The Healing House Mix
Nothing to say except what I’ve said… Gotta Have House Music… (And of course, adding in the obligatory “All Night Long!”)
Download: The Healing House Mix (Single Track)
Return That Feeling Mix
Gotta Have House
What can I say? I love House music.
Trance is cool, but can sometimes be a bit overblown, and lately seems to be reaching for the pop charts rather than the sweaty depths of some late night session.
And Techno, Jumpstyle and all that is just sometimes a little too pissed off for me (I guess I’m just not that pissed off any more).
But House? From the first go it’s just feel good rhythm wrapped in the simplest of melodies, deep enough to get you there, but light enough to make the journey a fun one.
And even though I used to do these for warm-up sessions before heading to a club, then a brief turn actually bringing House to the club floor, nowadays it’s mainly for a killer gym session, desperately trying to move more weight than the last time.
But for those few hours, House in my head, lifting weights, are the closest thing I will ever get to what others say comes from some meditation session…
So here’s another mix, definitely worth it if you too are into House…
Download: Return That Feeling Mix (Single Track)
Thump My House Mix
Vinyl Heaven
It’s been awhile since I put together a solid house mix so here goes…
Can’t help it – I may be a long way away from the days when I used to head down to Vinylmania in NYC for my fix. standing around all day listening to what they would throw on the turntables behind the counter, with my pile of 12″ mixes growing steadily on the glass counter, then back home to work the new releases into a killer set, ready for an unsuspecting Saturday night crowd – but I still love house music, and miss being able to take others on the journey, riding that thumping kick, those killer bass lines weaving all over, hi hat counting it off along the way.
Anyway, here’s something for those that miss it as well…
Download: Thump My House Mix (Zipped Tracks)
Preview: Thump My House Mix (Single Track)
Track List:
01 – Hey Hey (Dim Chris Remix) – Dennis Ferrer.mp3
02 – King Of My Castle (Roy Malone Mix) – Wamdue Project.mp3
03 – Come With It (AFTC’s Motherlode Mix) – Smashing Sebastian.mp3
04 – Drop It Down (DJ Slider Remix) – DJ Disciple.mp3
05 – Tom’s Diner (Original Mix) – Bingo Players.mp3
06 – Bombay Shuffle (Original Mix) – Stefano Azati.mp3
07 – Air Horn (Central Avenue Groove Tech Remix) – Greg Stainer.mp3
08 – Kubic Room (Rino Cerrone Remix) – Emanuele Inglese.mp3
09 – Oh Lord (Muthafunkaz Remix) – Mishal Moore.mp3
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Ivan’s Lovemobile Mix
Streetparade 2008
I am lucky enough to be able to head to Switzerland often – it’s a perfect balance to the madness here, and then of course, there are the great friends I have there. And every summer a great reason to head back is to head to Zurich for Streetparade, a summer party like none other.
Zurich is a beautiful city in a beautiful country, but on the second Saturday in August the old city of Zurich transforms into a massive outdoor music festival, close to a million people converge, have a great time listening to the best in house, trance and techno – and then by dawn the next day it’s right back to a tranquil Sunday in SwissLand.
There’s really nothing like it and every time I get a chance to be there it just amazes me. Hundreds of thousands of people, all in a great mood, music everywhere, with almost no troubles at all. Of course, there are always a few idiots, but it’s pretty amazing – everyone just wants to have a good time so it’s more or less a self-regulated gathering, with little sign of any heavy handed security, and all working to keep things light, just enjoying the day.
And the music? Each square is turned into an outdoor club of sorts, featuring DJs from all over Switzerland, Europe and the world. But the special part is the “Lovemobiles” – twenty or more huge flatbed tractor trailers outfitted as massive moving soundsystems, each with turntables and CD decks in the front, dance floor in the middle, bar at the back and speakers piled high at the back end. Each one moving at a walking pace around the lack, pounding out the biggest beats ever, each one filled with people, followed by even more.
To stand along the parade route means being in sea of people, all enjoying one crazy rolling “club” go by after another – but to be on one of the trucks is something all together. And in the great “friend of a friend” way, I (and a few of my friends from back here in San Dieg0) have been one of the lucky few to make it on the trucks, summer sun shining, music pounding, freaks abounding – and I owe many thanks to my friend Ivan for making it possible (and of course, to Stefan for making all things Swiss possible, including the “DJ Connection” back to Ivan… ;)
So for Ivan, a special “Lovemobile Mix”, something for a warm-up on the way down to Streetparade this year (where I hope to once again join the masses this summer) – some house, some deep house and then on to some electro to finish out the ride…
Download: Ivan’s Lovemobile Mix
Preview: Ivan’s Lovemobile Mix (Single Track)
Track List:
01 – This Is House (Shane D’s Movin Club Mix) – John ‘Julius’ Knight & Roland Clark
02 – Jam The Mace (K-Dope O’Gutta Mix) – House Syndicate
03 – Dusty House Room (Sweep The Floor) – Joris Voorn
04 – Cabaret – Io
05 – Enjoy Music – Reboot
06 – Tivoli – Steve Angello
07 – This Sound – Djuma Soundsystem
08 – Sun Step – Oxia
09 – Your Call – Inland Knights
Bo Diddley’s Big Beat Mix
There was a time when there was a “Modern World Dance Club”, and in that time there was a musical force behind it – the reluctant college DJ known as “Bo Diddley”. A mild-mannered student, dining hall cohort and friend by day, the discoverer of so much insanely great music for many a year.
As happens, his love of music, his discoveries, and my interest in doing anything but going to the same boring clubs and parties lead to us our putting together a series of parties on campus. In some ways they were quite advanced (big ass sound systems, dry ice machines that we clearly didn’t know how to use, early “video art” playing on clunky monitors) and quite primitive (record crates and turntables on folding tables, as little lighting as possible and if you didn’t like beer (or whatever you brought) you were pretty much out of luck.
But for ever so brief a moment we put on what was some of the weirdest, most absurdly disorganized parties on campus where reggae slammed into disco, which slammed into Motown and then into whatever was in Bo Diddley’s record crates and shoe boxes full of cassettes.
From the first party where he “mixed” with two tape decks, to the biggest in the Student Union where we blew the circuits in the building and the crowd kept dancing by clapping until we got the power back – and decided to lead them all back into the beat with the classic Vince Guaraldi theme song from Peanuts, we never knew what the hell was going to happen. But at least it wasn’t what we knew was going to happen if we went to some other sad dorm party, or the same club where apparently “Girls on Film” by Duran Duran was the only music video they had, and played, and played again…
After the parties faded, and people graduated we went separate ways, then were roommates in a weird little brownhouse in Sunset Park in Brooklyn, an adventure in its own right, and then we took different paths again. His gathering music and reading books turned into working in a bookstore (one that conveniently had a vast amount of music), he continued sending me his mix tapes, new discoveries, some of which I still have, and where my interest in both early reggae – and full freak techno and trance – started.
And for a brief time after that I went through the same stage where I just couldn’t take it anymore – the music in my car on the way to the club was was better than in the club so, as is my way, I walked in and said that I wanted to DJ there and I was then the guy making tapes for all.
Life took over, we had to grow up a bit (and I think he did way more than me…) but we bumped into each other again in the weird world of Facebook. Given that he was the smarter of the two of us, and definitely had the more refined taste in music, I knew there was no hope in sending anything his way that would expand his intellectual audio horizon, so I went back to the basic beats that we once both enjoyed and pulled together one of the best (if I do say so…) collections of house and deep house that I’ve put together in a long time.
If you are heading out to a club tonight, just like the old days in Ithaca, Binghamton and NYC, I assure you this is as good as anything you will hear when you get there – even Wayne himself thought a few tracks worthy of a spin on his digital decks…
Download: Bo Diddley’s Big Beat Mix
Preview: Bo Diddley’s Big Beat Mix (Single Track)
Track List:
01 – Earth Goat (Ramon Tapia Remix) – VMR
02 – Mind & Soul (Under Dub Mix) – Fabio Tosti & Marshall Jefferson
03 – Papa Tango Charly – Tigani
04 – Be Free (Disfunktion Remix) – The Cube Guys
05 – Neon (Neon Two Original Mix) – 360
06 – Head Between The Speakers (Pastaboys Dub) – Sky Hy
07 – At Midnight (Greg Stainer Remix) – Oscar P.
The FunkHouse Mix
The FunkHouse Mix
I mentioned a few posts back that I came across a great remix of Curtis Mayfield’s “Move On Up” and that, as often happens, hearing that one track pointed me towards a new compilation, this time a set of house tracks with a bit more of a soul/funk/tribal feel than the last two.
So if you are in the mood for yet more house music, one full of that great rolling rhythm that is house, this one will work.
If I was still spinning, this would be what I would be playing – at least for that warm-up set before I would fade into a full blown deep house freak zone, holding everyone on the floor until they were drenched in sweat, begging for mercy…
What can I say? House music rocks…
Download: The FunkHouse Mix (Zipped Tracks)
Preview: The FunkHouse Mix (Single Track)
Track List:
01 – Move On Up (Eric Kupper Vocal Mix) – Curtis Mayfield
02 – Deeper (Brian Tapperts Soulfuric Mix) – Groove Junkies
03 – Swinging For The Fences – D-T3Ch
04 – Brooklyn (Jazz On Lenox) – Magnus Wedberg
05 – Funky Soul – Craig Hamilton
06 – True Science – Dj Rasoul
07 – Drums Control (Soul Penetrator Original Mix) – Richie Santana
08 – When Doves Cry (Spen & Thommy Blackfrocan Peak Mix) – Yass
Deep House Dub
Playa Langosta Sunset
Apparently I didn’t get all that “Deep House” stuff out of the way with “Rolando’s Kappa Chica Mix“, so I kept going, perhaps even a bit deeper, with this compilation.
And Latte, your guy probably won’t get this one either – it’s deep house, not trance – but I’ll be working on one of those shortly.
In the meantime, this compilation of new house tracks is a bit of a rollercoaster ride, some deep beats, then mellow, then back up again. A great way to get ready for a night of clubbing – for those that still do that sort of thing.
Me? I crank these out and head to the jacuzzi…
Download: Deep House Dub (Zipped Tracks)
Download: Deep House Dub (Single Track)
Track List:
01 – Dibiza (Bum Bum Bumbow) – Danny Tenaglia
02 – Room Stripes (Original Mix) – Sin Plomo
03 – Breakers Theme – Mr.V
04 – Change Is On The Way (Dawn After Dusk Mix) – Born To Funk
05 – This Is House (JJK Original Groove Mix) – John ‘Julius’ Knight
06 – When Doves Cry (Yass Dub) – Yass
07 – Save Me – Recruit
08 – Love Me Deeper – Sandy Rivera & Haze
09 – Mind & Soul (Under Dub Mix) – Fabio Tosti & Marshall Jefferson
10 – Deep Reflections Of Miles – Pablo Fierro
PS: And for the first time ever, a Prince song “When Doves Cry” on one my compilations – granted it’s turned inside out by Yass, but it’s a killer version. Enjoy.
Rolando’s Kappa Chica Mix
Rolando
I was in a cool dive bar in NYC recently (The Lakeside Lounge) and they have a killer jukebox. And Curtis Mayfield’s “Move on Up” was playing – a great soul track, ten minutes long, looping all over the place.
Well when I got home I grabbed it online (for a soul compilation I’m still working on), but then I also found a great “house/club” version by Eric Kupper. And then of course I started checking out other house music, grabbed a pile of them and decided it was time to put together a summer House Music compilation.
It’s a bit weirder than I intended it to be (I was looking for light house music and just wandered into this “deeper” stuff…) but for those who still head out (or just remember doing so far too many years ago…) well I think this one will hit the spot.
The first link is to a zip file with all tracks sliced up and tagged in case you wanted to know what’s on it, the second is the mix in a single track in case your mp3 player still doesn’t do the “gapless” playback thing – that is just plain wrong when listening to a mixed compilation.
Enjoy…
And Rolando? I’ve been sworn to secrecy about who this mysterious world traveling clubber really is. I’ll leave it to him to reveal his true identity some day. And why he might enjoy a Kappa Chica mix… And no, it’s not me.
Download: Rolando’s Kappa Chica Mix (Zipped Tracks)
Download: Rolando’s Kappa Chica Mix (Single Track)
Track List:
01 – Shame – Funky Soldiers
02 – Boom – Albin Myers
03 – I Gotcha Back (CDocks Raw Dub) – Charles Dockins
04 – My Joy – Quentin Harris
05 – R U Feeling Me (Tiger Stripes Remix) – Chris Perez & Louie Gorbea
06 – Yo – Mr. V
07 – Don’t Stop (Random Soul Remix) – Kwality Kontrol
08 – I Want U 2 Move (SA Purple Mix) – Studio Apartment
09 – Only Love Can Save Me (Dub Of Boom) – Chocolate Puma
10 – Ride The Rhythm (Joey Negro House Dub) – Joey Negro