I’m not sure who is behind the Light Sounds Dark reissue/bootleg label but they have been releasing some ‘buy or cry’ records since 2009. It’s hard to pigeon hole the sound of the label because it ranges from strange lost soundtracks to acid house and everything in between. To my ears anyway it’s really brilliant underground dance floor fillers and oddities that always find a space in my bag. Below are five for the floor.
Whenever I’m in Dublin, I struggle to leave the city without a trip to All City Records and everytime it proves that good things can come in small packages, as this modestly sized store is absolutely jam packed with the good shit. Just like all the best record shops with clued in staff and buyers at the helm, you can pick up timeless represses of things you’ve worn out, find out about artists or labels for the first time and generally buy great music from a very broad spectrum.
Below are five I scooped last week…
I had picked up an earlier release on the Born Free imprint in Rush Hour, so was curious to hear more from the label. This track is the kind of club record I love, it does a lot with very little and will be useful for years to come.
It’s hard to make flutes sound good in dance music but Dan Snaith nailed it on an often overlooked album track Mars. A proper breakbeat club no that just builds and builds and something I felt was great to have on a 12″.
More non 4/4 club music, this time from Prins Thomas with a proper hypnotic roller entitled A.
Low slung dub from Orson on version = perfect start of the night vibes.
Sampha’s Process getting the remix 12″ treatment from Batu, Bambounou and Parris is a great example of modern UK electronics.
I’m going through a bit of a dub phase at the moment. It’s not something I buy a lot of, mainly because I don’t know a huge amount about it. However, every now and again I hear a couple of tracks by a producer that just blows me away and then have to go on a dig for their records. At the moment it’s Mad Professor and some of his sonic experiments gleamed from a vast back catalogue.
BTW the guy built a recording studio in the front room of his house at the beginning of his career. He got his priorities spot on. What more do you need to know.
Below are five that I think show how varied and talented the man is on a mixing desk.
Really needs heard on a proper system to do the sonics justice.
2.11…Hello!
Never judge a book by it’s cover. Heavy.
Just a beautiful mix of vocal and production. Illustrates Mad Professor’s versatility.
Massive Attack wouldn’t just pass over an album to anybody. The Professor certainly brings it.
Some people truly put their own twist on things and in doing so often create output that transcends any boring fads & trends that exist within music. Peter Kremeier aka LoSoul is one of these artists, with his own take on modern electronics for Germany’s Playhouse and more, releases he created are still head and shoulders above a lot of house music you hear today.
Here are five from the past that still raise ID requests at the booth.
…And breathe
Squarepusher can turn his hand to most things, even dub. So pretty – when that glockenspiel hits it kills me every time.
Early Forest Swords making some amazing bedroom hybrid of Ennio Morricone, gloomy post punk and kind of that really shit sad boy ‘r and b/hip hop’ that people seem to lap up. Somehow he manages to make it all come together.
Was going to write something then read a Discogs review which put it a lot better than I ever could. See below.
Vaguely macabre and menacing, mesmerising yet uplifting was “Maze (Long Version)”, a slo-mo-genre-crossing anthem for the chemically assisted that was both retro and futuristic back in 2010, and still is to this day. Disco, electro, synthwave and bass music are on a boat doing maximum purple syrup and here’s what you get. So much atmosphere in there.
Mmm that sax. I know it has the slight whif of Kenny G but it’s so addictive when wrapped around some lovely Japanese soft psych. DFA seemed to agree.
Hypnotic weird jazz classic. I know very little about jazz but I do know this is genius.
