Triple Dip = BASS EDITION 07.02.12

Hey kids,

It’s time for another edition of Dellamorte’s Triple Dip, I reckon! This is the feature of this here blog in which I pick three tracks or mixes that I’ve been obsessing over recently. Over the last few weeks I’ve been listening to a lot (more than usual!) of recent dubstep and drum & bass. So much good stuff out there – the D&B scene in particular is incredibly strong at the moment (and in fact I am currently working on an epic D&B mix). With this in mind I present you the following!

Zed’s Dead – Hit Me

Zed’s Dead are a duo from Toronto, Canada who have been on my radar for a couple of years now, with some excellent bootleg remixes of The Rolling Stones, Radiohead and, rather wonderfully, The Moody Blues, as well as more recent releases such as the brilliant Rumble In The Jungle/Under Yuh Skirt on the mighty Mad Decent records and the utterly storming Bassmentality with The Killabits. They make a real genre mash-up sound, heavily dubstep influenced but with elements of house, jungle and breakbeat. Their recently released EP is titled Adrenaline and features 4 total killers, this one is my personal favourite, really different sounding tune – I love the old-skool breakbeat and the funk horns which come in at about 3 mins. Boooom!



Rollz – The Music

I mentioned above how strong the d&b scene is at the moment, and here is a good example. Rollz is a producer from London who has been hitting big in the last year or so, and this tune takes elements of the liquid D&B sound which Hospital Records made it’s own, with the new-school trance-influenced rave vibes which have really grabbed my ear of late. Another tune which really does it’s own thing brilliantly.



Oblivion – Drunkstep
And here’s something from the US of A! Minneapolis in fact. The Americans, it seems, really have welcomed dubstep with open arms of late, and that’s no bad thing when we have tunes like this to show for it. Referencing the darker, less dancefloor (although this will SLAY a club) original London sound of dubstep (as opposed to the newer jump-up ‘brostep’/filthstep styles), I can’t get enough of turning the bass to 11 on this one and putting my hood up. FIRE!



Hope you had much fun listening to these – Keep your eyes peeled for a new radio show in a couple of days and hopefully some very exciting news to follow shortly!

Triple Dip special - The art of the mix!

Hey!

So, it’s a been a while since The Triple Dip selection made an appearance – in fact, over the festive season and various upheavals I’ve been struggling a little to keep up with the tide of new and old music battering down my studio door. In my slightly bemused and confused headspace what was been keeping me sane is listening to other people’s mixes – Something I’ve really been getting into in the past few months.

Anyway, I’ve decided to a mix-only special of the Triple Dip, so, without further ado, here are my three favourite mixes of the last month or so.

1. Mensah – Urban Nerds mix

I think it’s pretty difficult to do a dubstep mix that keeps the energy up and keeps your interest going when listening at home, but here’s Mensah stepping up to the (dub) plate with his mix of new stuff, his own productions and a few cheeky edits of big tunes, and this one cheered me up when I was feeling utterly miserable a couple of weeks ago, so enjoy!

Mensah exclusive mix for Urban Nerds X BassLaced NYE 2011 by urbannerdslondon

2. DJ Adam Speechley – Boom Bap Mix

Now this guy is interesting – He has apparently got a shop in Hoylake (Wirral massive represent!) which sells fine wines, trainers and has a recording studio in back! The man is obviously living the dream! As well as this, he is, on the basis of this mix alone, a mighty overlord of hip-hop DJs. This mix is pretty much a best of of 1990’s New York hip-hop, which to my mind is the greatest hip-hop ever made. There are a LOT of tracks on this, highly recommended.

POOKYS TRIBUTE TO NYC GOLDEN ERA HIP HOP by POOKY AKA ADAM SPEECHLY

3. The Leisure Hive – Somerset House Mix

And finally here’s something completely different from a good friend of The Dichotomy, a mix which won a competition to soundtrack the ice-skating at London’s Somserset House ice rink (good bloody work!). This is a selection of ridiculously brilliant disco and pop tunes – In fact, some of my favourite records of all time are on here. The Leisure Hive is starting a new night at the Star Of Kings in Kings Cross in a couple of weeks time – lookee here - @theleisurehive on Twitter

60 minute mix for Somerset House ice rink by The Leisure Hive on Mixcloud

So there you go – don’t forget you can check out my own experiments in the mix form over at www.soundcloud.com/dellamorte23 - until then, night all!

The Best of 2011 !! Links and tracklistings!

So! I did it! As promised/threatened, Here are the links and tracklistings for all three parts of my Best Of 2011 Mix.

The content of the three mixes is as thus -

White - This is the least 'mixed' of the three - a blend of my favourite indie, hip-hop and electronica, one for the more laidback and thoughtful moments

Blue - This is the house party mix, starting with reggae and hip-hop vibes easing you into an epic romp through some marvellous cosmic disco, electro and house.

Red - This is the RAVE mix - Full-on big room energy ranging from house & techno to moombahton to all shades of dubstep and drum & bass.


The Best of 2011 : White Mix

DJ Dellamorte - The Best of 2011 (White) by Dj Dellamorte

1. Skream ft Sam Frank – Where You Should Be
2. Bon Iver – Skinny Love (Das Kapital Re-rub)
3. Peter, Bjorn & John – May Seem Macabre
4. Bear Hands – High Society
5. Jay-Z and Kanye West – Murder to Excellence
6. Jens Lekman – An Argument With Myself
7. Cassie – Radio Ft Fabolous
8. Blue Scholars ft Macklemore – Tommy Chong
9. Akira The Don – All The Right Things
10. Das Racist – Rainbow In The Dark
11. Kidz In The Hall – Livin' It
12. The Dream – Fuck My Brains Out
13. Matt & Kim – Cameras
14. Gramatik- DreamBIG
15. Poolside- Harvest Moon
16. Adele – Set Fire To The Rain (Plastic Plates Mix)
17. Germany Germany – Cold Hands
18. Lykke Li – I Follow Rivers (The Magician Mix)

The Best Of 2011 :Blue Mix

DJ Dellamorte - The Best Of 2011 (Blue Mix) by Dj Dellamorte

1. Beres Hammond – Pull Up
2. Major Lazer – Keep It Going Louder (So Shifty 1961 Ska Mix)
3. Wiley – Numbers In Action (Sticky Mix)
4. Mark Ronson & The Business International – Record Collection (Plastic Plates Mix)
5. Classic Brothers – Munchies (Rimer London Mix)
6. Germany Germany – Take Your Time
7. Human Life – In It Together (Polygon Palace Mix)
8. Daft Punk – Tron End Titles (Sander Kleinenberg Mix)
9. The Rapture – How Deep Is Your Love?
10. Solila – Til The Light Comes
11. Kome & Kumar – Zanzibars (Instrumental)
12. Classixx – Into The Valley
13. The Aston Shuffle – Start Again (Jump Jump Dance Dance Mix)
14. Keljet – Laserflies
15. Adele – Rolling In The Deep (TABS Mix)
16. Punches – Sleepless City (Flosstradamus Mix)
17. Katy B – Lights On (Gigamesh Mix)
18. Morning Parade – Under The Stars (Get People Mix)

The Best of 2011 : Red Mix

DJ Dellamorte - The Best Of 2011 (Red Mix) by Dj Dellamorte

1. Knife Party – Internet Friends
2. Sharooz – Hysteresis
3. Fake Blood – Voices
4. Udachi ft Short Stories – Stumble
5. Toddla T ft Shola Ama – Take It Back (Dillon Francis Mix)
6. Flux Pavillion – Bass Cannon (Direct Feed Mix)
7. Nero – Innocence
8. Plan B – Prayin' (Plan B Mix)
9. Breakage ft Jess Mills- Fighting Fire
10. Flux Pavillion – Hold Me Close
11. Chase & Status – Time (Specimen A Mix)
12. Rusko – Everyday (Netsky Mix)
13. Ooah -The Love I Need
14. Nero – Crush On You (Knife Party Mix)
15. Drumsound & Bassline Smith – Close
16. Gyptian – Hold You (Shy fx & Benny Page Mix)
17. Cassius – I <3 U So (Skream Mix)

Psst!

I’ve been a little quiet here recently, I know – Gigs and holidays and work have been conspiring to keep me busy the last month or so, and I’ve fallen behind accordingly in all sorts of ways.

But! A week or so ago my show for Spiritplant’s 8th anniversary weekend went out and was very well received – Basically a mixture of party classics and singalong floorfillers – You can stream or download it (along with all my other shows) over here.

And also, work has begun in earnest on what is fast becoming a seasonal tradition – My top tunes of the year, and accompanying mixes to showcase them. I’m currently halfway through the shortlist, which will be painstaking whittled down to my 50 favourite tracks of 2011, and most of them will be appearing (as last year) in 3 seperate mixes, as long as I can shoehorn them into some kind of order. Exciting times, eh?

Anyway, I’ll hopefully see you very shortly when the results are in.

Take care!

Dx

Triple Dip! 01/11/11

Hello one and all and welcome to Dellamorte’s Triple Dip! It’s the first day of November, and whether you’re writing a novel, growing a moustache or just hibernating for the winter and avoiding fireworks I’ve got a handful of tunes you need in your life!

First up is someone I’ve been banging on about for a while now – A chap called Germany Germany, who is a dude from Canada who makes lovely dreamy electronica – He very readily cites The Postal Service as being a massive influence on his website, and, yes, I can see that, and it’s a very good influence to have. Anyway, as you can see, there are some things you can download on his website, so I suggest you do just that. Here’s my favourite track off his album ‘Adventures’ –

Take Your Time by Germany Germany

So? Do you like cut-up jazz and funk beats that make you nod your head and smile like a lunatic? Of COURSE you do! And that’s why you’re going to love the work of Gramatik. The Slovenian hip-hop head has been putting out various projects for a few years but he recently popped up on my radar via his FREE album (well, it’s a pay-what-you-like release, and I reckon he’d appreciate a few quids) on Pretty Lights Music (click link to D/L their entire back catalogue!) This tune, Moar Jive, really jumps out for me, I can see it going down very well in a party, although I have not, as yet, tested this

Gramatik - Moar Jive by Gramatik

Finally, many of you will have heard of Krafty Kuts, one of the funkiest and most skilled DJs ever to have lived. Some of you may have heard of Featurecast also, and this release teams them up and lets them loose on something I really wasn’t expecting – A dubstep re-rub of one of my favourite hip-hop records (It Was A Good Day by Ice Cube). This is great, enjoy (and go buy it!)

John Peel day - some memories.

Seven years ago today I received a text from my friend Kerrie telling me John Peel had passed away. I didn’t believe her at first – It was literally unthinkable to me that such a thing could have happened, but then TV, the radio, and the newspapers confirmed it. John was no more.





I was inconsolable for weeks - and gradually I discovered I was far from the only one, which came as something of a surprise, due to Peel’s perceived outsider status. I only knew one other person obsessed with his show as I was, after all – But then it started to make sense – Peel had been around since the birth of pop radio, after all, since the days of psychedelic pirate radio, he had reached into teenage bedrooms and transformed lives for years, not counting his radio 4 appearances, which had endeared him to a whole other kind of audience.

Anyway, let’s flashback a few years.

1993, and my 14 year old self had been devouring the stranger aspects of the top 40 (in the days when independent releases peppered the hit parade like buckshot from the underground), I had started buying music magazines with my then-heroes on the cover – Bjork, De La Soul, The Orb, Suede, etc. In amongst the pages of these magazines I started reading about bands and artists I’d never heard on Bruno Brookes’ chart countdown, but who sounded utterly fascinating – The Aphex Twin and King Tubby – names which sounded exotic, descriptions of music that defied everything I had heard thus far. It would be very hard to describe to those who grew up in an internet age how distant and mysterious that music you heard never actually heard could be – But there you go. Imagine it if you can.

Then one day I remember well, I was at an antique/collector’s fair in mid-Wales, helping out my parents on their stall, and the hippy couple who I had an affinity with had the radio on – This was Sunday afternoon if I remember rightly. Suddenly I heard this echoing, massive bassline – It sounded like the skinhead reggae I had grown up with listening to (my brother-in-law had been a DJ in Bristol in the late seventies) , only broken to bits and reconstructed in the most psychedelic way imaginable. I was transfixed! Then a deep voice came on and announced I had just been listening to the late, great King Tubby! So THIS was what King Tubby sounded like! And on the RADIO? Well...Soon afterwards I learnt that this was John Peel’s show, and, although most of the rest of the show puzzled me beyond belief, I was hooked.

A few weeks later was my 15th birthday, and me and a friend had stayed up late playing Atari ST games in the front room, when I decided to put the radio on – more crazy music, this time Aphex Twin, John Peel again!

In time I listened to every show, utilising blank tapes and the pause button to it’s best effect – At the start I would maybe collect 4 or 5 tunes from each show onto tape – mostly dub reggae and the then-emergent sound of jungle, but eventually I would be getting a side of tape per show, as my tastes gradually widened to include obscure American punk tunes, old country and African music – the show was a real goldmine.





A few years later I had the fortune to meet Peel’s Radio One colleague Steve Lamacq when he played a show in Aberystwyth. I had a really nice long chat with him and he told me lots of anecdotes about Peel, which made me feel even closer to the man himself.

A few years after that I was living in London, and I met Gaz, a fellow Peel obsessive. With the advent of e-mail and text messaging we were able to actually contact John during his shows, and ‘Fuzz’ and ‘Gazcloud’ became regular names read out – One particular time I remember answering a query from another listener regarding a metal record that used songs from the Wizard Of Oz (‘Oz on 45’ by The Squirrels) that Peel had played in the 80’s. I remember stated that I wasn’t sure if he had played it in the 80’s but he had certainly played it in 1995. “how the hell did you remember that, Fuzz?”, John asked on air. A rhetorical question, I imagine – I did, of course, have it on one of the hundreds of off-air recordings that I would listen to when Peel’s show wasn’t on...

During that period I was fortunate enough to attend several of the live Peel sessions at Maida Vale - I remember Herman Dune, Melt Banana and Dreadzone as particular favourites (Dreadzone especially as the band were very friendly and I got to shake the hand of reggae legend Earl 16). During the Herman Dune session I got to meet the man himself for the first time...

I cannot tell you how nervous I was! I was never the most confident of people in my early twenties, and this was John Peel! The man who had unknowingly soundtracked my years of teenage heartbreak and struggle, who had brought me so much joy and so many tunes to weep along with, who had widened my horizons far beyond the biggest selling records, who had changed me for life. The walk into the sound-proofed DJ booth (around 6 feet), seemed like the longest walk of my life – heightened by the fact that the corridor in was pitch black, and the booth beyond was bathed in a brilliant white glow. And in the middle of the glow was John, alone. The people I was with had come bearing gifts for him, which was a great way to hang back, let them do the talking – I had no idea what I was going to say. Anyway, for some reason the conversation had gotten on to bands with rude names – and I got my opportunity – “I remember the first time you said ‘f*ck’ on the radio actually” (this was in relation to the band with the same name, who Peel had previously referred to either as ‘The band with a name like ‘duck’’, or, latterly ‘Feck’). “I know”, John replied, beaming, “I actually kept looking around expecting the ground to swallow me up”.

There were other times too – later were his Fabric appearances (I didn’t miss any of those), where he would play everything from African hi-life to hardcore nosebleed techno, where the crowd kept chanting 'John Peel' for some ten mins into the next DJ's set, and were some of the most fun nights of my life (especially when Louise the producer sat down and had beer with us prior), but I’ll still remember John oddly dwarfed by the womb-like studio, unprepossessing, shuffling about a little shy and nervous, but coming to life when playing and discussing the music he passionately loved.

I still miss you most days now John, and I really can’t thank you enough.

Triple Dip delights

Hello, and welcome again to Dellamorte’s triple-dip! The occasional series wherein I share three tracks (or sometimes DJ mixes) which have been tickling my aural pleasure receptors over the last fortnight. In some unshocking business-as-usual news, they’re a pretty varied selection, so let’s kick off!

Those who know a little bit about the frankly awful state of American pop post rock ‘n’ roll and pre Motown & British Invasion (basically 1960-1962) may well be aware of “Love Letters” by Ketty Lester – a gloopy piece of schmaltz if ever there was one. However, Ketty’s career post hit was pretty interesting – she later starred in blaxploitation films such as Uptight and the rather wonderful Blacula, and she was, in 1964 behind this record, which has since become highly prized by the Northern Soul community – a record warning about digging too deep into the past of your partner, which I find rather sweet.

(I usually pick up songs I have never heard before for this feature, but in this case this is a record I used to play way way back in time, when I was learning my DJ chops in mid-Wales as a resident at funk & soul night Superstition. For some reason I hadn’t heard it in....ooh, almost ten years, until I came across a random compilation last weekend, and this, along with various other tracks, took me right back to the DJ booth at the now-closed Bay Hotel in Aberystwyth)




Now Breakage is someone I’ve been aware of in the drum & bass world for close on a decade now, but in the last year or so he’s fully embraced the sounds of dubstep, and made what I consider to be by far his strongest work, from the epic, widescreen remixes of Plan B’s ‘Prayin’’ and Clare Maguire’s ‘Ain’t Nobody’ to the jaw dropping minimal forward thrust of Fighting Fire (ft Jess Mills). Here he remixes something from the new album by Roots Manuva (which is in itself well worth checking out), and turns into some old-skool 1993 rave breakbeat deliciousness. Dust masks at the ready!

Roots Manuva - Get the Get (Breakage Remix) by Arsène

(If you’re loving these rave sounds, remember you can go over to my own Soundcloud page and download my two ‘Haunt Of Togetherness’ mixes)

Now over to Australia’s Sneaky Sound System for some much needed light and positivity after Breakage’d dark out! These guys are a duo I’ve been aware of since the Riot In Belgium remix of their ‘I Love It’ was one of my favourite records of 2006 – since then they’ve raised their profile by recording with Tiesto and releasing lots of ace pop records –and they have a new album out. This is my current favourite from it , and it’s romantic, positive disco pop that you really cannot argue with.