From Moodymann to Microman, and a pretty obscure, beautifully strange and strangely beautiful Swedish record from 1999. The slightly lo-fi YouTube clip below contains both tracks from side A, but the whole EP is excellent. Warm, understated deep house is the order of the day, and while you can hear influences ranging from Larry Heard… Continue reading Microman – Design-Shop-House
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Moodymann – JAN
This sprawling, 11-minute epic from 2001 is one of the last truly great Kenny Dixon Jr productions, for my money. A low-down, insistent bassline and a 4/4 kick power the sparse first section along underneath an eerie tapestry of choirs, Rhodes and strings, interspersed with cool-as-fuck samples (one of which gives this blog its name) of… Continue reading Moodymann – JAN
The Detroit Escalator Co – Gratiot
Here's some Sunday loveliness from one of the most beautiful records ever to come out of the Motor City. The Soundtrack (313) album appeared out of the blue on Russ Gabriel's Ferox label in 1996 (many of the tracks also feature on Peacefrog's Excerpts collection a few years later) and it was a real breath… Continue reading The Detroit Escalator Co – Gratiot
African Blues – Word Sound Power
In honour of Ron Trent, who hits La Cheetah in Glasgow this Friday for a five-hour set, here’s a personal favourite from his sprawling back catalogue. Released in 1998 on Clairaudience, this collaboration with Anthony Nicholson manages to stay just the right side of the bongo-heavy noodling that can mar a lot of his post-Prescription… Continue reading African Blues – Word Sound Power
Future Sound Of London – Calcium
I was reminded of this vintage cracker via one of my all-time favourite DJs, Dave Siska over at the mighty Sonic Sunset, who used it on his most recent mix to devastating effect. From their 1991 full-length Accelerator - an album that was no stranger to my teenage Walkman - it's dated surprisingly well compared… Continue reading Future Sound Of London – Calcium
Circulation – Memory
Top-drawer house from San Francisco's Joshua on Prescription's Balance offshoot in 1996. There's a rawness and intensity to this cut that really set it apart from a lot of mid-90s deep stuff: the huge buzzing synths feed back into giant walls of echo; the tough, stripped-back beats are punctuated with bold 16th-note kick drum fills;… Continue reading Circulation – Memory
Stasis – Artifax
Picking a highlight from the Likemind catalogue isn't easy. The short-lived label released just four EPs from 1993-95 - featuring Stasis, B12, Andy Turner (of Plaid/Black Dog fame), Kirk Degiorgio and Nuron - but virtually every track is a masterpiece from a time when all the key players in British deep techno were at the peak… Continue reading Stasis – Artifax
Holy Garage – Surprise (Isolee remix)
Isolee has long been lodged in the upper ranks of my favourite producers, and this is one of the tracks that helped put him there. My copy appears on a cryptic 1996 12" on Eye Q (licensed from the very first release on Playhouse) along with a LoSoul mix, but it's Isolee who steals the… Continue reading Holy Garage – Surprise (Isolee remix)
Glenn Underground – SJU
Big Glenn churned out dozens of killers in the mid-90s but saved some of the best for his pair of GU Essentials EPs for Cajual. This cut from the first volume in 1995 is a standout, with synthlines weaving around each other on top of gorgeous chords, underpinned by a weighty bassline and slamming drums.… Continue reading Glenn Underground – SJU
Fusion – Never Forget It
A cheeky brown 10" from Russ Gabriel on Planet E from 1996 - a period when pretty much everything Carl Craig's label released was utterly essential. Russ had already built up a name for himself through his own Ferox label, and his killer Alligator Voodoo 12" came out on Soma around this time too, but… Continue reading Fusion – Never Forget It
Nothin' But Magic 