Soulwax

Soulwax played down in Brighton last week. They played their live Nite Versions of their Remixes. I think that makes sense.. Anyway, more importantly, they were brilliant. Their version of LCDs Get Innocuous was a particular highlight, when they're locked into the groove there are few better, certainly from Belgium anyway.. (Sorry, it was getting a bit sycophantic so I had to get a bit Belgianist to counter all the fawning)

Unfortunately I missed the screening of the film their Rave-umentary "Part Of The Weekend Never Dies." Which was annoying, so I've decided to put my own together... This teaser is from  a show they did in Tokyo in 2004. Including a rare-ish guest appearance from Nancy Whang and featuring Little Dave from Goose on 3rd keyboard.  Aside from this clip and one of the brothers humiliating a poor Japanese DJ in an interview most of the footage I have of them is when they've played the Dave Clarke remix of Coatnoise in various locations. I'm thinking of calling it "Part Of My Coatnoise Never Dies" but then again maybe not...

The picture is from the same trip, but this time at the Electraglide Festival in Osaka..

Another Mix

So here is another mix...

I know, I know, I just can't stop giving..

This was done for my good friend Johnny Reggae and his Friday night show, The Hook Up on Brightons  Juice 107.2 FM.

I've been doing quite a few mixes for radio of late. I've been trying to get a balance of new bits, some older but still good bits and a bit of self promotion with tracks from the album. And yes, I've used the Vaughan Mason with the Disco Sirens accapella into Nitro Deluxe trick again.. sorry.

I figured it being a mix for a Brighton radio show I should show you a picture of Brighton. 

I took ages waiting for the seagull to fly past, so please pay it due attention... It's funny how they can look almost beautiful in flight and when you can't hear the fucking things screeching whilst they have sex on a rooftop just by your bedroom window.

Kidda  Feels So Good (Midfield General Rx) Skint
Sisqo Thong Song Erol Alkan Re-Edit CDR
Duoteque  Drug Queen Boxer
Surkin  White Knight Institubes
Crookers Brookah Big Sur
Idiotproof The Deacon (Duke Dumont Rx)
Midfield General  Teddy Bear Accapella Skint
Justice Stress (Auto Remix) Ed Banger
Midfield General Error Skint
France Copland Pute Et Mac Copland
Brandon Cooke feat Roxanne Shante Sharp As A Knife Mercury
Dave Clarke The Wiggle Skint
Ian Pooley Chord Memory (Daft Punk Remix) Force Inc
Midnight Juggernauts Shadows Modular
Vaughan Mason Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll Vanguard
Midfield General Disco Sirens Skint
Nitro Deluxe Lets Get Brutal Cutting Records
Midfield General Dennis & My Sister (Acappela) Skint

Interview with Jonty Skruff

Click on the title for a recent interview I did with Jonty Skruff, and well, I was quite pleased with it, so here it is...

Jonty does, amongst many other things, a weekly newsletter, if you've not seen it is really worth subscribing to. Lots of interesting stories and interviews from Dancemusicland and beyond... you can join at www.skrufff.com. 

The picture is of my studio, for no other reason that I like nosing at pictures of other peoples studios... I like to say it's creatively messy..

Soccer AM

This Saturday (26th April) I'm going to be a guest on Soccer AM, the irreverent Saturday morning football show. They've been playing Disco Sirens over the top of their 'showboating' section, which is basically clips of fancy footwork and outrageous skills, and they very kindly asked me on to the show. I will be the one telling the self-deprecating anecdotes and breathing in a lot.

Seeing as I like to illustrate each post with a picture I though I'd include this gem from a game of football played at Sonar 2005. I captained a side of good, honest British players against Tiga's group of International mercenaries & assorted Eurotrash on the beach. Here James Murphy (goalkeeper) and I (midfield, of course) are just about to smash into each other. If you've ever heard a record cringingly described as "Like the sound of Big Beat & Punk Funk colliding" This is probably the closet you'll ever get to a visual interpretation of it... 

It was 1 all by the way..

DISCO SIRENS - RAVE DISCO BEASTIES DEMO VERSION

So this week finally sees the release of my single Disco Sirens... 

For a long time the working title was Rave Disco and the unrevolutionary idea was to make  a mid-tempo, hip hop, disco track in homage to some of my all time favourite tracks by the Sugarhill Gang, Funky plus 1 and Spoonie Gee, but with some Rave noises in it... see what i did there??

The track features the brilliant Vila from The Bumblebeez on vocals, I was always a fan of her work and was very happy when she agreed to collaborate. Getting vocals back from people is always a bit nervewracking and so I was hugely relieved when I got them back and she had come up with the line 'I'm in love with the Disco Sirens'. 

I played an early version to Xavier from Justice who really liked it but felt that my bassline was a bit ploddy and lacked funk and replayed the bassline and simplified the drums for me, adding that certain 'je ne sais quoi'. Soulwax very kindly helped with the final mix.

So I thought I'd put up an early demo version of it.. to show you just how ploddy it was. I'd put an accapella of Check It Out by  The Beastie Boys over the top just to, y'know, check the flow...

If there's anyone who hasn't taken it off a blog site yet you can buy it at DJ Download, Beatport, HMV or here..

Disco Sirens Promo Video

Here's the video for Disco Sirens...

Now, normally I wouldn't go for a treatment that simply said 'Three beautiful girls dancing to your song'... but the fact it came from Seb Janiak made all the difference. He is responsible for the excellent Vanity 9 series, Daft Punks 'Burnin' and always shoots beautiful women beautifully...

And for me it's more Vogue than Nuts, a very important difference.

You may sense a slightly desperate air of me trying to justify having a sexy video and it's true I went to a Catholic primary school, and yes I can hear the nuns in the Convent tutting away.. I'm sorry Sister Concepta..

60 Minute Mix

This is a mix I did recently for XFM. 

The razor sharp amongst you will notice that the last 20 minutes is very similar to the Back Room Mix.. well done you. 

And here's a picture of some fine pencils too..

Should have been a competition prize really. 

Midfield General -   Error    Skint
Mijk van Dijk, DJ Rok  Jack Your Ass Gigilo Records
Fiest My Moon, My Man (Boyz Noise Remix) Polydor
Krazy Baldhead Crazy Moth3f2ck8z (Midfield General Rx) Ed Banger
Feadz Numanoid Ed Banger
The Subs Airpolis Suicide Records
Midfield General Disco Sirens (DIM Remix) Skint
D'Secret SVC Tight Jeans (Fuck Off Radio Mix) Coco Machete
Goose Bring It On (Teenage Bad Girl Rx) Skint
Tronik House  We Are Back Yard
At The Drive In One Armed Scissor Grand Royal
Vaughan Mason  Bounce, Rock, Skate & Roll Brunswick
Midfield General Disco Sirens Skint
Nitro Deluxe Let's Get Brutal Cutting Records
Rah Digga Party & Bullshit (Rekid Percolator Re-Edt) J Records
Holy Fuck  Royal Gregory Young Turks
Late Of The Pier The Bears Are Coming (BTWS Re Animation) Parlophone
The Corsican Brothers Whole Lotta Disco CDR