Here we find a couple of heavyweights facing off with one of the centre pieces of Orgue Electronique’s acclaimed “Strange Paradise” album. On the one hand we have Kink & Neville Watson with a swooning but rather pressing epic that unexpectedly turns into a harmonious vortex. On the other hand, we find up ‘n cummer Willie Burns oldschool Jacking the faders with one of the sikkest organic beat tracks.
Boe presents one of the UK’s rising stars on the underground house music scene in Meschi. Meschi is also famed for his live analogue jam sets full of action and improvisation. The opening track “Walker” is a modern industrial piece, drenched in cavernous reverb and cushioned by rich bass frequencies. “Long Days” is a pumping Chicago techno cut with a smooth but punchy 808 kick and gritty fuzzy bass filling up that lower spectrum. Snappy hi hats and claps, melodic pads and strings fill up those emotive sequences taking the listener back to late 80s Chicago and loving every second. “The Ghost (vinyl only)” is a quality DJ cut in the Chicago vibe with a bouncing square bass and tight 707 percussion.
Tevo Howard turns out four tracks of supple, kinky and sensuous house music under his Tyrez alias last used on a Dolly 12″. Tyrez shows the darker more passionate sides of dance underneath the blanket of Chicago House music. This Ep is no exception as the Ep walks through the extremities that can reside in the emotion of romance. The ‘Bubble’ mix of ‘Obsessions’ is a beauty, programmed with a supremely deft touch for light-feet and liquid hips, whereas ‘Relationship’ gets down to business with a percolating jack rhythm seared by lush guitar lines, and ‘Traditions’ performs pure and subtle Chicago hypnosis.
Mr. Eyeliner channels his anger, frustration, coldness, and loneliness into raw oldskoolish. Egyptian Eyeliner was born with one foot in Gothenburg and one eye in Egypt. Jet so, this 12″ is straight from the land of house.
A raw, unrehearsed and uncompromising jam captured on tape and released unedited to maintain the unfettered energy. Clocking in at just shy of fifteen minutes, this full assault of sound aimed squarely at the dancefloor, was directly inspired by a visit to perform at the club of the same name in Zagreb, Croatia.
Next amazing Snuff Trax bu Perseus Traxx and a remix by Snuffo & Alienata. Mixup between finest Chicago and Detroit back in the day sound. Trax with the taste of good old times. The past is now, the present is now, the future is now.
Delroy Edwards steps up with his debut release for L.I.E.S. Musically Edwards takes his influences from that Barney’s Ghetto sound with oversaturated 909 shuffling highs, DX bells, 101 filters and ends up making fresh, and yes, melodic ghetto style tracks that somehow get stuck in your head even without vocals. A unique take on a modern classic with the dancefloor in mind.
The first offering on Boom Chik comes from N & N Tracks. Produced by Neville Watson and Nigel Rogers (aka Perseus Traxx) in an impromptu recording session lasting just one afternoon, the love of classic sounding Chicago tones and feelings are immediately present. The sound is that of effect drenched raw machinery, hammering out beats and synth parts intended to transport you on the dance floor, all beaten out of the machines live to tape with Neville and Nigel just performing the occasional edit here and there.
Warehouse Classics Vol.1 holds 4 killer tracks going from obscure disco to new wave, first popularized at the Music Box and rarely heard anywhere else. Sir Leon Greg (another incarnation of Perseus Traxx) jams out then reinforces some edits of forgotten classics with a raw & personal analogue treatment for a devastating full effect on the dance floor, that is a far cry from the proliferation of over-produced squeaky-clean software edits. These are basic, raw ideas thrown down quickly and capturing the energy on 1/4” tape before moving on to the next set of sounds. Musically, it’s as delightfully funky and uncomplicated as you’d expect, a mesh of disco tracks and heavy, effect laden, machine-funk.
Back to its roots with some deep and powerful Chicago house tracks. This time its Morning Factory on duty with a beautiful melodic and emotive two tracker. No secret that the Clone Jack For Daze series is inspired by the heritage of Chicago house music in all its forms. Morning Factory are taking us back in a time machine to the early days of Chicago labels such as Relief, Warehouse and Dance Mania whit releasesof guys like Tim Harper, G-Strings, Paul Johnson and Ron Trent. Back then young guys who were pushing bounderies with deep emotive house tracks containing a raw machine funk that was an essential part of house music in that period of the late 80’s and very early 90’s. The days that fragile melodies and layers of strings got combined with fierce energetic drum machine rhythms expressing the energy and moods of the young producers doing things never heard before with hardly any references other then some guys from around the block.
From raw chicago acid jack to strictly rhythmic disco smack – mr. Adalberto is unmasking his schizophrenic house addiction by providing 2 different moods.
New Trackman Lafonte & Bon Qui Qui aka Legowelt & Xosar. Raw analogue house music. When computer programmer and music enthusiast Lowrell “Trackman” LaFonte was relocated to a small suburb North of Santa Barbra California a chance encounter brought him to meet Bonquiqui Pardue. As he scoured his local break to find someone with a resin patch kit to fix a fresh ding in his favorite tri-fin fishtail, Bonquiqui, dental hygienist, and also an avid surfer just so happened to have a kit handy and a union was born. From this moment on Lafonte & Bonquiqui were inseparable, often hitting the clubs and immersing themselves in Latin Freestyle and obscure local house productions from the smog filled Valley. As it would have it, eventually the two moved in together and began working on their own music, using strictly Casio drum machines and keyboards. Inadvertently, Lafonte & Bonquiqui pioneered a sound now known by the masses as “Surfer House.” These three tracks stand as a testament to a time in California music history that can never be recreated, no matter how hard the posuers at the local break try.
Andreas Ghem returns once again to the Mathematics imprint for more banging house cuts. “Fire & Ice” along with “From Space 3 SunsS” bring old school Chicago house vibes with raw drums and eerie synths. “Warm Words Don’t Help As Much As A Helping Hand” with the title track take on the flip.
