CD review #3

Another Fabric CD - they are really the only mixes I buy, maybe I should start reviewing online mixes??

Anyway:

So the Fabric CD series seems to have come a full circle from number 1 with Craig's mix numbering 58.  Hes done a couple of collaboration mixes along the way - as Tyrant, but this is him on his own championing his periodical Nothing Special night.  The night features lesser known guests that push the boundaries of what Fabric stands for on Saturday nights, often featuring the housier end of dubstep.

I must admit when I started going to Fabric I wasn't keen on Craig's DJing style, it was long, drawn out, with what seemed like minimal energy (no pun intended!), my turning point was seeing him close out a night which really showed me my earlier mistake!  That set changed my mind, encompassing a wide range of energy filled house, techno and disco... So it was with anticipation I was waiting for this mix rather than trepidation.

Unfortunately I have a feeling there may be a few puns in reviews involving the name of the mix... Its good.... But its not that good...  It really didn't grab me at all as a spectacular mix.  Sure there are some great tracks - 3 or 4 of them out of 20... Its not what I hoped it would be and thats the most disappointing thing.  The most positive thing I can say is that I am glad that finally someone has put a commercial mix together that makes use of older tracks as well.  For that I applaud Richards, its a shame the mix itself isn't what it could have been....

3.5/5

T-shirt design

June has been a quieter month for me in the blogging respect because of this:

Need some opinions!  Any good?

The lost music

When looking for new music to stand out from the crowd I always find myself going into artists' back catalogue further and further.  There is so much more great music in people's back catalogues that gets forgotten about, I can't understand why!

I find its the best way of getting to know new artists by delving into their history... There seems to be so much more concentration on getting the very latest tracks and its almost frowned on to play the tracks that are between 'new' and 'classics'.  Its interesting to see how artists have developed over the time as well, moving between genres which prompts surprise from people when you tell them who made it...

I say bring back all those lost tracks and get people remembering and buying them again!

House Logger Music Review #1

Roberto - Logical Procession

Steve Rachmad Remix
Jamie Anderson Mix
Jerome Krom Remix
Steve Rachmad Triple Dub
Steve Rachmad Dub

Listen here:


http://www.droidbehavior.com/blog/2011/06/d-node-123-roberto-uk/


(scroll down the page)


First review from me... Roberto has seen a rapid rise to the top of the tech house/techno game with several high profile releases on Outland, Affin and Artform records.  His back catalogue shows depth, with a history of producing drum and bass giving an extra dimension to the acoustic arsenal that emerges from his studio.

Artform, Jamie Anderson's label is the home for Logical Procession and these remixes have been commissioned for the title track of the EP released late last year.  The original being an industrial sized monster that worked well on large floors around the world.

First up is Steve Rachmad's remix, a throbbing and wobbling chugger that ramps up in stages heightening the tension adding elements before releasing the full force.  Steve has also added two further tracks - two dubs to the release, which does seem a bit excessive, the 'Dub' feels like an after hours tune, a drawn out version of the remix with shimmering effects added in past the 7 minute mark.  The 'Triple dub' is a different entity - a more progressive track with stabbing bleeps featuring throughout and an underlying rumble of bass.

Jerome Krom is up next with his remix, using the rolling beats and rhythms to best effect he creates a track that bounces with energy but possibly suffers from ill timed breaks of percussion, a good effort nonetheless.  Last but not least is label boss Jamie Anderson with clearly the most different track and my favourite of the 5, lush chords feature from the start swaying in the background giving the track a deeper and more restrained feel, soon though the calmness disappears and a complex, almost ethnic drum pattern emerges.  Softer edged pads feature throughout giving this remix package a well rewarded dimension that it needed.

Jamie's mix is the one i'll be playing out of the package regularly, credit goes to Roberto for creating the original from which these remixes have arisen.  A neat and tidy package that will no doubt find their way into the hands, cd players and laptops of many of the world's best DJs.

Overall - 8/10

House Logger Likes... Music #7

Old school, tough house, no screaming divas here, just straight up house

Adding a new dimenson to music

I saw this video on Wired's website the other day:

This cool preview of Amon Tobin's live show 'ISAM' just makes me want to go and buy tickets now, the customised visual show that accompanies the music looks stunning, note I didn't say light show, but visuals, I believe the two are different.

I must admit I have never found the visual aspect of house/dance to be massively important, maybe I just haven't had the right experience.  Certainly the light show last weekend at SWH was impressive, but it felt just like a larger version of a nightclub's capabilities.  Apart from the odd bizarre film playing on a tv screen or a rotating random image playing on a projector I have seen nothing inspiring.

However, seeing that video and whats capable from visual shows I am willing to open my mind to another dimension of music - after all - who said music has to be purely audio?  Can it not be represented and felt by the other senses we have?  Touch and visual have the potential to revolutionise how music is presented to an audience.  A vibrating room creating an earthquake feeling as the build up shakes towards the drop and bass hammering in would be impressive (and not a little scary!).

I know visuals have been used on bigger shows by people like The Chemical Brothers, Ritchie Hawtin and Fatboy Slim but I'd like to see more live sets put in the thought and maximise how music is played....

House with soul

House with soul, something that can be lacking from the generic tech house coming from all corners of the globe... So... Why not combine the two?  This mix is an amalgamation of harder edged beats with a tech and even minimal edge with more soulful and deeper tracks interspersed, hopefully creating a mix that is full of energy from the deeper persuasion.

Let me know what you think!


http://soundcloud.com/chris-wood/tech-full-of-soul-house-logger

Enjoy!