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sorry to get this in late, guys:
here are some notes on the tracks:
Notes:
01. Sound Patrol Orchestra - Tripping Among The Stars (Live @ Idful) [Organico, 1997]
This is the the beautiful live version of this timeless track by Derrick Carter, a sultry, dreamy, wistful, slow burner that makes a perfect opener. The inflection on the live drums and the raw analog power of the bass is really incomparable to the other versions on the record, which I dug up in my local wax shop.
02. Robert Hood - Fragile Moments [Peacefrog, 2003]
One of few deep house tracks by Rob Hood, 'Fragile Moments' still betrays his techno leanings. I love the synthy swells, jazz arrangement, and spatial quality of the mix. From his excellent offering 'Wire to Wire' on the UK Label Peacefrog, which I should mention is one of the finest electronic labels to have existed.
03. Ron Trent - Morning Factory [Prescription, 1995]
Morning Factory has been a staple of of my crate for years. There is so much tension in this track, in the way that the bass and kick drop out to be replaced with atmospheric pads and vocals. In my deejay sets I tend to use it as a point of transition, in this case from house into a broken beat techno track, because of how easy it is to introduce a new beat during the atmospheric breakdowns.
04. Future Beat Alliance - Eon Link 500 [Delsin, 2000]
This is a blissful, emotive little gem of UK future funk. The strings and cascading delays of bell tone synths meld wonderfully into 'Morning Factory' and effortlessly take the set out of house and into the outer techno universe, setting a breezy, dreamy, lofty tone.
05. Stasis - Utopia Planetia [Peacefrog, 1996]
Utopia Planetia is another wonderful piece of UK techno, also released on Peacefrog. The fluid, labyrinthine, circular motion of the lead line is by and large my favorite part, but what really propels this track is its deep half time bass kick. This tempo warp combined with the 'brownian' motion of the lead line and the business of the organic percussion creates a really unique, surreal atmosphere. Another thing I really appreciate about 'Utopia Planetia' is the way it changes over the course of its length, from dreamy to dark and delirious, which really helps to move the set forward.
06. Terrence Dixon - Tranquility [Nice & Nasty, 2008]
A lesser known and more contemporary piece of stellar detroit techno, 'Tranquility' certainly feels like it could be a lost Infiniti track from the early 90s. The relentless multidimensional, quavering percolation, driving bass, and circular synth work create a wildly psychedelic, introspective, and visceral sonic experience, like stargazing after dropping acid on a carousel.
07. The Parallel - Sigma [Static Recordings, 2008]
This is a more recent production, but again sounds like a classic from the 90s with its subterranean bubbling acid line. The track descends on any mix like night, overtaking any glint of light from the previous track with the pure, still darkness of its droning, undulating bassline and the relentless machinic propulsion of electronic drumming. The long-overdue addition of the 'God Pad' provides some welcome auditory shelter amidst the storm.
08. Infiniti - Think Quick (Moritz von Oswald Mix) [Metroplex, 1994]
The underplayed and underappreciated B2 track on Infiniti's renowned 'Game One/Think Quick' 1994 release. The genius behind this mind-bending arrangement is none other than Moritz von Oswald, of Basic Channel fame. "Think Quick" is definitely a lesser known production from von Oswald, but all of the qualities that make a great basic channel track here are present - almost indetectable graduated modulation in the synth that seems to operate on a time scale other than human, the vertigo-inducing compositional layering and temporal stacking, the deep visceral bass lull, and the cavernous mixing itself.
09. Brian Harden - Instinctive Pleasure [Relief Records, 1996]
This is from one of the prize chicago house records of my collection. All four tracks onBrian Harden's Instinctive Pleasure EP are phenomenal, massive, deep jacking chicago-style techno house. The title track begins with a pensive portamento cadenza suspended in a thick, minor pad chord. This intro makes a perfect suspensful break, and I love mixing it in this way, to allow the hairs on the listener's skin to stand on end before they are swept away by the compression of jacking chicago bass. This track, like many tracks in the mix have a wonderful balance of heavy and light - the inertial bassline holds fast while multifarious melodic lines swirl above. It's for this dynamism and these multidimensional vectors of musical movement that I have called the mix 'Gradience'.
10. Pepe Bradock - Life [Atavisme, 2000]
Just a beautiful classic. Maybe not as beautiful or classic as 'Deep Burnt', but this one doesn't rely on a Freddie Hubbard sample to dampen cheeks - rather, it is the square bass-lead that straddles the emotional chasm between hope and despair. I love the way the square line rises and then falls again, like so many musings. Overall the mood is one of pervasive, terse hope, and 'Life' moves the set towards the end, from introspection to ecstatic extro-spection.
11. Psyance - Gates Of Heaven [Plus 8, 1992]
Before there was minus, there was plus. And for everything minus loses in my opinion, Plus 8 gains. Gates Of Heaven is a classic, lush piece of Detroit Techno, gushing with excitement and hope.
12. Joe Lewis - Piano [Peacefrog, 2005]
There is a rumor that 'Joe Lewis' merely published a set of DAT casettes orginally given to him by a UK artist, Jamie Read. Whether or not Joe Lewis or Jamie Read is the producer of the tracks on this album 'The Return of Joe Lewis', it probably is one of the the best techno albums I own. ******" is a prime example of Future Funk, electro's ecstatic twin. The lilting step of the beat, combined with the 808 snare and hancock-ian keys make this track an irresistable dancefloor filler for me.
13. Carl Craig - Landcruising [Blanco Y Negro, 1995]
Probably the second-most-epic track Carl Craig has made besides his remix of Maurizio's 'Domina' , this track manages to raise the roof even higher on the set, building on the broken beat of 'Piano'. This track never fails to bring an ear-to-ear smile to my face, but it has such a weirdly abrupt ending, which makes it kind of difficult to mix.
14. Scott Grooves - New Day (Part II) [Soma, 1997]
Nothing like a pounding neverending piano techno-house anthem to finish off a set. This one really speaks for its self.
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'Water Dance' has potential but I just never have got around to doing anything with it. I've been taking a long production sabbatical while I immerse myself in more music and reading.
