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Singer-songwriter, producer and DJ, Tom Misch is on an upward trajectory. The London native has an ear for a chilled-out beat. Released in 2015, ‘Sunshine’ features the type of filtered horns and dancefloor-loops that would make a Frenchman smile. Dr Electronic.
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Summer hit this week and it’s never too much of a heat-dream for me to think of open air nights in the Med. So step aside for an early 1990s piano house banger. Peterborough dance legends Shades Of Rhythm released ‘Sound Of Eden’ in 1991. They were on a roll; their previous single was the classic ‘Sweet Sensation’. Tuuuuuuunnnnes. “Here’s another chance for you to dance with me.” Have a great weekend.
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Despite the 2-Step influences on this track, Roy Davis Jr. shows his class with the soulful downtempo vibe that he wraps around Peven Everett’s vocals. And don’t get me started on that horn. Not sure which mix this YouTube version is, but it’s the one I like. He pressed ‘Gabrielle’ on Chicago’s Large Records while still part of house-music innovators Phuture.
A compilation for the weekend. My favourite songs of 2000 in no particular order:
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Honourable mentions also go to: Grandaddy for ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s The Pilot‘; Erykah Badu for ‘Didn’t Cha Know‘; Daft Punk for ‘One More Time‘; Augie March for ‘The Hole In Your Roof‘; Missy Elliott for ‘Get Ur Freak On‘; D’Angelo for ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel)‘; and Edu K for his remix of Otto’s ‘Bob‘.
A compilation for the weekend. My favourite songs of 2001 and in no particular order:
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Honourable mentions also go to: Weezer for ‘Island In The Sun‘; Zero 7 for ‘In The Waiting Line‘; Jay-Z for ‘Izzo (H.O.V.A.)‘; Golden Boy feat. Miss Kittin for ‘Rippin Kittin‘; The Other People Place for ‘Let Me Be Me‘; Muse for ‘Bliss‘; Cannibal Ox for ‘Iron Galaxy’; Roger Sanchez for ‘Another Chance’; Radiohead for ‘Knives Out’; and Yann Tiersen for ‘La Valse d’Amélie‘.
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Sticking with 2001 and a year before he died of heart complications, Drexciy’s James Stinson created this fidgety techno classic. The anthem ‘Let Me Be Me’ featured on his album Lifestyles Of The Laptop Café released on Warp Records under the name of The Other People Place. Detroit via Sheffield. Have a great weekend.
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Today, Montreal-based DJ Jacques Greene releases his debut long player Feel Infinite. The third track on the album, ‘To Say’, is a celebratory cut of garage house music. It’s a little old school. It’s great. Have a relaxing weekend my music-loving friends.
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The producers The Basement Boys stumbled across a demo of Chrystal Waters’ ‘Gypsy Woman’, overlooked their go-to muse Ultra Naté and turned the songwriter into an overnight sensation. 1-2-3, “but she’s homeless, she’s homeless/And she stands their singing for money, La da dee la doo dow, la da dee la do dow”. Have a great weekend.
My favourite sounds of 2016 in no particular order…
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Honourable mentions also go to: De La Soul for ‘Trainwreck‘; The Last Shadow Puppets for ‘Everything You’ve Come To Expect‘; Let’s Eat Grandma for ‘Deep Six Textbook‘; Anderson .Paak for ‘Come Down‘; Solange for ‘Cranes In The Sky‘; DJ Snake for ‘Let Me Love You’; Honne for ‘Someone That Loves You‘; and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds for ‘Rings Of Saturn‘.
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First released in 2015 as part of a mix (This Is Not) of Traumprinz’s own productions on the Weimar-based label Giegling, ‘2Bad’ made its way to selective dancefloors this year after it featured on the DJ’s EP 2 The Sky. Aka DJ Metatron and Prince of Denmark, the dream prince is certainly mysterious royalty, as any quick search on Google will reveal. This piece of music is suitably enigmatic and exceptional.
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A little dive into pop music now; I will let you know when I resurface. In the meantime, tropical house sounds ruled supreme in 2016. Maroon 5 teamed up with Kendrick Lamar earlier this year to produce ‘Don’t Wanna Know ‘. A radio smash was born.
Before we get to the nitty gritty of choosing some favourite sounds of the year, a quick canter back to 2002, with songs in no particular order:
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Honourable mentions also go to: John Murphy for ‘In The House, In A Heartbeat‘; Múm for ‘Green Grass Of Tunnel‘; The Promise Ring for ‘Become One Anything One Time‘; People Under The Stairs for ‘Acid Raindrops‘; The White Stripes for ‘Fell In Love With A Girl‘; and Red Hot Chili Peppers for ‘Universally Speaking‘.
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Sampling The Real Thing’s very average ‘Love’s Such a Wonderful Thing’, Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk) and Stéphane Quême (DJ Falcon) did something extraordinary in 2002. ‘So Much Love To Give’ featured on every dance floor and spawned so many awful copycat treatments that it near enough killed house music. It certainly served the dominant Roulé label a fitting end to the halcyon days of the French filter house scene. Have a great weekend.
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Released on Warp Records a year before LFO’s self-titled banger, ‘Testone’ might not have been quite the touchpaper that its successor was, but it certainly had the heritage. Sweet Exorcist was a collaboration between Cabaret Voltaire’s Richard H. Kirk and Richard Barratt (aka DJ Parrot)… ah, the sound of early techno: Atari bleeps, snappy hi-hats and deep base. And what’s more, Jarvis Cocker directed the video.
