Quarion’s June chart

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been more than two years since my last official chart! But it just happened that I feel like doing it again for some unknown reason…and of course because there’s a lot of very good music out there! So here we go for another selection of tunes that have been rocking my world this month, some yet to be released, some already in the shops:

Baikal – Just You And Me (feat. The Drifter) / Why Don’t Ya – Maeve

The debut from an unknown artist on a new label ? Well kind of, the only thing I can tell is that Maeve is co-run by 2012’s hotshot Mano Le Tough. So what can we expect? One of the best records of 2012, no less! Both tunes are masterfully crafted, tough enough to rock any dancefloor, yet deep enough to please all the true music heads.

Ripperton – Show Me – Tamed Musiq

My mate Ripperton is really killing it on this epic house tune : intricate percussion, dramatic piano chords and a killer analog bass workout. Clocking in at 11 minutes but without a single repetitive moment, this is the real definition of panoramic House music.

Dachshund & Quenum – The Mammoth – Rebellion

Two of Geneva’s finest team up for a tune that is causing major damage on the floor! I’ve managed to get hold of this track a few months ago and I’ve been dropping it in all of my sets ever since. The trick here is the old school « reese » bassline : as soon as it drops, you want to scream « rewind !!! » and pretend like it’s 1996 at the Blue Note all over again…

Session Victim – Harlequin – Retreat

This one is coming out on Retreat at the end of July and it’s very special : SVM get to grips with « Harlequin » from Rootstrax and turn it into a funk workout with live bass! It sounds so organic, you would swear Session Victim are a forgotten 1970’s Funk band that just happen to make House music before the cats in Chicago…

Georgia Anne Muldrow – Seeds (LP) – Someothaship

I was always a Madlib fan, but I really became addicted to his music when he started the « Medecine Show » series back in 2010. What was better than getting a dope new Madlib album every month?!!? Since then, I’ve been a bit desperate for a Beat Konducta fix, that is  until I discovered that he recently produced the whole “Seeds” album! Georgia and Otis are definitely a match made in heaven and « Seeds » is one of the most soulful and freakiest albums I’ve heard in a while. Plus, it’s pretty short too, which makes you want to play it over and over again!

I:Cube – M Megamix (LP) – Versatile

Ahhh, this album…Again, I’ve been lucky enough to get a promo Test Pressing back in April and I’ve been listening to it ever since. It’s one of those « love it or hate it » albums and has already sparked up a few heated debates. I personaly think that “M Megamix” is a pure work of genius : 24 so-good-it-hurts tracks in roughly an hour, blended in an almost zapping manner. There’s been nothing like this album before and it’s definitely a landmark for elctronic music. I:Cube for president!

Alden Tyrell – Rush/Tntus – Clone Basement Series

I looooove these series from Clone ! This piece of wax is straight-up raw Techno : drum machines, a chord sound and that’s it! Of course I play this at -4 or -6 on the turntable but it still works a charm…

Charles Webster Feat. Shana Halligan – Give Me More – Miso

Also one of the stables in my box these last few weeks, “Give Me More” is the sort of music I strive for as a producer, a tune that is complex yet soulful, reduced yet groovy. Charles Webster is the master of blending US soul sensitivity with european freaky electronics and this track is the perfect showcase.

Underworld – Crocodile (Âme Live Remix) – Innervisions

A stripped-down, straight-to-the-point live rework from one of my all-time favourite duo. The track unfolds slowly until the catchy vocal and then gets loose with one of the nastiest synth workout since Carl Craig’s remix of Cesaria Evora.

Chymera – Death By Misadventure (LP) – Connaisseur

I love this album simply for the fact that it evolves in its own universe and that only repeated listens will reveal all of its secrets. “Death By Misadventure” pretty much covers the whole spectrum of electronic music yet manages to stay coherent and groovy. One of the best dance music albums of recent memory…

The White Lamp – It’s You (Ron Basejam remix) – Future Boogie

I’ve also been playing this one for weeks but the effect is always the same : People get hooked when the bassline drops and start shouting during the second break when these tear-jerking rhodes chords come in. « The Sun comes shining »…definitely one of this summer’s tune!

Edu Lobo – Por Edu Lobo – Elenco

I feel a bit ashamed, but it’s only recently that I’ve been properly digging brazilian music. I guess I needed to travel over there to catch the virus and thanks to some recent gigs in São Paulo, I’m very addicted to Bossa and Brazilian Jazz now. This album from Edu Lobo featuring the legendary Tamba Trio is nothing short of a masterpiece and refuses to leave my turntable since days…

Quarion’s december chart

Oh yeah, here we go again: another round of honest and uncensored charts from yours truly, Q-chan! As usual, a lot of different music is featured in my selection so I hope that it will inspire you to dig a little deeper…

Rufus & Chaka – Masterjam (LP – 1979) – MCA: Seems like I’m having a little fixation with everything that involved the pairing of producer Quincy Jones and writer Rod Temperton in the late 70’s/early 80’s…these two legends had a  chemistry that was seldom matched in showbiz. Add the slick groove of the Rufus band with the vocal acrobatics of Chaka Khan and you come up with “Masterjam”, another perfect Funk/pop album. My song-writing partner Jules Etienne knows how hooked I am on “Live In Me”…

KiNK – Trevoga – Undertones: This is off his “Psyche Funk EP” and it’s a monster. A very raw track that blurs the boundaries between House, Hip-Hop, Dubstep and Drum n’ Bass, thanks to its prominent old-school breakbeat. From what I heard of his upcoming tracks, you can expect much more madness from KiNK.

Session Victim – The Keyboarder – Delusions Of Grandeur: The Hamburg-Berlin connection is once again in full swing on this cut-up funk masterpiece due out in a few weeks on Jimpster’s label. The groove is undeniable and the disco strings are catchy as hell !

Sigha – Rawww – Hot Flush 2: This is exactly the sort of hybrid track I knew somebody would come up with : a slowed-down dubstep tune that fits in any House or Techno set. The production is so heavy that you’ll feel the whole dancefloor shaking. Continue reading “Quarion’s december chart”

Quarion’s october chart

I know what you’re thinking: “oh, here we go, another boring chart!”. Well, I hope you’ll find this one a bit more interesting, because from now on, I’ve decided to post my charts ONLY on the Retreat blog (and just copy it to RA for good measure). I was tired to post charts everywhere and most of all, I felt it wasn’t always “honest” enough: a chart for Juno for example contains music that’s only available on their shop and since I play a lot of old music, I felt this sort of chart wasn’t representative enough…

but enough of the talk, here are the tracks/albums that move me in october 2009: Continue reading “Quarion’s october chart”