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
Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Thursday, 9 January 2014
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
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
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
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
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
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
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