I-F is a legend. Pure and simple. He is going to do whatever he likes and couldn’t give a toss about fads and trends. Every so often he gets some love, but to be honest he puts most djs and labels to shame. He knows his shit. Viewlexx is the label he has ran for over 20 years and it’s consistently great. There wasn’t much thinking to the ones I wanted to list, these were the first five I grabbed from my shelves.
All killer no filler.
Some people are amazing at reworking other peoples music, Ned Pegler (aka Medlar) is one. He’s also not a one trick mode kind of a guy, as he is as adeft at reworking a disco classic as he is on a deep, afro or electro workout. Here’s four killer reinterpretations (and one of him) that i’ve hammered by one of the UK’s finest remixers…
Every few years this band seem to get ‘rediscovered’. It’s because their brand of raw and at times brutal electronics will never sound dated. Quite close to Suicide in terms of political stance and sonics married with equally interesting and arresting imagery. They were the total package. Many have tried to imitate but few have managed to get right, proving that make music this stripped back and dynamic takes serious chops.
One label I have a lot of love for (I was partly educated on a lot of their output in the 90s) and seem to have amassed a fair portion on the black round stuff, is the UK’s ace Peacefrog Records. I loved their varied tastes which ranged from the new crop of Chicago to peaktime techno and off kilter jazz and funk, these guys only had one thing that united their broad palette and that was warmth & soul. Impossible to pick five, so below are ten I was raised on that are still good to go!
There’s some hype around this man these days and deservedly so. He’s always been a bit of a maverick, flying his own flag and sticking to his guns (almost literally) and come good for it. I was drawn to his records in my teens because they always sounded a bit rough and ready and had a different kind of energy compared to a lot of other stuff that existed on 12″ at that time. Also, like all the best djs and music makers, I love his diversity. One track might be a dub heavy percussive cut, another an italo infuenced peak time number, next a raw disco or soul edged edit. Some deserve the hype, some it’s hard to argue a decent case for but there’s definitely only one DJ Harvey.
Mr Bones and I are always talking about records that are naive, by that we mean not polished to within an inch of it’s life, they sound like whoever was making them did it for the love and nothing else. Below are 5 tracks that really embody this spirit.
I don’t actually own any of these (sob) as they are out of my price range but maybe one day!
Some people seem to master the art of hypnotic grooves that are in no rush to go anywhere but you can listen to on loop for hours. T.L.T are masters of this craft and create trippy records that open rooms and set the early tone of nights so perfectly. Here are five that draw you in and in…
This was initially going to be a love in for the hunky balearic duo The Pilotwings but I decided to expand it out to encompass the Brothers From Different Mothers label. The record label operates out of Lyon, France and whilst difficult to pigeonhole, seems to have a love for the youthful exuberance of breakbeats, with releases touching upon jungle, footwork and early UK breakbeat house tracks, whilst other tracks have elements from balearic to Chicago house – Chris Frieze.
Little more than a cut up break, jungle noises and some beats. With all the best house music, it’s the simple things that work.
Dj Normal 4, who has previously released alongside Bufiman (Jan Schulte, Wolf Muller), is one of the torchbearers of breakbeat. Instead of sounding like a pointless carbon copy, he captures the excitement and energy of the those early records and makes them sound current and relevant.
This cut, which comes from The Pilotwings debut album and should be purchased for the cover alone, is a lush, balearic groover that contains all manner of lovely eighties sounds and sultry french utterances.
This cute little 7” certainly packs a punch. Jungle breaks, soaring pads and the occasional mc chant. The sound of California sunrises, Michiko Koshino and Vicks.
The latest release on the label is a 4 track ep and this B2 is my pick of the bunch. Early Italian house, shimmering balearica and Chicago house all rub shoulders to create something that sounds like it could have been produced tomorrow or 20 years ago, and I think this encapsulates my love for the label- timelessness.
Quality re-issue label focussing on Italian disco producers and arrangers working in the golden era’s of the 70’s and 80’s. This label is building up quite a few releases worth picking up on nicely cut 12″s. What’s not to love?
