Happy Birthday DD: Chapter 2

Two long arduous years later this thing is still going! That's like 5 blog generations of music, and feels like it too. I'm the kind of guy who goes through big phases, as you might have realised, so I figured I'd give a bit of Disco Delish history and delve into the many faces/phases of said weblog - see how we got from A to B. I'm not one to deny my past, as inviting as that may be at times, so be prepared to take the good with the bad.

WARNING: Selected tracks may offend some readers

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The BEGINNING OF IT ALL INDIE/ELECTRO phase

Had been reading blogs for about 18 months at this stage so was somewhere between enjoying the indie music I had previously had a thang for and Justice fanaticism. The fabled first post is a pretty good reflection - some !!!, Goose, Switch, D.I.M, Good Shoes and more. Anyone remember Neon Plastix? That indielectro sound that kept rising and rising? I have to admit I still find their stuff pretty fun, although nostalgia has to play a big role. Was still going through the big Presets phase which fits snugly into the same boat. No denying they were fun blogtimes.

Neon Plastix - On Fire

Goose - 3T4

The Presets - Cookie

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The FULL ON ALL OUT BLEEDING EAR BANGERS phase

They were the best of times, they were the worst of times. Looking back it's a mixture of shame and embarrassment, yearning and desire, humour and horror. Oh the bangers... It was like reliving the angsty teenage metal phase all over again but this time with hugs and dancing rather than confusion and pubescent anger. Aside from Daft Punk, probably the most musical thing I was listening to was Steve Angello. Ha! Since the phase was so all out, I won't hold back here. Just take these lightly and have a good giggle.

Justice - Waters of Nazareth (Justice Remix) (big lol)

New Young Pony Club - Ice Cream (Herve Remix)

Muse - Map of the Problematique (Does It Offend You, Yeah? Remix)

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The ROAD TO RECOVERY, 'MUSICAL' MUSIC AGAIN phase

And things started to look up - at least in terms of maturing a tiny bit. Still all electro and still plenty of shockers, but scattered with glimpses of a way out. I think these songs describe this phase better than words can. The Timberlake remix in particular is still a real corker I reckon, despite the fact that it's JT. Much love to Casino Inc. I suppose this was around the time when Aussie acts like Midnight Juggernauts and Cut Copy were on the brink of making their huge impact on the blogosphere, which makes sense.

Calvin Harris - Merrymaking at My Place (Mr. Oizo Remix)

Mercy Arms - Kept Low (Cut Copy Remix)

Justin Timberlake - My Love (Casino Inc Remix)

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The BIT OF TRENTERTAINMENT ON THE SIDE phase

Still big thanks to T-bone as I'm going to affectionately call him for his stint on the blog. I probably would have otherwise just given up for lack of motivation so thank golly for the way things eventually happened. Wingman T-bone introduced me to some crazy good music which still hits the spot square on now, including two of the best mixes I've heard to date. Art Killers is in classic Bang Gang ultramashup style mixing every genre you can think of... The way it's put together is pure genius. Ash Le Rouge's Portals is still a coin flip for my favourite mix ever, nuff said. And not that this has anything to do with this bit, I'll rudely butt in and throw in the mix which is on the other side of that coin - Gimix is just breathtaking. You can enjoy these 3 mixes for the rest of time. Tracklistings in the comments.

Ash Le Rouge & Will Hawthorn - Portals

Bang Gang - Art Killers

The Avalanches - Gimix

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The SUDDEN FRENCH HOUSE REVIVAL phase

For some (good) reason at one stage I just suddenly started ripping into Roulé and all that kinda stuff. Such refreshment! Filter house is the shit and nobody should argue with that. I doubt there are many current producers connected to some form of house music who can say they weren't influenced by it. Sink your teeth into these tunes, whether you've heard them eight thousand times before or if they're brand spanking new. It truly was a golden mini-era for dance music.

Roy Davis Jr. - Rock Shock (Roy's Original Mix)

Alan Braxe - Vertigo (Thomas Bangalter's Vertigo Edit)

DJ Falcon - Honeymoon

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The SORTA FRENCH HOUSE SOUNDING DISCO HOUSE phase

French house was a nice segue into what I guess you'd call disco house. I'm no good with genres anyway. This great phase includes all artists on the magnificent Us Two Music label which fueled my incessant disco house hunger. Big guns like Matt Hughes, Matt Turner, Livyo, Lebatman, Pierce, The Phantom's Revenge (the pioneer of the disco banger!) et al. were all big stars of this juncture. Enjoy these tasty samplers

The Phantom's Revenge - Moondancer

Pierce - GoodFriends

Matt Hughes - Can't Talk Now

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The SUCKED INTO THE DFA VORTEX phase

This was kind of running parallel to the previous couple of phases and continued to balloon indefinitely. I'd always been hooked on DFA born bands like The Rapture and Hot Chip but had never fully dedicated myself to the label as I did in this productive time. I put it after the last two, however, because it's a good segue into nu disco - finally really getting into James Murphy's many disco/dance punk projects may well have been the deciding factor. Casual Friday in particular really sums up everything I love about DFA. The quirkiness, the disco vibe, the indie attitude, the scorching hot basslines (no matter how simple). So good.

Black Leotard Front - Casual Friday

LCD Soundsystem - Yeah (Crass Version)

The Rapture - Sister Saviour (DFA Vocal Remix)

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The JUMP ON THE NU DISCO BANDWAGON phase

And boy am I glad I did. Great things are happening at the moment, and I love all the different shapes and sizes that nu disco comes in. Unlike electro house which is currently identified as sounding like a detuned radio having sex with a chainsaw, disco is a stealthy, fluid being who you can only recognise by feel, not sound. I'm going to lump disco edits into this category too - not sure if that's kosher? I say it is. Allow my friends Mock & Toof, In Flagranti and Raoul7000 to wow you with the genre's excellence.

Mock & Toof - Black Jub

In Flagranti - Brash & Vulgar

Skyy - Skyyzoo (Raoul7000's Acme Edit)

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Here's A FEW FAVOURITES FOR THE SAKE OF IT

Just a couple more things I really want to double up on, because I think they're that cool. The Young Punx remix of 7NA is a monstrous summer club house bomb which never fails to destroy (in a good way) a dance floor. Huge. Massive. Gargantuan. Freeform Five's remix of the Elton classic is a total show-off showcase of what they're capable of. Every different section is equally impressive; this tune will never age for me. Finally, Serge Santiago's dub of Wolf & Cub turns a track I absolutely froth over into a DJ friendly groove machine. Soo irresistibly cooooool.

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army (Young Punx Remix)

Elton John - Are You Ready For Love (Freeform Reform Vocal)

Wolf & Cub - This Mess (Serge Santiago Dub)

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The FUTURE.................

'Lame' you might think. You might think right. Actually I don't really have a clue where things will go. I DO know, however, a few artists whose music will continue to impress and excite me. In particular: Zongamin, Mickey Moonlight, Prins Thomas and Pilooski, to me, are some of the most forward thinking and (sometimes) challenging producers around. Hopefully everyone has these tracks already but just for the sake of it, here's a reminder of some of my favourite tracks by each.

Elvis Presley - Crawfish (Pilooski Edit)

Prins Thomas - Mammut

Zongamin - Painless

Mickey Moonlight - Interplanetary Music (der..)

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So here we are. Seriously, it's been so awesome doing this and I mega appreciate people still checking it out. Stacks of great music to come, so keep your thumb in the page and turn back often. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

LOTS OF LOVE.