i really splashed out last week – i’ve been commenting of late on the fact that i don’t spend money on cds like i used to. a) because the price has generally come down, and b) because i’m always keen to find a bargain. one collection jumped out at me however, and i was more than happy to shell out €20 for it.
this compilation brings together a host of tracks from the famed junior boy’s own stable. it’s a really british label, and so it’s a really british compilation. i don’t mean that in a bad way whatsoever. some of (if not) the best people in british dance music history feature on this comp – underworld, the chemical brothers, pete heller, and of course, the granddaddy of british techno, andrew weatherall. you’ve also got acts like the happy mondays and primal scream, proving that the whole dance/rock crossover is nothing new, and it was far better before the days of ironic indie boys and pointy haircuts.
i was but a nipper when most of these tracks came out, and a lot of them are completely new to me. i know the whole nostalgia thing is completely clichéd and this release could well be seen as just a cash-in for the label big-wigs, but for me it’s a delight to get a chance to listen to this collection right now, at a time when the electronic spectrum seems completely caught between two generations, neither of which is keen to budge.
this is reflected by the recent appearance of an article on resident advisor article titled “the esoteric art of the opening dj” – an article which has provoked discussion on all of the major dance forums i frequent. everyone seems to agree that warming up is an essential part of a given night and that lashing out anthems as soon as the door is open just doesn’t work – so why do people still do it? one theory i have is that a lot of people who are trying to get into the dj world right now just don’t know their history, or, if they do, they don’t respect it. dance music hasn’t been around that long, and at the moment everyone seems far too concerned with having something brand new and fresh, rather than just playing good music, irrespective of age. this is compounded by the fact that, in today’s climate, something from way back in 2007 will sound ugly and dated, while something from the mid to late 90s will still fit into any set with relative ease.
as in my last post, i seem to be coming off all cantankerous, which is silly. i’m 24. i just see a whole load of problems in this scene, and even thinking about trying to reconcile urgency with respect and reverence with excitement clearly causes a major headache. to return to what started this whole tgv of thought, releases like this seem to serve two distinct purposes: to remind people of the so-called classics, or to introduce young’uns like myself to tracks they should really know already. if there was any justice in the world it’d fly off the shelves and onto the ipods of every budding dj out there. i guess you can’t have everything.
Happy Mondays – Hallelujah (Club Mix)
Sunscreem – Perfect Motion (Boys Own Mix)
Pete Heller – Big Love (Eat Me Edit)
it’s funny how when people end up in a club that really isn’t for them, they try to make out like they’re not the one with the problem. last night at transmission i had a pair of girls come up to me and repeatedly ask for: pop music; songs with words; songs people know; songs people can dance to. at this stage of the night i had already played tracks by boys noize, daft punk and the chemical brothers, so it wasn’t like i was digging my tunes from the depths of obscurity. while the club wasn’t as full as i’ve seen it at present, the dancefloor was by no means empty, and the majority of those on the floor seemed to be enjoying themselves, what with the odd “ooee ooee ooh” chant and some very happy dancing faces.
i understand that when one pays into a venue one can expect that the dj is there to entertain you. i’m relatively new to this game, so i’m not above at least listening to requests. i’ve talked the ear off plenty of djs in my time. at the same time, if you arrive at a night that isn’t playing the sort of music you like, you can’t expect the music policy to shift entirely because you don’t like what you hear. i’m a huge fan of jay-z, have been for over a decade, but i’m not about to play run this town because one girl in the crowd thinks boy 8-bit is “shit”.
i know i’m not the first dj to express this sentiment, and i certainly won’t be the last. i might seem like i’m running off some righteous indignation, and to an extent i am. that said, i couldn’t help but laugh at the situation. especially when the stuck on repeat vocals kicked in and one of the complainers recognised it and, thus, waved her hands in the air and started dancing. maybe playing all 9 minutes of alexander robotnick‘s epic remix was asking a bit much…
anyway, this is pretty much what i played.
Boys Noize – Oh! (A-Trak Remix)
SmartTech – Took The Trompeta
Green Velvet – Flash
The Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar (Pete Heller’s Expanded Mix)
Daft Punk – Around The World
Joe and Will Ask? – Fabric of Win (ft. SaintSaviour)
Simian Mobile Disco – Audacity of Huge
Kid Cudi – Make Her Say (Nadastrom 88 Dub)
Midfield General – Disco Sirens (Boy 8-Bit Remix)
MGMT – Time To Pretend (Diplo Remix)
La Roux – I’m Not Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix)
Little Boots – Stuck On Repeat (Alexander Robotnick Remix)
Machines Don’t Care – Afro Jacker
Telephoned – Pop Champagne
Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You
Sharon Phillips – Want 2 / Need 2 (Trentemøller Remix)
Posted in Thoughts
Tagged Alexander Robotnick, Boy 8-Bit, Boys Noize, Daft Punk, Jay-Z, Little Boots, The Chemical Brothers, Transmission
as seen in manchester piccadilly train station
some photos what i took lately on my rubbish camera phone
beautiful sunset in d15 - the sky was pink...
i think the lighthouse is my favourite place in dublin
not that tom finney
be sure to come check out myself and quigo on saturday. think i’m going to try and fit in some acid classics – i’m just in that kind of mood – you know, this kind of thing… be there!
Posted in News
Tagged FACT Magazine, haido, Quigo, The Button Factory, Transmission
check out some more great music from club cheval, this time sam tiba is busting heads with his track barbie weed. it’s got some nice rolling percussion, a bit of nasty bass-throb (oh it works) and the obligatory african “bad man” shouts.
don’t forget about his recent minimix.
i fear some of these charts may be getting a bit repetitive – but hey, i’m just repping what i love you know. glass house is slowly working its way up my tunes of the year list, may well be at the top by december. as for that hell track – yeah there’s been some controversy, but the remix package is to die for. radioslave wins for the sheer balls of making a motherf*ckin’ 28 minute version for the two motherf*ckers that understand it. i’m one of them 
1 Eli Escobar – Glass House
2 Kid Sister – Right Hand Hi (Kingdom Remix)
3 Erol Alkan & Boys Noize – Death Suite (DJ Mehdi Simple Acid Edit)
4 Jokers of the Scene – Baggy Bottom Boys (Original Mix)
5 The Count & Sinden – Mega (Schizofonics Remix)
6 Hugg & Pepp – Sweet Rosie (Turbo Edit)
7 Hell ft. P. Diddy – The DJ (Radio Slave Remix)
8 Jay-Z Feat. Rihanna – Run This Town (Fake Blood 1 Minute Mash)
9 Yazoo – Situation (US 12” Mix)
10 Model 500 – Night Drive (Time, Space, Transmat)
Posted in Top 10
Tagged Boys Noize, DJ Mehdi, Eli Escobar, Erol Alkan, Fake Blood, Hell, Hugg & Pepp, Jay-Z, Kid Sister, Kingdom, Model 500, P. Diddy, Radio Slave, Rihanna, Schizofonics, The Count & Sinden, Yazoo
i hate when this happens – someone uses a track in a mix before you get the chance. what makes it even worse in this case, it’s my own edit! i recently messed around with in flagranti‘s a piece of false morality and had planned on putting it in my next mix, but all of a sudden i got an email from one colin perkins, who’d kicked off his most recent mix with that very track. it’s a half hour romp through some awesome tracks, from ireland and beyond, with newcomers and old heads alike getting airtime. i only realised this afternoon i hadn’t offered up a mix of the weekend, so here’s one to keep you buzzing on this lovely sunday afternoon.
Colin Perkins – 30 Min September Mix
In Flagranti – A Piece Of False Morality (haido’s Extendedit)
Fake Blood – Fix Your Accent
Brodinski & Noob – Peanuts Club
Spencer & Hill – Cool (Afrojack Remix)
Style Of Eye – Road Race
Boys Noize – Jeffer (Para One Remix)
Major Lazer – Pon Di Floor
Arveene & Misk – Hells Bells
D.I.M. & Tai – Lyposuct
Jennifer Delano – Amsterdam (Riptide Remix)
it seems a bit daft that dublin’s best saturday night out didn’t have a decent website to go with it, but at last the transmission website has been launched. check it out here. i’ll be writing for their blog along with a few others – anything from elaborate previews of forthcoming artists to informative articles on seminal events in (dance) music history. there’ll also be a few mixes and loads of photos from each weekend’s party. fun times yo.
