The DJs of the disco era not only struggled with belt-driven turntables, they also had to cope with live drumming and music arrangements that distracted their crowds. So some of them took scissors and tape and did their own edits. And some were so good at it that they earned a reputation and a studio career with it, and their edits or remixes became as popular as the music they were using, or even more. The first remix service label to gather and publish these efforts was Disconet, as early as 1977. Early remix service releases often contained medleys or little sets mixed by club DJs (foreshadowing the megamixes of the years to come), but more and more the remixes and edits became the centre of attention. In just a few years very many different remix service labels came into being, with different in-house remixers and musical agendas. The appeal of the idea began to fade when labels included their own assigned official remixes on their releases, and an increase in copyright issues in the 90s meant that most remix services went out of business. But even if the legal situation in the preceding years was quite unclear, the creative potential was not. From local to widely acclaimed DJs and from established to emerging studio talents a lot of people had their go at popular or obscure music and came up with lasting results, and they paved the way for the more modern and still thriving edit scene.
Abba – Lay All Your Love On Me (Peter Slaghuis Remix) (Buy This Record, 1981)
This
is actually a remix of a Raul Rodriguez remix originally released on
Disconet. Peter Slaghuis extended the weird start-stop-breaks to
highly irritating three minutes before the song kicks in at last,
like a hymn from the heavens descending onto a crash derby. The
breaks continue to disrupt the song throughout the whole record, the
loops are edited quite heavy-handedly, and the sound quality is
really atrocious. Still this is a remarkable example of how radical
an edit can be, and it was even more radical when it came out. And it
still works a treat on the floor.
Steve
Algozino added synth and edited a four minute album track into a
seven minute disco plea for a better tomorrow. For those who like to
compare a good night out to a religious experience, including telling
it from all mountain tops.
Eleven
minutes of drama and a whole lot of thunderous sound effects, of
which the original version inexplicably had none. It is totally
overdone, but it is also quite impressive too. And you might actually
be soaking wet if you dance the whole thing through.
B.B. & Band – All Night Long (Will Crocker & Jack Cardinal Remix) (Disconet, 1982)
An
excellent version of this heavily funked up italo disco sequencer
boogie classic. The changes are mainly in length and structure, but
they sure sound as if they were needed.
Stephanie Mills – Pilot Error (Hot Tracks, 1983)
The
original version on the Casablanca label has a really superior
pressing quality, but the wild flanger action on this more than makes
up for that. It shoots a slightly eerie, but still earthbound boogie
gem into outer space. Flight time also extended.
Lipps Inc. – Funkytown (Bob Viteritti Edit) (Hot Tracks, 1984)
An
anthem at San Francisco‘s Trocadero Transfer club, edited by its
very own resident DJ Bob Viteritti. The spacetastic additional synths
are played by none other than the legendary Patrick Cowley, a regular
at the club, and they open up a whole other universe.
Jimmy Ruffin – Hold On To My Love (Robbie Leslie Remix) (Disconet, 1984)
A
sweet little Robin Gibb co-written soul mover, until New York City‘s
Saint resident DJ Robbie Leslie decided to turn it into an anthem of
epic proportions, particularly by riding the enormous refrain for
five extra minutes. This was actually the last record the crowd ever
danced to at the Saint‘s closing weekend, which really says a lot.
Mari Wilson – Let‘s Make This Last (Razormaid, 1984)
This
track was an unusual release for the Compact Organization label‘s
60‘s beehive pop revivalist diva. But that the Razormaid remix team
completely restructured and improved the original version was very
usual for their standards, resulting in an even smarter take on
Hi-NRG.
Roxy Music – Angel Eyes (Joseph Watt Remix) (Razormaid, 1984)
Needs
more suspense in the first bit and inbetween, thought Razormaid, but
they also added sophistication to the whole song. And bringing one of
the best dressed style icons to the club surely was no mistake
either.
Machine – There But For The Grace Of God (Glenn Cattanach Edit) (Hot Tracks, 1987)
This
just neglects the piano intro, you may think, and instead uses a
looped groove to ease into the song. It also extends the break, and
adds an outro loop at the end. Well, this is not the only blueprint
for the more recent editing of disco tracks for DJ convenience
purposes, but it shows how you achieve better mixability while
leaving all the greatness of the source material untouched. Even
consider it a reminder.
Hard Corps – Lucky Charm (Razormaid, 1987)
A
lot of Razormaid releases are easier to mix than the original
versions, wrecking a lot of intros in the process. Then again
Razormaid were always quite ambitious in terms of restructuring, and
also quite subtle in adding their own trademark sound design without
taking away anything that should not be taken away. And Razormaid
have a cult following for a reason.
Big Ben Tribe – Heroes (Steve Bourasa Edit) (Rhythm Stick, 1990)
I
always felt the dreamy italo disco take on the David Bowie classic
was near perfect, but it should last longer, without risking this
perfection. Thankfully I found this edit by Steve Bourasa, who
apparently thought exactly the same, and he had the skills.
Dead Or Alive – Your Sweetness Is Your Weakness („Silver Bullet“ Mix by Peter Fenton) (Art Of Mix, 1991)
Dead
Or Alive were actually really big in Japan. So big even that they
released some of their music only in Japan, and some of their finest
music too. Buying the original 12“ of this wonderful piano house
romp will not come cheap, but do not worry, as there is this (still)
affordable and fantastic version hidden on a 12“ on the Art Of Mix
remix service, because they are not called remix services for
nothing. The mix merges Dead Or Alive‘s „Son Of A Gun“ from
1986 with their Japanese market stormer, as if they were twins
separated at birth.
P.M. Dawn – Set Adrift On Memory Bliss (Bradley Hinkle & Tim Robertson) (Ultimix, 1991)
P.M.
Dawn did not win many hearts in the hip hop scene when they sampled a
very popular blue-eyed soul ballad, and used the same seriously dope
beat Eric B & Rakim on their seminal „Paid In Full“. Rakim
and Prince Be are really hard to compare, I admit. This remix even
only slightly alters the original. Well until there is a break and
then the second half is Spandau Ballet‘s song in its entirety
riding the very same seriously dope beat. Which is one of the
greatest things ever.
Culture Club – Time (Clock Of The Heart) (Chris Cox Remix) (Hot Tracks, 1994)
I
realized I am now old enough to accept that I will probably never
find the vinyl with this remix for a price I can live with. So I
might as well show it to anybody else. Culture Club‘s arguably
finest moment, and in my humble opion one of the 80s finest pop
moments as well, in a superlative remix that manages to double both
length and listening pleasure. I would not change a second of it.
Wenn heutzutage ein DJ in einem Techno- oder Houseset eine von der Geschwindigkeit passende Hip Hop-Platte auflegen würde, wäre mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit augenblicklich Stille im Saloon, der betreffende Booker würde Stoßgebete gen Himmel richten, und die Forenserver gingen in Rauch auf. Gelegentliche Ausflüge von Erfolgsproduzenten -und Rappern in die Dance-Kultur einerseits, man erinnere sich beispielsweise an Snoop Doggs famosen Flötenhouse-Ausrutscher “Sexual/Sensual Eruption”, und gelegentliche Ausflüge von Erfolgsproduzenten- und DJs in die Hip Hop-Kultur andererseits, man erinnere sich beispielsweise an unselige Gastauftritte auf irgendwelchen Ed Banger-Platten o.ä., haben im Prinzip den Burgfrieden nicht wieder hergestellt. Hip Hopper halten Clubmusik für oberflächlich und schwul (oder auch für nicht lukrativ genug, zu wenig materialistisch, zu wenig poppende Glocks), und Clubmusiker halten Hip Hop für oberflächlich und nicht schwul genug (oder auch für zu lukrativ, zu materialistisch, zu viel poppende Glocks). Man wirft sich gegenseitig vor, falsche Botschaften auszusenden, und bezichtigt sich der Irrelevanz. Die eine Fraktion schüttelt den Kopf über falsche Drogen und Gehampel und sinnlose Eskapismen, die andere Fraktion schüttelt den Kopf über falsche Drogen, Statussymbole und sinnlose Gangsterismen. Die gemeinsamen Wurzeln, sie werden geschichtsklitternd unter den Teppich gekehrt. Die Zeiten, als im Club beides ging, sowieso. Alle Behauptungen, dass man sich da wieder annähern würde, sind Nischeneinblicke ohne Realitätsanbindung. Zulange hat es sich die große Mehrheit der Hip Hop-Kultur unterhalb der 120er-bpm-Grenze in Kopfnickertempi gemütlich gemacht, zulange hat sich die Tanzmusikkultur damit begnügt, der anderen Seite ein generelles inhaltliches Armutszeugnis auszustellen. 1988 etwa war das alles noch kein Problem. Der energetische Sloganismus von Public Enemy oder das unterschätzte Frühwerk der Stereo MCs liefen auf jeder amtlichen britischen oder kontinentaleuropäischen Acid House-Party (wo entgegen dem gegenwärtigen clubkulturellen Revisionismus keineswegs nur 303-Geblubber lief, sondern alles zwischen Barry White und Lisa Stansfield einen Auftritt haben konnte), und selbst ein düster-dräuendes Biest wie “Follow The Leader” war eine frenetisch gefeierte Hymne. Und warum auch nicht? Rakim, der weltcoolste MC, war schon früh via Sampling in den Dance-Kanon aufgenommen, und der soundtrackhafte Charakter des Stücks passte bestens in die funktionale Psychedelik der Strobonebelwelt. Noch war alles gemeinsam 4/4, und solange die DJs es schlüssig zusammenbringen konnten, war es schlüssig zusammengebracht. Und eigentlich könnte das jetzt wieder klappen. Die Slow Motion-House-Bewegung hat sich schon fast so heruntergedrosselt, dass man bei der überwiegenden Hängerdynamik von Hip Hop anklatscht, jeder dritte Pos(t)erboy-Emo-House-Produzent behauptet im ersten Interview, in der Jugend quasi nichts anderes gehört zu haben, ein bisschen House vielleicht noch, und die Rap-Elite ist auf der Sinnsuche immerhin schon bei Daft Punk und Haddaway angelangt. Man könnte also auch problemlos die Edit-Kanone aufeinander richten. Entweder es gibt dann wieder einen Leader mit reichlich Followern, oder man redet anschließend überhaupt nicht mehr miteinander, vielleicht nicht einmal mehr übereinander. Aber probieren geht über studieren.
> Backroom Productions – Definition Of A Track ( New York Underground Records) 1988
A rare tune from 1987. Indeed nothing but a track.
I knew this from the vinyl edition of the DJ-Kicks by Terranova. At that time it fit right in with what they were trying to represent with that compilation. I used to play this track regularly back then, it was very good for warming up.
So you actually know this for quite some time then.
Yeah, of course! I was not into Terranova that much, but the compilation had some brilliant tracks on it. East Flatbush Project and such.
This has some kind of Hip Hop vibe to it, too. But it does not exactly sound like 1988.
No, and I didn’t know that (laughs).
Would you still play it?
Definitely. I don’t know when and for what occasion but it is a class track.
It somehow reminds me of the bonus beats they used to have on the flipside of old House records.
Yeah, but bonus beats have gone out of fashion a bit, apart from Hip Hop. Argy had some for that Sydenham track “Ebian” on Ibadan last year. But I think it is not really relevant anymore for the current generation of House producers.
The percussive elements really distinguish the sound of that era from today’s productions. Lots of handclaps, or here it’s rimshots.
My problem is that I don’t really like all these percussion sounds from drum machines. I prefer sampled real instruments. This is probably some classic Roland drum machine, like a 606. I would take the bassdrum and hi-hats from somewhere else. The toms of these old machines are always cool, but the bongo sounds for example are not for me. I wouldn’t use that for my productions. I couldn’t do these 100 % authentic references. I think it’s supercool to listen to in a Prosumer record for example, but I couldn’t do that.
You got qualms about doing something like that?
No (laughs)! I’m just working on a new track for which I sampled an old Amen-break. I don’t care, if I like it I use it. This kind of break is in 90 % of all Drum and Bass tracks and nobody cares, so I don’t care either.
> Phortune – Unity (Jack Trax) 1988
This is an old track by DJ Pierre, from his Acid House days. But it is different to most tracks he produced back then. It is pretty deep.
It’s great. Awesome vibe for 1988, I could listen to this all day. It doesn’t tranquilize my feet, it’s not boring, it’s perfectly right. And I would grin from ear to ear if I would hear this in a club.
Some of its sounds have aged really well.
I really like this. I think it’s a pity that there are not so many tracks with great basslines at the moment. There are a lot of simple, functional basslines without much of a melody. Of course it’s effective and some current tracks need some of these dominating, functional elements, but a track like this for example needs a bit more, and I miss that. It’s also simple, but it has more and different harmonies. I like that, it gets me hooked. I would love to buy this on Beatport (laughs)!
Well, it was about time for another round, wasn’t it? In fact, we’ve been promised red hot sessions by wonderful people, but apparently those recordings are so complex and uncleared that they are still in production hell.
In the meantime, the Druffalo Hit Squad sat down, took some sips, pondered and went selecting. This time we decided to drop the tempo and go all epic. Monolithic beats, sweetest tunes and late night to early morning street cred, rhyming and scheming, with a pinch of stardust. We even went busy with the crossfader at some point, if only on one record. It’s a new technique we call “The Absorber Scratch” that will wreck competition worldwide and can only be used sparsely. The first one to locate it in the show gets a free round of kisses, hugs and Anchovy Bellinis at Berlin’s Roses pub on Oranienstr, next time we crawl there.
We are a problem that no one can fix, with Druffmix 6!
Alain Delon – Comme Au Cinema (Extended Version) Chaz Jankel – I Can Get Over It (If You Can Get Over Here) Bomb The Bass – Winter In July (Cosmic Jammer Club Mix) Digital Underground – Freaks Of The Industry Adina Howard – Freak Like Me (Remix Without Rap) Destiny’s Child – Girl (Single Version) Fresh 4 – Smoke Filled Thoughts MC 900 Ft Jesus – The City Sleeps (Album Mix) Young MC – I Come Off (Southern Comfort Mix) Leta Davis – Joey’s Groove Robert Palmer – Every Kinda People (Reproduction Extended) The Pasadenas – Reeling (Extended Version) Malcolm McLaren – Waltz Darling (Extended Version) The World’s Famous Supreme Team – Hey D.J. (Instrumental Version) Summer Slams – Mellow Moment Massive Attack – Daydreaming (Brixton Bass Mix) People Under The Stairs – Tuxedo Rap Pizzicato Five – Baby Love Child The Cover Girls – Wishing On A Star (Jeep 12”) Saint Etienne – Spring Grace Jones – Slave To The Rhythm (Blooded) Martine Girault – Revival Lalomie Washburn – Try My Love (Radio Mix Extended Vinyl Version) Richie Rich – Coming From London Dungeon Family – Trans DF Express (Club Mix) Maxi Priest – Peace Throughout The World (The Video Remix) Bobby Konders & Massive Sounds – Unity Banderas – This Is Your Life (Less Stress Mix) Massive Attack – Any Love (Larry Heard Mix) The Style Council – It Didn’t Matter Rufus & Chaka Khan – Ain’t Nobody (Hallucinogenic Version) Caron Wheeler – Livin’ In The Light (Brixton Bass Mix) The Sindecut – Tell Me Why (Part 2 – The Exchange) Saint Etienne – Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Kenlou B-Boy Beats) Eric B & Rakim – I Know You Got Soul (Vocal) Tony, Toni, Toné – Oakland Stroke (Brixton Club Mix) Intime – Second Sight Danny Tenaglia – World Of Plenty Chapter & The Verse – Which Way Is Up? Pressure Drop – You’re Mine (Album Version) Stereo MC’s – Two Horse Town Jesus Loves You – Love’s Gonna Get You Down Mr Fingers – What About This Love (Even Deeper Mix) Mica Paris – Young Soul Rebels (Original Version) Julia & Co – I’m So Happy Inner City – Hallelujah (Leftfield Glory Mix)
Recent Comments