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 Daddy G of Massive Attack was a renowned DJ long before he
was in Massive Attack, even before he was in the sound system
the Wild Bunch that evolved into Massive Attack. For this
17 track compilation, his DJ box builds a bridge from the
Bristol sound to Jamaica. First up is the classic “Armagideon
Time” by Willie Williams, the reggae classic as covered
by the Clash. other delights include classic funk band the
Meters, Leftfield and Danny Krivit's amazing re-edit
of Aretha Franklin's “Rock Steady”. Massive
Attack are well represented on here with a couple of rare
remixes that they've done for other acts (Les Negresses
Vert and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) and some rare tracks by the
band themselves.Ending your DJ set with “Unfinished
Sympathy”, one of the greatest songs of all time, would
seem a choice to obvious for anyone to dare, but as Daddy
G was one of the men who made that tune, he's completely
justified in topping this cracking mix off with it, in it's
Paul Oakenfold version. This album is essential for any Massive
Attack fans or for anyone who wants a good, deep, after-hours
DJ mix.
DAMIAN LAZARUS - "SUCK MY DECK" (Bugged Out)
 DJ Damian Lazarus does the mix for this, the second in Bugged Out's excellently named "Suck My Deck" series. As you would expect with a Bugged Out release, this is more in the pioneering, original spirit of acid house, as opposed to the usual cash-grabbing mix of 'an thems'. Lazarus bashes out a mix of quality electro, house, techno and all the points inbetween. Of course, in true modern fashion, there are more than a few surprises in there. There's Thomas Dolby, for instance, and a electronic number from the Stranglers. There's also the Superpitcher remix of M83 "Don't Save Us From the Flames" to end it all. Bugged Out once again prove that dance music and DJ culture are alive and well.
 the leather-trousered one is back with a double CD mix album. The first CD is a pounding techno mix featuring the likes
of Jeff Mills, Joey Beltram & Surgeon. Unsurprisingly,
he includes his remix of Midfield General"s "Coatnoise" (also
appearing on mix albums by Justin Robertson & Timo Maas). The thing that strikes you most is that he"s actually recorded
it live. Most mix albums are done on computers but Dave"s
mix had got a raw, punk kind of edge.
However, it"s the second CD that"s the best. Here, he does
one of his electro sets. It"s got everything from obscure
oldies to Radiohead"s "Idioteque" from the "Kid A" album.
It"s bursting with atmosphere, variety and funk. No fan of
Clarke can afford to be without this album. It"s him all
over.
 Dave Clarke is back at last with a sequel to his "World Service" compilation which I'm sure came out last century. "World Service 2" is once again a live mix with Dave chopping and scratching in a hip hop-style. Again, it's 2 discs, one of electro and one of techno.
The electro mix kicks off with David Carretta's remix of Kim Peers before going on to his collaboration with the Hacker. In true electro style, it's all very pervy and gritty. The much hyped GDX cover of the Sisters of Mercy's classic "This Corrosion" rears it's rather wonderful head and old familiars like Anthony Rother and the Advent also kick in. Dave aptly ends it all with Silicone Soul's cheekily titled "Who Needs Sleep Tonight?".
The techno selection is charged up with pumping, heavy, industrial funk and covers many different angles of the techno spectrum over 26 tracks. Everyone gets a look in from Ryuichi Sakamoto to Joey Beltram, from Mu (Maurice Fulton & missus) to DJ GodFather and all sorts! Dave is still the boss, showing that he can still do the techno and that he was always ahead of the game on the old electro malarkey.
 What is this? the third album from David Holmes. Who is David
Holmes? Legendary Irish DJ and recording artist. What is David
Holmes? Good question. This album defies categorisation. Holmes
has always been affiliated with the dance music scene but
he has never let himself be restricted by pandering solely
to the dancefloor. The vocalists he collaborates with help
blur the picture. The Isaac Hayes - like tones of Carl Hancock
Rux grace a couple of tracks with his soulful presence and
Martina Toppley-Bird, who used to sing with Tricky, makes
a very welcome return. In the other corner, you have the mighty
Jon Spencer sounding immensely f***ed-up on "Bad Thing" and
Bobby Gillespie popping up for a couple of tracks, including
one of the albums highlights, the Stooges 2000 sound of "Sick
City". So, you might say that it was soulful, groovy, insane,
techno, punk, dub wig-out that will suck your brains out. Just
buy it.
 Well, Death In Vegas have stayed true to their trend
of re-inventing themselves with every album. After working
with guests like Liam Gallagher, Paul Weller and Dot Allison, “Satan's Circus” has no guest vocalists
whatsoever. There's also no guitars this time (well,
a little bit of deep, rumbling bass guitar and a few notes
here and there). However, it's not strictly a dance
record either. It's electronic but the beats are not
the leading force here. Death In Vegas are harking back to
electronics early Krautrock experimentations. Think early
Kraftwerk, think very early techno, just don't think
of Death In Vegas, because that would lead you off the mark.
Death In Vegas are experimenting with sound. Think that reckless,
pioneering spirit of “ the Contino Sessions” applied
to minimalist electronica. Most of the tracks are strange,
moody, sometimes sleazy, sometimes melodic soundscapes. It's
a bold move for a band used to chart hits, but it works brilliantly
and will probably end up on TV adverts and lots of film soundtracks.
If you buy the limited edition CD, there's a live album
recorded at Brixton which mainly features songs off “Scorpio
Rising”, alongside a few re-invented “Contino
Sessions” tracks. It's good fun and makes a nice
contrast to “Satan's Circus” but the new
album is where all the real excitements at. Daring, original,
challenging and beyond all that, really enjoyable.
 Right, as far as I'm concerned, there is not going to be a better album title this year. This is what happens when raunchy hormones meet mind-altering chemicals - a huge, twisted, sexy brute of a record. DFA 1979 use just vocals, a bass guitar and a drum kit (with a tiny amount of keyboard) to make the kind of rock that could only have been born right now. Think the huge, mighty chug of 1970's rock meeting the drug-fueled, hedonistic, rhythmic, sexy attitude of modern dance music. Not that Death From Above 1979 make dance music, they just sound like they probably absorbed a lot of it (and ingested a few other things at the same time). Let's make no bones, this CD roars to life right from the start and roars off like a mechanical monster right up unto the end and then you've got a bonus CD of remixes, re-edits, a live track & videos. Buy this brilliant little git of a CD and put a rock in your pocket.
 Would you believe that De La Soul are now on their
fifth album? Twelve years in the business. Listening to this,
though, you can"t tell. Neglecting to dwell on past glories,
they peddle an up-to-date sound fitting perfectly with the
21st Century. Guest spots from Busta Rhymes, Beastie Boys
and Chaka Khan show the variety present. You should have
already heard the excellent single "Oooh" featuring Redman
on the radio, but you are unlikely to hear "U Don"t Wanna
B.D.S." on the
breakfast show, as Freddie Foxxx gives it some seriously
sweary action. A soulful edge to the album means that it
will appeal to enthusiasts of modern R "n" B without alienating
the hip-hop purists. Some humorous skits, frantic beats and
all the rhyme skills you desire make this a tasty little
LP.
DC RECORDINGS presents "DEATH BEFORE DISTEMPER" (DC Recordings)
 It's slightly tricky when it comes to reviewing dance music. As a reviewer you have certain pitfalls. The music is lead by beats and melodies, not muso virtuosos and front-men. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of talking about the music in terms of present culture and fashion. So, when reviewing this rather lovable compilation album from DC Recordings, it's be all too easy to give the reader a patronising history lecture on how important the producers on this compilation are and how influential their sound is and how time has proven they were right all along.
Stuff that for music journalism. Let's ignore the zeitgeist and just strip it down to the essential facts. Fact number 1: this is music you can dance to. It has grooves and they are good grooves. Fact number 2: this is innovative music. The producers responsible may dance but not to the beat of conformity or trends. Fact number 3: this is really bloody good. Mental, mongoloid electronics meet dirty clockwork funk? Yes. Sordid rhythms with psychedelic electronics? Present and correct. All that is left for me now is to name a few of the guilty parties: Depth Charge, The Emperor Machine, White Light Circus, Padded Cell (Richard Sen & Neil Beatnik), Tom Tyler [under the name Vincent Markowski] and other gentlemen of ill-repute. "Absolutely chuffing smashing" - how's that for writing?
Scott @ Toast
I"ll be honest, I"m not a massive fan of house. I don"t dislike
it, but I don"t
listen to it at home usually. It takes something special to draw my attention
like this does. This record is free from posturing and pretension. It is
a joyous celebration of the joys of dancing and partying. There can be no doubting that Dope Smuglaz don"t do what
they do for girls or money, it is genuine labour of love.
Bursting at the seems with funky pumping beats and heart,
this is the soul of a good party stored for future reference. The legacy of acid house is paid tribute to here by the wibbling
granddad on "I Remember When It Was
All Fields" who recounts those years to his granddaughter after she asks
him what he did in the Summer of Love. A hypnotic track that manages to be
funny, poetic and true. The album has some truly storming tracks such as
the funky delirium of " the Bass That Started It All", the ridiculously uplifting
hit single "Double Double Dutch" and the mighty "Digital Thunder", which
lives up to it"s name. There are some excellent guest appearances. Shaun
Ryder and real-life dope smugglar, Howard Marks pop up on recent single "Barabajagal" (don"t
say that with your mouth open). Marks" soothing Welsh voice manages to upstage
Shaun Ryder. The legacy of Leeds is paid tribute to with appearances from
Jo-Jo (From the legendary club "Vague" & the Galaxy 105 breakfast show)
and Carl Puttnam from Cud. Puttnam shows he can still sing with real soul
on a really funky number that avoids the quirkiness that Cud made their trademark.
This is so good, it is an essential purchase both to the seasoned clubber
and the person who just only two dance CDs a year. If this does not become
a well-loved album, then there is no justice.
 After over twelve years of releasing amazing records, J Saul Kane finaly
releases his second album. As soon as you pull out the inner sleeve, you
get the first of many surprises. The godFather of beats has personally
decorated it with wild images, mostly from porn. The amazement continues
with the record. It opens with a creepy monologue before diving into a
cover of Serge Gainsbourg"s "Harley
Davidson". It is obscenely funky and I"m sure the old fella would have
approved. Elsewhere, you get the usual Depth Charge mayhem with beats so
huge, you could serve your dinner on them. However, he is not content to
re-use the old formula. He continues to push back the sonic boundaries
with sounds so alien, you think your speakers are melting. Some of the
tracks sound like his Octagon Man techno project and even ambient crops
up here, albeit in a heartily f***ed up form.
This is not just an album for the DJ, although many of these tracks will
stalk the dancefloors for months, probably years, to come. This is also
a brilliant soundtrack to a night in. J Saul Kane is the Moses of dance
music. Where he leads, they will follow. Don"t let this album stay in the
hands of the elitists, buy it today. Just make sure you save enough money
for "Lust - part 2", coming
soon.
The man credited by the likes of Fatboy Slim and the Chemical
Brothers with inventing the big beat sound continues to do
his best to distance himself from his illegitimate children.
Here he lets rip with a startling mix album of mostly old-school
electro tracks. The man himself crops up a couple of times
under his Octagon Man guise amongst plenty of people you
have never heard of plus a couple of surprises. The first
surprise is one of the hardest drum "n bass
tracks ever (Ch13"s remix of Scorn " the End") slowed down to show the link
between drum n" bass and electro. The second surprise is when he follows it
with Soft Cell "Tainted Love". It is refreshing to hear dance music thriving
away from the trends and the house obssesed dance media.
The third FABRICLIVE mix is 18 tracks of dancefloor
devastation from London's pioneering DJ Hype, who has been
at the forefront of the jungle and drum 'n' bass genres since
their inception. One of the most committed DJs around, he
has won over clubbers both at home and abroad with his energetic
and diverse take on the sound. Hype currently runs the True
Playaz, Naughty and Global Thing labels and is apparently
toying with the idea of starting up the Ganja Records imprint
again with Pascal.
This mix is true to the sound of his consistently sold out
'True Playaz' residency at Fabric on the last Friday of every
month. There's a great selection of tracks here, featuring
cuts from the True Playaz boys; Zinc, Pascal and Hype himself
and also from the likes of Krust, Dillinja and Shimon & Andy
C. Dirty, funky, intense and bursting with energy, this ones
a true rocker.
This is the debut album from Japanese techno master Tatsuya
Kanamori, coming via Berlin"s Tresor label. On the vinyl
version of this album, you kick off right away with "EXP".
"Slip Inside You" gets even deeper and more hypnotic. The track shakes everything
inside your skull into a quivering jelly. "Fourthinter" keeps up the rhythm delirium
but adds lighter shades. The man lets out some devastating rhythms. The bass
really throbs, the beats are intricate yet hard. He really knows how to progress
with the tracks building them up and taking you with them. Anyone with an ear
for the tougher edge of techno should definitely cock an ear.
 Originally firmly stuck in the hip-hop avant garde, Vadim has lightened up
this year with a couple of quite joyous singles. Both can be found here,
where Vadim entertains a veritable who"s who of UK MCs. Particular highlights
include "English
Breakfast" where the Swollen Members do the vocal thing. All the best tracks
feature MCs. Sarah Jones does a wonderful rap on "Your Revolution" where
she informs well-known MCs that they won"t get anywhere with her. It sounds
dumb in print but it sounds brilliant when you hear it. The low points are the occasional instrumentals that seem to go nowhere for
no good reason. Ignoring the odd buff track, this album is a worthy addition
for anyone with an ear for hip-hop.
 DROWSY - "SNOW ON MOSS ON STONE" (Fat Cat)
 Sometimes, it feels like the whole world's gone acoustic. Drowsy makes such music but with a broad spectrum. Drowsy is the work of 23-year old Finnish singer / songwriter Mauri Heikkinen and this is his second album. At times, the music is gentle and minimalist, slowed down to a soft near nothing (especially on album closer "Plangent Suite") . other times the sound is more boisterous and lively (see album opener "Bakery"). There's no self-indulgent, naval-gazing here. This is the sound of a man in the full flow of creativity and versatility. Drowsy carves out an absorbing collection of songs here.
Dusted
is a project manned by Rollo from Faithless. Rollo has
always been an enigmatic sort of chap, never appearing
with the band when they play live and generally trying
to stay in the background. This album deals with childhood,
not the sanitised idilic version that is often misrepresented
as the truth, but with the complicated, difficult side
of things. Not that this comes across as a bitter or attention
seeking album, more an honest examination of being young
and your relationship with your family. It does work on
two levels. If you do not listen to the lyrics, then you
have a lazy chill-out album. The music is sublime and takes
in elements of dub, classical and most of dance culture.
You can imagine it turning up on a Cafe Del Mar compilation,
and deservedly so, for it is beautiful music. However,
the other level, if you listen carefully to the lyrics,
this is an intelligent and thought-provoking album. The
package is nicely tied-up with some wonderful artwork from
Jason White, depicting a little boy in the woods with a
trumpet and what seem to be friendly monsters.
It's a pleasure to see more of Dusty's illustrious
back catalogue finally debuting on CD. The UK never spawned
a finer voice and she deserves her place alongside the
classic greats like Aretha Franklin and Marlena Shaw.
Dusty has something for everyone, ranging from classic
60's pop to dancefloor material as relevant to today's
dancefloor jazz clubs as anything on Blue Note. 1972's
'See All Her Faces' is an odd album, the result of several
recording sessions with 6 different credited producers
over a period of 2 years on both sides of the Atlantic.
It feels more like a compilation than a cohesive album
but it compensates by sounding great. Lovers of rare grooves
will want to hear her version of 'Willie And Lauramae
Jones' (not as danceable as Nancy Wilson's but the voice!).
Opening track 'Mixed Up Girl' is just waiting for sampling,
beginning with a terrific rhythm section and tracks like
'Girls It Ain't Easy' will get your mother singing.
1973's 'Cameo' is another enjoyable Dusty album. It's an emotional
journey through relationships sung with such conviction that
you know she knows what she's singing about. Her cover of Van
Morrison's 'Tupelo Honey' has pretty strong vocals but doesn't
quite reach the same level that Van Morrison gets to. However,
most of the tracks on this CD show Dusty's soulful voice to
good effect and 'Who Gets Your Life' is possibly the standout
track.
1978 saw the release of 'It Begins Again'. Unfortunately,
a little more middle of the road than would be expected. The
fact that it features a song by Barry Manilow is enough to
set off alarm bells. The golden era of r'n'b was over and
Bacharach had fallen from favour and fashion. Without their
golden influences, Dusty sounds a little lost, only really
finding herself with the disco classic that closes the album,
'That's the Kind Of Love I've Got For You'. A classic little
mover that could have pleased any Paradise Garage or Loft regular,
it recurs as a bonus track with the 12" extended mix, which
is peculiar in that it seems less danceable than the original.
Sadly, the decline continues with 1979's 'Living Without Your
Love', which lacks the soulful touch and suffers from directionless
production. 1982's 'White Heat' was originally recorded for
the Casablanca label and characterises the excess that was
Casablanca's downfall. Soulless 80's cod disco production at
it's worst; it is a shame to hear such a great voice on such
awful tracks. Thank god the Pet Shop Boys found her. |
