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I've been so wrapped up in New Year's Eve preparations I don't have anyone planned for next month yet, but we're kicking off 2010 in style. A TA with broad and brilliant tastes who can seemingly mix any genre he chooses to great effect, it's the man they call...
Sand Leaper
Bad Brains - Big Takeover
Harley Flanagan's description of the intro to this tune on the documentary American Hardcore really says it all. Do see it if you get the chance, and get ready to be thrown around the mosh pit like a rag doll when this tune kicks in. Also, youtube this tune for some very entertaining footage of Bad Brains from CBGBs, including a teenage Adam Yauch moshing his head off.
Stiff Little Fingers - Suspect Device
Ah, nothing like a bit of proper punk rock venom. I first discovered these guys by playing Tony Hawk on PS2, and Suspect Device remains my favourite tune from this band. A deliciously straight-forward, simple and earnest kick up the bum for the authorities.
Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod
Gibby Haynes must have been completely sloshed when he did the vocals for this, even though he wasn't exactly a stranger to rambling madness through his years in Butthole Surfers. This tune still works like a charm though, hooking you right in with its tearing guitars and breakneck tempo. Don't play this in your car, as the risk of getting a speeding ticket will increase significantly.
Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel - DI-1-9026
Who said industrial couldn't be funky? J.G. Thirlwell provides another good example of how to toss everything you'd normally associate with "industrial" right out the window. Taken from the tasty album "Nail".
Killing Joke - Pssyche (Live)
It's easy to see why this particular live version made it onto the KJ-compilation "Laugh? I Nearly Bought One!". The intensity and the coordination is absolutely top notch, and the result is a rawer and even grittier rendition of one of the best tunes in the band's catalogue. I especially love those moog blasts that come in halfway through.
Front Line Assembly - Mindphaser
I don't think I've ever gotten to play any EBM in any of my sets so far. Time to change that with this brilliant piece of dystopic metropolitan darkness, complete with bombs and laser artillery going off in the outro.
Clock DVA - Voice Test Recognition
Clock DVA had already been contemplating the future of artificial intelligence and computer technology for years when it suddenly became the norm for electro to do so. This tune is one of my favourites from them, combining these reflections with a very spacey soundscape and a pulsating beat that really gets the job done.
Skinny Puppy - Worlock
While the album "Rabies" never became a very acclaimed or popular release in SP's catalogue, this tune is nevertheless a brilliant example of what the band can do at its best. The snarling and demented vocals from cEvin Key mesh brilliantly with those wonderful strings that pour in towards the end, ending the tune on a very intense high note. Clever sampling of Helter Skelter as well.
Tyrell Corp. - Running (Turn In, Tune Out, Drop Out)
It's hard to believe that the person behind Culture Beat would at the same time be responsible for tunes like this one. The spoken word vocals from Nosie Katzmann and the sparse yet effective synths provide a combination that would become immensely popular with techno producers years later.
Spacebuggy - Spacebuggy 1
Percy X and Chris Cowie were simply on fire in the early 90s, churning out one gem after another in the grey area between techno and trance. Spacebuggy 1 just might be their greatest achievement, a tune that draws its impact from its subtleties and hypnotic, driving rhythms. When people ask me about trance, this is one tune I am guaranteed to play again and again.
Wildplanet - Electron (Eurosync Mix)
Wild Planet is another one of those brilliant yet terribly underrated techno producers from the Detroit-end of the spectrum. Electron places a lot less focus on those familiar Detroit-strings, and instead centers itself around a grinding bass and 303 instead. One of the punchiest detroit techno tunes I've come across so far.
Cosmic Baby - Magic Cubes
A slightly tweaked version of the uber classic "Cosmic Cubes", exclusive for the Trancemaster-series. Tough to mix, as it doesn't seem to care much about your usual dj friendly structure, but that rolling bassline and those cascading synths on top that never seem to let up make it all so worth it.
Union Jack - Two Full Moons & A Trout (Caspar Pound Remix)
Another hit getting the Caspar Pound-treatment. This worked very successfully before on his rework of "Spectrum" by Metal Master for Harthouse UK, and it works even better here, beefing up the original considerably for a punchy and thumping journey. The slight similarity to Marmion - Schöneberg is noticeable, though.
Om - Wheels Of Light
If you love trance, you need the Om-album "Instant Enlightenment" in your life. Combine Dennis Ferrer's oldschool trance/acid sensibilities with the gorgeous ambience bank in Tetsu Inoue's head, and you'll get this, an absolutely gorgeous tune with bubbling melodies and chirping 303s to put a big smile on your face.
Digital Excitation - Sunburst (Cubic 22 Remix)
Here's another random golden oldie I came across while digging through my old trance compilations. It has just the right kind of subtlety I like in my trance tunes, especially from this era.
The Volunteers - Sun Down
DJ Dag and B-Zet collaborated in 1992 to make this beauty for Eye-Q. While it has become somewhat overlooked in favor of the label's bigger hits, such as Brainchild - Symmetry or Cafe del Mar, it is every bit as lovely, deserves just as much praise and really shows that you don't need to bombard the listener with studio trickery and a ton of melodies to make an impact.
Brainstorm - Birdy
Wow. I can't believe I have overlooked this one for so long. Stumbled across it on an old compilation, and the sheer hypnotic effect it has just blew me away. This tune just rushes out of your speakers, while whirling, beautiful synth melodies lodge themselves into your brain and birds chirp cheerfully in the background. R&S once again come up with the goods. One for the dreamers.
Mystic Force - Final Journey
Finally, a simple, mellow and very pretty synth jam from Russel Hancorne to finish the proceedings. The track sounds like it was made quite spontaneously, with just some beats and a few chords here and there, but this kind of approach is just so refreshing to hear now that we are overloaded with tunes that are polished and tweaked to death.
Download link: http://ourboardmusic.com/SandLeaper...tuff_301209.mp3
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Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24
Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/
Last edited by Sushipunk on May-03-2011 at 22:15
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