9 of the best – sounds of 1992

A compilation for sunny day in June. 1992 could have been a wasteland between what had been (Madchester, shoegazing, grunge) and what was to come (the Wu-Tang, trip hop, Britpop), but no. For one thing, it turned out to be one of the most inventive years in dance music.

Future Sound of London – Papua New Guinea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAvHjoLxxh8

Aphex Twin – Xtal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnTFKWAT-XE

Flowered Up – Weekender

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gn2GYzJjR2I

Pulp – Babies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38by00DGid0

R.E.M. – Nightswimming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahJ6Kh8klM4

The Black Crowes – Remedy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYyRLTveFJQ

Crowded House – Four Seasons In One Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si3dBlNdifE

Pavement – Summer Babe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMjlhIWxfFI

Souls Of Mischief – Step To My Girl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvBmr_b-Rpg

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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‘, Flowered Up for ‘Weekender‘; X-Press 2 for ‘Muzik Xpress‘; and The Pharcyde for ‘Passing Me By’.

Kasper Marott – Drømmen om Ø (Forever Mix) (2019)

YouTube – Amazon – iTunes – Discogs

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.

Photon Inc. (feat. Paula Brion) – Generate Power (Wild Pitch Mix) (1991)

YouTube – Amazon – iTunes – Discogs

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.

Moby – Go (Woodtick Mix) (1991)

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Moby’s ‘Go’ was originally released as the B-side to his debut single ‘Mobility. A year later, he would channel his passion for Twin Peaks and make his mark with his Woodtick Mix, a reference to the David Lynch series. The track opens with a strings sample from Angelo Badalamenti’s ‘Laura Palmer’s Theme’ and ends with a locomotive groove that would humble every dance floor in 1991/92. Richard Melville Hall had arrived. Have a great weekend.

9 of the best – sounds of 1993

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…

Björk – Venus As A Boy

Wu-Tang Clan – C.R.E.A.M.

Sabres Of Paradise – Smokebelch II

The Smashing Pumpkins – Disarm

U2 – Lemon (Perfecto Mix)

Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy

David Bowie – The Wedding

Blur – For Tomorrow

Tindersticks – Marbles

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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.

Jillian Mendez – Don’t Know What You’re Missin (Sin Club Dub) (1989)

YouTube – No Amazon – No iTunes – Discogs

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.

Omar S feat. D Taylor – The Shit Baby (2013)

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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.

Mad Rey – Quartier Sex (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.

Masters At Work – The Buff Dance (1993)

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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.

Sub Sub feat. Melanie Williams – Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use) (1993)

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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.

Round Two – A New Day (1995)

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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.

9 of the best – sounds of 2018

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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Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Talking Straight

Father John Misty – Just Dumb Enough to Try

Natalie Prass – Lost

The Good, The Bad & The Queen – Merrie Land

Stephen Malkmus – Solid Silk

Vasser – Valerians

Let’s Eat Grandma – Donnie Darko

Oscar L – Monster Tube

Kokoroko – Abusey Junction

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‘.

9 of the best – sounds of 1994

As we approach the end of another year and the greatest hits that follow, I give you a compilation of sounds from 24 years ago. Britop was at its zenith, but the angelic voice of a Californian rose above all ….

Jeff Buckley – Grace

Oasis – Cigarettes & Alcohol

Massive Attack – Protection

Blur – To The End

Mazzy Star – Fade Into You

The Dust Brothers – Chemical Beats

Beastie Boys – Sabotage

Grant Lee Buffalo – Mockingbirds

Jeff Buckley – Last Goodbye

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Honourable mentions also go to: Portishead for ‘Roads‘; Mazzy Star for ‘Fade Into You‘; Plush for ‘Found A Little Baby‘, Johnny Cash for ‘Drive On’, Jeff Buckley for ‘Grace‘; Blur for ‘End Of A Century‘; Nas for ‘N.Y. State Of Mind’; Green Day for ‘Basket Case’; The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion for ‘Bellbottoms‘

X-Press 2 – Muzik Xpress (1992)

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A quarter of a century before Bicep were shaking up house music, Ashley Beedle, Rocky & Diesel were changing the sound of the dance floor both sides of the pond. X-Press 2 was another classic musical project on Junior Boy’s Own production, building on the success of Heller & Farley’s Fire Island in the same year. ‘Muzik Xpress’ is a big-room barnstormer.

Bicep – Glue (2017)

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Belfast-based duo Andrew Ferguson and Matthew McBriar did their bit to evolve dance music with last year’s eponymous album Bicep. It was a retro-tinged signpost to the future, blending techno breakbeats, acid house and ambient textures. Enjoy.