Thunder Picks #007

I was writing this weeks Thunder Picks yesterday and it was going to be all about a bunch of new stuff like the Innerspace Halflife release on Skudge, Lones new one on R&S and Leo Elstobs new Track Work label, which kind of channels a post Sound Factory era Danny Tenaglia vibe. But then I listened to one of those new tracks, Leo Zero and the Box Beaters Take The Ride, the filter kicked in and all of a sudden I was transported back to the terrace at Space in Ibiza in summer of 2000.

Id been a bit of a not-as-good-as-it-used-to-be Ibiza naysayer for a few years but that summer, in the dappled sunlight of terrace I forgot all that negativity, let myself go a bit and had the time of my life. I think it was a year or two before the terrace was swamped by sponsorship (drinks and video game consoles FFS) , and the best way to describe it was wild. Jonathon Ulysses was resident and he whilst he had pretty good taste, he managed play in fairly party style without being as overtly cheesy as say, Alex P and Brandon Block.  There's a really nice video of Jonathon playing on the terrace from the year after here:

So anyway, I thought sod the new stuff, the sun is out and I want to listen to filtery house records that remind me of that summer. And here they are.

Byron Stingily U Turn Me No record reminds me more of that summer than this. In fact, I can almost feel the hangover and smell the sun lotion whenever I hear it. Obviously Byron is one of the house vocal great and hes supported on this album only track by Leeeeeee John from Imagination (who, fact fans, once complimented me on DJing at a BBQ in Northolt). Listening to it now, it does sound a touch clichd but it evokes memories of euphoric dancing on terrace podiums amongst the carnage of a Manumission after party with dwarves in rope swings and stuff. Actually that sounds quite clichd too, but it was bloody good fun.

Alan Braxe and Fred Falke Most Wanted This is the other side of Intro, the The Jets sampling filter house behemoth from which there was no escape that year. However, whereas you couldnt pay me to listen to Intro willingly ever again in my life, Most Wanted is a deeper, far a more subtle and finely nuanced track, so has stood the test of time pretty well. So well in fact, Ben UFO dropped it in one of his Boiler Room sets. Ben likes it, I like it, what more do you need to know? French filter house is officially cool again!

Deepah Ones In The Sky – Oh. My. God. I love this record. I think I bought it in New York the year before and its essentially a fairly simple concept, Spen and Karizma doing their thing with a MASSIVE Level 42 Starchild sample. It phases in, it phases out, it builds, the drums kick, it builds some more and then it releases! Then it does it again. And again! Jesus, Im listening to it now and Im covered in goosebumps. Its fantastic. Spencer Parker tells me he dropped it at Panorama Bar last week too and it took the roof off (another clich for you there). You can actually buy this record for pennies. And you probably should.

Different Gear Vs The Police When The World Is Running Down Who are Different gear? Have they ever made another decent record? God knows is the answer to both those questions but they cracked it with this one. Originally a moody little bootleg it got snapped up by Pagan and blew up. I probably shouldnt like this at all and it screams SUNSHINE at me and whispers go on, have another one in my ear. I love it, I really do.

Liquid People Love is the Answer This lot of funky housers from Mansfield or something, so Im not sure quite how they ended up putting out an Africanism release but Yellow Productions had a bit of a tie with Cerrone and this track is really just a big Cerrone sample with a house beat (bit if theme developing here, eh?), so maybe that has something to do with it? A great record for lifting people out of a tracky fug and getting them to hold hands with whoever theyre dancing next to.

One word of warning though, you might not want to play all of these tracks one after the other. Theyre like cans of Coca Cola on a hot day, one is refreshing, but five on the trot will probably make you feel a bit sick. See you all at FARR tomorrow x

Miles 'Thunder' Simpson