Granted, this article was written back in 1997, but I see no reason why this should be dismissed simply because it’s more than ten years old. Kevin Gray’s technical vinyl album primer for noobs on what needs to be done to make your vinyl album shine is very educational. I’m toying with a vinyl release myself, so I am taking notes and bracing myself for much learning ahead. This is good stuff.
Monthly Archives: August 2008
King Britt Interview
I’m not a huge Digable Planets fan, but when I interviewed King Britt for Gearwire.com back in 2006, he was great to talk to. Full of stories, advice for new DJs and a lively personality all round. I’d check him spinning anytime. My favorite part of the discussion is when Britt laments the fact that the joy of searching for those obscure tracks is gone with the advent of instant download gratification. Too true, KB, too true! Seeking and finding are half the fun of vinyl. Downloading, not so much.
King Britt is naturally a source of interest for budding DJs all over the globe, so I thought I drop Part One and Part Two of my chat with KB, and throw in a little YouTube love with the man besides. I didn’t have anything to do with the clip below, it wash shot at the Novara Jazz Fest in Italy earlier in ’08.
Thunderball: Elevated States/Get Up With The Down 12-Inch
Thunderball’s 12-inch single featuring the Nicola Conte remix of Elevated States features a massive sax jazz group that wouldn’t feel out of place on an extended megamix of the Blow Up soundtrack, Coltrane, mix-n-match Blue Note artists and the occasional John Zorn freakout tossed in just to make sure you’re paying attention. Elevated States is top notch. Smooth as polished mahogany.
This 12-inch shifts into 3rd gear on the B-side with the Ursula 1000 remix of Get Up With The Get Down. This one’s squarely in Paisley Park territory with the synth squiggles, which isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, the “get down” chanting is more reminiscent of Sheila E with every new listen. Don’t let that scare you, now, son.
I was braced for the instrumental mix to leave me high and dry, but those horns are pretty tasty. A nice party piece to play mashup with if you’re behind the decks…get a groove on with this vs. Chris Joss and see where it goes. I’ll be playing with that one myself. Thunderball’s got a winner here, don’t pass this by. Have a listen to all three tracks at ESL. Snag the 12-inch after it snags you.
Chris Joss: I Want Freedom 12-Inch Remixes
There are groups that are vastly improved by remixes, artists who are turned to complete slurry, and then there are the ones like Chris Joss who get their original works of deliciousness garnished with all sorts of new flavors and spices. The four track 12-inch remix vinyl for I Want Freedom is a worthy investment even in a crap economy. Do without that gallon of gas, buy this instead.
The I Want Freedom Myagi remix throws in a deep analog synth riff underneath making this a track you really ought to hear at “call the cops” volume in order to get the full benefit of the mix. Side A also features an extended mix of the original, but sounds fairly unmolested and sort of anti-climatic on the heels of the Myagi mix.
The B-side Smokey Bandits remix takes a while to find its legs, but once the extra vox and horns kick in, it’s smooth sailing on this Basement Freaks/Quasamodo version. The Atfunk remix kicks this track into funkier heights, I love this version. Myagi and Atfunk win the battle of the remixers, two badass reworkings of one of the standout tracks from Chris Joss’s latest, Teraphonic Overdubs. Hear all this stuff at the ESL site, click the links and you’ll get a nice sampling of all this and more. RECOMMENDED.