CD Releases: September 2002 updated:15/04/2003
JAMES LAVELLE Barcelona 2CD/3x12"
(Global Underground)
File Under: James Lavelle / Global Underground / Dance
GU023/VGU023
"I became a DJ because I couldn't Breakdance and I was no good at Graffiti." James Lavelle
"It’s funky and fun." Remix
GU023 represents another leap forward for Global Underground. For the very first time, groundbreaking British DJ James Lavelle is presenting the mix – this time, from one of Europe’s coolest cities: Barcelona. On Friday June 21st Barcelona’s Nitsa Club was blown away by an outstanding set from Lavelle, which incorporated everything from hard-nosed, tech-house beats to funky breaks and deep house. And now for those of us not at the gig, we can have this CD version of Lavelle’s stunning big-screen mix, which includes tracks as diverse as the breaks of DJ Shadow and Evil 9, the funky grooves of Thomas Bangalter and the liquid melodies of Sasha. Lavelle already has an enviable international reputation as a DJ, a mover, a shaker, a producer, and an agent provocateur. Like his sometime collaborator, former Stone Roses singer Ian Brown says, "Lavelle lives a truly global lifestyle and is as at home in Tokyo as he is London". He famously started young – running clubs in his native Oxford when he was just 14. As a teenager he launched the groundbreaking Mo Wax label which first broke a new, instrumental hip hop sound along with the careers of artists like DJ Shadow. Psyence Fiction, the first album by his UNKLE project, featured collaborators like Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and former Verve singer Richard Ashcroft - and found acclaim all around the world. For four years the Monday nightclub That’s How It Is at London’s Bar Rhumba, he ran with acid jazz pioneer Gilles Peterson was one of London’s most groundbreaking nights. Now his frenetic monthly Fridays at Fabric are one of the capital’s hottest sessions. And it’s through playing at clubs like Fabric, being exposed to a whole host of great music, that Lavelle has incorporated the harder, housier sound he showcases on this mix into his previously more known sets of breaks and beats. The Global Underground trip to Barcelona was captured by a film crew for the UK’s Channel 4 and will appear here on M2.
AUDIO SOUL PROJECT Coummunity Remixed CD
(NRK Sound Division)
File Under: Audio Soul Project / Dance
NRK010R
Mazi Namvar, the 29-year old DJ/producer behind Audio Soul Project, doesn't live in the past. House music, he says, is not about the way things used to be, it's about what's happening today and what might be going on tomorrow. He's a true believer in house music in and of itself, not someone who sees it as just some disposable style of dance music with its better days long since gone. Those still unfamiliar to the Audio Soul Project (ASP) name will no doubt have had their heads in the sand for the last 6 months. Since the release of the ASP Community (NRK010) album in November 2001, the ambitious project of reconstructing the album, using a slew of remix names including François K & Rob Rives, Chris Lum, Joeski, Ricky Montanari, Tony Thomas and Nathan Larsen, has been undertaken. The response has been terrific, with each remixer taking to task the job of breathing different emotions & energies into Mazi Namvar’s original recordings. The fruit of these labours have been released on 12" format already and now available in one handy package on CD. Gathering together the complete remixes of Audio Soul Project’s Community (NRK010) album, this CD only package contains re-workings by Francois K & Rob Rives, Chris Lum, Jamie Anderson, Tony Thomas, Joeski, Ricky Montanari and a CD exclusive mix by Nathen Lars.
ROGER SANCHEZ Release Yourself 2CD/3x12"
(Stealth)
File Under: House/ Dance / Roger Sanchez
RELCOMP01/VRELCOMP01
Roger is spreading the word on Release Yourself, his new compilation album which will be released on Roger's new label, Stealth. The album is inspired by his massively successful club night, Release Yourself @ Pacha in Ibiza which draws a clued up, beautiful crowd from across the globe. Roger's legendary 8 hour sets are something not to be missed on a trip to the Balearic isle. "Release Yourself is very personal to me" says Roger, "it allows me to communicate what I'm thinking and feeling musically at that moment directly with the crowd. I play from start to finish and it's very much an interactive club night." Release Yourself, the album, is a double CD featuring exclusive & current cuts. An assortment of pre-party chilled house and peak time Sanchez mayhem. The pre-party mix will include tracks by Kevin Yost, Thick D, DJ Sneak, Soldiers Of Twilight and MAW, while tracks from Vibe Residents, Layo & Bushwacka!, Manijama and Octave One provide some of the album's highlights on the peak time mayhem mix CD. On both CDs, Roger's impeccable taste, technique and style shine through. Release Yourself on Ibiza or Taihape – you choose.
VARIOUS Latin Quarter CD/2x12"
(Obsessive)
File Under: Latin
EVSCD34/VEVSLP34
Latin influences have been around in house sounds for some time now and this new series from Obsessive takes you on a diverse musical journey of these sounds. Compiled by decks-don/ label boss/ journalist & all round good guy Phil Cheeseman, Latin Quarter offers the armchair connoisseur the finest Latin flavours known to man on a handy disc or vinyl, that can be listened to in the home, B-Bar or even the car. The music selected is, as you would expect with an Obsessive release, absolutely top-notch. As it says on the tin, it contains tracks from Joeski & Chus, Noel Nanton, Victor Davies, Afro Medusa, Onionz and Negrocan, plus mixes come courtesy of top-table names Masters at Work, Problem Kids, Francois K dig a little deeper and although many of these names may not instantly be recognisable to the casual listener, the sounds are certain to captivate novice & aficionado alike, some of which will be very familiar to Nice & Urlich fans. Let Obsessive take you on a musical safari trip to enjoy.
MUSIC FOR DANCEFLOORS Bosworth Library CD
(Strut Records)
File Under: Library Music
STRUTCD022
Strut continue their journey through the funkiest library music tracks of the 60s and 70s with the Music For Dancefloor series, this time with cult favourite the Bosworth Music Library. Tracks include gems from Italian funkster Paolo Zavallone and Dutch backroom maestro Jonny Teupen + an exclusive re-edit by UK funk outfit, Speedometer. Expect a full bag of surprises including some Philly flavours, dancefloor jazz and even a slice of harp funk! Compiled by Adrian Gibson of the Jazz Cafe and Strut's Quinton Scott.
CHRIS LUM Feelin High CDS
(Hooj Tunes)
HOOJ123CD
Chris Lum: producer, world-renowned DJ and programmer of some of the phattest sounds you’re likely to hear on a record provides a couple of solid P-funk tweaked house cuts here. All five of the vinyl cuts of the track feature on this CD single.
COLOURSOUND Fly With Me CDS
(City Rockers)
ROCKERS20CD
City Rockers have a knack of doing this! Coloursound's Fly With Me has electrified dancefloors since its first airing at the hands of Tom Middleton in Miami and now this sing-a-long dancefloor delight looks set to take the summer by storm. Magic. Remixes of Fly With Me are from Ashley Beedle, Midnight Mike, and Hi-Fi Serious. Coloursound is a special collaboration between producer legend Stretch (minus his Vern) and Dylan Burns. The result is seismic.
BILL BREWSTER Praxis 2CD/3x12"
(Hooj Tunes)
File Under: Dance / Bill Brewster
HOOJCDLP013/VHOOJLPX013
"A mix of two halves: stick the house CD on when you and your mates get back from a club; and when you want them to bugger off, stick the eclectic mix on." 6/10 Jockey Slut
"I did intend Praxis to be deep and dark and painfully trendy but it was sunny outside and Ronaldo was on the telly and… well, you know how it is. So what we have here is more Rio than Twilo and, while it’s not exactly a samba party, it’s as near as you’re likely to get to one when a little bloke from the North-east of England is doing the choosing" Bill Brewster, London, summer 2002
Bill Brewster has been walking it like he talks it since his days in New York in the early nineties where he ran the DMC/ Mixmag office during the day and played loft parties at night. On returning to England he set up the UK arm of the legendary Twisted label and built up his DJ’ing reputation before being made resident at Fabric in 1999, where he remains to this day. He can also be seen at the helm of the good ship Faith (along with Messrs Farley, Elstrob and Patterson). However to us lot down here, he's probably better known for his music journalism - from the aforementioned Mixmag to The Face, Time Out, Muzik and Jockey Slut - the man Brewster is a chronicler of our times. Nowhere was this better shown than with his first book (co-written with Frank Broughton) the superb, no essential, Last Night A DJ Saved My Life, which elegantly traced the evolution of the noble art back almost to the late 1940’s and sold over 40,000 copies along the way. It'll be a standard text on The Sociology of Rave Culture 101 courses one day but in the meantime, Brewster and Broughton have taken the didactic bull firmly by the horns for their next book, How to DJ Properly. Now Hooj Choons are releasing a double CD that captures a bit of what Brewster the man, and the DJ, is all about. From the classy, exuberant Latinisms and sexy, percussive deep house of CD1 which includes tracks from Beanfield, Chris Lum, Atjazz, Teddy G, to the languorous, eclectic funk and occasional bursts of blissed out leftfield Balearica on CD2 which features Tosca, All Good Funk Allience, Rune Lindbaek, New York Port Authority – Praxis is the sound of Bill Brewster the journalist, the author, the promoter, the DJ doing what he does best - enveloping his audience in moods and textures as he indulges himself with quality music from across the decades.
GIDDY MOTORS Make It Pop CD
(Fat Cat)
File Under: rock
FATCD20
Formed in South London in 1999 by Gaverick de Vis (guitar/vocals) and Manu Ros (drums/bass), and now augmented by Gordon Ashdown as full-time bass player, Giddy Motors set out to combine the jazz influence of Miles Davis and Christian Vander with angular US punk. Displaying affinities with the likes of Clear Spot-era Captain Beefheart and The Jesus Lizard, Giddy Motors defy easy categorisation, instead reconstructing influences in a context of their own. Make It Pop delves further into their taut, idiosyncratic take on rock. Recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio studios in Chicago over a nine day period in the Autumn of 2001, the eight tracks here take in a range of styles and ideas, though for the most part, these are intense, wayward, and strangely anglicised songs set to tight, chaotic chord progressions and jagged, acrobatic percussion. Utilising drums, bass, guitar and vocals to full effect with drums also triggering occasional saxophone samples, their songs are explosive and prone to suddenly flip back on themselves or fly off at unexpected angles. The album sets out its stall from the full-on AmRep/Sabbath punk of the opening track, Magmanic, and this formula provides the backbone of the album. Yet the band’s ability to transcend the genre (witness the more reflective Cranium Crux, the pastoral acousticism of Venus Medallist, the 23 Skidoo / Pop Group-style rhythms that pervade the album), sets them apart from any scene as such. Chaotic, energetic and aggressive, perhaps more than anything, Giddy Motors sound like a band locked into their own thing, intensely focused and happy to explore their own wayward logic.
FUJIYA & MIYAGI Electro Karaoke CD
(Massiv Advance)
File Under: Electronica / leftfield / chillout
MADV003
After the taster offered by their recent 7inch single, Electro Karaoke / Rot, Fujiya & Miyagi unleash their debut long player through Brighton’s Massive Advance label. As well as favourable reviews in NME, Sleaze Nation, Muzik and DJ, Electro Karaoke also received radio play from XFM’s Nick Luscombe and John Kennedy. The album reveals more of Fujiya & Miyagi’s sound, combining warm analogue synth sounds with good old-fashioned guitars, whispered vocals and irresistible melodies. With the band getting a rapturous response every time they play live and remixes in the pipeline from Two Lone Swordsmen, Chung King, Cristian Vogel and Wevie Stonder, this looks set to be a good year for both Fujiya & Miyagi and Massive Advance. They can already count amongst their fans Andrew Weatherall, Super_Collider, Lali Puna, Keith Tenniswood, Colin Greenwood from Radiohead and Gigolo man of the moment Tiga, who is featuring Electro Karaoke on a forthcoming mix CD on his own Turbo label. Add to this A&R interest from Mute, BMG and Mushroom after just one single and you know there must be something there. So check it out.
ICE T Presents Westside 2CD/3x12"
(Obsessive)
File Under: Ice T / hip hop
EVSCD32/VEVSLP32
First in a new series from the Obsessive label which explores the most influential hip hop tracks, seen from the eyes of one the genres true super stars. First up, the West Coast Scene and the influential artist Ice T. The word classic would be an understatement here with big hitters such as Snoop Doggy Dog, Dr Dre, 2 Pac, Cypress Hill and of course Ice T along with others gems from Tone Loc, Young Mc, Kid Frost, Jurassic 5, Xzibit and more along with the odd surprise like Mc Hammer & Skee Lo. An interesting and exciting trip through the West Coast scene from 1984 to 2001, showing the diversity of the scene and that it’s not just all about Gangsta Rap. The releases come with extensive liner notes on both formats and an exclusive interview with the man himself Ice T.
VARIOUS Penalty 1996 - 2000 CD
(Penalty Records)
File Under: Electro
PENALTYCD1
The Penalty series was started in 1999 as a division of Sativae Recordings. The idea was to allow the labels producers, along with some special guests, to experiment with electro based structures without feeling the need to provide music that must ‘work the floor’... The result was 5 EP’s of tracks ranging from Kraftwerk inspirations through to electro-rave fusions along with a fast edit take on Bambatas Planet Rock. This CD provides radio edit versions of 17 out of the original 20 tracks. A closer look shows some of the highlights of the series including Detroit’s Interdimensional Transmissions boss Ectomorph with the hypnotic beats of Fuck Dotcom, the lush strings of Berkovi’s Razor Blade / Bucket of Water, some electro pop with Bass Mission from DMX Krew, the 2 sides of the Leeds electro camp Scarletron & Silicon Scally (a.k.a. Carl Finlow / Random Factor – 2020 Vision) with Verona & My Invisible Light respectively and finally the mono bass of Raging Bull by Tobias Schmidt. This is the final Penalty release, but there is the new Gassoline label set up to provide a platform for Sativae related artists to bring out new sonic electro cuts...
VARIOUS Reggae Essentials 4CD
(Beechwood)
File Under: Reggae
ESTCD08
Four CD compilation featuring 40 reggae joints. With Bob Marley, Barrington Levy, Sly & Robbie, Dillinger, Denis Brown, The Heptones, Culture, I Roy, Third World and a whole load more.
THE SNARES Something Happened On The Way To Heaven CD
(Horrible Records)
File Under: NZ Music / The Snares
HR007
The debut album from The Snares came sneaking down the streets of Dunedin, New Zealand earlier this year, following in the city’s small but substantial tradition of self released records. Something Happened on the Way to Heaven is a sound explosion characterised by new buzz saw driven riffs, with low tuning for extra crackle, screeching slide guitar with traversing melodies, vocals with soul and lyrics with bite and which have a story to tell and, lurking beneath are beatsy rhythms irresistible to the point where they change song directions. This is not your average record, from your average band, but an unusual masterpiece from a relatively unknown genesis. It picks off the flesh and restructures the bones of rock n’ roll. Just like The Snares’ live shows, that blister and consume, this record will seep into your soul. In a big wooden attic, over the course of a weekend, life was captured on audiotape – most of the album’s 6 songs being recorded in single takes. Sound seemed to seep from the band members’ seams with ease. Mixing and mastering was a more detailed affair but with young upstart Tom Bell’s (Arclife) deft touch at the desk it all came together as it should. While The Snares use no bass player, Brett Moodie currently plays bass in Dunedin band Zoo Polluters who are soon to record in a big wooden attic… Brett previously also played, along with Max Funke, in Angel Thinks Demon. Max has appeared with a variety of other bands over the last couple of years as guitarist, cellist and vocalist. Mike’s (Dooley) previous bands include Snapper, The Enemy, Toy Love and The Dri Horrors. The predecessor to The Snares was The Beaters, a duo featuring Funke and Dooley. The Beaters thrashed out a rhythmic accompaniment at several parties before enlisting Moodie to add an extra layer of guitar. The Snares’ sound is one that mutates with each new song and although the feckless have tried to pin them down, they have to be heard - as is often said in reference to music, you just have to be there.
SLAM Alien Radio Remixed CD
(Soma)
File Under: Slam / Soma / Dance
SOMACD29
Slam have become synonymous with quality because of the way they build and craft their tracks. In the choice of remixers for their own material, they are equally fussy buggers! This album puts some exciting new producers next to established heavyweights, in a collection that encompasses a myriad of talent and styles. Importantly it flows and gels, as a great album should. (Most of these tracks have been available previously on 12 inch only.) Featuring remixes from Josh Wink, Carl Cox, Paul Daley, Darren Emerson, Two Lone Swordsmen, Rolando, Silicone Soul, H-Foundation, Funk D'Void, The Youngsters, Unkle and Slam themselves. A who’s who of the dance music community, united by the power of Slam. Wicked!
IAN POOLEY The IP Series CDEP
(NRK Sound Division)
File Under: Ian Pooley / NRK / Dance / House
NRK065CD
A mid-price CD of Ian Pooley's recent three EP’s for NRK. 'The I.P. Series' contains The Fly Shuffle, Missing You which is also found on Soane In Music (INMUSIC001), Beat That Brat, Ready To Flow and Quattro. All three 12"s were released on limited edition coloured vinyl, and proved so popular that they sold out within a week of going on sale. The CD will enable those who didn't get their hands on vinyl copies to get all the relevant tracks for a bargain price. Perfect for those that missed out on the vinyl or just don’t have a gramophone.
VARIOUS So Far 2CD
(Out Of The Loop)
File Under: Dance / House / Downbeat
OOLCD001
"When people find out that you run a record label, they tend to ask what kind of music you release. The longer that, Out of The Loop (OOL) exists the harder it becomes to answer that question. On this compilation (which features tracks and remixes which OOL artists have done for other labels) you’ll find house music, baggy soul, live jazz, hip hop beats, classical strings, an old Texan prison song and much that is hard to classify. The music here is diverse, but it all has something in common, something that means that when the tracks sit next to each other on the CD they make sense, rather than just making a mess. When you have listened to this album a few times you may not know what to call it, but you’ll know what sort of music we release." – Hamish Anderson, Out of the Loop Recordings April 2002.
This stunning collection from Out of The Loop features tracks by Russ Gabriel, Jaymz Nylon, Partial Arts, Rae & Christian, ©ai, Fumi, My Mate Mark, Jersey Street, Midnight Special and more and includes remixes from Ewan Pearson, Aim, Maas, Russ Gabriel amongst others. Essential for those who like their music laid back, sophisticated and dead sexy. Place next to CD player, play regularly and remove in 6-10 months.
2020 VISION PRESENT D-World CD
(2020 Vision Recordings)
File Under: 2020 Vision / Downbeat
DVISCD002
The night to end all nights, just like every Saturday night. Drifters drift. Hangers on hang on, clinging on to the hopes of the after party of their lifetimes. Exhausted. Elated. Sleep is out of the question. Everything is hazy. Did somebody say party? A convoy of taxis disappears into the mid-morning gloom like a trail of ants. People playing football, preparing succulent roast dinners, trimming hedges and walking dogs in the real world. Off license. Essential supplies. A house. Front room. Looks familiar. Smoky. The smell of stale sweat evaporating from aching bodies. People you half know. A few close friends. A million words that make no sense. Somebody (who's that?) is trying to DJ, badly. Someone else trying to tell jokes – damn, that was me. Darren likes hard house. Jane & Richard only like theirs French and filtered. Everyone laughs because Danny likes Simply Red. John, who loves reggae, leads Janet upstairs to bed. Sue likes Bleep, anything else makes her weep. Jason gets down to Metallica and AC/DC, Rachel prefers her listening to be easy. Peter asks for Jazz, his girlfriend worships Yazz. Tim likes dancehall. Don’t ask me - I like it all. Glass coffee table is in 10,000 pieces on the floor. How the fuck did that happen? Must calm everyone down. It’s getting out of hand. Woah – we’re at my house. How did THAT happen? Hey- who crumpled crisps into the carpet? Wait – oh, too late. Red wine all over my imitation polar bear sofa cover. Houston – we have a problem. Only one solution – D-World. Smiles all around. Conversation flows. What goes up must come down. Downtempo, dope, deadbeats for downright-dirty, decadent, dubble-dealin' dudes (and dudesses) livin' in a D-World. With tracks from Deadbeats, NLO, Audio Traffic, Dubble D and featuring remixes by Dorfmeister and Aim this 2020 offshoot label serves up a compilation of downbeat delights for a night in. Tasty stuff!
in music releases are available at all good record stores nation-wide