Sound Stream - Dance With Me

Frank Timm has been releasing records as Sound Stream for nearly a decade now and it has only been recently that his records have really begun to take off thanks to the championing of them by Ame at various gigs across the planet. I have no idea what the sample to this is but I know I'm going to kick myself when I find out as it is annoyingly familiar. This is one of those records that prove that house music is a feeling, that house music when made well can raise your spirits and make you shout 'Fuck Yeah' at the top of your lungs. This is great, simple, well-produced music that must sound absolutely incredible in the dead of the night after a few hours of dancefloor gymnastics. Top stuff.

Soundstream - Dance With Me

The Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces Sometimes

A few weeks ago the great Norman Whitfield passed away and the word genius is bandied about a bit too much nowadays but this was a man who genuinely fitted the billing. He worked with everyone from The Temptations to Marvin Gaye and had his hand in just about every seminal moment from one of the greatest and most influential labels of all time, Tamla Motown. If you're not aware of the man's work then you should go out immediately and buy whatever you can find on sight as everything he ever produced is absolutely all killer with no filler whatsoever. I'm an old soul boy at heart and I remember reading an article on him when I was in university many years ago that described his sound as 'psychedelic soul' and that was enough for my 18 year old self to run off to the local second hand store and rummage away looking for records by him and it wasn't until I found things like Ain't Too Proud To Beg, Ball of Confusion and this gem that my thirst for the deepest of records was quenched. He's a man whose impact on modern music is absolutely immeasurable, a once in a generation musician who will be sorely missed. RIP Norm.

The Undisputed Truth - Smiling Faces Sometimes

James Yuill - This Love - Prins Thomas sneaky edit

Who is James Yuill? He seems to be a London-based folk artist who cites everyone from Iron & Wine to Midlake as influences and has been given plaudits by The Guardian, NME and the like. This is the first that I have heard of him and I've just put in an order for his album on the back of this. Cosmic denizen Prins Thomas has made this into a lush, early morning groover and this is the sort of record that would sound incredible when the sun comes up after a solid night of partying. I love this.

James Yuill - This Love - Prins Thomas sneaky edit

Demi Roussos - I Dig You

Originally a member of Aphrodite's Child, Demis Roussos has been crafting his musical magic for over four decades now and this track, which is one of my all-time favourites, is at the very summit of all things beardy balearic with its superb use of melodies and great feelgood lyrics delivered with aplomb by our hero. This is one of those records that you stick on and it immediately puts you in a good mood. Great record.

Demi Roussos - I Dig You

Matias Aguayo - Minimal - Markus Rossknecht Remix

The minimal bubble seems to have burst. The days of atonal soulless records seem to be on the way out with a much needed and welcomed injection of cheek into the records played at the likes of the Panorama Bar, Watergate etc. That is not to say that every minimal record was rubbish but the amount of hours I spent wading through the bland in places like Phonica I'll never get back - but the same could be said for just about every genre in all fairness. Matias Aguayo is a welcome addition to the dance music cannon and he's been around for a while now but this track should surely appeal to everyone from the beards to trendy haircuts with its tongue in cheek refrain and deep chords that make this a late night surefire winner. For this track he enlists the help of his Broke bandmate, Markus Rossknecht, to add the necessary funk and with the two forming a burgeoning production partnership they most certainly are a pair of names to keep an ear out for. Absolute winner.

Matias Aguayo - Minimal - Markus Rossknecht Remix

Runaway - Brooklyn Club Jam

Here is an absolute party monster that I am sure that all of you that have been out anywhere decent over the past few weeks have heard booming out of speakers and getting the arms in the air. This is a proper 3am peaktime monster that really comes alive well beyond the witching hour when the dedicated come out to do their dancefloor gymnastics. Runaway burst onto the scene with their superb pair of edits on Wurst that were absolutely essential a year ago or so and this track should put them well and truly above the precipice. One of those records that makes you anxious for what they come up with next. An absolute monster of a record.

Runaway - Brooklyn Club Jam

Carl Craig - Undisputable

Today was the last Bears Upstairs radio show at the Beehive and seeing as it was my stomping ground every Thursday for over a year I thought I'd share one of my favourite records from when Paul and I did the KUMO radio show. This is an edit of The Undisputable Truth's Sandman, which is absolutely killer in its own right but what Carl Craig has done is stretch it out into an absolute dancefloor winner. This is a get out of jail record if ever I have heard one and a tune that makes me get misty eyed when I think of all those great nights having a laugh above Sankey's in cold Manchester with some of the warmest people known to mankind. I'm massively missing Manchester at the moment - great place, outstanding people.

Carl Craig - Undisputable

Jacques Renault - Sweet Rollin' On

1100 copies of this were pressed and it is already sold out and in this day and age that is absolutely incredible. New York's Rvng Intl. have been doing their own thing with aplomb for a couple of years now and they've never been one to follow trends - although it does seem that popularity has caught up with them somewhat - and everything from hand screen-printing the record sleeves to pressing their singles on the best quality wax makes them an absolute breath of fresh air in these troubled times. Jacques Renault - a member of the group Runaway who just released the absolutely monster track Brooklyn Club Jam - is fairly new to the scene and this EP should elevate him to a higher place amongst the disco cognoscenti and I'm not sure what the original source material for this is but it does go rather well with the Fela tune below. A great record from somoeone to keep your eye our for.

Jacques Renault - Sweet Rollin' On

Hercule - Little Green Man

Originally released in 1978 this Italo bomb has been known to change hands for upwards of $500 and thankfully a couple of kind souls have re-issued us saving some of us a small fortune and probably absolutely pissing off the collectors who paid the silly money. This is as quirky a disco record as you could ever find and play this after Bumblebee Unlimited Lady Bug and you'll have all the fans of the weird wonk absolutely eating out of your hands. Check that bassline for some proper heaviness. Ace tune.

Hercule - Little Green Man

Freda Payne - Unhooked Generation

Detroit's Freda Payne has been lighting up airwaves since 1963 with her polished voice that has had everyone from Quincy Jones to Duke Ellington clamoring to work with her. She's probably best known for her track Band of Gold that was written by the incredible production team of Holland/Dozier/Holland and was included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. This cut is absolutely incredible and has been a carnival favourite for years and was included on Norman Jay's Good Times Vol. 3 a few years ago and as a result I played it to death but it is more than due for a revival. What a voice!

Freda Payne - Unhooked Generation

The Mole - Ain't The Way It's Supposed To Be

The Mole makes chuggers, records that groove and lock in and take you all the way across the rhythm spectrum to a place that is half techno/half house/all damn good tune and this cut from his latest album As High As The Sky - which is a soaring album if ever I have heard one - is the very epitome of the genre-not-grenre. Warp your ears around this one.

The Mole - Ain't The Way It's Supposed To Be

I've been massively busy with my new job and haven't really had much time to do much of anything and until things calm down I'll be on hiatus for a while. Hopefully all back to madness within a week or two.

Welcome Back SWP

After a few years wasting away playing for Chelski, SWP has returned home and scored two goals in the shirt he was born to wear.

1 Chelsea 3 5 7
2 Liverpool 3 2 7
3 Man City 3 4 6
4 Arsenal 3 3 6
5 West Ham 3 1 6
6 Middlesbrough 3 1 6
7 Aston Villa 3 1 4
8 Bolton 3 1 4
9 Man Utd 2 1 4
10 Blackburn 3 -2 4
11 Newcastle 3 -2 4
12 Hull 3 -4 4
13 Wigan 3 3 3
14 Fulham 2 0 3
15 Stoke 3 -2 3
16 Portsmouth 3 -2 3
17 Everton 3 -3 3
18 Sunderland 3 -3 3
19 Tottenham 3 -2 1
20 West Brom 3 -2 1

September sees us playing Chelski next at Eastlands, then Omonia Nicosa away in the UEFA Cup, then Pompey at Eastlands, Brighton away in the Carling Cup and Wigan at the JJB. Could be a very good month indeed.

The Dirtbombs - Kung Fu

I was listening to a Seth Troxler set from Killer Robot in Cape Town that was posted on E-vent recently and his second last track was this beauty from the Motor City's The Dirtbombs who are fronted by Mick Collins of The Gories infamy. This track, which is a cover of a Curtis Mayfield cut of the same name, was initially released on their 2001 album Ultraglide in Black and more recently dance music deity Kenny Dixon Jr. released it on his Mahogani imprint and pretty much everyone from house DJs to balearic DJs were playing its off-kilter yet brilliantly simple groove all over the shop. This is just the sort of thing I like to play when I DJ out (granted that hasn't happened in a while) because it is utterly unique and bit of a curve ball for the dancers to deal with. Superb stuff from a great band.

The Dirtbombs - Kung Fu

The Chap - Ethnic Instrument - Joakim remix

North London's The Chap have been making post-punk dance music since 2001's Fun EP which has had them traversing their own path through music that is akin to the likes of LCD Soundsystem, They Came From The Stars (I Saw Them) but they haven't managed to quite reach the sort of pubic reaction that those bands have managed to. Cue the input of the truly brilliant Joakim who has sliced, tweaked and diced their new single expertly and turned it into a balearic gem that has a bit of balls to it. It's brash, it's loud and it's fucking brilliant. Buy it now.

The Chap - Ethnic Instrument - Joakim remix

SK8OLOGY

SK8OLOGY is an exhibition that combines skateboard counter culture with the world of fine art with 150 artists from various backgrounds who have all lent their craft on the decks, which are being auctioned off to support Now That You Know, which is a non-profit organization that helps to provide ambitious girls from developing countries a secure environment for learning and growth. You can start bidding on these decks, of which I have chosen my favourites below. I particularly like the Jon Chase deck, which is beautifully executed.

Tocayo


Seth Haak


Munk One


Mark Cruz


Keith Renner


Jon Chase


Haubs


Bryan Sheffield

Mark 4ostia - Disco Music Fantastic Music - Rodion Remix

Here is a fun party record and then some! Rodion has been traversing his own unique course through cosmic waters for a while now and his remix of Box Codax in particular got me excited about his work with its great breakdown and driving bassline. This record has that bouncy drum synth line that will get people bouncing off the roof. It may not be the most original thing that you'll ever hear but it is definitely the sort of record that people in the death of the night will remember with smiles and whoops and hollers. Great Saturday night dance music.

Mark 4ostia - Disco Music Fantastic Music - Rodion Remix

Kode9 & The Spaceape - Konfusion

The more I've been exploring the whole dubstep scene the more I've come to realize that it is impossible to stick it into a box as the scene is characterized by an almost playful disregard for the rules. I find tracks like this one to be raw unadulterated party music and if I was 18 years old dubstep would be like the second coming. The music is raw and I particularly like the conscious lyrics on this one. Is dubstep going to take over the world? I'm not sure but I can assure you that if the quality of output is as good as this then it'll be an exciting couple of years as the genre continues to develop.

Kode9 & The Spaceape - Konfusion

Andres - Salvador de Bahia part 1

This KDJ executive produced bomb came out in 2003 and to my ears is as balearic as it gets really. My theory on what is and isn't balearic is a simple one, if it sounds as good in the sun as it does in the dead of night and makes you want to get some sand between your toes then it is balearic. Now that probably includes every record ever made but who gives a shit really, it is all subjective when dealing with the white isle. This is one of those records that is all about the rolling bassline that permeates through the whole track accentuating every element. It is as perfect as it is simple and is an often overlooked Detroit classic. Oh and if you ever get the chance to go and see Andres DJ then do so, the man is a demon on the ones and twos.

Andres - Salvador de Bahia part 1

The Aloof - Never Get Out The Boat - The Gosh Mix

Here is a beauty that came out at the turn of the 90s and was a record that I played well into the turn of the century at which point it was put on the bottom shelf and we all know what happens then. I might even resurrect this one as it has to my ears stood the test of time and deserves a further play or two. The vocal sample comes from one of my favourite movies the epic Apocalypse Now as uttered by Captain Benjamin L. Willard played incredibly well by Martin Sheen. I had forgotten all about this record and it is something that I would've loved to have played on the radio in England just to see what the reaction would've been. For us in Cape Town this was as underground a record as it gets but I get the feeling that all and sundry in England would've known about this one, which kind of proves my point that every man and his dog older than 30 in blighty has large chunks of the 90s missing from their memories and to that I doff my cap.

The Aloof - Never Get Out The Boat - The Gosh Mix

Soul II Soul - Back To Life - Burnin' Bass Club Mix

I moved this week, which was/is a time consuming wretched affair but the one perk of moving beyond living in a bigger place is that I get to shuffle the record collection around a bit and this was one of the tracks that was on the bottom shelf of my Expedit where, lets face it, good records go to die. I remember playing this one to death and judging by the state of the record sleeve it has more than earned its keep. Written by erstwhile Madonna producer Nelly Hooper and the legendary Jazzie B this cut like a knife through Cape Town clubland and I'm sure that any of you that were getting right on it during the early 90s will remember this track raising the roof at places like Bar-Do-Me and the Power Station where a lot of us too young to get in would dance outside in the street, halcyon days indeed. I remember that the fairer sex used to love this and when they were happy we were happy. One of the first rules of being a DJ is that if the girls are on the floor the boys will follow, even the most hardcore of heterosexual trainspotters can't resist a bit of shake-shake. Listening to this track again after all these years nearly brought a tear to the eye...nearly.

Soul II Soul - Back To Life - Burnin' Bass Club Mix