Label Realm: euForic melodies

F Communications was (or maybe is?) an electronic music label founded in 1994 by Frenchmen Eric Morand & Laurent Garnier, as the successor of Fnac Music Dance Division (1991-1993). It was the most important label for French electronic dance music (along with its predecessor), curating great artists such as St. Germain, Laurent Garnier, Shazz, Scan-X, Jori Hulkkonen. Mr. Oizo and Nova Nova. One of my favorite artists back in the days was Ludovic Navarre (the guy behind St. Germain alias) with his seminal albums Boulevard (1995) and Tourist (2000), although the latter was released by the jazz-infused Blue Note label. The company folded its operations in 2008, only to re-open in 2015 for vinyl releases of monsieur Garnier. Nowadays, the label celebrates the 25 years with remastered vinyl releases of F-Comm All Stars!

Full Frequency Range Recordings (FFRR) is an influential label that introduced the masses in dance music. It started in 1986 as a subdivision of London Records, run by Pete Tong, the mastermind behind the BBC Essential Mix. Focused on hip-hop and house music releases during the second half of the 80's, it expanded in other electronic music genres throughout the 90's. The label hosted important artists such as Orbital, Goldie, CJ Bolland and Armand Van Helden. Aligned with the digital era of the last 10 years, it continues to release music exclusively in digital format.

Fides is a small Italian label owned by Giuseppe Maffei, known for his Z.I.P.P.O. pseudonym and his participation in project 3KZ with fellow Italian Nico Campanella. Their collaboration produced the seminal album Parallel Reflections, one of the best releases for 2017 (powered by Fides).

The last (but not least) label to be introduced is FM Records. The Greek label was set-up at the turn of the eighties by Giorgos Koutris. Although it does not focus only on electronic music, since the variety ranges from rebetiko, folk music to rock, pop and hip-hop, it engaged the Greek audience into the alternative music scene of various genres. Several Greek artists collaborated with the label, like Stereo Nova, Imiskoumbria, Terror-X-Crew, Goin' Through (before going full commercial), Ypogeia Revmata and Endelecheia. It was one of the first Greek labels to foresee the future of music platforms, releasing its back catalog in digital format since 2005! I believe that this is the main reason that the company continues as an independent label, although physical format continues to be released by the company in small numbers...

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!

Tune #92: Rocco - Saharien Child

France greets Morocco:

ROCCO - SAHARIEN CHILD (ORIGINAL MIX)


Sémakdji Mourad started DJing with the encouragement of his older brother at local clubs of Lyon, France in his teens. Serving initially as supporting cast for jocks like Laurent Garnier, Carl Cox, Louie Vega and DJ Deep, he developed his craftsmanship as a DJ.

In 2001, he collaborated with Alex Santos (Alex S) and Emmanuel Kossi (Manoo) to form Rodamaal, whose output caught quickly the attention of Ben Watt (of Everything But The Girl fame along with Tracey Thorn) and was published in his label Buzzin' Fly. The most popular tracks of the group were Musica Feliz’ and Insomnia (remixed by Âme), licensed in several compilations.

In the meanwhile, Sémakdji produced his own tracks under the Rocco moniker. His pseudonym resulted from a shortening of his initial name, Morocco, as suggested by a club manager in his early DJing years. Influenced by the veterans of the scene like Todd Terry, Masters At Work and Dimitri from Paris, he established a solid appreciation for deep house music.

After producing several tracks for various labels (Freerange, Defected, MN2S, Real Tone), he marked his name in the club scene. The success of tracks Someday and Memories gave him the opportunity to travel the world, sharing his music. A strong bond has been established with South Africa, a place he visits 3-4 times a year, where he enjoys mostly the appreciation of the crowd for deep house. Even his solo album The Bridge was released by SA label House Afrika Records in 2013, featuring artists and vocalists from South Africa and US.

Although Rocco's favorite place to DJ is found in the southern part of Africa, today's track is largely influenced by Moroccan tradition (I can only guess that Sémakdji has Arabian heritage judging from his name). Saharien Child was released in 2011 by Deeper Shades Recordings, a digital label set up by Lars Behrenroth. The vocal sample is taken from an old folk Moroccan poem, whose content is unknown to me, since I do not speak the Arabian lingo. However, this unfamiliarity does not prevent the listener to be moved by the emotion of the lyrics, combined with the ethno flavoured melody. For full listening experience, I would suggest the Lars' versions:

ROCCO - SAHARIEN CHILD (LARS BEHRENROTH REMIX)


ROCCO - SAHARIEN CHILD (LARS BEHRENROTH REPRISE)


It is a pity that the track is not available in physical format, a must have for appreciators of high quality music!

Tune #87: KiNK - Cloud Generator

Dope Generator!

KINK - CLOUD GENERATOR


One of 2015's strongest releases was delivered by producer Strahil Velchev, hailing from the Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. Currently, he is considered one of the top live acts, a fact which is not strange for a synth and machine aficionado. However, his road to glory was not an easy one...

Mr. Velchev's musical background was shaped by the explosion of house & techno music of the early 90s, supported by pirate cassette tapes that circulated the country after the collapse of communism. His first attempt on music production started in 1999, performed on a simple computer system due to weak financial viability for more sophisticated hardware.

In 2001, he teamed up will fellow Bulgarians KEi, SuB & Ogonek, in order to create pBPM (porno bpm), aiming to push the boundaries of club culture and to promote the different genres of electronic dance music. One year later, a promo CD was released in Bulgaria, consisting of the first works of the group members.

The first production years (until 2005) were not fruitful for Strahil, since no label was interested in signing his tracks. This inactivity caused him to feel isolated from the wider techno culture, but it also fueled him for a more creative output in his future works.

In 2006, KiNK discovered that UK DJ and producer Neville Watson had included his track Same Old Thing in his DJ sets. As a result, the two guys communicated and exchanged tracks via social media, since they shared the same taste in music. Two years later, their first collaborative work Inside Out appeared in Hour House Is Your Rush Records. The funny thing about this story is that they did not actually met each other until 2010, in order to perform as a DJ duo in an electronic music event.

KiNK's greatest success to date is the today's post; Cloud Generator was created in an indeliberate manner during a rehearsal for a live show. The combination of a turntable loop and a bassline forged a strong techno track, which led to an EP release by German label Running Back in 2015. Needless to say that the influence from Laurent Garnier's trademark sound is evident throughout the track. Supported by notable DJs around the world (Laurent Garnier, Dixon, Andrew Weatherall & John Digweed to name a few), KiNK's sound has made its mark to the club scene. Besides Cloud Generator, the homonymous EP is worth listening, especially for the arpeggio of Pocket Piano's two versions, which creates a nostalgic tone.

A side-project of Strahil Velchev is Cyrillic (or Kirilik), which is more techno-oriented and limited in terms of gear; while KiNK live sets involves various digital, analog and DJ equipment, Cyrillic sound is based on a standard DJ setup. Hopefully, the current year will find the first release of his other alias!

Tune #31: Laurent Garnier - The Man With The Red Face

Μετά από "σιωπή" 2 χρόνων, το blog επιστρέφει με (τουλάχιστον μία) νέα ανάρτηση κομματιού από το χώρο της ηλεκτρονικής μουσικής. Σήμερα ταξιδεύουμε στην Γαλλία για να γνωρίσουμε έναν σπουδαίο μουσικό παραγωγό και DJ, τον Laurent Garnier, με τη σύνθεση του, The Man With The Red Face.

LAURENT GARNIER - THE MAN WITH THE RED FACE (ORIGINAL VERSION)




O Laurent Garnier είναι ένας techno παραγωγός και DJ που γεννήθηκε στην Boulogne του Παρισιού το 1966. Η καριέρα του ως DJ ξεκίνησε στα τέλη των 80's στο θρυλικό club Hacienda του Manchester, όπου συνάντησε τον έτερο DJ Mike Pickering. Την εποχή εκείνη η Chicago house και η Detroit techno ήταν ιδιαίτερα δημοφιλείς, οπότε ο LG άρχισε να μιξάρει με τον όνομα DJ Pedro. Μετά τη σύντομη πορεία του στην Αγγλία, επιστρέφει στην Γαλλία στις αρχές των 90's διοργανώνοντας parties στο Rex Club του Παρισιού.

Το 1994 ο Laurent Garnier ιδρύει μαζί με ένα φίλο του, τον Eric Morand, τη θρυλική δισκογραφική εταιρεία F Communications, ένα ιστορικό label, το οποίο είχε στο δυναμικό της τεράστια ονόματα που επηρέασαν την γαλλική σκηνή (St Germain, Nova Nova, Mr. Oizo, Jori Hulkkonen). Δυστυχώς η F Communications έκλεισε μετά από μία επιτυχημένη πορεία το 2008.

Το μουσικό βιογραφικό του Laurent Garnier περιέχει 10 artist albums, δεκάδες singles και compilations και συνεχίζει να εξαπλώνεται. Το TMWTRF βρίσκεται στο album Unreasonable Behaviour, το οποίο κυκλοφόρησε το 2000 και αποτελεί την πιο αναγνωρίσιμη δουλειά του Γάλλου μουσικού.

Η ιστορία του αναφερθέντος κομματιού ξεκινά στις 9 Ιουλίου 1998, στο Montreux Jazz Festival, στο οποίο ο Laurent Garnier έπρεπε να εμφανιστεί. Επηρεασμένος από το μουσικό υπόβαθρο του φεστιβάλ, σκέφτηκε ότι έπρεπε να παίξει μία jazzy σύνθεση, οπότε έγραψε ένα νέο κομμάτι σε συνεργασία με τον Philippe Nadaud και το σαξόφωνό του. Κατά τη δημιουργία του κομματιού και συγκεκριμένα στο τμήμα του σαξοφώνου, ο Laurent πείραζε τον Philippe λέγοντάς του "Αδύναμο! Αυτό είναι χάλια!", σε σημείο που ο σαξοφωνίστας έπαιζε τόσο εκστατικά το σαξόφωνο, σκεπτόμενος νέους ήχους, ώστε το πρόσωπό του να γίνει κόκκινο!!!

Το TMWTRF είναι ένας άψογος συνδυασμός της techno με την jazz. Η ήρεμη ατμόσφαιρα που επικρατεί στα πρώτα λεπτά με την χρήση κυμβάλων αλλάζει προοδευτικά με τις παρανοϊκές μελωδίες από το σαξόφωνο του  Philippe Nadaud και το bassline του Laurent Garnier.
Είμαι πεπεισμένος ότι η live εκδοχή του πρέπει να είναι μία συγκλονιστική και αξέχαστη εμπειρία...

LAURENT GARNIER - THE MAN WITH THE RED FACE (LIVE AT ELYSSE MONTMARTRE)


Παρακάτω ακολουθεί το official video του κομματιού. Αν και το κομμάτι ταιριάζει κατ' εμέ καλύτερα με ένα video που έχει noir σενάριο, οι σκηνές από ένα τοπικό φαγάδικο της Ινδίας είναι αρκετά αστείες...

LAURENT GARNIER - THE MAN WITH THE RED FACE (OFFICIAL VIDEO)


Η καλύτερη ιδέα του LG? Ίσως όχι, αν σκεφτεί κανείς τη συνεργασία του με τον Shazz (Didier Delesalle) και St Germain (Ludovic Navarre) στο μουσικό project Choice και τον οξύ Αιφελ...

CHOICE - ACID EIFFEL