Sub Club
20 Years Underground
The Sub Club is an underground institution. I’ve had too many great nights in there to even start counting. The low ceiling, top sound system, good guests, great residents and up for it crowd have made it into what it is – a legendary night out. To celebrate 20 years in the pleasure game, the club’s residents from their two main nights – Subculture and Optimo – have put together this two-CD mix for Soma. First up is Harri and Domenic’s mix, and there are some absolute crackers on here. Things kick off in classic style with Carl Craig’s definition of machine-made music Mind Of A Machine. Then there’s the absolutely stunning The Gathering’ by Neal Howard – if this track doesn’t make you want to get down and boogie then you must be dead. This is followed by Wiggin the epic Derrick May track and the wonderful jacking house vibes of Soul Center’s Psycho Set. This ain’t no funky house mix exclusive to Tesco – these vibes work it and will drive you wild. The mix also includes disco classic Spank by Jimmy Bo Horne – as any regular Subber can tell you, mixing in disco was always a big part of Subculture’s sound. But things return to grand Subculture style at the end of the mix as Galaxy 2 Galaxy’s Jupiter Jazz mixes into Code 6’s Last Voyage. You can almost feel the heat and touch the sweat. Class. And if that’s not enough, genre-breaking Optimo residents JD Twitch and JG Wilkes are up next, doing it the way they love it. Their fucking way. As dance music got stale and commercial in the late 1990s, Jonnie and Keith stepped up to the decks and turned everything on its head. It all became about the music again. The start of their mix sums this approach up as well as any words can, with Jeff Mills’ pumping The Bells track being slowed down and mixed into the post-punk disco vibes of Leather Nun’s FFA. From there on it’s a fabulous journey through deep techno vibes (The Orb’s Ripples, Baby Oliver’s Shot Caller and Jay Shepheard’s Last Days), post-punk (Nocturnal Emissions’ No Separation), industrial sounds (Front 242’s Take One), nu disco(Lindstrom and Prince Thomas) and classic disco funk (Linkwood Family’s Piece Of Mind). Not what you expected and fucking great – just like an Optimo night. Two great mixes, four great residents and one great club. Enjoy. 6/5
Out on Soma
Vibert/Simmonds
Rodulate
Two Cornishmen and lots of wonderful machine sounds is what this release is all about. Prolific remixer and producer Luke Vibert joins forces with long-term collaborator and spiritual advisor Simmonds aka Voafose to unleash some previously unheard tracks from the Rephlex archives. These sonic experiments feature elements of hip hop, house, techno, ambient, jazz and musique concrete. It’s rewarding listening as well as the kind of weird shit that could drive you bananas at a late-night bash down a dodgy warehouse. Highlights are the clonky Detroit-influenced Open File, the wicked bass-led glitch of Asteroid Belt, the beautifully druggy and lite Go To Sleep and the ravetastic (in the best possible way) Fishing Ray. Rephlex rarely fails and it always surprises and dares. 4/5
Out on Rephlex
808 State
Quadrastate
If you’re over 30, then listening to Pacific State is like a Shamanic journey back to positive times when it seemed like the world was changing and most of us reached out and tried to hold it in our hands. Of course, we swallowed it as well – which helped. This re-release of the sounds which were central to the spread of acid house and dance music all over the globe gives people time to reflect on then and where we are now. Pacific State is an all-time anthem and still sounds so fresh and beautiful, with its blend of organic and machine-driven sounds. This blend is a constant theme throughout 808 State’s music. But it’s the drum sounds, snare rolls, hi hats, samples and synths that define the time. Check out the mad warehouse grooves such as Let Yourself Go and State Ritual Scam, or the New Order-esque Got It Huh, and the sublime melodies of Disco State and you’ll discover a time when the experimental sounds of UK acts such as Cabaret Voltaire met up with more pop-based productions such as Frankie Goes To Hollywood and The Human League and then moved forward into the future creating acid house in a drug-induced blissful haze. It’s a great journey. And for the DJs, just drop Pacific State and see what it does even today. I heard Greg Wilson play it recently and it blew the place away. 4/5
Out on Rephlex
Black Devil Disco Club
Eight Oh Eight
The final part in the influential Black Devil Disco trilogy is here. And it’s described as “Salvador Dali meets Cerrone”, which ain’t half bad as descriptions go. Sinister and psychedelic, while also disco influenced and robotically rhythmic, the Black Devil Disco Club sound is one which spans the Italo disco and acid house genres and connects them as one. Highlights include the post-punky, proto-techno vibes of With Honey Cream which is like The Associates on more acid, the racing cosmic electronic sounds of Is Sorrow and the heavily Italo funk of Free For The Girls. 3.5/5
Lo Recordings
Greg Wilson
2020 Vision
Mr Revox himself takes on an interesting project here by producing one of his legendary GW mixes out of tracks form the 2020 Vision back catalogue. This is a label known more for its tech-house material, so it’s rather surprising that GW manages to source tracks that once they are programmed, edited and over-dubbed somehow come up with that trademark GW sound. He is helped out by the more electrofunk-influenced tracks such as Weirdo Police’s Electronic Cretin, Boogie Corporation’s Lay The Funk and Italo/electro-influenced numbers such as Nick Chacona’s Through The Door and 2020 Soundsystem’s Hit The Fan. But other tracks such as Random Factor’s Second Principles and Spirit Catcher’s Sweet Deal’ sound more like disco and electrofunk than you might have thought before on hearing them in a different context. But then that’s what great DJs do – they put things in context. Wilson also makes crystal clear the influences which defined the sounds that these contemporary artists have developed in their work. Definitely worth checking out for the mix and the history alone. 4/5
Out on 2020 Vision
Plej
Home Is Where Your Heart Was
Brothers Arvid and Erik Niklasson prove that Ikea isn’t the only thing getting exported out of Sweden. The name is Plej (pronounced play) and the sound is heavily textured dance music and blends elements of the nu cosmic disco sound of Lindstrom and Prins Thomas with elements of trip hop, deep house and pop. On the instrumental tracks like Static Friction, Borderline and The Pollination this produces a nice summery, Balearic vibe which is pleasant enough. But it doesn’t have any of the edge, or alternative feel of the Norwegian nu disco crew. And when vocals are added it often leads to an overly poppy feel, as with Give It To Me. But the instrumentals would make very nice listening music on your summer trips – or when you’re assembling those flatpacks… 2.5/5
Out on Exceptional on August 25
Allez Allez
Best Of
Allez Allez were a Belgian new wave group who had three hits and then disappeared off the musical map. As Belgium’s leading dance imprint, Eskimo has decided to re-locate them and put them back in the picture. African Queen is a quirky and interesting blend of post-punk vibes, disco and afro influences with vocalist Sarah Osbourne talking in a style very similar to that which made Grace Jones a massive star. The afro-funk meets post-punk vibe continues on Allez Allez but to less effect. Then on She’s Stirring Up, they work it Pig Bag/Konk style, with elements of Tom Tom Club and ESG also kicking about. Siouxsie and the Banshees and Fun Boy 3 also came to mind in places. So plenty of echoes here, and in retrospect you can see how this sound was carried off in many ways after the time had passed. The CD also features a number of remixes which help to bring things up to date and make it of more relevance. After rather disappointing work outs by Quiet Village and Aeroplane, Optimo Espacio up the energy on She’s Stirring Up and get those drums working hard which really picks things up. The CD finishes with a rather good Lindstrom and Prins Thomas remix of Allez Allez which builds beautifully and holds off on the chorus long enough to give it real effect. Very nice. 3.5/5
Out on Eskimo Recordings
