Released on the 23rd of June is a new 3 CD pack from Buzzin Fly, titled 5 Golden Years In The Wilderness, selected of course by label boss Ben Watt, and surprisingly (and pleasantly) unmixed! (Note: above image has nothing whatsoever to do with this release, I just think it's cool).
The name Ben Watt is synonymous with good music. One of the most ardent, cynical chin strokers I've ever used to go to pieces at the mention of the name, and not without reason.
This release is a fine example of Watt's sensibilities; it's an eclectic mix of upbeat house, scattered with beautiful melodies, delightful vocals and pure passion. Plenty of Watt's own work can be heard, such as A Stronger Man, Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass and Lone Cat.
Disc 1, titled Up, is a collection of the label's greatest accomplishments, deeply veined with pianos, sax, strings, trumpets and all the usual housey accouterments. In short, all the elements that have given Buzzin' Fly the excellent reputation that is has today. The highlight of this is Rodamaal feat. Nicinha - Musica Feliz (Alex S Classic Club Mix), which makes use of some understated percussion, tantalising Latino vocals, disco strings and gentle piano. It positively drips with honey. The rest of the disc follows in similar fashion, with a heavy focus on melody and vocals, backed by very danceable beats. A perfect pre-party disc.
Disc 2 is surprising in that it takes a step back where disc 1 forged ahead, consisting mainly of down tempo and chill out tunes, such as the serene One Week On Cuba by Kayot. The title, Down, is entirely descriptive of the content. Again, a heavy focus on melodies is evident, but this CD works far harder to establish mood and atmosphere than the first, which is all about the party. Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia's Mon Ange is absolutely moving, so utterly drenched in emotion and sadness that it instantly banishes the happy thoughts conveyed on the first disc, instead calling up memories of Shlomi Aber's contemplative 2007 album, State Of No One.
Disc 3, Forward, is clearly where Watt has unleashed his creativity to full extent, with bouncy, shamelessly electronic tunes paving the way for a classy end to the release. The tracks here use more artificial sounds that anywhere else on the release, full of techno bleeps and heavy pad sweeps, a reminder of the direction the label is headed in. Unfortunately, this CD is a let down in comparison to the first two, with a less conservative yet more bland selection of music and feeling very rushed, like it was tacked on at the back rather than carefully considered.
Two good discs out of three isn't a bad strike rate, really, and although disc 3 isn't as good as the rest, it's still an extremely good listen, making this release extremely tasty as a whole.
Disc 1 - Up
01 Darkmountaingroup - Lose Control
02 Ben Watt Feat Estelle - Pop A Cap In Yo' Ass (Radio Edit)
03 Rodamaal Feat Nicinha - Musica Feliz (Alex S Classic Club Mix)
04 Justin Martin - The Sad Piano (Charles Webster Remix)
05 Ben Watt - Lone Cat
06 Justin Martin - Nightowl
07 Rodamaal Feat Claudia Franco - Insomnia (Ame Remix)
08 Manoo and Francois A - Traffic
09 Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia - Dead Souls (Radio Slave Remix)
10 Ben Watt Feat Sananda Maitreya - A Stronger Man
Disc 2 - Down
01 Kayot - One Week On Cuba
02 Unity - I Love You
03 Two Armadillos - Nostalgia
04 Rocco - Thursday Night Friday Morning
05 Lephtee - So Far Back (The Nova Dream Sequence Remix)
06 Mlle Caro and Franck Garcia - Mon Ange
07 Jimpster - Square Up (John Tejada Remix)
08 Automagic - Do You Feel?
09 Barbq - Barbi In Love
10 Manoo and Francois A - A Day in December
Disc 3 - Forward
01 Stimming - Kleine Nachtmusik
02 Barbq - Music From The Great Plains
03 Rodamaal Feat Claudia Franco - Insomnia (Kemistry Remix)
04 Spencer Parker - Chiho
05 Gavin Herlihy - Give Me A Funf
06 Lovebirds - The Beat Goes Boom
07 Here Today - Good News
Thursday, 29 May 2008
Music Review: 5 Golden Years In The Wilderness
Wednesday, 14 May 2008
Genres for Genres
I got to thinking this morning about how ironic it is that people are so discerning about their taste in films, yet when it comes to music, some people are content to dance the night away to Fedde Le Grand.
I draw a lot of parallels between movie and music - not least because seeing a B-grade movie is just like listening to bad music - there's nothing wrong with enjoying it once in a while, as long as you realise that what you're listening to is absolute tripe.
This chain of reasoning led me onto wondering how each genre of music could be represented as a film. So, without further introduction:
House
"you gotta be strong!"
"keep on moving!"
"higher! higher!"
"feel the love!"
"I'm so overwhelmingly gay it hurts!"
As such, the logical movie partner for house music is the romantic comedy; effortlessly happy, relentlessly optimistic, and often very annoying. The two are such an uncanny match I hardly believed it myself. Romantic comedies always seem to follow the same pattern: guy meets girl, falls in love, messes it up big time, then triumphs in the end with a grandiose gesture that wins her back. House music is the same - vocalist falls from grace, finds God, then returns to "see the light!".
Colin Firth & Hugh Grant. Yuck.
What kind of people enjoy house music? Women and gay guys!
Techno
This is a tough one, because, like house, techno can encompass a wide range of different feelings and styles, from Detroit to Schranz - though I'd say one feeling is more ubiquitous than any other, which is "my music is much cooler than yours".
Yes, tech-heads see themselves as a cut above the rest, better than those glowstick-loving ravers, anyway. The sheer amount of snobbery commanded by techno purists is enough to make even Lord Thistlethwaite the III drop his monocle in fright.
Of course, techno is often passed off as "intelligent music", but I don't think there's much intelligence about it at all - it's simply less fluffy than trance and house, and less twisted than the harder genres. The word "conservative" comes to mind.
So? What kind of film correlates? One that thinks it's smarter than it really is? Well, if we're talking about slower techno and tech-house, it's surely "the heist" or "thriller" film. You know, the one where the clever thief and the lead investigator play the sophisticated cat and mouse game, each trying to appear more at ease than the other?
"I know you stole that painting, Pierce"
"You think you know, so what are you going to do about it? "
...and so on and so forth.
The Thomas Crown Affair, Seven, Ocean's Eleven, Entrapment
Trance, you either love it or hate it. If you hate it, it's generally for one of two reasons:
1. You don't like flying over rainbows to magical happy land on the back of a unicorn.
2. You think trance is too fast, too hard, and pretty much the same as Gabba, in which case you've never really listened to it in the first place.
Trance is a music composed of WONDROUS melodies, overblown euphoria enough to make Willy Wonka cringe. Most of the people who listen to it are living in dreamland, riding on cloud 9, entranced by those shiny lasers and ascending arepggios. What fun!
Thus, trance can only be one thing: a fantasy movie.
Trance crackers are a lot like your average fantasy movie fan; they're lost in their own little world, oblivious to the aspersions being cast on them by others, and they like to dress up in stupid clothes too. Whether you're an Elf Mage dressed in a goblin-repelling green tunic, or a dirty raver wearing female-repelling phat pants, your head is in the same space - not on this planet.
Nice ears.Tech and hard trance are a little more grounded, with a repertoire of harder beats and less of that namby-pamby, 20 minute breakdown, hands-in-the-air crap. As such, they embody darker tones and arguably cooler themes, which is why they are a Sci-Fi movie.
Bigger kick drums, harsher percussion, faster beats = robots, spaceships, aliens and lasers (of the destructive, killing kind of course, not the kind you reach for at 3am). Duh. Still, though Sci-Fi is generally pretty cool (think Arnie in Terminator), just like hard trance, it's also kind of gay - ala Star Trek.
Hardstyle/Hardcore/Gabba/Hard NRG/Happy Hardcore/Hard House
Don't try and tell me there's significant differences between the genres, because there's not. They're all as stupid as one another - ear wrenching synth stabs, melodies that sound like they were composed by a monkey dancing on a synthesizer, and that blistering BPM. Music for infantile minds, really.
The movie choice is so easy I shouldn't even need to spell it out - schlock horror.
Like horror movies, the "hardcore" genres are meant to be scary, enjoyable purely for shock value. The people who consume both these types of media pride themselves on their "harder than thou" attitude, but don't realise that everyone is laughing at them.
Hockey mask: an effective cure for low self-esteem stemming from one's aesthetic deficiencies.
Resident Evil, Nightmare On Elm St, Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer
Psy/Goa Trance
To the amateur ear, psy-trance sounds a hell of a lot like hardcore. Fast tempo, big, scary bass lines, twisted, random noises and plenty of stupid vocal samples about drugs. Right?
WRONG.
Yes, Psy-Trance is still like a horror movie, but it's one with good acting, genuine moments of fright, and a believable plot.
Saw: twisted shit.
Still - you have to wonder about the minds of these people. House heads might be gay, tech heads pretentious, trance crackers off in la-la land, and hardcore aficionados missing two or three chromosomes, but what kind of sick mind enjoys this deranged, scary music, or spending three days listening to it out in the wilderness without a shower for that matter?
Saw, Identity, Psycho, Silence Of the Lambs, A Clockwork Orange, The Ring
Indie/New Wave/Electro House
Where house is outright flamboyant, indie considers itself playful, with such awe-inspiring vocals as: "disco, disco, disco, disco, disco, disco, need to disco!", and quirky themes about girls who like to go ten pin bowling.
Really, the genre is pretty much as stupid as hardcore, though it's lacking the "scary" element, and doesn't take itself nearly so seriously either, thus making it the brainless comedy. See here for more detail.
Dumb & Dumber, Night At The Roxbury, Anchorman, Billy Madison
Jungle/Drum 'n' Bass
Drum 'n' Bass is a very closed scene (at least where round these parts), with people outside of it largely clueless as to the kind of people who attend and where the parties are held.
Like trance, it's listeners are very much wrapped up in their encapsulating world, but much more aware of what the hell's going on around them. Their dark, fast music scares others away, making entry to the scene relatively difficult for most.
Thus, DnB's dark tones, fast pace, and strange sounds are much like that cult sci-fi movie which you've never even heard of. The background is impossible to grasp unless you've read up on the internet, the story too intense and long-winded to bother with, and plenty of stuff about futuristic vampires, clones and espionage. Definitely entertaining if you know what's going on, but otherwise just a crock of shit.
No examples here: they're all too underground for me (maybe Blade).
Dubstep & Grime
A close relation to DnB, Dubstep is a gritty, underground genre which fuses many elements, often using them to good effect, but sometimes missing the mark. It's accessible to the masses, due to recognisable elements such as MCing, or it's deep bassy synths. When done well, it's not too bad. 99% of the the time, I'd rather stab myself in the eye with a rusty fork instead.
Snatch, Lockstock & Two Smoking Barrels, Fight Club, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction
Leftfield/Trip-Hop
Now, here's a genre which you won't hear me slagging off. Surprisingly, this is a style I admire massively for it's innovative approach, artist integrity and emotional feel, yet rarely listen to. Why?
It's boring as hell, that's why. Where's the energy lads?
The best thing about the genre is the fact that by it's very nature, it can't be bastardized. In EVERY genre, there is good and bad music, and a selection of tracks made by talentless producers simply for fame or money. Left-field strives to be different from anything else, and thus doesn't seem to suffer so much from "cookie cutter" generic elements that other fields do.
It's unique, clever, and emotional all at the same time. It's an art house movie!
Just like art house, it's brilliant when you're in the mood, but if you're not, it's tiresome and you'd rather watch anything else, even Resident Evil or Night At The Roxbury.
American Beauty, Babel, Shawshank Redemption
Wednesday, 7 May 2008
Interview: Mark Farina
On your new Fabric Mix; I was impressed with how you’ve doggedly stuck with your recognisable house sound, despite a global downturn in the popularity of this style of music. What places do you think this kind of music is still booming in at the moment?
The Midwest (USA), California, Canada, Brazil, Ireland, Belgium, just to name a couple spots.
Has your loyalty to house music been a conscious decision, either for the benefit of your long-time fans, or perhaps because you don’t like to be dictated by current trends? Or is it just that you don’t identify so much with the more popular music right now (arguably tech-house)?
I just love House. There’s a certain Chicago – SF jacking deep sound that I enjoy and always try and find new goodies to support that. I think Chicago house has many sub-genres within though.
What do you prefer to listen to at home, funky house music along the lines of your Fabric Mix, or the sound you’ve been credited as coming up with, “Mushroom Jazz”? Any other left-field stuff?
Both. I usually listen to more house because I tend to find more new house tunes than downtempo. I collect weird records – searching for samples too.
Your Fabric Mix contains a few interesting science fiction samples. Where did these come from?
Obscure old spoken word albums I’ve collected over the years.
What about the Japanese samples in Das Shibuya? What’s the guy saying? (something about a computer I think, my Japanese skills are a bit rusty)
The guy is naming all of the Kraftwerk songs they performed at a concert in Tokyo in 1981.
Being a veteran of the house scene, does it disappoint you to see so many kids in America growing up thinking of anything with a 4/4 beat as “techno” in the negative sense, especially since techno and house were conceived in their own back yards?
It’s not their fault. It’s hard in the US to be into house or techno or any other sub genre of electronic club music because all the clubs are 21 and up (meaning you must be 21 to get in).
How’s the scene in America now? I’ve heard you mention in the past few years that rock music is making a big comeback, but I have also seen signs that dance music is gaining ground generally. A lot of American producers are starting to emerge on the global stage, though not necessarily in the house field. What do you make of this?
Still, it's pretty good here. Club style is either house, techno or electro. Then of course there’s the whole hip-hop R&B thing that’s more mainstream.
America is currently your home. Though hosting plenty of talented producers and DJs, it’s dwarfed by the amount of material from Europe. Have you ever had thoughts about relocation, or would it feel wrong considering that both house music and yourself got their respective starts in America?
Probably thought more about relocating to Europe or Canada because of lack of faith in our government than music.
You’ve stated in the past that Detroit, the techno mecca, is actually not that great to play because the clubs close so early. What IS your ideal club night? Are you in the open air on a beach, like the Full Moon parties you’ve played in Hawaii, or in a dank and dingy underground club in the centre of the city? What are people wearing? What’s the décor like?
Detroit is fun to play though, it just sucks when the party has to end too early wherever it may be. I usually prefer clubs in the 300-1000 range.
I wrote an article a while ago about the impact of drugs on the dance music. There are few people who have as much experience as you in the scene. What are your thoughts? Do you think drug use has increased or decreased? Is it detrimental? Would you prefer a crowd of drinkers or drug takers at your parties?
I think music, whichever genre, and drugs or alcohol have always had intertwined relationships. It’s just part of growing up. I think a mix of people is usually best, a few drunks, some druggies and some sober people too.
I’ve heard you like to play video games in your spare time. Are you a console or computer kind of guy? What are your past and current favourite games?
I prefer X-BOX 360 or PSP. Current faves: Grand Theft Auto (X-BOX 360), Call of Duty (X-BOX 360) and Tigerwoods 2008 (for PSP).
I’ve found that my favourite games often have great soundtracks. Is this something you notice too? If so, what games have good soundtracks for you?
The radio stations in GTA 4 are cool. One is a DJ Premier channel.
What’s coming up in your world in the next 6 months?
After the Fabric 40 release this weekend, going to do tours in USA, Canada, China, Japan, Brazil, UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Wednesday, 2 April 2008
Music Review: Fabric 40 - Mark Farina
Chicago house veteran Mark Farina is on duty for Fabric's latest installment, released next month.
"Jackin" and "funky" are two words I heartily dislike using when it comes to House Music, however they are the two most apt that comes to mind at this very moment.
Like a lot of Fabric's stuff, this one is crammed full of tracks - 21 of them.
While full of constant change, at no stage does Farina's boppy take on house music feel rushed, with a smooth blend of beats meshing together beautifully over seventy-odd minutes to create a wonderful early-evening style listen.
Surprisingly heavy kick drums (for house anyway) form a large basis of the mix, with plenty of raspy percussion giving that "jackin" feel, underscored by strong bass lines and sparse vocal patches to liven things up. To give a feel of continuity despite short song durations, Farina has wisely used vocal snippets over the top of various tracks, pulling things together and giving the impression of one long, long song, rather than a compilation.
Of course, if you know Farina, you know what to expect - his style hasn't changed much in the past decade, and the plethora of sets on the internet are an accurate yardstick as to how this man crafts his works. In this mix, there's even a bit of acid tucked away, in the Tommy Largo remix of Frank Solano - The Blues Line.
Elsewhere can be found sprinklings of flute, piano, and other "housey" accoutrements, testament to Farina's loyalty to his sound, despite the current worldwide downturn in the popularity of this kind of music. I for one found it highly enjoyable ; it's been a while since I've had a good dose of Chicago, and it's a pleasure to receive it from someone with such confidence and experience in their sound.
Though solid, at times the mixing is a little bland or even bass heavy, though never interfering enough to annoy, and ensuring a graceful and highly classy hour worth of music.
If you're a house fan, this is a must-listen:
01. Giom – Together
02. Chuck Love – Yellow Truth (Atnarko Mix)
03. JT Donaldson & Uneaq – Why Not Rock?
04. Ricardo Rae – Lead The Way
05. John Larner & Slater Hogan – Gettin’ Ready
06. Inland Knights – Where Ya At ?
07. Homero Espinosa - Got This Feeling (LNS Disco Dub)
08. Alexander East – Believe En Me
09. Frank Solano – The Blues Line (Tommy Largo Remix)
10. Kris G – Feel My Love (Bobby Valentine Remix)
11. Non Believers – Stasera
12. Johnny Fiasco – Last Word
13. Mood II Swing – Closer (Oliver Desmet & Fred Everything Mix)
14. James Curd – Pick Up What I’m Putting Down
15. Rylan White feat. Olly Brunton– There Goes The Neighbourhood
16. Lawnchair Generals – Broke Acid
17. Jeremy Joshua – Make Dat Shit (Derrick Carter Remix)
18. DJ Sneak – Mumbler
19. Prztz – Brutality
20. Mark Farina – Das Shibuya (Cheeba Remix)
21. King Kooba – Hoose Musik
Saturday, 12 January 2008
DJ Review: Jesse Rose
Track Selection: 44/50
Over two sets in two different venues, I found Rose's selection to be generally excellent, though I thought it a little "samey" at times.
Everyone knows what he plays though - glitch house, fidget house, whatever you want to call it, chopped vocals, off beat kicks, sudden pace changes - this is party music in it's purest form.
A track played last night, The Futureheads - Worry About It Later (Switch Remix) epitomises Rose's selection perfectly: choppy, disjointed, bouncy and fun.
This kind of music isn't really my forte, so although many, many tracks were familiar to both myself and he crowd, I knew only two other tracks for sure. One was a remix of DJ Shadow's distinctive hip-hopper Organ Donor, and the other being the catchy Matthew Herbert - Moving Like A Train (Smith 'n' Hack Remix), which Rose finished with.
I love Moving Like A Train. How many dance tracks use brass bands like that?! This was a great ending track, as it got the crowd clapping in time and revved for the appearance of Marc Romboy who was on next. Listen to a sample below.
Technical Skills: 27/30
One word: raw.
Rose isn't highly polished like some, but his pure improvisation skills make up for it. In terms of transitions I noticed him highly adept at phrasing and layering, in that as one track was breaking down from a kick and clap combo into just a plain kick, the incoming track would be doing the reverse, creating a sharp, noticeable change in the clapper sample, which he would hold before slamming the faders to switch the kicks.
Brilliant, brilliant usage of equalisers during songs, not so much during transitions. Rather than muck around with fancy filters, Rose was more than content to ply his wares using his high and mid knobs, creating fake build-ups, or enhancing existing, not unlike like Stacy Pullen. Once or twice his timing was out by a fraction of a second; nothing serious of course.
However, Rose loses points for confusing the crowd a few times by dropping the bass out, going into a build, then returning the beat out of time or phrase, whatever you want to call it, so no one knew when to go nuts!
Set Flow: 8/10
Like electro-clash and hip-hop, this style of music is tough to build a coherent set, but Rose does a pretty damn good job, really.
Intensity varied nicely at a few points in the set, with one peak lasting a good twenty minutes and having the whole room jumping and laughing, while other bits had us just nodding our heads.
Showmanship: 4/5
He's a wild one, is Jesse. On hand throughout the set was a bottle of vodka, of which he was gulping straight from the bottle before turning back to the mixer to blow us away.
For basically the whole time his head and shoulders bounce up and down in time to the music, constantly in frenetic motion; really a great beacon for the crowd.
Consistency: 5/5
Two great shows.
Overall Score: 88/100
Review based on two shows in January 2008.
Sunday, 23 December 2007
Selections
My selections today are all from Croatian label Home Made Electronica, purely because I'm absolutely loving their unique blend of synth pop, progressive and tech house. The happy-go- lucky synth pop influence is something I'd love to see more producers pursuing; it's a great sound. That way, in two years when the market is saturated, I can start complaining about how it's been bastardised. Just kidding.
Note that updates will be more frequent now that I'm on holidays from work.
Dizalica - Dark Elegance (Original Mix)
I have a feeling this one was made using FL studio, mainly because of the prevalent and strangely familiar hi-hats. This track is a perfect marque for HME's sound. Amateur yet professional and slick, happy and completely danceable.
Very simply, it's based on a nice punchy kick, with a hint of bongos, and a long-travelling, track dominating hi-hat, which really makes it for me. The main melody is simply a clever arp that repeats over and over, with no discernible start and end to bars or sections.
If there's one complaint it's that the tune doesn't "go" anywhere, but that's irrelevant because this will never be a floor-filler. It's brilliance is in it's simplicity, as it's more so a nice bridging track, especially as an upbeat ending to a darker set.
Examine - Mandalin Girl (Original Mix)
Tech-house in an Agoria-like mould, this one is fairly uninspiring for it's first half, composed only of a kick, clap and bassline, and a variety of random sounds jumping in and out of the mix every few beats. It's not without reason though, as the song builds extremely subtly to a very classy rhodes piano breakdown three minutes in, which sounds definitively hand-played (as opposed to sequenced).
The break calls up thoughts of a genteel Mediterranean day, striding along a beach. It's almost trancey in a Chicane kind of way. It comes to a laid-back peak with a dramatic increase of reverb, which leads to the original beat returning with little variation from early on, but this time accompanied by that great rhodes piano, which begins to get a repetitive but still charms greatly.
If you like Agoria or Matthew Dear, this, and the other two tracks on the release, Jacked 2, and the Davor O Remix of Mandalin Girl, will probably excite you too.
Shuma - A1
Relentless in an Adam Beyer/Drumcode/Mad Eye kind of way, this dark techno number sounds simple at first, but, like these tracks, has plenty of subtle background elements that keep things interesting.
Both sides of the release are interesting, but I prefer more energetic A1 over Ground Zero.
A1's main kick features a reverb/delay effect that creates an interesting rhythm for the tune, but what really makes it is the hypnotic two-note melody that drives itself into your brain like a railroad spike, while clever xylophone hits in the background perhaps account for the Beyer-ish sound. White-noise build-ups reminiscent of electro-house add a unique edge.
This is loop-style techno at it's finest.
Saturday, 15 December 2007
DJ Review: Daft Punk
Daft Punk!
Never has a hype machine this big come to Melbourne. Outrageous claims have been thrown from all directions, with several people effusively proclaiming "I would give my life savings to see them play, anything!".
The past month has seen the whole city awash with an all pervasive excitement I've never really experienced before, with nu rave, trance, house, techno and indie heads all gearing themselves up for the biggest concert of their lives. Hell, even people with no real interest in music were hyped.
As much lauded for their talent as their spectacular light show and carefully crafted robot personas, I was intensely curious as to whether they live up to the buzz or not.
Track Selection: 40/50
Now, if you're a Daft Punk fanatic, which an inordinate amount of people seem to be, 40 will seem unfair to you.
However, while I do respect Daft Punk for all they have done for the scene, as well as the hits they have written, "overrated" is a perfect way to describe their productions, of which the show was made up of entirely.
Da Funk, Around The World, One More Time - all clever in their own right, but when considered from a musical standpoint, are not all that impressive.
A vast majority of Daft Punk's big hits consist of a hook borrowed ("stolen" if you're that way inclined) from a 70's/80's song, then looped and overlaid with a vocoder and other effects.
I wouldn't consider this "ripping off" as others would, on the contrary, de Homem-Christo and Bangalter are incredibly clever samplers, breathing fresh life into old music which would otherwise be forgotten, however, arguably Daft Punk's biggest draw card is the simplicity and catchiness of their music, which can get stuck in your head for days.
They are not known for complex melodies, rather they are loved for simple hooks. When you learn that these were not written by Daft Punk themselves, it certainly takes the sheen off their godlike status.
Great example here:
Daft Punk's Robot Rock samples Breakwater's Release The Beast.
Neither are Daft Punk vocal geniuses. Vocoders form a majority of their vocal performances, which are rarely more than three or four words repeated over and over.
Don't get me wrong - Daft Punk are great, but there are more talented producers out there, making everything completely from scratch, with complex melodies and great vocals.
However, where a producer sources their samples from is completely irrelevant if the music sounds good. In this respect, Daft Punk err closer to the side of pop music than true dance music in my opinion, hence why such a huge array of people love them; "popular music".
Regardless of whether you love them or hate them, the biggest feature in a Daft show is the combining of big hits to drive the crowd into a frenzy, such as Robot Rock/Oh Yeah, Touch It/Technologic and One More Time/Aerodynamic.
The encore (which everyone knew was coming) featured Human After All, Together, Music Sounds Better With You and One More Time all rolled into one.
If you're a Daft fan, you will love this.
Technical Skills: 27/30
Seeing inside Daft Punk's pyramid, you could be forgiven for thinking that they are actually producing music live!
Seeing this image before the show, I was expecting a show composed entirely of vocal snippets, clever loops and generally unheard of material, just as in Booka Shade's brilliant performances, all thrown together to produce something mindblowing.
Rather, actual tampering with song structure was fairly minimal, but, as mentioned above, tracks were layered on top of one another. These bootlegs were ok, but I would have preferred a well constructed set of single hits I think.
The biggest feature for the duo seemed to be filters. Many times the pair seemed to enjoy taking out all their highs and mids, leaving the crowd hanging.
Mixing I found to be very coarse, with short transitions, and the incoming song generally just dropped in over the top with little equalisation.
Set Flow: 8/10
Great opening with Robot Rock, I really enjoyed that, and the set did slowly build to a crescendo, however overall it felt far more like a rock concert than a dance act. Two or three times a song was allowed to play out in it's entirety before a 30 second pause to allow for applause from crowd, then the new song would begin.
This was okay and did serve a purpose, however, at a dance event, is there ANY bigger wet blanket than the music stopping altogether?
Showmanship: 5/5
Although the light show was incredible, I'm not giving extra points for this, because it would be unfair to other DJs under the rating system, who aren't accompanied by this.
However, Daft Punk's own antics were great, with hands in the air, and (I imagine) huge smiles behind those robot helmets.
Consistency: 5/5
Can you say "groundhog day"?
Daft Punk have been playing the exact same show for two years now, which, although it is great for consistency, defeats the purpose of playing live and reacting to the crowd. They may as well insert a pre-recorded CD and just stand there.
Overall Score: 85/100
Overrated.
Yes, the lightshow was amazing - but many trance events have the same. A lot of Daft Punk devotees wouldn't realise this because they don't lower themselves by going to "those dirty trance events". Yes, the music was also great, but there are far better acts out there (28 I can think of right this second, actually).
Just one question - with the amount of female interest going Daft Punk's way (no doubt), do they uphold the legend and engage in robot sex, or do the masks come off?
Review based on one show in December 2007.
Wednesday, 21 November 2007
House music
What the hell happened to house music? Seriously? House used to be so good. I’m not talking soulful, deep, lounge or funky house. Forget Defected, I’m talking about club house. Handbag house, if you will. That’s right, commercial, cheesy, poppy, vocal house. It used to be awesome. What the hell happened? Point in question: The Ministry of Sound Annual CD, an accurate gauge of the commercial club scene each year, if cheesy and badly mixed (twenty-one songs in seventy minutes?!). Five years ago you could buy this CD and hold you head high. These days, go in to buy and it's more like this:
2002 was my favourite year for the commercial genre, which bought us such gems as Cassius – The Sound Of Violence, Ashley Beedle’s classy remix of The Streets – The Weak Become Heroes, X-Press 2 feat. David Byrne – Lazy, Jakatta feat. Seal – My Vision, Groove Armada – Superstylin’, Who Da Funk feat. Jessica Eve – Shiny Disco Balls, Green Velvet – Genedefekt (Cajmere Mix) (far superior to the more well known La La Land), 2 Heads – Out Of The City (Starchaser Remix), The Beginerz - Reckless Girl and Dirty Vegas – Days Go By (Scumfrog Vocal Mix). If those tracks don't seem commercial to you, it's because they came from a time when they word "commercial" wasn't synonymous with poor quality music. (Well, not to the extent it is now, anyway...) Listening to all those songs, as I have been in the past few days, has made me realise what they all have in common, which is what every commercial hit relies on: catchy vocals. Usually I find vocal tracks to be extremely poor, but not these. Why? Listening to the actual music, the percussive elements are extremely strong. Each song has a recognisable beat sequence with unique hats, claps and snares, as opposed to the pervasive monotony of today's house rhythms. The melodies are light and well written, meaning that the vocals do not have to be relied on. Each of these songs could even do without vocals, it's just the great singing that's the icing on the cake.
Fast forward to 2005’s Annual, and it’s filled with more garbage than the average household bin. Eric Prydz – Call On Me, Armand van Helden – My My My, Mutiny – Holding On, Inaya Day – Nasty Girl and Studio B – I See Girls. All feature poorly written hooks, simple percussion and a complete and utter reliance on cheesy vocals. To be fair, a few good tracks were present on this CD, such as Soul Central’s (uncredited...) remake of Strings Of Life and Junior Jack – Stupidisco, but in the main, it’s a boring listen.
Last year the downward spiral continued, and we were treated to such err.."choons" as Fedde Le Grand – Put Your Hands Up For Detroit, TV Rock – Flaunt It, Rogue Traders – Voodoo Child and Bob Sinclar’s atrocious Rock This Party (I’d rather listen to Filo & Peri – Anthem, and that’s saying something). Unlike 2005's CD, these songs aren't just boring, they're utter torture. Rather than real percussion, most feature saw-waves and a big kick drum.
Perhaps I'm saying that I don't like the influence electro-house has had on the scene, something others have been saying for years, as these days I can’t go to a club of any decent size without hearing generic crap like Dave Spoon – At Night, or something else based entirely on saw-waves, blips and “IN YA FACE” vocal, but I don't think it's that.
I’m ashamed to say that the Australian commercial scene seems to be having a large influence on the downfall of house music worldwide, with TV Rock, Rogue Traders and Dirty South are leading the charge, followed close behind by a bevy of other local copycats. Electro is certainly the flavour of the month here.
Don’t get me wrong, electro-house has bought us some great stuff. Mason – Exceeder was a clever bit of work, as was the light-hearted Chris Lake – Changes. Electro-house can be done well, the problem is that most of the time, it’s not.
Hence, I don't think it's the "electro" sound that has ruined house, more so the rise of club and drug culture. Early house music focused mostly on themes of love and unity, which, to be honest, I find a little wanky, but undeniably had a great effect on the music. In sharp contrast, most vocal tracks these days seem to encompass the tired themes of sex and drugs to exclusion.
I'll make the bass line nice and deep
For all you freaks on disco treats
Just shake that arse
Just shake that arse
TV Rock - "Flaunt It" (club hit in 2006)
What happened to the cheerful pianos and upbeat pads of the early 00's? The feel good vocals and solid percussion? The quality of music?
Yeah, commercial house sucks these days.
Tonight
Wonderful things are about to happen
All of the your wildest dreams are about to come true
So lay back and relax
Let me give my love to you
I feel like the sun
I feel like the rain
I feel like I’ve just found reason for living again
‘Cause what I’ve been dreaming
I know that it’s real
I know that there’s just no changing the way I feel
You’re into my head and outta my mind
I feel like I’ve just found reason for being alive
And I have a secret I think you should know
I feel like I just can’t keep it
It’s deep within me
And I thought I was out of control
Can you see my vision
Of a red hot summer in white
When love was the feeling
There’s no indecision
We were turning that key inside
‘Till you get in the moment
Tonight
Wonderful things are going to happen
All of the your wildest dreams are about to come true
We’re living a dream
I see it today
I feel like all my fears are fading away
Been waiting so long
For something new
I feel like I cant stop craving for being with you
You’re into my head
I’m out of my mind
I feel like I’ve just found reason for being alive
And I have a secret I think you should know
I feel like I just can’t keep it
It’s deep within me
And I thought I was outta control
Can you see my vision
Of a red hot summer in white
When love was the feeling
There’s no indecision
We were turnin’ that key inside
‘Till you get in the moment
Can you see my vision
Of a red hot summer in white
When love was the feeling
When love was the feeling
When love was the feeling
When love was the feel-ing
When love was the feeling
When love was the feeling
When love was the feel-ing
feeling-feeling-feeling-feeling [echo to fade]
You're into my head...
I'm out of my mind...
Tonight wonderful things are going to happen,
All of your wildest dreams are about to come true
I have a secret
I think you should know
I feel like I just cant keep it,
It's deep with in me,
And it's deep within me
And it's deep within me
And it's deep within me
And it's deep within me
And it's deep within me
And it's deep within me
And I feel like I'm losing control
Can you see my vision
Of a red hot summer in white
When love was the feeling
There’s no indecision
We were turnin’ that key inside
‘Till you get in the moment
Can you see my vision
Of a red hot summer in white
When love was the feeling
When love was the feeling
When love was the feeling
Oh whatta feeling!
In memory of decent commercial music, I present some A-grade cheese of recent times ('06/'07). Surprisingly, I enjoy all the following tracks just as much I enjoy the most underground, minimal piece of techno, the hardest bit of trance, or even the most twisted mind-trip of goa. The sunny vocals and careless beats can't help but lift your spirits. These are what I call "guilty pleasures":
Seal - Amazing (Thin White Duke Remix)
Fonzerelli - Moonlight Party (Original only - all the remixes are tripe)
The Killers - Read My Mind (Gabriel & Dresden Remix)
Freemasons - Watchin' (Original Vocal Mix)
Grooveland - Tell Me (Original Mix)
Mary J Blige - Be Without You (Moto Blanco Vocal Mix)
Kid Creme - The Game (The Kid's Piano Mix)
Enjoy!
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Interview: Nikola Gala
Hailing from Greece, Nikola Gala, real name Nikos Galatsopoulos, first broke onto the scene in 2003/4 with a blissful re-make of Perasma's Swing 2 Harmony, teaming up with fellow countryman John Con, and receiving copious play from acts such as Gabriel & Dresden and James Holden.
In the four years since, the twenty-seven year old has piled on a string of quality progressive house releases, proving that quantity doesn't necessarily have to be sacrificed for quantity, as well as initiating a career in DJing and founding his own label.
I caught up with him last week to see what's happening...
Where are you now? At home in Thessaloniki or out on tour? What have you been doing?
Currently I'm at home, working on my next EP for my digital label, Escada Music.
What is the music scene and clubbing like in Thessaloniki? How has this influenced your tastes in music and production?
At the moment the city has a couple of clubs full of events featuring guest and local DJs. Sometimes the clubs are packed, and some others are not so busy. I wouldn't say that the local scene and clubbing has influenced me much; I get most of my inspiration from listening to music in my studio, single tracks or mixes.
You’re coming up to almost two years now since you started you own label, Escada. How has this affected your life?
Escada was something I wanted to start much earlier but I wasn't able due to some reasons, but anyway now I am really happy with it. I can release my own music the way I want it and this is the main reason that I've started the label. While I was releasing my own music, other artists spotted the label and started sending me music, some of the tracks were nice and so I decided to release them.
What steps were involved in setting up your own label? Was it hard financially?
First of all you need to have some music in your hands, this is the basic requirement, and then to find a distributor. I had the music and then I made a deal with Beatport, which is one of the best download stores for underground dance music. Hard financially??? I wouldn't say so, especially for a digital one.
Besides the obvious advantage of being able to release your own music, what are some of the positive and negative aspects that you have encountered in running Escada?
I get a lot of music from other artists who are looking for a label to release their tracks and this is a big one. I get in touch with new people all the time. I can't find any negative aspect running Escada so far, I am really proud of it, as it gets better and better all the time!
Which producers releasing on Escada are you excited about at the moment? Which elements of their music interest you the most?
One of the last releases was "Steve Mill - Exacta" including a remix from Scope. Both artists have made some really really nice techy/housy/clubby tunes that I have included in my sets and I am happy that I have them on board.
It would be fair to say that from your first to your latest releases, your music has arguably become a little shallower, using more hooks and funkier bass lines than your early progressive releases, which were quite deep. What has fuelled this change? Was it a conscious decision?
Yes, that's true. I try not to push myself make music that has a label or that will fit in a specific genre, I just listen to music, get some ideas then will mix it with some of my own ideas, beats and sounds and make a track. Through all these years, I have listened to many new and older artists (and I keep doing this) and I believe this made me work on some different kind of sounds. I hate sticking to the same sound all the time; I prefer to evolve.
Following on from this, where do you see your music headed in the future? Is there a certain type of sound that you like or dislike at the moment?
For sure I want to keep it clubby, so people can dance to it, or sometimes deeper, sometimes techier. I feel like modern house music is big for me at the moment.
Any upcoming DJ tours abroad that people should know about?
As far as I know there isn't something confirmed so it's a good chance to sit in the studio and work!
...and finally, the token question. What’s your favourite 12” of all time?
That's a tough one but I think it's "Herbie Hancock - Cantaloupe Island".
