Vins, Replika, Onur Özman, Captain Futuro
Summertime has arrived. I am offloading and unlocking the past two years of focused study and learning, taking everything in with a fresh outlook. Looking for a place to practice this new chapter in my design work and really establish the basis of my contribution to the professional field. It’s a tremendous feeling. It’s been aided by all the warmth, the lush, green scenery, the friends, and of course– the music. Having spent less and less time exploring for new tracks while focusing on music research for my thesis, , I am finally starting to get back into the rhythm. It got pretty scary, my Recently Added playlist was almost empty (never made it there, thankfully). Anyway, here are some sociable cuts for those hot summer outings.
Vins – Stoop Rap – Gimme The Loot EP 1
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
I caught this new favorite track off the mix Todd Terje (say. Tair-yay, I think?) threw down for Tim Sweeney on Beats in Space. Although I’m totally into SE62, I likely would have missed out on this Vs. split single otherwise…so glad I didn’t miss it though. This sort of complete re-imagination and re-invigoration of an old tune is incredible to me. Producer incorporated the sample heard at the tracks astounding peak (starts around 2:00 in) from KK Rockwell & Rodney C’s Stoop Rap, which appeared in the iconic Wild Style documentary, a striking snapshot of a nascent urban street culture– hip hop, graffiti and turntablism. Fast forward more than 20 years to the present day, and Vins essentially puts a hulking, sub-bumping beat around the original a capella, like placing a little man into a gigantic mech robot in an anime film. Love this track.
A Few Dudes – Nice Trip (Replika’s Trippin’ Cut) – Nice Trip EP
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
It’s been a while since I got into any of the cleaner, more progressive tones of house music, as I become more disco-centric each day…but I still know how to pick out sounds that I like, and this brilliant re-work by of the Russian duo ‘ track, Nice Trip, was full of them. I enjoy the soft, stringy stabs, as well as the dubby stabs, and how the two of them interconnect, I enjoy the fact that there aren’t any stupid unnecessary vocal breakdowns or vocal stabs, just some faint voice wishing me a “nice trip.” I enjoy that the bass doesn’t sound like half the deep house throwaways coming out today, even if it doesn’t knock my socks off. This isn’t a new track either, but it really caught my ear when I was browsing late night.
Onur Özman – People of Planet X – Dresden Codex EP
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
On this blog, I’ve been an ardent Turkish deep house proponent, not only because I have many Turkish friends and I am fascinated by Turkish culture at the “crossroads of the world,” but because I’m pleasantly surprised quite often by the above-average quality of Turkish deep house as a whole. Enter , a producer I’ve been aware of, but hadn’t found a “gotta blog it” track of his yet as I had with other Turks like Onur Engin, Tolga Fidan, Evren Ulusoy, etc., that is until now. His catalogue, especially some of the more recent releases and appearances, is strong. Stronger than I would have thought, thus why I am often surprised, I mean it’s tough to go wrong with a little Marvin in your track, but the A-side of this recent release on Dutchie is equally tantalizing. Check him out if you haven’t yet.
Captain Futuro – Firehoes – The Captain Returns EP
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Finally, a little bit of disco hop for your sunday afternoon parties and BBQs, I guess the subject matter of the lyrics really clashes with the sentiment of disco itself, but it is catchy…especially when we hear Busta take the mic and stimulate our minds with the astute observation, “there’s some hoes in this house.” It’s just fun, and that’s what summer is all about folks: make sure you’re enjoying yourself at all times. Sometimes we may need a reminder. This one comes from Captain Futuro, aka BnC & Dj Butcher. It’s out now on Chopshop, more info on .