Following on from Tom, I’m gonna try and break off smaller, more frequent reviews instead of compiling lengthy posts that take forever to do. While in theory this will mean I’ll be a little bit fresher with the material, not so in this case. Ah well.
Optic Nerve – 3 Dimensional Ep (Diametric)
I got a heads up to this record a while back but I only got around to picking up a copy of it today, hence the lateness – it came out during the summer. Either way, it demands some attention, even now. Optic Nerve is one of the aliases of Keith Tucker and on this release he delivers some super deep electro/techno. It kicks off at breakneck pace with Virtual Depth Perception (Vocal) that even at -8 I’d probably struggle to fit in to a set, but it’s a pretty solid, if not groundbreaking piece of deep Detroit electro the likes of which Tucker has touched on many times before. For me the release steps up a gear with the following Illusionist Theme which goes a little bit deeper. Great pitch bending synths lead the way over a classic 313 pad pattern before some loose snare work outs shake up the backbone of the track, turning it into a spine-tingling break beat motherfucker of a track. I can’t wait to play this one out!
Retina Display Scan keeps up the futuristic sci-fi feel of the flip but again goes deeper still, taking a more abstract route through the type of electro Gerard Hanson delivers with his ERP alias, keeping it on a beatless tip for the most part, with Tucker infusing it with his own style at all times. He teases us at the very end with a rubberband bassline and sturdy kick, which comes to an end far too soon. The ep is rounded of with a few tiny snippets of loops that could be used to nice effect in a set if they weren’t so short. In a way the b-side is slightly frustrating in terms of how much you could use them when playing out but the A2 especially is just so good, I’ll forgive him for this.
Rob Hood’s latest ep under his disco/house inspired Floorplan moniker is a 12 that has gotten a lot of coverage elsewhere in the last couple of months but I thought I’d give it a shout out too. While the B-side delivers some excellent straight up Hood action – especially the rush-inducing Baby, Baby, which reminds me quite a bit of the storming School cut from his Hood Music series a few years back – it’s We Sanctify His Name on the A that I find the most intriguing. Musically it’s a belter of a track and one sure to ignite some full on dancefloor nuttiness, but I’m interested to hear what readers have to say about the lyrical content of the song. Hood is, of course, one of the most outspoken religious peeps in the techno fraternity and while he often talks about the influence God plays in all aspects of his music this is his most blatant statement yet, within an actual cut.
The question is, do people feel uncomfortable playing a record that is an obvious religious statement? I don’t think you are gonna find many Djs with such a religious devotion as Hood who feel like this record is “speaking” for them. I put it to Twitter folk when the record came out and some admitted that they’d feel uncomfortable playing it. This also reminded me of another Twitter discussion from months ago where myself and Tom clogged up everyones feed argueing about how; as a Dj, can we play certain songs due to their lyrical content, be it religious pieces like this, overtly gay songs written for that crowd or songs with a heavily racial bent? Should they be played to Secular/Straight crowds etc, or do we even bother taking any of this into account and just worry about how much they get the floor moving…and do the dancers out there care at all?
With the Hood record, he is going to find some DJs out there who would play something like that, Terrence Parker or Jackmaster Farley maybe? And he can only make records he feels passionate about anyway. Personally I wouldn’t play the track because I’m not too into it overall, regardless of the lyrics.
I play a lot of reggae that has a strong Rastafarian lyrical content though so I guess I’m not averse a bit of religious fervour. I’m strongly against organised religion personally though. If a musician is singing about something they feel passionately about it doesn’t tend to bother me about whether I identify the lyrics personally, I’m more interested in the abstract emotional content of the song.
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I would play “We Sanctify His Name” in a set, hell I’d play it in the same set with Aaron Carl’s “Down” — a great track is a great track, and if you shut off music with a religious POV you’re limiting yourself.
I don’t think you need to be religious to appreciate Bach’s B Minor Mass, or Marian Andersen’s spirituals either. It’s deep soul music, however you cut it.
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I generally agree with what you guys are saying. In terms of the Hood track, I’d play it as i like how the vocals work, maybe not the exact lyrics, just the delivery and how they are p1aced with in the context of the track. I sanctify Mr Hood’s name
But there was an Omar S track from a couple of years ago that had lyrics with a strong religious bent that I couldn’t imagine playing. the song wsan’t spectacular anyways, but in a way the song was very much focused on the vocals and instead of working in a way they do on the Hood track, you nearly focused more on what he was saying and it just didn’t work for me.
Tho not as bad as that porno (i think) sampling he does on the new album. whats that about? sounds dreadful.
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Ronan reply on October 7th, 2011 5:51 pm:
I picked up this track recently & I would play it out. It has an energy which the vocal certainly adds to. (Reminded me of early 90s house scene where a gospel track thrown in could set the place alight played at the right pace. I think mixed at the right time you could potentially set the crowd right off regardless of the lyrics. Track is programmed really well by hood. Good to see him diversifying anyhow.
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Its a good question. I heard someone say a while ago that they wouldn’t play a lyric they didn’t believe in or weren’t feeling at that moment. I think id subscribe to that.
Personally I like songs with a spiritual message. For one I can relate to the religious content at least a bit, not that id be purposely be trying to propagate a religious message, which for me would not be right at all, but more because I like the passion/sincerity in the lyrical delivery (you cant fake that)and because the song fits and feels right at that time. At the end of the day you have to feel strongly about the music you play and that includes identifying with the lyrical content.
Johnny 5 said it about a huge amount of roots/conscientious reggae… its all carries a religious message and it great fucking music. Similarity I would play Blaze – The Garden, That Omar-S – The maker, Moodymann – Black Sunday.
I played Gill Scott Heron – ‘The subject was faggots’ once by accident on the radio(don’t ask!). Now no disrespect to the man(RIP) whose music I love, but I really don’t like the message in that song…. Totally homophobic nonsense. Would I play Carl Bean – ‘I was born this way’. Eh I have done, but I suppose I do feel a bit at odds with the lyrical content. Cool though in it own way no doubt. Just feel a bit strange playing it if your not gay.
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I’d play Sanctified without a seconds doubt, although Baby Baby is definitely the killer track there. There’s something ever so slightly cheesy about Sanctified, but there are times when that’s definitely called for.
I happily play plenty of religiously inspired music, mostly on the gospel house angle – so long as it’s not too obnoxiously bible thumping. What about tracks like Lil Louis ‘Blackout’, does that count as religious? :p
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