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Dave Allison (aka Ed Wizard & Disco Double Dee) has been a prolific producer of funky, disco cuts for the last decade or so. ‘Straight Up’ is an edit of Benjamin Latimore’s classic ‘Let’s Straighten It Out’. The piano disco refresh and vocal makeover gives it a beach vibe for a sunny weekend.
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Mixer, producer and DJ Kieran Hebden has been making music as Four Tet since 1997. 15 years in, he released a collection of dance singles as Pink, his sixth studio album. Continuing to draw from his Indian roots and his love of jazz, techno and hip hop, he opens the album with ‘Locked’. Cosmic dissonance abounf for a chill Saturday. Have a great weekend.
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The Chicago house producer Tevo Howard originally released ‘Without Me’ in 2008. But then in 2011, Marcus Worgull and Dixon’s vocal remix came about, putting Tracey Thorn’s magic vocals at the heart of the track.
A compilation for sunny day in June. 1992 could have been a creative wasteland between what had been (Madchester, shoegazing, grunge) and what was to come (the Wu-Tang, trip hop, Britpop). But no, far from it. For starters, this was the year that Slanted and Enchanted and Selected Ambient Works 85-92 reached our ears.
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Honourable mentions also go to: Sade for ‘No Ordinary Love‘; Derrick May for his Illusion First Mix of ‘Sueño Latino‘; Mel’isa Morgan for ‘Still In Love‘; Coco Steel & Lovebom for ‘Feel It‘, My Bloody Valentine for ‘Only Shallow‘, Sergio Mendes for ‘Fanfarra (Cabua Le-Le)‘, Spiritualized for ‘Shine A Light‘, Kevin Saunderson for his Tunnel Mix of Inner City’s ‘Pennies From Heaven‘, X-Press 2 for ‘Muzik Xpress‘; and The Pharcyde for ‘Passing Me By‘.
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Yikes, I’ve missed a day. Thankfully, today’s track will give you your money’s worth. The Forever Mix of Kasper Marott’s ‘Drømmen om Ø’ (The Dream of the Island) comes in at 14 minutes long. During this time, the Danish DJ indulges himself and his listeners in a sound that would not have felt out of place 25 years ago. Enjoy the journey with its nods to Chicago and ambient house music.
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When I think DJ Pierre, I think Phuture and the pivotal role that he and his Roland TB-303 had to play in the birth of acid house. But he had a second life. At the start of the 1990s, he had moved from Chicago to New York and developed his own mashed-up Wild Pitch sound. That sound really took shape on the Wild Pitch remix of ‘Generate Power’ (Strictly Rhythm, 1991). The influence of those looping stabs would make their way across the pond and would be be felt on X-Press 2‘s early releases on Junior Boys Own.
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A compilation treat for the May Day holiday. Looking back at 1993, the world of popular music was a-changing… Björk was doing her own thing at the crossroads, house music had grown up a little less exciting, and hip hop was showing temporary signs of sophistication…
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Honourable mentions also go to: Jeru The Damaja for ‘Come Clean‘; Masters At Work for ‘The Buff Dance‘; George Morel for ‘Let’s Groove‘; A Tribe Called Quest for ‘Electric Relaxation‘ and not too much else. A quarter of a century after the annus mirabilis that was 1968, thin pickings were abound in 1993. That’s crossroads for you.
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Saint Etienne’s ‘Western Wind’ / ‘Tankerville’ was remixed by Glyn “Bigga” Bush & Richard “DJ Dick” Whittingham (aka Original Rockers). They had made their name on the UK dance floors with their 1991/1992 house releases ‘Push Push’ and ‘Breathless’. The latter heavily sampled the classic Sin Club Dub of Jillian Mendez’s ‘Don’t Know What You’re Missin’ and its monster piano hook.
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Some feelgood house music for Thursday. Alex Omar Smith was clever enough to let the piano do the talking on ‘The Shit Baby’. The Detroit producer was able to create something both modern and nostalgic in 2013.
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Parisian Quentin Leroy (aka Mad Rey) put out a compilation Cœur D’artichaut on D.KO Records in 2013. On it is a slice of classic house… ‘Quartier Sex’. The long house beat intro is cool, but it’s the impulsive piano chords that draw me in.
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It was Todd Terry who nicknamed the remix team of “Little” Louie Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez as the Masters At Work. As house music flourished during the early 90s, the NYC duo MAW stood out for their heady mix of latin rhythms and deep soul. ‘The Buff Dance’ features on the aptly named ‘The Album’ from 1993. They were flying high. Have a great weekend.
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Good morning! Before a fire destroyed most of their recording equipment, Andy Williams, Jez Williams and Jimi Goodwin had been producing dance floor hits as Sub Sub. They broke the UK dance scene in 1993 with the ubiquitous single ‘Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use)’. The track lifts its hook from Revelation’s little known 1979 disco track ‘Good Morning Starshine’; it was a great find. The success and subsequent studio fire was a case of creative destruction; it spurred the trio to start afresh as the Doves.
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Change of scene… deep house. Round Two’s ‘A New Day’ is a classic of the genre with moody vocals to suit. A sometime backup singer for Yazz and Tears for Fears, Andy Caine delivers the soul against a backdrop of synths and drums. But this sound was not emanating from Motor City; this was Berlin’s Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus in 1995.
Samuelsounds begins a short hiatus for the festive season. As is my way, I leave you with my favourite sounds of 2018. They are in no particular order. Merry Christmas, have a great holiday and see you in the New Year, when I will whittle 12 to 9. (Done!)
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Honourable mentions also go to: Childish Gambino for ‘This Is America‘; Phum Viphurit for ‘Lover Boy‘; Fake Shark for ‘Wake Up‘; Phosphorescent for ‘New Birth in New England‘; Bodega for ‘Jack In Titanic‘; MorMor for ‘Heaven’s Only Wishful‘; Kanye West & Kid Cudi for ‘Reborn‘; Christine and the Queens for ‘Damn, dis-moi‘; Lana Del Rey for ‘Mariners Apartment Complex‘; The Voidz for ‘Leave It In My Dreams‘; Nilüfer Yanya for ‘Thanks 4 Nothing‘ and DJ Koze for ‘Pick Up‘.
