DJ/producer/game developer
Though I was never really a fan of vocal house this week’s throwback is a bit of an exception.
As I’ve mentioned before I was a fan of Esthero’s early work and I immediately fell in love with this song when I heard first heard it. It’s got a warm summery vibe to it and it seems fitting for this dreary Fall day. Hopefully it brightens your day a little bit!
Ian Pooley feat. Esthero – Balmes (A Better Life) c. 2001:
Going to keep it on the chill side again this week.
I’ve always been a big fan of Looking Good/Good Looking/etc. (LTJ Bukem’s labels) and while they’re not nearly as prolific these days a lot of the releases have stood the test of time quite well in my opinion.
I remember when I first discovered intelligent/atmospheric drum & bass – probably one of the first genres of drum & bass that I got into, and heavily. Hell I used to listen to the stuff when going to sleep, heh.
I listen to a track like this and it still gives me the same feeling that it did 15 years. And every time that pad sweeps across the frequency range it still sends chills down my spine!
“Tokyo Dawn” by Doc Scott c. 1996:
So this will be the last throwback before I officially start my new job. I’ve been with my current employer, Lixar, for almost 8 years now. When I started it was maybe a dozen or so people in a smallish office in Westboro (Ottawa). It’s now quadruple that with a satellite office in Halifax and key clients in the US and UK.
As I said in my letter of notice I’ve learned a lot over the past nearly 8 years. I’ve also made a lot of friends. It’s funny how leaving a job after this long feels a lot like moving away. The only difference being that you’re still in the same city! Hopefully I’m able to keep in touch with everyone.
This week’s throwback is a tune that brings back a lot of memories of my first summer at Lixar. I vividly remember listening to it on a sunny summer day – blue sky, the sunlight streaming in. I remember feeling comfortable; at ease. This track still gives me that feeling and also fills me with positive vibes for the future.
This is also the tune that really hooked me on Sonic & Silver (AKA Accidental Heroes) and I’ve loved just about everything they’ve done in this style since.
Sonic & Silver “Space Cadet” c. 2003:
FYI if you’re curious the company I’m going to is Livelenz. I’ve been appointed the new Director of Software Development. I think it’s a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to the challenge.
As I’ve mentioned a couple times over the past month or so my wife and I are celebrating our first wedding anniversary this weekend. I thought it would be only fitting to post something that might bring back some memories of our first year together.
Dom & Roland “Can’t Punish Me” c. 2000:
While she listens to this I just want to tell her that I love her. I know I don’t say it often enough.
Okay so it’s Thursday, and it’s my birthday, so I’m going to do something different, perhaps slightly predictable, and use a lot of commas in the process.
So first, the #1 song on my date of birth:
Meh, okay.
Next, some other interesting facts about this day in 1980:
Something very interesting, perhaps a bit dark and depressing, that my wife and I have in common on that last point: Terry Fox died the following year, on her birthday. So I made him stop and she finished him off! Damn.
I just realized I have yet to post any ASC, so I’ll do one better: ASC & Subwave “Bio-rhythm” c. 2006
This is pretty much the epitome of “techmospheric” drum & bass, at least in my opinion.
ASC has been a huge influence on me and this is one track that’s stuck with me through the years. For any producers out there, he’s recently released a sample pack available on LoopMasters. And if you want to hear (lots) more ASC check out this mix by one of my favourite DJs at the moment, Mav. (Check check… yes yes! )
Busy, busy so a quick one today – working on The WAX’s album, a couple new solo EPs and a few other miscellaneous collabs and projects. Definitely at capacity in terms of how much I’m able to take on without getting divorced! (ANGIE IF YOU’RE READING THIS THAT’S A JOKE!)
I had completely forgotten about this track until just recently so of course it prompted me to go back and listen to a bunch of old Ill.Skillz (D.kay & Rawfull) tracks. They’re all pretty solid but for me this one captures their sound best and most tastefully.
The second half feels sort of half-baked but I think it’s just the synth tone that’s not doing it for me, Overall, a great track though. If you like this sound also check out Bowser and Be There 4 U by these guys for some more classic throwback action (or Never See The Sun for something instrumental)
Ill.Skillz remix of Sunchase & Yana Kay’s “Remember Me” c. 2004:
So I’m playing a live techno set this Saturday under the monicker “Dr. Beardsley”. It’s all very bass/synth-heavy techno so I figured it was only fitting to post a classic track with a big bassline. As the majority of older techno I know doesn’t actually have big basslines we’ll have to go with a minimal bassline…
I really wanted to post Henrik B’s “Stuntman” but was unable to find it online and unfortunately didn’t have the time to upload it. Just going through my techno crates now I came across something similar though, and something much more significant and relevant.
Relevant because I played a show with this guy in 99, around the time the track was released. Not only that, but my set was…. yup… live techno!
Significant because it was at this show that I started dating my wife. (Aww, young raver love!) What really brings it all full circle is that we got married on that same day 11 years later, and will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary in exactly one month from today.
So there you have it, a story of love and techno. And quite understandably, this track always sends chills down my spine.
D.A.V.E. the Drummer Hydraulix 2 side A c. 1999:
Now back to work preparing for the show!
So for this week’s throwback I wanted to do a little ode to “acid” (not the drug, but the form of music – acid house, acid techno, etc.)
As I’m sure most of you are aware, it was Roland’s TB-303 that was responsible for the birth of acid. It was released in 1981 as a “bassline synthesizer”. Of course it sounded a hell of a lot more like a “synthesizer” than a “bass”, but I’m sure at least a few artists used it for its “intended” purpose.
This week’s track is one which I wasn’t intimately familiar until today. I’m sure I’ve heard it before but would not have been able to place a name to it until now. Some would argue this was one of the first acid tracks. Others might argue it was something off of Charanjit Singh’s “Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat”. I’ll let you be the judge. I’m going with the former for today, but be sure to check out the later too.
“Acid Tracks” from Phuture, c. 1987:
So there you have it. I’ve learned something new today. Hopefully you did too.
Have some other classic acid tracks to recommend? Leave a comment!
So I’m playing an all vinyl set tomorrow night. Not only that, but an all 90s drum & bass vinyl set! Going through the old records brings back a lot of memories. Now, this is not going to be a post about how vinyl is better than CD/MP3/the digital age/Jesus/etc. Hell, I don’t necessarily think it is. I looove the digital age.
I will say this though: what I like about vinyl or physical mediums in general is that each one has a story to tell. You just don’t think about an MP3 like “Hey I remember the day I logged onto Beatport and downloaded that track”. There is generally a time and a place associated with a piece of vinyl.
Many of my vinyls have stickers from the stores where I purchased them… Bowggy Records, One Unity, etc. Classic record shops in Ottawa that I used to go to weekly to source new tracks. These days you can just go online and buy an MP3 without having to talk to a single person. Without meeting anyone new.
That’s not to say the option wasn’t there to order online when I was buying vinyl. It was, and often I would because the shops just wouldn’t get certain tracks or labels. But it was nice to have the option to go somewhere and buy music among other DJs.
I guess one could argue that you could just go to a Starbucks with your laptop and buy music online in the presence of others, but it’s not the same. The record shop was the place to talk about the newest tracks, production, shows, setup gigs, etc.
So if there’s one thing I miss about vinyl, it’s that. That, and it’s fun to play. Other than that, I hate it! 😉 It’s heavy, it’s expensive and it degrades.
So yeah, this week’s throwback is an ode to vinyl. As I already posted the very first vinyl I bought, I will post what I think might be the second or pretty close to it.
Ed Rush & Optical, Funktion, c. 1998: