House Dabble

I've always been more of a techno man rather than a house man, but it is good to dabble sometimes. Dip the toe in, so to speak.

And so I went on a bit of house mini trip via YouTube the other day, thanks in part to Joe Goddard's Essential Mix.

Together - Together

As I made my way down Churchill Way on the X1, Goddard dropped Together. How the flamin' heck I missed a collab between Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk and DJ Falcon from the filter house golden era of 2000 is beyond me. Beyond I tell you! Together can seen as the forgotten little brother to the worldwide smash that was Stardust's Music Sounds Better With You, another Bangalter collaboration (this time with Alan Braxe) from 1998. For all its cheesiness and simplicity, I just love that filtered French house sound and it remains a joy.

DJ Boring - Winona

The first recommended video after Together was some geezer called DJ Boring. Well I just had to give it a go, especially as it had over a million plays. Clearly I'd missed something here. Winona is made up of snippet of a Winona Ryder interview and a load of sounds, textures and tricks from late 90s deep house. I'm not complaining, I mean anything along the lines of Deep Burnt is OK by me, and this really chugs along nicely. I'm just a little surprised that this sound is back in and in a big way. And that it is made by someone with a jokey name like DJ Boring.

Turns out the name thing is a bit of a meme in this new lo-fi house scene. I only know this thanks to a takedown article by Fact from back in December. DJ Seinfeld and Ross From Friends are other leading lights in this sound. From the few tracks I've heard, I don't really get the scorn that was thrown at lo-fi house in that article. OK, it's not the most original progression in the history of dance music but it sounds pretty good to these ears. Been listening to a few DJ Boring mixes as I worked from home today and it makes good working music. That's not a back-handed compliment. If you got something that needs doing, chuck on this mix, let it bump away and get your stuff done.

Midland - Final Credits

Final Credits was held up in that previously mentioned Fact article as something much more deserving of praise and plays than the efforts of DJ Boring et al. Thing is, this sounds as retrogressive as the lo-fi stuff. The other thing is that it is also really bloody good house music. It's just so damn danceable, I could cut some serious rug to this, a phrase that clearly indicates I haven't been, nor should I be allowed near, a club anytime soon.

And here endeth my house mini tour.

Forbidden Colour

Another day, another post on film music by a Japanese composer.

Last time out was the finale music to Pom Poko, today it's the work of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Forbidden Colour.

Composed for Merry Christmas , Mr Lawrence, Forbidden Colours is a sumptuous journey of new age flourishes, exoticism and synth pop sensibilities. It may have appeared on every chillout compilation going but that shouldn't diminish the wistful beauty of Sakamoto's composition.

Related Post: Riot In Lagos

Lovely Ghibli

If you're on the hunt for some wholesome escapism then earlier this week NTS broadcast the 2nd in their Radio Ghibli series.

A post shared by NTS Radio (@nts_radio) on Mar 6, 2017 at 3:02am PST

Sega Bodega is at the helm of three mixes made up entirely of the soundtracks from the wonderful Studio Ghibli. The first went up in January, so we can expect part 3 in May perhaps? It'll be worth the wait if the first two shows are anything to go by. It's perfect music to walk to as you drift off into the imagination of Hayao Miyazaki and co.



My highlight, and something I've currently got on loop, is Mukashi O Ima Ni Nasuyoshimo Ga Na from the soundtrack of Pom Poko. The only thing I really recall from Pom Poko is the whacking great testicles of the raccoon-like tanukis. So if you like animals with big balls and beautiful music, then give Pom Poko a go. Stick that on your poster Miyaziki.

Mixes, Mirth & Mystery

With an itch to write a blog, here's my Savlon, a selection of mixes that I've enjoyed over the past couple of weeks. I'm still in Podcast Land however. What's kept me there is the recent switch to Stitcher. The app seems to have the most comprehensive selection of streams available, so I've returned to Harmontown amongst others but the killer new one is Missing Richard Simmons. Loving that and My Dad Wrote A Porno (not on Stitcher, but still very good).

Anyway we're here to talk mixes, so without further ado, we'll start with this.

Bonobo - Mixmag's The Cover Mix



A beautiful hour long mix that that builds, bumps and bubbles along with Bonobo's usual charm. You can find the tracklist over on Mixmag, although whether you can find a CD of it I'm not sure, as I think Mixmag dropped its cover mount CDs a few years back for digital download codes. Still, you can stream it on MixCloud and SoundCloud.

Metronomy - Solid Steel Radio Show 24/2/17



Joe Mount goes into his parents' attic and pulls out a load of records he hasn't heard for a while for an hour of the Ninja Tune affiliated Solid Steel Radio Show. Idiosyncratic, wonky and shonky, like all the best of Metronomy's output, it starts off with Laurie Anderson's O Superman before taking in Stereolab, Tangerine Dream, and Eminem. A funny little hour or so with the ever engaging front man.

Nathan Fake - RA Mix 562



Promoting new album Providence (Ninja Tune), Nathan Fake provides Resident Advisor with an hour of tougher more abrasive sounds than you might readily associate with Fake if you're a fan of his early work. Tracklist is yerr.