Masters Of The Universe

From the mind of 26 year old Dave Lee, already a skilful keyboardist, we get this true gem of UK Rave. It's full of e-tingle pianos and girlie "oh oh's" to keep you high - up there with Together's "Hardcore Uproar" as the perfect morning track. You could quite easily put 2 copies of this record on the decks and make a half hour mix that would go down a storm in 1990, but for most people, the 'Hyper-Spaced Mix' is enough. There is also a 1989 release that samples Loletta Holloway; "Check It Out" - but the vocal-free mixes here are to my mind vastly superior.

Dave Lee seemed to be doing quite a bit with Mark Ryder of Strictly Underground (legendary UK Hardcore label) at this time, and he'd also recorded some fine electro bleep techno for Sheffield's Warp Records in Energise's "Report To The Dancefloor".

Yet it would only be a year or two until Dave found his true home in disco led house, and a new moniker: Joey Negro. Thank fuck he came up via UK rave then - his stay was short, but it was momentous.

Discogs

A1 Space Talk (Hyper Spaced Mix)
B1 Space Talk (Spaced Out Mix)
B2 Space Talk (Inner Space Mix)
B3 Space Talk (Reprised Mix)

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ...mediafire

Gypsymen - Hear The Music / Bounce (1992)

An absolutely fantastic release on the short-lived New York house label E Legal. Once again it's a Todd Terry and Zahid Tariq production, and once again the duo are in top form.

I think there are two really good examples of taking a vocal sample and cutting it up to create something new (and better). First off is Orbital's use of a reversed loop of Kirsty Hawkshaw taken from Opus III's "It's A Fine Day" to generate the spectacularly lush melody of "Halcyon".

And then there is "Hear The Music", which chops up a guy saying something to the effect of 'Hey buddy, do you do hip hop?' and builds a song around the variations. David Morales on remix duties probably didn't hurt either. Other releases added more remixers, but from what I've listened to on youtube they're pretty crap. All the gold is on this release folks.

"Bounce" is a solid piece of dark house music, perfect for a dingy basement club with only a strobe light to illuminate the dancer's gyrations. Both these tracks more than stand the test of time, and you could probably still play them to a house loving dance floor today and get a good response.

I bought my 12" after hearing "Hear The Music" on the excellent 1992 Sasha mixtape Magic Carpet Australia - bought whilst on one of my record buying jaunts in Sydney. Not sure how widely available the mix is, but I think I'll pull out my cassette deck one day and upload it.

Discogs

A1   Hear The Music (Def Club Mix)
A2   Hear The Music (Def Dub Mix)
B1   Bounce (Wild Warped Mix)

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ...mediafire

Area 10 Featuring MK - Get It Right (1991)

Here's some more from second-wave Detroit cat, Marc Kinchen. He was mentored by Terrence Parker and his early output was very techno. As Separate Minds he released "1st Bass" in 1988; it sampled a sound from Konami's 1987 stealth fighter video game Metal Gear to generate an outrageous melody, then laid a vocal loop from Saunderson's remix of The Wee Papa Girl Rapper's "Heat It Up" over the top to create dance floor mayhem. In taking that video game sample and using it to create music, Kinchen was really pushing the concept of techno - a genre whose name was symbolic of where it came from, how it was produced, and where it was going. Probably only electro (the 80s form, not the current dross) could claim a similar relationship between intent and name.

Having served his apprenticeship in Detroit, MK headed to the bright lights of New York where he became a leading exponent of dubby deep house (see K.E.L.S.E.Y's "Baby Can (M.K. Dub)" on the previous 313 Detroit post here). Eventually, he became one of the city's top remixers, helping Celine Dion and Betty Boo to achieve chart success... so no one's perfect.

For those of you who like your banging club techno from the turn of the millennium, Carl Cox's Intec imprint will be well known. I think one of its best tracks is Deetron's "Don't You Know Why?" from the Alien Entertainment EP (Discogs). Rocking:

But essentially it's just a rehash of  "Get It Right", which is uptempo vocal house music bedded over manic percussion (the vocal is courtesy of Aretha Franklin's excellent 1983 release of the same name). MK also introduces some great techno noises later through the mixes, adding depth and twisting them in new and pleasingly darker directions.

This release also has quality straight up Detroit techno in "Divisions" and another house cut in "Feel The Fire".

All in all, really good stuff from a not too well known release.

Discogs
A1 Get It Right (R. Flack Ooh Mix)
A2 Get It Right (M.K. Mix)
B1 Feel The Fire
B2 Divisions (Techno Mix)
B3 Get It Right (S & M Mix)
B4 Get Up Early (Remix)

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ...mediafire

Selected tracks by The KLF

A little while ago I posited that Jimmy Cauty and Bill Drummond might rightly be considered as true pioneers of electronic trance. For the most part, The KLF owned all the rights to their own music, publishing it through their label KLF Communications. According to Discogs, in May 1992, they officially ended their music careers to pursue new artistic endeavours; they also deleted their entire catalogue of releases. I've checked Beatport and Juno and there was no KLF to purchase, so it seems that the two remain committed to art over profit.

I thought I would post a few select tracks only - there are extensive tribute site here and here and both have plenty of downloads available if you want to delve further...

First of all, "What Time Is Love?" in its two best forms - "Original Pure Trance" (1988) and "Live At Trancentral" (1990). I've said it before, but the Pure Trance mix is just so way ahead of its time that I can only think of one other track to compare it with, Humanoid's "Stakker" - both from England, both released in '88, both completely rewriting the dance floor template, both glorious mind fuck inducers.

The original mix of "What Time Is Love?" is very bare, has a slow tempo and a haunting sci-fi bassline fusing its melody and subtle kick drum. A Dr Who-like 'ooooooohhh' runs throughout to massive effect.

In 1990, the boys updated their tune (with a bit of help from others such as New York's Lenny Dee), totally transforming it into a high energy rave monster that pioneered the transfer of stadium rock excess to dance music. Everyone from The Prodigy to Underworld and 2 Unlimited took notice.

Discogs

What Time Is Love?
(Pure Trance Version)

CD Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ...mediafire

Discogs

What Time Is Love?
(Live At Trancentral)

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ...mediafire

"3am Eternal (Pure Trance Version)" (1989) is taken from the excellent Warehouse Raves 4 compilation - it's also got the Pure Trance Original of "What Time Is Love?" and a heap of other hard to find goodies (I'll probably post that too at some point). It's quite blissful, with a laid back vocal and a hypnotic groove. A few years later, it too got a stadium update leading to commercial chart success - The KLF had embraced cheese once more.

Discogs

3am Eternal 
(Pure Trance Version)

CD Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ...mediafire

Cauty and Drummond didn't leave the underground altogether though, at the end of 1990 they reverted to a previous moniker, The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu, and put out the apocalyptic techno of "It's Grim Up North" in a limited release of 350 single-sided 12 inches on grey vinyl. No label text, no obvious artist identification - just a plain grey inner label.

In Melbourne, only one person had it - Mr Terry "H2O" Ho, and he DJed at the massively influential Maze underground night at The Commerce Club.

People waited all night to hear The Grey Record and embrace it's locomotive techno as it stormed out of the speakers and through the smoke machine across the dancefloor and into our shattered minds. It too got remixed and re-released (with new vocal and an awful guitar break), but the original was by far the best.

Discogs
A1 It's Grim Up North
(Original Club Mix)

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps 

MP3 ...mediafire

Update: Live @ Arm In Arm 5 - Tracklisting To My 2010 New Year's Old Skool Mix

OK peeps, I've had a few requests for track info for my last set post (which was a while ago, and I do plan to do more ... no really, I do.) For those who don't read past blog posts, this mix was born from a 1 hour live set I played at an old skool party late last year. It was my second outing with the laptop and ableton live (version 6). I cut all my tracks up into parts and pre-prepared for my set by arranging the parts into something that flowed with a little bit of cohesion. On the night I used a midi keyboard to trigger the parts as I deemed fit - looping and rearranging on the fly. But being a dickhead, I forgot to record it.
Coming up to New Year Eve, I sat down and re-performed the set as best as I could remember, and then cleaned it up a bit, adding a few extra effects and fine tuning some of the cuts. I also chocked on an extra half an hour of favourites.
It's a pretty pumping choice of choons from '88 to '91 and moves along at about 130bpm or so; for anyone who wants it you can find it here. As always, thanks for listening and all comments are welcomed...


Electrotête - Grigri (Remix)
Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious 5 - White Lines '89 - Part II (Short Version)
T99 - Anasthasia
Subject 13 - Eternity (Spiritual Club Mix)
The Raid - The Party
Quazar - Midsummernight's Dream
R-Tyme - R-Theme (Dramatic Mix)
Xpansions - Move Your Body (1991 Remix)
Piece - Free Your Soul (Future)
Rhythm Section - Check Out The Bass Bass
FPI Project - Going Back To My Roots (Vocal Version)
Trust In 6 - Life In Ecstasy (Instrumental Mix)
CJ Bolland - Horsepower (Exclusive Remix)
Brainstorm - Rock The House
Konzept - Hypnautic Beats (Ambient 1990 Mix)
Cubic 22 - Night In Motion (Original Mix)
The Shamen - Pro>Gen (Land of Oz)
Earth People - Dance (Club Mix)
The Melody - I Want Your Love
Frankie Bones & Lenny Dee - Hold Me, Squeeze Me (Vinyl Zone Mix)
Moby - Go (Voodoo Child Mix)
MIC - OOBE 2
Spectrum - Amplification
Mental Mayhem - Joey's Riot
Art 1 - Olympia
Altern 8 - Real Time Status
FSOM - Melodia
Inner City - Good Life (Magic Juan Mix 12")
Ramirez - La Musika Tremenda (DJ Ricci Remix)
Quadrophonia - Quadrophonia (Original)
a little bit of anti-acid house media hysteria off youtube
Neal Howard - Indulge (Club House Mix)
Tronikhouse - Multifunction (Multi-Mix)
Humanoid - Stakker Humanoid (Snowman Mix)
PKA - Let Me Hear You (Say Yeah)(Bass Bins At Dawn Mix)
Yin Yang - Oh-One (Oh-Too Mix)
S'Express - Theme From S-Express
Adamski - Bass Line Changed My Life

New Year's Eve 2010 Mixup

Fuck me if I haven't been a bit quiet on the posts of late. 
Never mind, here is a link to a reasonably long mix - 1hour40min or so - total old skool - and just done today so excuse any excesses. 
For those of you at Arm In Arm 5, you'll recognize the first half - I forgot to hit record on the night and this is my approximation of the set. It's straight up rocking dancefloor techno, rave and acid house - for those who are planning to sit down tonight in front of the telly and watch the fireworks, this mix isn't for you (but it should be). 


Going to be a hot one here in Aus, 40 degrees Celsius (105 Fahrenheit) so this is just the one for a hot night out. 
No tracklisting; that would ruin the surprise!!!! Hope you enjoy; especially, some of my all time favorites for the last 2/3.


Oh, and happy new year - party like it's 1990!!!!!!


mediafire 192kbps

FSOM - Maglamania EP (1992)

They were never the most original production crew - hey they even pinched their name from Future Sound Of London - but they did know how to rock. Later releases spawned "Melodia" and "Welcome", both exceptional tracks, but this is their first. As far as I know, they don't think much of it these days, but it holds good memories for me. If there's a flaw, it's that each track tries to do too much, but it's also what makes them interesting - there's a fusion going on here of pretty much every sound they were into at the time - rave, house or techno.
Even so, my favorite bit is on the centre label: "...anyone found copying, broadcasting or sampling this record will be hunted & shot". 

A1 Resist The Beat
A2 Raving Mad
B1 The Witch And Her Spell
B2 Barefoot In Sydney

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ... mediafire

Xpansions - Elevation (1990/1991)

There are quite a few versions of this track listed on Discogs, but I think my vinyl is the best. Problem is it is not listed on the site so I'm not even sure whether its an original version from 1990 or a remix from '91. No matter - you get 2 very good mixes here, both quite similar - just different arrangements and break position really.
I actually didn't like this track that much when it came out; it seemed a bit commercial to me (pinching it's bassline from s'xpress didn't help). Also, it got a lot of play at Melbourne Tuesday night clubbing institution Savage @ Chevron (who's music tended towards the more commercial end of house) and this may have helped to work against it. Didn't stop me buying the vinyl though.
Anyway, a year or too later, I heard it out while very stoned, and the record made total sense to me; has done ever since. A true moment of audio ecstasy, my only gripe is that the synth stabbing break was never long enough.


"Move your body higher, hi - hi - higher"

A1 Xpansions - Elevation (Club Mix)
A2 Xpansions - Elevation (Other Mix)


Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ... mediafire

Hawke - 3 Nudes In A Purple Garden (1993)

Classic west coast house from Gavin Hardkiss; 4 tracks of varying deepness and trippyness from a man at the absolute height of this music. Very, very good.

Discogs

A1 3 Nudes In A Purple Garden

A2 3 Moods In A Gurple Parden

B1 3 Nudes Having Sax On Acid

B2 Pacific Coastal Highway # 1

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ... mediafire

Mr Monday - Rave Legend.

Simon Monday was an early member of the UK acid house scene, and pretty early on it seems he was contributing studio skills. He helped to pull the soundtrack of the monumental techno video project “Stakker – Eurotechno” together when Brian Dougans (of Humanoid and Future Sound Of London fame, and a techno legend of the highest order) quit the project. You’ll also spot a lot of his input in the first “Live At The Brain” compilation.

His solo work begins here with 1989’s piano house “Appreciate/Keep On”, and then follows with the b-sides to his masterpiece, funnily enough (or not) produced by Judge Jules. "Future" was released on Roy The Roach’s Elevation Inc. label in 1990; I think only about 500 copies were pressed, but this was enough to get it out and about. Tony Humphries cained it for ages, and Mr Monday played live PAs at some of that year’s biggest parties.

In Melbourne, "Future" was a fucking massive track and was probably played at every party and event running into 1992. I see it called a piano house stormer a lot, but I always thought the main melody had more of a latin guitar rhythm to it... anyway, I like "Future" most for the killer main break and turbo powered kick off. The synth stab patterns are magic too – best since “Strings Of Life”. I’d still put “Future” up there in my all time top 3 tracks (the other two move around a bit but at the moment “Pacific State” and “Multifunction” come to mind as contenders).

You won't find "Future" linked here - it's still available to buy, but the b-side “Pushing” is a bit of vocal house gem – even if it is a bloke doing the singing.

1991’s remixes of “Future” didn’t have a chance of equalling the original – although the Mellow Mix isn’t too bad (and they’re all a darn sight better than those that came out on Ministry Of Sound’s Open imprint in the mid 90s).
1992’s Power/Knowledge EP didn’t really go anywhere new and I lost interest in his work after that. But 20 years on, “Future” is still a class tune. So respect (and thanks too Simon, where ever you are nowadays).

Discogs

A1 Appreciate

B1 Keep On (Piano Groove)

B2 Keep On (Piano Groove)

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ... mediafire

Discogs

A1 Future

B1 Pushing (Full Up Mix)

B2 Pushing (Edit)

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ... mediafire

Discogs

A1 Future (Re-Energised)

B1 Future (Mellow Mix)

B2 Stop It My Ears Are Bleeding (Def Mix)

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ... mediafire

Discogs

A1 Busy Going Crazy

A2  Daybreak

B1 Listen N' Weep

B2 I Can't Breath When I Look At You

Vinyl Rip _ 320kbps MP3 ... mediafire