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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‘.
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 ….
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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‘
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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 barnstormer.
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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.
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Ooops… premature post (such is the excitement about this track). As I have shown through much scientific testing, 1992 was the annus mirabilis for house music. Away from the techno, ambient and progressive standouts, the likes of Doc Livingstone, Joey Negro and DJ Nature were shaping the sound of the the disco/house crossover half a decade before the French Touch. DJ Nature (AKA Milo Johnson) was a founding member of Bristol’s legendary Wild Bunch soundsystem that generated Massive Attack. In 1989, Milo moved to New York to get closer to the work of Larry Levan, Louie Vega and Tony Humphries. His early productions were under the Natureboy moniker on his own Ruff Disco Records. On ‘Tobago’, he deconstructs disco into something punchier and darker. This pearl features on his compilation Ruff Disco Volume One.
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In the mid-noughties, disco house saw another revival. This time it was labelled Nu Disco and it did not get much better that Greg Wilson’s remix of 1Gnition’s ‘Secret Sunday Lover’.
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Good morning folks. The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that my usual daily rigour has taken a tumble this week. It’s clear that I’m having trouble in the heat. And so, I will set aside the blog posts this weekend for a summer hiatus.
I have been featuring the sounds and sounds of 1996 in the last few posts and today is no different. Chicane is/was an alias for British producer Nick Bracegirdle. In 1996, he struck ambient gold with ‘Offshore’. It was the sound of Ibiza in 1996. The signature piano reminded of Chris Rea. Have a great summer all… I’ll be back in September.
A compilation for the weekend. My favourite 9 sounds of 1996, the year before OK Computer, The Fat of the Land and Homework were released, wiping the sound slate clean.
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Honourable mentions also go to: Super Furry Animals for ‘If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You‘ and ‘Hometown Unicorn‘; Primitive Radio Gods for ‘Standing Outside A Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand‘; Eels for ‘Novocaine For The Soul‘; Mazzy Star for ‘Look On Down From The Bridge‘; Beck for ‘Where It’s At‘; and The Prodigy for ‘Breathe‘.
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It’s late on Wednesday and so it’s time for a call to arms. Eddie Amador’s ‘House Music’ was released in 1997 to a rapturous reception from dancefloors looking for their roots. “Not everyone understands house music. It’s a spiritual thing, a body thing, a soul thing.”
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From the ethereal to the monster bass… the madrileño DJ and producer Óscar López García put out a trio of house bangers on a Truesoul multiplayer earlier this year. The punchiest one kicks off proceedings; he calls it ‘Monster Tube’. I love that TB-303.
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Even if DJ Pierre’s ‘Acid Trax’ was the first track to christen the genre, the Space Side mix of Sleezy D and pal Marshall Jefferson’s ‘I’ve Lost Control’ was the first acid house track on vinyl. The combination of Roland TB-303 over TR-808 beats was intense.
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From Friday’s ‘Pick Up’ to another, more hypnotic track of the same name. The DJ Koze single is off the German DJ’s album, Knock Knock. The simplicity of a looped disco break, courtesy of Melba Moore, and layers of filter house are held together by a sample of a heartbreaking Gladys Knight vocal. It is from the 1972 Pips song ‘Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)‘. The result has been girating clubland and deserves to be listened to loud. Have a great week.
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Let’s dance. Martin Bresso (aka Tchami) is a house music producer from Paris. In 2013, he carved out a little spot on the dancefloor for himself with the banging tune that is ‘Promesses’. Kaleem Taylor lays down the vocals against the thickest of basslines. Boom! Have a great weekend.
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Dirk Bretträger (aka Phonk D) is a producer/DJ and Darmstadt resident. After a few years of DJing a few klicks north in the clubs of Frankfurt, he founded his own label Footjob in 2014. This freedom has allowed him to develop his own deep disco sound. His single ‘Darlin’ Playa’ is a standout example, particularly so for another classic sample find. This time it’s jazz guitarist Steve Khan and his cover of The O’Jays’ ‘Darlin’Darlin’ Baby (Sweet Tender Love)’. ‘Darlin’ Playa’ features on recent Disco Goodies EP, released by online channel Nu Disco Your Disco (NDYD Records).
