The Spank! Records Blog

Simon Caldwell Top 10 July 2010

Simon Caldwell is a DJ's DJ. He is also a bit of legend in this town having been behind the decks since the early nineties and is one of the few DJs that has never been pigeonholed into a certain genre or rode the wave of the 'next big thing'. He brings quality to a lineup and his eclectic taste of music is second to none.

He is one of the lads behind the legendary Mad Racket parties and hosts FBi's Sunset program every Monday night on FBi. He's a great friend of Spank's and we are proud to have his Top 10 vinyl chart online.

1. Moody 'It’s 2 Late 4 U And Me' (KDJ)

As a visiting European producer said to me, “Damn, he has done it AGAIN!! Makes you want to give up!” Kenny Dixon Jr. III dishes up a slice of Acid Jazz featuring Bubba and Amp Fiddler on bass and keys. Wobbly acid + sampled vocal + live keys and bass = epic!

2. The Oliverwho Factory 'Night Lights' (Planet E) 

This lush, deep and slightly broken House tune revolves around a dope 80’s boogie-sounding vocal sample and killer bass drop. Co-produced and co-mixed by label honcho Carl Craig, you know it’s sounding good on a big rig.

3. Big Strick '100% Hustler' (FXHE)

On Omar S' label and featuring an Omar remix, this double-pack is pure, rough machine music with plenty of soul and a fair amount of muscle car attitude. At times totally rough and ready, there are some surprisingly beautiful, obtuse moments in there and the drum machines really cut through some of the more 'minimal' laptop business in the mix.

4. Session Victim 'On The Roll' (Retreat) 

The sixth release on this German label continues the clever approach to Deep House. Sample-based cuts with catchy hooks and interesting arrangements, featuring moody Rhodes and cool guitar licks. A bonus instrumental Hip Hop track is also up to par.

5. Hakim Murphy 'Blackrobots Havingsex EP' (Metamorphic) 

Three very nice analog House tunes here plus a Morgan Geist remix. This EP is a deep dose of machine funk with a little bit of an old school Acid feel. Morgan Geist gives 'Jupiter Poop' a minimal facelift, injecting his warm synths into the mix while keeping it simple. More great electronics on Dan Curtin’s longstanding label.

6. Underground Resistance 'Transition' (UR) 

An oldie but still such a goodie! If you have been playing too many gigs or hanging out with people who like Electro, put this tune on and listen to Mike Banks (I can only assume he is responsible for the vocal) lay down the TRUTH, man. It’s deep…

7. Randolph 'Echoes #2' (Still Music)

Paul Randolph is a bass player and vocalist who has worked with several producers, including Moodymann, Jazzanova and Kevin Saunderson. This EP features a charging House remix by Underground Resistance’s Mark Flash, a Hip Hop mix by Dial 81 and two DOPE slow House jams by Deetron. The Deetron vocal and dub are super-heavy bass-led jams with Randolph’s vocals floating on top, interspersed with tasty bleeps and pops.

8. Orlando B 'Beneath The Surface' EP (Yore)

Limited (300) green vinyl featuring four very tasty Deep House cuts. Going for a more mid-90’s vibe with the sounds used, this West Londoner manages to conjure memories of Strictly Rhythm and other classic New York house labels before they went stinky.

9. Arian Leviste 'Better Get Used To It EP' (Palette) 

While there are three great tracks here, with 'Senioritis' being a demented Techno tune, it’s the title track that shines. It’s just a beautiful piece of music, there’s not much else to say. Melodic, deep and satisfying.

10. Dan Curtin 'Lifeblood LP' (Mobilee)

He’s been around for many years, but this album proves he’s still got plenty to offer. Beautiful deep Techno, some bangers and some Hip Hop…what more could you want? 

Murphy.

Album Review: Shoes 'Eccentric Breaks & Beats'

In the new digital age of music, record bootlegs seem like something of an artifact of the past. But when you run a small independent music label like the Numero Imprint it pays to be aware (and listening to) any bootlegs of your catalogue that cheekily appear on your musical radar. Not just because you’ve been ripped off (which is obviously a very important consideration for an indie), but also because these mixes and edits could be AMAZINGLY good.

The history behind Numero’s latest offerings is almost as good as the mix on offer.  Comprising samples, edits and loops collected from the over 70 releases in Numero’s back-catalogue, this extended mix was compiled by the enigmatic artist ‘Shoes’ who had previously released a string of highly praised (if highly illegal) edits and re-works of artists such a Moodymann, Al Green, Miles Davis and other funk/soul/disco luminaries.

Originally released on a saw blade-labeled 12″ bootleg that was pressed and seeded to a handful of DJs and producers, Numero got wind of this release and performed a very interesting and innovative move.  Impressed by the quality of the mix and edits that display a broad retrospective of the label’s work, Numero tracked down the artist and the bootleg pressing plant and rather than slapping down a ‘cease and desist’ decided to license the mix and release it officially under their own imprint.

The mix itself is a warm soulful blend divided into two halves (side a, side b) that wanders skilfully through spaced out summery soul loops to deeper house and psychedelic-flavoured offerings all at a delightful relaxed down-tempo 85/90 bpm. Seamless edits and transitions justify comparisons made to the early works of DJ Shadow or The Avalanches with the samples and styles given plenty of time and space to breath into each other.

While the cover art on this record may initially throw people off the content of this album, Numero have the following to say about this aesthetic decision:

“If you’ll recall, from the mid 80s through the early 90s, the groundbreaking “record label” Street Beat brought the world what would someday become the legendary Ultimate Breaks and Beats 25-volume collection, paving the way for modern DJs and hip-hop artists. Imitation being the most sincere form of flattery, we’re issuing Eccentric Breaks & Beats in June as an homage to the breaks and beats collections of yore.”

An essential listen for those interested in locating a very true example of the art of editing and mixing demonstrating itself to be exactly that, a creative & expressive art form.

Thanks,

Matt

Rich Reviews Trentemoller's 'Into The Great Wide Yonder'

Ah realize that one can not, with any certain accuracy, describe the esoteric formula that is trapped, deeply hidden, within his own clandestine heart. Ah do. But ah must purport, and ah do so with great vercundity, ah have seen into the core of this man. This is not to say that ah know him well, or that ah fully unnerstand the workings of his demiurgic soul. Ah don't. However, and most eminently, ah do unnerstand that what a man creates takes for its own known purposes pieces of him, secrets, treasures and dark and softly muttered nothings, far off, forever... Into the great... wide... yonder.

Now listen, because this is a truth. Ah believe it to be such. Trentemoller is a vampire cowboy first bitten in the wild mid-western cess pool of Tombstone. Ah, however, hold no grudges and can only imagine that his mild affliction of most dire blood-lust has finally manifested it's own self in what will become, most definitely be discussed as, the most important album of the twenty and tenth year of our lord. And ah believe this to be such.

Never have ah felt so connected to the thoughts, feelings and inner flurry's of a man through his creative, innovative and stimulating medium. Ah never have. Epic is a word suitable for the circumstances and ah profess to being captivated by the weaving waywardness of this man's songwriting capabilities. His ability, direct or otherwise to fill me with emotion parallel is, quite frankly, recondite. Ah must confess, and ah say most earnestly, ah love every hallowed minute of this mess... Ah do.

Forever y'all...

Rich

Rich reviews Hybrid's 'Disappear Here' LP

Hybrid burst onto the electronic music scene with their immaculate debut album 'Wide Angle' in 1999. A hybrid (sorry) of electronic instrumentation and soring orchestral lines, the album was a clash of breakbeat trance and the Russian Federal Orchestra. The album received critical reviews and sent the group on a trajectory that would allow them to survive the early noughties breakbeat scene, coming out on the other side in 2010 with their fantastic new album 'Disappear Here'.

The fourth studio album from the group has a new addition to the team, the ethereal vocals of singer/songwriter Charlotte James. Her influence has a markedly jazzy flavour with that sits well against the orchestral arrangements for songs such as 'Break My Soul' and the epic and thoughtful 'Can you hear me?'. She wails like a siren on the cliffs so beautiful yet dangerous.

Chris Healings and Mike Truman have solidified their presence on the electronic music scene with the addition of and evolved sound that has come from Charlotte James. The production powerhouse have utilised guest vocals from Tim Hutton, drums from Alex Madge and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.  

The album is available now from our online store.

Love always,

Rich  

Album Review: Jamie Lidell 'Compass'

 

Electronic innovator come blue eyed soulster Jamie Lidell has never been one to rest on his laurels. His past solo works ‘Multiply’ and ‘Jim’ have earned Lidell a reputation for reverent reproductions of classic soul arrangements and sounds with forward thinking technical touches around the edges to create a powerful blend of the familiar and the progressive.

Lidells newest outing ‘Compass’ brings the electronic production skills honed in a past life with Super_Collider further into the foreground than previous solo releases and the influence of new co-conspirator Beck Hansen is evident in the sound selection.

Album opener ‘Completely Exposed’ is an excellent example of Lidell’s capacity to effortlessly turn a song on its head while retaining a strong pop core. Darting back and forward between half and double time, Lidell’s vocal soars with a particularly confessional refrain “I don’t want to be cold, but opening up has left me completely exposed”. There are hints of the Stax reproductions Lidell’s previous work ‘Jim’ is noted for, warm vocal chorus’s are faded in and out, used to great effect  to fill the sound and then abruptly drop away, leaving Lidell’s lead exposed and drawing focus at the most opportune moments.

Track two ‘Your Sweet Boom’ shows a strong Beck influence with the guitar sound selection and placement, but again it is Lidells rich vocal harmonies and layering that steal the show. Building to a strong chorus hook “We don’t need no armour for protection” the track is propelled by the unmistakable throaty beat-box that Lidell has made his own.

Lead single of the album ‘The Ring’ has drive to spare, working out samples and horn arrangements over a rich fuzzed out refrain and subbed up tom and kick drum work. Lidell has a very unique approach to layering his mix and the ‘The Ring’ is a great example of unique spaces that Lidell is able to find for his sounds to fit together.

While as whole ‘Compass’ certainly shows a leaning towards the innovation and experimentation, however there are still enough examples of Lidell’s revivalist soul here to keep fans of previous albums happy. Track four ‘Enough’s Enough’ is a by the numbers (and I mean this in the best possible sense) 60’s soul recreation that stands testimony to the fact that their is no substitute for great bass playing and a strong front man’s presence.

Other notable tracks on 'Compass' include the raucous affair that is ‘You are Waking’ and the almost pyscadelic (very Beck inspired) drone of second to last track ‘Big Drift’.

‘Compass’ is a record that shows real growth in Lidell’s sound and sets out a strong blueprint for possibilities that Lidell is yet to explore. Some of Lidell’s most successful blends between the soul and the electronic are to be found on ‘Compass’ and it definitely a record worth spending some time absorbing. 

Thanks,

Matt

Tons Of Wax Moved To The Sale Vinyl Section

Just like the Buffalo, so to must the Vinyl migrate. Season to season those that remain in the herd hear the call to greener pastures and move from the regular section to the Sale section.

This is a bountiful time for the hunter/gatherer DJ folk who can rejoice in the finding of near forgotten gems at affordable affordable prices. Share in the bountiful spoils, you will find delicious wax reduced to prices as low as $5 in our sale section under the following genres:

• Breaks
• House
• Electro
• Deep House
• Tech House
• Nu Disco

Dig deep and find a treasure!

Thanks,

Matt

Album Review: LCD Soundsystem's 'This Is Happening'

If music is a drug, then LCD Soundsystem is a gateway substance. I doubt I would have started listening to dance music if it wasn’t for James Murphy. His output has always represented a distillation of the best parts of Disco, Electro, Punk, Funk and Techno music and I don’t just mean the lovingly appropriated arrangements and hooks. LCD Soundsystem (and DFA records) taught me that making great music was about listening to great music; that spending hours digging through dusty crates was good in and of itself; that there really is no replacement for great analog gear; that dance music is linked to every other type of music in a fundamental and vibrant sense and that if you care, music is inextricably linked to every facet of your life. LCD Soundsystem has always been something more than just good music to me. It is some of the best possible music about what makes the best possible music.

With this said, you would think my expectations for Murphy’s follow-up to the seminal 'Sound of Silver' where high. In actuality, they where set at a self-preservation induced low. I was afraid that Murphy would be unable to maintain the momentum, that there was nothing left to be said and this record would suffer from the 'one record to many' syndrome.

I have been listening to 'This Is Happening' for over a fortnight now and I have spent enough time with it now to set those fears aside. 'This Is Happening' is a worthy addition to the LCD Soundsystem cannon and for a third LP in less than a decade, it is no small achievement to live up to such a legacy. Sonically, the album sets its sights further afield than the Disco/Punk roots of the LCD Soundsystem project, with the sounds of pop luminaries like Bowie, Brian Eno, Iggy Pop and Gary Numan thrown into the same James Murphy treatment blender that Joy Divison/New Order's ‘Ceremony’ got with ‘All My Friends’ on ‘Sound of Silver’.

The album opens strongly with 'Dance YRself Clean', the conspicuously low mix on the bongos and vocals in the opening suck you into the stereo for the first minute and a half before dropping one of the punchiest synthesizer bass arps you’re likely to hear this year. This track is all about the gear - the synth and drum groove loop are the kind of tight groove that LCD Soundsystem has always managed to deftly manufacture and they’re thrown right at the front of the mix so as to continue to slap you in the face right up to the last beat. This is one tune that could run all night at any party without a hint of complaint.

The second track is the first single from the album 'Drunk Girls'. I have to admit to having been initially on the fence about this track. While I appreciated the pure Punk Rock joy of its simple structure and sing-a-long backing vocal on first listen, I was worried there was something ‘disposable’ about its straightforwardness. To be honest, and I know this was a mistake, I was probably wrong-footed by this track being present to me as the lead single. Two weeks later, I find myself spontaneously singing the chorus/bridge section when my mind wanders in public. So there you go, I guess I was wrong, it IS the obvious single.

Track three 'One Touch' and seven 'Pow Pow' are the two tracks on 'This Is Happening' that I would consider, for want of a better description, the most representative of the LCD Soundsystem and DFA Records' ‘Disco sound’ they have been oft credited with re-invigorating. 'One Touch' is mechanical and pumping, building a hypnotic refrain based on the always top shelf interplay between James Murphy and regular collaborator Nancy Whang's distinctive vocals. 'Pow Pow' works a classic building percussive jam grounded on the warm fuzz of ‘that’ bass, while Murphy’s vocals hold court at his sarcastic best, channeling David Byrne with those oh-so-calculated vocal stumblings.
 
'All I Want' and 'You Wanted a Hit' are slower, less dancefloor-oriented tracks and at four and six, break up the pace of the record nicely. 'All I Want' is a self-deprecating and candid love song at its core, with a soaring guitar line straight out of ‘Heroes’ era Bowie. 'You Wanted A Hit' is a keen little stab at the modern music industry (self indulgent yes, witty none-the-less), with a taut guitar riff and lush vocal wash for the chorus that is also a nuts-and-bolts example of how keeping it simple can enhance a killer pop song.

Other notable moments on the album are the 'Pleasure Principle' synthesizer recreations on 'I Can Change' and the bring-’em home-on-a-dance-number-fun of the aptly titled album closer 'Home'.

'This Is Happening' is a another strong retrospective on pop and dance music through the always incisive filter of James Murphy’s devotee experience. The album is a pastiche, but in the best possible sense. Murphy has always been skillful in conveying his reverence in appropriation and never gratuitously or exploitatively borrows. If you don’t like LCD Soundsystem, then it is unlikely that 'This Is Happening' will sway your position, but if you, like me, have found enjoyment and education in LCD’s past works, you will find that this new (and possibly the last!) offering provides the kind of sustenance you have come to expect from Murphy and his assorted cohorts..

Thanks,

Matt

20% Off Vinyl Storewide Until The End Of March

 

In order to better aid the difficult transition from the summer months into the cold of winter, Spank! Records is offering 20% of all Vinyl (except new release) to help you stock up on hot wax before hibernating.

You can find sale wax at our main site in the following categories:

Deep House

House

Breaks & Dubstep

Progressive & Tribal

Tech-House

Nu-Disco

Electro

Tools & Acappellas

Sale lasts up untill the 31st of March. We ship Australia-wide and can arrange international shipping pricing if you e-mail us at shop@spankrecords.com.au

Thanks,

Matt

Spank! Records

Ortofon and Serato combine for the S-120 Timecode DJ Cartridge

Two of the heavyweights in DJ-land have joined forces to create new technology in the world of Digital DJing. Allow me to introduce the new S-120 DJ Cartridge jointly developed by Ortofon and Serato.

The Cart will be available in the familiar 'OM' format and the all-in-one 'Concorde' solution. Both carts boast the new technology dubbed 'Asymmetric Suspension' - this involves increased amounts of vertical rigidity and much more horizontal tracking ability allowing the stylus to move more freely while maintaining better groove handling. This groove handling and tracking ability is maintained at any speed or direction allowing scratch DJs to cut it up all the while being confident in their needles not skipping.

The exceptional tracking ability of the S-120 stylus makes it possible to play the loudest pressings at a bare minimum of tracking force, and still keep record wear at a minimum level.

In store soon.

Love Always,

Rich

Prince Unfolds His New Two-In-One LP

 

I am a massive Prince fan. I think he is arguably the most talented musician/song-writer that we have ever seen. To look at a Prince 'Greatest Hits' package just says how extraordinary this man is.

I was in the UK in the mid-80s and was lucky enough to catch him live at Wembley Arena on the tour which was based around the release of the 'Parade' LP. He played for hours and it is still one of the greatest shows I have ever seen. How he danced in those heels, I still don't know. I've been a fan ever since.

Although the man hasn't been given much credit for his releases over the past decade, he is certainly back in scintillating form with two new LPs bundled together in a 21-song-set called 'Lotusflow3r' and 'MPLsOUND', for those vinyl lovers in all of us from French label Because Music.

There are two distinctive sounds here. The 'Lotusflow3r' set of songs hark back to classic Funkadelic while the 'MPLsOUND' has a more pub/party-time Prince feel. Both are fine records and when this man is 'on' he is pure class.

From the laid-back psych guitar strains of 'From The Lotus...' to the funktastic 'Boom' to the reworking of the classic 'Crimson And Clover', which is one of the most recognizable riffs of all time and just sounds perfect here. The piano-driven '4ever' is one of the best Prince ballads for a while as is 'Colonized Mind', a gutsy bluesy-fuelled guitar anthem. Highlights of side two are the funky 'Wall Of Berlin', 'Dreamer' with it's low-slung Hendrix-style guitar workout and the fun-filled '$'.

'MPLsOUND' kicks off with the party monster '(There'll Never B) Another Like Me' which is classic Prince with his spoken/singing-style vocal and catchy chorus and then bounds into a fine dirty-Prince jam called 'Chocolate Box'. 'Dance For Me' has that sped-up Prince vocal and is an old-skool 80's attack which would fit in nicely on any of his classic LPs from that era. 'U're Gonna C Me' is a pure Prince ballad and catchy as hell. 'Valentia' kicks off the second side with a synth stab from the 80s and a cool swaggering groove while 'Better With Me' highlights his vocal in this gospel-style gem. 'No More Candy' is pure, phat party Prince.

All in all, this is great double-whammy from Prince. It's good to see him back in form, although any bad Prince is still worth a listen.

Murphy.