This is roughly the kind of music I play in underground parties; house based, usually with vocals and from different eras and places.
Track list goes like this:
Jarkko Väljä - Tunnen (1990)
Liasons Dangerouses - Los Niños Del Parque (1981)
Rodion + GoldenBug: Washing Machine (Bottin's Spin Cycle Edit) (2011)
Azari & III - Into The Night (2010)
M.E. - R'n'B Drunkie (2007)
Todd Terje - Ragysh (2011)
Classixx Feat. Karl Dixon - Into The Valley (Julio Bashmore Remix) (2011)
Murphy Jax Featuring Mike Dunn – It's The Music (Alden Tyrell Remix) (2010)
Tyree Cooper - I'm Free (1988)
Pawel - Crillon (2010)
Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo (Andreas Saag's House Perspective) (2009)
Anthony & Rose - Love Is Everywhere (1984)
A lot of stuff happening around Turku, and thankfully we are doing our part in making the nightlife a bit more interesting. Here's a list for the Turku people of partys we are playing in the next week or so:
You can click on the events and get more info on each one. A good week to get down. If you want to warm up for all of these you can either check out our latest mix or our updated Spotify-list. Lots of goodies there.
I did a quick, highly conceptual and mistake-ridden mix yesterday. It's about our city and the year 2010. It does feature me doing some dubious speaks in various speeds - for humorous effect. It's quite inside-ish, but yeah, that's me. Tracklist and download link under the picture.
Intro 1. Body Movin' Freak - Greg Wilson Mashup 2. Love Axe - Randy Barracuda 3. I need love (Morgan Geist Love Dub) - Hot Toddy 4. Cash Flow (Classixx Glass Bottom Dub) - Major Lazer 5. Glass Eye Of The Candy Tiger (Survivor vs Glass Candy) - The Hood Internet 6. Work - Junior Boys 7. Turussa - Mies ja elämä Tuff City, Ruff Luv Interlude 8. Yr City's a Sucker - LCD Soundsystem 9. Do it to the MAX - 6 th Borough Project 10. Dancin' Queen - Horse Meat Disco edit of Queen 11. Walk the Night - Skatt Bros 12. Workin' and Slavin' - Midnight Rhythm U know the deal Interlude 13. Macho City - Steve Miller Band Erotic Capital Interlude 14. Erotic C??? - Prinssi 15. Children of the Night - Kevin Irving U can't leave Interlude 16. I'm not Moving (Idjut Boys edit) - Phil Collins
I've been liking piano-fuelled house tunes lately. John Talabot's remix of Spanish indie poppers Delorean works for me. An uplifting feeling, sandpaper percussion sounds(?) and a sound beat to build it all upon.
Do check Talabot's original productions also. He releases on Permanent Vacation and the German record label coincidentally put out an excellent mix yesterday. Cop it out here. And have a good Tuesday.
It's the end of the Mix Week and I've got something special for you. I had in mind to post something smooth and loving for Sunday, but in the end I couldn't make my mind between two good mixes. So, we're gonna have them both.
The first one is Sparkle Motion's Slow Jams, vol. 1. I'm sorry, but I have very little info about them. I know dj Yoda is one part of the collective and I know they have this good 80's break mix.
The second one comes from one of the dj's in Finlands topmost dj-crew Top Billin'. Sir Nenis did this mix for the now closed (I guess...) club in Helsinki. It's a synth-filled ride filled with classic 80's jams, very much in contrast to the club bangerism they're associated with. But as I said earlier, their musical knowledge runs much deeper.
Both of the mixes ride on the same smooth 80's jam tip. Most of the songs feel like late night courtship anthems, from the time when the economic boom was affecting the American popular culture, minorities included. These mixes show a side that's pretty far from the roughness of hiphop or the raw physicality of good disco, even though they stem from the same rich tradition of African American musicianship. It feels a bit like the soundtrack for adult, grownup artists who found themselves in some degree of luxury and weren't too shy to express romantic emotions. It's one of those viewpoints that are underrepresented in today's popular music that focuses on selling youth music and constantly younger - and more easily marketable - artists to an audience that is still on it's way of finding themselves. Where are the really adult voices?
I know pretty well that black dudes/girls singing openly about physical affection or romances are one of the laughing stocks of the (hipster) media. I've had my laughs with R.Kelly, no doubt. But lately, I've been really thinking about this thing, why is it humorous when these guys are singing about "wanting to be your man" or "rocking wit'cha", but when a guy moans about tragic love with a guitar then it's eerily beautiful? Why does it always have to be so complicated, so abstract? Sure thing, a lot of the things that scream 80's are pretty hilarious, but musically speaking, you really can't turn your back on this amazing stuff.
Maybe this is all part of some growing up I'm doing, accepting that I love slow, groovy songs with edgeless, silky synths, drum machine handclaps (actually, handclaps in all of their forms) and adult-oriented romantic lyrics that no one else in my age group digs. It's a new and exciting world for me, being grown up on Scandinavian melancholic rock where everything goes wrong and all relationships are doomed from the start. I'm just super happy that there was a time when a guy could and would do something like this:
Guys, take note. Anyway, this is the end of the Mix Week. Hit me at comments if questions, comments or anything. From next week on, it's normal business. I promised to do a post with all the Dam-Funk material I've bumped into. I'll do that in a few days and throw in a Daniel Wang Megapost, too.
Second one in the row. I might have to cut the crap short with this one, I have to run soon.
I guess you can approach dj'ing in many ways, but for me it has always been about sharing music to listeners, be it in a club or via radiowaves. And I have always been more drawn towards dj's that are music fans first and performers second. To each his own, people probably get amazing kicks out of superstar dj's playing their own tracks, and I'm not the one to judge that. But for me, the dj's who hook me up with amazing songs/artist and make a personal interpretation of those for me, are number one.
Maybe the embodiment of this aspect is Dam-Funk. He's an original artist, publishing songs via Stones Throw and a dj specializing in 80's boogie funk. Both sides of his artistry are about channeling the spirit of 80's laidback, yet funky boogie.
The following radio mix has to be the mix I've listened the most this year. I got totally into the vibe and music he was trying to do. I actually tried to hook him up for an interview, but he never got back to me... So, I was both disappointed and glad to see that he's been covered in the time between then and now by almost every big urban music magazine in USA, from Fader to XLR8R. (I'll fix you up with a definite list of Dam-Funk interviews tomorrow.) Dammit, I could have easily broke him here! But it's all good, he's getting the attention he deserves.
He's not really mixing the tracks, rocking the decks or anything. But he's introducing us to a musical genre he has loved, cherished and will continue to love. I'd say you can hear that enthusiasism for his favorite music from his voice when he announces every track he's dug from the crates - and not Internet, he does only vinyl - and you can definately see that when he's playing this music:
We do need people like him to keep music alive. You'd think that in the age of Internet you'd bump into great music eventually, but that ain't so. You need enthusiastic dj's who love their music to connect it to the people and keep it from getting forgotten. And from the Dam-funk-case we see how much a one person can do, we are witnessing a revival of sorts after the 80s was considered merely a joke with funny hair and campy clothes.
It's silly talk, I know, but what can I say? Dam-Funk is an inspiration, and he channels inspiration for his music.
And yeah, for the Finnish funksters, here's a few good blogs/local heroes who emphasize on boogie funk also. (If I missed someone, hit me at comments!)
You get the mix of yesterday today, but that's part of the WTF-experience. I'm sorry if someone was really looking forward to this yesterday, but I had do relax after an exam and have quality time for myself.
Now, to the mix in question. The first thing I wanted to hear this morning was L.S.B's Locomotion (it's the first song on their myspace page), which is a weird coincidence since I wanted to post a Pete Herbert mix in our Mix Week. Maybe it was my subconscious side telling me it's about time, LOL.
If you don't know who Pete Herbert is, lemme break it down for you in a few sentences. He's one of the biggest and most trustworthy names in the nu-disco scene, both as a dj and as a producer/remixer, besides the likes of Greg Wilson or Ray Mang. He works under such projects as Reverso 68, L.S.B, Frontera... Check his myspace list to get the full coverage. As the edit market is swarming nowadays with all kinds of stuff, you really need guys like him to dig out the best of the crop and show how it works in the mix. As a remixer/producer he's always had a real good ear for light, but danceable beat patterns and groovy synth melodies. As far as I know this is the only video interview there is with him, check it out if you have time, from 4:30 and in English.
PETE HERBERT - COOL IN THE POOL PROMO MIX Download Tracklist unavailable, but hit me with a request - I know pretty much all those tracks!
Why this mix? I'll admit from the start that it's not filled with rare classics and it doesn't really build up an atmosphere, which I definately like to hear in a mix. Quite simply put, I love this because it sums up pretty much what's coming from the nu-disco scene, and it keeps things interesting beatwise through it's course. It gets me still: I lose myself to listening how the certain elements play around the basic beat pattern and how songs smoothly transcend to another.
There's always been this accusation of dull repetition against electronic/dance music in Finland. They say it - actually my mum said this particular mix was 'a bit dull' - is just the same beat all over again for minutes and minutes. But when you compare the things happening in a verse-chorus-verse song with a decent disco song which has a rich beat and bassline with elements constantly adding and substracting for minutes, I'd definately say it's nowhere near dull. I can't really imagine a disco song whose rhytmic structure couldn't keep on interest for at least the duration of a pop song.
That's actually the thing why I listen to disco-related music: listening to a pop song means following a formulated narrative, from start to finish, listening to a disco song that's in the mix, feels more like tuning into a receptable space and condition where interesting things are happening. This all sounds pretty over-the-top, but ask a dancer if she loses herself to the music and just feels present.
Apparently, I do also lectures on metaphilosophy of disco, too LOL
This one's one of my favorite PH production. He's got plenty of good ones to go around.
It's time for Thursday's mix. This one's probably the less conventional of all, or at least danceable of them. It comes from one of the big names in the edit game: French Pilooski. He's probably most known for this classic northern soul rework, but I might actually dig this one Elvis song more.
For those who don't know, edits are rearrangements (like making an intro longer for mixing purposes etc.) of mostly old songs. They have become THE big trend in the last few years that's up in certain parts of dj community. The markets seem to flooding with edits of old obscure or not-so-obscure records and almost every dj/producer has to give his opinion on them in the interviews.
The whole edit thing links pretty nicely with a certain aspect of dj'ing I wanna highlight with this mix: collecting interesting rare and not-so-well-known songs. Pilooski has once said the biggest part of doing edits is finding the right material. Here's a one interview with him.
This mix was actually published in Tim Sweeney's excellent radio show "Beats in Space", which is kinda fitting: Pilooski's mix conjures images of space and listening alone to late night radio. I remember when I was a little kid, there used to be a radio show called "Space Junk" here in Finland which mostly consisted of weird ambient noises and space sounds. It came very late Wednesday evenings perhaps, and even though Pilooski is musically far from ambient, this mix has the same mysterious, floating-in-space feeling to it. It's less about musically going somewhere or playing good tracks and more about discovering new mysterious things within the same spacious, nightly atmosphere. There's a few pauses and tempo jumps in there, so it's not really building steam towards the end - of course it's not supposed to.
The mix begins with the only Pilooski record that hasn't yet been sold out at Juno. From there on it takes a step deeper with Risque's Starlight. When you listen, you may notice the running space/darkness/night vs. light-theme on the songs he picked. Of course it reflects not just on the lyrics, but on the music as well.
I think there's a certain quality about Pilooski that resonates with our little Disko WTF?!-thing: we try to make some disco out of non-disco records. Or try to make a succesful club night with unknown songs. There is a real raw edge to Pilooski's music which comes from the fact that only a few of these records are conventional dance records - they're mostly obscure findings that have weird qualities and raw sounds that are reworked to fit together. It's massively interesting to just leave your trainspotting conscious mind and dive into the weird discovery trip to see & hear what he has found for us. This record digging and music ecletisism is definitely one of the aspects of dj'ing I respect. I mean, we all can use hypem and download the 30 most blog-hyped songs as mp3s, but where's the excitement in that?
Tomorrow's mix is probably going to be a party-ish stuff. I haven't yet decided on that, tune in anyways.
It's pouring outside and I feel like staying in for the whole day. I felt like posting something more deep and atmospheric, but ended up on the opposite end: today's mix will probably be the most poppy and sugary of the lot.
Today's mix comes from the man behind Sally Shapiro's music: Johan Agebjorn. He is actually a multitalented electronic music composer - Sally is just one of his projects - and quite a nice dude, too. I had the pleasure of meeting him a while back to do an interview. Check out his website for more info. (And if you're interested in the latest Sally Shapiro record, buy the latest Basso Magazine. I reviewed it there)
A lot of people diss the style of music this mix is all about. It goes straight to the pop jugular with massively catchy choruses, airy and energetic beats and pure emotion. There is very little buildup or "serious musical beauty" - but hey, who needs that when you have this kind of exctatic sugary high right to your main vein? I really do feel that commonplace alternative/indie norms for the "dark, lyrically beautiful and touching music" are VERY limiting. I mean, life is pretty short, why not listen to plastic pop that's silly, fun and "too full of emotion" too? I mean, I eat a lot of candy too, even thought I'm a grown man.
Nuff with the rambling. I got to confess that I actually send a message to Sally Shapiro on Myspace a few years back and asked her to come to Finland for a gig. I think she actually replied and declined politely. I think I had the hots for her, or something. I guess most of us shy music fans did back then when Disco Romance was out.
I'll leave you with a Johan remix that I've been feeling a lot. Have a good day, indoors or outdoors.
If you feel this mix, there's another one Johan made for Fact Magazine. Ask for the link, and I'll hook you up!
Going forward with the mix series. Today's mix comes from a new hero of mine: Lee Douglas. It all went down like this: I read from a forum that he was coming to Finland a few weekends back. This mix was linked to the promo message. I downloaded it and took it with me to jogging. I instantly fell for it, and heaped praise on it at the Interwebs.
The problem was that Lee Douglas had already performed his gig the night before I got the news. So I was bit bummed, until I suddenly read from the same dj forum that he actually decided to stay in Finland AND also come to play at my home town. So - needless to say - I had to be there. When I arrived he was already behind the decks, some fantastic obscure disco was booming from the speakers and people were going crazy on the d-floor. I for one had amazing time, jacking all over the dancefloor and experiencing definitely one of the top gigs I've experienced. I actually had to have a "OMG-Fan"-moment with him and take a photo together after the gig.
But here's the mix that actually got my attention:
LEE DOUGLAS @ BEATS IN SPACE (No tracklist available, but hit me at Facebook or at comments - I know some of the songs there)
The mix is apparently all edits from Douglas himself. It starts with few slower tracks that set the mood. After that it starts to build up steam, slowly but steadily. I love suggestive lyrics and the third/fourth track with it's "let's get the rhytm in the hips"-chant-alongs won me over. I was definitely going where he wanted to take me and what a weird disco trip it is: there's definately the certain loosening-up and dancing until you feel gracious/graceful feel to it. How could I describe it... let's say it's so much FUN. No posing, no songspotting, no dj egos - just danceable, laughable, silly FUN. In the end it reaches such a thankful mood, amazing stuff.
Listen to it, do yourself a favor. Tomorrow, another mix. I'll leave you with a Lee Douglas original:
Yeah, I know it's already Tuesday, but let's kick it off anyway. I'll be hosting a mix week here on our blog which will mean I'll post a different mix I love each day of the week. I'll drop some wisdom about why each mix is included and of course some info on the dj.
The first entry has to be special and this one really is. It's from a canadian dj/radio show host/producer called U-Tern. The dude runs a massively influential weekly radio show called One Day Later (a definite listen and very recommended, especially if you're a dj). He has also done some disco-house-ish remixes for Britney Spears (!!!), Three Six Mafia and Busta Rhymes. Go check his myspace for remixes etc.
Why did I choose this mix to start the Mix Week? First, this was one the first mixes I stumbled upon when I started to get to know the whole internet mix thing. This mix was recommended on the influential Finnish dj's forum in 2007, which has been one of my main sources for new good mixes.
In this mix Dj U-Tern does what a good dj does. He makes a unique whole from parts that are loaned from different sources - makes a sum that's more than the parts. He basically plays very well known classical 80's boogie stuff, but in small samples - there's like 60 tracks in this mix!!! - that fit together perfectly. He knows exactly what parts of the songs he likes and goes straight from one magnificient break to another. He doesn't beat match or really scratch, but when you know as well as he does what song goes well with another, you don't really need to show off... It's amazing how smooth and effortless this is, it all makes so much sense together even if you already know or have all the records he's playing. ALSO, play close attention to the sound samples he uses: the dude wants to say something about dj'ing in that level too.
I'm just re-listening to it now, so amazingly dope. No question. I really love this 80's smooth stuff, it's definately my soft spot.
I listen to a lot - and I really mean it - a lot of dj-mixes. Once in a while I bump into a one that definately stands out from the rest. Here's a few that have made a big impact on this young heart of mine.
It's a Finnish duo from Jyväskylä, I believe. Pretty much all of their mixes have been nothing short of brilliant. Great mixing, amazing tracks and most of them I hadn't even heard of before. I'm going through the phase when early 80's synthetic stuff is really working for me. Goddammit it's so smooth. And do these mixes really hit the spot - definately! You can find them on the facebook as well.
Pete Herbert is one of the top cats in the nu-disco craze. His work can be found under different projects from Reverso 68 to LSB. He's definately worth checking out, as both producer and as a dj. (Psst. remember to cop the "Yo Drums" 12 inch) Here's a mix the did for the little treasure vault known as coolinthepool. How do you know a great dj - he keeps on the vibe and builts on it. I just love how this Disco Deviance track sums up the atmosphere at just the right moment at me mix - when I heard it, I just said to myself: "well what you know, it's true, everybody's really is dancing and having a real good time".
The last one is one by the great British Greg Wilson, one of biggest dj's in England in the late 70's and early 80's and the first one to mix records live in the British television. He stopped dj'ing in the mid 80's, but the few last years he's been feeling a whole new revival - a bit like disco music in general. The form of course has changed a bit and lots of disco records are edits of the older ones. But still, it does feel like the disco might just not be that dead after all. And Greg Wilson's essential mix is the perfect example. Countless classics tracks, it just shows how it's still so relevant. Do check out also Wilson's website: http://www.electrofunkroots.co.uk/. It has in depth articles, charts, mixes and so forth. A good place to dig for some classic disco, funk, electro.
