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.
Marcello Napoletano – House Class – Reincarnation: Marcello has been getting a lot of praise these last few months and it’s easy to see why : the man has a lot of bounce in his music! « House Class » is a superb party track that manages to update a formula once mastered by Ron & Chez.
Jayson Brothers – Keep On Dancin’ – Drumpoet Community: a little secret project from the hardest working (young) man in showbusiness that’s due to come out next spring on DPC. My Zürich fam have been hammering the A-side (“The Game”) to death already but in my opinion, the B-side wins again and again. The basic synth loop is infectious and the bassline is just massive!
Lusine – A Certain Distance (LP) – Ghostly International: this release has generated a lot of buzz from all sides of the biz and it’s highly justified. Jeff McIlwain has a very defined sound and knows how to craft pop songs on a canvas of glitchy and hi-tech productions. A beautiful album that is contemporary yet timeless.
Langenberg – Times (Manuel Tur’s Ground Glass Reflex) – Mild Pitch: To be honest, I often think that the Essen boys release a bit too much stuff and that the quality is not always there. But this one is definitely a winner. Thanks to Iron Curtis, I heard Manuel’s remix for the first time on Horst‘s heavy soundsystem and was immediatly hooked by the bassline and the building vocal samples. The ruff, grainy production adds an extra depth to this fine piece of wax.
Jose James – Blackmagic (Joy Orbison Remix) – Brownswood: a beautiful slice of Dubstep-Soul, Joy Orbison’s remix once again proves why he’s one of the new darlings of the scene. The long vocal intro is perfect to set you in the mood until the beats and detroitish pads arrive to take you that bit higher. The Untold remix on the flipside is very good too!
Databoy 78 – Thursday (Lexx Remix) –Running Back: my homeboy Lexx has been adding his subtle but magic touch on this new act coming out on Running Back. The groove will keep you going for days and the bassline will stay in your head forever!
Chiapet – Tick Tock (War Of The Worlds Mix) – Yoshitoshi: this is an old Mood II Swing production I’ve digged from my collection and it hasn’t left my case since a few weeks…I can’t believe I forgot how dramatic, heavy and downright funky this track was! The vibe is so intense, it seems to annihilate every track that was played before it and makes you feel like the party has just started. Get it while you still can!
John Daly – Aurora – IRR: John is the master of slo-mo discoid house and this EP on International Records Recordings (one of the best label names ever!) does not disappoint. The loose beats and “broken” pads give the track a very live feel while the bassline keeps the whole thing steady.
Kasper – Dub 106 – Esperanza: there’s a lot of dub-techno or dub-house tracks these days but this one is definitely one of the best, despite its uninspired name. I discovered this track thanks to Mark and immediately got lost in its perfect loop and panoramic production.
Falty DL – Party – Ramp: Another great Dubstep/House hybrid (this time with the groove changing about 2/3 of the track). This one just rolls and rolls, helped by a very exciting vocal. Also recommended is Falty’s sweet and sour EP on Planet Mu.
Shinedoe – No Boundaries (Martin Buttrich RMX) – Intacto: this tune is more on the minimal side of things but the production is just top notch. The sub bass creeps under your skin while the track builds in intensity with shuffling sounds until everything breaks down in a detroitish break. Great stuff!