This is something I already do to a certain degree on a local message board. We all post up what our record orders are or were for the other local guys and gals to sort through and maybe find something they themselves enjoy. I'm going to try and start putting my own list up on Fun in the Murky for now on as well. I'm surprised I've not done it sooner to tell the truth.
Feel free to add your own recent purchases in the comment section.
When we post these lists on the local board we just stick to the basics, but for the FitM posts I'll flesh it out a bit more and tell you where I got the records and give you a discogs link as well. Enjoy!
Episode 16 teaches us all about Freestyle or 'Latin Hip Hop'. I've always been partial to the Freestyle/Break-dance cross-overs as I'm sure you're aware from some of my Electro etc. mixes. I've never bothered to make up a complete mix of it though so this episode will probably get lots of at home in the living room air time. The last bit of the sow is Detroit themed, but really there are parallels between Ed's Detroit drawn tracks and the Freestyle in the first half. Remove the vocals and shuffle the beats differently and you've got similar stuff.
British DJ/producer Jerome Hill runs Don't Recordings and frequently pops up on Fun in the Murky - not only because his label "has been fighting against the blandness and sheep mentality that pollutes the techno scene", but because it (and Hill) also happen to produce and play mighty fine tunes.
I read on Discogs that you first got your turntables "in 1990 after being inspired by the pirate radio sounds of London." How accurate is this, and could you add a wee bit more info into the mix?
"Sure, that was the year when I discovered 'electronic' music. Before that, thanks to my dad, I was a late '50s/early '60s rock and roll enthusiast (and still am)... but in 1990 me and my friends started listening to the London pirates, in particular Fantasy FM and in particular DJ Hype, who at the time was spinning everything from acid house and hip hop to Brooklyn breaks and Belgian techno; it was a really inspiring time and looking back you can hear the music gradually morphing into what people now generically call 'old skool'. Without a doubt my favourite years for electronic music are still 1990 and 1991."
Where exactly were you born, and what's it famous for?
"Exactly? pretty much on the corner of Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith in West London, famous for... erm... difficult question, I suppose the BBC. Also the junkyard in Steptoe and Son was situated in Shepherd's Bush, and the Only Fools and Horses theme tune sings about buying dodgy tat [small, cheap, and usually tasteless items] 'from a mush in Shepherd's Bush'. The very embodiment of glamour!"
You worked with Rob Stow as Groove Asylum; is that project finished now?
"It's not 'finished', but it has been dormant for the last eight years or so - mainly due to both of us being busy with work and not living near each other anymore."
How do you draw the line between DJing and production, and which avenue gives you the most satisfaction?
"For me, DJing is playing records. Production is knocking around ideas on equipment and computers - a clear line and I'll always be a DJ first 'cos there's so much well made and inspiring music that's already been made that people don't get to hear enough of. For me it isn't just about mixing and scratching records, it's about searching for, obsessing about and digging around for different styles and weird little cuts or snippets. That little two-minute gem on an otherwise rubbish album that no one else is gonna own; that freaky rockabilly cover version with a massive drum break all the way through and bass so big that even the techno heads are gonna go for it..."
What keeps you most motivated?
"Discovering new and old music, and discovering artists who are making it well. I'm a terrible vinyl junkie and I'm also addicted to following evolutions and trails from many types of non-electronic music. Also of course the amount of noncommittal, wishy-washy tripe that gets passed off as music and forced down the throats of the spoon-fed majority... That's a big motivation 'cos the more of that that gets shat out into existence, the more it needs balancing out."
What do you foresee happening with the music we care about in 2010?
"The pessimist in me foresees less and less being released and even more genre nitpicking. It's like the ocean froze over and now the ice has cracked and all the bits are floating away from each other in different directions, so it's time to throw each other a line and start pulling it all together again - strength in numbers... or something like that! I'm not saying join the ice back together, but maybe realise that all the bits can co-exist next to each other and it's still 'ice' and you don't have to call one bit 'north-west ice', because it's happened to have floated two degrees north-west ...or something like that!!"
What gear/software are you making most use of?
"At the moment I'm using a Nord 2, Waldorf Pulse and a smug, temperamental and overpriced Macbook Pro!!"
Which part of your studio is the most vital?
"I do have an old horn style gramophone of which I'm very fond and my monitors give me lots of pleasure - but the decks and mixer get the most use."
Which artists and labels are grabbing your attention right now?
"It goes without saying that everyone whose music I release on the label always grabs my attention. Aside from that it's always hard to answer fairly whilst on the spot, as inevitably you forget loads of people, but I'll try... Here're a few off the top of my head: Subhead (still), Ghislain Poirier, North of Ping Pong, Grimjaw, The Bug, Ben Pest, Norman (Snork/HörspielMusik), Gruff Records, Edan, Imperial Leisure, Fedka the Irritant, Finders Keepers label, Mantrap Records out of Dublin, Quick and Smart continues to blow me away even after his sad passing... DJ-wise, it's eclectic locals like Onken, Lusinda, Controlled Weirdness, Warlock, NoyeahNo, Kriminal Mixes, Dexorcist and anyone who mixes it up!"
You've released stuff yourself through Hydraulix, Yolk, Über and Stay Up Forever Collective Vaults. What's your relationship been like with these labels?
"They're an excellent bunch who love doing what they do and have been there pushing their thing since the day dot. Throughout the mid/late '90s and '00s we always played on the same soundsystems, squat parties and clubs and were privileged to witness the crazy good old days of squat parties... even though we play and release different stuff from each other there's still lots of common ground and we go back a long way."
You've run your own sensational label Don't since 2000, through which you've released some of the best current electronica by Paul Birken, TSR, Jason Leach, Luke's Anger, Grimjaw, and your own fine self. Why did you originally start the label?
"For the usual reason: A surplus of material and nowhere to release it. Rob had wound down his Gravitation label in '99 and we had this track in our Groove Asylum live set that was always a popular one - loads of chopped up Dancemania-style beats and I'd scratch in an old UK hip hop accapella (MC Duke's Riffin) over the top on 45 and it just always went down really well so we recorded it in Rob's studio and that became the first release on Don't. It goes for silly money on Discogs now and I'm always kicking myself that i didn't hold some copies back. Then it became just a question of inviting my favourite characters to record tracks for the label plus a bit of sniffing around for fresh material from fresh artists. A particular highlight for me was re-releasing and remixing one of my favourite all-time techno tracks 'Sit on the Bass' from Autonation, a track I've been playing in my sets for the last 20 years... scary!"
How do you feel about the course of Don't ten years later? Did you achieve what you set out to do with the imprint, and what direction would you like to take from here?
"Definitely achieved what I set out to, which was to release only really good music IMO by only really nice people, and for it to have its own identity which I believe it does, and be able to exist on vinyl without releasing lowest-common-denominator music or bowing to current trends."
What's next through Don't?
"Next up is the new Luke's Anger EP ['Zapp the P'Ram'] which is out about now through Veto distribution - big shouts to Harvey, Neil and Rich. I'm really happy with this EP, and you can check it out at swervingthecommunity.com
In the '90s, when you broke through, for me the real movers and shakers of innovative electronica were all British: Cristian Vogel, Si Begg, Dave Tarrida, Subhead, Jamie Liddell, Tube Jerk and Tobias Schmidt. Were you into any of these guys' work at the time?
"Yep. All of them. Begg, Subhead and Lidell used to make my jaw drop with every release while Vogel, Schmidt and Tarrida had particular tracks that would completely blow me away! Tube Jerk/Tim Wright has such a distinct style which I love although I only found him after he released on Sativae in 2000."
What do you think of the "newer" guys shaking things up these days like Luke's Anger, Ben Pest, Paul Birken (not really new at all!) and Donk Boys?
"Well, Paul is a hero of mine from his mid '90s releases and is bestowed with one of the best attitudes in the game. If only everyone in techno had his passion, humour, talent and way with words. Luke always impresses me which is why I'm so happy to host him again on the label! Ben is a good mate and also insanely talented and passionate about his music, the only reason i didn't get anything yet for Don't is that my better half snapped it all up for her label Victim... heh-heh. The Donk boys are great too... love that updated dbx/bleep'n'skip style.
What new Jerome Hill releases can we look out for?
"Well, there's my remix on Don't 017 and there's a new one on a new label that's just come out under a different name... there'll also be an EP a little later in the year on Don't as well as bits and bobs here and there - is that specific enough?" [laughs]
A fair amount of people in electronic/dance music circles are cutting back on vinyl these days because they say it just doesn't make back the money invested. Is vinyl dead - or just becoming more of a select option?
"It's been diagnosed with a serious illness but not going down without a fight!"
Lastly - how do you like your mushrooms cooked?
"I don't care as long as they're chunky quarters and not floppy slithers."
I was a little hurried this week. being buffeted around on various shifts within one week, plus sick people at home made it more difficult than normal to make time to record a set. I still managed of course, but I feel it lacks the cohesion I would prefer. I think you can pick up on it with the sudden changes throughout. You can almost sense the panic as I frantically flip through piles looking for something --anything!-- that will fit with what's currently running out of groove...
In preparation for Block this year, various people are being polled, rolled and queried. Luke is one of them. He has revealed some of his deepest desires, regrets and secrets in this one. You've been warned!
Mark must be back from his tropical vacation. Hawaii must have left him in a good mood and itching to record a new mix since it seems it was the first he did upon his return!
Michael Forshaw "Time To Get 24th Century On Your Ass" Chan'n'Mikes 04R
A1 - Harder And Faster
A2 - Basscrash
B1 - Dance Motherfucker
B2 - Makin More Noise
[ Discogs ]
I mentioned last week that I had meant to record something a little harder than what I did. This week's Bleep is what I intended to air last week with the only problem being I hadn't actually recorded it. Now that this fun assortment of beats, breaks and clanks has been lined up the only thing left to do is enjoy it.
I figured I would have posted this before now, but I don't see it anywhere on FitM. I guess I either missed it originally or forgot to do it period. Or, as may be the actual case I'm only just seeing it now.
Over at Addictech there is a new digital release that I recommend checking out. It's by the now relatively quiet Wee Djs and is more than an hour of previously unreleased music. I started off listening to individual tracks thinking to myself I'll grab this one and then this other one, but before I knew it I was signed up to buy the lot. It's a whole CD of Electro for half of what a record cost over here. Win-win.
I sat down this week with the intent of recording something hard, dirty and full of metallic clanks. That didn't pan out. What I ended up doing was something much more House oriented with only a couple harder tracks. No regrets, there's always next week.
Everyone likes free. I do, but when it's a free EP of downloadable tracks I always get a little cranky. That's only because I have no way of playing them. Someday I'll join the ranks of the unclean and get some sort of new fangled gadget to play media other than vinyl. It'll be the EPs like this one that force me to catch up with the rest of you. "Gone Phishing" gives me a big ol' dbx-esque chubby. Nice one Luke!
I don't normally post too much Si Begg, but this one I enjoyed a bit of. The Original mix and the Shades of Rhythm remix will most likely get some air time from me. I had high hopes for the Unique 3 remix, but I feel it came off sounding too modern housey.
Our latest official in the mudlove mix series features the talents of Luke's Anger. He has created a mix for us that is quite special and has an attitude that we love here at mudlove. more...
...So head on over and check it out. A couple live sets and now a new dj set. Luke has been busy lately.
This week was very close to having no show. Because it was right up to the wire, I've got not a lot to say. It chugs where it needs to and actually has a part I can't stand hearing. It involves a mistake. Re-recording the mix is not my style though so y'all get it warts and all.
To tell the truth, these monthly statistic posts I do are all starting to blur together. I do keep track of it all in a spreadsheet, but I rarely actually look back at the data. I worry about trending at work, I don't need to bother myself with it at home. I'm going to base today's little spiel on the previous month's data only.
This month was better.
That's much easier. I think I may keep this method up. I do want to say thank you to anyone who has clicked on a banner though. I paid for a year of hosting with a cheque I just got from Google. The rate you guys have been clicking it looks like the site may be officially paying for itself as of now basically) That's as much as I ever wanted. If the ad revenue ever amounts to more than what the hosting costs I'll look into giving us some sort of add-on to make life cooler (if not better).
