After hours beats in a Water & Absinthe stylee
Erykah Badu – On & On [Universal]
Simply one of the greatest records of all-time. Few artists relax my mind and ears in the way Badu does. I’m reading ?uestlove’s biography at the moment and he talks about how men she’d meet would “fall under her spell”. I’m not surprised.
Space Dimension Controller – Confusion On The Armament Moon [R&S]
The album that this is from, ‘Welcome To Mikrosektor-50’, has soundtracked most of my crack-ons in the past couple of years! I’m baffled about how underrated it is. The man’s a genius. It’s basically a film told through the format of an album, with each track followed by dialogue stitching the plot together. Epic, futuristic cosmic electro disco sounds with a euphoric melodies which keep you tingling in those early morning hours.
Sade – Hang On To Your Love [Sony]
I’ll be honest and admit that I’m someone who’s only recently discovered the magic of Sade. I always loved ‘Sweetest Taboo’ but it’s only in the past couple of years I’ve really dug into her stuff. I picked up ‘Diamond Life’ on vinyl for £1 in Brighton a little while back, and I can’t believe how pristine the production sounds even on the crappy turntable I’m currently using. I love melancholy music, and the rolling bassline on this is just perfect.
Nightmares On Wax – Ethnic Majority [Warp]
‘Carboot Soul’ was the go-to choice for crack-ons when I was a teenager going to parties in Cambridge (and sneaking up to London for them and getting back into bed by 8AM!). Sublime album, and you were always waiting for this joyous track to come on. Brass euphoria.
Bob Sinclar – Get Into The Music [Yellow]
I think this was the track I started my first ever downtempo / afterhours mix with around 2003. I loved slowing down deep house records to fit the mood of post-club sessions, and this disco jam worked as a perfect opener. The album that this is from ‘Paradise’ was one of the first three records I owned and learned to mix on.
Burial – Raver [Hyperdub]
Another mix opener, this was the first track on my ‘Don’t Forget To Go Home’ mix which one We Love… Space’s Fresh Blood DJ competition back in 2008. The strings on this are stunning, and it’s the only track on ‘Untrue’ which has a 4/4 beat underneath his trademark percussive rhythms which somehow makes it all the more potent.
Gummy Soul – Fela Soul [gummysoul.bandcamp.com]
One of my favourite discoveries of recent years, this dude Gummy Soul does lots of mash-up stuff – and this is a whole album of De La Soul vocals (mostly from ‘Stakes Is High’ I think) over Fela Kuti tracks. It’s flawless, and they sound completely natural together. One for the hazier, less buzzy afterhours!
The Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage [Service]
Nothing sounds sweeter and more welcome than Erland Øye’s voice after a night of having your ears hammered by a club soundsystem. Either of their albums work a charm when you want to keep things mellow but keep their heads nodding. Absolutely gutted they’ve split up – one of the best live acts around.
Basement Jaxx – Being With U [XL]
This just came on my Spotify on shuffle while I was writing this and I realised how perfect it was for this piece. This is the one you put on when you’re crawling into bed and doing that final balloon. Woozy, hazy magic.
Ben Gomori
Water & Absinthe EP (& Saytek Remix)
(Monologues Records)
This January Ben Gomori launches his new imprint Monologues Records alongside Saytek with ‘Water & Absinthe’.
The fresh Monologues imprint from Ben Gomori is an extension of his up-and-coming podcast series under the same name which has racked up over 150,000 plays since it started back in the Summer of 2013. The podcast features guests who are invited on to mix an hour of their own material, the first of which from Patrice Baumel secured Resident Advisor’s ‘Mix Of The Day’ while heavy-hitting names such as Till Von Sein, Melon, Jori Hulkkonen, Nail, James Welsh and Adam Port have all featured.
Gomori has devised a unique concept for the new label which he will run in tandem with the podcast from January onwards. Each guest in the series will also release exclusive tracks on the label in tandem with their podcast. Following Saytek will be Purp & Soul’s Laurence Guy and Let’s Play House / RBMA’s Andre Laos thereafter.
All in all ‘Water & Absinthe’ is a sublime deliverance from Gomori & Keevil, dishing up three deep and driving cuts that keep you hypnotically locked from start to finish. The EP gets underway with Saytek’s re-imagining of ‘Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder’. The London-based producer has seen previous releases on the likes of Soma, My Favorite Robot, Wiggle, KMS, Ubermax Records and doesn’t disappoint here cultivating thumping bass over busy modulations, the buttery synth licks fuse seamlessly with escalating pads and powerful percussion to deliver a deep and emotive finish to this sure-fire winner.
Ben himself lays out two excellent originals utilising shifting percussion and arpeggiated keys in the groovy off kilter ‘Lido’ while the slightly more stripped back arrangements of ‘Absinthe Makes The Heart Grow Fonder’ bubble over rippling drums to draw the EP to a warm and vibrant close.
Ben Gomori / Saytek ‘Water & Absinthe’ EP is out on Monologues Records on 26th January 2015
