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
Tag: house
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
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
Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia – SA Track 1
...in which the mysterious Dutch techno collective take an unexpected detour into deep house with a track that would have been right at home on Prescription. I'm a total sucker for those syncopated polysynth chords that were Ron Trent and Chez Damier's mid-90s trademark (used to arguably their greatest effect in The Choice, which deserves… Continue reading Psychick Warriors Ov Gaia – SA Track 1
Housefactors – Big Bang Theory
I've got Laurence Hughes to thank for turning me on to this absolute killer from Larry Heard on Black Market from back in 1990. It's a bleepy, FX-laden groove that wouldn't have been at all out of place on Warp at the time. But really it's all about those heavenly, heartstring-tugging pad chords that no… Continue reading Housefactors – Big Bang Theory
Abacus – Relics
Here’s a straight-up classic from the vaults to kick things off. Released on Prescription in 1994, the debut from Austin ‘Abacus’ Bascom is a masterclass in using a limited palette to the very fullest. There’s little here beyond some sparse 808 and 727 drums, a couple of synths and a delay unit, but anyone who’s… Continue reading Abacus – Relics
Nothin' But Magic 