Live On Haight

Side B, Housewares, 1998



“…play them vibes for us…” Yes, it’s another legendary DJ from Chicago…I know, I know, big fucking surprise. Look, it just can’t be helped that there’s so many heady dudes around spinning mad freshness who also happen to hail from Chi, it’s been the reality for nearly thirty years, get over it. Gene Farris blew up during that city’s second tsunami of house music maestros, in the mid ‘90s, proving himself as both a top-class producer of dank beats and a consistently crowd-pleasing DJ; he actually lived in Amsterdam for over 4 years, only recently returning from that sojourn, and a wise expatriation it was for him, developing a larger following in Europe than many other American house DJs. This mix was part of a lengthy archive of “Live On Haight” tapes & CDs that were put together by HouseWares co-owner Owen Maigrit, and although it was definitely recorded live in the Bay Area, I’m not sure whether it was at a party or an in-store appearance. I do know one thing though, “…I like the sound when we, clap our hands…”

Red Alert

from the LP Remedy, XL Recordings, 1999



How can this track not have been laced in Chi-town??!? To be perfectly honest, the same could be said for the majority of singles & EPs the boys in Basement Jaxx dropped in the mid ‘90s leading up to this, their debut long-player; being from London, their ability to work within the Chicago phatty-boom template was uncanny (too bad all their recent stuff has been shite). The only thing I can come up with is that DJ Sneak, who was spinning at their club nights in the UK as early as ’94, must have smoked them down with so much weed that his sets somehow infused into their DNA through the cannabinoid receptor system, thus leaving them helplessly beholden to that Windy City tracky-jack groove. Not a satisfactory answer for the elevated levels of dankness found within this song, I know, but it’s the best I got; many blissed out memories of this number though, sweltering parties packed with soggy ravers rolling face on double-stacked Mitsubishis…good times.

Depth of Sound

from the EP Overload, Network Records, 1990



Although often times overshadowed by its more well-known siblings (the 303 & the 808), Roland’s TR-909 was the drum machine most techno and house producers in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s ended up using to lay their beats, usually after having reached the limitations found on the other previously mentioned machines; frankly, the 909 is just easier to work with and has everything you need in one contraption. Midlands-based duo Altern-8 (Mark Archer & Chris Peat) probably know every last in & out of this particular device, all the fun patches and every last pattern, having employed one to craft many of the UK’s biggest rave anthems in the early days; these dudes used to show up at parties dressed in full-on, EPA style hazmat suits, including masks over their faces---which makes an old raver wonder, were they the first to start rocking those masks (pre-Vicks) which became ubiquitous at raves worldwide in the years following…? This track, and a grip of their initial wax, walks a fine line between techno & house: a bit too bouncy to be techno proper, but dark enough to sit pensively in the middle.

I've Lost Control

from the 12” single, Trax Records, 1986



It’s incredible to watch drama unfurl in academia--- not in the classroom however, but in the department; when you get that many brilliant people all shuffling around for power and respect, things can get mighty ugly from time to time. Unfortunately, it must be that time again, because shit got wacky here recently, mainly a small cluster of big-headed tenure-track faculty that are attempting to pull a quasi-coup; thankfully, the chair is squarely in our corner on this one, so those whiny fucks will just have to relax a little bit, lose some control as it were. The history of this particular track is also wrapped in drama, with 2 of its 3 creators claiming the construction of that wonky bassline: Mike ‘Adonis’ Smith and, more credibly, Marshall Jefferson (I say that because Vince Lawrence, the other part of this crew who was there, claims that Marshall's version of history is the right one), whose lack of ability in programming the 303 is what’s responsible for the funky roll; supposedly, it was on tape and playing at the Music Box before he even met Adonis. Alas, dealing with big egos can be an awfully difficult endeavor, no matter what the setting I suppose. Grab the headphones for this one, and let that vintage acid attack bubble bath take you away.

Music Box Mix

Side B, Mix Connection Multimedia, 1999



Yup, it’s another refreshing mix from a true Windy City luminary: Angel Alanis has done it all inside the world of beats, from DJing & throwing raves in the ‘90s (with legendary Midwest crew Mushgroove, who have one of the all-time cutest mascots with that dancing mushroom, and I’ve heard they still throw killer parties--- they sure as hell used to, some of the most positive vibes of any Chi-town events I attended back then) to producing loads of killer tracks under a slew of aliases, work he continues to this day. His sets were always tribal as fuck, exploring all the outer reaches of house and tech-house, and this mix is no exception; he gives us a stellar sampling of Chicago based producers from that era (excepting for Hatiras, the crazy Canuck), including his own divine “Chi’s Revenge” and a chunky cut from the stellar Dave ‘DJ Rhythm’ (big ups to the Moody crew), a strong mix from start to finish, and tracky as all fuck! I know there ain’t no going back, but those truly were the good old days…

Hold On

from the 12” single, Black Male Records, 1994



My heart is heavy, and I can’t stop sobbing any time I think about the tragic suicide of that freshman Rutgers student this past week, after being outed via hidden camera---he was the fourth boy in a month to take his own life after having their sexuality exposed, or questioned & debased, and the other lost souls were even younger: one was 15, and the other two were only 13 years old. 13. Someone that young taking their own life is an act so brutal & immense that I can’t even breathe well right now… I don’t know what to say. I will always have hope, but circumstances sometimes floor me in a heavy way, and this is one of those times. Yes, this track was recently posted elsewhere in the blogosphere, but right now nothing else will do, as its message is an important one for anyone that feels a lack of hope, things do & will get better; I dedicate this to the memory of Tyler Clementi, Billy Lucas, Asher Brown & Seth Walsh.

Walking On A Dream (Treasure Fingers Remix)

from the CD Walking On A Dream, Astralwerks Records, 2009



Yes, this is absolutely some major peak-time, mid-summer, hands in the air type of shit, but I forgot to post it last summer, and then again this summer (d’oh); no worries though, because this remix, care of the incredible Atlanta-based Treasure Fingers, bumps like a motherfucker, so we can enjoy this groove all year round. Banging four-to-the-floor beats, windchimes, handclaps, and that bouncing Madonna-esque synthline all make for an awfully habit-forming song. Admittedly, the art on Empire of the Sun’s full length LP looks like Adam & the Ants meets Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon in Never-Never Land, and the lyrics are total cheese (i.e. “…all we got is tonight, that is right, ‘til first light…is it real now, when two people become one; I can feel it, when two people become one…”), but no worries, these guys are just having fun---check out the music video for the original version of this track on youtube for more proof of that (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMJjF4LHOkY&ob=av2n). I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the Aussie music scene is clearly one of the healthiest in the world right now, and there seems to be no stop in sight.

Feeling For You

from the 12” single, Astralwerks Records, 1999



Progenitors of a sound that became widely known as “La French Touch”, the duo of Philippe Zdar & Hubert “Boom Bass” Blanc-Francart, known to most ravers as Cassius, actually have roots that reach back over a decade and are planted in hip-hop, as La Funk Mob long before their later rise to fame alongside crews like Daft Punk and Air; frankly, their LP 1999 was far more diverse in sound and beats than their contemporaries’ albums were around the same time, perhaps pointing to the widely varying influences at play in their minds. This track, which samples Gwen McCrae’s “All This Love That I’m Givin” both generously & successfully, teems with creative energy and easily established the fact that, indeed, “…Cassius in the house…” The French are often ahead of the curve with trends, and it was no different in electronic music, as Parisians found themselves toward the end of the ‘90s unwilling to wait another decade for that ‘80s synthtastic sound to come back, a vibe which the rest of us have only embraced in the last few years over here. Good lookin out guys, merci!

Your Love

from the 12” single, Persona Records, 1986



Previous to the release of this monster cut, the term “house music” was basically a catch-all phrase specifically referring to the records which were commonly played at Chicago nightclub, The Warehouse; due to the rabid fanbase of said club, the guys at Imports Records had to dedicate a section of the store to the hottest tracks spun by DJs there, and they shortened the name from ‘Warehouse’ to just ‘house’, but these were primarily disco-funk, garage, italo and Hi-NRG cuts, and by ’83 the Warehouse was winding down before what we know as “house music” (4/4 beat, synths, limited or no vocals, all instrumentation done by electronics) had fully appeared. Thus, the clubs which truly serve as the birthplace of modern house were the Music Box, which was opened by Robert Williams (the same cat who had owned the Warehouse), and the Powerplant, owned & operated by Frankie Knuckles (who had been the head DJ at the Warehouse). While Jesse Saunders is fairly credited as being the first artist to have a house track pressed on wax (1984’s “On And On”, which was a revamp of his “Fantasy” from earlier that year), it’s this deep cut from Jamie Principle that really set things off. Virtually all of house music’s originators (Marshall, Frankie, Silk, Farley, et al.) credit this song, which was in heavy rotation, via tape, at the clubs earlier than “On And On” but didn’t get pressed until ’86, as being the true catalyst which sent guys running home to their basements trying recreate what they were hearing in this track. Who could have possibly known that this simple repetitive loop of those 3 notes would wind up becoming the tap root for an everlasting international culture. Quite frankly, is there any style of modern music we don’t ultimately have black people to thank for either creating or inspiring??? Simply put: Nope.

Speed Garage Mix

1998



The reigning kings of ‘garage’ (pronounced gair-edge across the pond, no relation to early 80s ‘garage house’ from NYC), were as popular in the UK as R&B acts like Blackstreet or 112 were in the US, and the particular ‘2-step’ breakbeat which drove the entire genre was so funky that it was begging to be turned out: enter “speed garage”. Presenting itself like an attempted union of house & jungle, the speed garage sound took over east coast gay clubs in the US before it broke into the rave scene nationwide, initially being championed at vogue-ing competitions from NYC to Baltimore. I have to admit, those sub-bass rolls had me at “hello”, and for a year or so every party you went to had at least one or two DJs spinning this stuff at some point in the night, continuously attracting thick crowds of happy kids rolling face; frankly, some of the breakdowns in these tracks still set my heart a-flutter in ways that no other type of beats can---admittedly, this could be due to the fact that I was ingesting unfathomable amounts of MDMA during the period when this sound was fresh, and I’m willing to concede that speed garage is only good in small doses (i.e. not all night long). That said, these beats still make me wanna dance! This mix was an official release, so I’ve zipped up the tracks rather than turning it into one uncut fusion.

Can You Feel It

from the 12” single, Trax Records, 1986



The prefix “deep-” has been applied to virtually every style of electronic music, with all the subcultures found within that umbrella of beats seeking to trawl the depths of each respective groove, a pursuit for endurance over the immediacy of an archetypal peak-hour anthem; this classic cut by Larry ‘Mr. Fingers’ Heard is a sublime example of early deep house, released while the mothership of house music itself was still in its infancy. Back then, the idea of having no lyrics in a dance track was tremendously risqué, and typically a portent of commercial doom, but this slick number rose to become one of the most essential building blocks of house’s early family home. It’s hard for some to believe that the Midwest is truly the birthplace of electronica, but anyone who’s lived there knows the deal, and I’m ceaselessly grateful for my schooling.

Mid-Season Bud Mix

Green Bush Series Part III, Side A, 1998



Carlos ‘DJ Sneak’ Sosa was an integral part in the transition between Chicago’s first & second waves of house music innovators, eventually becoming one of the world’s most recognized DJs and producers, a title which he still enjoys (a stroll through his upcoming spring calendar has him in no less than Miami, Chi, Amsterdam, London, Rome, San Fran, & Brussels within the scope of just 2 months). Moving with his family from Puerto Rico to the Windy City in 1983, Sneak later developed his own distinct style of house music: minimal, quirky, bouncy, jazzy, and tracky as a motherfucker, the combination of which happens to really get your body grooving. When you see Sneak behind the decks he’s always got a big, goofy-ass grin on his face, because he loves what he does, and he respects the voyage he’s been on, the journey of house music itself, like no other---google his rant against many current euro DJs for a slice of that. He tossed out loads of mixes back in the day, this one being among my top 5 favorites of his, and he still continues to do so, on his website: http://www.sneakthedj.com/

Pool Party

from the 12” single, BangGang Records, 2009



Can you tell I’m ready for warmer weather? I know I’ve said this before, but house music is finally banging again, and I for one couldn’t be happier about it. Yes, after many of us spent the better part of the 1990s frying our brains on MDMA and various other potions, it only follows that the beats were going to have to chill out some, although I didn’t expect it to be for near a decade (excepting for the always tracky micro-house scene). Whether it’s because all of us old schoolers are having mid-life crises, or because there’s a whole new generation of kids expanding their minds through chemicals and dancing, I can’t really say---but it’s undeniable, the BOOOOM is back bitches!!! Australia has, for once, been riding awfully high atop the nu-disco and chill-wave trends, and that new tradition is continued by Perth-based producer & remixer Shazam, a mere teenager but already so adept behind the knobs. Now: set your face to happy, your legs to pop, your ass to percolate, & dance motherfuckers dance!

Crossing Borders Mixtape

Side A, 1997



The title of this mixtape could actually serve as a tagline to the story of Jenö’s career, both in the geographic sense (as he was raised in London, but moved to San Francisco during rave’s halcyon days at the urging of some British ex-pat pals who had gone there for vacation and never returned home) and in the philosophical sense, as Jenö became well known for spinning heartfelt sets which appealed to almost everyone in attendance; for lack of a better adjective, his mixes embody the concept of being ‘soulful’. He continues to spin records to this day, mining the funky cavernous depths of the beats and feeding sonorous communion to the masses.

Dance Dept. Mix

full mix, 2000



This is a great set of house music from French DJ and producer Bob Sinclair (né Christophe Le Friant), one of my all-time favorite characters from the European beats scene; although he came out from under the French touch mantle, Sinclair has never been content to stick with one style or another exclusively, making as much of a name for himself with his downtempo & Afrobeat excursions as he has with house music. While I do enjoy some of his own productions, and many of the tracks cut under his Yellow record label, my favorite way to experience Mr. Sinclair is when he’s behind the decks; he took the name ‘Bob Sinclair’ from the lead character in the French film Le Magnifique, a fictitious superspy and ladie’s man. This was an in-house mix he did for internet radio show Dance Department, highlighting many of his own tracks and others from the Yellow cannon of that time---so, that means assloads of filtered, dirty, disco, dubby house madness, just how I like it.

Kinetic (Frank de Wulf Remix)

from the 12” single, R&S Records, 1992



This song was just a quick side-project for Paul Hartnoll, UK-based producer and DJ who was more famously known, along with his brother Phil, as the veteran techno act Orbital; Paul is one of the oldest heads still in the game, and it’s tracks like these that explain why he has survived in tact while so many of his cohorts have fallen by the wayside. This song was part of the genesis of trance, a genre of beats that I must confess isn’t my favorite (excepting for those times when I was rolling my face off), but at this nascent stage in its evolution people were still calling tracks like this one “progressive house”; the relentless remix that Frank de Wulf crafted here was easily the most expansive, uplifting & possessing a strength all its own, and that bouncing synthline really bangs like a motherfucker!

Ghetto Burnin' (Mojito Remix)

from the CD Phonat, MofoHifi Records, 2009



This bright & tracky style of house seems to have become all the rage over the last couple of years, sometimes being referred to as ‘nu-disco’ or ‘disco-wave’, neither of which really do it justice; whatever you want to call it, I’m just thrilled that house music appears to be getting the BOOM back, after an extended detour in breezy lounge hell. Phonat is the moniker of 23 year old Italian guitarist and beats-maker Michele Balduzzi, and this kid ain’t fucking around; the initial comparisons to Ratatat don’t even begin to scratch his surface, with every song on this debut album sounding different and unique from one another. He even selected one of the baddest-ass CD covers of the year, befitting of a 7 foot tall giant (yes, he is actually 7 ft. tall!); I am helplessly hooked, and rabidly look forward to any new material of his in the future.

Smoothness Mixtape

Side A, 1999



This mixtape might just as well have been called “Anthemness”, as famed house DJ Roy Davis Jr. smoothly rolls through a handful of 1999’s biggest house tracks, the first half of ’99 anyways; coming up under the tutelage of icons like Lil’ Louis & Farley Jackmaster Funk, Roy developed a leaning towards uplifting and soulful house tracks that are often heavy on the vocals---but don’t be fooled, as the switch around 13 minutes into this mix shows you, he can take things deep into the ghetto real fast, and I mean that as a compliment! This tape is filled with tunes which beg to be heard while surrounded by the concrete & glass skyscrapers of an urban metropolis, hard beats for big city streets, the kind of filtered disco madness that, sadly, isn’t heard much in house music anymore.

New School Fusion 2.5 Mixtape

Side A, 1997



Although they went on to become rather segregated, the differing styles of electronic music were never meant to be mutually exclusive from one another, and some notable DJs never felt the need to make a decision regarding the music they spun, as far as only playing one style of records; Chicago’s Terry Mullan has always walked that line, juggling house, techno and acid tracks like a true pro, endearing him to a wide audience of beats-freaks from coast to coast. Owner of Catalyst Recordings, Mr. Mullan has long been a jack of many trades, producing, remixing & spinning records; he has one of the thickest mixtape discographies of all American DJs, this particular tape series being one of his most popular---and for good reason! I’ve seen Terry spin live many times, and his ability to please both factions (techno & house fans alike) is well represented within this mix, a grimy stew of some of the banging-ist beats from that year.