Dylan Thompson

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Single review: Hamid - Cacoethes Carpendi

Originally published on Resident Advisor in June 2015.

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Single review: Bernard Badie - Open Up

Originally published on Resident Advisor in May 2015.

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Single review: Evan Baggs - Not A Story EP

Originally published on Resident Advisor in April 2015.

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Single review: Atom Heart - Milagro EP

Originally published on Resident Advisor in March 2015.

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Single review: Zky - Tooltime

Originally published on Resident Advisor in January 2015.

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Event review: Яeturn in Berlin

Originally published on Resident Advisor in January 2015.

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Single review: Hinode - Science Fiction Recordings 003

Originally published on Resident Advisor in January 2015.

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Single review: Move D - The KM20 Tapes Volume 2 (1992-1996)

Originally published on Resident Advisor in December 2014.

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Interview: Seven Davis Jr.

(Originally published in the official magazine of Amsterdam Dance Event 2014 in October 2014.)

Houston-born, California-raised Seven Davis Jr. has been turning heads for a couple of years now with his own idiosyncratic brand of “electronic future soul” - a fusion of radio-friendly R&B flavours alongside a pronounced US house influence. The brooding funk of 2013’s “One EP” (released via Jay Simon’s Must Have imprint) initially put Seven on the map, whilst subsequent releases on the likes of Classic and Apron have cemented his reputation as a rising star. We got in touch to talk Prince, Ibiza and socially conscious lyrics...

You’ve mentioned in the past that you were “groomed” for mainstream R&B/gospel success from a young age before pursuing a career in more underground styles of music. What were the factors that led you to make this decision? Do you ever think about how things could have turned out differently for you?

I answer this question a lot. Obviously, it would have been different in some way. Maybe I would have still switched to underground/indie music. Personally, I don’t think the “mainstream” world is ready for an artist/person like me or would understand it... or maybe they totally would get and love me just the same. I don’t really like to think about how it “would have been”. All my dreams are coming true and I’m happy now, that’s what matters to me.

At what point came your initial exposure to house music and electronic music? Was it always something that you’d taken an interest in?

Being an 80s baby, luckily I got to grow up in a time when music was making a transition into the more synth digital arena. I have always been an open-minded listener myself. I use to scan the radio stations when I was bored and if I heard something I liked I would stop and listen to it, which got me into all kinds of genres. However, my first exposure to house music was in underground clubs and raves in San Francisco.

Who would you consider to be your biggest influences? How do you feel about being compared to the likes of Prince?

I don’t mind being compared to Prince. It makes me smile. He’s a great artist but I am my own artist and in no way seek to copy him or anyone else in fact. There are a lot of other great artists that have inspired me. Also, I get inspired by many other things in life that have nothing to do with music.

What kinds of messages and meaning do you try to convey through your lyrics - are they all about loving and partying or do you have anything more socially-conscious on the agenda? Do you believe that music (and dance music in particular) ought to get a message across at all?

Being a socially conscious person, I feel like my music is naturally socially conscious. I write about how I feel at the moment or have felt or wish to feel in the future. A lot of my writing has double meanings. So you may hear a lyric that sounds like it’s about one thing but it’s really about socially conscious subjects. Love and partying is just a normal part of my life so it comes up a lot but even within those two subjects is a universe of other sub-topics. I think in dance music people should write about whatever it is they want to write about. That’s the good stuff, the honest stuff. Of course, there are more things I have to say in its right time and place. I’m also a poet and film writer so some subjects I feel are better explored through those channels.

Your One EP on Must Have Records was repressed earlier this year due to high demand - how do you feel about the contemporary practice of people selling on their copies of sought-after records to make a profit?

The fact that people listen enough to my stuff to buy it at an inflated price is really sweet, and I’m glad I can make someone somewhere in the world happy, but at the same time it is definitely a shame when your real fans have to pay above the normal retail price.

Do you buy many records yourself, or DJ at all?

Well, I’m fortunate to know a lot of DJs and artists so all the records I would buy are given to me before I even can go to a record store.

Recording vocals is something that a lot of rookie artists struggle to get right - could you go into some detail for us on how you manage to achieve such a slick yet distinctive sound when recording?

Practice, practice, practice. Since childhood I would practice day and night. Originally it started out with just singing to myself in my room to recording on a cassette tape, to a four track, to a digital 8 track, to renting studio time, to building a home studio. I never stop practicing.

‘One’ was featured on Defected In the House’s Ibiza ’14 compilation - do you feel much of a connection between yourself or your music and the island? Have you ever played there yourself?

I have never been to Ibiza but can tell you that I have always felt this connection to the Ibiza, even now. I feel Ibiza calling me, saying “Come here” and I’m all like “Okay”. One of these days I’m sure I’ll visit Ibiza.

I heard somewhere that you’ve got a ton of unreleased material from over the years just sitting around. Are there any plans to release it (Lost Tapes Vol. 2 perhaps?) or would you rather focus on recording and putting out new material?

All my old unreleased music is with Kutmah/IZWID Records and that’s where it will live. He is currently putting Lost Tapes Vol. 2 together but there are a few new IZWID family members that he will be introducing to the world before then. Meanwhile, yes my focus is on new music. I’m wiser, more skilled, smarter and better than ever so I’ve been working on new music that reflects that in present times. I have a lot of music in my soul.

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Feature: “Discogs Hype, 'Secret Weapons' and the story of Ringrose Recordings”

(Originally published on DJBroadcast.net in October 2014).

With the advent of high-speed internet and websites like YouTube and Discogs, today’s DJs and record collectors are granted almost unprecedented access to a wealth of old and new music; a vast sonic treasure trove to be explored and excavated as one sees fit. This democratisation of digging has given folk the world over the opportunity to hear, buy and play records potentially released years before they were even born, or at least old enough to head down to their local record shop and pick up a new copy. Countless DJs pride themselves on their commitment to unearthing unknown gems - forgotten obscurities plucked from €1 bargain bins or the furthest, darkest corners of the ‘Cogs.

An inevitable consequence of this occurs when one of these records ascends from the realm of the obscure to become known and recognised more widely. This can happen in a variety of ways, but most often it’s because a particularly well-known DJ (or numerous DJs) starts playing it in their sets or includes it in an online podcast/mix, before some diligent soul manages to identify what it is exactly. Track IDs may be discussed between circles of friends and fellow DJs, requested and traded on clandestine internet forums, or occasionally bequeathed for public consumption in YouTube and SoundCloud comments. Fundamental laws of supply and demand assure that it’s not long before the Discogs resale value of said record begins to rise (that’s if there are even copies available to buy), and consequently its ‘secret weapon’ status may be regarded as unequivocally lost - in the opinion of more conscientious jocks, at least.

In many ways, Mark Nicholas O’s Low End Theory Pt. 1 EP was quite typical in following this time-honoured pattern. Four tracks of skewed and skittish house with a tangible UK garage influence, it’s exactly the kind of trippy, groove-laden afterhours fare that finds favour with DJs of a certain inclination. I first heard the EP for myself at an afterparty in Leeds, some time in September last year; I remember my mate Ciaran pulling it out of his bag before excitedly filling us all in on its backstory. He recently reminded me of my first words upon seeing the label: “That looks expensive”.

Allegedly, several copies of the EP were discovered in a small record store in Saarbrücken before eventually finding their way into the record bags of a handful of highly-regarded DJs in Berlin and elsewhere. It wasn’t long before YouTube footage surfaced of Perlon boss Zip (a DJ notorious for his cult following) playing a track from the EP at Paris’ Concrete club. As is often the case with such videos of Zip, track ID requests abounded in the comments, only to be answered by a user called “ringroserecords”. It was Mr. Nicholas himself, the artist in question and owner of the label, who requested the trainspotters get in touch via his SoundCloud, as he had spare copies of the record for sale (at a far more reasonable price than Discogs).

Hailing from Perth, Scotland, and now based in Northern Island, Mark ran the Ringrose label from 1998 to 2000 (when it became Rose2000 Recordings). His inspiration for setting it up came from “a desire to create an original sound” that could be pressed to vinyl and played by himself and his friends, he told us. The name of the Low End Theory Pt. 1 EP came from a night that Mark says he organised alongside J.M. Easy and Colin Patterson at Manchester’s Home Club; the name of the night itself was taken from a Strictly Rhythm record. The record was produced in a friend’s studio in Hull, before 1000 copies were pressed up and distributed.

Mark first became aware of his record’s newfound popularity thanks to a friend, who showed him the video of Zip playing “Sex 4 Daze” at Concrete. He says he’s pleased that more and more people are hearing his music so many years on, and is thankful for the compliments and messages he’s received from collectors and DJs worldwide. “Being played on French national TV by Ricardo Villalobos at Weather Festival in front of a gigantic crowd all enjoying the music was something I never thought I would see and that makes me very happy” said Mark.

He began contacting Discogs users who had commented on the listing for the record, or added it to their Wantlist, letting them know that he had a few original copies lying around available for purchase. As word spread, demand for the EP became so high that Mark repressed a further couple of hundred white label copies (featuring two new tracks in addition to the original four) and began selling these - not via the usual Discogs Marketplace but via private messages. He told us he enjoys the ‘personal touch’ of selling records this way: “I preferred that people spoke with me and then I dispatched the track for a price they could afford - I think it is essential to be able to contact the people and speak to each other to see if a deal can be made, rather than selling for a calculated price”.

Working outside of conventional mechanisms led Mark to operate on the basis of trust: he’d post out copies of the record first and request that customers pay him the agreed price upon receipt. Unfortunately, this system of buying and selling is also wide open to exploitation - Mark estimates around thirty people failed to pay him for the records he sent, some of whom went on to resell said records at a profit via the Marketplace. Somewhat surprisingly, he’s far from bitter about this: “I appreciate that some DJs can only keep playing new stuff by reselling after they have played it a few times, and some people will pay higher prices for owning their tracks - it’s not offensive to me at all… I have to sell equipment from time to time just the same, but I equally appreciate that so many people have told me that they always have it in their bag and never ever want to sell it - that’s a very nice compliment”. Mark’s more concerned about the “abysmal, rip-off” service offered by the Post Office, whom he says have caused countless records to be delayed, damaged or lost on their way to overseas buyers. But with regards to any money he may have made or lost through selling records this way, he remains upbeat and is keen to keep these issues firmly in perspective: “There are far more outrageous events in the world with people in poverty or conflict - they make me far more angry than this does”.

Geneva-based DJ and collector Eric Denis is the man behind the CMYK YouTube channel and was the first to upload tracks from the Low End Theory Pt. 1 EP to the site (prior to this, no proper audio was available to listen to anywhere online). Eric first became aware of Mark’s music after seeing his comment on the Zip @ Concrete video; whilst not initially a fan, he changed his mind after hearing the EP properly and in its entirety, following a recommendation from a friend. Eric made correspondence with Mark via SoundCloud, and told him about his YouTube channel. Mark was highly enthusiastic about this opportunity to reach a wider audience, and posted Eric three CDs of new and old material to be uploaded to YouTube.

“The main goal was to promote Mark's music, who has been very nice to me and I think everybody who’s interacted with him will say the same” said Eric of his intentions. “Mark was really grateful and told me he was receiving messages every day for a couple of weeks afterwards. The final outcome is that he’s now got back into production and DJing, and has signed a couple of tracks on new labels that will soon see the light of day”. Eric is quick to play down the significance of his role in helping Mark find new fans, insisting that the quality of the music made his resurgence in popularity inevitable. “It probably would have happened without my intervention as he's talented and people were starting to talk about him, but let's say that I accelerated the process”, he told us.

Not everyone was quite as happy about the record being on YouTube, however. In June this year, Eric received a couple of “aggressive” and “insulting” messages on his account regarding the Ringrose videos - from a member of the wider public and from a “relatively famous” fellow uploader. The messages attacked him personally for uploading "too much good stuff that were kept secret and played by the big DJs [sic]”.

Eric believes the messages he received are symptomatic of wider issues of secrecy and elitism within the house and techno community, and bemoans the “incredible hype” that inevitably ends up surrounding records played by the likes of Zip, Villalobos or [a:rpia:r]. In a statement he made on his CMYK Facebook page at the time, Eric advocated a more egalitarian stance: “I believe that the main role of a DJ is educating - and that only happens through sharing. I spend countless hours digging for music and I want to share my discoveries, not just keep it for myself or when I play in a club”. He added that those anxious to protect their ‘secret weapons’ ought to be more concerned with the wishes of the tracks’ creators: “Never forget that behind your secret track there's a producer who most likely wants to get his/her music heard”.

In retort to the irate YouTubers who contacted him, Eric told them “get over yourself and dig deeper”. He’s sceptical of the notion that anything played by a big DJ in an online video could ever be considered ‘secret’, and believes that the ferocity of the negative responses he received suggests a certain laziness. “There are thousands of €1 records that are amazing and yet to be discovered. If your DJ career relies on finding the tracks that Ricardo plays, you're simply a fanboy”. He adds that the big DJs who popularise these records often don’t share in the elitist attitudes of their devoted followers: “If you ask Zip for an ID, he'll always show you his record... He doesn't really care”.

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Interview: Discodromo

(Originally published on DJBroadcast.net in October 2014).

Giacomo Garavelloni and Giovanni Turco are the Italian duo also known as Discodromo. In addition to DJing worldwide and producing for labels including Internasjonal and Dissident, they’ve become renowned for their CockTail d’Amore parties, which they’ve hosted in Berlin, alongside Berghain resident Boris, since 2009. After expanding into a label in 2011, CockTail d’Amore celebrated its 5th anniversary last month with the excellent Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing compilation. We got in touch with the guys to talk about starting the label, MySpace and the changing face of Berlin nightlife.

How did you guys initially meet? What sorts of music did you realise you shared a passion for?

Giacomo: We met through a mutual friend; it was 2000 if memory serves me correct but we started Discodromo some years later into our friendship.

Giovanni: We were heavy clubbers already from the mid 90’s so for sure we shared a love for house music. Also growing up in the 80’s in Italy Italo was imprinted forever in our experiences.

What were the biggest factors in your decision to move to Berlin? Is there a particularly large community of fellow Italian ex-pats here?

Giovanni: The main factor that made us move to Berlin was the need for stimuli. We are first of all night creatures that love to go out and dance to good music surrounded by interesting people who are open-minded and generally curious. All of those things helped make it an easy choice to come to Berlin.

Giacomo: Mostly Venice’s area where we are coming from, which is still pretty boring, tired and sanctimonious. Also the political situation ruled by Berlusconi was totally frustrating. I guess those are some of the reasons that made so many Italians move here.

Some of your early releases found a home on Internasjonal - how did you come to hook up with Prins Thomas?

Giacomo: I guess it was 2006 when I started a Myspace page and uploaded the first couple of tracks ever made under this name and added him as a friend. He wrote some hours later saying that he was about to launch a new label, Internasjonal, focusing on releasing artists from all over the world (until that point he was running only Full Pupp which puts out music exclusively from Norwegian peeps) and he wanted to release Cosmorama. Later on, when we met in person, he explained that he received many demos everyday and that on that day, he initially clicked to check Discodromo’s page just because he was intrigued by the image that I had chosen for the profile which was a drawing of a black unicorn in space surrounded by stars. I always liked unicorns eheh… but since that day even more!

What kinds of things do you like to consider when preparing for a DJ gig? How do you tailor your selections to match certain contexts?

Giovanni: It really depends on how many hours we have to play and when our slot is scheduled in the overall club program for that day. Our taste is pretty wide and this is fully reflected in our selection. One of the main focuses when we play is to tell a story that has different nuances and emotions but still makes sense in the overall journey. That is more challenging and time consuming while preparing than if we were just to present one or a few genres/sounds throughout our set. But since we get bored as dancers pretty easily we want to keep the dance floor entertained and we like to surprise people. To give you an example, when we have 6 to 10 hour gigs, like at our own party or when we have done the closing sets in Panorama Bar, we like to present an even wider spectrum of music ranging from African disco and psychedelic funk to deep techno.

Giacomo: There are some times that you think you will play a certain length and you prepare for that but then you end up playing double or more. Our favourite unexpected extended set has to be when we played at Berghain’s NYE 2013 when we were the last DJ’s on the Lab floor. We thought it would be a 4/6 hour set but people didn’t want to leave so we ended up playing for almost 12 hours.

What was the motivation behind starting your Cocktail d’Amore party? Did expanding it to include a record label feel like a natural progression?

Giacomo: We decided to start our own night because at that time there was a lack of queer parties offering quality dance music. Sure, Berghain was already there, but locals already started going there on Sunday morning/noon avoiding most of the tourists. That left us wondering, clueless about where to party on Saturday nights - so decided to create one ourselves.

Giovanni: Another reason was because we wanted to begin a record label for putting out the music that we love so needed to find the money to finance it.

How do you feel that Berlin and its clubbing scenes have changed in the five years since the party began? Has it affected the crowds and atmosphere at all, do you think?

Giovanni: This is a very sensitive question… The city has changed a lot and is changing even faster. A lot of people kept moving from all over the world, which is a great thing I think, helping to keep it interesting and colourful. Also investors directed their capitols in the city buying properties, kicking tenants out of their homes, renovating or destroying them to build luxurious condos that will be marketed for crazy prices. A lot of people blame the foreigners here thinking that these investors are big companies from abroad when actually it seems there are many that come from richer areas of Germany. Gentrification in general is making it harder and harder for artists to live from the little income that they make from their art and on the side having little part time jobs just to sustain their life here. Sure new Start-ups are born constantly and bigger companies move offices here and a lot of people complain about that but it has to be said that they also bring job opportunities. Berlin is becoming similar to other European capitals and slowly the bohemian life of some Berliners might be more difficult to live.

Giacomo: As for the clubbing more diversity is present in clubs right now. There is a bigger number of young people who are coming and leaving and tourists who are enjoying the Berlin party scene but also the social atmosphere has become more transient. Music-wise the offer is more diverse compared to 5 years ago or earlier: there are not just techno or modern dry house beats played in clubs but a more playful selection

DJ-wise, who would you consider as an inspiration? I see you had Joe Claussell play at the 5th anniversary of Cocktail d’Amore…

Giacomo: Joe is for sure a high figure that we look at with much respect. His productions can be really amazing and as DJ his selection and mixing skills are impeccable. His shamanic charisma on the decks is also fascinating. We also have a lot of regard for Larry Levan, Daniele Baldelli, Leo Mas, Claudio Coccoluto… the list is long hahaha!

Giovanni: Another legend that we admire is Harvey along with other contemporary figures like Gerd Janson, Ben UFO and Prins Thomas. I also need to stop here :)

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Feature: “Top 10 most influential dance labels of the past”

(Originally published on DJBroadcast.net in September 2014).

“All good things must come to an end” a wise man once said - and that applies to your favourite record labels, too. DJB runs down ten of the most influential imprints to be sadly no longer with us…

Moving Shadow

Pretty much regarded as the daddy of all drum ‘n’ bass labels, Moving Shadow was founded by Rob Playford in 1990. Operating out of Playford’s home in Stevenage, the label initially traded in breakbeat hardcore styles - putting out future classics from the likes of Blame, Cloud 9 and 2 Bad Mice (one of Playford’s own projects alongside Sean O'Keeffe and Simon Colebrooke). Subsequent releases by Foul Play and Omni Trio helped to lay foundations for the emergent ‘jungle’ sound - doing away with the fairground theatrics of hardcore and pushing up the tempo in the process. 

More seminal records from Renegade (aka Ray Keith) and Dead Dred cemented the label’s reputation, as did forays into other forms of media. E-Z Rollers’ “Walk This Land” featured prominently in Guy Ritchie’s 1999 hit gangster flick Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels, whilst Playford (as DJ Timecode) supplied music for Grand Theft Auto III’s MSX 101.1 FM radio station, acquainting scores of gamers worldwide with the sounds of Moving Shadow (and drum ‘n’ bass more generally). Into the new millennium, the label offered more contemporary techstep flavours from artists including Dom & Roland, Aquasky and Calyx, before shutting up shop in 2007.

Prescription

The quintessential deep house imprint, Prescription was established in Chicago in 1993 by Ron Trent and Chez Damier. Prior to starting the label the pair had collaborated on a number of singles and remixes - notably “The Choice” and “Don’t Try It” on KMS, the legendary Detroit label managed by Damier in conjunction with its founder Kevin Saunderson. They were inspired to produce Prescription’s inaugural release (“Be My” b/w a remix of D’Pac’s “I Wouldn’t”) following a trip to New York’s Sound Factory club, Damier told RA back in 2010. Their creative partnership (and respective solo offerings) came to form the backbone of the label’s early output - churning out classics like “Morning Factory”, “Feel The Rhythm” and “Sometimes I Feel Like” - though other artists including Abacus, Romanthony, Ralph Lawson (working with Damier as Chuggles) and Heaven & Earth (a.k.a. Luke Solomon, Rob Mello & Zaki D) contributed to the canon, too. 

Following differences in opinion between himself and Trent, Damier relinquished control over the label’s operations in 1995, opting instead to focus solely on its Balance Recordings sub-label. Prescription remained relatively prolific until around 2001, with the vast majority of releases coming from Trent himself (often in association with new partner Anthony Nicholson as USG or Konfusion Kidzz). A handful of represses aside, a 2004 EP from Aybee was the last record they put out. 

Basic Channel

The label that came to be synonymous with ‘dub techno’ - spawning countless imitations in the process - Basic Channel was the brainchild of Berlin’s Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald. With their first few releases in 1993, the duo wasted no time in defining their own unique and entirely new aesthetic: one that fused the beating 4/4 heart of the Berlin-Detroit axis (BC01 featured a furious Jeff Mills remix) with decayed reverberations and a warm analogue throb borrowed from their dub reggae idols. Even operating within these vague parameters, they maintained plenty of scope for variation - the label’s output ranging from the airy, plaintive ambience of “Radiance II” to the irresistible house swing of “Phylyps Trak II/II” and “Octagon”’s thunderous march.

The Basic Channel label itself was retired in 1995 (not to mention a recent vinyl outing for “Q-Loop”, which was previously only available on a CD compilation) but Mark and Moritz continued to manage a number of other labels - alongside running Dubplates & Mastering and Hard Wax. Chain Reaction provided an outlet for deeply dubbed-out techno manoeuvres from the likes of Substance, Vladislav Delay, Fluxion and Monolake, whereas Rhythm & Sound gave the two founders a chance to collaborate with their Jamaican heroes. The particularly succinct Main Street catalogue was home to vocal house classics like “New Day” and “I’m Your Brother”; Von Oswald’s Maurizio label, on the other hand, served to showcase his own unmistakeable brand of dubby minimal house.

Junior Boy’s Own

Born from the ashes of irreverent acid house fanzine Boy’s Own (and its subsequent eponymous label) JBO was founded by Terry Farley and Steven Hall in 1992. Its remit was largely concerned with straight-up house and techno fare - unlike its more liberally-minded predecessor, which was home to a myriad of ravey hits from the likes of Bocca Juniors, One Dove and DSK. No time was wasted when it came to recruiting top-drawer future stars to the label, something that co-founder Farley insists was largely down to luck: “we were just in the right place at the right time” he told DMC World. 

Rocky & Diesel (better known as X-Press 2) were already friends of the label owners - whereas former Boy’s Own co-chief Andrew Weatherall had happened upon meeting a couple of lads in Manchester going by the name of The Dust Brothers, who were quickly snapped up for a couple of releases prior to achieving world domination as The Chemical Brothers. Darren Emerson of Underworld was also introduced to JBO via the pair, before going on to enjoy a similarly impressive career in stadium techno. The label had other considerable successes with the likes of Black Science Orchestra, Farley and Heller’s Roach Motel and Fire Island projects, and a number of sub-labels (including the slightly deeper-oriented Jus’ Trax imprint) before going quiet at some point in the mid-noughties.

DJ International

Founded by Rocky Jones circa 1985, DJ International was one of the original first wave of Chicago house labels, alongside Larry Sherman’s Trax Records. Early releases from the likes of Sterling Void and Joe Smooth armed Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles with ample fodder for their legendary sets at the Music Box and The Warehouse, as well as providing a soundtrack for the acid house revolution across the pond a couple of years later. 

Further classics (all featuring the label’s trademark rimshots-and-repeated-vocal-samples) included Chip E.’s “Like This”, The It’s “Donnie” and Kenny ‘Jammin’ Jason’s “Can U Dance” - a record that recently enjoyed a renaissance, thanks to high-profile airings by the likes of Michael Mayer, Jackmaster and Optimo. There were also a number of excursions into hip-house, more often than not involving Tyree Cooper. 

DJ International’s sub-labels were equally illustrious: the short-lived Rhythm Beat (1991-1993) was home to QX-1’s haunting “Love Injection” and a handful of particularly jackin’ releases by Tyree as TC Crew. Underground, on the hand, ran from 1986 until 1995, trading in similar wares from such luminaries as Mike Dunn, K-Alexi, Fingers Inc. and E.S.P - furnishing a treasure trove of house gems from some of the Windy City’s finest.

Mo Wax

Founded in 1992, James Lavelle’s seminal Mo Wax label was a truly eclectic affair. Releases ran the gamut from conscious hip-hop and breaks to acid jazz and drum ‘n’ bass, all tied together somehow by an underlying aesthetic that was smoky, street-wise and sample-heavy. Early releases came from the likes of La Funk Mob (the Gallic downtempo duo later to be reincarnated as Cassius), Attica Blues, Palm Skin Productions and the nascent DJ Shadow, who went onto release one of the decade’s most critically celebrated albums, Endtroducing… via Mo Wax in 1996. 

There were also dusty leftfield beats from Japan’s DJ Krush, the demented and conceptual hip-hop of Dr. Octagon (formerly Kool Keith of the Ultramagnetic MCs) and of course, Rob Dougan’s “Clubbed to Death” - which reached no. 24 in the UK Singles Chart upon its 2002 re-release, following its inclusion in The Matrix that year. The label also served as a vehicle for Lavelle’s UNKLE project and its revolving cast of collaborators (DJ Shadow, Tim Goldsworthy, etc.). Their unmatched debut album Psyence Fiction was released on Mo Wax in 1998 and featured additional vocals from veritable superstars of rap (Beastie Boys, Kool G Rap) and indie/rock (Thom Yorke, Richard Ashcroft, Badly Drawn Boy). Musical output aside, Mo Wax was also a trendsetter in terms of its strong visual identity: Lavelle commissioned a number of collaborations with streetwear brands like A Bathing Ape, and worked closely with artists and designers like Futura 2000 and Ben Drury to produce striking artwork and other accompaniments.

Driftwood

Whilst maybe not quite as well known as some of the other entries on our list, for us Driftwood represents the very pinnacle of turn-of-the-century deep house: an almost sacred label spoke of in reverential tones by those who know. Norman Feller and Jean F. Cochois (aka Terry Lee Brown Jr. and The Timewriter) operated Driftwood with a firm emphasis on quality over quantity - putting out ten EPs of rich and refined house between 2000 and 2002 before retiring the label for good. The majority of Driftwood releases were produced by its founders, under a string of aliases including Elias, Jeremy, Drain Pipe and Da Kine. Other artists included Ronin, Robi Uppin and Håkan Lidbo (as Monsoon).

These days, second-hand copies of Driftwood records generally start at around €35 and go all the way up to €100+ for some releases (a copy of drift001 once sold for €170 according to the Discogs statistics): illustrating just how collectable and sought-after these tracks are. For those who’d like to get acquainted with the catalogue (without having to take out a second mortgage) we’d recommend Eric Cloutier’s excellent tribute mix - in his own words, “a long overdue homage to one of the best house labels ever conceived”.

Svek

It may have been founded by Stephan Grieder “for a laugh” (according to an interview with Jesper Dählback) but there’s nothing funny about Svek’s enviable track record when it came to putting out high-grade house and techno (not forgetting the odd bit of atmospheric drum ‘n’ bass). Based in Stockholm, the label ran from 1996 until 2003, with early releases comprised of knife-edge minimal and dubby tech house endeavours from the likes of Jesper Dählback, Chicago legend Gene Hunt and Stephan himself. But one of Svek’s greatest strengths was to be found in its diversity - the same period also featured chaste techno workouts from Alexi Delano and Ari Jukka’s own take on Dance Mania-indebted ghetto house, amongst further styles.

Svek had its fair share of bona-fide club hits: Jesper Dählback’s “What is the Time, Mr. Templar?” (as The Persuader) immediately springs to mind - a taut, serpentine roller of a track, a true masterclass in restraint. And then there’s Air Frog’s “Bon Voyage” (later licensed to R&S Records): devastating big-room techno with a bassline that could have been nicked from a jungle record. 

Skull Disco

Established by Sam Shackleton and Laurie “Appleblim” Osborne in 2005, Skull Disco (the name was Shackleton’s doing - “he is a lover of a good pun”, his label partner told RBMA) carved a singular path through the rapidly proliferating dubstep/140bpm landscape: marrying a murky and macabre aesthetic (both musical and visual) with a bass weight that’s even deadlier still. Skull Disco essentially released dubstep, but not as we knew it - heady, paranoid and intense music incorporating ethnic percussion, political references (track titles included Shackleton’s “Hamas Rule”) and occasional frenzied mutterings from guest vocalist Vengeance Tenfold. 

The label presented ten vinyl releases (plus two CD compilations) before closing its doors in 2008. Almost all of them came from Shackleton and Appleblim, save for collaborations with Peverelist and W. Scott Cree (as Gatekeeper). The Soundboy’s Gravestone Gets Desecrated by Vandals CD compiled a number of forward-thinking remixes of the catalogue, from the likes of Pole, T++ and Brendon Møller - acknowledging the techno influences detectable in the label’s later output. Post-Skull Disco, Appleblim immediately went about starting his own label - the excellent Apple Pips. Shackleton, on the other hand, released an album on Perlon before founding Woe To The Septic Heart! in November 2010.

Roulé

Launched by Thomas Bangalter in 1995 (a whole two years before Homework hit the shelves) Roulé laid the foundations for the emergent ‘French house’ phenomenon: disco-sampling dancefloor bombs with the filter resonance turned right up. The first release, Bangalter’s own Trax On Da Rocks EP, pushed a raucous, distorted and machine-driven sound, in apparent homage to the old-school Chicago greats later name-checked in “Teachers”. Later came the clattering funk of fellow Frenchman Alan Braxe’s “Vertigo” and further heat from Bangalter with “Spinal Scratch” - as well as additions from Roy Davis Jr. and the late, great Romanthony.

Roulé’s biggest hit, of course, came in the shape of the Chaka Khan-sampling filter house behemoth that was “Music Sounds Better With You” - a collaboration between Bangalter, Braxe and vocalist Benjamin Diamond as Stardust. Bangalter came close to replicating such success with “Together” and “So Much Love To Give”, both produced in conjunction with DJ Falcon (who also had a solo EP on the label). In terms of new material, the label’s been dormant since 2002 - the last release was Bangalter’s Irreversible soundtrack.

[dylanthompsonwords]

Interview: John Barera & Will Martin

(Originally published on DJBroadcast.net in September 2014).

In a contemporary musical landscape frequently dominated by dusty and over-distorted ‘outsider house’, Boston duo John Barera and Will Martin provide the perfect antidote: straightforward, dancefloor-primed house tracks with bags of charm and an optimum amount of soul. After their disco-sampling stomper “Reality” was selected by Steffi for her Panorama Bar CD last year, it’s been a whirlwind twelve months or so for the guys - culminating in the release of their debut long-player, Graceless, earlier this month. DJB got in touch to talk day jobs, influences and their local Boston club scene…

What is it that you like about working with each other? 

WM: We have a good workflow at this point - there’s always an urgency with getting ideas out and we’ve both gotten to a place where we can push each other along. John is a really great riff writer, he has a knack for finding the right thing to play within the first couple of tries, whereas for me it takes a little longer to find a hook.

JB: I like Will's digging abilities, and how seriously he takes everything. I like his drum programming, engineering and sound design abilities. I think our skill sets compliment each other very well, and most importantly we have a lot of fun in the studio together. All of the things I’m lacking in as a producer, Will is good at - and vice versa. It's become more and more evident that we fill in each other’s gaps really well. 

Have you found that you each adopt your own distinct roles when you’re making music or is it more fluid?

WM: There is definitely a certain amount of fluidity when we're in the studio. Both John and I are hopping back and forth between the synths, drum machines etc… trying different things out, seeing what works. Generally though, John leans towards the keys and I stick to the drums and sound design, and then we both get in there for the arranging and mixing. Mostly whatever is working at the time - we just stick with that and keep the process moving forward. 

John - are you still working at Forced Exposure (distribution company)?   

JB: Yes, I am coming up on my seventh year there actually. 

How do you manage to strike a healthy balance between the day job and music (both in terms of making music and playing gigs?)

JB: Taking rest periods - what it comes down to for me is being efficient with the free time that I do have outside of work and gigs. For example, I don't watch TV or movies very much at all, we don't have a TV. I am almost always thinking about playing or listening to music around the house. The past years have seen a heavier workload on me in terms of making music, DJing and travelling, but I love every minute of it and just continue to try to stay balanced and rest up. I’ve started making and working on tracks on my laptop for fun while I’m travelling, and when I’m some place for a gig I like to work on tracks in a studio the next afternoon, if there’s an opportunity to do so. My day job is like a musical temple of the stuff I like. I am one of the people who is selling it and saying "hey this is a dope record!" so it feeds quite well into my life as a musician and DJ.

The majority of releases on Supply so far have come from you guys and Soren Jahan, but the latest record (SUPPLY-008) featured a broader range of talent. Do you plan on keeping the label a close-knit affair or are there further plans to expand the roster?

JB: We do have further plans to expand the Supply records roster, and the next two records we have coming up will be introducing three new artists to the label: an Englishman, an Italian and an American. The label is mostly known for our productions so far but I would love it to just be known as an all-round quality record label and build a nice family of artists - and we have started for sure! Our next release is the first full EP from an artist who is not one of the label founders.

Certain strands of your collaborative output evoke the spirit of the golden age of disco-sampling house records. I’m thinking labels like Henry Street, Cajual - perhaps even Crydamoure/Roulé. Would you consider that kind of stuff to be a significant influence on your sound? 

WM: Yes, very much. I think that the friends we have surrounded ourselves with were all rooted in that sound at some point. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the music that comes out of Boston in the future has traces of that in it. 

JB: Without a doubt, some of the biggest influences on me (and I think Soren as well) when starting Supply were the great artist labels. The likes of Cajual, Roulé, KDJ, Metroplex, Novel Sound - we were dorking out on those records in the process of developing our sound. 

How did the hook-up with Steffi/Dolly come about? 

JB: Much to my surprise, some of the early supporters of the Supply Records releases included Steffi. She just reached out to me about a track for her Panorama Bar mix - we didn't know each other before that. When did you meet in person for the first time?

JB: At Hard Wax. We both happened to be record shopping there one afternoon. The track “Reality” with Will had just come out and I said “hi” to her. I remember I was carrying a drum machine I’d just bought. We talked a little bit and she gave me a couple of good tips. I was playing a record for her and asking about the bass sound and she recommended some synths, including a Moog Minitaur. I ended up grabbing one of those and it’s all over our album.

To what degree are you guys still involved with your local club scene in Boston?

WM: We both put a lot of energy into throwing parties in Boston. I do a monthly called Gallery - we just had Young Marco play at an after-hours spot for a really amazing party. Apart from throwing my own events, I try to make it out a couple times a week to support my friends’ gigs and be out listening to music. John is resident at a weekly on Thursday nights called Make It New that is consistently hosting great guests from around the world. Roman Flügel was just there this week. Our friends Brenden Wesley and Alfredo Rico Dimas throw a party called Social Studies that just had Moodymann last month. There's an exciting and vibrant scene going on in Boston for sure and it's been growing pretty steadily over the last couple of years. Both John and I definitely have some stake in that and care deeply about supporting it and keeping it going. 

JB: I guess I just like to try and create my own world and in my world I have a lot of great DJ and producer friends here who are throwing cool parties and making interesting tunes. I have gotten the chance to meet and talk to many of my techno and house heroes because one of my pals here in Boston took the effort to bring them out here, and I respect the scene here a lot. I recently played at a day party with Omar-S and François K that was really special for me. I feel like the scene here has been growing in leaps and bounds actually. I also started Gallery originally and Will came in when I went to Make it New. Our other roommate does a weekly party called Re:Set that I go to almost every week. They consistently have good artists coming in, including Chez Damier last year which was amazing. There's a great group of Boston DJ vets (DJ Bruno, Bob Diesel, K Civ, Kon) that I admire - guys who have been DJing for 20-30 years. I’ve been working on a DJ mix that I hope to publish soon that’s documenting many of the great producers here. It's not a utopia for clubbing but there's a large group of people who are putting serious effort into making it a great city for house and techno music, and that makes it a rewarding place to be a DJ and club-goer.

How important do you feel it is for DJs to have the experience of those kinds of regular gigs and residencies, in terms of honing their craft?

WM: Super important. Becoming a really good DJ has a lot to do with repetition and exposing yourself to all of the different variables that can present themselves in a party. Playing frequent gigs, setting up parties, talking to promoters/artists/club owners, doing the ‘grind’ basically. It can be wearing but it can also have the effect of giving you a real deep appreciation and understanding about what it takes to create a special party. The more you throw yourself into those situations, the more your understanding grows and the better you become. 

JB: The residencies I’ve had so far have played a huge role in the DJ learning process for me. Having that space to DJ regularly helps you to step up your game. Playing on my home turf is really fun at Make it New and the residents all have a special way of rocking that room for sure.

[dylanthompsonwords]

Album review: Call Super - Suzi Ecto

(Originally published on DJBroadcast.net in September 2014).

Over the course of a handful of singles and EPs on Houndstooth, Five Easy Pieces and Throne of Blood, JR Seaton’s output as Call Super has carved a singular path - abstaining from casual regurgitation of memes and motifs in lieu of something entirely more gripping and forward-thinking. Houndstooth, the Fabric-affiliated imprint helmed by Electronic Explorations’ Rob Booth, is arguably a natural fit for Seaton’s debut full-length opus. In a statement made at its inception, Booth acknowledged its connection to the London superclub but insisted that the label would have “a lot more of a license to operate beyond the realms of the dancefloor”. Despite not being a ‘dancefloor’ record per se, Seaton and Suzi Ecto’s roots and influences (or at least, the ones drawn from those spheres) remain palpable throughout; Call Super is able to shun the strictures imposed by ideas of what constitutes ‘club music’, whilst firmly keeping one foot in the rave.

It’s an incredibly textural, rich body of work that Seaton has compiled here. Seemingly disparate elements and threads are weaved together to cultivate these fleeting moments of lo-fi poignancy, recalling Actress’ Splaszh or perhaps some disjointed rendition of AI-era Warp Records. “Rosso Dew” seem to stumble forth like a half-broken machine, a series of fractured transmissions punctuated by whirrs, bleeps and automated murmurs, whilst its successor “Coney Storm Drain” comes off sounding particularly reminiscent of a life-support machine. Elsewhere, tracks like “Raindance”, with its gentle crashing waves and throttled steel drums, summon a kind of sanguine, sun-drenched mood. “Okko Ink” transplants this vague exotica into a more nebulous realm, by way of its Middle Eastern-sounding scales and knackered CR-78 loops. The effervescent broken beat of “Dovetail” stands out as one of many highpoints; equal parts Holden and Hessle Audio, it’s also one of the few tracks that might actually one day find its way into a DJ set.

Indeed, throughout the album’s eleven tracks it feels as though Call Super is attempting to articulate a sense of otherness - a hazy, amorphous aesthetic that’s largely divorced from functional ‘dancefloor’ obligations, and all the better for it. With Suzi Ecto, JR Seaton has crafted an unconventional and absorbing debut album and continued to refine a style of music-making that defies worthwhile comparison.

[dylanthompsonwords]

Album review: Roman Flügel - Happiness Is Happening

(Originally published on DJBroadcast.net in September 2014).

At this stage in the game it feels almost pointless introducing Roman Flügel: for the best part of two and a half decades the long-haired man from Darmstadt has been churning out records with an exasperating level of both variety and consistency. Working alone and in conjunction with long-standing partner Jörn Elling Wuttke, he’s pretty much done it all - from Alter Ego’s stadium electro to Sensorama’s playful electronica and Roman IV’s US house-inflected offerings. 2011’s Fatty Folders (his first solo album under his own name) was a typically diverse affair, taking cues from his earlier, more minimal-leaning output on Playhouse, as well as the plaintive deep house of Dial labelmates like Lawrence and John Roberts. Subsequent singles on Live at Robert Johnson and Clone Jack For Daze ran the gamut from dreamy broken beat (“Girls With Status”) to idiosyncratic downtempo (“Thank You Jack”) and straightforward yet effective 3am bombs (“More&more&more”). It wouldn’t be unfair to say that Happiness is Happening is essentially the sound of an artist with nothing left to prove.

In a recent interview with RA, Flügel stated that his new album would do away with the “bongos” of its predecessor and herald a return to a more “machine-driven” sound. The album features what certainly sounds like an array of coveted vintage machines, but occasionally it feels as though Roman’s allowed this gear-lust to take precedence over other aspects of his craft. Opener “Connecting The Ghost” feels like an appropriate statement of intent: a sprawling slow-motion chugger that recalls Axel Willner’s work as Loops of Your Heart, or any number of similarly Krautrock-indebted artists. It’s drenched with distorted analog textures and squealing feedback but a lack of variation (rhythmically and elsewhere) ultimately fails to draw the listener in. Sweeping pads and breathy choirs keep things pretty kosmische on “Friendship Song”, which saunters along in a quaint mood entirely befitting of its title - much like “We Have A Nice Life”, a track just as warm and fuzzy as its name implies. “Wilkie” evokes mid-noughties Kompakt, a glistening slice of optimism that would further suggest that happiness definitely is happening for Roman these days.

The album's strongest moments occur when Flügel manages to offset these stirring, emotionally-charged atmospherics with plenty of percussive fervour. The contemplative chimes of “Your War Is Over” might be classic Dial, but its feverish snares provide enough urgency to keep things ticking over. Third track “Stuffy” is the pick of the album for me: the listener is lulled into a false sense of security before coming face to face with a phalanx of clamouring 808s and sub-bass. “Tense Times” feels just as fierce, albeit slightly slower - a rigid, bleepy crawler that wouldn’t sound out of place in a modern-day Weatherall set. In essence, Happiness is Happening is a respectable addition to one of electronic music’s most illustrious back catalogues, but it’s far from Flügel at his finest. It says a lot about the man’s stature that these kind of complaints can be made but there’s little in here that’s truly gripping - rather a collection of tracks illustrating that which we already know he’s capable of doing (admittedly very well). Maybe keep the bongos next time?

[dylanthompsonwords]

Interview: Slow Life

(Originally published on teshno in May 2014)

In the space of just two releases, Berlin’s Slow Life posse have caught the attention of heads and Discogs speculators worldwide with their own idiosyncratic brand of sultry and celestial deep house. Distributed by Kristina Records, their “Fuck The Clock EP” finally hit shelves in late April after a long delay. teshno’s Dylan Thompson caught up with crew members Cecilio and Laurine to find out a little bit more…

Can you tell me a little bit about the Slow Life collective? How many of you are there? How did you come to meet?

Right! There are six of us in total, four of us DJs – Laurine, Cecilio, DJ Tree and Mayto – and two producers – Sergio and Pepe. more of us are starting to produce though, too. At the beginning it was three of us just meeting with some gear in common, and then we realised that we had more shared goals than just making music, and that more than the three of us were involved…

Four of us are originally from Spain and two of us are from Italy. the Italians (Francesco and Lauri) already knew each other from London, and three of us Spaniards already knew each other from Cordoba. It was around three years ago – we all met and connected at first sight.

Why choose the name “Slow Life”? Is it a luddite rejection of today’s fast-paced information society? Or does it just sound cool?

Mainly, it made sense with our way of living… the name came in the beginning, Even before the project developed into what it is now. We were hooked on the slow life movement, and its deep meaning. We think that it’s really important to have time for your passions, and today’s society does not help with that. And we also loved how it sounded.

Speaking of “slow” – what was the deal with SL001 taking so long to hit the shops? Could you clarify what happened for us?

Actually it was too sloooow even for us! Firstly, we were going to press the record in a French pressing plant, and just after we got the test pressings (which were wrong anyway) they went bankrupt, and we lost the money we’d invested, and the lacquers. We were waiting for a solution from them, but in the mean time, we realised that we had too much material to drop, so we decided to go ahead with the 002 first.

Also, already in the new production of the 001, the release got delayed for many reasons: mainly because the new pressing plant failed (once again!) and pressed them with the wrong labels, from a hardcore release…

Blimey, that does sound stressful. I noticed on the Discogs comments for SL001 that someone said they thought it was a big publicity stunt – building the hype before finally releasing it. SL002 currently sells for a fair bit, despite having only been released last year. How do you feel about that?

Hehe… I know, I had to deal with those comments. About the 002 Discogs prices – it’s mainly for the ‘cogs hype… it’s not only about new and limited releases, many old records that were really cheap couple of years ago are now unaffordable, we suffer that too. We are not happy about it, but we think it is a lost fight, unless you keep repressing and repressing – we want to focus on releasing new material. Anyway, from time to time, represses of high demanded ones will be coming.

Ah, good news for folks who missed out then. But yeah, high prices for these amazing old records can be really frustrating. I guess the easy solution is to just look a little harder for more obscure tracks...

Right! It’s actually a main issue for us – not only to focus on new material, or hyped ones, but also to dig deeper, finding those obscure gems, there still are tons of them.

Any tips on good labels or artists from the past that you feel don’t get enough recognition?

Hmmm… we are not fans of charting or track listing mixes. Anyway, not an easy question. We like and buy many genres of music from a lot of different artists and labels, let’s see if any tip comes to our mind.

I can respect that attitude – I’m the same, to be fair.

Norken/Metamatics is one that comes to mind, we all love his music and buy his records… truly deep! And he does not have the recognition that he deserves, in our opinion.

Ahhh yeah. I love that “Meander” track of his. really fast but great. Do you guys do a lot of digging in berlin then? Any favourite spots?

Yes, but to be honest it’s more a Discogs thing. Second hand, all shops here know the value of the records they have, so it’s not always the best option. But we love some spots, where we usually find good stuff – like Audio-In or the “well-known” Record Loft. For new material, its all about Hardwax, OYE and hhv.de (for prices).

It’s interesting you say that about them knowing the value of their records. It kind of ruins it – their access to Discogs means you’ll never get a real bargain. Good for finding records that aren’t on YouTube though…

True that!

To go back to your label’s releases – I noticed they were mastered by Mark Richardson, who of course did a lot of the great old ‘90s Chicago labels (Prescription, Cajual, Dance Mania, etc). What was the thinking behind getting Mark involved?

Since the beginning, I always knew it was all about him doing the mastering. He is truly a master of his thing and a big favourite – most of our favourite records have his trademark. We think the music we release deserves the character that he provides.

Well they sound great anyway. The heavyweight pressing makes a difference too! That’s one thing about old records – it’s a shame finding an amazing old record with a really poor, thin pressing.

Thanks! We want them to be released in full quality. As you said, back in the day it wasn’t always a priority.

So what’s next for Slow Life then? Can we expect another release any time soon?

Sure! Unmastered snippets of the next one will be hopefully available next week. We have much material ready to be released, from us and from friends/guests, but we prefer to keep the names hidden as not to jinx them…

Very exciting. How about you guys – any good DJ gigs coming up that you’re looking forward to?

Yes! In June we are heading to Barcelona (Sonar week) and then in July we’re playing at the Art Of Dark anniversary in London. Also some local gigs here in Berlin that keep on coming…

We would just like to add that Slow Life is not an artist itself, which many people seem to have misunderstood… as we said, we are a collective, so if Slow Life is on a line-up, it means that part of the crew will be heading.

[dylanthompsonwords]

Single review: Mood II Swing - various represses

(Originally published on teshno in April 2014).

With all of this in mind, a total of five (yes, five) Mood II Swing represses are scheduled for release in the next month or so - three of which I may or may not have already owned. The Move Me, Do It Your Way and I See You Dancing EPs (released on Music For Your Ears and Groove On, respectively, in 1995-96) represent, in my eyes, the pinnacle of John Ciafone and Lem Springsteen’s collaborative canon, equalled only by the haunting, drawn-out groove of their “Borderline Insanity Dub” mix of Crustation’s “Flame”.

“Move Me” opens with urgent hi-hats and a slightly-knackered sounding dub techno stab straight out of a Maurizio record. An understated bassline appears to rise out of the smog, accompanied by more paranoia-evoking stabs and a choice sample of African-American writer Barbara Ann Teer talking about universities, dancing and feeling lifted. Feeling raised. I can only imagine what this track must have sounded like in 1995 because there’s still nothing that sounds quite like it. It’s an incredibly dark track done with such subtlety, such sexiness, that you couldn’t even really try to rip it off. The “Alternative Mix” on the A2 never really did it for me. The quirks and the darkness are done away with, the spoken word retained and a much more palatable bassline added: I’m sure it’d work fine in a club, but somehow the magic’s been lost along the way. On the b-side, “Call Me” succeeds in flipping the script with a canny, swinging ode to telephones; there’s Rhodes chords, muttered bits of vocal (“Yo… yo… yo… can you hear me?”) and the crunchiest open hi-hat this side of Brooklyn - all providing a much more manageable blueprint for the plagiaristically-minded. It’s far from hugely inventive but if you’re looking for slick, classy ‘90s NY house, you couldn’t really do any better. The crunchy hi-hat returns on “Function”, another peak-time bomb - a little more sample-heavy, and probably not to everyone’s tastes, but potent nonetheless. I’d be lying if I said I’d gone off this track a bit since buying it, but maybe that’s just me.

On “Do It Your Way”, an absolute belter of a bassline is borrowed from Vincent Montana Jr.’s “The Toys Come to Life” - underpinning a spoken word sample from what sounds like another empowered African-American female. “Learn to love yourself”, she intones. Shuffling drums roll on and on for over nine minutes but this groove’s far too irresistible to ever become tedious. B1 track “All Night Long” might be my favourite thing Mood II Swing ever made: a wholly life-affirming record that’s all swirling pads, fleeting chord flourishes and wistful nostalgia. “I’m dying to rock with you all night long, ‘cos you’ve been on my mind”. It’s that simple really - a dreamy little gem that toes the line of being cheesy without ever overstepping the mark. One for hazy, serotonin-impaired mornings in your mate’s living room, a proper reminder of just how good house music can be. B2 track “I Like It” ultimately fails to hold its own next to the other two - it’s a fun, drum-led track with some of the same dubbed-out moods as “Move Me”, but somehow feels less substantial.

“I See You Dancing” and its accompanying “Remix” version feel slightly more like products of their time - functional, bass-heavy club excursions with plenty of charm, but a nagging sense of datedness (see the two rather ambitious breakdown/build-up sections in the remix and see what I mean). “Slippery Track” on the other hand is a crawling, squawking proto-minimal beast that hasn’t aged a day, with M2S proving once again that less can sometimes mean more. When listening to this track (and it is definitely a track, rather than a song), I always like to imagine a little Pac-Man racing his way around a maze, remorselessly gobbling up pills, propelled forwards by the hi-hat. If anything though, it demonstrates the duo’s versatility - crafting these sort of druggy bangers alongside big vocal cuts such as “Closer” or their ubiquitous Ultra Naté remix. “Ohh” on the B2 is cut largely from the same cloth as “All Night Long”, and thus, unsurprisingly, is a perennial favourite. Dislocated vocal snippets and quietly anthemic chords convey a contemplative mood that’s quite hard to place: lingering vaguely somewhere between joy and sorrow. Prime afterhours fodder once again then, and another classic from one of the greatest back catalogues in house history. Now go and buy them all.