Bridging the generation gap right here, the Druffalo Hit Squad lends a helping hand with a heads up call to the hopes and dreams of boys and girls anywhere, anytime, anyplace. You might feel disillusioned, disenchanted, shattered, heartbroken, isolated, ignored, left over, left out, misunderstood, mistreated, underestimated, unwanted and unloved. We’ve been there. We suffered. We nearly dropped. But we draw conclusions. And we reached out. And we set in motion. And we found what we were looking for. This is for the survivors…
The Colourfield – Castles In The Air (Chrysalis) Heaven 17 – Let Me Go (Virgin) Mike Francis – Survivor (RCA) Chris Rea – Josephine (Magnet) David Bowie/Pat Metheny – This Is Not America (EMI America) Laid Back – Fly Away (Metronome) Madness – Yesterdays Men (Virgin) The Pale Fountains – Unless (Virgin) ABC – All Of My Heart (Neutron) Culture Club – Romance Beyond The Alphabet (Virgin) Icehouse – No Promises (Chrysalis) Tears For Fears – Advice For The Young At Heart (Fontana) The Dream Academy – The Love Parade (Blanco Y Negro) Talk Talk – It’s My Life (EMI) Bryan Ferry – Don’t Stop The Dance (EG) The Stranglers – Always The Sun (Epic) Electronic – Getting Away With It (Factory) The Lotus Eaters – You Don’t Need Someone New (Arista) Spandau Ballet – Gold (Chysalis) Danny Wilson – Mary’s Prayer (Virgin) The The – Uncertain Smile (Epic) Pet Shop Boys – Being Boring (Parlophone) The Go-Betweens – Bachelor Kisses (WEA) Blancmange – Waves (London)
Brian Protheroe – Pinball Ned Doheny – Get It Up For Love Bobby Caldwell – What You Won’t Do For Love Hall & Oates – Sara Smile Roxy Music – Just Like You Yvonne Elliman – I’ll Be Around Samantha Sang – Emotion Hot – Angel In Your Arms Angela Bofill – Angel Of The Night Maria Muldaur – Midnight At The Oasis Elkie Brooks – Only Love Can Break Your Heart Karla Bonoff – Personally Jorge Santana – Tonight You’re Mine Toto – Georgy Porgy Lulu – You Win, I Lose Rupert Holmes – Him Frankie Valli – Grease Mary Macgregor – I’ve Never Been To Me Olivia Newton-John – Please Don’t Keep Me Waiting Boz Scaggs – Lowdown Bette Midler – Hang On In There Baby Salazar – Never Gonna Let You Go Fleetwood Mac – Sara Genesis – Follow Me, Follow You Jan Hammer Group – Don’t You Know Elton John – Mama Can’t Buy You Love Agnetha Fältskog – Wrap Your Arms Around Me The Korgis – Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime Climax – Precious And Few The Hollies – Ait That I Breathe David Bowie – Moonage Daydream Scott Walker – Do I Love You Crosby, Stills & Nash – Just A Song Before I Go Al Stewart – End Of The Day
Die zweite 12” von Lullabies In The Dark auf dem Münchner Label nimmt sich ein Herz und langt hin mit den Rockismen wo andere zurückzucken. Die Akustische mit der verträumten Hypnosemelodie im Hintergrund täuscht schwelgendes Gemeinschaftsgefühl an, aber dann sind selbst die holzigen Beats akustisch geschneidert, die Synth-Loops schütteln das Gebräu auf, und dann knallt er der Korken, in Form des breitbeinigsten Schweinerockgitarrensolos seit man auf Ibiza noch zu der James Gang über den Bong stolperte. Und dann Abbruch, alle fallen übereinander. Fantastisch. Superpitcher bemüht sich sehr tapfer, den ganzen Irrsinn auf emotionales Poppertum herunter zu destillieren, aber er steht letztendlich etwas konsterniert als einziger in Daunenjacke unter lauter Wildleder auf dem Happening. Aber Claude Hooper Bukowski und George Berger sind in Hair am Ende auch gute Freunde geworden.
We’re sorted out for E’s and Wizz, the stereo of the overcrowded Jensen Interceptor heading up the M25 is blasting out The Spinmasters, while the Druffalos either make guestlist calls, read the latest Morley or WSC, sort out which trainers to wear or look nervously on the fuel display. We await 20000 hardcore members in longsleeves in a disused hangar in the middle of a field. We saw the lasers a while ago but we already missed the exit three times, ran out of water and beer, got police on our back, and it’s getting pitch dark.
This is the sound of the Druffalo Hit Squad’s UK edition of the international Rave Chronicles. Now hear this!
Bassheads – Non Verbal Communication (Deconstruction) Shades Of Rhythm – Musical Freedom (Aquatic) Yin Yang – Oh One (Rumour) Dr. Baker – Kaos (Desire) Orbital – Fahrenheit 3D3 (FFRR) The Garden Of Eden – The Serpent In The Garden (Pepper) Mark Rutherford – Get Real (Fourth & Broadway) Nemesis – After The Storm (Intrigue) Break The Limits – Fire Away (Break The Limits) Hardcore – Get A Little Stupid (XL) Nicolette – Single Minded People (Shut Up And Dance) Paradox – Jailbreak (Ronin) For This II – Trak 1 (Ozone) Eurythmics – Sweet Dreams (RCA) Midi Rain – Always (Vinyl Solution) N Joi – Malfunction (Deconstruction) Bizarre Inc – Technological (Blue Chip) Baby Ford – Fordtrax (Rhythm King) Altern 8 – Objective (Network) C & M Connection – Bio Rhythms (Network) The Black Dog – Erb (General Productions) Nightmares On Wax- Aftermath (Warp) Unique 3 – The Theme (Ten) Cyclone – A Place Called Bliss (Network) Fila Brazillia – Mermaids (Pork) A Guy Called Gerald – Untitled (CBS) 808 State – Pacific State (ZTT) Fine Young Cannibals – I’m Not The Man I Used To Be
Daniel Wangs Label Balihu hat ohne Zweifel jede Menge Boden bereitet für die Space Cadets der gegenwärtigen Auseinandersetzung mit Disco und Artverwandtem. Dennoch hielt sich Wang in all dem Hype vornehm zurück, mal abgesehen von der Ilya Santana 12“ von 2004, die seinem Konzept von Disco allerdings sehr offenkundig und detailgetreu schmeichelte, und seiner EP als Oto Gelb von letztem Jahr, einem wunderlich-charmantem Statement zur Edit-Kultur und seiner Leidenschaft für Orchestrales. Den Weg des Hauses beschreitet nun der in Berlin lebende Italiener Massimiliano Pagliara fort, der schon seit einiger Zeit als DJ mit Expertenwissen und Archivar eines stetig anwachsenden analogen Geräteparks von sich reden macht. Das sind natürlich die besten Voraussetzungen und in der Tat sind hier alle mit dem Label assoziierten Klangkoordinaten an Ort und Stelle. Kaskaden verträumt modulierender Synthies prasseln ringsumher herab, kompakt zusammengezurrt von 808-Beats und Boogie-Licks, und erwecken Bilder von zufriedener Künstlichkeit und romantischem Futurismus. Blumig fürwahr, diese Übertragung, mit leuchtenden Farben und Liebe im Herzen.
Der Titeltrack ist eins dieser umfangreichen Akkordepen, kitschfrei, aber immer noch eine Schippe drauf. Eine Showtreppe in House, nach oben beschritten, und dann sind da noch mehr Stufen. Da wird man ganz benommen von. Der lässige Funk mit Slap, in den sich das Stück gen Ende entblättert, an dem bleibt man dann ganz plötzlich hängen. Da könnte man glatt mehr von haben, denkt man so bei sich. Und „Tectonic Moves“ auf der Rückseite macht dann tatsächlich genau da weiter. Der Track macht sich auf einem griffigen Boogie-Fundament locker, lässt die Sounds dubbig darüber wischen und hat dabei einen schöneren Bart in der Disco als so manch andere in der Schublade. Der Dub im Gespann mit Ingo Sänger fühlt sich im Prinzip sehr ähnlich an, aber die darüber wischenden Sounds sind eben noch dubbiger. Im Ergebnis ein Fotofinish.
This is very early electronic music, from White Noise’s first album from 1969. They were among the first to use synthesizers in a rock context and their music became very influential later on. This particular track seems indeed way ahead of its contemporaries, and it is pretty wild.
I didn’t know that at all. I had problems listening through it, it is almost disturbing. From today’s point of view it maybe is not that overtly experimental anymore, but setting it into the time of its production, it is very cool.
There certainly was not much comparable music back then.
The sound is very good. They already had synthesizers? There is a lot of space in the production. If you would not have told me, I would never have guessed that it is so old. The arrangement and the noisy parts reminded me of destructed Amen breaks, totally distorted. Very interesting.
Quartz – Chaos
The next one is by Quartz from France . Also early synthesizer music, but within a disco context.
I was not into that at all. My calendar does not really start before 1990 or so. Even stuff like early Model 500, Cybotron, it is ok, but it’s not mine. I also can’t get into Kraftwerk. What has been called techno from 1990 on was what got me to listen to music consciously for the first time. I was never the one to check the influences on music that I like. I know Disco only from TV, Saturday Night Fever and such. I was never really interested in it.
Is that based on a basic antipathy towards the sounds of disco music?
There was a short period I found it exciting, around the time the filter and cut-up disco house arrived with DJ Sneak, all the sample stuff. But that was over pretty soon when all the records started to sound the same. So yes, it is based on principle that I don’t like the sounds too much.
So you were more interested in how a track was built on samples than where they came from?
Exactly. It was fascinating to me how all could be said in a loop that went for three minutes, if it was a cool one. Longer than that it could get boring. Of course you can’t compare that to what happens in the original disco track, there was more happening there than in house tracks, which only used bits. It was interesting that many people used the same samples and you became aware that there must some source for it. But sample based productions are not my philosophy. I never wanted to just use bits of other people’s music.
Those disco house records also did not always pay tribute to disco, they deconstructed it, and often in a not very respectful manner.
Not at all. It’s strange how American producers often deal with each other, all that stealing amongst themselves. But in the end we all benefited from that (laughs). Read the rest of this entry »
The Druffalo Hit Squad welcomes you to a new irregular series of showcases, which will feature our personal highlights from the international bastions of rave. For no particular reason whatsoever, we would like to dedicate the first installment to the most underrated rave nation: Canada. We assembled some extra hi-biased strobe anthems for the occasion, and played them on +8.
Nick Holder – Erotic Illusions (Strobe) Psyance – Andromeda’s Dance (Plus 8) Infra-Red – Metamorphis (Strobe) How II House – Lift The Nation (Outer Rhythm) Infra-Red – Love Me, Love Me (Strobe) F.U.S.E. – Phase 1 (Plus 8) Z-Formation – Brutal (Hi-Bias) Nick Holder – Frantic (Strobe) States Of Mind – Destiny (Strobe) Psyance – EQ (Plus 8) Infra-Red – Falling From The Light (Strobe) Psyance – Motion (Plus 8) Infra-Red – The Verge (Strobe) Cybersonik – Technarchy (Plus 8) Chrome – My Reflection (Plus 8) How II House – I Want U 2 Love Me (Strobe) Trancendence – Magique Noire (Strobe) States Of Mind – Elements Of Tone (Plus 8) Infra-Red – Calibrate This (Strobe) Hayden Andre Project – Broken Chains (Strobe) The Uprising – You Can Wait (Hi-Bias) Blunted Dummies – House For All (Definitive) The R.A.S.E. – Say It Loud (Strobe) Christina Lorr – Dark As The Night (Hi-Bias) Syndicate 305 – I Promise (Hi-Bias) Helen Sharpe – Got 2 Have Your Love (Strobe) Subculture – The Voyage (Strobe) Infra-Red – Love Honey (Strobe)
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