With the launch last week of Richie Hawtin/M-nus’ latest “project”, Contakt, there has been much comment and mockery across the internet. The most interesting point for me was made by Test Industries’ Richard Brophy, here. He mentions at the bottom of the comments how maybe some people resent Hawtin’s ability to use the media and how some labels either just aren’t as good at it or aren’t interested, which got me thinking on the whole nature of identity and as a knock on effect, marketing in underground dance music.

It could be argued that having an identity does not mean you are marketing per se, but if you are creating a certain persona and selfhood through your music that is markedly noticeable from others, I believe that you are aware that you are marketing yourself and your music to the public in a certain manner. Promo shots, a website, record sleeves all come into effect without having to go around courting the commerical media.

There are, I feel, two camps in this field, those who are strictly opposed to the idea of marketing oneself and those who in their own right have slept with the enemy. When we see the likes of Hawtin and his ilk, it is seen as some horrible, whorish activity and as a result some resolutely refuse to partake in such exercises. I do wonder though if some artists/labels carry out the less-is-more approach purely from lack of ideas and/or because they feel that to push themselves any more is breaking an unwritten rule, where they are crossing a boundary where the music becomes secondary.

Over the years some have broken away from the mould and have been succesful. An obvious example is Underground Resistance who struck themselves out from everyone else in how they presented themselves and their music. When I was orginally discovering all this music they had a real impact on me, not just with their music, but also with the whole ethos and character of the group. Green Velvet was another one, the way Curtis Jones created this persona that was not only carried through the music, but also how he delivere this menacing yet humourous character in both print and in his performances. Anyone who has met Jones will know how different he is to Green Velvet! Drexciya may be the classic example of the faceless techno artists, but due to the whole concept of their work, it no doubt made them stand out from the crowd.

It’s not a case of creating some see-through gimmick to get you to stick out from the crowd, but to not fear the concept of making your presence felt. It’s a case of marrying the music with other elements, to magnify what your music is already saying. With the superflous amount of music we are bombared in the internet age, it may actually be more important than ever to mark out your identity. It’s also becoming increasingly difficult for many proper labels (not some half arsed digital types) to keep going, so surely it can do no harm? It certainly isn’t for everyone, but it’s an option that shouldn’t be automatically off limits. It would be a shame for people to associate the ideas of a strong physical identity in techno and house with nothing but lazy music being dolled up for monetary gain.

Well, here in London, we finally got ourselves some killer weather. The last couple of weeks have been glorious, and couldn’t have come at a better time for me personally, coinciding with a lull in my work schedule. Without wanting to rub it in, that means I’ve been chilling way out, firing up the bbq, lounging in the garden, etc. When I did venture inside, I started messing around with a few records that seemed to fit my mood and that turned into this mix - feelgood vibes are the order of the day here. Kicking off with Carly Simon’s ‘Why’; if only all pop music could be this good, although obviously it helps when you have Bernard and Nile on board! (Otherwise known as the musical geniuses behind Chic.) There’s some funk workouts here, from the likes of Olympic Runners and Bootsy Collins, with a short but inspired Quincy Jones number too. Ned Doheny’s jazz-funk classic “To Prove My Love” sits alongside cuts from disco-diva Patrice Rushen and and an appropriately titled afro-funk epic from Manu Dibango. Elsewehere, Lowrell’s mighty “Mellow Mellow, Right On” makes an appearance. If you don’t know this one, you might gasp the next time you hear Massive Attack’s “Lately” as it looped up a huge chunk of it. Although I love the MA effort too, it’s almost an homage. Also included is one of the Boo Williams tracks I mentioned in my post on him a short while back. The mix rounds off with Giorgio Moroder’s “The Chase”, surely one of the most sampled/plagiarised/imitated tracks of all time, but sometimes I just wanna hear the original. And finally, Larry Levan’s stunning mix of Gwen Guthrie, surely a worthy mix-closer if ever there was one. Hope you dig.

Jitterbug-Poppin’ Out For Ice

tracklist

Carly Simon - Why - WEA 7″
Nas - Heaven (Instrumental) - Columbia
Olympic Runners - On Ya - Polydor 7″
War - Me and Baby Brother - Compilation
Gil Scott-Heron - Waiting For the Axe to Fall - Arista
Patrice Rushen - Number One - Elektra
Ned Doheny - To Prove My Love - CBS
Manu Dibango - Sun Explosion - Decca
Lowrell - Mellow Mellow, Right On - AVI
Quincy Jones - I Heard That! - A&M
Fre$hro - Spiritual Blues - Rong
Bootsy’s Rubber Band - Ahh the Name is Bootsy, Baby - Warner Bros
Cameo - On the One - Casablanca
Vicky “D” - This Beat is Mine (instrumental) - Sam
Hanna - Afternoon in Paris (n.y. mix) - Sound Signature
Boo Williams - Hiding Secrets - Three to Five
Giorgio Moroder - The Chase - Casablanca
Gwen Guthrie - Ain’t Nothing Going On but the Rent (Larry Levan club mix) - Polydor

As I’ve been doing quite a bit of music shopping recently, I got to thinking that so far 2008’s been a pretty good–if not to say excellent–year for techno. Using the term as broadly as we do here at Infinitestatemachine, I can only say that some of the records released this year to date are quickly making this one of the best 21st century vintages for techno. That’s saying a lot, given last year’s releases such as the Maurizio remix of Tony Allen, or the many others which we’ve reviewed here.

If all the Basic Channel/dub techno fans out there thought that this is all we could expect from Mr. Von Oswald for a while after the prolific run of Burial Mix releases, performances and the remix just mentioned, he hits us once again with a mind-blowing remix of a track that samples… Basic Channel! Watamu Beach by Sebbo features a riff from one of the tracks from the BC back catalogue. Von Oswald’s remix of the track really sounds like a new Rhythm & Sound release, as it unravels into a deep and sluggish dub towards the end, allowing for the sound elements to meander and decay. The whole track is underscored by a nice, thick, and familiar kodo thump reminiscent of the one featured on Maurizio’s M series.

Another return to form that I’ve been enjoying recently is the new Sterac record, released on Delsin. Rond/Bot is a masterful execution of a variation on a theme. Both tracks share a nice, analog-sounding bassline, with Rond being the softer, more melancholy and melodic–such as Steve Rachmad used to make on such masterpieces as the well-liked in these parts Secret Life of Machines–while Bot, the b-side, is more dancefloor oriented–the theme bassline being more distorted and prominent–and is backed by a more pronounced beat. The high quality of both tracks on this release makes it worth buying two copies of this fine piece of wax.

Somewhat less known, but equally as noteworthy is the return of Joshua Brent, formerly–and still–known as Schatrax. His hot-off-the-presses record is a reissue of solid tracks from this (now priced for diehard collectors only) triple 12″. To top off his return from the techno netherworld, he also remixed a Detroit-leaning track by Daso and Pawas on Spectral, which is a nice, reverbed affair, done in his signature style.

Pepe Bradock is also making a welcome appearance with his summery remix of an old Pete Namlook track, giving us two fairly similar but still awesome and funk-drenched remixes of the spacey original track, Subharmonic Atoms.

Last but far from least, the Detroit factory of Oliverwho has a new record that comes close to spanning the full gamut of this city’s broad EDM style. It’s a four-track release that features heavy percussion on all and light melodies on a couple of the tracks. All four are excellent, however, with both home listening and club appeal. Who could ask for more out of an already great four track EP? Tip!!!

More reviews to follow…

This past weekend marked the first ISM related event, in collaboration with Still City. Much thanks to Rick Wilhite for coming down to Pittsburgh and blowing it up for us on Saturday night over at AVA. He demonstrated that Detroit style perfectly, playing everything from dubbed out techno on Styrax Leaves to Candido’s “Thousand Finger Man” and everything in between, including some of his own edits which were super hot. Paul Dang dropped some nice hiphop and soul music to kick things off, then I took it in an 80’s disco direction before descending into deep house. Thanks to all the people who came out as well, it appeared that everyone had a good time. It was pretty packed up in there for a while, it was nice to see people getting down to the house music in the Burgh, even when it is far less than fashionable to do so. Check out my wife’s post about the night for links to a couple other pictures that she took. Also, I wanna give a shout out to TJ Dumas who accompanied Rick down to the 412, he may or may not have had something to do with the Chic edit on this hot 12″. We will be seeing you guys up in Detroit in just a couple weeks! As for the Pittsburgh crew, we will definitely be doing some more events in the near future…..

I’ve really been digging the Soundway label from Brighton, England, ever since I picked up the amazing Ghana Soundz compilation back in 2002. Since then they’ve been consistently unearthing and compiling obscure gems from West Africa and beyond, always with a strong emphasis on the funk. Rare doesn’t always mean good, but with these guys, seemingly, yes it does. They never cease to amaze me with the sheer quality of the music that’s laid forgotten in dusty humid basements for decades, most of the tracks they’ve compiled have never been released outside of their country of origin, so despite the huge popularity of funk throughout the world in the 70’s many of these great artists remained unknown outside their immediate locale. Aside from the quality of the music, all tracks are remastered from best available sources, are properly licensed, and they usually come with extensive liner notes, archive photographs and beautiful covers. You can just tell what a labour of love it is for these guys.

Their latest project is their most ambitious to date, the Nigeria Special series. First in the series is Nigeria Special an incredible selection of 26 Highlife, Afro-beat, Jazz and native Blues tracks from between 1970 to 76, covering the time from the end of the bloody Biafran War to the 1976 military coup, available as a 2xCD or 2 volumes of 2xLP. This was a period of independence, new found wealth, optimism, and an explosion of musical creativity in Nigeria. American music had found it’s way back to West Africa via the radio and Nigerian artists like Fela Kuti, who had spent time in the USA, Orlando Julius and Peter King were fusing African rhythms with American Soul, Funk and Jazz. None of those artists are featured here, but don’t worry about that, the results are spectacular, and incredibly diverse, with traditional sounds, heavy grooves and touches of psychedelia from a whole host of lesser known artists. This set has already become one of the best compilations I’ve ever bought. Do your ears a favour and buy this album.

The 2nd installment in the series is Nigeria Disco Funk Special, a selection of 9 heavy funk dancefloor bombs showcasing the vibrant Lagos clubbing scene of the late 70s, available on CD and 2xLP. The cover here is excellent, and once again Soundway don’t disappoint with the music on offer. I should say though that the Disco term here more applies to the fact that this was the music played in Lagos discos of the time and isn’t really what most people would think of as “disco music”, (clean drums, uplifting vocals and strings, etc). The emphasis is on extended funk jams. From liner notes; Soundway presents 9 slabs of rhythm from a time when Saturday and Sunday nights in Lagos City were for looking good and going out. All of them vital musical feathers in the Lagos DJ’s bow alongside the latest Brass Construction, BT Express & James Brown imports that were hot off the plane. Once again, an essential selection.

The 3rd and final installment in the series is Nigeria Rock Special, which is due out this month. Yup, there was also a vibrant afro-rock scene in 1970s Nigeria. As well as the psychedelic Western sounds that could be heard on the radio, some rock stars like Ginger Baker (the drummer from Cream) actually went to live in Nigeria and learn about rhythm. He stayed with Fela Kuti for a while and formed a band from local musicians, who would later go on to become one of the best and most popular Afro-Rock bands in Nigeria, BLO. Other popular bands from the time featured here include Ofege, Mono Mono, and the Funkees. Expect heavy afro rhythms fused with fuzzy electric guitars.

Greetings folks, along with Jitterbug I’m new to ISM and hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with the quality that’s gone before on here. So without further ado here’s my first post, on one of my favourite producers at the moment, John Daly (that’s him above, not me!).

The city of Cork in Ireland has long been synonymous with deep house, ever since the now legendary Sir Henry’s club kicked off in the late eighties/early nineties. Henry’s closed its doors in the earlier part of this decade, not long after its most famous night “Sweat” - helmed by Greg Dowling and Shane Johnson aka Fish Go Deep – had finished its 13yr long run, but the sound has never lost it’s following in the city. So, maybe it comes as no surprise that Ireland’s finest export of the deep sound, John Daly, hails from there. But credit to John, he has not once played up this association in anyway since he snuck out his first couple of releases, Birds and Solaris, on his own Feel Music imprint in 2006. I remember these releases selling really well down in Cork even though no one actually knew they were from John, who would have been recognizable to most record buyers down there as he worked behind the counter in the city’s main vinyl emporium, Plugd Records.

Since these 2 releases John has continued in a similar fashion, releasing gem after gem with little or no fanfare on his behalf, but over the last year many others have sat up and taken notice, including Francois K who has released two Eps of his on Wave. While his music is typically pitched as deep house, it somewhat simplifies the scope and dimensions of his sound. Ambient, techno, disco and funk play as much an important part as any house, and like many of the best producers genres kinda get flung out the window. At the end of last year Move showed that he could turn his hand to some pretty epic cosmic disco. Its wistful theramin hook and longing synths coupled with the simplest of bass-lines created one of those tracks that would go down just as well on a sunny summers eve as early morning inside a darkened club. On a recent trip to Berlin myself and a friend were talking about how it would be the perfect track to hear coming out of the system at 7am, after a hard night on it (as we wouldn’t have the privilege to be in this situation in good old Ireland, with its archaic licensing laws) but sadly this never transpired. If there was a more perfectly put together piece of dance music released last year, I didn’t hear it!

While comparisons to Moodymann being bandied about may seem that bit far-fetched, it’s not hard to hear where people are coming from. He may not hold the enigmatic status of Dixon Jr but his loose, rolling bass-lines definitely owe more than a little to KDJ. There was a discussion on here not too long ago about the power of melancholic sounds in house and techno and the same can be said for a lot of John’s tracks. This is deep, emotional music that you’re not gonna forget quickly.

These days we seem to be dealing with so much music that sounds old and withered six months after it comes out; we all know the disposable garbage I’m talking about. So it’s always exciting to come across work that is deserved of the description timeless. Two more recent releases on Plak and IRR – Full Circle and Solitaire respectively - are keeping John’s reputation rising and rising, so don’t sit on this, check it out now.

Also John keeps his own blog, postings are very sparse on it but if you scroll down to the bottom you can find a nice mix of his featuring the likes of Redshape, Sun Ra and Desmond Childs…

First up, a quick hello. It’s a pleasure to be contributing to ISM, I’ve been reading here since it’s inception, have had tons of good record tips, and enjoyed the no-nonsense style of the blog. Plus, the artists and range of styles covered are right up my street. I’m a vinyl junkie too, so should fit right in here. Here’s my first piece, on what might be the initial part of a little series on some true Chicago heroes. Peace.

Chances are, if you’re a fan of Chicago House music, you’ll know the name Boo Williams. A Windy City native, he began DJ-ing in the early 80’s, and later moved into production in the early 90’s. A face on the Chicago scene from the age of 14/15 , and a regular visitor to the clubs of the era, including the celebrated Music Box, where house music’s patron saint, Ron Hardy, schooled a new generation of clubbers, dj’s and producers. In the late 80’s he began messing around with a Yamaha drum machine, and after meeting Glenn Underground out and about in Chicago (the two went on to become lifelong friends and sometime collaborators), found himself at GU’s house getting some tips and advice on how to make house music (GU at this point already had releases on labels such as Dance Mania under his belt). Along with GU, fellow Chicago-an Tim Harper, and a few more cohorts, they formed Strictly Jaz Unit, and went on to release a number of 12″s and albums throughout the 90’s. Their work was characterised by a more musical, melodic approach.

Initially though, his tracks were very much on the stripped down, ghetto Chicago tip, with releases on the mighty Relief Records, and its Amsterdam based equivalent, D-Jax Up Beats. Boo has attributed this to the fact that when meeting Cajmere for the first time, the label boss was more taken with the banging, tracky cuts on his demo than the deeper, more soulful material. In 1995 he released the seminal “Midnight Express” ep on Relief, the title track of which was a devastating, distorted groove, based around thunderous drums and nagging synth lines, with a jack factor that was verging on the ridiculous. This record to me is a masterpiece, as good an example of that sound as you are ever likely to hear, and is pretty much a constant in my record bag. “Midnight Express” was also the record that gave him some well-deserved international exposure - shortly after its release he found himself on a plane to London, booked to play the world famous Ministry of Sound. He went on to maintain a steady stream of quality releases throughout the 90’s and well into the 00’s, his sound becoming progressively deeper and more soulful, but still true to his Chi-town roots, though he has been noticeably quiet on the production front in the last couple of years. Of course, he can still be caught dj-ing at choice parties around the globe, mixing up house, techno and disco as if he were born to do so. For my money one of the finest exponents of house Chicago has given us; here’s to you, Boo.

Five Boo Williams jams that will enrich your life:

Boo Williams - Fruits of the Spirit ep - Three to Five

Here he displays his deeper side. I can’t be sure when this record was released, but who gives a shit? Quality music stands the test of time. 4 tracks, deep, trippy keys, skipping, syncopated drums, and a warm, rounded feel make this a really special ep. Awesome cover art too (and you don’t get that with your downloads, do ya.)

Boo Williams - Midnight Express EP - Relief Records

I’ve said what needed to be said on this already - essential stuff for any Chicago head. Bang the box!

Boo Williams vs Glenn Underground EP - Maad Records

Double pack. GU & Boo. Rare. Cuts called “Motion Sickness”, “Michael Myers”, and “Mayday Funk”. What are you waiting for?

Boo Williams - Universal Limits LP - Moods & Grooves

Beautiful double LP with A-side “Feeling Good” stealing the show. I hesitate to call it breakbeat, but the beat ain’t house, and the vibe is mellow and dreamy, with lush synth lines and a hypnotic, rolling groove. This has summer written all over it. Fantastic.

Boo Williams - Nuclear Transit EP - Residual recordings

From ‘99, here he carved out another 4-tracker full of his trademark warm synths, evolving leads and crisp beats.

(more…)

When I first started really getting into deep house, there were a few names that were as good as gold for me: Theo Parrish, Moodymann, Morgan Geist, and Rick Wade. While the rest of those guys have all achieved a pretty large amount of fame, Rick Wade has remained something of a secret amongst deep house deejays. It could be due to the elusiveness of his Harmonie Park label (of which I am still missing 001, 002, and 004!) which has put out nothing but heat including some of Mike Huckaby’s first 12″s and a hot Theo Parrish joint, but mostly it is all about Rick’s own jams.

With some assistance from Dan Bell (who remixes “Nothing To Fear” on the first Harmonie Park record), Rick helped kickstart the whole house style that would later be known as “beatdown” in 1994 on Harmonie Park. It was that lo-fi aesthetic that set it off, combining samples of jazz, disco, and soul records with low tempo drum machine tracks that gives a nod to Chicago while still being distinctly Detroit. Other labels at the time were greatly influenced by Rick’s productions, leading two of the most seminal deep house labels of the late 90’s to release some of his tracks: the most excellent “Tracks from the Park Vol. 1″ for Track Mode and “Quantum Expression” on Moods & Grooves (both of which were “Holy Grail” house records to me, thanks to my man Jwan dropping them regularly!).

There has been a pretty consistant interest in Rick’s productions from European and UK labels. One of my all time favorite cuts of his is “Daddy’s Groove” on the Harmonie Project on Viva! Records, which is one of the most searing dancefloor bangers out there but it gets nearly no recognition. The short-lived Music Is… label released Rick’s first full length in 2004, “Dark Ascension”, which is already an underground classic.

I think the elements are in place for Rick to finally get some more love. Andy Vaz had Rick kick off the A Touch Of Class label for him back in 1999, and when it came time to launch the Yore label last year, Rick dropped two more ill 12″s to get the ball rolling, helping them become one of the most exciting labels out there. Now, Yore is dropping Rick’s second album “The Good, The Bad And The Deep” on both CD and vinyl, right in the middle of a resurgence in “deep house” giving it a chance to be received by a much larger audience than some of his older work.

The album has been in heavy rotation on my car CD player, helping soundtrack these way-too-close-to-perfect-for-Pittsburgh 70-80 degree sunny days we’re been having. “Hustler’s Den” is probably my favorite of the tracks, a perfect example of the way Rick’s tracks can peak to dancefloor perfection. The interplay of the chords and the live bass is enough on its own, but when the horns and trademark synth strings come in, it takes it to that next level. The track I will be banging out all summer long though is the vocal track “Free”. As far as I know, this is the first time Rick Wade has worked with a vocalist (I am close to being a completist with his records, I am only missing three but I am pretty sure none of them has a vocal!) and he keeps it simple and sublime. Breezy electric piano chords and pumping bass frame the chilled out vocal perfectly, “Free” is meant to be played outside on a beautiful day. “Prime Expansion” is interesting because it feels almost like a Rick Wade version of dubby techno. Instead of the typical cold echoed synth hits, he bathes the electric piano in reverb and sits it on top of some deep subs, leaving you with a warm track perfect for transitioning between house and dubbed out techno. I’m also really feeling the jazzy walking bassline on “Xavi” as well as the sweet horns on “Forbidden”. This album, combined with his recent spate of European and UK deejay bookings should really help increase his profile, quite deservedly in my opinion.

Also out now on Harmonie Park is the “Vinyl Refresher EP” which features the previously exclusive to CD cuts “Jazz Torrent” and “Detroit Calling” from Dark Skills, plus “Bang Baby” from The Best of Rick Wade Vol. 1, as well as the new (so far as I can tell at least) jam “Whistle Bump Track”. And for those who slept, you can also grab the two volumes of “Harmonie Park Revisited”…..

Finally the spring semester is over! Only one more year of this school nonsense, then I too can join the great American workforce. Or something. Now, it’s time for some spring cleaning!

First things first, we have a couple changes here at ISM that should make things slightly better for everyone. The most immediately useful change is that we now have a “Mixes” category for posts, so you can easily search through the archives to find all our wonderful mixes in one fell swoop. I can’t really tell you why we haven’t had that category from the start, but whatever. The second change is that our comments now allow replies to specific comments instead of just the original post, hopefully this will allow for even better discussion (and more of it, we’ve had some pretty high traffic weeks recently without many new comments! Come on people, you can do better than this! Tell us we rule, tell us we suck, drop a non sequitur, it really doesn’t matter. We like interaction.). One change you WON’T be seeing is an upgrade of WordPress. It annoys me to no end that I now have to look at a little reminder that I should upgrade when I’m checking ISM, but there is nothing wrong or bad happening right now so why risk upsetting the order? Especially after Vista, I am really sketchy on upgrading software that already does the job perfectly.

On the music writing tip, I have a couple things forthcoming for Resident Advisor, one Q&A type feature and a contribution to another feature. They definitely seem to be doing a better job over there with covering good music: props are due for their reviewers Jacob Wright and Todd Burns who have been pushing a nice variety of good music, but also especially for their recent Robert Hood interview. I’m sure everyone has read this already, but I keep coming back to his quote:

There is no Pro Tools, there is no Serato, there is no compact disc that can outdate my form of music. The way I present it is timeless. It’s in my heart, and it’s in my hands. It’s not in technology.

This ties in directly with a discussion I was having with the Mnml Ssgs boys and Philip Sherburne on a post over at the mnml ssgs blog. I think the heavy link between techno music and technology is very overblown and really kind of incorrect. Personal sounds and expressions is what matters most, and as Rob Hood states, that all comes from him, not from a box or a piece of software. Some of the Q&A piece I did for RA covers that same idea, as well.

Another refreshing viewpoint pops up in this little interview with Patrice Scott over at the Nish blog. He says:

I couldn’t care less about putting out a new record every other month. I’m looking at the quality.

showing that he already has in place a filter that is more effective than even some of the most respected labels have recently (Yes, I’m talking about you, Planet E). No wonder every Sistrum record is at least very dope if not classic!

In other good news for Pittsburgh dance music, my man Paul Dang (who will be showing some previews of his upcoming film!) and I are doing an event on May 10th with Rick Wilhite of the 3 Chairs. It’s gonna be a good time in a cool little spot in East Liberty called Ava which is part of the legendary Shadow Lounge. Here’s the little preflyer:

Also, ISM will be doing very Detroit-centric coverage of the Festival Formerly Known as DEMF. Expect a few cool pre-festival posts about long-time Detroit spots and legends, some short interviews with artists, and coverage of all the dope afterparties that the mainstream dance media never talk about. If you wanna know the real reason that Detroit music is so special and deserves to have its own festival, we are going to do the best job we can to show it to you.

In the meantime, expect some reviews, some more guest mixes and ISM deejay mixes, and some analysis and whatnot. You know how we do.