Case For Shame - sounds like a track that didn't quite make it onto 'Play' which suggests it's either not very good or a great example of an artist's mining of a very narrow but deep seam - let's see...
The Perfect Life - when I first ran through the album a few weeks back this was the most immediate track for me - I like the gospel element of it a lot but, again, it could've featured on Play - the fact that its subject matter describes a life of drugs, injections, overdoses, guns and violence I choose not to see as miserable, or depressing...
A Long Time - sounds quite a lot like another track that didn't quite make it onto 'Play' - production is probably 'bigger' than it would've been in the 'Play' era but, on the strength of this album (which I have in FLAC and have given several listens through before this evening), the lad is in danger of becoming the Cliff Richard of his epoch - found an MOR niche and is exploiting it for everything it's got. His occasional remix work suggests he's capable of much, MUCH, more...
... but fair play to him - still by MILES the most common DHS artist - would personally prefer to hear him put out something 'edgy' under his own name.
And so to mine...
I'll keep this brief as I've already broadcast four of these five on mixlr - the exception being the first one...
Quiller - the sound of a 70s porn film being recorded on top of a grand piano - Bill Brewster unearths another absolute gem...
Flashlights - Daniel Avery has recently released what is arguably this year's best album but this, predating it, merely served to point the way to what was coming - used this early on my 'Spiced Ham' mix
In Order To Trance - (Hrdvision Remix) - Early 90's rave meets the deep house of 2012 and goes BOOM. Jokers Of The Scene have ab-so-lute-ly been the discovery of the year for me - their range is vast but their quality never really seems to dip - on my mixlr01 session in May and was my main contender for tune of the year until I found out it was released in December 2012...
Parade (Dominik Eulberg Remix) - (the temptation at this point to write on and on and on and on about this track is very strong - but the facts of the matter are it speaks for itself so I need actually say very little). IMMENSE. (as used in mixlr04 in October)
Tides (Dixon remix) - (as used in mixlr05) - best remix (out of dozens so far) of anything by The xx - including Sasha's effort - everything about this is simply spot on - the percussion build, the melodic mood, the introduction of the synth-strings, the placement of the lyrics - above all 'the-tension' - and then the fade to mix out over - understated brilliance
S
x
Kotya - lovely - has it's place - easy to use in a mix and, one imagines, very worthwhile doing so
Goodbye Girl (Fairmont Remix) - see above
When The Past Was Present (Pachanga Boys Purple Remix) - hitherto my experience of the Pachanga Boys was that they offered up either fabulous tunes or stuff to be quickly glossed over and moved on from. For the first time this has me somewhere in the middle - nearer the better end of the spectrum to be fair but then they have set their own bar very, very, high.
Makin' A Living - instant heroin tune and onto the all-time classics list - used it in the first subsequent mix I could and am forever grateful for it being flagged up.
Cafe Del Mar (Roberto Rodriguez Suvilahti Remix) - cannot help but invite comparisons to the infamous Ricardo Villalobos, genre-defining, minimal, version - (also on Spot) - very pleased to say that this one wins the battle of 'how-best-to-understate-the-original'. A quick scan of one hard drive reveals I have at least 17 different remixes of the original and, for what little it's worth I'd go with the Nalin & Kane, the Humate Remix, and the Oliver Leib LSG Remix.
D
Noah's Ark (Moby Remix) - new to me - listened to both this and the original and have to say they're worlds apart - original is pleasant - Moby's effort is much better and shows what he can do (with other people's material)
The Poison Tree (David Lynch Remix) - again, listened to both a couple of times and it is as clear to me that, as much as I dislike the original, David Lynch should stick to what he made his name doing...
A Case For Shame - sounds like a track that didn't quite make it onto 'Play' which suggests it's either not very good or a great example of an artist's mining of a very narrow but deep seam - let's see...
The Perfect Life - when I first ran through the album a few weeks back this was the most immediate track for me - I like the gospel element of it a lot but, again, it could've featured on Play - the fact that its subject matter describes a life of drugs, injections, overdoses, guns and violence I choose not to see as miserable, or depressing...
A Long Time - sounds quite a lot like another track that didn't quite make it onto 'Play' - production is probably 'bigger' than it would've been in the 'Play' era but, on the strength of this album (which I have in FLAC and have given several listens through before this evening), the lad is in danger of becoming the Cliff Richard of his epoch - found an MOR niche and is exploiting it for everything it's got. His occasional remix work suggests he's capable of much, MUCH, more...
... but fair play to him - still by MILES the most common DHS artist - would personally prefer to hear him put out something 'edgy' under his own name.
And so to mine...
I'll keep this brief as I've already broadcast four of these five on mixlr - the exception being the first one...
Quiller - the sound of a 70s porn film being recorded on top of a grand piano - Bill Brewster unearths another absolute gem...
Flashlights - Daniel Avery has recently released what is arguably this year's best album but this, predating it, merely served to point the way to what was coming - used this early on my 'Spiced Ham' mix
In Order To Trance - (Hrdvision Remix) - Early 90's rave meets the deep house of 2012 and goes BOOM. Jokers Of The Scene have ab-so-lute-ly been the discovery of the year for me - their range is vast but their quality never really seems to dip - on my mixlr01 session in May and was my main contender for tune of the year until I found out it was released in December 2012...
Parade (Dominik Eulberg Remix) - (the temptation at this point to write on and on and on and on about this track is very strong - but the facts of the matter are it speaks for itself so I need actually say very little). IMMENSE. (as used in mixlr04 in October)
Tides (Dixon remix) - (as used in mixlr05) - best remix (out of dozens so far) of anything by The xx - including Sasha's effort - everything about this is simply spot on - the percussion build, the melodic mood, the introduction of the synth-strings, the placement of the lyrics - above all 'the-tension' - and then the fade to mix out over - understated brilliance
S
x
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