Five Under Five #1: 9G Records

Dance music has has exploded in the years since this blog began, but for fans size is not all that counts.  The interest of the majors in EDM is here to stay and it represents the mainstream arm of a global dance sound still driven by boutique, vanity, and independent labels. After all, no matter how big the festival or bright the headliner, tunes from new and established independent labels dominate the sets. These labels are the primary incubators of dance music talent.

This series of posts recognizes that fact that interest in EDM comes from the ceaseless drive of individual tastemakers and tunemakers to make dance music available to people who want to listen to it.   I will point out five more or less new labels that are worth listening to—the only thing they all have in common is releasing amazing music.  None of them have been around for more than 5 years but all of them release some of the best dance music out there!

First up:

Richie Hawtin + Carl Craig in an Underwater Interview

Richie Hawtin in a pool joined by Carl Craig. Coolness ensues.

Gabriel & Dresden’s Mixed for Feet Vol. 1

Today, Gabriel and Dresden’s new double CD mix Mixed for Feet is released.  The title could not be more fitting.  Reunited after three years on solo projects, Gabriel & Dresden are now in the middle of a North American and European Tour.  This weekend, in fact, they are headlining New York’s Electric Zoo festival on September 4th.  That’s good news for fans of house music–a trance influenced direction of the house sound has taken hold of popular taste.  The call of the day continues to be genre-crossing, and Gabriel and Dresden are on the pulse of the moment with this mix.  Along with tracks from Gabriel & Dresden themselves, there are tunes by Tiësto, Umek, Felguk, Dada Life, and Fedde Le Grand in the mix here.  That type of range in selection is the surest sign of the current era of electronic music.

Dj Pierre & Green Velvet Vs. Phuture Acid Trax 2011 on Afro Acid Digital/Plastik

House has its history like every other form of music– there are books about it; documentaries about it; it even appears in movies (what’s that playing at the Hacienda?).  It was born recently enough that more often than not the story is told by the people who were there to see the beginning.  A classic house song like Phuture’s Acid Trax, therefore, is no secret but known the world over.  Phuture began as a trio of Chicagoans in early house music: Spanky, Herb J, and DJ Pierre, who had a rare gift for minting new genres as he made music.

A Lady Gaga remix from the Research Triangle

North Carolina is rapidly becoming a center of talent in electronic music. One of the biggest names to emerge from the state is also one of the youngest talents to make serious waves. Anyone who keeps up with electronic music knows that Porter Robinson exploded onto the festival and touring circuit by making music that’s good. “Say My Name” the song that made him famous managed to use the word “honor” in way that was not out of date and actually seemed kind of cool. . .all that, and face it the theme of the song was unexpected given the title. Not yet out of high school, Robinson is one of the wunderkinds emerging in global dance along with other producers such as Madeon from France and Temabes from Russia. These kids continue in the tradition of The Belleville Three, Felix Stallings, Jr (now Felix da Housecat), Tevo Howard, and Steve Porter all of whom were in high school or, even, middle school when they began making club hits.

Being in North Carolina right now, it’s only fitting to take a moment to point out Porter Robinson’s new remix of Lady Gaga. Undoubtedly it’ll be a huge track a huge track. As I write this it’s been up for a less than three hours, and is approaching 600 plays…that’s about three plays a minute. Wow. This remix shows that Robinson is an artist who looks to challenge himself in production. Hardest part of being a wunderkind is, well, being a wunderkind, rather than say just another little Johnny one note. Porter Robinson is working hard, and his remix shows it. For that reason it pairs well with Gaga’s latest hit, the result of her own tireless grind.

http://soundcloud.com/porter-robinson/lady-gaga-edge-of-glory-porter

Video for HypnoLove- Holiday Reverie

A perfect summer jam just in time for the weekend…

Tech-house Slices: Marco Corona & rEJEKTS

Its been forever. But its summer again, and content is king so its time for some updates. I figured that it would be best to get things going with some upcoming brilliance of the tech house variety. A little while I had the pleasure of catching Marco Corona on Ustream.tv when Ritchie Hawtin flashed the news on Facebook. It was a remarkable set to watch even if beamed through cyberspace. Glad I saw it. Recently I’ve had the pleasure of grooving to Corona’s Tech House ’70 vol. 1. . .Spectacular tunes on that one! Here’s one of them:

Summer Series part 8: Kyau & Albert

Kyau and Albert are among the most popular DJs in the world right now with avid fans everywhere. Hailing from Germany, this mix is a massive set of progressive house interwoven throughout with elements of trance and techhouse. Recorded on July 10th, this mix is in support of their new song “Painkiller” released on their label Euphonic, which releases some of the most exciting progressive music today.

If you’re a fan of Kyau and Albert, the sound of this mix is what you’d expect: big, swirling synths; bouncing bass-lines; hard hitting beats; strings sailing in and out of the ether. If you don’t know these guys, then you’re in for treat–the set begins with a big sound, and grows without a pause. Definitely a fine and satisfying addition to the Summer Series!

Summer Series 7: Scan 7 Live at Maximal Festival ’09 (Milan)

You may trace techno to whatever deep historical origins in electronic music that you would like. Personally, I think the deepest roots of electronic music are in the principles of musique concret that Karlheinz Stockhausen adapted from Pierre Shaffer, and which in turn influenced Miles Davis’s landmark recordings Bitches Brew and On the Corner. Other’s may go to the first electric instruments Telharmonium and Theremin, which no doubt inspired jazz musician Raymond Scott to experiment with electronic jazz composition. A third route may be Kraftwerk, the seminal German pop group who combined the drum rhythms of Clyde Stubblefield with a brand of robotic stage presence. I’m sure there are other ways to map just where techno came from, but one place ties these strands together: Detroit.
Without Detroit no techno—whatever its deepest origins before the 1988 compilation “TECHNO!: The New Dance Sound of Detroit” there was no electronic music called techno. That seminal release christened a musical form as surely as champagne christens a boat. The boat was built before the christening, but an unchristened boat has no purpose since no one will sail in it.
Track Masta Lou has been a fixture of Detroit techno. A legend of the music, his collective of artists, Scan 7, are often called mysterious due to their deliberate practice of anonymity. Masked, known for live analogue performance, and invoking esoteric symbolism Scan 7 may be mysterious, yet they are whimsical enough to have bobble head dolls and trading cards. The true affect of being so hidden, so unknown is that their music is put in the foreground. They are unknown but their music is very knowable. Moreover it is danceable, driving, hard as nails. At the same time, this combination means that Scan 7’s very presence evokes the introspection and subtlety of the serious artist. The seriousness of an artist is often measured by longevity, and by this standard so there’s no doubting Track Masta Lou and Scan 7 collective.
Most artists will sell you merchandise and recordings, but few will ask you to write what you think about vinyl as something in return. That point should sound like an anecdote because that’s exactly how I got my bobble head, hat, records, and trading cards! Fittingly the seventh part of the Summer Series is Scan 7’s live performance at the Maximal Festival in Milan from June ’09.

Summer Series part 6: Tommie Sunshine’s Summer Soundtrack ’10!

Tommie Sunshine is amazing. If you don’t know that already, then you are in for a real treat. This Summer Soundtrack mix has made the rounds on-line because it’s excellent. Brooklyn remains one of the brightest and most vibrant centers for dance music of all stripes and Tommie Sunshine represents all the best reasons why! I should note that hearing Tommie Sunshine’s spring mix is part of the idea behind doing a summer series of my favorites mixes at all! Tommie Sunshine has been a fav since I heard his mysteriously sad track “Runway Runaway” on the classic Misery Loves Company compilation in ’02 from Ersatz Audio. Eight years on he’s even better and continues to be both astoundingly creative and productive. Enjoy this mix!