There is a certain joy you can get as a DJ, when you stumble upon that drum track/percussive tool number, that you just know will hit a room square on and you are gonna’ be able to play forever.
Below are five stripped back percussive gems that span the decades and never fail to hit that spot in those things called clubs, rem them?
Someone who constantly pushes the envelope of modern electronics, doesn’t play it safe, collaborates with great artists & packs plenty of personality across his musical output/DJ sets is Peter O’Grady aka Joy O. IMO he’s one of the UK’s finest and most interesting artists and as a result always check anything with his name attached too.
Here are five joyous masterpieces…
As we are all homebound this year, here are some suggestions for tonight’s playlist…
Created in 2019 but continued to be on contstant rotation in our house through 2020. This Stan Ray radio guest mix from the Never Never guys is stuffed with great selections is beautifully varied & absolutely top drawer.
https://worldwidefm.net/show/david-holmes-2/
Recorded live at Hostal La Torre in Ibiza this year, Monsieur Holmes played a total blinder & wore his heart on his sleeve for this one. Coming over like a balearic version of his CV, this has lots of beaut little nods to significant points on his trajectory.
Another total masterclass here, Sean Johnston played out of his skin in this 6 hour live Phonox tribute to Andrew Weatherall, on the very same week he passed away. This can not have been an easy mission but one he completely nailed.
Weatherall’s take over on Radio 6 was a slice of perfect radio programming.
https://soundcloud.com/test_pressing/black-bones-test-pressing-mix-504
Lastly, one from us. We enjoyed selecting for and putting together this psychedelic headphone trip for Test Pressing earlier in the year.
I think we can prob all agree that was one stinker of a year. As always music helped me through it, a little more so this year than some others. Here are five diamonds from the shit show of 2020 that I must have listened to at least fifty times or more…
The idea that I can pick a top 5 from this year is obviously impossible. It is always shifting. Below are 5 that jumped out quickly though, some new stuff that sounds old and some old stuff that I didn’t know about but now do (thanks to Cherrystones/Touch Sensitive). Also a special box set from Weatherall – these tracks sort of passed me by when first released but listening to them as a whole totally make sense. Sometimes a bit of distance makes you appreciate things a bit more.
I haven’t been listening to much new music recently. Certainly not anything with a kick drum. I tend to listen to less music near the end of the year in a bid to give my ears a rest. However, there are 5 bangers below I heard being blasted out of my local Co-Op. The Coil one in particular always gets the shoppers into the holiday spirit.
One man who seems to have dedicated a huge chunk of his adult life to the exploration of dub is Moritz Von Oswald, from Basic Channel to Rhythm & Sound, Version, Round 1-5 and beyond he has pretty much nailed every aspect and sense of dub influence in electronic music. He’s been a constant force in my understanding and knowledge of electronic music since I first heard Phylyps track on a club system as an over enthusiastic teen in the early nineties through to picking up great 12 & 7″s in his Hard Wax store in Berlin.
It should also be pointed out that he’s done a lot to champion the roots of Jamaican reggae culture in a positive non exploitative way. Proof it’s ok to take influence over ripping off.
As per, five favs below…
I’m not normally a big fan of compilations, usually you are lucky if you can find three gems on them and the rest is just a bit meh. However with ‘Artificial Dancers – Waves of Synth’ Interstellar Funk has delivered an absolute blinder.
The kind of music I am yearning to hear loud on a good sound system. All killer no filler stuff.
One UK imprint I always make sure to check in on is Matt Edward’s (aka Radio Slave) ace Rekids. It’s been consistent for almost two decades and like all the best labels has a varied approach to the range of styles and artists it releases from alongside a big artist presence from the label owner himself. Peak time techno & breakbeats to deep electronics and occasionally slow brooding downtempo vibes, all covered exceptionally well.
Easily one of the best back cats in the UK for me and with no signs of slowing down antime soon. As usual five favs below..
