Ewan Pearson. Enthusiasm...

8.9.2006

1. Junior Boys - In The Morning (Alex Smoke remix) [Domino]

Ace Canadian duo Junior Boys have a new album out and the lead single "In The Morning" comes with Morgan Geist and Alex Smoke mixes. Whilst Geist's version is fine, it's Mr Smoke who comes up trumps with a brilliant clickety house re-take that keeps the seemingly tender but actually rather bitter vocal in place and surrounds it with delicate whirring rhythms and Warp-ish keys. Despite its subtle emotional tug it sounds great played out very loud too. One of the singles of the year for me.

2. Sebo K - Horizon (Exercise One's Sleepless in San Juan mix) [Mobilee]

Berlin's two brightest rising stars clash in Mobilee's new remix project. This is an absolute monster - probably the biggest dancefloor reaction to anything i'm playing at the moment.

3. Camille - Le Fil LP / Ta Douleur (Al Usher / Henrik Schwarz remixes) [Virgin]

A half-million selling hit in her home country, this is a album of offbeat but brilliant French pop, with many if not all of the sounds generated by Camille's voice, and threaded together ("Le Fil" of the title) by a hummed drone which runs through the entire record.  But it's not the concept but the songs and the incredible performances that impress, from the upbeat (forthcoming single "Ta Douleur") to the truly heart-rending ("Pâle Septembre", "Pour Que L'Amour Me Quitte"). Some 18 months after its original release it's finally coming out in the UK now, and Al Usher and Henrik Schwarz have delivered stunning remixes for the single too.

4. Herlihy and Torrence - So That's What Happens [Moodmusic]

Follow-up to the enormous "Machine Ate My Homework" (you heard about that one first here, folks) "So That's What Happens" is another brilliant bit of robust post-Holden techno with a decidedly moody growling synth hook. On the flip a lovely remix from Isolee makes for a great great single.

5. Muse - Supermassive Black Hole (Phones Control Voltage mix) [Warners] / Phones - Worryin' [CDR]

I've always hated Muse and their humourless pomp-rock with a passion. Except now Paul Epworth has dusted off his Roland SH5, donned a plump Giorgio Moroder 'tache and transformed their latest single into a relentless euro-disco monster, all pulsing analogue synths and falsetto vocals. It's bloody marvellous. Who'da thunk it? Straight off the back of that, Phones' next solo outing is a ridiculously simple but v effective bit of future funk, "Worryin'". A chemical beat, a cross-rhythm bassline which morphs into screeching acid monkeys and not much else. Supermassive.

6. Grand Popo FC - My Territory (Joakim dub) [Atmospheriques Records]

After his ludicrously great balearic Antena remix here's another corker from Joakim, dubbing up the Grand Popos in a dynamic 1984 electro-funk style.

7. Arthur Russell - Springfield LP [Audika]

Following on from last year's "Calling Out of Context" LP here is more unreleased avant-disco brilliance from one of the great geniuses of recent popular music. The title track is one of the last things Russell wrote and recorded before he died, and his recordings have been carefully edited and mixed by the DFA some 20 years later. Sometimes projects like this smack of the cash-in (another Tupac record anyone?). This is quite the opposite; something genuinely great for which we can be geniuinely grateful.

8. Jimpster - Seventh Wave (Dirt Crew Rework) [Freerange]

A change of musical direction from the 'Crew but I think my favourite thing they've done in ages. They forego their usual no-nonsense electro-funk for some super swingy tribal percussion, and quite beautiful building Kenny Larkin (Metaphor-era) keys. This is one to get well and truly lost in only to re-emerge 10 minutes later to wonder where exactly the time went.

9. Just about everything Audiofly have a hand in.

Audiofly have really come into their own of late. Confidently they skip between projects, mixing up current styles and producing real quality every time. From their brilliant new record "Somewhere" for Moodmusic, to their collaborations with the likes of Mulletover's Stuart Geddes (as Rekleiner), Miss Jools (Sleeperthief on Mobilee) and Scarlett Etienne (Loose Lips), I have been playing an embarassing amount of their music in my sets this year, and when it's all this good who can blame me?

10. Glove - Feel the Fire (Extended Dub Mix)  [Playhouse]

A brand new dub of an old track from Tobi Neumann in his Glove guise on Offenbach's incredible Playhouse records.  Lush balearic house, evocative of meditteranean sunset moments;  or those moments when you wish you were enjoying the meditteranean but you're actually on the way to the dentist. Small consolation but we'll take what we can get.

11. Pet Shop Boys - Psychological [Ewan Pearson's Unheimlich remix]  [Parlophone]

The standout track from "Fundamental" housed-up by yours truly with the mission maximum dancefloor spookiness. Up go the Bernard Hermann strings and the atonal chanting, in go hammer dulcimer hooks, discordant analogue synths and a large dollop of Detroit.

12. Tiny Trendies - The Sky Is Not Crying  [Nuphonic]

In memory of the wonderful Adam Goldstone.

13. Last but not least...

Walter Jones - Deuteronomy Brown (i-F edit) [Supersoul Recordings], Stefan Goldman - Sleepy Hollow [Innercityvisions], Midnight Mike - Creatures of Habit [Republic of Desire], Tim Paris and Tekel - Sakapuce [Marketing], Loco Dice - El Gayo Negro [Ovum], Ada - Living It Up [Areal], Cobblestone Jazz - India In Me [Wagon Repair], Radioslave - Secret Base [Rekids].

7.6.2006

1. Heidi v. Riton - Vejer  [Get Physical]

Blondies have more fun;  Heidi Van Den Amstel, Queen of Phonica, and the Boy Riton team up for this brilliant old-school / new-school house outing. Super-playable and super-versatile; driving without speeding, deep without being impenetrable this should be very popular across the board.

And it's got cellos. We like cellos.

2. The Knife - We Share Our Mother's Health (Radioslave Secret Base Remix) [Brille]

Matt Edwards keeps delivering gem after gem; this week he's remixing The Knife and effortlessly brushing aside the competition (Trentemöller's over-fussy electro-funk).  Mr Radioslave keeps it simple;  no-nonsense big-room acid techno which had the whole of Weekend club going loo-la last week in Berlin and is going to sound even better in the darker more cavernous clubs that beckon over the summer. Can't wait.

3. Mlle Caro & Franck Garcia - Far Away (remixes)  [Crosstown Rebels]

"Absence makes the heart lose weight,"  sang Prefab Sprout. Crosstown Rebels understand that parting may be sorrow, but when the results are this sweet then we grin and bear it. The ace remixes come from Jennifer Cardini (bleeps in space) and Matthew Jonson (lush 6/8 techno).

4. My My - Butterflies and Zebras [Aus]

Well, everyone seems to be on the space-cakes at the moment. Lee Jones follows up his lovely solo release on Just with this expansive piece of truly ambient house. For the most spaced of after-hours only, or the most mdma sodden back-to-mine this is 10 minutes long and quite gorgeous. Just remember to stick it on repeat before you drift off to happy-land.

5. Smet - Smet [Tekel]

More undeniable new-school old-school hybrid house;  a smattering of French Kiss and some post-minimal keyboard trickery and a woman mumbling about her washing machine having packed in over the top.

6. D.I.M. - Sysiphos  [Turbo]

Killer electro from Tiga's label, with just enough wonky acid to deter the cheesemongers.

7. Stephan Bodzin - Caligula [Systematic]

Nearly 6 months old I think now, but refuses to leave the box, and as the only othe person I've heard play it is Ivan, then in the box it stays. Tough electro-house with strange synth brass stabs.

8. Tres Demented - She'z Satan [Tres Demented]

Carl Craig drops a ludicrous piece of Detroit party-funk with a hilarious vocal where he berates some Princess of Darkness done him wrong. Imagine Green Velvet covering Cliff Richard's "Devil Woman" and you're part-way there.

9. Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up  [Ever]

The sublime space-country title-track to the new album from Cortney Tidwell. Something like Joe Meek producing Mazzy Star;  this is really really special.

10. Lindstrom - A Blast Of Loser (Mungolian Jetset 9606 Remix) [Feedelity]

More epic discoid adventures from our friends in the North. This adds a large dollop of prog-folk bonkers to the mix and is quite wonderful.

11. Zero7 ft. Jose Gonzales - Futures (Al Usher 'Sevens' remix) [Mercury]

Hot on the heels of his dearly-beloved Grandad Bob remix Al Usher makes an un-ashamedly jazzy piece of techno/boogie out of the new Zero7 single - reminiscent of Ian O'Brien during his Ferox hey-day. Al's a substantial musical talent and - judging by the way the bloggers are now talking about his lost Out of the Loop classic "Lullaby For Robert" in reverent tones - people are starting to take notice at last.

12. Yet more hot disco action.

Rob Mello presents No Ears Dub - Give Me [Disco 45], Toby Tobias - A Close Shave (Prins Thomas Disko-Tek Miks) [Rekids], Moguai - I Want, I Need, I Love [?], Crowdpleaser and St. Plomb - 1er Mai [Mental Groove], DJ Roger - Theatre [Re-vox], Speaker Junk - Run The Track [Speaker Junk Recordings], Max Sedgley - Slowly (DJ Naughty remix) [Sunday Best].

25.4.2006

Sorry it's been a while folks. Busy times at Pearson Towers (see 10 below for excuses...)

1. Delia Gonzales and Gavin Russom - Relevee (Carl Craig remix) [DFA]

Carl Craig with yet another astonishing remix, this time of track three from Delia and Gavin's epic Days of Mars LP. Craig - currently in a run of form which matches anything he's done in is his career to date - delivers a stunning eleven and a half minutes of analogue techno wonderment. The dramatic intro features the teasing sequences which made the original LP so captivating, except this being a 12" disco record after a four minute wait the drums finally kick in and everyone goes beserk as we - finally - get the dancefloor pay-off that's always been implicit in the music but never actually present. I went to see Delia and Gavin play live a couple of months ago and as wonderful as it was you just knew that had a kick drum dropped at some point the whole place would have soiled themselves in ecstatic release. Quite a good thing one didn't then, I guess.

2. Grandad Bob - Hide Me (Al Usher 12" mix) [Southern Fried]

My Partial Arts partner delivers a heart-breakingly lovely solo remix for the 'Bob. Bloody marvellous.

3. Rekorder 4.1  [Rekorder]

The latest and best episode in the anonymous German series. Crisp, efficient electronics that can't fail on any sensible dancefloor.

4. Bo'tox - Hummer Party [Marketing]

Superbly menacing Kraut-ish drone-house from Cosmo Vitelli and Tekel's Julien Briffaz. Moodier than a Parisian boulanger in a roomful of Mother's Pride.

5. Suxul Music - Fancy [Suxul]

Another no-nonsense club bomb. Your only difficulty is choosing between the storming original and the italo-inflected John Tejada versions.

6. Shy Child - Astronaut  [CDR]

Paul Epworth-produced follow-up to the mighty "Technicrats". Wonky 9/8 nerd-pop, all honking saxes and unreasonable arpeggios, that gets stuck in your head and refuses to de-camp.

7. Fuckpony - Ride The Pony  [Get Physical]

The Berlin house revival continues; Jay Haze and Samim from Tuning Spork have got together to produce a decidedly old-school EP, whose daft pitch-shifted vocals and twitchy acid-stylings should keep it out of the hands of mistakenly minimal boremongers. Right now, Berlin's all about the boompty.

8. Pet Shop Boys - Psychological [EMI]

Tennant and Lowe in dark but pop-tastic return to form;  the original is uncanny electro with a superb lyric of love as paranoiac nightmare. Alter Ego deliver an ace Age of Love-esque version and - apparently - there are other remixes to come when this gets released as a single proper later in the year...

9. Akabu - Phuture Bound (Âme remix) [Z]

Another brilliant Âme remix to go with the current Dixon / Henrik Schwarz / Derrick Carter / Innervisions 5 release. They wear their influences on their sleeves; Carl Craig here, Octave One there, (and a rather large debt to Isolee on 'Rej' it must be said). Put like that it sounds cynical and contrived but the results are transcendent and undeniable.

10. The Rapture - W.A.Y.U.H. [Mercury]

A couple of weeks ago an unfinished monitor mix of this somehow made it onto the internet, so I guess i can talk about it here. (BTW it's weird having your efforts pored over in public before they're even finished. At least people are interested you might say, but see how you'd like me coming into your place of work, finding something you'd been slaving over for ages and showing it all round the world before it was ready. Harrumph over.)

Likely first fruit of the new album co-produced by me and Paul Epworth (plus a few tracks from some chancer called Dangermouse). Matty Safer bemoans joyless hipster party culture over an irresistable dancefloor backing. Altogether now: "People don't dance no more; they just stand there like this. They cross their arms and stare you down and drink and moan and dis."

Much much more to come on the LP. Hopefully the drives are being guarded by burly and humourless sentries. With sticks.

19.2.2006

1. Coldcut ft. Roots Manuva - True Skool (Switch remix)

Switch deliver an incredible remix;  mashing a Chems-ish groove with the rudest London bass into an unstopabble whole. Blinding!

2. The Knife - Silent Shout

Carl Craig-ish afro-techno from Sweden (I know - sounds unlikely...) So brilliant it's been in the box for 3 months now. Ignore the remixes and stick to the wonderful original.

3. Gucci Soundsysyem - A Carpenter [Bugged Out]

Ben and Henry on the menacing 80's industrial disco tip.

4. Machine Ate My Homework [CD-R]

Journalists making great dance records?  Why don't you stick to your day job Gavin and leave it to the professionals!  (Ahem...)

5. Al Usher - Gnanfou  [Misericord]

The first offering from a brand new label with yours truly at the helm comes from the enormously talented Al Usher. New-school electronic boogie for all forward-thinking disco citizens. On the flip Swag dub it up for the dancefloor.

6. Prince - Black Sweat [Universal]

Everyone's favourite perv-funk elf is back and in fine form. (Hint: he wants to take his clothes off...)

7. Sons and Daughter - Dance Me In (Twitch remix)  [?]

Disco-pogo from our lovely friends at Optimo.

8. White Rose Movement - Kick LP [Independiente]

Hot on the heels of three corking singles comes the great debut album.

9. Cosmo Vitelli - Delayer  [CDR]

Wonderful new track from Mr Vitelli.

10. House of Black Dress - No One To Care For  [Fresh Meat]

Ace piece of Murk-ish French house.

11. Howie Beck - Howie Beck [Ever]

Sublime singer-songwriting from Canada;  and comes with a guest appearance from the divine Leslie Feist.

12. Caged Baby - RadioSlave remix [Southern Fried]

Yet another brilliant set of mixes from Matt Edwards, casually inventing a new sub-genre (micro-italo anyone?) for good measure.

13.  Ewan Pearson and Hafdis Huld - Let It Go [Fine]

Heartbreak house from the new FUN2 compilation. We call it downlifting. Hankies at the ready.

31.12.2005

1. The Fields - Song For The Fields  [Black Lab]

A jaw-dropping debut single from your new favourite new indie-folk band. Pentangle meets New Order. Compound time signature, wonderful harmonies, building to a huge crescendo. This is really special.

2. Rekid - My Bleep  [cdr]

Brand new. Dead simple. Totally devastating. This is going to be huge!

3. Geddes / Audiofly - Somewhere  [Moodmusic]

More superbly atmpospheric, verging-on-trancy post-Holden electronic house. Catchy like measles.

4. Kate Bush - A Sky of Honey [EMI]

Sprawling indulgent double album yes, but the second CD of Aerial is - Rolf Harris notwithstanding - astonishingly beautiful and very moving.  The standout track 'Nocturn' is positively balearic and deserving of some kind of Harvey / Quiet Village-esque treatment.

5. Joakim - I Wish You Were Gone  [Versatile]

Demented no wave disco stylings from the producers' producer. Tip top.

6. My My - Serpentine [playhouse]

My My's second single is an intense snaking, clattering percussion and fx workout, kind of in the same vein as 2020's recent Erotic Discourse 12, but even better if truth be told.  Completely different to their debut "Klatta" (one of the records of 2005 for me), but just as good, which is saying something.

7. The Emporer Machine - various remixes

Chicken Lips' Andy Meecham follows the wonderful "Amy Tallulah Is Hypnotized" album with some stunning major label remixes - beating the likes of Alter Ego, Trentmoeller, Vitalic and Stuart Price (no mean feat) to the top prize with his mixes of Daft Punk's  "Human After All" and Royksopp "What Else Is There?". The latter is for some daft reason not included on the final release so go hunt out the promo.

8. Art of Tones - Lion's Gate [2020 vision]

EP 2 from 2020 Vision's new oh-so-secret mini-project. From the evidence of shuffling detroit mastery on display here it's either someone with a Kenny Larkin obsession or Mr Larkin himself. Either way it's ace.

9. Super-Marketing

Tim Paris' new label gets of to a flying start with two top-notch releases, 'A Tribute to John Surman' in which his "Edges of Corrosion" pips Tekel and i:cube to the prize and Bot'ox v. Showgirls 'The 16th Machine';  both very musical but still dancefloor. A very promising start for a label to watch closely.

10. Rework - Psych Doll [playhouse]

Rework are back on playhouse and in top form;  little more than a break-ish swing, a bassline and a sultry vocal. But the super-precise sonics, and the unstoppable groove make this a deft dancefloor destroyer.

11. Hot Chip - Just Like We (Breakdown) (DFA remix)  [Astralwerks]

Yet another corking remix (we have a code green for envy...). Big emotive techno string stabs and a slow house groove which works really really well with Alexis' vocal.

12. Loose Change - Kosovo [Wagon Repair]

The highlight of the recent slew of Wagon Repair releases. A disco shuffle in the drums, underpinning a superb if melancholy piece of atmospheric techno.

13. Partial Arts vs. Tim Paris - Battle EP [Dialect]

Home cooking time. Me and Al under our Partial Arts alias sparring with the wonderful Tim P for our friends Cyril, Seb and Simon at Dialect. We offer up a dark and moody house thing called "Cruising" for our original contribution, and have mangled Tim's jollier "Ambition, Buddy" into Germanic Ableton crunchathon. The originals and remixes will be spread over two 12s. We haven't heard Tim's remix of "Cruising" yet.  Can't wait.

14. Goldfrapp - SIide in (DFA remix) / Ride A White Horse (Ewan Pearson DIsco Odyssey Parts 1+2) [Mute]

New long long mixes of the 'Frapp. James and Tim have done an amazing afro-disco-techno thing on 'Slide In' which has to be heard to be believed. This arrived in the post while I was working on my remix of 'Ride A White Horse', and may have had something to do with the fact that my mix has ended up a 15'09" multi-section behemoth that starts off analogue disco and ends up sounding like Underworld or something. Promos being mailed shortly so you can judge for yourselves just how bloated and ludicrous I have become.

15. Franz Ferdinand - Outsiders  (Ewan Pearson remix)  [Domino]

And last but not least I've done a club mix of the closing track (and highlight) from 'You Could Have It So Much Better, re-moulded in an ecstastic Italo vein, morphing into chugging indie dance with acoustic drums and guitars akimbo. Don't think this is coming out for ages, but...

16. Yet more goodies.

Kelley Polar - Love Songs of the Hanging Gardens [Environ], Zongamin - Bongo Song [Kitsune], Padded Cell - Signal Failure [DC Recordings], Michal Ho - Frisky [Tuning Spork], Jambi - Who Dropped The Ball [Edges of Corrosion], Oliver Koletzki - Blackout [stil vor talent], Swimmingpool - Black Barry [Combination], Audision - First Contact (Lawrence remix) [Playmade records], Vincenzo - Scope [Liebe Detail], Patrick Chardonnet - Eve By Day  [Connaisseur], Fairmont - Gazebo [Border Community], Mugwump - Prozac Über Alles [Suicide]

3.10.2005 - Sci Fi Hi Fi Special

I've put together the first in a new series of mix CDs for Soma Recordings. It's released today and here's a run-down of what's on there, and why.

1. Clashing Egos - Aminjig Nebere (I Trusted You) [Joakim's Afrobot remix] [Life Enhancing Audio / NEWS]

I had to include something by Joakim as he's absolutely one of the best new producers of the last 3 years. This was my favourite record of last year I think - it sounds like some balearic proto-house thing from 1985, and although it's slower and more melodic it absolutely rocks a club as well as sounding great at home. It's depressing that records like this aren't massive - although I know a lot of people that love it I don't think it got the props it deserves. For me it's a lost classic.

2. Lontano - Lovebass [Factor City]

I don't know very much about this apart from that it quickly became a favourite at our club Come Shake The Whole in London, and it's from a Barcelona label Factor City which I like a lot.

3. Feist - Inside and Out (Pearson and Usher Elektronische Dub) [Polydor France]

One of mine and Al's - and one of my favourite remixes I've done recently. Again a bit slower but I think it sounds pretty good out. I loved the Feist album and so we hassled the record company until we could mix one of the singles.

4. Husky Rescue - Summertime Cowboy (Serge Santiago Version) [Catskills]

I love Serge's stuff; this is a remix he did last year, which was maybe overlooked a bit at the time, but I really loved. The drums were quite light which is maybe why people didn't play it more - I've looped the drums from 'Largo' under most of this + added more percussion just to toughen it just a touch as the music is incredible.

5. Dirt Crew - Largo (Dominic Eulberg remix) [Dirt Crew]

Probably one of the best-known tracks on the mix - Eulberg has been the German wunderkind remixer this year and I think this is the best thing he has done to date. So simple but insistently brilliant. Also the breakdown lets me bring the next record in very nicely...

6. Villalobos - Easy Lee (Random Factor Remix) [Playhouse]

Probably the track I am most excited about on the whole mix. Carl Finlow gave me a CD with this on at a gig last year - it was commissioned by Playhouse but never released when the Alcahofa remixes came out. It's absolutely stunning;  one of the best things Carl has ever done - his pristine electronic production at its very best, and it builds and builds and just gets more and more exciting. I am very grateful to Ricardo and everyone at Playhouse for letting us include it here - it deserves to be huge.

7. Different Gear - Pop Idle (Instrumental Mix) [Lazy Eye]

Stomping great piece of electronic house from Quinn Whalley which has never left the record box since he sent it to me.

8. Brazilian Girls - Don't Stop (Riton re-rub) [Verve]

Henry Smithson is an old friend - he remixed a single I did on Out of the Loop several years ago called 'Canopy' - and he has rapidly become one of the most exciting producers in the UK. I could have included one of about 5 or 6 things he's done recently on here - it was difficult to choose, but this mix of Brazilian Girls is an absolute belter.

9. Karu - Maraud Your Ears (Tim Paris' We Almost Lost Detroit mix) [Silver Network]

Musically, this my favourite track on the whole compilation. Tim's remix starts off jacking then keeps twisting and morphing, has a nice teasing moody breakdown and then drops these almighty arpeggios at the end. It's quite brilliant and whenever I play it out I make a total idiot of myself; dancing and shaking my head like a man deranged.

10. Spirit Catcher - Key Generator  [Moodmusic]

More tough arpeggiated mayhem from Belgium's Spirit Catcher, very kindly given to me well ahead of release by Moodmusic's Sasse Lindblad. Mind you the CD's taken so long to come out that it's only just ahead of the final release...

11. Danton EEPROM - Odd Bassliner  [Virgo]

Exciting new techno from an exciting new French producer.

12. Dirk Technic - I Love You [10 Kilo]

This record was sold to me by Heidi at Phonica records in London - and it's a dancefloor killer. Dirty-basslined UK house that verges on prog - though it reminds me most of an old Fabi Paras record. Ivan calls these 'borderline' records - he's an expert at casting the net a bit wider and finding the tracks that you might think wouldn't be to your taste because of the label they're on or the genre they get lumped in with. Msr. Smagghe is the only other person I've heard play this and he bought it on Heidi's recommendation too - a salutary reminder not just to rely on the things you get sent and to spend as much time in good record shops as you can.

13. Sold Out - I Don't Want To Have Sex With You (Mugwump Zexual Healing Reversion) [Dirty Recordings] / 14. Alex Visconti - I Wanna Be Your Everything [Electrica]

I have a very great love for Hi-NRG and italo and the first dance records that I realised I liked as a kid were things like Dead Or Alive "You Spin Me Round" and Man2Man Meets Mann Parrish "Male Stripper". Thus twenty years on, here I am including Mugwump's remix of Sold Out which is completely over-the-top italo-rave. Then there's Alex Visconti which has that wonderful, slightly nonsensical English-as-a-foreign language vocal, and superb italo backing. The magic of Ableton Live means I was able to do a nice long segue from Visconti into the last track - Da Fresh - all in the same key.

15. Da Fresh - Broken Dream [Hypnotic]

To finish with a beautiful piece of affecting house from France, with 80'ish 12-bit vocal stabs which echo the Joakim mix which opened proceedings.

17.9.2005

1. Sasse feat. Kiki - Loosing Touch  [Moodmusic]

Hot off the 'Tools comes an atmospheric italo-disco monster from Moodmusic impressario Sasse Lindblad with a half-sung half spoken vocal from fellow Finn and BPitch star Kiki. Exciting mixes to follow.

2. Quiet Village - Pillow Talk  [Whatever We Want]

Sublime balearic moment from Matt Edwards (ex-Radio Slave) which sounds like it was made in Big Sur rather than Brighton. Floating around on a rocking-horse shit rare 12 on Harvey's fab "Whatever We Want" label, but records this gorgeous are worth tracking down. The internet is your friend.

3. Pier Bucci - La Nuit  [Crosstown Rebels]

Constructed from not much more than an 808, a 303 and a vaguely deranged French woman, this is deceptively simple, haunting acid house which kills on a good system. Another superb release from Crosstown Rebels.

4. Jeb Loy Nichols - Lelah Mae [Tuition]

The stand-out track from the new Mark Nevers produced Jeb Loy Nichols album 'Now Then'. Country soul with a dash of brooding Southern gothic, a fine string arrangement and Nichols' honeyed voice in top form.

5. Wonderland Avenue - White Horse (Mike Monday Remix) [Kinky Vinyl]

A new cover of Laidback's much-sampled, much-imitated, never-bettered classic 'White Horse'. "What's the point?" I hear you ask. Well, Mike Monday's fantastic remix makes the whole enterprise worthwhile. Everything he does at the moment is brilliant (the Playtime releases and the new remix of Marc Romboy's 'Shake It' on Brique Rouge too); file this with Dexter, Seymour Bits and other e-funk party bombs.

6. DK7 - Where's The Fun?  [Output]

The lead single from the new DK7 album 'Disarmed';  icily arpeggiated electro with trancey touches and a vocal that skirts naff but gets away with it. The superb original is backed up by mixes from Sweet Light and a bonus extended 12" from DK7 producer Jesper Dalhback, (Sweet Light and the Jesper extended sounding great run togther in extended megamix fashion).

7. Gabriel Ananda - Ihre Personliche Gluckmelodie [Karmarouge]

Maybe my favourite club record of the last couple of months; a brilliant piece of wonky techno which morphs into electroid hugeness about halfway through, grabbing the whole dancefloor by the scruff of the neck and shaking it about for 9 minutes before dropping everyone on the floor again in a big heap.

8. Gorillaz vs. DFA - Dare

A marriage made in heaven;  Damon Albarn doing his falsetto funk vocal thing, the reverend Shaun William Ryder in fine form (yay!) over a mid-tempo DFA workout which basically reprises their ace John Spencer mix, except a bit slower;  song for the first half followed by an increasingly bonkers CS60 wig-out which when dropped at the right time induces complete mayhem. That's got to be enough for you, surely?

9. Clor - Clor [Regal]

Fantastic album of Devo-ish vaguely psychedelic electronic indie-pop with its many influences worn lightly and blended successfully, and most important, more hooks than a Peter Pan convention.

10. Konrad Black ft. Ghostman - Medusa Smile [Wagon Repair]

Cheeky Canadian Todd Shillington with a dirty funk monster that I know won't leave the bag for months.

11. Captain Comatose - Up In Flames (Glove remix) [Playhouse]

Following the staggering genius that was their cover version of "Wunderbar" from a couple of years ago Tobi Neumann + Thieys (Glove) pull out another top bit of work for Playhouse. This time it's a remix of the title track from the latest Captain Comatose album and it's cool and moody electronic disco, with all of Neumann's considerable production class to the fore.

12. Richard Thompson - Front Parlour Ballads [Cooking Vinyl]

New album from the cult British guitarist and songwriter that I've grown up with since I was tiny. My mum and dad are both big fans - in fact my dad used to sing in a folk group - something I was most embarrassed about as an idiot teenager. Now I'm older of course I'm returning to lots of the music I heard then and loving it - Martin Carthy, Nic Jones but most of all Thompson.  He's made so many great records - all the stuff he did with his wife Linda in the 70's right through to the Capitol records of the 90's that he did with Mitchell Froom. He is an incredible songwriter, darker than pitch at times, and also a virtuoso guitar player (when playing live he often disappears off into strange atonal solos that shouldn't really work but somehow do). This largely acoustic new record was recorded in his home studio and it's the best thing he's done in a decade.  Prone to wearing berets but geniuses should be allowed the odd lapse of judgement.

13. Oliver Koletski - Der Mückenschwarm [Cocoon]

Straight-up 80's-ish electro-house with an annoyingly catchy Farfisa-ish hook. There's life in the ole sub-genre yet...

14. Different Gear ft. Dirty Kylie - Worry  [Lazy Eye]

Superb follow up to the previous single Pop Idle, with a hilarious vocal from a girl wondering aloud about all her increasingly illusory sources of anxiety;  waning attention span, too many T-shirts, etc.

15. Clashing Egos - Love Sweet Love [NEWS]

Another brilliant single from Clashing Egos. The Sterac mix of Love Sweet Love is utterly superb.

16. Not to mention...

Only Freak - Can't Get Away (From Your Love) (Solid Groove remix) [Freerange],
Cassioware, Chip E and the O.G.s - Wanna See You Freak Like Dis (Kenny Dope Instrumental) [Dopewax], Kid Dub - Microgeniuz [Moodmusic], Henrik Schwarz - Leave My Head Alone Brain (Osunlade mix) [Sunday Music], Murat Tepeli feat. Prosumer - Lov [Playhouse], Anja Schneider and Sebo K - Side Leaps [Mobilee], Common Factor - That Was Then [Playhouse], Tom Vek - Nothing But Green Lights (Phones remix) [Tummytouch].

18.6.2005

1. Solid Groove - This Is Sick [Frontroom]

It isn't half. Dave Taylor lays waste to the boundaries of house and lumps together atonal melodies, rhodes drops, what sounds like looped vocals from "Lovelee Dae", mangled breakbeats and the rudest bass. Records like this and the wicked new Trevor Loveys 12 on Freerange ("Turn It Up") are delivering a stinging rebuke to anyone who says house music has nothing left to offer in 2005. Absolutely awesome.

2. Kikiorix - 3AM Pop  [Kingsize]

Don't know much about this apart from that it's on Chicken Lips' label Kingsize and it's a rollicking slice of super-syncopated electronic house.

3. DJ Remo featuring Chelonis R. Jones "Black Sabrina" (DJ Naughty remix) [Giant Wheel)

I know this can sometimes read like a series of big-ups to my friends, but I can't help it when they keep coming out with as consistently great music as Filippo "Naughty" Moscatello. Just in is "Black Sabrina": stomping italo-house with a Jackie 60-ish voice-over. Also essential are his remixes of Kosheen "Guilty" and Eyerer "The Drill". With the next 12 months promising artist and DJ mix albums on Eskimo too it promises to be Naughty's year.

4. Mike Monday - What Day Is It? [Playtime]

Mr Monday has been making great records since the days Sean McClusky's Brain club and its compilation. "What Day Is It?"'s rubbery-bassed jacking is reminscent of Josh Wink's finer moments and what's more, it's a dancefloor shoe-in.

5. Missy Elliot - Lose Control  [MCA]

Raucus Cybotron-sampling old-school electro body-popping party-monster from the divine Ms. E.

6. Goldfrapp - Ooh La La (Tiefschwarz remix) [Mute]

Ali, Basti and Jochen take time out from their album schedule to tweak the first single from the new Goldfrapp album "Supernature". And it's their best remix since 'The Red Dress' I think. Preferring classy pacing and atmosphere over broad-brush rave riffing, there's plenty of Ms. Goldfrapp's sublime vocal left and a large dollop of glam rock in there too.

7. Gui.tar - Can't Stop [Careless]

Starts out as nicely swinging minimal house and then suprises by dropping an almighty Moroder-bassline halfway through. Two for the price of one.

8. Daft Punk - Technologic (Basement Jaxx remix)  [Virgin]

The next single from the (let's be honest, folks) disappointing "Human After All" LP. Luckily, the 'Jaxx fly to the rescue and deliver their finest bit of work in ages. Heavy heavy bass and snoooop-ish backing vocals, this is heavy, hectic and brilliant.

9.  Colors - Am I Gonna Be The One?

One of my favourite 12"s from that weird early 80's hinterland post-disco and pre-house with a brilliant mix from Shep Pettibone. I love so many of his mixes - in the last couple of years I've tried to use an old-fashioned 'extended' remix structure when it's been suitable for a project, keeping as much of the original as possible and opening it out; toughening it up enough to make it into a dance record without losing what made it special in the first place. This model of remixing kind of got thrown out at the end of the 90's where instead we got the new track with a tiny snippet of the original in there somewhere. 'Am I Gonna Be The One' is an example of the extended mix at its best and a cracking song to boot. And I'm not the only person who thinks so - compare and contrast Playgroup 'Number One' which is very heavily indebted to this incredible record.

10. J.Rod & Pat Nice feat. Joe Good - Peter Pan (Mugwump in Neverland mix)  [Brique Rouge]

The mighty Mugwump re-visit this hip-house track, and produce an absolute blinder. Guaranteed to produce a smile on the most jaded of faces and a stampede towards the dancefloor.

11. Future Now - Future Now (Tim Paris remix) [2020 Vision]

Overlooked by lots of people when it came out last year, Tim Paris' remix of Future Now is an absolute dancefloor monster and has been picked up for a re-release by those clever people at 2020. Fresh electronic house with the most ludicrious breakdown in town and the potential to be one of the summer's big dancefloor hits. Tim has long been one of France's best DJs and now we have his productions and remixes for the likes of Virgo, Telepop Musik and Silver Network - all essential.

12. Royksøpp - Only This Moment (Braxe and Falke remix) [Wall of Sound]

The first single from the new Royksøpp album is best served by Alan Braxe and Fred Falke who turn in a massive arpeggiated Italo-rave remix.

24.5.2005

1. International Pony - Our House [Skint]

The 'Pony are back!  "Superyou" and "Leaving Home" were massive records for us at Come Shake The Whole and we hosted their UK launch party for the first LP a couple of years ago. Since then they've been quiet, with Koze's solo releases and mixes (and quite awesome DJing) fast making him a star in his own right, so it's about time we had some new material. "Our House" is a teaser from their second album due next year - super-catchy electronic funk, with a remix from Areal superstar Ada to boot.

2. Henrik Schwarz - Leave My Head Alone Brain [Sunday Music]

This has been out for a while, but it gets better with every play. Fantastic dancefloor jazz / techno hybrid thing from Henrik Schwarz, who,  not content with putting together this unstoppable groove with a copy of Ableton Live and some string, happens to be the bloke singing on it as well. Don't leave records like this for the Gilles Petersons of this world, this is an absolute party killer and should be played by everyone with even a little taste.

3. Hugh Masekela - The Boy's Doin' It  (Carl Craig remix) [Verve]

On the new Verve Remixed 3 compilation the standout track by miles is Carl Craig's edit of ace South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela. Mr Craig just adds some slow 4/4 kicks and an italo throb and it works brilliantly for those of you not afraid to drop the tempo. You will be richly rewarded.

4. My My - Klatta [Playhouse]

Another record which is growing more and more essential as the weeks go by. Wonky swung house with a killer bassline and quite ludicrous noises in a post MFF or Switch-ish fashion. Anglo-German in origin this is the combined work of ex-pat Lee "Hefner" Jones, together with local Berlin heroes Carsten Klemann and Nick Höppner - this is cheekier, cheerier and more infectious by far than 99% of today's house records.

5. Tocotronic - Pure Vernunft darf niemals siegen! (Superpitcher+Wasserman Remixes)  [Kompakt]

In the post comes a CD from those lovely people at Kompakt. Wolfgang Voigt and Axel Superpitcher have turned in two versions, one vocal and one wiggly acid (which wins it for me). Superpitcher seems to be able to do no wrong at the moment - add this to his fantastic versions of the MFA, Hell and M83. Hooray!

6. EgoExpress - Knartz 4 [Ladomat]

After their brilliant Einmusik remix comes this killer-basslined single from Ego Express.

7. John Starlight - John's Addiction [UKW]

Mr Oizo on DMT.

8. Matthew Johnson - Revenge of the Zombie Bikers [Wagon Repair]

I must admit to not being quite as much of a MJ worshipper as everyone else seems to be - I really like his stuff and his live show is great, but I don't quite get as evangelical about the Canadian "techno saviour" as some of my friends. That said his new 12 on Wagon Repair is an absolutely blinding piece of dancefloor funk - and hands down his most club-friendly record since Decompression.

9. Fischerspooner Remixed

First up, MANDY have remixed  "Just Let Go" for the forthcoming Gigolo release and it beats the Stuart Price and Joakim mixes hands down for teasing dancefloor electro-jouissance. Then Black Strobe have mixed the next Capitol single "Never Win" and delivered what is for them an almost sunny (compared to their recent pitch black mixes for Rammstein and Block Party) re-make with cowbells and handclaps akimbo and nice use of the chantalong vocal.

10. Booka Shade - Mandarine Girl [Get Physical]

Yet another great single from the sickeningly consistent Get Physical stable. There's a large dollop of James Holden in this anthemic post-trance monster.

11. Caucasian Boy - Northern Lights (Sweet Light remix) [Skint]

Crispin J. Glover's acid house fave from 1995 gets dusted down by the new French kids on the block, and very nice job they've done of it. Their recent mix for Hi-Phen is great too.

12. Trevor Horn.

Maybe weird to put a producer in a list like this but I'm a massive fan, and much of his work and that of the team he had around him in the 80's like Steve Lipson, J.J. Jeczalic, Anne Dudley, Andy Richards etc has influenced me greatly. I like the grand scale, the (verging on pompous) orchestrations, the endless 12-inch re-versions of lots of the ZTT records that they made. And so many wonderful records: from Dollar and ABC to Propaganda 'A Secret Wish', Frankie Goes To Hollywood's first album, Grace Jones 'Slave To The Rhythm', Pet Shop Boys 'Left To My Own Devices', Tatu and even Yes 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' (yikes). Despite being mini-epics they are all still fine pop records. The Fairlights and Synclaviers and all that technology which cost several millions of pounds being pushed to the limit - it could all be done on a G5 today. Not too many people seem to want make 'big' records at the moment. In dance, certainly, minimalism has ruled the roost for too long. If I'm definitely a maximalist much of the time it's probably Horn's fault; I like to have as much music and orchestration and the full vocal and a danceable groove if possible. I want to have my cake and eat it.

13. Silver City - Socialize (Ewan's Bari Girl edit) [2020 Vision]

The original bears very catchy Strokes-ish electric guitars, live drums and a wailing vocal;  I've turned in a new wave/trance/italo hydrid thing (I've no idea what that actually means, either, and I made the remix) with a nod towards the MFA and the like. I was a bit worried the Leeds crew would hate it. But they don't, thank goodness. Debuting soon at a Meditterranean music-industry drug-fest near you.

11.4.2005

1. Isolée – We Are Monster [Playhouse]

Bloody hell. Rajko Muller’s finished his second album and it’s breathtaking. Right from start a techno original, now his references are broader, the music more playful, and so resolutely funky. There are large amounts of Krautrock and Disco in here and some great melodies too. It’s all so strong it seems churlish to pick out favourites: but on initial listens ‘My Hi-Matic’ is really great, like Kluster doing Italo-Disco, ‘Schrapnel’ is Can commissioned to write the theme music for the Holiday programme, ‘Face B’ a pulsing dancefloor killer that comes on like Theo Parrish on crack.  Only the gorgeous closing track ‘Pillow Talk’ explicitly echoes the Isolée of old. It’s an absolutely stunning record and deserves to be one the albums of the year.

2. Oh M.A.N.D.Y.…

Patrick and Philip are on something of a roll at the moment;  the peak time swung techno of their latest single, ‘Jah’, their remix for Boxer Sport and just now their new collaboration with Booka Shade ‘Body Language’. Just the right side of summer cheese, it’s going to be massive everywhere from Ibiza to Inverness I would imagine.

3. Vitalic – My Friend Dario  [PIAS]

Ignore the plank-spanking original version and head straight for Dima’s New Beat remix, which although it’s about 10BPM faster than New Beat ever got is bloody great. So, pitch it down and watch it go…

4. Kosheen – Guilty (DJ Naughty remix)

Filippo Moscatello turns in another peak-time italo-techno crowd-pleaser. Played this last week and three people came up to ask what it was. And his forthcoming Munk remix is pure quality too.

5. White Rose Movement – Love Is A Number [white]

I don’t know who these people are or who’s putting this single out but it’s on the Paul Epworth production showreel, there are a few white label 12’s floating about and it’s bloody great. Indebted to the more synthetic end of new wave pop, but getting it just right, with big hooks aplenty.

6. Tiger Sushi

I regularly froth about Joakim who hasn’t put a foot wrong in the last 3 years;  now his label Tiger Sushi is about to put out two more great records. Poni Hoax ‘Budapest’ is a fantastic bit of horror-disco, with anxious female vocal and creaking cellos. And to follow there’s a new collaboration between Joakim and Samy Birnbach aka DJ Morpheus (vocalist in cult Belgian new wave group ‘Minimal Compact’), with a great Rub and Tug re-edit of ‘Nil Nil’ on the flip.

7. Andy Weatherall at Fabric

Reminding us what a great house DJ he is in Room 1 a week ago with a fantastic set that had all the Fabric staff on the dancefloor. A perfect end to my birthday;  he even dropped the Snoop’s Acid Drop booty (which I had been too scared to play earlier thinking it wasn’t a Fabric record) to rapturous response. A proper hero.

8. Anita Baker – Rapture

An all-time favourite that manages unfailingly to put me in a great mood. Since the mid-80’s so many crimes have been committed against soul music by female balladeers grand-standing and going completely over-the-top with their vocal technique and somehow leaving all the feeling at home. You just have to listen to this record to be reminded how it should be done; yes, it’s slick FM electric piano laden 80’s soul and there are pyrotechnics a-plenty but not one ad-lib feels superfluous and every song is a blinder. I usually put it to do the housework in the morning and sing along really badly. I've heard it so many times that I know every tiny warble. So far my neighbours have been too polite to complain. It's either that or Queens of the Stone Age 'No One Knows' but it's difficult to vacuum and air-drum at the same time.

9. Summer records

Spring has sprung, I’m sneezing all the time due to some particularly virulent strain of German Überpollen and breezy summer records are beginning to emerge. The new Max 404 single ‘Spin My World’  [Eskimo] is slow and dreamy Balearic pop. There’s a new Lindstrom mix of ‘Secret Pillow’ by Bermuda Triangle [Planet Noise] which is as catchy as can be, and Star You Star Me’s next single for Moodmusic 'Sweet Things' is yet more Scandinavian disco loveliness. Take  me to the seaside this minute.

10. Misericord 001

Watch this space.