Sound of Thunder #057 – More Hyperbole…
It’s been a busy week at Thunder Towers, we’ve managed to nail down all our guest DJs for the rest of the year, in addition to Andres, at our next party in April and Derrick Carter on our birthday in September. In addition to that we’ve got a whole bunch of festival slots in the UK and abroad lined up too. Hopefully we’ll be able to tell you all about all of this next week. In the meantime, we’ve also found some time to buy some records too. Here’s what has been floating out boat.
DJ FettBurger – Kaosfield (Mongo Fett)
This is the first release on the Fett’s new Mongo Fett and even by his (and his brother, Sotofett’s) usual out-there standards, it’s absolutely bonkers. Coming on a bit like a completely off-kilter outsider house This Is Sick, at point some of the percussion seems to go out of time with itself but the way it all comes together demonstrates a beauty in the madness. Brilliant debut for the label.
Nitejams – Nitejams 01 (Nitejams)
In the last Thunder Picks I was extolling the brilliance of Nummer latest offering, To The D, and hot on the heels of that boys are back, in their Nitejams guise, with yet another cracker. This one doesn’t require a great deal of analysis , four tracks of no nonsense, analogue, dancefloor pumpers, with just the right amount of fun injected into their grooves. The Nummer boys are quickly cementing reputation as buy on sight producers.
Mark E – Childstar (E-Versions)
I think I’ve probably reviewed more Mark’s records than any other producer in Thunder Picks, and that’s because (i) I’m a fan and (ii) he’s an excellent multi-talented producer. E Version is a return a to his edit roots and here he reworks Brit Funk classic, Level 42’s Starchild, in a pretty unique way. Think Ron Hardy’s Peaches and Prunes edit, that’s essentially what he’s done to this. It’s a dancefloor destroyer too.
Call Super – Fluenka Mitsu (Nous)
There was some heated debate online this week about the limited nature of this and other small run releases, but the good news is there seems to be plenty of copies of this in the shops this week. Recent release on Nous have peed off some of fans of the label’s early, deep, head nodding output, and those people are likely to have the right hump about this one too, as Berlin based UK producer Call Super turns in two straight-up techno tracks. The A-Side, ‘Fluenka’s Shelf’, leads the way with skippy rhythms, Red Planet-esque keys and bass, dub fx and echo, and on the flip there’s ‘From Which I Fell’ with its crunchy drums and harder stepping grove. It’s might not be deep house but it’s very, very good.
Lawrence – Manhatten EP (Smallville)
I own a lot of Lawrence records and I think I’d just about got to the point where I thought I didn’t need anymore… but then I hear this in Kristina Records last week as I was browsing. The title track is the most typically Lawrence, very deep but the undulated bassline really worms its way into your brain before the long, drawn out strings lift the track out of the norm. Dark and Stormy on the flip, lives up to its name, with amore eerie, late night feel, but the stand out is Nowhere Is A Place. It took me by surprise really because whilst it retains Lawrence’s trademark deepness and melancholy strings, it has a real peak time swing to it In summary, all 3 tracks are excellent, if you’re a Lawrence fan, this is essential, and if not, you might want to check it anyway. There's another great Small People EP on Smallville but I haven't got time to review it, deadline time is here…. arrrrrgggghhhhhh! Next time!
Moodymann – It’s 2 Late 4 U and Me [youANDme edit] (Ornaments)
Okay, technically this is a repress but it’s back in the shop in large numbers and I fially buckled and bought a copy. I loved the original (on Dirty Ol’ Vinyl back in 2010) so I wasn’t sure about this. Keeping the heavy, original bassline, it essentially pumps it up , loses the breakdown, and makes it all together a tougher dancefloor record. Hmmm, it’s not as good as the original though. Maybe it needs that breakdown?
Repress of the Week: Wet – What’s The Game (S.T.D. Records)
This Belgium synth wave classic has never been that tricky to find online but it’s also never been cheap, so now rather than dropping £50 on a fucked up copy and having to European shipping, you can pick up a minty fresh one, with the original sleeve and label artwork, for less than a tenner. Big on the pre-house (and post-house) Chicago and later sampled by Moodymann for "Dem Young Sconies”, it’s up there in the proto house pantheon and pretty much essential for anyone who even has a passing interest in that sound. Personally, I’m not a fan of the vocal but then neither were the old Chicago heads, so head for the B-Side and the instrumental and Dynamic mixes. Oh and the original pressing was pretty flimsy, this one isn’t. You know what you need to do.
From The Vaults: Rennie Foster – Good Time Chalrie [DJ Bone Remix] (Subject Detroit)
I only heard this record for the first time at the end of last whilst trawling through DJ Bone mixes when we were trying to book him to play at Thunder. It’s jaw dropping. The perfect combination of melody, hooks and toughness – lock in, heads down, turn up the smoke, dance, sweat, lose yourself in that groove, nothing else matters because THIS what it is all about. It might actually be the best house record I’ve heard in the last 10 years.
Thunder returns to the Dance Tunnel on Friday 17th April with If you're coming down, there really are only a handful of >>tickets<< left – and that really isn't hyperbole!
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