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I did this last September somewhere else I posted, which has now DIED, but I'm always WILLING to ramble on about tunes no-one else has heard of ANYWHERE:
Now this was a hard b*stard, on one hand I'm happy with the list, on the other I'm not. I think I should have done one dance, one non-thump list. I've got lots of good essentials but I think of lots of stuff that could have gone in thats not, plenty of fine chill/electronica, Blue States, Kid Koala, Ninja, Mo'Wax, everything ... then I also think of all the good thunking dance thats not in there from Danny Tenaglia, Green Velvet, Futureshock, plus everything that sounds absolutely amazing when in the context of a mix. So anyway, a FAIR representation of what I like, but don't take this to mean that its the ENTIRE spectrum of my sound, its not. Also going to bang up a top 20 albums too!
200) Nirvana - Plateau
Accompanied lots of being driven round Essex countryside during school lunchbreaks. Nice and simple, love the guitar and main chorus. Memories of past.
199) Angelo Badalamenti - Dance Of The Dream Man
Or its many variations on the album. I just love Twin Peaks. But one memory that stayed with me from seeing it as a kid was this wonderful sleazy music. Can't get enough of it ...
198) Basement Jaxx - Crazy Girl
My personal favourite off Rooty. Lots of nice single material on this album and in general it was a more 'for the public' and not 'for the dancefloor' album for me. The production on this is amazing though, the wibbly bassline, the reverses on the beats and the way the little jangly bell in the background pitches up and down. Jaxx put alot of effort into their tracks, and probably more than you realise. All the tricks used one here. Plus I'd rather hear THIS than any urban/ukgarage sh!te anyday.
197) The Streets - Its Too Late
...unless its this urban/ukgarage sh!te! Plenty of good material to choose from. Easily dismissed as some cockney geezer talking over garage breaks, but on examination ... its more like the kind of observation films like Human Traffic have on life. Lots of sharp humour on his tracks. But I've decided to choose one that sticks out as a bit different. Rather than the observing of the sh!te-ness of everyday life, w@nkrs who get p!ssed and start fights ... this is a sweet little story, if a little sad of a bloke who gets left by his girlie because he's a touch dozy like. The nice orchestral samples add to the 'tragic love story' theme of it all.
196) Basement Jaxx - Same Old Show
Remedy. Full of anthems everywhere. Everyone knows RendezVu, Red Alert ... its all caned to bits. This was always my favourite track off the album, samples an old ska track, has an awkward 6/8 time signature (which makes mixing it interesting) but is fooking wicked. A simple ska groove worked over Jaxx beats, looping up and up and up. Grand novel breakdown too.
195) Foo Fighters - All My Life
Now I love this, from the most moment I heard it. Something that REALLY moves you. Not in the 'oh thats touching' way, but the 'oh I have to jerk my body about' way. Love the structure of it, holding back with some menace before tearing away with some real screaming! Class.
194) Rozzo - The Way (original / Phunkdiggerz Moody Remix)
An old techno track that popped up on UK techno label Bush ages ago. Simple effective military drums lead to moody synth chord progression and a dirty stabby bassline. My bro's mate had the double pack this was on and I ... nicked this vinyl off him because I loved it so much :o! Ended up getting signed to Plasic City a few years later. Now, I usually beware of ANYTHING that is spelt Phunk or uses a z instead of an s. They did a normal mix which basically thumped it up with a funkier bassline which just didn't sit right, but did the 'Moody' remix ... which was a piece of class. Doesn't really sound anything like the original but works an atmospheric groove. A bouncy house beat is laid over a very moody little break beat. Peaks to a wonderful breakdown, almost ambient with its Floyd style guitars but kept moving along with the jazz break loop in the background before kicking back in. Nicely done!
193) De'Lacy - Hideaway (Deep Dish Mixes)
The classic really. At a time where there was SO much vocal sh!te about, a iffyish garage track by Blaze is given a re-working by new boys to the scene, Deep Dish. Their epic electronic groove with haunting organ, echoed vocals and rubbing, grinding drums, stole across dancefloors and into the top 10. Fantastic track. Caned to bits? Maybe, but everyone knows it, plus the Dubfire Needs To Score version has a massive beatless section when it kicks in for added anthem singalong value ... makes it all worthwhile when those beats start working.
192) Medicine8 - Ape Don't Kill Ape
Formally called Medicine, these guys have their own house sound, raw and gritty with nods to acid house past and a slight punk attitude. Basically what the Audio Bullys should have been. This track uses alot of similar sounds as to what Circulation use, but ends up being the track that I wish Circulation's were. Rougher beats, sparkier hooks than anything they have done. Nice little robotic vocal chanting "I've got my head up high" over heavenly synths and plucky bass, which then switches and jumps to bass lead breaks. Simple and sorted.
191) Hot Lizard - The Theme
Charles Webster, master of the deep house groove, knocked this one up. A melacholic electronic house number with driving urgency. Typical moody DJ material.
190) Mr Oizo - Flat Beat
Now this seems to polarize opinion. LOTS of people hate it, its an utter Marmite. I personally love it. Beats and bass with a bit of french flair, simple as that. Plus it was the theme to 'that' advert series.
189) D Product - Faithless
Now I love drum and bass, admittedly, not the field I'm well versed in it, there can be alot of filler out there. This track does it for me though, could be the industrial mood, anticipation for when the bass drops, or perhaps its the impossibly wibbly bassline itself. I think its all of that. Its something I've whacked on many a time to relieve some frustration.
188) Reprazent - Brown Paper Bag
Brilliant! I first heard this getting a lift out to a house party I was playing at back at school. It just made you sit right up. Broke the mould of the D&B scene at the time. None of the rudebwoy Incredible junglist nonsense. Jazz breakbeat fusion, great double bass action ... builds and kicks in all the right places from the trip hop intro to the full on track after the first break. Sorted.
187) SWAG - Drum Hydraulics
SWAG, years ahead of their time way back when, now sound a bit ... bland nowadays compared to what they used to knock out. In the days when Junior was Junior Boys Own and kicking out Chemical Brothers tracks, they had a subsidary called Jus' Trax. Swag popped up pushing out a brand of dark dark house music that was just plain rocking. The 'Version' tracks. I'm not sure what this one was but it made it onto their Collected Works 1995 LP. Mechanical whirrings, dark echoing bass noises, acid touches. Nothing sounded like it. Made it onto the first ever Fabric album which was nice. Pity they don't sound like this anymore.
186) Tiefschwarz - Never (Alternative Club Mix)
Now before I disappeared down the path of moody, I was a big US Garage fan. I loved Masters At Work and all things funky and vocal. Its just that everything became a bit watered down, the spark disappeared somewhere along the way, and lo US Garage become dullness to my ears and I started to get dark and twisted. Much JOY last year when up on Derrick Carters Classic label popped up Tiefschwarz's Ral9005 album. The press said it was good, I gave it a try. Now from the title, it sounded like it was going to be a piece of german acid techno experimentalism. What it actually turned out to be was an album full of GOOD solid grooving funky house music. I hadn't heard anything this good in ages and it made me think back to the glory days. Rather than plump for tracks like the lovely instrumental Water, vocal lead Never is my one. This is the album version. House music done how its meant to be done.
185) Funki Porchini - Going Down
I got onto Funki Porchini mainly because he sounds VERY much like my fave Twin Peaks sleaze music. I don't really know how to describe this ... watery, trip hop number. Something soothing to slip into before you go to sleep. Beats filter up and down and around your head as you're hypnotised....
184) Francesco Farfa - Tribe And Trance (Voyager Remix)
Plain dancefloor groover here. Many a journey to work with Sangers would John Digweed's Global Underground Hong Kong be the accompanying soundtrack. I remember everytime this came on I was like "what the fook is this tune?!". Absolutely crazy "ba-ba-boo! boo! boo!" echo noise going round it, furious tech drums and dischordant growling bassline .... nice nice nice drops where everything cuts back to the "boo! boo! boo!" noise and you get the sound of what sounds like a train passing by hit you. Grand! Peak time monster, still searching for on vinyl.
183) John Beltran - Caboclo (Get F**ked Mix)
The Get F**ked crew take control here. Old skool Todd Terry style drum noises and programming come out, sounds like its going to be a dark little number, halfway just changes completely to wonderful floating synths and gorgeous sax solo. Everything kicks back in and you realise the importance of the contrast between light and dark.
182) Dave Brennan - Drink Deep
Recent purchase and representing my chosen house sound of the moment. Yes, a nice bit of tech house. This one is on Mr C's (yes, The Shamen) End Recordings label (also home to Layo & Bushwacka in their pre XL days!). Huge bass, comes across like deep rave almost. Has these wonderful Northern Exposure trippy noises floating in and out of it all the time. Hypnotic one to get lost in, love to be on a dancefloor when this one is played. Also features my man of the moment James Zabiela on remix.
181) Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
Isn't it wonderful? Could be the absolutely wicked video that goes with it, but you should all know this now. I love all the 'generic urban video x' choreography to Aphex's mad splintered beats. Although sometimes I feel like I'm rating the track AND video at the same time ... I just can't imagine it without the vid.
180) Squarepusher - Come On My Selecta!
Another 'top vid' one! Chris Cunningham has a way of translating the music into something visual on screen. This is just a great fun track with sense of humour, crazy n bass music.
179) Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy
Allegedly a pisstake of Firestarter. Third in the series of Chris Cunningham on top video form. Extra marks go to the 'granny screaming' incident. I want your soul, I will eat your soul, come to daddy, aargh.
178) Deep Dish - Sushi
My fave DJ's ever. A track of their own (which is fooking rare nowadays) from their only artist album. I wish they would do a new one since their sound ramped up a bit after this album. Trademark punch Dish percussion, the strange strange clappy noise (which does it for me), moody DJ material again bringing their Iranian roots into this one with the eastern flavour that flows through it.
177) Marcel - On The Beach (Chaser Remix)
A chillout one for me, I keep meaning to make a chillout mix, and this would have to feature. The remix is a take on the slightly disco original, swaping soft disco drums for a nice break. Sea noises, distant piano. An On The Beach moment indeed.
176) Luke Vibert - Stern Facials
Luke has a kinda comic hip hop sound, also tends to delve into stupid n bass music. This is a nice uplifting (but not in the obvious grab you by the balls way, it soothes you and makes you smile) track. If you're partial to a bit of the DJ Shadow, Coldcut, Mo'wax output, you can't go wrong with this. Chilled 70's funk via space and some seagulls.
175) Peace Division - Feel My Drums
Ok, there was a point where if you'd heard one Peace Division, you'd heard them all. Alot of good (the recent Beats In Peacez series, DJ material, part 1 esp!), some duff (Xpress2 Lazy remix). This one of their own will represent all for me. Nasty technoid number, unsettling bass squeal, Peace Division long subtle build and tribal drums, and just plain evil "FEEL MY DRUMS!" vocal.
174) Oil - The Future
Off Pagan records, home of good northern house! I was down at The End one night, I'd just bought this on promo and Deep Dish dropped it THAT night. I was well chuffed. Like progressive house mixed with Nuphonic's soulful discohouse revival sound. Starts off murky, then goes groovy and then takes you high up into space! Great track. Fitting that it then made it to feature on Deep Dish's Yoshiesque 2.
173) Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope)
All hip hop is balls. Just some guys going on about biatches, money and people taking their sweaters off because its a bit warm. Well fook that generalisation I say. Roots Manuva could be the finest thing to hip hop ever. But most likeyl due to being from London, will never be heard of by the masses stateside. He does have a Mobo to his name tho. Has a very London/Jamaican hybrid sound going on ... great programming skills also, very evident on this track. Grand dubby track, love the "Witness the fitness! The prophet, he liveth! One hope, one quest!" main line. Zero 7 also took the dub version of this to stick on their Another Late Night mix.
172) PMT - Gyromancer
The breaks sound. Possibly one of the best breaks tracks you can get. Breaks heads loved it, house heads loved it. House tempo breakbeat, nasty drum and bassish bassline, moody and dark overall. Can't really say much more!
171) Manic Street Preachers - Ocean Spray (Kinobe Remix)
Yes the Manics have invaded my life. Kind of. fook knows what the original sounds like to be honest, this is a piece of downtempo genius! Sit down, smoke up put this on and chill the fook out. Kinobe also were responsible for the Kronenberg (I think) advert tune, you know, the woman has some Kroney and people keep staring at it and having accidents. This is much better than that though! Possibly even better than anything off their first album too! Heavenly chill material. Not heard enough to break it down, but I know what I like when I hear it. And this is good.
170) Deep Dish - Summers Over
More Dish, in both original and remix form (both by Dish), its a great track. Summer is indeed over if you hear this, no happy disco loops, no cheery vocals. Like a wave of mood coming at you. Nice variation from the usual house beat though, really pounds at you! Melancholic whines, nice 'tick tick tick tick tick' hi hats.
169) Southern Comforter - Another Late Thursday (Spincycle Remix)
Yes MORE dancefloor material. And do forgive me if I use the words 'bass lead' again. But this is it plain and simple. Banging beats and a furious menace of a bass hum. The kind of intensity of bass that would make you throw up if it came out of the speakers at Fabric. Peak time material ... this is what you have going when you're operating at full speed!
168) Dr Octagon - I'm Destructive
I like this since it uses (what I found was a well used hip hop break) a drum loop which Masters At Work used in their 1st Kenlou track. Chunky, nice grunging guitars and Kool Keith rambling on about vomiting in your breakfast and spitting in your salad and stuff. Yes.
167) Royksopp - Sparks
I overlooked this completely when I got Melody AM. Wish I hadn't. Love the beat programming on this, stoned and lurching. Soothing little track. Bonus is, just managed to pick up the vinyl and its got a remix by Murk which happens to be just about the ONLY good thing I've ever heard them do.
166) Gorillaz - 19-2000
Seems like people don't like the 'slow' version, I thing the remix version is pure butt. Loses the funk completely in a kinda Big Beat cop out. Cruising music. La la la la la la la la!
165) Bjork - 5 Years
I don't know enough of Post to know what I like about it, anyway Homogenic is more consistant and better so ner. This is my fave track I would say, love the gritty 'fooked up sample' drum noises. Triumphant sounding too in a mechanical electronic way! Love the blend of orchestral and electrical on this album.
164) Underground Resistance/DJ Rolando - Knights Of The Jaguar
Original Detroit techno PEOPLE. Or something. Legendary apparently too although this is the only thing I've heard. Everyone was going mad to sign this when it popped up on UR. Became the essential Ibiza tune, latin flair, urgent pacy little track. fooker to mix with though. No cheese too. Extra marks to UR for marking all their records with a "if you find this in a chain record store DO NOT BUY it, they are taking money away from the independants" tag.
163) Hybrid - Finished Symphony
Epic orchestra breakbeat! Imagine the orchestral parts of Unfinished Symphony, Lonely Soul, Bittersweet Symphony set to furious breaks! Great end of night track, classic.
162) Banco De Gaia - Last Train To Llhasa
First up from goa trance act Banco De Gaia. Title track from the album which made it onto Sasha & Digweeds Northern Exposure. Themed around a train journey through asia. Asian wailing, train noises. Oh and when I say trance, its not the furious DJ Sammy tripe. Its not even fast. Good little concept album too, takes you through a variety of moods.
161) Banco De Gaia - Kincajou
...such as this one. Just after a bizarre Asian/Dub hybrid, you suddenly find yourself listening to a £5 casio keyboard playing preselected 'disco' loop, some person introducing someone desperately trying to play things like an added bassdrum and awful cliche rave noise over the top before he suggests 'lets try a new rhythm'. Complete change, lovely breaks kick in utilising some nice live drums and bongos, a wall of synths in the background rising and falling. Hypnotic.
160) Mainline - Narcotic/Innerspace
One off John Digweed's Bedrock label. Now I found it hard to find good stuff on Bedrock, alot of it was murky prog guff that was trying TOO hard to be moody, murky and serious. This is a little gem though. James Holden works hypnotic trance synths against ambient echo noodlings and driving drums. Nothing cheesy about it though. No awful screaming bint, no blatantly obvious breakdown with drum fill to come back in. No synchopated stab bassline. A work of quality.
159) Nick Holder - Inside Your Soul (Lexicon Avenue Mix)
Nick Holder, fine crafter of deep, funky filtered house music with a nice percussive edge ... nice summer material. NRK went a different direction when they got Lexicon Avenue in to remix this jobbie. At a time when prog was just hitting big, this baby came out. A remedy to all those horrible Gatecrasher trance anthem nastinessesseses. Deep, flirting between house and trance and firmly in electronica. Nice vocal too.
158) Weekend World - The Word/The Word (Dub)
Like James Holden, Weekend World can work trancish sounds but with added deepness and quality. This popped up on Deep Dish's Yoshitoshi label a while back. What got me about this was the simple drum programming, standard 909 beats, nothing special but somehow just have sooooo much bounce in them when put against the very deep, watery backing of the track. Another track very Circulation in sound. The Dub is grand too, working the beats and bass more in an evil warping progressive manner.
157) Stephane K & John Creamer - I Love You (Hybrid's Claustraphobic Remix)
Hybrid again, and about as far away from the orchestral Finished Symphony you can get. Hybrid take Creamer & K's tribal dull-a-thon and turn it into a breakbeat monster. Derranged high pitched squeal noise! Furious breaks! Nasty nasty electronic stabs and a long long long burbling break with a filthy vocal over the top of it and the most intense "wheeooorrrnnnnnnnnn!" whine as it all falls apart before kicking in for the final stretch. More full pelt material! Dark and nasty, very very nasty!
156) Fabrice Lig presents Soul Designer - Sweet Harmonies
Piece of quality tech house, that fast, but very chilled and soothing. Sweet indeed. Soft keys, soft beats and a nice acid wibbling noise. Summery, not at all moody smile material. Nice.
155) UNKLE - UNKLE Main Theme
Now UNKLE is easily not the best thing Shadow has put his name too. It just tries too hard in places (Lonely Soul, I'm pointing at you) ... so it falls that my favourite piece of the track is the one with no celebrity collaboration. Shadow working a nice guitar groove over some choice sci-fi samples and the like. Atmosphere! Still ... awaiting UNKLE album 2, and apparently Layo & Bushwacka!, Peace Division, FC Kahuna are on board so it should be NICE.
154) Bushwacka! - Feel It
...so then lets talk about Mr Bushwacka! then? Top star in the breaks scene, great productions (aside from when Tim Deluxe shoved the HORRIBLE vocal over Love Story). Comes from the glory days of rave, and you can hear the old rave chord progressions in alot of his tracks, but with style! Builds in three stages: ready, GO! and SPAZZOUT! Everything is a build to the first break when you get the full force of the breaks and grand bass invasion, then final secion which breaks down to fanfaring synth and bass stabs! Favourite of UNKLE unsurprisingly
153) Filter Tip - On Heat / In Season
Quality progressive house full stop. In Season is a deep number, working a bit like Slams Lifetimes, the On Heat track is the one I get excitied about. Lulls you into the false sense of security that its another chunky prog stomper before halfway through lifting you high with amazing strings. Nice.
152) Behrouz - What We Do In Life (Echoes In Eternity)
Another track from a Deep Dish label. What I originally liked about this was the way Deep Dish mix it in on Yoshiesque 2. You've got the very early house-ish sounds of Marscarter going on, but then (and very simply) you start getting this harder edged beat coming in, Dish-style clappy drums and the basslines switch over to a new sound. Great live piano solo thing going on in this one too. And it does indeed echo.
151) Pharcyde - Drop
One that gets a vote for the vid too. I wish I could have put some tracks off Bizarre Ride 2 but I can't remember what they are. Love this though, reversed in every way. Trippy little track. Apparently they recorded the album this is off on mushrooms!
Now this was a hard b*stard, on one hand I'm happy with the list, on the other I'm not. I think I should have done one dance, one non-thump list. I've got lots of good essentials but I think of lots of stuff that could have gone in thats not, plenty of fine chill/electronica, Blue States, Kid Koala, Ninja, Mo'Wax, everything ... then I also think of all the good thunking dance thats not in there from Danny Tenaglia, Green Velvet, Futureshock, plus everything that sounds absolutely amazing when in the context of a mix. So anyway, a FAIR representation of what I like, but don't take this to mean that its the ENTIRE spectrum of my sound, its not. Also going to bang up a top 20 albums too!
200) Nirvana - Plateau
Accompanied lots of being driven round Essex countryside during school lunchbreaks. Nice and simple, love the guitar and main chorus. Memories of past.
199) Angelo Badalamenti - Dance Of The Dream Man
Or its many variations on the album. I just love Twin Peaks. But one memory that stayed with me from seeing it as a kid was this wonderful sleazy music. Can't get enough of it ...
198) Basement Jaxx - Crazy Girl
My personal favourite off Rooty. Lots of nice single material on this album and in general it was a more 'for the public' and not 'for the dancefloor' album for me. The production on this is amazing though, the wibbly bassline, the reverses on the beats and the way the little jangly bell in the background pitches up and down. Jaxx put alot of effort into their tracks, and probably more than you realise. All the tricks used one here. Plus I'd rather hear THIS than any urban/ukgarage sh!te anyday.
197) The Streets - Its Too Late
...unless its this urban/ukgarage sh!te! Plenty of good material to choose from. Easily dismissed as some cockney geezer talking over garage breaks, but on examination ... its more like the kind of observation films like Human Traffic have on life. Lots of sharp humour on his tracks. But I've decided to choose one that sticks out as a bit different. Rather than the observing of the sh!te-ness of everyday life, w@nkrs who get p!ssed and start fights ... this is a sweet little story, if a little sad of a bloke who gets left by his girlie because he's a touch dozy like. The nice orchestral samples add to the 'tragic love story' theme of it all.
196) Basement Jaxx - Same Old Show
Remedy. Full of anthems everywhere. Everyone knows RendezVu, Red Alert ... its all caned to bits. This was always my favourite track off the album, samples an old ska track, has an awkward 6/8 time signature (which makes mixing it interesting) but is fooking wicked. A simple ska groove worked over Jaxx beats, looping up and up and up. Grand novel breakdown too.
195) Foo Fighters - All My Life
Now I love this, from the most moment I heard it. Something that REALLY moves you. Not in the 'oh thats touching' way, but the 'oh I have to jerk my body about' way. Love the structure of it, holding back with some menace before tearing away with some real screaming! Class.
194) Rozzo - The Way (original / Phunkdiggerz Moody Remix)
An old techno track that popped up on UK techno label Bush ages ago. Simple effective military drums lead to moody synth chord progression and a dirty stabby bassline. My bro's mate had the double pack this was on and I ... nicked this vinyl off him because I loved it so much :o! Ended up getting signed to Plasic City a few years later. Now, I usually beware of ANYTHING that is spelt Phunk or uses a z instead of an s. They did a normal mix which basically thumped it up with a funkier bassline which just didn't sit right, but did the 'Moody' remix ... which was a piece of class. Doesn't really sound anything like the original but works an atmospheric groove. A bouncy house beat is laid over a very moody little break beat. Peaks to a wonderful breakdown, almost ambient with its Floyd style guitars but kept moving along with the jazz break loop in the background before kicking back in. Nicely done!
193) De'Lacy - Hideaway (Deep Dish Mixes)
The classic really. At a time where there was SO much vocal sh!te about, a iffyish garage track by Blaze is given a re-working by new boys to the scene, Deep Dish. Their epic electronic groove with haunting organ, echoed vocals and rubbing, grinding drums, stole across dancefloors and into the top 10. Fantastic track. Caned to bits? Maybe, but everyone knows it, plus the Dubfire Needs To Score version has a massive beatless section when it kicks in for added anthem singalong value ... makes it all worthwhile when those beats start working.
192) Medicine8 - Ape Don't Kill Ape
Formally called Medicine, these guys have their own house sound, raw and gritty with nods to acid house past and a slight punk attitude. Basically what the Audio Bullys should have been. This track uses alot of similar sounds as to what Circulation use, but ends up being the track that I wish Circulation's were. Rougher beats, sparkier hooks than anything they have done. Nice little robotic vocal chanting "I've got my head up high" over heavenly synths and plucky bass, which then switches and jumps to bass lead breaks. Simple and sorted.
191) Hot Lizard - The Theme
Charles Webster, master of the deep house groove, knocked this one up. A melacholic electronic house number with driving urgency. Typical moody DJ material.
190) Mr Oizo - Flat Beat
Now this seems to polarize opinion. LOTS of people hate it, its an utter Marmite. I personally love it. Beats and bass with a bit of french flair, simple as that. Plus it was the theme to 'that' advert series.
189) D Product - Faithless
Now I love drum and bass, admittedly, not the field I'm well versed in it, there can be alot of filler out there. This track does it for me though, could be the industrial mood, anticipation for when the bass drops, or perhaps its the impossibly wibbly bassline itself. I think its all of that. Its something I've whacked on many a time to relieve some frustration.
188) Reprazent - Brown Paper Bag
Brilliant! I first heard this getting a lift out to a house party I was playing at back at school. It just made you sit right up. Broke the mould of the D&B scene at the time. None of the rudebwoy Incredible junglist nonsense. Jazz breakbeat fusion, great double bass action ... builds and kicks in all the right places from the trip hop intro to the full on track after the first break. Sorted.
187) SWAG - Drum Hydraulics
SWAG, years ahead of their time way back when, now sound a bit ... bland nowadays compared to what they used to knock out. In the days when Junior was Junior Boys Own and kicking out Chemical Brothers tracks, they had a subsidary called Jus' Trax. Swag popped up pushing out a brand of dark dark house music that was just plain rocking. The 'Version' tracks. I'm not sure what this one was but it made it onto their Collected Works 1995 LP. Mechanical whirrings, dark echoing bass noises, acid touches. Nothing sounded like it. Made it onto the first ever Fabric album which was nice. Pity they don't sound like this anymore.
186) Tiefschwarz - Never (Alternative Club Mix)
Now before I disappeared down the path of moody, I was a big US Garage fan. I loved Masters At Work and all things funky and vocal. Its just that everything became a bit watered down, the spark disappeared somewhere along the way, and lo US Garage become dullness to my ears and I started to get dark and twisted. Much JOY last year when up on Derrick Carters Classic label popped up Tiefschwarz's Ral9005 album. The press said it was good, I gave it a try. Now from the title, it sounded like it was going to be a piece of german acid techno experimentalism. What it actually turned out to be was an album full of GOOD solid grooving funky house music. I hadn't heard anything this good in ages and it made me think back to the glory days. Rather than plump for tracks like the lovely instrumental Water, vocal lead Never is my one. This is the album version. House music done how its meant to be done.
185) Funki Porchini - Going Down
I got onto Funki Porchini mainly because he sounds VERY much like my fave Twin Peaks sleaze music. I don't really know how to describe this ... watery, trip hop number. Something soothing to slip into before you go to sleep. Beats filter up and down and around your head as you're hypnotised....
184) Francesco Farfa - Tribe And Trance (Voyager Remix)
Plain dancefloor groover here. Many a journey to work with Sangers would John Digweed's Global Underground Hong Kong be the accompanying soundtrack. I remember everytime this came on I was like "what the fook is this tune?!". Absolutely crazy "ba-ba-boo! boo! boo!" echo noise going round it, furious tech drums and dischordant growling bassline .... nice nice nice drops where everything cuts back to the "boo! boo! boo!" noise and you get the sound of what sounds like a train passing by hit you. Grand! Peak time monster, still searching for on vinyl.
183) John Beltran - Caboclo (Get F**ked Mix)
The Get F**ked crew take control here. Old skool Todd Terry style drum noises and programming come out, sounds like its going to be a dark little number, halfway just changes completely to wonderful floating synths and gorgeous sax solo. Everything kicks back in and you realise the importance of the contrast between light and dark.
182) Dave Brennan - Drink Deep
Recent purchase and representing my chosen house sound of the moment. Yes, a nice bit of tech house. This one is on Mr C's (yes, The Shamen) End Recordings label (also home to Layo & Bushwacka in their pre XL days!). Huge bass, comes across like deep rave almost. Has these wonderful Northern Exposure trippy noises floating in and out of it all the time. Hypnotic one to get lost in, love to be on a dancefloor when this one is played. Also features my man of the moment James Zabiela on remix.
181) Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
Isn't it wonderful? Could be the absolutely wicked video that goes with it, but you should all know this now. I love all the 'generic urban video x' choreography to Aphex's mad splintered beats. Although sometimes I feel like I'm rating the track AND video at the same time ... I just can't imagine it without the vid.
180) Squarepusher - Come On My Selecta!
Another 'top vid' one! Chris Cunningham has a way of translating the music into something visual on screen. This is just a great fun track with sense of humour, crazy n bass music.
179) Aphex Twin - Come To Daddy
Allegedly a pisstake of Firestarter. Third in the series of Chris Cunningham on top video form. Extra marks go to the 'granny screaming' incident. I want your soul, I will eat your soul, come to daddy, aargh.
178) Deep Dish - Sushi
My fave DJ's ever. A track of their own (which is fooking rare nowadays) from their only artist album. I wish they would do a new one since their sound ramped up a bit after this album. Trademark punch Dish percussion, the strange strange clappy noise (which does it for me), moody DJ material again bringing their Iranian roots into this one with the eastern flavour that flows through it.
177) Marcel - On The Beach (Chaser Remix)
A chillout one for me, I keep meaning to make a chillout mix, and this would have to feature. The remix is a take on the slightly disco original, swaping soft disco drums for a nice break. Sea noises, distant piano. An On The Beach moment indeed.
176) Luke Vibert - Stern Facials
Luke has a kinda comic hip hop sound, also tends to delve into stupid n bass music. This is a nice uplifting (but not in the obvious grab you by the balls way, it soothes you and makes you smile) track. If you're partial to a bit of the DJ Shadow, Coldcut, Mo'wax output, you can't go wrong with this. Chilled 70's funk via space and some seagulls.
175) Peace Division - Feel My Drums
Ok, there was a point where if you'd heard one Peace Division, you'd heard them all. Alot of good (the recent Beats In Peacez series, DJ material, part 1 esp!), some duff (Xpress2 Lazy remix). This one of their own will represent all for me. Nasty technoid number, unsettling bass squeal, Peace Division long subtle build and tribal drums, and just plain evil "FEEL MY DRUMS!" vocal.
174) Oil - The Future
Off Pagan records, home of good northern house! I was down at The End one night, I'd just bought this on promo and Deep Dish dropped it THAT night. I was well chuffed. Like progressive house mixed with Nuphonic's soulful discohouse revival sound. Starts off murky, then goes groovy and then takes you high up into space! Great track. Fitting that it then made it to feature on Deep Dish's Yoshiesque 2.
173) Roots Manuva - Witness (1 Hope)
All hip hop is balls. Just some guys going on about biatches, money and people taking their sweaters off because its a bit warm. Well fook that generalisation I say. Roots Manuva could be the finest thing to hip hop ever. But most likeyl due to being from London, will never be heard of by the masses stateside. He does have a Mobo to his name tho. Has a very London/Jamaican hybrid sound going on ... great programming skills also, very evident on this track. Grand dubby track, love the "Witness the fitness! The prophet, he liveth! One hope, one quest!" main line. Zero 7 also took the dub version of this to stick on their Another Late Night mix.
172) PMT - Gyromancer
The breaks sound. Possibly one of the best breaks tracks you can get. Breaks heads loved it, house heads loved it. House tempo breakbeat, nasty drum and bassish bassline, moody and dark overall. Can't really say much more!
171) Manic Street Preachers - Ocean Spray (Kinobe Remix)
Yes the Manics have invaded my life. Kind of. fook knows what the original sounds like to be honest, this is a piece of downtempo genius! Sit down, smoke up put this on and chill the fook out. Kinobe also were responsible for the Kronenberg (I think) advert tune, you know, the woman has some Kroney and people keep staring at it and having accidents. This is much better than that though! Possibly even better than anything off their first album too! Heavenly chill material. Not heard enough to break it down, but I know what I like when I hear it. And this is good.
170) Deep Dish - Summers Over
More Dish, in both original and remix form (both by Dish), its a great track. Summer is indeed over if you hear this, no happy disco loops, no cheery vocals. Like a wave of mood coming at you. Nice variation from the usual house beat though, really pounds at you! Melancholic whines, nice 'tick tick tick tick tick' hi hats.
169) Southern Comforter - Another Late Thursday (Spincycle Remix)
Yes MORE dancefloor material. And do forgive me if I use the words 'bass lead' again. But this is it plain and simple. Banging beats and a furious menace of a bass hum. The kind of intensity of bass that would make you throw up if it came out of the speakers at Fabric. Peak time material ... this is what you have going when you're operating at full speed!
168) Dr Octagon - I'm Destructive
I like this since it uses (what I found was a well used hip hop break) a drum loop which Masters At Work used in their 1st Kenlou track. Chunky, nice grunging guitars and Kool Keith rambling on about vomiting in your breakfast and spitting in your salad and stuff. Yes.
167) Royksopp - Sparks
I overlooked this completely when I got Melody AM. Wish I hadn't. Love the beat programming on this, stoned and lurching. Soothing little track. Bonus is, just managed to pick up the vinyl and its got a remix by Murk which happens to be just about the ONLY good thing I've ever heard them do.
166) Gorillaz - 19-2000
Seems like people don't like the 'slow' version, I thing the remix version is pure butt. Loses the funk completely in a kinda Big Beat cop out. Cruising music. La la la la la la la la!
165) Bjork - 5 Years
I don't know enough of Post to know what I like about it, anyway Homogenic is more consistant and better so ner. This is my fave track I would say, love the gritty 'fooked up sample' drum noises. Triumphant sounding too in a mechanical electronic way! Love the blend of orchestral and electrical on this album.
164) Underground Resistance/DJ Rolando - Knights Of The Jaguar
Original Detroit techno PEOPLE. Or something. Legendary apparently too although this is the only thing I've heard. Everyone was going mad to sign this when it popped up on UR. Became the essential Ibiza tune, latin flair, urgent pacy little track. fooker to mix with though. No cheese too. Extra marks to UR for marking all their records with a "if you find this in a chain record store DO NOT BUY it, they are taking money away from the independants" tag.
163) Hybrid - Finished Symphony
Epic orchestra breakbeat! Imagine the orchestral parts of Unfinished Symphony, Lonely Soul, Bittersweet Symphony set to furious breaks! Great end of night track, classic.
162) Banco De Gaia - Last Train To Llhasa
First up from goa trance act Banco De Gaia. Title track from the album which made it onto Sasha & Digweeds Northern Exposure. Themed around a train journey through asia. Asian wailing, train noises. Oh and when I say trance, its not the furious DJ Sammy tripe. Its not even fast. Good little concept album too, takes you through a variety of moods.
161) Banco De Gaia - Kincajou
...such as this one. Just after a bizarre Asian/Dub hybrid, you suddenly find yourself listening to a £5 casio keyboard playing preselected 'disco' loop, some person introducing someone desperately trying to play things like an added bassdrum and awful cliche rave noise over the top before he suggests 'lets try a new rhythm'. Complete change, lovely breaks kick in utilising some nice live drums and bongos, a wall of synths in the background rising and falling. Hypnotic.
160) Mainline - Narcotic/Innerspace
One off John Digweed's Bedrock label. Now I found it hard to find good stuff on Bedrock, alot of it was murky prog guff that was trying TOO hard to be moody, murky and serious. This is a little gem though. James Holden works hypnotic trance synths against ambient echo noodlings and driving drums. Nothing cheesy about it though. No awful screaming bint, no blatantly obvious breakdown with drum fill to come back in. No synchopated stab bassline. A work of quality.
159) Nick Holder - Inside Your Soul (Lexicon Avenue Mix)
Nick Holder, fine crafter of deep, funky filtered house music with a nice percussive edge ... nice summer material. NRK went a different direction when they got Lexicon Avenue in to remix this jobbie. At a time when prog was just hitting big, this baby came out. A remedy to all those horrible Gatecrasher trance anthem nastinessesseses. Deep, flirting between house and trance and firmly in electronica. Nice vocal too.
158) Weekend World - The Word/The Word (Dub)
Like James Holden, Weekend World can work trancish sounds but with added deepness and quality. This popped up on Deep Dish's Yoshitoshi label a while back. What got me about this was the simple drum programming, standard 909 beats, nothing special but somehow just have sooooo much bounce in them when put against the very deep, watery backing of the track. Another track very Circulation in sound. The Dub is grand too, working the beats and bass more in an evil warping progressive manner.
157) Stephane K & John Creamer - I Love You (Hybrid's Claustraphobic Remix)
Hybrid again, and about as far away from the orchestral Finished Symphony you can get. Hybrid take Creamer & K's tribal dull-a-thon and turn it into a breakbeat monster. Derranged high pitched squeal noise! Furious breaks! Nasty nasty electronic stabs and a long long long burbling break with a filthy vocal over the top of it and the most intense "wheeooorrrnnnnnnnnn!" whine as it all falls apart before kicking in for the final stretch. More full pelt material! Dark and nasty, very very nasty!
156) Fabrice Lig presents Soul Designer - Sweet Harmonies
Piece of quality tech house, that fast, but very chilled and soothing. Sweet indeed. Soft keys, soft beats and a nice acid wibbling noise. Summery, not at all moody smile material. Nice.
155) UNKLE - UNKLE Main Theme
Now UNKLE is easily not the best thing Shadow has put his name too. It just tries too hard in places (Lonely Soul, I'm pointing at you) ... so it falls that my favourite piece of the track is the one with no celebrity collaboration. Shadow working a nice guitar groove over some choice sci-fi samples and the like. Atmosphere! Still ... awaiting UNKLE album 2, and apparently Layo & Bushwacka!, Peace Division, FC Kahuna are on board so it should be NICE.
154) Bushwacka! - Feel It
...so then lets talk about Mr Bushwacka! then? Top star in the breaks scene, great productions (aside from when Tim Deluxe shoved the HORRIBLE vocal over Love Story). Comes from the glory days of rave, and you can hear the old rave chord progressions in alot of his tracks, but with style! Builds in three stages: ready, GO! and SPAZZOUT! Everything is a build to the first break when you get the full force of the breaks and grand bass invasion, then final secion which breaks down to fanfaring synth and bass stabs! Favourite of UNKLE unsurprisingly
153) Filter Tip - On Heat / In Season
Quality progressive house full stop. In Season is a deep number, working a bit like Slams Lifetimes, the On Heat track is the one I get excitied about. Lulls you into the false sense of security that its another chunky prog stomper before halfway through lifting you high with amazing strings. Nice.
152) Behrouz - What We Do In Life (Echoes In Eternity)
Another track from a Deep Dish label. What I originally liked about this was the way Deep Dish mix it in on Yoshiesque 2. You've got the very early house-ish sounds of Marscarter going on, but then (and very simply) you start getting this harder edged beat coming in, Dish-style clappy drums and the basslines switch over to a new sound. Great live piano solo thing going on in this one too. And it does indeed echo.
151) Pharcyde - Drop
One that gets a vote for the vid too. I wish I could have put some tracks off Bizarre Ride 2 but I can't remember what they are. Love this though, reversed in every way. Trippy little track. Apparently they recorded the album this is off on mushrooms!
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Blank wrote:
> Sorry, you were thinking this:
>
> "IM not an IDOIT"
>
>
> I made a few edits to give it your trademark style. Notice dramatic
> overuse of shouted words and also spelling mistakes and grammatical
> errors thrown in for free.
Oh dear, reduced to comments about grammar and writing style are we? You really ARE clutching at straws...
*next*
> Sorry, you were thinking this:
>
> "IM not an IDOIT"
>
>
> I made a few edits to give it your trademark style. Notice dramatic
> overuse of shouted words and also spelling mistakes and grammatical
> errors thrown in for free.
Oh dear, reduced to comments about grammar and writing style are we? You really ARE clutching at straws...
*next*
Widge wrote:
I left of Cliff Richard's Millenium Prayer too, what WAS I thinking
Correct it Lad, Cliff's prayer should be No.1, closely followed by the Wurzels cover of 'Don't look back in anger'.
I left of Cliff Richard's Millenium Prayer too, what WAS I thinking
Correct it Lad, Cliff's prayer should be No.1, closely followed by the Wurzels cover of 'Don't look back in anger'.
Sorry, you were thinking this:
"IM not an IDOIT"
I made a few edits to give it your trademark style. Notice dramatic overuse of shouted words and also spelling mistakes and grammatical errors thrown in for free.
"IM not an IDOIT"
I made a few edits to give it your trademark style. Notice dramatic overuse of shouted words and also spelling mistakes and grammatical errors thrown in for free.
Blank wrote:
> Widge wrote:
> I left of Cliff Richard's Millenium Prayer too, what WAS I thinking
>
> Probably this:
>
> "I'm not an idiot"
WRONG, I was thinking about kittens
> Widge wrote:
> I left of Cliff Richard's Millenium Prayer too, what WAS I thinking
>
> Probably this:
>
> "I'm not an idiot"
WRONG, I was thinking about kittens
Widge wrote:
> I left of Cliff Richard's Millenium Prayer too, what WAS I thinking
Probably this:
"I'm not an idiot"
> I left of Cliff Richard's Millenium Prayer too, what WAS I thinking
Probably this:
"I'm not an idiot"
P@st@ wrote:
> The Wurzels are also missing
I left of Cliff Richard's Millenium Prayer too, what WAS I thinking
> The Wurzels are also missing
I left of Cliff Richard's Millenium Prayer too, what WAS I thinking
The Wurzels are also missing
Blank wrote:
> Widge wrote:
> Erm because I perhaps WANTED to and I'm passionate about the music I
> like
>
> Yeah, music always inspires me to write lists.
I find it also inspires me to make sculptures out of jam
> Widge wrote:
> Erm because I perhaps WANTED to and I'm passionate about the music I
> like
>
> Yeah, music always inspires me to write lists.
I find it also inspires me to make sculptures out of jam
They're rubbish?
Timmargh wrote:
> Your list is incomplete. It's missing songs by:
>
> . Erasure
Blank wrote:
> Hahaha.
What's wrong Erasure?
> Your list is incomplete. It's missing songs by:
>
> . Erasure
Blank wrote:
> Hahaha.
What's wrong Erasure?
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