Label Realm: Dope recorDs

Enter the "D" section of label realm:

Dance Pool was a successful mainstream dance label company in Frankfurt Germany. Several famous acts released music in the label, such as Culture Beat, Jam & Spoon, The KLF. In the 90's, it served as the label to release classic eurodance tracks (Culture Beat - Mr. Vain, Ice MC - Think About The Way, Maxx - Get-A-Way) that ruled the dance charts. The last release can be found in 2003...

Data Records was not a classic label per se, however it was a great introduction for trance newbies at the turn of the millennium (1999-2002). Some indicative examples are ATB - Till I Come, Storm - Time To Burn, Zombie Nation - Kernkraft 400 and releases by Kamaya Painters and Oliver Lieb (the original version of Subraumstimulation is a tech-trance masterpiece). It was a sublabel of Ministry of Sound, originally focused on trance music. After the unification of all genres in one label, Data Records lost its touch.

A classic one! Deconstruction Records was established in 1986 by Pete Hadfield and Keith Blackhurst, but it reached its glory days when Hacienda's resident DJ Mike Pickering joined as A&R. All the masterpieces from the early days of UK house music can be found here: T-Coy - Carino, Guru Josh - Infinity, N-Joi - Anthem, M People ‎– How Can I Love You More and K-Klass ‎– Rhythm Is A Mystery are a handful of them. The label was also the first production home for Sasha and Way Out West. The legendary status of the label was maintained until 2000.

Dedicated was a British independent record label that released music between 1990 and 1998 by Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, Global Communication, Beth Orton (in the U.S.), Chapterhouse, Cranes and others. It was based in London and founded by Doug D'Arcy. The label deserves a reference just for the release of Global Communication - 76:14, one of the best ambient music albums (thank you Mr. Pritchard & Mr. Middleton for the blissful experience of 12:18).


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Label Realm: Classy seleCtions

I am sure there are more label in "C" section. However, my collection does not contain more results, worth mentioning...

Circulation Recordings was the production home of Circulation, an alias used by Brits Matt Jackson & Paul Davis. In my opinion, they were the finest producers of tech-house. Unfortunately, their output ended abruptly in 2005. It is strange though, that a Twitter account has been set-up since May 2018 for the record company.

Compost Records was a recent finding, after buying two EPs (Jay Shepheard/Lukas Bohlender). The label was founded by DJ Michael Reinboth in 1994, focused initially on jazzified dance music. Over the years, many big names of the scene were presented in the releases either as producers and/or remixers (Carl Craig, Moodymann, Laurent Garnier, Masters At Work, Dixon, Kruder & Dorfmeister). The label continues to release high quality music and on May 2019 a 10-vinyl box set was released, in order to celebrate the 25 years of existence.

Cutting Records is an influential electro US label, founded in 1983 by brothers Aldo Marin & Amado Marin. The seminal electro track Hashim - Al Naafiysh (The Soul) was released by the label, which was a milestone for the history of electronic dance music. Although I do not own a copy of this historic track, the legendary label deserves a spot here!

Label Realm: music haBits

Off to letter B:

Baroque Records was founded in 2000 by Keith McDonnel (Innate) and Mick Parks (member of Tilt and Parks & Wilson projects). Oriented towards the progressive side of EDM, it hosted the first releases of Leama and Andy Moor, with occasional appearances by Tilt and Quivver. The label continues to exist in digital format.

Barely Breaking Even started in 1993 as an idea of Peter Adarkwah and Ben Jolly, in order to promote parties in the local scene of UK. Three years later, the homonymous label was created, releasing compilation albums from various genres. While it is mostly known for comps by hip-hop DJs, my contact with the label was through the third installment of City 2 City series by DJ Deep (a brief review of a track included in this part may be found here), a tribute to Detroit/New York/Chicago house scene.

Bedrock is the alias of the progressive house/trance duo Nick Muir and John Digweed. They have produced several anthems under the alias, such as For What You Dream Of... (1993) and Heaven Scent (1999). In 1999, they established Bedrock Records, releasing high quality tracks by prominent artists. The golden age of Greek progressive house can be detected in the releases between 2000-2006, by Stelios Vassiloudis (Stel), John Douskos (Dousk) and George Pallikaris (G-Pal).
The high standards of the label are maintained till this very day, especially by Diggers' Live At series.

Black Hole Recordings was set up by Arny Bink and DJ Tiësto in 1997. In 2009, Tiësto sold his part of the company to Arny, making the latter the head honcho of the label. I was never a fan of Tiësto's DJ output (with some exceptions) and the Dutch "Supersaw" trance sound in general. However, the first releases (Magik/In Trance We Trust series) are very solid. The label continues releasing new material, under the supervision of Arny.

Bonzai Records is a seminal label that shaped the dance scene of Belgium since the early nineties, releasing material in Hardcore, Techno, Progressive Trance and Hard Trance. It was founded in 1992 by Christian Pieters (DJ Fly) as a sublabel of Lightning Records. On March 2003, the mother company faced hard times, as it went bankrupt. However, the Bonzai label was re-launched 2 months later under the Banshee Worx company, along with Marnik Braeckevelt (Marnix B), who served as A&R of Lightning Records, and DJs Yves Deruyter & Laurent Véronnez.
As an incurable proghead, I was mostly into the progressive sound of things, presented by Bonzai Progressive (one of the many Bonzai sublabels). Artists like Yves Deruyter, Laurent Véronnez (Airwave/Lolo/Velvet Girl), Mike Dierickx (Push/Plastic Boy/Solar Factor), Philippe Van Mullem, DJ Phi-Phi and Jurgen Leyers (DJ Fire) rocked the Belgian and European dance floors with their music!

Label Realm: numerical stArt

An effective way for searching great tracks is through the labels. My taste in music has evolved through the years, but some labels are memorable for their output, regardless of the genre they represent. If you are a new listener in electronic music, I have compiled a list (based on my Discogs collection) for your reference. Here we go (in alphanumeric order)!

4 Real Communication was a short-lived trance label, set up by David Gates and Malcolm Stanners, mostly known as Salt Tank. Unfortunately, the lifespan of the label was limited, as per the output of Salt Tank...

Additive was a sublabel of EMI, focused on progressive trance music. Under the label, several known artists of the genre were introduced to the masses, such as Chris Cowie (X-Cabs), Oliver Huntemann (Kay Cee), Ralph-Armand Beck (Taucher) and Laurent Véronnez (Velvet Girl). The declined popularity of trance in the mid-00's led to the closure of the label.

Armind is a Dutch trance label, which was the first imprint of Armada Music, the colossal EDM label. It was founded by Armin Van Buuren (prior to his superstar DJ status) and serves as home of his all own productions. While the current output of Armind and Armada Music in general does not seem inspirational, the very first releases were instant classics (Alibi - Eternity, Rising Star - Touch Me, Motorcycle - As The Rush Comes).

Audio Therapy was a label run by Dave Seaman, from 2000 until 2010, specialized in progressive house. It was the first production home of Stelios Vassiloudis, one of my favorite Greek artists of the genre. Additionally, the progressive breaks classic Habersham & Phil K - Cloudbrake can be found in the label.

Avatar Records was founded in 1997 by Israelis Avichay Avigal and Peter Eibenschutz. The label is mostly popular for its psy-trance output, massively produced in Israel. I am not very familiar with the genre, it is worth mentioning that the label hosted the first studio album of Astropilot (Fruits Of The Imagination), a solid release.

Tune #102: Chicago House Syndrome - Work It

Straight from the vault!

CHICAGO HOUSE SYNDROME - WORK IT

DJ Deep (Cyril Etienne des Rosaies) is a true music miner. On a daily quest to wander in record shops, he has not lost his appetite in search of lost gems. His City To City compilation series is worth having for the proponents of obscure house/techno music, originated in New York, Detroit and Chicago. In the third part of the series, a primitive yet catchy and groovy track can be found.

Chicago House Syndrome was an alias used by Richie Jones and Rich Tancredi for the production of an EP (Work It), back in 1987 (Dance-Sing Records).
 
Richie Jones is an American producer, starting his career as a remixer in 1983. He is known as the mastermind producer behind the Degrees Of Motion, an early 90's NY house group with instant success; the first single Do You Want It Right Now, a remake of Siedah Garrett's track, hit the UK National Charts, after being signed to Pete Tong's label, FFRR.

Rich Tancredi is a keyboard player, focused on house music. He provided his technical expertise in several house tracks of the 80's and later he became a producer for popular artists (Taylor Dane, Mariah Carey, Laura Branigan, Celine Dion).

I am not a big fan of the early Chicago house music (though I respect classics such as Mr. Fingers - Can You Feel It). However, Work It actually works for me. It is a simple composition production-wise, but its simplicity and funky jam are the elements that make the track addictive for non-stop listening. I believe the fact that it was released on small independent NY label prevented it from being a classic track of that era!

Tune #101: The Space Cadets - Stotinki

In a previous post I mentioned the need for an experimental DJ set, following the standards of The Future Sound of London. A perfect learning start would be their first Essential Mix at BBC Radio 1, aired on 12 April 1993 (whoa, time flies!). Many obscure tracks are presented in the set, a personal favorite of which would be Stotinki by The Space Cadets.

The Space Cadets was a one-off collaboration between the British Asian Haq Nawaz Qureshi and Cypriot Harri Kakoulli.

Nawaz's history is definitely not common. He was born and grew up in Bradford. At the start of the eighties, he was the drummer in gothic punk band Southern Death Cult (until 1983) and later in alternative rock band Getting The Fear (1984). In 1986, he moved to London, in order to set up a company for signing artists to major record labels. Two years later, with no signings of compositions that fused world music with dance elements, he started with Katherine Canoville a new music label that focused primarily on that goal. The label was Nation Records, an early home for groups such as Asian Dub Foundation, Transglobal Underground and Loop Guru. In 1997, Katherine's involvement in the label ended, making Nawaz the sole head honcho. The steps followed by him were controversial. Spending a lot of his time travelling, he met with extremists and jihadists and he even attempted to meet Osama Bin Laden back in 1998. His controversial actions can be identified in his primary music project Fun-Da-Mental, with strong preference in Islamic fundamentalism. The ideology projected through his tracks was provocative and uncompromising, leading to trouble with the law and the label's directors.

Harry Kakoulli is multi-instrumentalist, mostly known for his tenure as the bass player for Squeeze, between 1976 and 1979. Throughout the first half of the 80's, he followed a solo career that spawned an album and a handful of EPs. Since the end of the 80's, he has been an early collaborator for Nation Records, composing records that fuse world music, techno and trance (adopting the label's ethos). His valuable experience gave him the chance to produce the first compilations of the music company (Fuse 1 & 2). Nowadays, he still involved in electronic music production, ranging from downtempo/balearic to progressive house and psy-trance (always with a Middle Eastern music essence!).

The original version of Stotinki (as well as the Dub mix) appeared for the first time in 1991, included in the second installment of the Fuse series. Two years later, a remixed version by Transglobal Underground (Tim Whelan & Hamilton Lee) surfaced in another Nation compilation, named Global Sweatbox Remix Album. The last version is the one that was used by FSOL for the Essential Mix.

The female vocals in the track are undoubtedly astonishing and they belong to Anglo-Egyptian singer Natacha Atlas, whose contribution to Nation Records is immense. Her singing career started by being a member of Transglobal Undeground and she is now considered one of the prominent singers in ethnic electronica genre.

Finally, you can enjoy the 3 versions of the track:

THE SPACE CADETS - STOTINKI



THE SPACE CADETS - STOTINKI (DUB MIX)


THE SPACE CADETS - STOTINKI (TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND MIX)


P.S. I cannot imagine the connection between the sub-units of the Bulgarian currency (stotinki) with the track...

Tune #100: Στάθης Θεοχαράκης - Σημείο Μηδέν / Stathis Theoharakis - Point Zero

Από τη στιγμή που η σημερινή ανάρτηση είναι αφιερωμένη σε Έλληνα μουσικό, επιλέχθηκε ο ελληνικός τρόπος γραφής...

Ύστερα από αναζήτηση μέσα στο "δομημένο χάος" που ονομάζεται Discogs, εντόπιστηκε ένας πολύ ενδιαφέρων μουσικός ονόματι Στάθης Θεοχαράκης. Γεννημένος το 1958 στη Νέα Αγχίαλο της Θεσσαλίας, ο Θεοχαράκης ασχολήθηκε με τη παραγωγή μουσικής από την όψιμη εφηβεία του, υπό τις οδηγίες του Πάνου Κόκκινου. Αφού δούλεψε σε αρκετά νυχτερινά κέντρα της Ελλάδας, έγινε μέλος σε ορχήστρες για δημοφιλείς Έλληνες καλλιτέχνες, όπως η Δήμητρα Γάλανη, ο Γιάννης Ζουγανέλης, ο Λάκης Παπαδόπουλος και οι Αδελφοί Κατσιμίχα. Η δεκαετία του 90 ήταν πιο παραγωγική για αυτόν, όταν επέστρεψε στη γενέτειρά του, με σκοπό τη συμμετοχή σε σχήματα πειραματικής μουσικής. Η πιο αξιόλογη (και η πιο συχνή) συνεργασία ήταν με τον Κωστή Δρυγιανάκη, έναν από τους σημαντικότερους εκπροσώπους της ελληνικής ηλεκτροακουστικής μουσικής της σύγχρονης εποχής.

Προς το τέλος της προηγούμενης χιλιετίας κυκλοφόρησαν οι 2 προσωπικοί δίσκοι του Στάθη Θεοχαράκη, Δίχως Άμφια (1999) και Καλή Ανάσταση! (2001), οι οποίοι κινούνται σε ambient / experimental ύφος. Πέρα από τους προσωπικούς δίσκους, ο Θεοχαράκης συμμετείχε στα συγκροτήματα Γκραφίτι (1991) και Praxis (2008).

Το σημερινό κομμάτι αποτελεί το εισαγωγικό κομμάτι του δεύτερου προσωπικού δίσκου; μια μελαγχολική σύνθεση πιάνου συνοδεύομενη από μελωδίες σαξοφώνου ίδιου ύφους και ηλεκτρονικά εφέ.

ΣΤΑΘΗΣ ΘΕΟΧΑΡΑΚΗΣ - ΣΗΜΕΙΟ ΜΗΔΕΝ / STATHIS THEOHARAKIS - POINT ZERO


Το Σημείο Μηδέν (όπως και τα υπόλοιπα κομμάτια του δίσκου) είναι ουσιαστικά συνεργασία 3 ατόμων:
- Στάθης Θεοχαράκης στο πιάνο και πλήκτρα
- Κωστής Δρυγιανάκης στα τύμπανα και στα ηλεκτρονικά εφέ
- Φάνης Παναγιωτόπουλος στα πνευστά

Πριν από περίπου 2 χρόνια δυστυχώς ο Στάθης Θεοχαράκης απεβίωσε λόγω καρδιακής ανακοπής (25.8.2017). Η πιο σημαντική κληρονομιά που αφήνει πίσω του είναι η οικογένειά του; η σύζυγός του Ζωή και ο γιος τους Θεοχάρης, φοιτητής μηχανολογίας και επίσης μουσικός.

Επιμύθιον: Με τη δημοσίευση του 100ου κομματιού στο Music Miner επιτυγχάνεται ένας στόχος που δεν είχα στο μυαλό μου όταν δημιούργησα πριν από περίπου 10 χρόνια αυτό το ιστολόγιο. Επιστροφή στο Σημείο Μηδέν!

Tune #99: James Holden - I Have Put Out The Light

James Holden is a no stranger in the electronic music industry. A prodigy of the progressive sound, he composed in 1999 his first track, Horizons, which was released one year later by Silver Planet Recordings and became an instant success. The track was a runaway club hit, supported by top disc jockeys like Dave Seaman, Sasha, John Digweed and Nick Warren (the latter along with Jody Wisternoff created even a banging remix). The subsequent releases were also successful, with Nothing (both the Original Version and the 93 Returning Mix) reaching the pinnacle of progressive trance of that era.

Holden's hits made him a highly sought name for remixes by the big players (Madonna, Britney Spears, Depeche Mode). In 2002, Sasha invited him to be part of the production team for his album Airdrawndagger (the album's eighth track, Bloodlock, was a collaboration between Sasha, Holden & Junkie XL). In the meantime, Holden showcased his DJ skills in mix CDs. His first one (Fear Of The Silver Planet) was supported by Silver Planet, mainly consisting of his productions and remixes. The second one was the fifth installment of the Balance series (curated by EQ Recordings) and it is till this day one of the greatest mixes ever conceived.

The "progressive" phase of James Holden lasted until 2005, when he decided to focus on different music styles. This transition is reflected in the early releases of Border Community, Holden's label home. His first works in the label can be described as minimal progressive house, which progressed to experimental IDM. Under the label's umbrella, several innovative artists produced solid compositions, like Petter, Nathan Fake, Avus, The MFA and Luke Abbott.

I haven't followed James Holden's work for years (as a matter of fact, his new orientation is not my cup of tea), but I recently discovered one of his early works, which has escaped my radar. In 2002 he created his third EP for Silver Planet, titled Solstice/I Have Put Out The Light. The B-side of the EP is presented in the current post.

JAMES HOLDEN - I HAVE PUT OUT THE LIGHT



IHPOTL is the characteristic sound of Holden's early output; hypnotic driving pads and tweaked vocals. In my opinion, it can be considered as a precursor to the acclaimed Nothing track. The ethereal yet sedate voice of Jenny Holden (James' little sister) is tweaked for a darker emotional experience.

An interview with James Holden from the old days can be found here.

Tune #98: Whodini - Magic's Wand

After 5 years, I saw Grandmaster Flash play a pure old-skool DJ set at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center. The event gathered approx. 3000 people, who had the opportunity to experience the scratching techniques on the Wheels of Steel by a true DJ. The set consisted mainly by classic hip hop tracks from the early 80's till the early 00's and it was a nice motivation to remember a forgotten rap classic (unfortunately not played by Flash...)

WHODINI - MAGIC'S WAND (ORIGINAL VERSION)


Whodini was one of the first rap groups (1981) hailing from the Bronx, New York. It was originally consisted of rappers Jalil Hutchins and John "Ecstasy" Fletcher until 1986, when DJ Drew "Grandmaster D" Carter became the third member of the group. Whodini made initial impact with releases like Magic's Wand, The Haunted House of Rock and Freaks Come Out At Night, which were humor flavored songs with slick hip hop grooves. The first two LPs (Whodini & Escape) are essential hip hop releases, especially for the listeners of the Golden age hip hop; funky beats and driving synth basslines indicate the true essence of rap music.

Although the group released 6 albums in a time span of 14 years, it never reached the commercial status of other hip hop stars of the era, like Run-DMC, Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest. Between 1987 and 1991 they were inactive since they faced problems with their record company and they decided to concentrate on their families.

Magic's Wand was the very first release by Whodini, traced back in 1982. It was produced by mastermind Thomas Dolby and it was written by Hutchins, Fletcher and Mr. Magic himself (John Rivas). Rivas was an influential figure in the hip hop scene, since he hosted the first all-rap radio show in US, titled Rap Attack (hence the reference "I am having a rap attack" in the song). The radio show debuted in 1983 on WBLS in New York and exposed hip hop to the masses throughout the 80's. The collaboration of all these people created an electro vocoder rap classic and was destined to leave a mark in history of hip hop music.

Finally, you can enjoy the DIY aesthetic of the official video clip in the following link:

Tune #97: Transform - Transformation

What I like most in early trance releases is the hypnotic deep melodies and beats. Primitive, yet innovative compositions create a trippy experience, set free from the formula that was adopted years later in the trance genre. One perfect example is Transformation by Transform!

TRANSFORM - TRANSFORMATION (CLUB MIX)


I was not aware of the track, until I found and bought the compilation Logic Trance 2, a collection of early 90's trance, techno and ambient compositions. The collection was curated by Logic Records, a German label set-up by Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti, commonly known as the production force behind Snap!. The label also served as the production home for Cosmic Baby (Harald Blüchel), after his first years in the legendary MFS.

Behind the Transform alias you can find German producers Ralf Hertwig and Tommi Eckart. Both of them have been active since the early eighties, being members of new wave/punk bands in Germany. Between the late 80's and early 90's, they were involved in various electronic music acts (Marathon, Pulse, Caesar, Time Unlimited), following the dance craze of acid music that emerged since the second summer of love. Their only collaboration occurred only for one officially released EP by Cyclotron, a short-lived label in Frankfurt.

While the EP was successful (with several releases and licensing from other labels), the two members did not join forces again for the production of new material. One interesting fact for the EP is that Resistance D (Pascal F.E.O.S. and Maik Maurice) assisted in the realization of the project, since they were credited as co-producers in the release.

Listening to Transformation, you can realize that the hypnotic groove and the trance pads accompanied by the haunted woman chants are sufficient for a solid early trance release. The origin of the vocal sample is not verified, but the voice is reminiscent of Jane Fonda's (possibly extracted from Barbarella film).

Finally, if you think that the woman chants are familiar, then you may have listened to classic trance track La by Marc Et Claude, with remixes by the big players of the trance era (Ferry Corsten, Taucher, Binary Finary, Lange, Van Bellen).

MARC ET CLAUDE - LA (ORIGINAL MIX)

Tune #96: Earth Leakage Trip - The Awakening

I always wanted to compile an experimental music DJ set, focused on trippy music (a worthy adversary of the classic clubbing music!). I am lacking essential knowledge in electronic experimental tracks (at some time I need to perform a listening marathon for the back catalog of The Future Sound of London). This does not prevent me from enjoying forgotten downtempo tracks like this:

EARTH LEAKAGE TRIP - THE AWAKENING


Wandering in the music stores of Athens, I came across a white label from Rising High Records. The label of the late Caspar Pound was not "terra incognita" for my ears, but music project Earth Leakage Trip certainly was! Obviously, the purchase was a no-brainer for two main reasons: the consistency of the label in high-quality tracks and my curiosity!

Earth Leakage Trip was the birth child of Neil Sanford & Simon Carter. Their first release Psychotronic EP dates back to 1991 and it was provided by Moving Shadow, the seminal jungle label run by Rob Playford. It was one for first releases for the label and it was considered an underground gem (a collage of industrial, techno and breakbeat).

A second release followed on year later in Rising High Records, called Virtuality EP. The same blending ingredients were applied, but in a more mature manner (in my opinion). The highlight of the EP is the last track, called "The Awakening". While no energetic compared to the other tracks, the best use of sampling can be found here, which creates a neat cerebral texture assisted by the melody loops and breakbeat rhythms.

Simon's contribution to the project lasted until 1992, whereas Neil was the constant member. In 2003 the latter re-spawned the project, collaborating with Tony Lobue on future-jazz compositions, which had nothing to do with the experimental side of music.

If you are into non-danceable electronic tracks, only created to blow your mind, then ELT (pre-1994 material) is worth checking out.

Tune #95: Red Mecca - Sura Kijame

Al-Qiyama is the 75th chapter of the Quran, which refers to "The Resurrection". I am not familiar with the Islamic religion, therefore I can only assume that the chapter is the an interpretation of  "The Day of Judgement" for the Muslims.

How is the above information connected with the post? I am not sure, but the Albanian translation for "Al-Qiyama" is "Surja El-Kijame", which is the name of today's track:

RED MECCA - SURA KIJAME


Red Mecca was a production team consisting of Fred Ventura, Stefano Comazzi & Livio Fogli. In the beginning of the 90's the three guys were part of "The Undeground Sound Of Milan", promoting underground techno releases under Evolution Records, a subsidiary label of Discomagic Records (one of the most important italo disco companies throughout the 80's).

The first release of the label was Grey Area - Action (1990), which was a production of the same guys under a different pseudonym. The second release was Sura Kijame under the Red Mecca alias, a techno-new beat composition mixed with arabic vocals. Unfortunately, I do not understand the Arabic(?) language, in order to identify if the lyrics refer to the chapter of the Quran. However, they create a hypnotic feeling with the assistance of the repetitive beat.

What surprises me is the rating of the release in Discogs (less than 4 stars out of 5). I do not know if it actually influenced other electronic music artists in the next years, but several proto-trance elements can be heard, setting the basis for the first trance records. The artwork of the release is also remarkable, which is a painting by Italian painter Pino Volpi.

The lifespan of Evolution Records was short; until 1994 (during the last two years the releases focused on deep house genre). Nowadays, Ventura and Fogli seem to remain active in music production, while Comazzi's last traces can be found in the previous decade.

Finally, it is a mystery why an Albanian translation for a islamic term was used for the release (possibly the guys may have Albanian roots). At any case, this obscurity is worth archiving in the vault called "Music Miner"!

Tune #94: Meek - Glowing Trees

"FAIL WE MAY, SAIL WE MUST"

This is one of Andrew Weatherall's many tattoos, a phrase he heard at a young age from an Irish fisherman, when the latter had to steer a boat in a stormy weather. Adopting the meaning of the phrase to push his artistic creativity to new levels, Sir Andrew has been an electronic music royalty for over three decades.

In past February I had the opportunity to attend an open discussion with him, held in Athens. While I was not keen on the questions of the moderator or the audience (including my non-intervention), I was amazed by the attitude and spirit of this man. Andrew Weatherall is a great speaker with his humor-flavored feedback on various topics, from music evolution and DJ point-of-view to youth culture (not surprising considering the fact that he was once a freelance journalist). A huge respect should be given to him for his DJ work ethic, staying loyal to his musical roots and never attaining the superstar DJ identity.

The 2-hour set followed after the discussion was quirky, tailored to Mr. Weatherall's ethos. The other half of the duo (i.e. Sean Johnston) was not present, yet the track selection and the atmosphere was very ALFOS-ish (playing below 122 bpm along with occasional techno bombs). As always, the tracks included in the mix were obscure (I guess that only some of them could be identified by Shazam's groundbreaking technology).

There are very obvious tribute tracks to use for today's post:
- Happy Mondays ‎– Hallelujah (Remix): Andrew partnered with Paul Oakenfold for remix duties on a classic Madchester anthem
- Saint Etienne - Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Remix): A "cool & deadly" remix on Saint Etienne's first single, a cover of a Neil Young track.
- The Sabres Of Paradise ‎– Smokebelch II: Collaboration with Gary Burns & Jagz Kooner for mellow downtempo productions, featured in many chillout compilations
- Primal Scream - Come Together: The production mind behind Screamadelica, responsible for re-inventing Primal Scream and creating a rave 'n' roll album.

However, the following obscurity is selected:

MEEK - GLOWING TREES


In 1994 Andrew Weatherall used the pseudonym Emmet Prague, in order to produce track Glowing Trees. The two versions of the track are ambient techno compositions that do not fit to his dub leftfield style, but reveal his dark side in terms of music production. Limited to 500 copies, it is a must have rarity for Sir Andrew fans.

Long live to techno punk Andrew Weatherall!

Tune #93: Joker Jam - Traffic

Where are they now?

JOKER JAM - TRAFFIC (ORIGINAL MIX)


Joker Jam was the birth child of German producers Uwe Hölters and Bart van der Zwaan. Their first track was Innocence, released in 2001 by Red Series (possibly a label set up by themselves). Supported and remixed by Paul Van Dyk, it was also re-released by Green Martian (subsidiary label of the Bonzai guys) in Belgium and by Five AM in UK. Additionally, it was featured in many mix and comp CDs, achieving great success in the club scene.

The popularity of the track secured a new release called Traffic (not to be confused with Tiesto's track!!!) in the following year. The new production was included in the eighth installment of In Trance We Trust series, crafted by DJ Ton T.B. (mostly known as the one half of the alias Three Drives On A Vinyl). While the DJ mix is not very interesting in terms of flow and track selection (however, we should not deny the greatness of Ton T.B. as a producer), one of the highlights is undoubtedly this track.

I am wondering why such an energetic track like Traffic was not licensed in more compilations, since it is a progressive trancer which is capable for taking the listener to a euphoric atmosphere. I guess that Innocence stole its thunder, being the first production. Anyway, the usual suspect of that era Yoogie Van Bellen steps in on remix duties, adding his unique touch for a blissful listening experience. Additionally, a guitar-free version is also featured, performed by Joker Jam.

JOKER JAM - TRAFFIC (VAN BELLEN REMIX)


JOKER JAM - TRAFFIC (SUNSET MIX)


So, where are they now? Uwe has teamed up with fellow "Düsseldorfian" Felix Kessler to form a new project called Danzzer. No track has been released officially yet, since the duo is seeking for singers and songwriters to collaborate with them (according to their Soundcloud account).
Although his music output outnumbers considerably Uwe's work, Bart seems to be inactive for many years (at least according to Discogs!). However, he has found a new passion in handmade crafts!

Happy New Year!