Shiba San - OKAY - Dave Winnel remix

Dirtybird resident Shiba San's get's a clubby re-work from Aussie electro DJ Dave Winnel on 2014 tuuuuuuune 'OKAY'.

It brings a new oomph to the original without sounding too EDM, but very current.

AIRWOLF - LOSE THE LAZY ft. STAHSI

According to his Facebook page, Australian producer Airwolf (Justin Erougian) grew up on 'Windows 98' and 'virtual DJ'.  Standard.  He grew up in Melbourne's club scene, taking artsy photographs and immersing himself in down-under dance culture.

Fast- forward, montage-style, through DJ residencies, tours of OZ, and opening for superstar DJ's, Airwolf has dropped an uplifting melodic-house bomb with Lose the Lazy on the brilliant OneLoveMusic label.
Fellow Aussie Stahsi brings sublime summer-time vocals which compliment the electro vibes.
Roll on summer!

BURNSKI - REQUIEM - FREE DOWNLOAD

Burnski, otherwise known as James Burnham, gives away this spiralling, acid soaked thumper, through XLR8R magazine.

Burnski

Check it out below.Burnham and Jon Woodall launch new label Constant Sound this month, listen to it's first release below, Your Love (feat Beckford) - warm vocal house, with thrusting techno structure.  

Constant Soundcloud

FREE DOWNLOAD - Riddim Commission

Marco Del Horno & DJ Swerve are a British duo bringing low-end frequencies to Kiss Fresh listeners every Sunday. They have also remixed, to name but a few, artists such as Iggy Azealia., Stanton Warriors and Linden Jay (particular fave). 

Their Soundcloud page is a treasure trove of bass heavy house, free promo's, radio shows and remix's.    Check it out, and download the free FULL METAL JACKER EP below.

Riddim Commission Twitter
Rddim Commission Soundcloud

HERCULES AND THE LOVE AFFAIR - 'DO YOU FEEL THE SAME?'

A bit of an oldie here from 2014; the faultless Hercules and the Love Affair shine once again on a full Defected digital release with the 7 track EP - Do You Feel the Same.  The track pulses with an acid tinged bass-line, and throwback chords, featuring shimmering vocals from Gustaph.  

Highlights of the E.P include the Purple Disco Machine Remix, who slow the tempo down and give the track a deep disco swagger.  The atmosphere builds patiently until eventually some divine piano chords create a celestial crescendo at the bridge.  

Elsewhere, the Todd Terry remix brings a techno nastiness to the fray and 6th Borough Project strip back and add some ghetto - acid charm.  The real talent here is HATLA's ability to consistently refresh classic house   sounds and make them sound as exciting and relevant as ever.

FACT MIX - MK

FACT mix 366 - MK (Jan '13)

MK beings the party in his latest mix; he can do Detroit and Chicago, classic, deep, whatever. Some of his big remixes make the cut here.  Must DOWNLOAD =)



TRACKLIST
Mark Henning – Trojan
Huxley – No Matter What (MK mix)
Namy feat. Josh Milan – From Now On (DJ Spen & N’Dinga Gaba Remix)
Alfred Taylor – Don’t You Leave Me
95 North – Let Yourself Go
Geddes & Matt Tolfrey – Your Track
Jodeci – Freek ‘n you (MK Dub)
Paul Du Lac – Child’s Play
Catz & dogz, Monty Luke – They Frontin
Lana del Rey – Blue Jeans (MK Dark Blue Dub)
Human Woman – Great Woman (Gluteus Maximus Remix)
Huxley – Failing Upwards
Lauren Flax – You’ve Changed (MK D-troit Mix)
Cassian – Love It
Aaliyah – Enough Said
Storm Queen – Look Right Through (MK Dub III)
Scottie Deep presents Kalubration – Show Ya (have 2)
Zee & Eli – The Ghostly Track

FCL - IT'S YOU (SAN SODA'S PANORAMA BAR ACCA VERSION

FCL are releasing the massive It's You, one of the biggest underground tracks of 2012, digitally on DEFECTED in February.  There will also be a re-release on vinyl.  The first run of 100 vinyls sold out in no time and are now fetching stupid money on Discgogs.  Therefore this jaw-dropping version from San Soda is getting a digital release complete with FURTHER remixes.  DJ Red D, the man behind quality house label We Play House Recordings has let it be known on his blog that the remixes will only be from house producers who have the quality to be on the release,

As part of this licence the track will be remixed by some people who we regard as some of the best house producers in the history of this music, and it has been decided that there will never ever be an official vinyl re-release of this one, that was a very important condition for us. Sorry for those who missed it the first time around. :-p

 



 



TRACKS OF THE YEAR 2012

1. HUXLEY - Let It Go

Released 13th February.  Hypercolour.

 

There's a lot to be said about simplicity in dance music.  On Let It Go, Huxley starts with a rolling, garage infused beat, a looped Boys2Men vocal (Huxley speeds up the Rn'B groups track, Can't Let Her Go) and a stunningly simple, yet staggeringly effective bassline.  It's when Huxley throws in a dual bassline, a joyous melodic synthy stab, on top of the deep groove that the track becomes magic.  The soulful vocal has a hypnotising effect; it's ridiculously catchy, yet effortlessly cool. I've read that this track was too commercial for some, but for me it should have crossed over even more so.  This is where British house music was in 2012 and, for me, this track wasn't topped.  Jus sayin'.

 

 

2. BARESKIN - Eyes

Released 22nd October. Hypercolour.

 

Another Hypercolour highlight from young producer, Joshua Thompson who produced a touch of techno-bass magic with Eyes.  The track has an acid bassline which toys with you for a while before dropping a sleek, melodic vocal.  It's a solid house shuffle, but it also fuses in some dark techno vibes.  A young talent to watch for 2013.

 

3. JULIO BASHMORE - Au Seve

Released 1st July. Broadwalk Records.

Au Seve is a track that did a fair bit of crossing over;  the hi-hat shuffle is instantly recognisable and enough in itself to induce pandemonium on the dancefloor.  There's an echo in parts of the track that sound so spaced out and distant, as if someone was shaking a snare drum in the background, yet the groove is so simple and fun, it sounds warm and loved up.  What a tune.

4. DRUMS OF DEATH - Let No Shadow Fall Upon You

Released 15th June.  Civil Music.





Old school vocal.  Breakbeats.  Piano Stabs.  Huge punishing techno thrown in for good measure?  Yeah, why the fuck not?  Here's to Drums of Death for producing a track that ticks all my boxes.  As does the ghoulish one's Blue Waves EP, which is pure throwback HEAVEN.

Blue Waves EP

5.  JUSTIN MARTIN VS. PILLOWTALK - The Gurner

Released 22nd May.  Dirtybird

Although The Gurner has had some quality re-works on the Ghettos and Gardens remix packages, it's still the original that does the business.  Deep, funky, senusal and soulful; this is a highlight from the album, and a really great song!



6.  Jessie Ware -110%
7. Mosca - Eva Mendes
8. Ejeca - Horizon
9. Breach - You Won't Find Love Again
10. Blawan - Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage?

TOP REMIXES OF 2012

2012 has had some serious tunes and some seriously exciting producers coming to the forefront.  I've particularly enjoyed the British contingent; producers like Huxley and Julio Bashmore and labels like Hypercolour and Wolf Music have crossed over and brought the British bass scene to new listeners.  I'm throwing in a few end of year lists throughout the month, which highlight the tracks I couldn't get enough of this year. 

 

TOP 5 REMIXES

1.  STORM QUEEN - Look Right Through (MK DON'T TALK TO ME DUB) Released - February
Quite simply, a TUNE. Released on Defected at the start of the year, MK worked his magic and produced his best work of the year IMO.  Old school, distinctive, and classy.  MK is the house master.


2. Jessie Ware - Running (DISCLOSURE REMIX)  Released - April
A massive remix that made 2012 Disclosure's year.  Uplifting and unique; the throwback chords and funked up rhythm make the track impossible not to enjoy. 


3. Maxxi Soundsystem - Stella's Way (HUXLEY REMIX)  Released - October
A bad-ass descending bass-line, subtle chords and a touch of class from Huxley.



4. JUSTIN MARTIN - Don't Go (DUSKY REMIX) Released - October
Dusky transforms the delicate, twinkly original with a deep, pulsating bass-line that fuses house and garage to maximum affect.

5.  JESSIE WARE - No To Love (GEORGE FITZGERALD MIX)
Released - November
Driving, peak time techno tinged bomb

Runner's Up

Lana Del Ray - Video Games (Joy Orbison Remix)
Kim-Ann Foxman - Return It (Populette Remix)

Shenoda - Moments (Huxley Remix)

Justin Martin - Ghetto's and Gardens (Bachelors of Science D&B Remix)
Justin Martin/Leroy Peppers - Riding Spaceships (Shadow Child 'In Search of 94' Mix)
Lana Del Ray - Ride (Photek Remix)

THURSDAY FLAVOURS. MJ COLE. MK. SHADOW CHILD

Daley ft Jessie J "Remember Me" (MJ Cole Vocal Mix)

Do you remember the original Remember Me by Blueboy? Then this track is sure to put a smile on your face. The soulful Mancunian, Daley, re-works the original and Jessie J takes on the Marlena Shaw vocals. She sounds really, really good actually. Daley's cover is fresh, but the MJ Cole remix brings the fire! The piano snippets are inspired and the classic garage jingle and two-step are suitably old school. Proof, not that it were needed, that MJ Cole can do no wrong.
Release date-November 19th 2012

MJ Cole

Forward Motion (MK Reverse Remix)

Forward Motion was a massive deep, disco party track in 2011 from Hot Natured feat. Ali Love.  The track has now reappeared on another Hot Creations release, Benediction, as a B-Side, remixed by classic house head Mark MK Kinchen.  MK impresses me with his remixes because he always brings the classic houses sound that I love, without it being cheesy.  Check out his incredible Storm Queen MK dub remix featured on this blog:
http://soslk.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/friday-heavy-rotation.html
On Forward Motion he drops a heavy, stripped back bass-line and keeps it simple, leaving Love's vocals to do the work.
Out Now on Hot Creations

MK.  Classic as hell.

Zoe Xenia + Cari Lekebusch 'Good Love' (Shadow Child back to '93 mix)

How about some more bass-work from the hard-working Shadow Child?  On his Back to 93' remix of Good Love, he works in some seriously classic chords.  I think this is what you would call a BOMB.

LABEL FOCUS. WOLF MUSIC

WOLF music are one of the most exciting UK underground house labels to keep your eye on.  With a series of dynamic releases under their belts, including the dance-floor bomb Give It To Me Slow, by Grey Matter, the label are bringing serious paw to the floor.  I shared a few words with Matthew Neale, co-owner of the Brighton based label to give an insight into the labels musical vision and style.

          With E.P releases ranging from mid paced funked up disco, to more recent deep,  bumping 4/4, WOLF is not a label with a regimented outlook. Neale acknowledges that there has been a change in musical dynamic from the early releases, but this has only widened their musical perspective, "our last few releases have been towards the deeper spectrum of house...we have certainly matured and not stagnated by sticking to one sound.  WOLF is chiefly mine and Stu WOLF'S (Stuart Clarke) musical tastes as well as the music that our resident producers bring to the table.  This combination creates a unique dynamic and this is reflected in the music we release."
          Listen to the variation on WOLF EP 015 and it's easy to hear this unique dynamic; Feel My Voices by Waze & Odyssey is a strong, deep house cut, whereas Squarehead & Mella Dee's Get Together has a delightful old school feel, reminiscent of current Bicep material.  Elsewhere, Nowt by James Welsh is a funky, soulful excursion reminiscent of WOLF's earlier disco-rooted releases.

 

"We are HOUSE and if you know house you know that this is an umbrella term for a lot of different styles.  If they gave us a disco track or a beatdown track and we liked it, it would come out on WOLF.  That's what house is about"  (Matthew Neale)

Matt Wolf, left. Stuart Wolf, right

SOS. - Matthew, you've worked with a lot of UK artists, including talent local to yourselves, such as Maxxi Soundsystem and Grey Matter.  As the label grows, how important is the local hub of talent in and around Brighton for the label?

M.N - Local talent is important if it's talented.  I don't support artists just because they live near me, I am just lucky to live here at the same time some extremely talented people do.  I would be releasing their music no matter where they lived.  I will always try and support Brighton's scene, but 90% of the people involved in WOLF are London based, so we are as much London as we are Brighton.

SOS. - How would you describe Wolf Music in 3 words?

M.N - Living the Dream

SOS. - Who or what influences you outside of music?

M.N - Good question.  Personally I suppose it's the usual things that influence people; art, travel, media, history, environment, peers and a burning desire to make this thing work for all involved.  We have a strong team who are all vital for making WOLF what it is, from the artists, to the art directors; WOLF is a composite and therefore a diverse mix of influences.

Check out WOLF HERE

WOLFEP015 - Various Artists, Out on 12" November 2012.  Digi to follow.

IN THE GROOVE

Funky, Deep House, Bass grooves

Sick On Sunday favourite Shadow Child has joined forces with Birmingham house producer/DJ Tom Flynn for the Phil Collins E.P.  Skream and Benga dropped Drive Hero in the 'Hot House' section of their Radio 1 show recently, and it's easy to hear why.  A bouncing, uncluttered underbelly of a bass-line works it's magic underneath swirling, high-pitched, quirky synths, which circulate the sound-space.  Giant Woo is a stripped-back solid house groove, with short, sharp synth notes and blissed out atmospherics.

Out on Deleted Records, November 5th.

Shadow Child. Mysterious

Shadow Child also drops this free remix of Angels; the gorgeous, atmospheric and emotive single from The XX's Coexist album.  The deep and bouncy bass-line is softly mellowed by Romy Madley Croft's hushed vocal.
                                                          Download now via XLR8R


Leeds based techno-groove DJ's Audiojack have pursued a deeper, housier sound in recent times and this is evident on No Equal Sides.  The track has a stripped back, classic feel with very sensual overtones and whispered gasps.  The deep, funked up bass-line is sure to get heads nodding, whereas the robotic beeps put me in mind of their earlier techno offerings.  Delicious.



No Equal Sides  E.P out November 5th on Vinyl, 19th November digitally on 2020 Vision

Erase Records are delivering a plentiful supply of underground deep house cuts at the moment.  I featured the Franco & Salla produced track, Emotion, a few posts back; a mid-pace house track with old school ambiance and a classic vibe.  On remix duties here is Erase Records Chief, Wasabi.  Classic organ stabs combine with original vocal snippets to induce a more dance-floor orientated version of the track.  Deep and dishy.

Wasabi. Flavoursome.

DIRTYTWO. FREE MIX

If you like your house deep, classic and bumpin', then download this free mix from Swedish duo DirtyTwo, showcasing the sound of,  Swedish label, Local Talk.  Local Talk are a label who have been making a lot of waves this year with high profile releases from Kyodai,  Kindimmer and, the aforementioned, DirtyTwo.

BARESKIN - EYES E.P

Hypercolour really do have an eye for talent and young producer Joshua Thompson is no exception.  The Winchester DJ/producer has had garage tinged releases on Losing Suki but it this seocnd E.P, on deep house label of the moment Hypercolour, that is sure to propel him to greater things.  The 4 track E.P is equally ambient, garage influenced and atmospheric; with deep, sultry grooves coupled with silky smooth vocals.  Title track, Eyes, is sure to be huge; a thick, acid tinged baseline reminiscent of Huxley's Let It Go, a classic 4/4 shuffle and sultry female r n' b vocals.

SHADOW CHILD
The House Crew - "Keep The Fire Burning" (Shadow Child edit)

Shadow Child has become one of the most consistent UK house/bass producers in 2012.  His releases on Dirtybird have been dropped by big names from Claude Von Stroke and Eat's Everything to Maya Jane Coles.  His remixes have helped solidify his sound; deep, cool and bass-led, whilst not conforming to any one sound.
Download this re-edit of the classic, and still relevant, 1991 'ardcore track by The House Crew, where he adds subtle changes, yet lets the original speak for itself.

FRIDAY FLAVOURS. FRANCO & SALLA, EJECA

Vinyl heads are getting a serious treat courtesy of Belfast house don Ejeca.  "Horizon" is a massive track, combining devastatingly simple organ stabs, a throwback vocal and some serious feelgood vibes.  This track will do some serious damage on the dancefloor, guaranteed. 
The Horizon EP drops on Monday 24th Sept , vinyl only on Needwant.



Want something a little deeper?  Franco & Salla are a Brazilian duo with an excellent new release on Greek house label Erase Records.  The label has had support from Round Table Knights, Pirupa and Zombie Disco Squad, to name but a few.  "Emotion" is a deep and emotive mid-paced number, with a hypnotic, futuristic vocal.  Out now on Erase Records.

FRIDAY FLAVOURS

Eats Everything should be flavour of the month every month.  The Bristolian, otherwise known as Daniel Pearce,  is all over Businessman on Diazepam, with his deep, playful bass-work.  Get the track from The Other Tribe's E.P, (out now on Black Butter Records).



Jack & Bass, a track from funky Polish DJ Martino B has been floating around for a while, but now it gets a full official EP release from Polish bassline label Impulz Records.  It's unashamedly banger as they come!

FRIDAY. HEAVY ROTATION

MOSCA. EVA MENDES EP.
Mosca blends so fluidly elements of deep house and garage, it's no wonder his latest release is on Hypercolour, a label where Huxley and Maya Jane Coles have cemented the sound of 2012; funky, deep cuts.  Eva Mendes hooks it's way inside your brain in a similar way to Bax  The EP is complete with Accidently, a throbbing deep-house number featuring fantastic soulful vocal from Robert Owens and the blissed-out shuffle, Murderous.  This is another must-have from Mosca.  Out now.




Also really digging this Subb-an remix of Noir & Haze's Around.  Out July 9th (Defected)



And Maya Jane Cole's ultra stripped back remix of Little Dragon's excellent Ritual single.  I love how she picks apart certain elements of the original and brings them to the forefront, such as the slightly cold, unnerving bass-line.  Ultra atmospheric and chilled.