The MUST have album for the summer of 2014
1. Too Slow To Disco compiled by DJ Supermarkt (How Do You Are?)
OK, this may be a sign that I’m getting old, but Too Slow To Disco is less about creaking joints and more about slow beats and some cracking songs. Drawn from the West Coast in the 1970s, there are some great songs here, best enjoyed if you are safe in the knowledge there will be quite a bit of cheese involved – not to mention huge doses of Californian sunshine. From Brian Elliot’s complaints about exorbitant rent in ‘Room To Grow’ to a collector’s item from the Jan Hammer, this is a compilation that gives you every excuse to take a holiday!
2. Greater Lengths – An All Saints compilation (All Saints)
It has been very satisfying this year to be reminded of the impressive catalogue All Saints have at their disposal – but Greater Lengths goes one step further by offering some of that catalogue out to a talented remix pool. If you’re not familiar with their repertoire – which includes some ambient greats from Brian Eno as well as his brother Roger, Harold Budd, Laraaji and Jon Hassell – then ‘Greater Lengths’ is an excellent place to start. As for the remixers, patten’s blissful version of Harold Budd’s ‘Mandan’ leads the way, but there are some really meaningful contributions from Machinefabriek and Peaking Lights to name just a couple. All Saints are often regarded as ‘New Age’, which is always a misleading genre title. ‘Soothing yet thought provoking’ is a better fit.
3. DJ Kicks: Will Saul (!K7)
Will Saul is one of those understated DJs who never seems to put a foot wrong – and his turn on the DJ Kicks turntables is one of the best the series has had in ages. The mix focuses on sounds from his labels Aus Music and Simple, but makes the extra effort to secure some exclusives and rarities from those imprints. With impeccable pacing he creates a heat-soaked atmosphere before easing on the afterburners to feel the funk more urgently. Intelligently thought out and perfectly paced, this is one of the best mixes Saul has achieved – which given his track record is a high compliment!
4. 10 Years of Phonica (Phonica)
A record shop doing a compilation? Great idea – especially when it’s as good as Phonica’s is. These tree CDs of unmixed excellence cover a lot of dancefloor ground. Picking highlights out of the list is almost churlish, as the spirit of the underground is close throughout the set – together with a keen eye for a good production. Here’s to another ten years of musical excellence!
5. Message In The Music: The Ashley Beedle Re-edits (Demon Music Group)
If anyone knows where the good vibes are at, it’s Ashley Beedle – and this superb collection brings together a collection of just some of the many re-edits he puts together for his DJ sets, many of them available in full for the first time. Beedle has worked in so many different musical areas that he knows a good tune when he hears one – and ‘Message in the Music’ brings together many of those, together with some excellent songs. With two discs and a DVD, this is an absolute no brainer that offers good vibes from beginning to end.
6. Get Lost VII mixed by Craig Richards (Crosstown Rebels)
Craig Richards is an incredibly consistent DJ, one who doesn’t get the full credit he deserves. This is after all the man who mixed the very first Fabric compilation, who delivered a couple of very strong ‘Tyrant’ releases for the label, and who has now done a pair of cracking mixes for Crosstown Rebels. They demonstrate not just expert DJ craft but a thorough knowledge of techno and techier house from the last 30 years. Top stuff, and worthy of all our respect!
7. Air Texture Vol.4 selected by Steve Hauschildt and BNJMN (Air Texture)
The Air Texture series is one of the best around in ambient music at the moment, and this time Steve Hauschildt and BNJMN visit a largely beat less world notable for its complete and utter relaxation. Listening to an Air Texture compilation is the musical equivalent of flying at altitude, and the mixes are surprising for their emotional power, given the relative lack of notes and almost complete absence of drums and words. It just shows how meaningful the simplest music can be – and although at times it is disturbingly creepy, more often than not it is comforting and perfect for the small hours. Yet again this wonderful series delivers!
8. Electronic Architecture 3 mixed by Solarstone (Black Hole Recordings)
‘Melodic trance’ is a much misused term, but not in the case of Solarstone, who has come up with a couple of mixes here that are bursting at the seams with great productions and many, many top tunes. In an ambitious set of three mixes, we have what he describes as ‘the deep and immersive sounds of disc 1, the melodic pure energy of disc 2 and the slow-motion soundscapes of disc 3’. Each is compiled with great attention to detail and mixed with an impressive fluidity, as if we’re listening to one long track. It is all somehow energetic yet cool – and brilliantly mixed, too.
9. Italo House compiled by Joey Negro (Z Records)
You can rely on Joey Negro for a good compilation from dance music’s recent past, and Italo House is definitely one of his best. It won’t surprise you to learn that there is a lot of piano action here, as the Italians seemed to know the right keys to press when making their house riffs! ‘Italo House’ proves that with a succession of good time floor fillers that successfully blend these with some more moody moments. A very strong and happy collection!
10. BPM001 mixed by Art Department (No.19 Music)
The BPM festival goes from strength to strength every year, and this year it had the considerable support of an excellent compilation from Art Department. The first thing that comes across immediately is the quality of their mixing, and as the duo establishes a deep, dark groove early on they are bolstered by solid track selection. The BPM festival is looking to release a lot more of this sort of thing over the next couple of years – and they’re off to a cracking start here!
