00:00:00 1 Critical Rhythm – I’m In Love With You (Version) 00:05:04 2 How & Little – Mellow Moment 00:08:55 3 The Vision – Laidback & Groovy 00:18:18 4 The Utopia Project – File #4 00:22:11 5 K.A.T.O. – Disco-Tech (3 Piece Suite Mix) 00:27:05 6 Aphrodisiac – Your Love (Dub) 00:33:17 7 Power House – Kenny’s Jazz (Dope Mix) 00:37:27 8 Ize – Turn Around 00:39:34 9 Jazz Documents – Private Code 00:45:02 10 N.Y. House’n Authority – APT. 3B 00:49:13 11 Aphrodisiac – Just Before The Dawn (Remould) 00:55:37 12 A.B.T. – I Need It³ 01:01:05 13 The Utopia Project – File #2 01:03:47 14 Basil Hardhaus – Release 01:07:43 15 The Utopia Project – File #5 01:12:01 16 Basil Hardhaus 2 – For The Underground 01:16:26 17 Dub Poets – Version 01:20:05 18 Roqui – I’ve Just Begun To Love You (Club/Dub) 01:24:28 19 The Utopia Project – File #1 01:28:27 20 The Utopia Project – File #3 01:32:42 21 A.B.T. – La¹² 01:37:04 22 Asylum – Voicez 01:39:46 23 Basil Hardhaus – Breezin’ 01:43:51 24 Emjay – Come N’ Get It (Dub) 01:49:01 25 Keith, Kat & Blondie – Gotta Get Some Money (Eerie Instrumental) 01:52:45 26 Keith, Kat & Blondie – Gotta Get Some Money (Club Ladies & Gents Vocal) 01:59:23 27 Massive Sounds – Ruff & Massive (Version) 02:06:04 28 Joey Negro – Do It, Believe It (Urban Mix) 02:12:18 29 K.A.T.O. – Digital 02:17:26 30 Kenny ‘Dope’ Presents Powerhouse – Makin’ A Living 02:22:12 31 New Grooves – Jerkin Acid 02:24:44 32 Bobby Konders – Nervous Acid 02:29:33 33 Bobby Konders – Dub Massai Style (Mark’s Mix) 02:34:36 34 Bobby Konders – Massai Women 02:42:12 35 N.Y. House’n Authority – Dyckman House 02:46:09 36 N.Y. House’n Authority – High Bridge House 02:48:42 37 The Nick Jones Experience – Wake Up People
00:00:00 1 Roqui – Lover (Dub Mix) 00:04:09 2 Ize – Out The Door 00:08:35 3 Foremost Poets – Reasons To Be Dismal (City College Mix) 00:15:29 4 Metro – Angel Of Mercy (Dub) 00:20:01 5 How & Little – Rockhard 00:24:20 6 Devine Masters – Cause I Need You (Babe Mix) 00:29:55 7 The Nick Jones Experience – My Man, My Man 00:34:48 8 Foremost Poets – Reasons To Be Dismal (Beyond Sight Version) 00:41:52 9 Foremost Poets – Reasons To Be Dismal (Insight Version) 00:45:20 10 The Looney Tunes – Just as Long as I Got You 00:49:12 11 The Sound Vandals – Tonight’s The Night (Club Mix) 00:53:07 12 Transphonic – Goddamn (Trunkadelic Version) 00:58:11 13 The Vision – Sharde 01:07:20 14 Devine Masters – Paradise (Vacuum Mix) 01:11:12 15 Rydims – Rydim #2 (Version) 01:16:19 16 K.A.T.O. – Eye In The Sky 01:20:37 17 Metro – Brownstone Express 01:23:43 18 Kenny Dope & Total Madness – Petey Wheatstraw (Instrumental) 01:31:29 19 Ronald Burrell – Quiet Song 01:37:02 20 The Nick Jones Experience – Shelter Me 01:45:09 21 The Sound Vandals – On Your Way (Deep Mix) 01:51:49 22 Voices – Be Yourself 01:54:16 23 Rydims – Rydim #1 (Mello) 02:00:11 24 Rydims – Rydim #2 (Late Night Horn) 02:08:58 25 Bobby Konders – The Poem 02:14:51 26 DTR featuring Marilyn Sareo – Journey Into A Dream (Perfect Essence Instrumental) 02:20:01 27 Equation – The Answer (X² RB Mix My Time) 02:26:58 28 Ize – Give It Up 02:30:27 29 Jus Friends – As One (Remix Mix) 02:35:37 30 Jus Friends – As One (Remix Dub) 02:41:12 31 N.Y. House’n Authority – Forty House 02:45:14 32 Critical Rhythm – An Illusion 02:49:50 33 Tech Trax Inc. – State Of The Art (Unautomated Mix) 02:53:01 34 Transphonic – You Make Me Feel So Good (Fourplay Mix) 02:58:43 35 Project “86” – Total Recall 03:04:46 36 Tech Trax Inc. – Tech Trax Inc. (Xplanitory Mix) 03:08:09 37 Houz’ Neegroz – How Do U Love A Black Woman? 03:14:01 38 How & Little – Cloud 9 03:18:08 39 Major Problems – Flashbacks (Version) 03:21:09 40 Metro – Rush Hour 03:25:36 41 N.Y. House’n Authority – APT. 3A 03:30:15 42 Massive Sounds – Free South Africa (Version) 03:38:15 43 N.Y. House’n Authority – Fort Green House 03:43:18 44 Open House – Seven Day Weekend (Motor City Mix) 03:47:41 45 R.S.H. – Outcry (Freestyle Mix)
00:00:00 1 Bäs Noir – I’m Glad You Came To Me (Dub Mix) 00:07:32 2 The Sound Vandals – Feel It (Concept Mix) 00:12:11 3 Devine Masters – Rules The Nation (Nation Mix) 00:16:22 4 Code 6 – Forgotten Moments 00:22:24 5 How & Little – Bring It Back 00:25:50 6 Mandatory Bass – Its A Love-A-lee (Mandatory Mix) 00:30:30 7 N.Y. House’n Authority – APT. 2A 00:33:25 8 Major Problems – The Rush (Freakout Mix) 00:37:14 9 33 1/3 Queen – Searchin’ 00:42:43 10 Lost Entity – Annihilate (L.E.S. Mix) 00:48:28 11 Open House – Keep With The Pace (Underground Mix) 00:53:56 12 Basil Hardhaus 2 & Sylvia Simone – Make Me Dance (Hard For The D.J.) (feat. Burrell) 00:57:11 13 R.S.H. – Bumrush The Dream 01:00:27 14 Project “86” – Industrial Bass (Industrial Mix) 01:04:49 15 Voices – Bring Down The Walls 01:10:35 16 DTR – How Many Times? (Unity) (Orbital Mix) 01:15:01 17 Groove Committee – I Want To Know 01:19:23 18 Voices – You And Me 01:24:07 19 Project “86” – Legends (Vocal Mix) 01:28:39 20 Gemini – Jump, A Little Higher 01:33:41 21 Freddy Bastone presents Danny Xtravanganza – Love The Life You Live (Club Mix) 01:39:11 22 Soundstrike – Party Machine 01:43:44 23 Code 6 – C.O.D.E.S. 01:48:11 24 R.S.H. – Got To Have You Now 01:52:02 25 Foremost Poets – Reasons To Be Dismal (Foresight Version) 01:58:39 26 Code 6 – Quad I 02:03:00 27 Gemini – Right Baby, Do What You Like 02:07:03 28 Aphrodisiac – Song Of The Siren (Mediterranean Mix) 02:12:12 29 Lost Entity – On The Verge 02:18:12 30 The Street Wise Kids – Here Comes That Sound (Hate Mix) 02:22:23 31 The Street Wise Kids – Here Comes That Sound (The Reel Master Mix) 02:25:38 32 Total Madness – Sounds In Da Air 02:30:35 33 R.S.H. – Laughing While Intoxicated (Dope House Mix) 02:34:43 34 Roqui – You Are On My Mind (Rural Mix) 02:39:20 35 The Street Wise Kids – Don’t Hold Back (Love Mix) 02:43:02 36 Masters At Work – My Mission 02:46:15 37 Lisa Lee – When Can I Call You (Long Distance 12″) 02:51:25 38 Code 6 – Quad II 02:54:19 39 Elbee Bad aka The Prince Of Dance Music – The True Story Of House Music (Body Mechanix Authentic Garage Groove) 02:58:24 40 Lost Entity – Bring That Back (One More Time) 03:02:52 41 New Grooves- Quiet Riot 03:05:16 42 Total Maddness – The Sounds In Da Air (Dope Mix) 03:10:32 43 House Syndicate – Jam The Mace 03:15:23 44 Bobby Konders – Let There Be House 03:20:20 45 The Dope Wax All Stars – Angelo’s Groove 03:24:17 46 Code 6 – Quad III 03:27:18 47 Dee Gorgeous – Better Than Sex (The Dangerous Mix) 03:31:07 48 Transphonic – Incidental Meditation Club Tools 03:36:32 49 Elbee Bad aka The Prince Of Dance Music – The New Age Of Faith 03:40:47 50 Equation – I’ll Say A Prayer 4 U 03:46:33 51 Kenny’s House & Kenny Dope – Just Me and You (Acid Dub) 03:47:57 52 The Sound Vandals – Extasy (What Is It?) (Rough Mix) 03:51:54 53 New Grooves – Set The Alarm 03:55:33 54 Rydims – Rydim #2 (18 & Under (Aah)) 04:01:12 55 Voices – Never Say Never 04:06:41 56 Da Noyz Boyz – Tuch Me 04:10:40 57 Kenny’s House & Kenny Dope – Just Me and You (Five-Oh Mix) 04:15:44 58 Major Problems – Overdose (The Final Trip) 04:20:26 59 Voices – Over Me 04:25:48 60 2 Dope – A Touch of Salsa (Voices in the Dungeon Remix) 04:29:47 61 New Grooves – AM 04:34:44 62 Metro – Straphanger 04:39:58 63 Elbee Bad aka The Prince Of Dance Music – I’m So Alone 04:43:32 64 Foremost Poets – Reasons To Be Dismal (Explanation)
There was this moment in the 90s when the sound of house music changed, with lasting consequences. I would say it began in 1993. Of course technical progress in terms of production techniques and equipment played a role, but it was also very important that the music itself became more popular, and attracted bigger crowds, which led to bigger clubs, and a house sound that pumped crowds and clubs of that size sufficiently. In the following years the superclubs emerged with corresponding budgets, and they needed DJs that played accessible enough to please and unite as many people as possible. This created a divide between denonimators, as simultaneously a lot of DJs and producers defined quality in a different way, and played different styles, to smaller crowds, in smaller clubs. There were DJs and artists that lived in both worlds, or crossed over, and both worlds had different levels of credibility, and success. But increasingly the circuits frowned upon each other, and disrespect was mutual. The big room house music examined here was produced at a time when it had a really bad reputation, being accused of being commercial, devoid of original ideas, or milking once original ideas for far too long. Indeed the sound templates for the music in this playlist had been established years before, and it seemed as if they were only developed further if really necessary. Some of the big room artists were once renowned for different music, and many were quick to maintain that at some point they were selling out and adapting to lesser creative requirements to do so. And some smaller room artists were maybe just envious and could not produce a tune that sold as well, and just claimed they did no want to. And of course for a lot of people it does not matter what size the room has, they just go for music based on their individual preferences, and find that in different contexts. But meanwhile in the early 00s, big room house had its apex of booming beats, dramatic breakdowns and disco samples, and here are some prime examples of the sound.
Victor
Simonelli – Ease Into The Dance (Stellar, 2000)
Victor
Simonelli has many great moments in his back catalogue, and in my
opinion this on par with his most cherished productions. For me the
combination of the bodiless vocal sample and the pumping yet and
elegant deep groove is as immersive as Love Inc.’s “Life’s A
Gas”. I’m serious.
Lenny
Fontana & DJ Shorty – Chocolate Sensation (Original Force Mix)
(FFRR, 2000)
Johnny
Hammond’s early disco staple “Los Conquistadores Chocolates”
was sampled countless times, but not as sweeping as on this belter.
Extra props for the extended filter break which then erupts into
Loleatta Holloway on the top of her lungs. This track pushes all the
right buttons, and works although you can predict any move, only that
every move sounds even more striking than the one before. If you have
never been on a dancefloor exploding to this, you really missed out.
Groove
Assassins – Everything I Knew (Black Vinyl, 2000)
If
some of the orchestral disco maestros would have still been active in
the 90s their music could have sounded like this. Even if this is
just a reconstructed original from their heyday, with a heavily
beefed up groove. Nick Moss and Will Hague understood the craft of
their forebearers on this track, and they made it their own.
Rhythm
Section Feat. Donald O – Do You Know (Main Mix) (MAW Records, 2000)
Every
disco DJ should bring at least one Chic Organization production to
their party, and every disco loving house producer should sample at
least one as well. Henry Maldonado went for “My Forbidden Lover”
and then he turned it into a glorious garage opus, co-written and
performed by the great Donald O. This should have been much bigger
than it actually was, but it is never too late.
David
Bendeth – Feel The Real (Jazz-N-Groove Ultra Classic Mix) (Audio
Deluxe, 2000)
“Feel
The Real”was indeed an ultra classic, albeit on the jazz
funk/disco circuit of the 80s. By the time this was released
Jazz-N-Groove had perfected their slick but heavy groove template so
impressively that they basically could have applied it to any tune
they were given and come up trumps. Judging by their vast output,
some say they did just that.
LoveRush
– Luv 2 See Ya (Joey Negro’s Vocal Mix) (Azuli, 2000)
Joey
Negro always knew how euphoria works, and here he aimed straight to
the highest level of it. There is some sweet innocence about the
tune, but the pumping groove underneath and several breakdown dramas
tell you to work it. Hard.
Copyright
Presents One Track Mind – Where Would You Be? (Main Mix) (Soulfuric
Trax, 2000)
The
way D-Train’s “Music” is filtered up and down here is very
reminiscent of the finer moments of the French House phenomenon, but
the groove somehow is not. It is just too pushy and impatient, and
the vocal samples get a more generous treatment, verging on harmony.
All good decisions.
Johnny
D & Nicky P – Wild Kingdom (4th Floor Records, 2001)
Of
course big room productions could work well with deeper sounds, and
Johnny D and Nicky P aka Johnick knew how to achieve severe
dancefloor hypnotism anyway. As always when they are in charge, the
music has this strangely psychedelic notion, and „Wild Kingdom“
is another of their real gems to get lost in.
Sunshine
Anderson – Heard It All Before (E-Smoove House Filter Mix)
(Atlantic, 2001)
E-Smoove
was mostly not as smoove in the 00s as he had been before (but who in
this field actually was), but if you remix a sleek R&B hit, you
cannot fire on all cylinders. Still this has the right amount of
infectious funk and it does not divert any attention from the song.
If you think of the proximity to garage vocal harmonies there were,
rather surprisingly, not that many great remixes that managed to
aptly transfer R&B to a house context, but this one gave a lot of
the right clues.
Kraze
– The Party 2001 (Love City Club Remix 2) (Groovilicious, 2001)
It
reads so unimaginative, taking Todd Terry’s “Can You Party”
and the acapella from Kraze’s “The Party”, two early house
productions that were completely overused at that point, and turn
them into a fierce banger that pretends New York City’s big room
haven Sound Factory never closed. And actually the way the track
works all that is really not that inventive. But as it steamrolls you
on that floor, you will not care one bit.
UBP
Feat. Bobby Pruitt – We Are One (Jazz-N-Groove Hands Up Vocal)
(Soulfuric Recordings, 2001)
I
love how this mean little melody never lets up, totally regardless of
the fact that there is a funky booming bassline, a quite shouty soul
singer, a female choir, and several breakdowns, the whole big room
house gospel spectrum. This is a big show, but one detail steals it.
Genius.
DJ
Oji – We Lift Our Hands In The Sanctuary (Anniversary Vocal)
(Sancsoul Records, 2001)
The
original was one of the churchiest of the churchy house anthems, a
whole nocturnal service for those who need the club as a shelter and
a place for relief and rejoicing. 95 North remix it into a way more
urgent groove, but do not sacrifice any of the worship and righteous
spirit. Hands were lifted and love was alive, again.
The
original was a jazzy funked up groover that was hugely popular, but
Frankie Feliciano boldly opted for a complete rework, keeping the
keen message intact but underlying it with unsettling and swirling
sounds and beats that reference Pépé Bradock‘s „Deep Burnt“
and a lot of earlyTodd Terry productions.
Los
Jugaderos – What You Doing To This Girl? (Norman Jay’s Good Times
Re-Edit) (Junior Boy’s Own, 2003)
In
1996 Ashley Beedle and Phil Asher turned a marvellous 1979 disco gem
by Dazzle into a blinding and tripping house excursion. Seven years
later the original rare groove don Norman Jay gave it a remix, and
when I read about that then I was expecting it to sound truer to the
Dazzle original and Jay’s own legacy. But to my surprise his version
was way punchier, and to my joy he highlighted all the best bits even
more. Pure disco house bliss.
Hardsoul
Feat. Ron Carroll – Back Together (Classic Main Mix) (Soulfuric
Recordings, 2003)
Nothing
better than to conclude a fine time at the big room house club with a
big room soulful vocal house hymn. Even better when that tune is ever
so slightly less big roomy than what happened before, but still
easily keeps up the intensity and punch, just because it is a
wonderful piece of music that knows and serves its context. From here
you may start all over again or leave it behind, but both happily.
As it was a continuation in the timeline of club music it is quite natural that via sampling the early years of house were already littered with references to what happened before: disco. Pioneering Chicago house records used vocal snippets of the classic repertoire of disco and replayed its basslines and arrangements. Just take Isaac Hayes’ „I Can’t Turn Around“ for example, which was not only used in Farley Jackmaster Funk’s „Love Can’t Turn Around“, but also numerous other house tracks at that time. And acapellas from the back catalogue of classic disco labels like Salsoul, Prelude or West End never stopped being used for giving a track that extra imperative on the floor. But as well as disco always remained an integral of house music’s matrix, particularly lesser productions means led to different approaches of utilizing it. From the mid 80s on, nearly no house producer could afford to set up an orchestra in a studio, also many were not trained to write and arrange music as many protagonists of the classic disco era were. Still, the desire to reference or recreate the disco legacy with a house groove was always there until today, and the ways with which disco and house connected were manfifold and innovative. We take a look at some prime examples.
Mitch Winthrop – Everybody’s Going Disco Crazy (Everybody’s Much Crazy Records, 1991)
I first heard this record at Hamburg’s Front club, where it was a total anthem. At the time most people were actually not disco crazy anymore, but this was a perfect reminder to never forget where it was all coming from.
Reese Project – Direct Me (Joey Negro Disco Blend Mix) (Network, 1991)
Dave Lee aka Joey Negro was one of the first house producers that were not content with only sampling disco elements, but who aimed for a production that came as close as possible to disco’s original production and arrangement values. His remix for Kevin Saunderson’s garage house project went all the way. Joey Negro had the knowledge and had paid close attention, and obviously his directive was to achieve anthemic euphoria, and as all was done with loving detail, straight to the syndrum pew pew pews, he proved himself to be a trustworthy ambassador of the disco heritage, and remained ever since.
Nature Boy – Tobago (Black Label, 1992)
Milo from Bristol’s legendary Wild Bunch soundsystem deconstructing disco source material down to dark and gritty netherworld. None of the glitz of the sample references survived the process, and the music seemed to rather kick you out into the back alley through the back door than sway you in through the velvet rope on the other side of the building. I found „Ruff Disco Volume One“ in a bargain bin in the early 90s and I think it still sounds totally visionary and unique.
Romanthony – In The Mix (Azuli Records, 1994)
A tribute to Tony Humphries and the whole New Jersey legacy by Romanthony, one of house music’s greatest producers ever. If there ever was a more convincing argument to never deny your roots and keep them alive in what you are doing, I would like to hear it.
Jump Cutz – House Luck (Luxury Service Records, 1995)
One of many highlights from the Jump Cutz series, produced by Rob Mello and Zaki Dee. This really shows that often a good disco house track is no rocket science. Deconstruct source material into several parts. Reconstruct said parts as you please. Watch them go.
The Morning Kids – Free Lovin’ (Housedream) (Balihu Records, 1996)
As a true disco lover and dancer, Daniel Wang knew that it is the early morning hours when the magic of a good night out really unfolds. A rather simplistic meditation based on just a few samples compared to his later vintage syntheziser led output, but it still works a treat if the DJ decides it is finally the right time to switch gear. When it was released, the balearic revival was just a few sunrises away.
Los Jugaderos – What You Doing To This Girl? (Jus’ Trax, 1996)
A rework of Dazzle’s „You Dazzle Me“ which is indeed dazzling. The well-proven disco evangelists Ashely Beedle and Phil Asher concentrate on building up the tension mesmerizingly and release the strings at exactly the right moment. A masterclass in structure.
Turntable Brothers – Get Ready (Music Plant, 1996)
There once was a seminal live recording archived on deephousepage.com that captured Ron Hardy whipping his floor into a frenzy with an extended reel-to-reel edit of Patti Labelle’s „Get Ready“. This Chicago label already carrries the legacy of two legendary windy city clubs in its name: the Muzic Box and the Warehouse (later Power Plant). So it should come as no suprise that most records on Music Plant are a straight homage, albeit with banging beats and the freewheelin’ demanour with the use of samples so typical for Chicago. „Get Ready“ skips the traditional verse part of the original and heads straight to the climactic chorus, then rides it far into ecstacy.
In discussion with Aiden d’Araujo on “Rhythm Zone Vol. 1” (1989).
You chose the cassette compilation “Rhythm Zone Vol. 1“. A format that in the 80s was probably still more common for discovering new music than its according CD counterparts. Were you taping radio at a young age, and was this your first foray into purchasing what already had caught your interest?
Yeah taping radio shows was a ritual when I was a kid – got that off my Mum who would tape mixes religiously. In the early nineties around ’92/’93 we had a studio in the loft with loads of gear like Junos and Rolands. The two guys who had the studio (you may have heard one of them under his Deadly Avenger alias who released the ‘Deep Red’ LP and now scores Hollywood films) lodged with us and I remember like it was just yesterday all the trippy, ambient electronica comin’ outta the studio – I would say reminiscent of acts like the Future Sound Of London. No doubt this influenced my Mum and she amassed a series of tapes that had early electronic auteurs on then such as Pete Namlook, Move D and Biosphere (she’s still got ’em!) whose nocturnal opus ‘Novelty Waves’ never fails to transport me straight to my childhood – you remember that iconic Levi’s advert featuring the steam train with that track on it right? Anyway, all these deep as the ocean odysseys would be the soundtrack to when I went to sleep. Warp’s ‘Artificial Intellgience’ comp was another fave, and I’d always be messin’ around with the FM dial to try scope out some more otherworldly obscurities…
Another interesting development was one of my Mum’s mates who when not spraying murals (he was and still is a revered graffitti artist who very kindly sprayed the House Hunting mural for me) would host shows on Birmingham-based pirate radio station Mix FM which he would sometimes transmit from our attic. This would be my introduction to Hip Hop – whether the Britcore of Gunshot and London Posse, West Coast flavour of Snoop Dogg and Souls Of Mischief or the politically-charged Public Enemy and ghetto rap of Biggie and Wu-Tang. GZA’s ‘Liquid Swords’ and Souls Of Mischief’s ’93 Til Infinity’ always on rotation must have proper wore those tapes out on my Walkman. As well as Hip Hop on Mix FM there would be some Soul, Funk, Disco, Electro and House – which when you’re 8 years old listening to all this was a pure mind trip…
So I didn’t really need to buy tapes as there were so many avenues where I was exposed to it. Another influence was my Dad who was split from my Mum so I would stay at his on weekends 10 mile up the road in Leicester. He was in a band that covered a lot of Rock and Blues classics who were a bit of a hit in the mid-nineties with loads of bookings all over The Midlands. Anyway Leicester has a big Afro-Caribbean community and every year hosts the Leicester carnival (second only to Notting Hill in size and scope) with Aba-Shanti representing so Dub and Reggae was also the sound of my Dad’s household – he loves all the Rhythm & Sound albums I’ve got him!
Did you try several compilations and this was the one you liked best, or was this the only one at first, and by coincidence it was also the best choice to get introduced to the US import dance music styles it showcased?
This was the first I bought and I remember clocking the naff early 90s trippy artwork complete with the tag line “A galaxy of imports for under a fiver”. It was a quid so had to be copped – I thought it may be like the deep trips on my Mum’s armada of ambient tapes. It was pure coincidence that the first one I got was the best introduction to Chicago House, Detroit Techno and New York Garage. Not long after I bought ‘The Rave Gener8tor II’ tape where again the cover art enticed me and had some choice cuts on it like the Underground Resistance remix of ‘The Colour Of Love’ by The Reese Project and some Murk flavour via Liberty City’s ‘Some Lovin’. There were only a few decent tracks on this one though as was on a more hardcore tip which I weren’t feelin’ as much. Always went back to ‘Rhythm Zone Vol. 1’. Read the rest of this entry »
Noch lange nach dem offiziellen Niedergang zog sich das Erbe der Disco-Ära mehr oder weniger latent durch das jeweils aktuelle Clubmusik-Geschehen, aber in den letzten Jahren nahm die Auseinandersetzung mit dem Thema neue Formen an. Damit einhergehend meldete sich eine Form der Musikbearbeitung zurück, die schon abgelegt schien: der Edit. Wo zur klassischen Phase des Edits noch DJs und Produzenten zu Schere und Klebeband griffen, um individuelle Versionen für Club-Sets maßzuschneidern, führten die fortschreitenden technischen Erleichterungen in der Musikproduktion zu einer Flut von Edits bekannter oder obskurer Titel. Es war nun geradezu üblich, sich erst mit ein paar editierten Fremdkompositionen schwankenden Mehrwerts einen Namen zu machen, und sich dann allmählich als eigenständiger Künstler zu etablieren. Je mehr Disco sich in die breite öffentliche Wahrnehmung zurückmeldete, desto weiter drifteten die Lager derer auseinander, die Disco in immer entlegenere, spezialisiertere Winkel erforschen wollten, und derer, die Disco einfach mehr Popularität wünschen. Aber beide Lager machten für ihre Zwecke zahllose Edits. Bis dahin wurde jedoch schon ein ganz schön langer Weg zurückgelegt.
Ab Mitte der 70er Jahre war die Bandmaschine fester Bestandteil der Setups von Studio und DJ-Kanzel. Schon 1974 nahm der New Yorker DJ John Addison damit seine Sets im Club auf, und ungefähr zur gleichen Zeit verbrachte Tom Moulton, frustriert von den damals noch gängigen Fade-outs und Pausen auf der Tanzfläche, etliche Arbeitsstunden damit, Tapes für den Club Sandpiper auf der Schwulen-Enklave Fire Island zusammenzuschneiden, auf denen die Songs ineinander übergingen. Der Arbeitsaufwand, die Methodik und das Arbeitsgerät dabei waren mit dem Cutter beim Film vergleichbar, und man brauchte eine Menge Geduld und ein fein abgestimmtes Ohr dafür, die Parts der Musik harmonisch und punktgenau zu trennen und an anderer Stelle wieder zusammenzufügen. Moulton war somit nicht nur ein Pionier der Mix-Compilation, er führte 1976 auch die 12“ in die Clubkultur ein, als er eine verlängerte Version von Moment Of Truths „So Much For Love“ für das Format anfertigte (seine Glanztaten als Mixer würden diesen Rahmen sprengen). Moulton war jedoch nie DJ, wohingegen der legendäre Walter Gibbons, der sich mit ihm anhand seiner Version von Double Exposures „Ten Percent“ die Verdienste um die erste 12“ teilte, seine Erfahrungen als Ausnahmetalent in der Kanzel in seine Edits einfließen ließ. Die Mixe, die er im Club machte, indem er bestimmte Parts von Songs am Mischpult ausdehnte und wiederholte und ihnen somit eine völlig neue Dramaturgie und Dynamik verlieh, bannte er bald auf Tonbänder und Acetat-Pressungen, um sich die Arbeit im Club zu erleichtern. Und in Zeiten, in denen der DJ pro Nacht viele Stunden am Stück zu arbeiten hatte, war das ein ernstzunehmendes Kriterium. Die Umstrukturierung eines Stückes mittels Editieren war demzufolge schon von Beginn auch durch Funktionalität definiert, gleichermaßen das Erlebnis auf der Tanzfläche betreffend, als auch das Wirken des DJ, der für das Erlebnis sorgt. Schnell wurde aus der tanzbareren Alternative zum Originalversion der Standard, und ein DJ ohne signifikante eigene Edits war kaum noch konkurrenzfähig. Anfang der 80er, nach dem klassischen Disco-Boom, wurde dieses Gewinnerteam nicht ausgewechselt, sondern weiterentwickelt. In New York zogen Studio-Asse wie François Kevorkian oder Shep Pettibone wegweisende Lehren aus den frühen Tagen des Edits, und arbeiteten ihr Ausgangsmaterial von Underground bis Pop zu kaum noch wiedererkennbaren Versionen um. Gleichzeitig sorgte die etwas jüngere Generation, am prominentesten vertreten durch die Latin Rascals und Mr. K alias Danny Krivit, dafür, dass einerseits die Tradition neu erblühte, andererseits den Anschluss an neue Sounds fand, und von England aus kümmerte sich Greg Wilson darum, dass die Kunst des Edits von England aus auch in Europa um sich griff. In Chicago rumorte wenig später bereits das Phänomen House, das maßgeblich von den dort tätigen DJs Frankie Knuckles und Ron Hardy auf den Weg gebracht wurde, wobei auch ihre Edits eine gewichtige Rolle spielten, vor allem die radikalen Dekonstruktionen, mit denen Ron Hardy seine favorisierten Tracks behandelte.
Als House dann ab Ende der 80er seinen Siegeszug antrat, wurde der klassische Edit vom Sampling verdrängt und geriet aus dem Blickpunkt. Nicht nur das mühselige Arbeiten mit Tapes war schon längst Vergangenheit, man konnte mit Sampler und Sequenzer wesentlich schneller vorgehen, und oft war eine gezielte Referenz wichtiger als eine sorgfältig arrangierte Neubearbeitung. Aber schon in den 90ern wurden diese Referenzen wieder nostalgischer, und man erinnerte sich daran zurück, dass eine eingehende Beschäftigung mit prägnanten Einzelparts einem Track zu neuem Glanz verhelfen konnte. Dieser Glanz färbte auf die liebevollen Edits ab, die DJ Harvey und Gerry Rooney auf Black Cock veröffentlichten, und zog sich von den Dub-Exkursionen der Idjut Boys, den Respektbekundungen Ashley Beedles, der Expertise von Joey Negro und Dimitri from Paris bis hin zur Experimentierfreude Theo Parrishs und der verantwortungsbewussten Archäologie von Morgan Geist.
Viele der genannten Protagonisten bestimmen auch die Renaissance des Edits in den letzten Jahren. Auch sie bedienen sich dabei der Neuerungen, die die Herstellung eines Edits wesentlich vereinfacht haben. Tonbänder sind jetzt Files, Schnitt- und Mischpulte sind Produktionssoftware, und das Studio ist im Laptop. Der Weg vom Original bis zum Edit hat sich auch vor dem Hintergrund virtueller Distributionswege derart verkürzt, dass vom Flohmarktfund bis zum Release theoretisch nur wenig Zeit vergehen muss. Damit geht aber leider oft eine Bootlegger-Mentalität einher, die sich nur noch rudimentär um die Qualitäten und Lizenzrechte von Basismaterial schert, und die Auswahl der Musik beschränkt sich nur zu häufig auf Distinktion durch Obskurität und Verfügbarkeit. Tracks werden dann nicht mehr individuell interpretiert, sondern nach den Convenience-Geboten modernen Auflegens zwangsbegradigt. Kickdrum schlägt Schlagzeuger, Arrangement schlägt Neuarrangement. Natürlich gibt es genug Produzenten, die, dem Grundgedanken der Edit-Klassiker gemäß, einen Track so auseinander- und wiederzusammenbauen, dass ein Mehrwert entsteht, aber man muss in der Schwemme von Edits, die daran nicht weiter interessiert sind, immer tiefer tauchen. Über die Verantwortlichen dafür stellte Lars Bulnheim, Gitarrist bei Superpunk und begnadeter Soul-DJ, einst treffend fest: „Da will einer Kalif sein, anstelle des Kalifen“.
Es lohnt es sich in jedem Fall, sich bei den Pionieren zu unterrichten, wie man mit einem Edit eine neue Version schafft, die neben der alten Version mindestens besteht. Anschauungsmaterial dafür gibt es mehr als genug.
25 Edits:
Bettye Lavette – Doin’ The Best That I Can – Walter Gibbons Remix (West End Records, 1978)
Yaz – Situation – François Kevorkian Dub Version (Sire, 1982)
First Choice – Let No Man Put Asunder – Frankie Knuckles Vocal Mix (Salsoul, 1983)
Jimmy Ruffin – Hold On To My Love – Robbie Leslie Disconet Remix (ERC, 1984)
MFSB – Love Is The Message – Mr. K Re-Edit (T.D. Records)
Carl Bean – I Was Born This Way – Shep Pettibone Better Days Version (Next Plateau, 1986)
La Flavour – Mandolay – Latin Rascals Version (Seathru Records, 1987)
Data – Living Inside Me – Razormaid A-2 Vinyl Mix (Razormaid, 1989)
DJ Harvey – Love Finger (Black Cock, 1998)
Patti Jo – Make Me Believe In You – Black Science Orchestra Re-Edit (Original Sound Track Recordings, 1999)
Patti Labelle – Get Ready (Looking For Love) – Ron Hardy Back To The Music Box Edit (Nuphonic, 2000)
Theo Parrish – Ugly Edits Vol. 2 (Ugly Edits, 2002)
Dance Reaction – Disco Train – Morgan Geist Caboose Mix (Environ, 2003)
Johnnie Taylor – What About My Love – Joey Negro Re-Edit (Rapster, 2004)
Isaac Hayes – I Can’t Turn Around (Ron’s Edits, 2004)
Tantra – A Place Called Tarot – Idjut Boys Re-Edit (Tirk, 2004)
The Slits – Bassvine (Secret Mixes Fixes, 2005)
Tangoterje – Can’t Help It (G.A.M.M, 2005)
Mark E – Scared (Jiscomusic, 2005)
Best Friend Around – It’s So Good To Know – Dim’s Re-Edit (Labels, 2005)
Dazzle – You Dazzle Me – Kenny Dope Edit (Azuli, 2006)
Midnight Star – Midas Touch – Hell Interface Remix (Boards Of Canada, 2007)
Bim Marx – Stronger (Stilove4music, 2008)
Various – Reflection Series #2 (Medusa Edits, 2009)
GW- Two Sides Of Sympathy – GW Edit (Reactivate, 2009)
Du bist ja schon eine ganze Weile aktiv. Mit Deinem Label Mirau fing es an, was ja anfangs auch noch ganz anders ausgerichtet war als das, was jetzt Deine Karriere ausmacht. Man hätte also schon darauf kommen können, dass man Dich nicht so leicht festlegen kann. Stellt das mittlerweile ein Problem für Dich dar?
Nein, wo ich heutzutage stattfinde, ist schon größtenteils ein House/Disco-Rahmen. Ich sehe das nicht als Problem. Ich finde es nur dann schwierig, wenn ich nun auf eine Rolle als Nu Disco-Produzent beschränkt werde, weil es für mich halt nichts aussagt. Ich finde der Begriff „Nu Disco“ ist schon schwierig. Ich will mich auf gar keinen Fall festlegen, in irgendeine Richtung.
Es Dir also wichtig als Produzent einen Freiraum zu behaupten, in dem Du machen kannst, was Du willst?
Ja, das ist schon sehr wichtig. Das ist oft immer sehr stimmungsabhängig, und das kann morgen auch was ganz Anderes sein. Es war sicherlich auch Glück, dass es jetzt in dieser Disco-Welle alles zusammenkam, aber ich habe nicht gezielt daraufhin produziert. Read the rest of this entry »
The first one is by Rinder and Lewis – “Lust”, which is kind of a space disco prototype so to say. For 1977 it was kind of a landmark record I guess.
For 1977, yes. I suppose Rinder and Lewis were a very prolific production team in the 70s and 80s. They made an awful lot of records, a lot of albums. That’s probably one of their most moody tracks. A lot of their stuff has got a 1920s, big band, Charleston influence to it. But I like a lot of their stuff. But some of it is unusual in its arrangement. That one’s got a slightly more mystical vibe to it.
Would you say they tried to explore their field a bit further with this record? You mentioned that a few of the other productions had certain influences, like the latin stuff for example. But this one is really something different, almost science fiction.
Yes, but that’s quite different from the rest of the “Seven Deadly Sins” album. I reckon it wasn’t a track that was made to be a hit. It was probably considered an album track. But with that weird bit in the middle with the glockenspiel, it goes into a sort of devil bit about two thirds of the way through. Which is very out of character with the rest of the record. But what I think is interesting about that is that you don’t get those sort of unexpected bits in records now. I guess when musicians are making records, it’s very different to when DJs are making records. Now, when DJs make records they just tend to have the same stuff going throughout the track, it just loops round and round. Maybe there might be some changes, but there’s nothing drastic coming in really loud. A bad DJ produced record might just be a bit boring, whereas a bad record from the 70s might have a great verse and a really terrible chorus. Or you might have something really cheesy. A lot of records now are just rhythm tracks made by DJs for mixing and whatever, whereas then you might have records that have got loads in them, maybe too much. But the reason that they’re not great is maybe because they’ve got too much in them. They might have some great musical parts, but the vocals are crap. I think I’m digressing a little bit. A lot of Rinder and Lewis stuff – have you got that album “Discognosis”?
No, I know the THP Orchestra stuff which I found really good.
Yeah, and there’s El Coco and Le Pamplemousse. I like that track. It’s always very well orchestrated, they always had a bit of money to make the records. It wasn’t done on a shoestring budget, they must have sold pretty well. I think El Coco’s “Cocomotion” is one of my favourites by them as well. Obviously a lot of the stuff on AVI was produced by them, they were putting out a lot of music. They must have lived in the studio in 76, 77, 78, 79.
This is also a really good example for what you can do if you’re a good arranger – the arrangements they did are really complex and beautiful. Is that something you miss? You talked of modern rhythm tracks and functionality – I think it’s hard to pull off these days because you don’t have budgets for studio work…
Yeah of course. I suppose you have to think, this is now and that was then. Record sales were much higher, I suppose disco was like r’n’b was 5 years ago in terms of its worldwide popularity. So there was a lot more money, obviously there weren’t downloads or people copying CDs. I don’t know what the sales figures were like of something like Rinder and Lewis, but it probably sold half a million or something like that. It’s a completely different time, in terms of being able to get a string section in for your record. I’ve paid for string sections before, but to be honest with you what I’ve found is a string section with 30-40 people is so different to a string section with 7 or 8 people. I’ve only been able to afford 6 or 7 people. It isn’t really a string section! Nowadays, with CD-ROMs and whatever you can make something that sounds pretty good – not the same – but pretty good with just samples. To really make it sound a lot better, you need a 30-40 piece, big room orchestra. People at Salsoul and a lot of them classic disco records had that big proper string arrangement. Also, paying someone to do the arrangement isn’t cheap if you get someone good. Very difficult to do that now. So yeah, I do miss it. But there’s no point missing something, it’s like saying “Oh, I wish they were still making Starsky and Hutch”.
As long as a glimpse of an orchestra won’t do, it doesn’t make sense?
I think the only it could make sense is if George Michael decides to make a disco album, or someone like that. He could afford it. Or Beyonce. Some big star. But your average dance record – I suppose Jamiroquai had some live strings on some of his stuff. But then again, he was selling a lot of records.
Doobie Brothers – What A Fool Believes (Warner Bros. Inc., 1979)
“What a Fool Believes” by the Doobie Brothers, which is a merger of rock and disco.
There’s other tracks, like the Alessi Brothers “Ghostdancer”… I suppose that just shows how popular disco music must have been at the time when people like The Doobie Brothers and Carly Simon were actually making disco records. I suppose it’s the same as nowadays people making a record with a more r’n’b type beat. Or at the beginning of house music, there were lots of pop acts making house records. I was listening to a best of ABBA a few years ago. It started off sort of glam-rock, sort of sweet, like Gary Glitter, that sort of production. And by the late seventies their stuff had got pretty disco-ey. And by 82 it was folky. So I think the disco beat was just featuring on a lot of productions by acts who just wanted to make a contemporary sounding record. That’s probably why a lot of the American rock establishment hated disco so much. It wasn’t just that it was there: their favourite acts were making disco records! They hated the fact the Rolling Stones made disco records, it just wasn’t allowed.
But the thing is, that when the disco boom ended, a lot of the rock acts who made disco records acted like they never did! They deserted it pretty quickly.
Yeah, once it became uncool they pretended they never liked it, it wasn’t their idea and all that. I tried to once do a compilation album of that sort of stuff. But it’s too difficult to license it all. They’re all on major labels, they’re all big acts, and it’s very hard to license that stuff. In fact I’d go as far as to say it’s impossible: just too difficult and expensive.
Was it just because of budget reasons, or because the acts didn’t want to be reminded of what they did in that area?
I think often those big acts have to approve every compilation album license. A lot of the time, for the people who work in the compilation album license department, it’s easier for them to say no than to write to the management of Supertramp or Queen. And often, if they do see a title that has disco in it, they will say no. And a lot of them won’t license the Rolling Stones to a comp that’s got a projected sales figure of less than half a million. There’s so many reasons why it’s problematic. You could do it, but you’d have to leave off so many tracks, there would hardly be any point doing it. I did have a chat with a major label about doing it and that was one that owned quite a lot of them. But it’s just so difficult. They want to see a big marketing budget, they want to see you spend a hundred grand on television adverts. Otherwise they just go, why are we on this compilation album?
I think it’s a shame really, there were so many good disco records done by major artists…
Yeah. I like a lot of those things. I’m doing this compilation for BBE which is maybe a similar thing, just it’s not all well known acts. People like Fleetwood Mac, they did that track “Keep On Going”, those sort of things. I guess it’s blue-eyed rocky soul. Quite danceable… it’s not all disco, but it’s not really rock either. More black music based. I always think, if you look at the back of a rock album and it’s got someone playing bongos on it, it’s worth checking out. Read the rest of this entry »
Wie schon bei Acid House interpretierte man in England die amerikanischen Entwicklungen auch bei Deep House etwas anders. Diese EP von 1992 gehörte zu den ersten bedeutenden Versuchen, die US-Originale des sanften Sounds der frühen 90er auszulegen, die besonders in New York insbesondere von Legenden wie Wayne Gardiner und vielen anderen Hispano-Jungtalenten auf Labels wie Strictly Rhythm, Nervous, Nu Groove und zahlreichen Kleinstlabels ausgelebt wurde. Weiche Kicks, warme Akkorde, bequem identifizierbare Vocal-Samples und allerlei Zierrat im Arrangement war das Gebot der Stunde, was später oft dazu führte, das man diese Spielart von House despektierlich als Flötenhouse verunglimpfte. Adam Holden, Rob Mello und Zaki Dee waren keine Stümper auf dem Gebiet, sie brachten es später zur beachtlichen Weihe eines kultisch verehrten Gastspiels auf Prescription, und auch hier war schon alles im Lot. Die melancholische Emotionalität und Leichtigkeit im Klang der US-Vorbilder wurde mindestens eingeholt, House wurde hier gespielt und nicht zusammengebaut, und sorgte auf so mancher Tanzfläche für Momente voller selig geschlossener Augen. Im Vergleich griffen die Jungs aber auch die Errungenschaften vor der eigenen Tür auf, insbesondere Joey Negros Art Disco mit Deep House zu verbinden, scheint auch hier durch, und bei aller Tiefe haben diese Tracks auch diesen wohligen mediterranen Schimmer, den die italienischen House-Produktionen der frühen 90er auf der Insel hinterlassen hatten. In Anbetracht des übersichtlichen englischen Sommerwetters ist diese EP Eskapismus der höchsten Edelstufe, und enthält darüber hinaus mit „Explain It“ einen der erschütterndsten House-Lovesongs ever, über den die Originators in den US-Großstädten explizit und zeitlebens den Mantel neidvollen Stillschweigens ausgebreitet haben. Dem Vergessen gilt es nun wirklich entgegen zu gehen, mit dem richtigen Talent geht House immer noch überall, auch wenn die Urheber dieses Wunderwerks in den Folgejahren mit die Regel bestätigenden Ausnahmen lieber zu den Gründerväter von Boompty zählten anstatt die internationale Deep House-Bruderschaft in Schach zu halten.
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