MK / Omar-S – Given (MK Dub) / Sarah

A. 4th Measure Men – Given (MK Dub)
B. Omar S – Sarah

Another one I added to my box while at Underground Solush’n. The initial reason I picked it up off the shelf was to strengthen my collection of MK Dubs (just two and counting) but even disregarding that it’s obviously hard to go past any release from Omar S with his bends-inducing basslines and classic Detroit percussion. The original track of the MK Dub actually comes from Marc Kinchen himself, and was released back in 1993 under his 4th Measure Men guise.

This release scores bonus points for sampling and including imagery from a classic Troma film.

Green Velvet / La La Land

A. La La Land (12″ Version)
B. La La Land (Geo Vogt Remix)

Couldn’t resist buying this while at Underground Solush’n in Edinburgh last week. One of the handful of anthems from my ”dance music” honeymoon period that I’m not too ashamed to admit to still having a soft spot for (in spite of the not overly academic lyrics). I seem to remember one gig where Green Velvet was performing with lasers shooting off his body, but in retrospect it simply may have been that he was standing next to a bright object. Regardless, ten years ago La La Land’s hard jackin’ bassline helped me forget all about guitars and ”real” drums for a while and helped set me spiraling off on the wallet destroying course I currently find myself on.

LNR / Work It To The Bone

A1. Work It To The Bone (Vocal)
A2. Work It To The Bone (Instrumental)
B2. It’s A Mystery To Me (The You And Me Both Mix)

I have to thank Dan Bell for introducing me to this on my last trip to London, only 23 short years after the track was originally released. For me this is definitely one of the many records that highlights the blurring of the lines between late Chicago house and early Detroit techno, especially when listening to the simple yet infectious melody and unforgiving percussion on the flip side. On the A side the instrumental wins out just slightly over the vocal due to a certain level of subtlety.

DJ Milton / Unfinished Business

A1. Back-N-Forth
A2. The Thunder
A3. Move It (RX)
B1. Phase II
B2. House-O-Matics
B3. House-O (RX)

Been a while so needed to post an absolute gem to make up for it. DJ Milton is one of my favourite producers at the moment and Unfinished Business has got to be one of his best records. Just like all of Milton’s releases it’s pure rhythmic percussive monotony and RAW AS FUCK. It’s definitely not hard to work out why Raymond Barney and the Dance Mania crew turned to him so many times in the mid to late 90s. Unfortunately not many DJ Milton youtube clips out there, need to rip a few when I get a chance.

Wax / No. 30003

A. 30003A
B. 30003B

No. 30003 is most definitely the father of the holy trinity in my humble opinion. If forced over gun point to choose I’d go with B as the stronger track, but both A & B have their own unique charms. Then if, after being spared death by hot steel, was forced (perhaps with a rusty pocket knife) to choose on a more detailed level I would have to go with 3 minutes 28 seconds as being the highlight of the release and whole Wax series.

Wax / No. 20002

A. 20002A
B. 20002B

Been a while since posts but here it is finally, No. 20002. Deep deep deep. Loving the contrasts between the two sides. Both equal parts ”late night” but at the same time worlds apart. The A side has me convinced it’s a sound plan to be in Room One after the sun has come up and the B side has me just a glad to be home…although no closer to bed. Not so different after all it seems. Either way the perfect way to celebrate the fact I’ve got all 4 EQD releases heading my way from beautiful Germany as we/I speak/type.

Wax / No. 10001

A 10001A
B 10001B

If it’s mastered at Dubplates & Mastering and comes complete with handstamp you basically know, without even needing to drop the needle, that it’s an instant classic. And No. 10001 is nothing less. The Wax series have to be some of the best work to come from René Pawlowitz (aka Shed aka EQD etc etc.), with no shortage of deep warbling basslines, a liberal supply of stabbing synths, plenty of RSI inducing percussion and a text book example of dub techno reverb and delay.

No prizes for guessing which releases will take up the next two posts.

Detroit Grand Pubahs / Sandwiches

A1 Sandwiches (Original)
A2 Sandwiches (Acappella)
B1 Sandwiches (Krafty Kuts Toasted Mix)
B2 Sandwiches (F.A.F. Bitesize Edit)

No need to waste the cartridges on the B-Side because it’s A1 and A2 that should get the juices flowing. I swear I don’t remember this much low end when I first heard it 10 years ago on Channel V, but was pleasantly surprised when this arrived in the mail and subsequently did a fairly good job of irritating the neighbours. I have to admit that I had completely forgotten about the Detroit Grand Pubahs until around 2005 when Richie Hawtin made them socially acceptable again by including Dr Bootygrabber in DE9 : Transitions.

Jeff Mills / The Other Day EP

A1 4 Art
A2 Nepta
A3 Time Out Of Mind
B1 Striping Effect
B2 i9

Another 1996 Jeff Mills release, this time a little more typical of the second waver. This is strictly classic minimal Jeff Mills. 4 Art is a prime Jeff tune, dark, slightly industrial and repetitive in all its techno glory. i9 will have your ears on the verge of bleeding and Nepta will potentially give you RSI in your neck, while Striping Effect and Time Out Of Mind pay definite homage to the futurist elements of Detroit Techno.

Jeff Mills / Shifty Disco E.P.

A1 The Sun
A2 Theme From ”2000″
B1 Move Your Body
B2 Set

Personally not a dedicated Jeff Mills fan like many out there but partial to a few of his releases nonetheless. Plenty of versatility on this record, even getting more ”house” than you might expect from the Detroit veteran. None of the four tracks are quite as relentless as his Axis Records releases although Theme From ”2000″ does come close.