HEADLINES: Mysterious Mix + Birthday Party!

Alright then my little buttercups. As far as bigness goes, this bigness is relatively big. After six years of dicking around and never following through on the idea, at long last it's time to have a Disco Delicious party. Next Saturday night in Sydney, I'll be drenching everybody in my self-indulgence at this killer abandoned club space on William St, spinning DD favourites all night long. Click this masterpiece of a flyer for all the details.


NEXT NEWS ITEM: so this pile of old CDRs has been sitting next to my turntables for months and months, including these unmarked discs which I assumed were just five of the millions of burnt CDs I've never managed to throw out over the years. Last week I decided to listen to them, expecting some mad bangers from 07 or something, and instead they're crammed full of all this glorious music I've never heard before - folk, psychedelic, jazz-funk, all sorts of good shit. I haven't got the faintest idea how I got them or who made them, but whoever's responsible is really rather brilliant.

Naturally I got all excited and felt the burning desire to share this bonerising music. So, here's this mix-not-mix to showcase a bunch of my favourite cuts from the discs. I really wish I could take credit for this, but the glory is due entirely to this mysterious digger who either graciously gave me this music without me remembering, or was the unlucky victim of some sort of drunken CD heist which I managed to pull off without remembering, or some other scenario which I can't imagine and obviously don't remember. If you are/know this masked psychedelic king or queen, please make yourself known so I can apologise for my hysterically bad memory and shower you with praises.

BEHOLD:



Andy and the Phantom Digger Predicament

1. Bloodstone - You Know We've Learned
2. Coke Escovedo - Love Letters
3. Mint - The Mint
4. _______ - Amore
5. Locomotiv GT - Ulok A Jardan
6. Coke Escovedo - Rebirth
7. Floyd Lawson & The Heart of Stone - What's Come Over Me?
9. Coke Escovedo - Why Can't We Be Lovers
10. Kathy Gregory - Myself
11. _______ - Arm of Honour
12. Mid Day Rain - Welcome to the Rain
12. Dave Mattson - Sail me Away
13. James Vincent - Space Traveler
14. Jerry Glenn Brown - Movin' In
15. Jack Adkins - Sunset Beach
16. David Stearman - It's Not A Hurry Kind of Day
17. Jack Adkins - American Sunset

I've filled in as many of the gaps in the tracklisting as I can but there are still a few I can't pin down. Any help would be appreciated. And yeah I went a bit overboard on the Coke Escovedo tracks - too bad.

Also realised I never mentioned our latest Death Strobe release on the blog - finally the 7" of hubbabubbaklubb's Mopedbart was unleashed unto the world, and it's now been repressed so you can still grab a copy from Juno or wherever.



Enjoy that mix and come dance next Saturday night! xx

Delishcast 013 - DD Turns Six!

It was six years ago, to this very day, that I set out to change the world. With my brand spanking new Blogger account I was going to take a stand against all the wrongdoings across the globe and fight for what I knew in my heart was right. Starving children would be fed, polar ice caps would stop shrinking, our Earth would be led those noble and true and Web 2.0 savvy. Such was the power of The Banger. With every speaker in every club in every country pumping in unison at 130bpm, singing the siren song of murdered fax machines and chainsaws molesting modems, together with our fluorescent orange torch we could make a difference.

So more than half a decade later, what have we learned? Have the sweet pingers of promise left a bitter taste in our mouths?

As Connecticut nobodies MGMT once proclaimed in a mighty Soulwax remix, "a family of trees wanted to be haunted." I don't think anybody ever gave a shit what that wimpy rubbish meant because 15 seconds later the real poetry began in the form of a bassline so perilously serrated it could saw through the eardrums of thousands of 19 year old ravers in an instant - or the equivalent of about 8 or 9 minutes for those in a K-hole. Today, admittedly, I prefer my audio a little less gory. Rather than asking "Does It Offend You, Yeah?" instead I find myself pondering "Was Dog A Doughnut?" When I overhear the mention of Justice, I quickly jump on Google to find out if we're any closer to catching that scumbag Kony. When I watch Electroma, I no longer play Human After All and tell myself it definitely syncs up. But I'll always have a soft spot for the bangers, blog house, Busy P and the Baltimore days.

By pure coincidence, today I stumbled across a mix I recorded in 2009 (titled Sillie Summer Assortment) which I haven't heard in yonks, probably because it was filed under DJ Doorknob which isn't a regular iTunes search for me, and I thought I'd post it up as the next Delishcast to celebrate this li'l occasion. It's completely and utterly stupid - I remember just hitting the record button and laughing like a mad scientist as I sifted through all sorts of dumb shit to play - but, in my ears, heaps of fun. Leo Zero's sublime Prefab Sprout edit, a sensationally cheesy Hotbath record, the piss-take awesomeness of Soft Tigers, some naughty Harry Nilsson and plenty more classic, weird or inappropriate cuts. I love DJing like this. So I hope you enjoy this expired turd of a birthday cake as much as I did.

Delishcast 013 / Subscribe in iTunes / RSS Feed

1. Osibisa - Survival
2. The Clash - Should I Say Or Should I Go? (Leo Zero Re-work)
3. Led Zeppelin - Trampled Underfoot (John Daly Edit)
4. The Who - Eminence Front (The Love Supreme Edit)
5. Ruf Dug - Dirty (Unabombers Remix)
6. Black Cock - Luna Party
7. Leo Zero - Bon Bon
8. Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al
9. Hotbath - Midoff
10. Little Carlos - Shake Your Body Down (Reggae Version)
11. Soft Tigers - Mr. Ice Cream
12. Elvis Costello - Pump It Up
13. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Benediction Moon
14. Blue Velvet - Summertime
15. Geoff Love and His Orchestra - Also Sprach Zarathustra
16. Harry Nilsson - You're Breaking My Heart
17. A Mountain of One - Bones (Thomas' Way of the Ancients Remix)
18. America - Horse With No Shame (Todd Terje Edit)
19. Enoch Light & The Light Brigade - Ob-la-di
20. Isaac Hayes - Groove-A-Thon (Part 1)
21. Harry Nilsson - Coconut
22. Pink Floyd - Any Colour You Like
23. Pipilloti Rist - I'm A Victim of This Song (Wicked Game)
24. Nobukazu Takemura - Untitled

Direct link to mp3

Six years is ages! That's like 400 millennia in blog time. Still crawling along, thanks for looking :)

No Country For Cold Men

Sydney is killing it at the moment! Nearly a full month through autumn and we're still cracking the 30 degree days. Makes me a happy fella.

The latest Stripped & Chewed 12 has this really awesome cut by Simba. A Chicago locomotive that rolls along in dusty sepia, it's a bumping jazzy collage made up of keyboard trills, a mish-mash of hazy percussion snips, various guitar twangs, a tight bass loop and some cut up soulful man-vocals. All four tunes on the record are worth checking out, but this is the highlight for sure.

Simba - Three Kays [buy]

Geography Records fucking rule the shit out of house, even if their release rate is about rapid as ours is with Death Strobe. This latest Shakarchi & Straneus record is just stunning. Simple and fun and lovely - the A1 is just straight up feel good synthy house that nobody can argue with, and this song, the A2, is a beautiful paddy dream capsule which somehow feels really melodic despite having the most bare of piano melodies lightly tinkering away, almost lost in a sea of reverb. Real Cool - U Know, U Know was one of my favourite records of last year, and Geography have really hit the mark again early on in 2013.

Shakarchi & Straneus - Tammerfors [buy]

Christoph El Truento is still a bloody dreamboat. He released this fantastic free album back in Feb, which apparently was finished years earlier, and it's been the soundtrack to many a recline-on-my-bed-with-breeze-blowing-through-the-window-sometimes-drinking-a-coconut moment. He keeps hassling people on his FB about voting for him in a Kiwi competition that will make him lots of money or something, just go here and click vote and make that dude rich.

Christoph El Truento - G a l a x y

A stone cold classic from 10 or 15 years back by DJ Nature under the name DJ Spearchucker. Can't actually remember where I first heard this edit but I've always been extremely fond of it. It's really gentle and warm, just grooving away over the same understated, perfect loop with emotional vocals and strings weaving in and out. There's no real origin or destination, just a beautiful limbo that keeps chugging away. Not an easy record to find, so if anyone sees it pop up on Discogs' marketplace, fuck off and just let me buy it k? Ta.

DJ Spearchucker - Hooked

Shit, hey if anybody knows of any small and awesome Sydney venues that are under the radar, would love to know about em. Struggling to lock in a date for this DD party at the moment. Booooooooooo.

Dat Content

Shit alright I've got 18 months worth of stuff that needs posting so I'd better start getting through some of it for you chumpies. There's no freshness in this lot, but this is after all a Blogger page and freshness has no place on Blogger. Let's begin the Bloody Beetroots Greatest Hits Top 1000 Countdown shall we?

That guy Jimpster. He is definitely no joke. Remember that time he had that label, Delusions of Grandeur? That was cool. How about Freerange? Decent. Who here remembers the time he made cheekily made music as Franc Spangler and had me going all like "who is this dude wtffff" and then it was like "ahh it's old mate Jimpo" and the mystery was solved? Yes, we've established that he's been one of the koolest producers around for about 600 years now, and this remix he did for Patchworks way back in the 2005s is still a hot little potato. Super smooth gliding loungey grooves with poppy percussion and slick bass slides all over the shop. Hot tip.

Patchworks Ginger X Press - Brothers on the Slide (Jimpster Remix)

This is what it sounds like when a woman is being powerful and you put a microphone in front of her and she tramples your testicles with her sweet funky song. Got a real thing for this track - great chorus, killer horns section, ripping vocals. Onya Viola Willis.

Viola Willis - I've Got News For You

I've been working on a chiptune feature over the past few weeks and Omri Suleiman is definitely one of the coolest, most original cats I've come across. That this was created with a Commodore Amiga is massively impressive. Driving wobbing bass, amazing complex rhythms chaotically clattering all over the place, with brief lofty interludes offering a momentary break from the mayhem. Go have a listen to his album, 'Music For A 15 Year Old Me' at this rad purpose-built website, the dude is obviously crazy talented, I'm super eager to hear what he follows this up with.

Omri Suleiman - Empire

I've been salivating over Germany's Max Graef for months now. He's been doing stuff with Melbourne Deepcast dawg Andy Hart, amongst other people, and he fits beautifully into the Melbs family. This is my favourite cut of his, released on the über-awesome Box Aus Holz - to me it's got a real Raw Cuts vibe to it with great samples, stripped back arrangement, insanely hip beat complete with finger clicks (which in my mind are terribly underutilised in dance music) all wrapped up in a neat Detroit flavoured package. This dude is doing some seriously good shit at the moment, get on it!

Labuzinski & Gilbert Graef - It's Not Over [buy]

Been listening to a lot of Galapagoose in the past 12 months, since his debut LP came out on Daedalus' Magical Properties imprint almost exactly a year ago. Another Melbourne studio whiz, he makes fantastic weird beats with plenty of diversity. Some floaty melodic stuff, some dark weighty stuff, some playful poppy stuff, some really textural paddy stuff, always so well produced. Here are a couple of my faves: the first track of the album, which shows off the more sprightly side of his music, and a track off his earlier Parquet EP which is a bit moodier.

Galapagoose - Don't Break the Spell [buy]

Galapagoose - Milkwood (with Panorama) [buy]

You can't spell 'jizz' without 'j'. Have a wonderful weekend erryone.

Delishcast 012

Heysuuuuuup.

How's everyone doing? Happy new year I guess. Just a pinch of news for Sydney folks - will be putting on a Disco Delicious night some time in May after a solid four years of procrastination. I don't have a date yet, so just keep the entire month free. Birthdays, weddings, whatever: make sure they're all priority number two.

So it's been a little while, sorry about that. For ages and ages I've been planning to put together a jazz-focused Delishcast but never got around to properly preparing it. Had a few drinks one night and started recording this mix with the intention of drafting up something jazzy, but that lasted all of two songs. Instead, this turned out to be pretty much an approximation of all my club sets over the past 18 months - it's not well mixed or put together, but it's very me. Every one of these records is in my bag permanently, I'll never get tired of any of them. Hope ya dig!

Delishcast 012 / Subscribe in iTunes / RSS Feed

1. Freddie Hubbard - Lonely Town [CTI]
2. Ramsey Lewis - Sun Goddess [Columbia]
3. DJ Nature - Tacky Stuff [Golf Channel]
4. Kitano - Republic [Undertones]
5. Paskal & Urban Absolutes - Still In Love [Foul & Sunk]
6. James Johnston - Slow Dance and Romance [4 Lux]
7. Katzuma - Music Is Made For Love [Kinjo Music]
8. Los Charly's Orchestra - Music For the Soul [Imagenes]
9. Moodymann - People [Peacefrog]
10. Anthony Naples - Mad Disrespect [Mister Saturday Night]
11. Franc Spangler - Forever and a Day [Delusions of Grandeur]
12. Pepe Bradock - Burning Hot [Kif Recordings]
13. DJ Steaw - Morning Light [Traxx Underground]
14. Anthony Nicholson - Hot Sauce & Drama [Circular Motion]
15. Morgan Geist - Super [Environ]
16. Patchworks - Cornbread [Kolour Ltd]
17. Andres - Jazz Dance [La Vida]
18. Gregory Porter - 1960 What? (Opolopo Kick & Bass Rerub) [Expansion]
19. Justin Vandervolgen - EditChannel XXX [EditChannel]
20. Gloria Ann Taylor - Love Is A Hurting Thing [Selector Sound]

Direct link to mp3

Lotsa love! Got so many records to share, hopefully I'll pop some up here soon.

Seasons Googings

Let's see if I can remember how to do this. HEYSUP hope everyone's been well in the 15 million years since I last 'blogged' on this 'blog'. I can assure you I have no good reason for my absence (21st century life, billz, global warming etc) but I've got a buttload of great music that's been piling up in the to-post list and it's probably time to get rid of some.

Just to cover things in the news department first: I have a slick new mixer arriving very soon, apparently, which is going to be pretty spesh. Am planning to give it a major workout with a small Disco Delicious party in Sydney (unusual venue suggestions welcome) some time around Jan/Feb, spinning many hours of pork-schnitzelling, rainbow-gurgling, boob-honking disco goodness. Will also be partying with Psychemagik on The Island on Jan 5th, then playing Sydney Fest at Town Hall with Danny Wang and Darshan Jesrani ***BONER ALERT*** which will be pretty exceptional. Then we've got DSR007 by hubbabubbaklubb coming out in the very near future, that'll be a total lady slayer. So yeah, the summer is looking good. Unless you're in the northern hemisphere, then the summer is looking distant.

MUSIC. We all listen to it, whether it's when you see an ad on tv, when you're on hold to the phone company, or even when you take a ride on a classy elevator. I really like those musics you hear when you trip down some stairs in an alley and you end up in a nightclub and it's all 'doof doof doof doof' and the people spasm in perfect time with the 'beat'. Like this marvellous Kerri Chandler remix of Makam's You Might Lose It. It starts off all thumpy and bare and you're all like "hey what's going on here mate" and then the synths begin to blossom and the spring sun pokes out and everybody in Detroit is dancing and smiling. Snappy claps and precise percussion build into a glorious groove that I could see working a Saturday night dancefloor as easy as a Sunday afternoon rooftop crowd.

Makam - You Might Lose It (Kerri Chandler Dark Mix) [juno]

I heard Harvey play this on a radio show with Dennis Kane ages ago and kind of forgot about it until he gave it a spin on his latest BIS appearance. I could die of shame three times over for letting it slip my mind for all that time. An easy contender for the most beautiful disco track of all time, Gloria Ann Taylor's hugely sought after 1973 gift to the world, Love Is A Hurting Thing. Little description is needed - from the very first moment when the slightly tacky guitar shredding emerges from the pool of reverb and the kick starts to pump, it's a hugely emotional journey through the euphoric highs and excruciating lows of love, articulated by Gloria Ann's belting vocals which are so powerful and passionate it just about snaps your shins. I can just picture this being played as the last song at Horse Meat Disco and the world's biggest club tragedy unfolding as thousands of disco-loving men drown in a tsunami of tears. It comes at a price though - you'd be lucky to pick up a copy of the 12" for less than $500. Enjoy it here in as-good-as-you'll-ever-get 320.

Gloria Ann Taylor - Love Is A Hurting Thing

Discovered this great Franc Spangler release from earlier days of the Delusions of Grandeur catalogue thanks to a killer DJ Nature mix. This track is the gift that keeps on giving - I really love every element of the track and the gradual layering which builds it up to vibe city. First the stabby little keys, then the thick plonking bassline, then the aggressively grooving hats, and finally the obligatory deep house chords which take things to a whole other harmonic plane. The snowballing energy makes this tune a super handy one to have in the bag, it can really get the juices flowing. Now will someone please tell me who Franc Spangler is? Why hasn't anybody found this out yet?

Franc Spangler - Forever and a Day [juno]

I'll leave you with this captivating Magic Mountain High track which was released on Workshop back in March. It's not really the kind of thing I'd generally listen to, but since the first time I heard it I was fascinated by the erratic jabbing synths and the all-out wackiness of the song. It somehow sounds (to me) both organic and totally alien and artificial. Something about it makes perfect sense. I heard Floating Points spin the other more minimal, muted version of this track, the B2, when he played in Sydney a couple of weeks ago (omg jizzzzz) which was a nice shock, since I expected I would never hear it out in my lifetime, and would certainly never have the cojones to play it myself. Might give it a shot though.

Magic Mountain High - Workshop xx B1 [juno]

Once I get my new mixer I'll slop together a new Delishcast. Yay!

SssssssssssssssssSSSSsssS hi

Some straight up jams on this fine record by The Noodleman. Way down in the super-slow zone, Sloppy Angel is a proper sex-drenched cut with a slammer of a bassline that I really wanna track down. There's some nice dubbed out goodness on the B, but for me it'll be this side that gets a rinsing - and has already. Quality erotic disco funk.

The Noodleman - Sloppy Angel [buy]

A beauty of a Bjørn Torske tune here which Tamas Jones kindly put me onto. This one's taken from his debut album way back in 1998, and it's still seriously fresh. Very loosely structured, Expresso just kinda flounders around with some lovely sounds, gaining and shedding layers as it pleases. It features the world's most gentle lead synth which placidly wiggles around leaving a trail of warmth behind it. A great record!

Bjørn Torske - Expresso

Way late posting this Moodymann remix of Pollyn but if you haven't caught it yet you're really missing out. While there's a Harvey remix on the flip, this is most definitely where the action is at. Mellow party vibes, shadowy but massively grooving, Moody strips it right back to focus on the vocals and bass, occasionally fading in some of his trademark crowd noise which somehow instantly makes a tune ten times more hip. Actually, although it's a very restrained, unusually subtle offering from KDJ, it's still completely him. The mildly dissonant pads, the meticulous drum programming, it's all there and it's so good.

Pollyn - Sometimes You Just Know (Moodymann Remix) [buy]

Was really surprised to see that this Singin' Fools 7" was available at Juno. It doesn't feel like a bootleg or recent repress, although I'm wrong about a lot of things. Anyway, some of you might recognise it from Psychemagik's 'High on You' mix as the glorious opening track. Incredible melodies, hugely powerful vocals, a superb arrangement. I'm so happy to own a copy of this, it's just such a gem.

The Singin' Fools - Love Is A Beautiful Thing [buy]

Winter is 2/3 over, happy days are ahead!