Friday 22 February 2013

Indiscriminate 2012 top 10 1s....

Well  2012 is but a distant memory, however some of the tracks that shaped 2012 for me , do not fade very easily at all. Here is my top 10, not in any order at all, with each track as equally good as the next, with merits for all included. I've included a handy playlist via youtube so as that all ten can be played in one handy link at the bottom of the post... so in no particular order...

.....John Digweed is one of those DJ's that will deliver tracks time and time again, this is no exception and having heard this at Bedrock on the Thursday before Easter as he smashed the XOYO crowd, it c certainly had a lasting effect on me and echo's that great techno is house sound that he delivers to crowds week in week out.



Digweed once more proves his sequencing prowess with a lovely release from the massively sucessful - Live in Cordoba album in early 2012, this destroyed any dance floor which it was played on. This always brings a smile to my face when I hear or play it and never tire of this dark dirty building smasher of a track. 



Carrying on from the sucess of Paneoh's earlier track in the year, this is yet again another great track with that nasty techno base sound, released on Digweed's last album - Bedrock 14 a sure fire smasher!! 



To say Charlie May is underrated is in itself a truly underrated statement. His technical and musical knowledge as a DJ and a producer under his other guise as Spooky is unmeasureable. Working with Sasha over the years on many tracks and collaborations with his talent equating into one too many superlatives.  

For me this is ever present in delivering immense tracks with that lovely Progressive sound, that perforates you audio senses from start to finish which cannot be described, but felt. The remix of Fringe packs many a punch, yet more than I can comprehend, just goosebumps say it all for me, I am sure you will agree.



By chance I heard a short set on youtube from Sasha at  Paradiso Beach club, Greece and to say I was impressed was under statement of the highest proportion. Sasha constantly forward looks where others do not and he delivered yet another awesome snapshot of tracks in his sets & mixing. 

For months I had this track on repeat as delivers that chunky edgy baseline that energizes any crowd into obscurity and then some. Its techy, dirty sound guarantees casualities on the dance floor time and time again, nothing comes close to pulsating the slowest of heart beats, yet again Crosstownrebels deliver!!!



Going to Renaissance 20 in Leeds back in April with Sasha playing was always going to be special and he did not disappoint, smashing Leeds early on to deliver a lovely set, to warm the night up from the very start. This track packs a meaty punch without the nasty progressive or techno sound, just some lovely well delivered tech house from start to finish.



2012 was full of talk of Sasha's imminent release of Involv3r, however while he was  mastering and working through the sequencing/release of tracks for the album, this lovely remaster of Hot Chips - Flutes came out which hit the heights and just carried on and on, even till the end of the year when he smashed it at the Loft for 8 hours, playing this lovely gem...



I don't recall where I first heard this, possibly from a Sasha at Voyeur in San Diego early on in the year, however with that slow build up it makes you want more and more each time, definitely a meaty set builder, something that shows its quality from start to finish...



With every genre there is dilution and  new direction to form something new and to deviate away from Progressive into the more darker sound, to  deliver even more punch well I didn't think it would work, but it does!! 

However almost a year on, the Dark progressive sound from the likes of Moshic (absolute stalwart DJ) and many others have followed suit,  is that all I can say is that the deviation is well received and long may it continue on.

For all those that like a hard edged progressive sound, this is for you!!



Last but no means least is another favouirte from Mr Digweed, once more proving and confirming why he is at the top of the ladder, his sequnecing and prowess knows no bounds. The remix by Art department brings this lovely production to the top time and time again, showing with a great track and a great remix comes a great dancefloor smasher.



Well a top 10 filled with all my favourite tracks from 2012, with more knocking at the door to get in. As usual, too much great music and not enough time, for anyone wanting to listen to all 10 in one hit, I have added them into one handy playlist on youtube, cheers Paul :D

TOP 10 playlist


Saturday 16 February 2013

Where it all started...part1

Most people never remember where great things started thankfully for me I can... for me it goes back to Christmas 1987, with money burning a hole in my pocket, I decided (what felt I right) to purchase my first ever step into House music from the now defunct HMV, oh how the good olde days were good, however these days are just as good, just different, so began my journey!! 

However DJ'ing only goes back about 3 years or so when I bumped into the illustrious Mr Knight in Leeds one Saturday afternoon. After the seed was sown a few months later, all bets were off and I was addicted to the whole musical experience (start to finish).

When you first hear a track you love and just want to know straight away what it is, no matter what how, where and when!! Then its a battle for that all important ID, queue... google search, beg, steal and borrow!!!

So after many many hours, lots of frustation, deliberation, advice, coaxing and all round encouragement, I found my feet. 

Listening to music takes on a whole new dimension when you DJ as well, as you want people to evoke the feeling that you have, every time you hear that special track and to feel the same way when you play, well I do anyway!! (it always will be the way, for me)

 With the technology nowadays selection or sequencing is paramount and it can be seen in so many super ficial "DJ's" who don't play for the love but for the money playing throw away music, quality will always trump substance.

So in no chronological order whatsoever from last year of any kind here are all my past and present DJ mixes from 2012, with an introduction of any kind to let you know what I was thinking and my influences or state of mind....

Paul Ross Vs John Digweed - Live in Cordoba

As a tribute to John Digweed's Live in Cordoba album released back in April 2012, here is my take on the great album with some Jody Wisternoff specials thrown in and sandwiched inbetween to deliver a pulsing mix from start to finish.  



 TRACKLISTING:
  • Francys - Crossing the white line (gorge interpretation) 
  • Yooj - Madamemoiselle (Martin Buttrich remix) 
  • Philip bader Nicone/Sascha braemer - Dantze boy 
  • Guy J - Fixation 
  • Tweakers - Subatomic 
  • Rodamaal feat. Claudia franco - Insomnia (Ame remix) 
  • Maetrik - the entity 
  • Jody wisternoff - Lassoo 
  • Oliver Leib - Helios 
  • Paneoh Punto - des control 
  • Zoo Brazil - Slob (nick curly remix) 
  • Agoria feat. Scalde - Singing (Dixie Dub) 
  • Sirenize - Everybody 
  • Slam - Eterna (John digweed & Nick Muir remix)
DOWNLOAD        



Paul Ross Vs John Digweed - Bedrock 14
Another take on John Digweed's last release album of 2012. Bedrock 14 wasn't as immense as the previous release back in April, however it had, as always Bedrock albums do some  top drawer tracks. 

I managed to back fill the end of my mix with some Bedrock back catalogue gems I have just been waiting to use and the right time....sit back and enjoy.



TRACKLISTING:
  • Trezz Intro 
  • Paneoh - Vetabom 
  • Dousk - Mute 
  • Amber - Anyway (Steve Porter) 
  • Digweed & Muir - Raise (Electric rescue remix) 
  • Electric Rescue - Stucked ship 
  • Robert Babicz - Eastside 
  • Solee - Resistance 
  • Christian Smith - The Judgement 
  • Pig & Dan - Crazy 
  • Digweed & Muir - Aquatonic 
  • John Digweed - Warung Beach (Kiki remix) 
DOWNLOAD        




Reverse Coagulant
This mix for me was a long time coming, however the results were definitely worth it, with inspirations from Sasha and Charlie May with a stellar remix along with some nasty's from M.A.N.D.Y. and a track given to me by a good friend Erik Bruce, many thanks mate!! My particular favourites are the Charlie May remix of Fringe and Subb-An... so sit back and enjoy a progressive techno smasher...



TRACKLISTING:

  • Stellios Vassiloudis - Hit the lights 
  • Subb-An feat Anomaly - Misleading 
  • DYNO - Fringe 
  • Tahloula - We play house (M.A.N.D.Y. Sweatbox remix) 
  • Daniel Dexter - Storm 
  • Booka Shade - Honeyslave (Club Mix) 
  • Erik Bruce - Dub for the man 
  • DYNO - Fringe (Charlie May remix) 
  • Ferdy - Computers in Space 
  • Orbital - New France (Tom Middleton remix) 
  • Agoria - Singing (Dixie Dub) 
  • Edu Imbernon - Vitange 
  • Silinder - Second Thought
DOWNLOAD   


January is the New October
All good things come those who wait and this was a bit of an overspill from 2011, something that took longer than planned whenever I am sequencing a mix. It features some lovely tracks from Charlie May & Pole Folder with my personal favourite coming from Robytek, typically a full tilt progressive smasher.



TRACKLISTING:
  • Erphun - Paradise Cursed (Pole Folder remix) 
  • Mezza Luna Vs Felix Cage - Blizzard (Pole Folder northern mix) 
  • Robytek - Sun 
  • 16Bit Ladytron - Destroy the murder weapon (slinder mashup) 
  • Charlie May - Homecoming (Sasha & Nakov remix) 
  • 2rahmwohnnung - Wir Werden Sie (paul kalbrenner remix) 
  • Fecc - Summer night story 
  • Henry Saiz & Marx Mezenit - Radiance (King Unique remix) 
  • Stephan Barnam - Karted 
  • Carlo Lio - Purple Soul 
  • Niggeman & Poppcke - L'Aurara
DOWNLOAD



Sundown Sundays
A summertime project that morphed into something bigger than I had originally planned when I first set out to do a downtempo mix for the summer sunshine whenever it decides or decided to appear. Seen as though I have so many tracks it was hard to cram everything in I love to listen to on a summers day, but I think that it does justice to lazy mix for those horizontal days.

Influences were drawn from an old cowboy western film score, Buddha bar, Cafe del mar  and a few GU30 gems thrown in I never tire of on any day of the week and a few other spectacular laid back gems.  So find yourself a cosy corner, curl up and enjoy some blissed out beats to ward off any winter blues or welcome a sunny afternoon soak in the ocean.



TRACKLISTING:
  • Ennio Morricone - Man with a harmonica 
  • Ramp - Everybody Loves the sunshine
  • Willaim Orbit - The story of light
  • Lonely Planet - Aurtas
  • Deadbeats - Feel good
  • Deepak Ram - Kitu
  • De Phazz - The mambo craze
  • Tripswitch - Strange Parallels
  • Zen Men - Une table a' trois
  • Cinematic Orchestra - All that you give
  • Cloud - Voyance 
  • Joey Fehrenbach - Being around you 
  • Zohar - The merciful one
  • Jai Uttal - Guru Bramha
  • Coldcut - Autumn Leaves
  • Symbiosis  - Spiritual Technology
  • Nightmares on Wax - Nights interlude
  • Sabres of Paradise - Haunted dancehall
  • Ver Vlads - Crazy Ivan 
  • Ennio Morricone - Farewell to Cheyenne
DOWNLOAD



Techno is House
 John Digweed once said that "techno is house" and he couldn't be on the money, for me house music has evolved massively to what it is today, with Techno inter wound into the fabric of great electronic music. So having spent the start of the Easter weekend in London at Bedrock, I hot footed it back up to Leeds for Renaissance 20th birthday with Sasha smashing it from start to finish.

Having experienced Digweed and Coe at their best I was inspired to sequence something of worthy equal and out came my mix for April with some floor killers from Cid Inc, Eelke Kleijn & Gabriel Ananda however my favourite track is from Cormac destroying the Bedrock dance floor on the pre-Easter Thursday, just proving Digweed is the man!



TRACKLISTING:
  • Erphun - Still crazy
  • Mohrr - Dirty Feet (Cid Inc remix)
  • Joseph capriati & Adam Beyer - Congenial Endeavour
  • Cormac - Narcosa (Jennifer Cardinis Visonquest remix)
  • Electric Rescue - Lili
  • Hall North - Levinas (Soulwerk remix)
  • Gabriel Ananda - In between
  • Aragorn - Nightshift
  • Marco Bailey & Tom Hades - Stars & shines
  • Andreas Hermanasson (Inkfish) - Detriot
  • Eelke Kleijn - Papillion
  • Luke Abbott - Brazil (slow version)
  • Microtrauma - Reflections
  • Phillip Bader - Dantz Boy
  • Alex Niggeman - Don't wait (Moodapella dub)
DOWNLOAD


The Edge of Oblivion
More of the same really, a full on, full tilt, full fat 2 hour techno mix. During the summer I took part in a  24 hour marathon of music over a weekend featuring 6 DJ's from England and 6 from Holland, which came together as one big great weekend broadcasting across the interweb.

For all those that like their techno, well this one for you non stop from start to finish.. 



TRACKLISTING:

  • Erphun - Still Crazy
  • Detroit Grand Pubhahs - Nvrsaynvr
  • Slam & Gary Beck - Verto
  • Alan Fitzpatrick -Always something for nothing
  • Secret Cinema & Kalden bess - Bam Bam
  • Dustin Zahn & Edit Select - Tunnels 
  • Joseph Capriati & Adam Beyer - Congenial Endeavour
  • Adam Beyer & Alan Fitzpatrick - Human Reason
  • Marc Romboy -The overture (Egbert remix)
  • Maelstrom - USSR
  • Joseph Capriati & Adam Beyer - Rubicon
  • Alan Fitzpatrick - Xenomorph
  • Miki Litvak - Pollinator (gary beck remix)
  • Bodyscrub - Kalnedula (miniminds remix)
  • Paolo Mojo - All night alright (Manuel  de la mare remix)
  • Andrew K - The doppler effect (Max cooper remix) 
  • Marc Romboy Vs Stephan Bodzin - Triton (Gaisers Trial tone remix)
  • Minolgue -Space (Radio slave Panorama Garage remix)
  • Alter Ego - Why not (Tim Deluxe remix)
  • Einmusik - Atl Antis
  • Bushwacka! & Just be - West side (Christian Smith & Webbha remix)
DOWNLOAD

Part 2 to follow for 2011 in the next month or so, feel free to comment on any of the mixes, cheers for listening and enjoy Paul :D