With the help of the Internet and what is now the digital age of DJing it is now possible to track down older gems without trawling endlessly in vinyl exchanges. Case in point, this beauty:
Now call me crazy but I have been trying to track this CD down for going on two maybe three years now. I originally heard two of the tracks on this CD on a compilation from DJ Fresh. This was when he was still playing relatively good music and wasn’t a radio DJ and therefore wasn’t influenced by the likes of Martin Solveig. Quick note, Martin Solveig used to make good music before Defected chewed him up and spat him into a commercial nightmare. One only has to look at his release Heart of Africa to see that the man had a serious ear for music, the short of it is that he became too popular and then in the end sold out.
Anyway, I am getting side tracked here. So after three long hard years I have finally managed to get a copy of this CD thanks to the wonder that is Discogs. My CD has travelled 24hrs on a plane from Germany and now sits proudly in my collection. I have informed my girlfriend that I need never buy another old CD again but I think she is wise enough to see through the bullshit and realises that I will find another master piece by another producer that I just have to have. In all honestly though I think that this is it for me to pack it in. I have spent countless hours and more than enough money collecting music. At some point one has to look in the mirror and ask what is the point to it all. Who am I kidding, I am nowhere near that point yet.
So things are warming up in good old Sydney, spring is off to a great start and I was finally able to walk from the gym to the car with out needing a trackie top.
As far as the music game is going, it’s a bit slow. I have been burying myself head first into some production work and recently got my new Roland RD-300GX so it’s inspired me even more to get something out. I am busy redoing the track I did for Peg for the Peg Sounds album which should be released pretty soon so keep ‘em pealed for a free track. I’ll post the relevant links when I have the time, but for the time being here is a new mix from me. It’s got some new and old as well as some cheese on the end….a little “La da dee, la dee daa” action for all the listeners
Tracklisting:
Jazzanova - That Night
Manuel Tur & DPlay - Deviate
Ralph Falcon - Every Now and Then
Ron Trent - Time
Murk - Reach For Me
JT Donaldson & Chris Nazuka - The Very Last Time
Solar House - Got 2 B U
Vanilla Fudge - Inspirational Times
Mike ‘Agent X’ Clark - Exodus
Rick Wade - Prime Expansion
Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman
Lately I’ve been going through stages where I am uninspired. Uninspired to attempt to make music and uninspired to even pick up my headphones and record a mix. Not sure what it is but I think the prospect of never playing in a nightclub again has a big part to play in it. It’s been so long since I have actively looked for gigs that I think I may have forgotten exactly how to go about doing so. I’ve always been lucky enough to find like minded folks who play pretty much the same music as I do and thus this commonality has provided great nights out and lasting friendships. Unfortunately in Sydney, I seem to be part of a very small subset of people that are into the deep house sound. Along with this comes the ever so sobering thought of “well if nobody is into the music, why would they hire me” which causes me to slip into a mindset of self-loathing and threats of selling all my gear and packing it in.
Thankfully it’s at time like these that I’ll put on something from Guidance Recordings and instantly my mood is changed and I become enthusiastic again. Mark Grants “Spirit of the black ghost” is as fresh now as when it was initially released. It reminds me of a time when I first fell in love with this music. A time when friends were head banging and I was sat on the sideline wondering why. Sadly this label has ceased, as all good labels do, but perhaps this is what makes it timeless. The fact that the label bosses got to a point where they thought it best to end on a high instead of draining the life blood out of it. Of course there is the possibility that they may have cottoned onto the fact that deep house was dead long before everybody else did. Personally I like to believe it was the former that created a label that saves me from packing it all in.
I must say it’s pretty hard to post a review when you got this album blasting in your head phones but I’m going to try anyway.
So it looks like Rick Wade has done it again, this album just oozes deep house! Stand out tracks for me are “The Ugly”, “Prime expansion”, “Hustler’s Den” and “Focus”, “Prime Expansion” being my absolute favorite thus far. It’s one of those tracks that when you first listen to it you just know that you are going to be getting some serious mileage out of it. Which is not something I can say about a lot of the music that I buy now days. It’s moody and repetitive but the repetitive nature is what gives the track some serious drive. I think if I had to play this at 4AM to a dance floor full of absolutely spannered individuals it would plain tear the roof off. Not sure if my enthusiasm is coming through correctly. If not, let it be known, I fucking love this album.
It’s been a while since I’ve recorded a mix so while I had some time this weekend I decided to throw together a compilation of what I am into at the moment. It’s a mix of old and new and the mix doesn’t go over 123 BPM so if you into break neck speed and bleeding ears don’t bother downloading it
Tracklisting:
01. Lars Behrenroth - Inflection
02. Pascal Rioux ft. Mr Day - The Ghetto
03. Siji - Feels Like (Osunlade Remix)
04. Veronique ft. Delano Smith - Beautiful
05. Fresh & Low - Burning Love
06. Blaze - Wishing you were here (Joey Negro Remix)
07. Bittersuite - Visions
08. Roland Clark - Sunshine (Ron Trent vocal remix)
09. Urban Force - Untitled 2 (Mike Huckaby Remix)
10. Wahoo - Holding You (Ame Remix)
11. Pascal Rioux - Visions of a new world
