There’s been a lot of reflective posts on here of late but Mr Black and I are always on the hunt for fresh music, whether that means an old often overlooked cheap record or something brand new and expensive, it’s the style of music that draws us in never the era.
Someone from the new school that’s caught both our ears of late is Guglielmo Barzacchini, a man with a great understanding of percussion and nods to the 80s and Detroit on his synth lines.
Five speaking our language below…
Magazine is a pretty interesting label coming out of Cologne. Thankfully they have avoided the polite posh trance that has seemed surprisingly popular amongst clubbers and disco dads alike. They have a strong visual narrative and wide musical palate that takes in grinding techno to ambient and krautrock. 5 that have stood out below.
Derrick Carter is a man truly doing his own thing with a definite sense that zero fucks are given for any trends and fads that can often populate DJ culture. His music packs so much personality, often including his own hand penned lyrics and vocal delivery that I’ve been drawn to his quirky productions for decades.
Five favs from the DLC vaults below, including one for Belfast’s own EPI.
Cabaret Voltaire are underrated in my opinion. Always ahead of the curve and when they got it right they were as good as anyone, managing to nail the sweet spot of experimental and avant garde with the commercial. Definitely worth digging through the back catalogue top listen to how their sound mutated and evolved. Also can someone do a nice vinyl reissue of Plasticity please?
For a period in the ninieties Jim Masters ran and provided A&R services via Open records, a sub label to the Ministry Of Sound night club & record label. Licensing & re-releasing US house & techno gems as well as giving a platform to great afro & disco edged material from the UK including artists Glen Gunner & DJ Harvey. In his role there Masters also conceptualised the first really amazing afterhour compilations that I was aware of, in the “Late Night Sessions” series, check the X-Press 2 and Harvey contributions for some perfect late night into early morning woozy scores.
Five below that sound as fresh today as they did back then…
Melvin Oliphant 111 knows where it’s at. Raw, stripped back Chicago sleaze, acid, house… You know the stuff we like, the stuff influenced by Ron Hardy! Great DJ and producer. Melvin understands the importance of keeping ‘dance’ music rough, not polishing the soul out of it and keeping the true spirit of house alive.
Mr Black and I have both shared a love for Swiss duo In Flagranti for quite some time now. A consistent force in left of centre dance floor music, that always has a driving psychedelic feel. A bit wonky, a bit trippy, a little bit sleazy disco but always with a heavy dose of funk & plenty of personality.
Here are five timeless killers from the duo and a little DUB we fashioned for our own sets. Enjoy!
In a world of fake popularity, spin and hype, guys like Paul Byrne we need now more than ever, it’s clear to see just how much thought and passion goes into everything he does. Big fans of his ace Apiento project and the excellent Test Pressing site. There is even talk of us getting into the studio together when things return to normal.
Fingers crossed for that but for now five I always return to…
Something a bit different this week thanks to Sonic Boom digging into what made him and Jason tick. Nothing particularly strange, startling or rare on this lp but ‘Spacelines’ is pound for pound one of the best put out and an interesting insight into a fantastic band. I normally find if you can get four tracks you really love on a comp then its pretty good, but this one is pretty much all killer no filler, just need to skip the Rolf Harris track on this gem! (no honestly)
