mercredi 29 juillet 2009

Deskee - Let There Be House (1989)
CJ Mackintosh mixes

I thought my days of expensively buying CD singles were over. Apparently not, although this one wasn't too dear: it's the post & packaging that really kick you in the teeeth.

Deskee was a house/rap act from the eighties that included rapper Crumpley (what a name!) and Klaus Jankuhn (aka Westbam). Very obviously a commercial venture - that was to fizzle out very quickly as it happens - they did score a couple of large hits including Dance, Dance (with 'bootleg' mixes by Tony Humphries that are pretty scarce) and their most memorable tune, Let There Be House.

Remixes were commissioned for the UK in 1989 (love the way that the sleeve states "The 90s edition" as if it were something really exciting) from then hot remixing duo Dave Dorrell and CJ Mackintosh. The result was a really good long mix (11'30"!) and a couple of dubs, all of which only came out on 12 inch... apart from a mini 3" CD in Austria. I heard a poor quality vinyl rip of the mix somewhere on the web and decided that I had to order the CD. Difficult to believe that it's 20 years old already...

Ripping mini CDs is tough if you've only got a slot-drive computer, but I managed to find a way round that, and so here it is in 256kbps AAC, and slightly extended too by adding a bit of one of the dubs to the main mix! Have a listen if you like...



Click 'download' to get
Deskee - Let There Be House
(A 2 Zen mix part I & II Fist extension) (24MB)
or click here to go to the Let There Be House folder and choose the version you want.

dimanche 19 juillet 2009

DMC remixes from the 90s:
3 big names remixed by 3 big names

I'm not in the habit of reposting content from other blogs but I stumbled upon Dance Remix Fix the other day (thanks to the great Marshall Jefferson remixes of "I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby" by Soul Family Sensation) and the site hasn't been updated since 5th December 2008, so...

Looking through the archives, there's some interesting stuff on there, some of which is hard to find. For example, some DMC remixes that I didn't even know existed.

I never really understood how DMC worked. Getting big names to remix big tracks and not releasing the results to the public seems a little strange (not to say a large waste of money). It's certainly frustrating for those of us who love the music. So it was with a certain satisfaction that I was able to download the following tracks, ripped from CD in decent quality. Click on the names to download:
Frankie Knuckles feat. Adeva "Welcome To The Real World (Johnny Vicious remix)" is a stomping, slightly barmy affair that will not be to everyone's taste. It's certainly pretty far removed from the original and very typical of Johnny Vicious' style of that time.

Crystal Waters "100 Percent Pure Love (Danny Tenaglia mix)" is a deep house version that's half lilting, half lazy, but interesting nonetheless.

And perhaps the best of the bunch is C+C Music Factory "Do You Want To Get Funky (Junior Vasquez mix)". A harder version than the original but a good workout, with slight acid touches that complement the vocals well. Very typical of the Vasquez sound in the early nineties. Have a listen...


You can still find some of classic DMC mixes from the era to buy on the DMCworld site, but I'd never heard these ones before. Apparently these came from a CD called DMC - The Best of U.S. remixes Vol.1" (tracklisting here) but I have no idea how to buy it...

dimanche 5 juillet 2009

A couple of tracks from the vaults

Well, not really the vaults; my CD-R binder. I must have loved these tracks a lot back in the day, as I've never really ripped much to CD. Back then I had access to a proper turntable, so they sound pretty good. I've also de-clicked them and adjusted the EQ to make them some pristine.

Andrez Mendez "Bring Me Love (Mad Boy mix)" - 1996
This is a Mark Picchiotti remix and although his boat has definitively sailed for me, and most people would probably consider the Frankie Knuckles mix as the definitive mix, this version is a very different take that has its merits. Dark and hypnotic, I think it's a pretty great effort. If only I could get my hands on the (very rare) CD...

Have a listen below or download the track here (21MB).


Ty Brunson "All Of Me (Mount Rushmore´s Ol Jersey Vibe)" - 1995
I love love love this remix. A massively overlooked, pretty hysterical track that really deserves to be available on digital, especially as the label - Dance 2 Records - still exists (although they seem to be more into DJ equipment hire these days).

Have a listen below or download the track here (12MB).