Sour

This old Valery Allington tune has started my week off real nicely. Great early 80s synth-discovery disco, plenty of rich layers and catchy vocals driving it along - and not too Italo for my liking. Hawt.

Valery Allington - Stop

Hey Convict! (or at least Tamas from HC!) was fucking brilliant on Friday night. I can't stop listening to their mixes! Also been enjoying these edits CDs compiled by their Melbourne pals The Late Show. Particularly digging Lovefingers' contribution to the second one; punchy plodding bassline, unconvincing horn-like synth and squelchy filtered guitar which is occasionally interrupted by a strange sort of tacky Chinese restaurant flavoured bridge. I love how this song feels quite unaware of itself, like some oblivious guy picking his nose in front of everybody on the train. It's tasteless but kind of adorable.

Lovefingers - Dandy Uh [DL CD]

This latest release on Optimo Music is a real winner. Like our good pal Midnight Savari, Space System is also from Jakarta making synthical wonders. King Of Town delivers a restrained remix of this dark track that almost feels a little bit tribal with thick pounding drums. I guess if you dig the Optimo vibe you should certainly be into this. Moog alert!

Space System - Sorrow Show (King Of Town Remix) [buy]

Been wondering what happened to awesome UK label Light Sounds Dark until I discovered just the other day a new compilation slipped under my radar in September. Shock horror! Thank god Piccadilly still have some 12" copies left. Like the first Sherm Sticks comp, Return of the Sherm is full of hard to find gems of the psychedelic/disco/funk/weird variety. After listening to it for a couple of days I know I'm going to be wearing these records out in no time, I highly recommend tracking down a copy while they're still available.

Oro - Stop The War [buy]

Hopefully lots more goodies arriving this week!

Refreshed

Taken a couple of weeks sick leave to cough up all my organs but back in action now! Just a quickie to ease back into things.. There are plenty of amazing new records on the way, I promise! But for now here are a few excellent oldies. Like this killer 1979 space disco staple by Bamboo. Or an equally awesome intergalactic boogie by The Z.A.C.K. with tongue firmly planted in cheek. I heard Mind The Cosmic Rocker in an incredible Vidal Benjamin set from Lovefingers' site. Seriously must-hear shit! Hit it up here.

Bamboo - Spaceship Crashing [buy]

The Z.A.C.K. - Mind The Cosmic Rocker [buy]

Speaking of Lovefingers, I totally fell in love with this Andwella track that opens his Xmas mix I posted many months ago. Maelstrom's edit on Mindless Boogie really doesn't do it for me, the hairy early 70s rock vocals are crucial to the groove. After finally getting a copy of the album I have to say it's truly excellent, a summary of everything I love about one of my favourite eras of music. Some funky rockers like this one, a few beautiful psychedelic ballads, some brilliantly composed symphonic flashes. If you dig 70s rock it's a real gem.

Andwella - Hold On To Your Mind [buy]

An awesome edit of a Carrie Lucas track that is immediately recognisable to anybody ever as being sampled in Armand Van Helden's 'You Don't Know Me'. Super awesome tune! And until this very moment I had been misreading the label as saying Phenomenal Handclap Band. Close but no cigar - this is apparently Joey Negro's handiwork. Some excellent edits and an excellent moniker to boot.

Phenominal Handicap Band - Carry On Carrie [buy]

And just for fun here's my favourite track from one of my favourite mixes by Eric Duncan in Tokyo: the C.O.M.B.i. live CD/DVD. This spectacular edit of Hang Together by Odyssey (thanks Sofie!) is so stupidly supremely superb. I pray that this gets some sort of proper release although I'm sure it won't. If you can find a copy of this package somewhere it's pure gold.

C.O.M.B.i. - We Gotta High Together [buy]

I'll be back in the saddle from now on I promise! Things are getting busy with our label, DSR001 is due to be released on August 13th which is super exciting! We'll be doing the launch in Sydney at GOODGOD on August 20th, FUCK YEAH!

It Begins Again...

What a weekend coming up! Friday night (the 8th) is excursion time, popping down to Melbourne to see Special Disco Version and The Juan Maclean at the Royal Melbourne Hotel. There are few things I've been more excited about. Seriously, if you're in the area this is beyond essential. Inspect the flyer and make an easy decision. Up and Down - the flip side of Feels So Good which I still think was a kind of unnecessary edit - was totally one of my favourite tracks of last year and I'm a bit annoyed that I didn't think of it when doing my top 10. The bottom line is that James and Pat (for those who don't know, Special Disco Version is pretty much LCD Mobile Disco) are stupidly talented and have obscenely good record collections. Presumptuous as it may be this early in the game, I'm calling this one as gig of the decade.

Special Disco Version - Up and Down (Beep!) [buy]

Then a quick return to Sydney on the 9th for another Picnic (psychedelic) warehouse party with guest especial Lovefingers. Yes he's partly responsible for Blackdisco along with Lee Douglas and Nitedog. Yes he's the man who runs the aptly named lovefingers.org. Yes he's been on Beats In Space something like FIVE TIMES now. Yes yes yes, he's the man. This most recent mix of his is spectacular, a fab psychedelic jamming vibe to thrash on repeat throughout the summer. Details here.

Lovefingers - Lovefingers Xmas 2009

THEN, depending on whether I'm hospitalised by this stage or not, it's Days Like This on Sunday the 10th. Amongst a ridiculous lineup are people like Theo Parrish, Brennan Green, Lovefingers & Lee Douglas, Quantic, The Swiss, Pepe Bradock, Pivot, and so on and so on. Fuck I'm excited for Theo. I'm crazy for his Ugly Edits records which are reminiscent of Harvey's Black Cock series, although a bit less 'out there' and definitely more suited for the d-floor. Perhaps I just make that association since they both edited The Dells.. Whatever, I like the really classic super-extended approach both take. This festival will be a monster, highly recommended for capping off the weekend in a huge way!

Never Gonna Let U Go (Theo Parrish Re-Edit)

And just because I like posting four tracks at once, here's an old Moxie edit of Street Man which has crept up on my listening charts in the past couple of weeks. Powerful danceable disco. A really awesome record this!

Moxie - Run Disco Run

Commence dangerous intoxication. Happy new year people! 2010 is going to be super duper exciting :)

Welcome, Summer

For aaaages I've wanted to do a little Disco Delicious night, at least just a one off thing. It's really hard to find great disco with a bit of a nu edge in Sydney, aside from at Picnic nights, and I'd really love to have a party where there's no compromise with the music policy - just totally top shelf boutique disco. It's still just an idea, but if anybody could offer some tips, info, help, input, whatever- I'd appreciate it. How many of you peeps would come? Promise it would be fun :)

OK MUSIC TIME. LICKING MY LIPS. I find Bob Marley covers tend to be very hit and miss.. This one on D-Classics is right in the center of the target. This red hot big jazz band rendition is stupidly tight and funky. Summer is finally starting to waft under my nose in Sydney - with temperatures beginning to leave the winter brackets - and these tunes are really helping me to get in the banana lounge mood.

The Chequers - Get Up Differently (German Version) [buy]

Lovefingers is all kinds of fantastic, that's no lie. I've been loving the Black Disco series but had never heard the first volume until a few days ago, which features this stunning low-mid tempo Hawaiian shirt hangout tune. Give me a pineapple filled with some kind of tasty alcohol and some ember orange sunlight to bask in, crank this up and await heaven. Ice cool and toasty warm at the same time, this is a huge winner. Check out the rest of the series too if you haven't already, the Soft Rocks' latest offering is top shelf too.

Sammy Barbot - Mexico (Lovefingers' Barrio Edit)

More balcony/beachside goodness here, but with a different flavour - dreamy drifting house from Eddie C out on Jiscomusic. Never in a rush, this song just grooves along at a leisurely pace without a hint of stress. The soothing vocals just get you floating away. Wait for the last section of the song where a big jazzy groove, still laid back, suddenly kicks in and rides on out for the last couple of minutes. Bliss!

Eddie C - You're Welcome [buy]

Luke Vibert's new album We Hear You was released the other day. I had huge expectations. They were shattered, in a bad way. Not that the production isn't overwhelmingly good, which it is, but the whole hip hop influenced electronic music thing (or 'trip hop' as some of you rogue youths have been calling it) really doesn't whip my cream. So instead here's an old 2004 track off one of his other albums, under his Kerrier District alias. Disco influenced electronic music - that's a sound i can go for! All nice fun, bright stuff.

Kerrier District - Illogan

Loud Minority Radio have still been keeping busy and have just released a nice edit of The Clash's ultra groovy disco punk classic The Magnificent Seven. Added a little bit of glitter, a bit of beef to the bass.. And is just generally better for the club. Check out their other recent stuff on their SoundCloud page.

The Clash - The Magnificent Seven (LMR Re-Ride)

Let the BBQ season commence.

Ground To A Halt

Well my internet is capped at the moment so this will just be a scraping together of whatever I've already got - searching for music in this state is pure agony. It's put me in an extremely impatient mood so I'm just going to fly through these with minimal effort. Soz.

This really doesn't need any caption attached. It's as classic as songs come and it's a Terje edit so it sounds fantastic in a club or in your car or on a boat or on an elephant or anywhere on the planet. The end.

Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You (Todd Terje Edit)

Great old techy kinda song from a few years ago, picked up the record for $1 over in Auckland and have reignited my lurve for it. Âme are beautiful producers and this is a really beautiful song. All dark and brooding and stormy. Quality music.

Âme - Rej

Chug chug chug chug this Lovefingers tune from his RVNG release yonks back is like a slow but determined funky disco steam train. Great tune!

Lovefingers - Kentucky

For the sake of adding another track, and to be a self-indulgent twat, here's a mashup I did of Metro Area, In Flagranti, Holy Ghost!, Barbara Norris and The Rapture. Would love some feedback if anyone's interested?

Andy Webb - Hold On To That Heavy Orange Box

The Revenge plays in Sydney this sunday at the next Picnic warehouse party. And so do Dangerous Dan, Tim from Cut Copy, Loin Brothers, Ash Le Rouge, and so on. Will be spectacular. Details here.

Give me a week and I'll be back in full force. Be good!