 All round awesome guy and DJ Matt Lush asked some of Sydney's DJ's what their top releases of 2016 were including my own favorites via Decoded Magazine.  My top 5 included some dancefloor tracks but the real stand out for me was the almost meditative Echospace plays Michael Mantra - Sea Shell City is mesmerizing with so much detail and movement that I keep noticing a new nuance or detail on every listen. With each track clocking in at over 23 mins it's become part of my morning ritual to listen on headphones, when I have some quiet alone time before the busy start of a day or when I am looking to wind down and relax before bed. The digital and CD release is still avaliable via the Echospace Detroit Bandcamp. page.
With so much new good music being released that I may of missed (and this list is testamant to that), I'm interested to hear what you keep coming back to from 2016. Please provide links in the comments.
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 Lately I have been able to sit down and listen to records a lot more and in the last week quite a bit of Miami Bass and early Electro have been on rotation. One thing I noticed while listening to these records are that some of the Miami records have House and Acid House versions or remixes on the 12 inch release which is not so surprising as these two particular records were released in the 80's. As far as I am aware this may have been a effort to appeal to the hip house and acid house that DJ's were playing in clubs at the time.. Usually most of the other 12 inch releases (that I have come across anyway) stick to the traditional format of a radio mix, original and instrumental. After listening to the two tracks below and a bit of digging online and was not really able to find much info related to these remixes except for a youtube video of the Eerk and Jerk track. Don't get me wrong I love the originals but I also find these versions particularly interesting as they are a slightly different take on the acid and hip house of the early 80's.. The first track is from Gucci Crew II - 5 Dollar High (House mix) on their own Gucci records label. The original vocals are accented with a vocal chanting Acid House throughout the track which sounds familiar but I can pick which release it is sampled from.. Additional production and mix is credited to the House Boys but I can't find much info about them online.. Gucci Crew II was one of the most prolific and crucial Miami Bass groups during the '80s and early '90s. The group originally consisted of MC V (Victor May) and TFS aka 240 Shorty (Clevelan Bell), and Rick Taylor (Disco Rick) as their DJ. Disco Rick left in the mid 80s to go solo as a producer. The group debuted with a self-titled album in 1983 and followed it with So Def, So Fresh, So Stupid in 1987, Everybody Wants Some in 1989, G4 in 1991, and The Best Of Gucci Crew II in 1994. Their hits during that time included: Sally (That Girl), Truz N Vogues, The Dating Game, The Cabbage Patch, Pushin and the classic Booty Shake. The group stayed true to Miami Bass Music legacy of booming 808 drums and party themes. MC V passed away in 2007. Download - Gucci Crew II - Five Dollar High (House Mix) The second track is from Eerk & Jerk - Eerk & Jerk (House Mix) which has more of a hip house vibe utilizing the rap of the original version whhich I was able to find uploaded too youtube below. Download - Eerk & Jerk - Eerk & Jerk (House Mix)
Does anyone out there have any other examples they could share? feel free to message me or post in the comments section below. Submerged Turntable from Brian Lilla on Vimeo. I stumbled onto Evan Holm's sculpture work using turntables as the central theme. which is a really creative and interesting use of electricity. He utilizes the record and turntable as a metaphor for decay. If you would like to see more of Evans work go and check out his website evanholm.com/.  Recently I have been more aware how seldom I completely immerse myself in a complete recording. skipping through songs to see if they are suitable for DJ sets earmarking for later or they increasingly end up in the "listen to later" pile of records in the lounge room which has increased to several crates in their own fully fledged area. I've decided to put some time to listen to a classic album in full with no distractions focusing on the music only on a regular basis.. I suppose the concept is pretty simple in itself be totally present in the moment much like when you completely focus on your breath when meditating or on the wave when surfing as some examples. No smartphones, tablets facebook, twitter just the music. Do you remember the last time you actually did that? Active listening is the term coined by Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy from Classic Album Sundays who explains the idea in more detail below. "When is the last time you listened to an album from beginning to end? And sticking it on in the background while working on the computer, talking on the phone or doing chores around the house does not count. I mean sitting down and giving the album your full attention. For many of us, it has been awhile. Hearing is like breathing and smelling – it does not require an active, directed effort; we do it subconciously. When we want to look at something, we direct our gaze toward the object; when we want to touch something, we must reach out. In short, we have to focus our attention. Hearing, however, is different as we constantly hear 360 degrees around us. We can hear things going on in the other room while we chat to a friend whether or not we are trying to listen. We cannot shut our ears and therefore we often take our sense of hearing for granted." Greg Wilson prominent UK DJ personality has been heavily involved which you can find more of his input on his blog here.If you would like to get involved yourself but are unsure where to start maybe try the top five records of all time from Mute Records Bossman Daniel Miller, Martin Ware, Trojan Sound System or Ashley Beedle or the many other suggestions on the site  I just got myself a new turntable preamp hand made my the lovely folks at Condesa Electronics which is in the post on it's way from Adelaide. The first record I have randomly picked out is Prince & the Revolution - Around the world in a Day which I'll admit not listening to yet but Prince is a boss so that works for me. . Wikipedia tells me that Prince asked the record companies to release this on the downlow with minimal promotion after Purple Rain did so well. It still managed to go platinum and have several number one hits. Let me know if you plan on or have done the same.. What was the last album that you listened to in full with no distractions?  Red Bull Music Academy has uploaded every one of their previous lectures to their soundcloud account which are freely downloadable.
This is massive, I am going to add these to my portable player and listen whenever I am on the move. So many to choose from but I have really just glossed over whats available so far but the ones that I have ready at the top of the playlist are below. Sir Mix A Lot, Legowelt, Hank Shocklee, Deodato, D-Bridge & B+ If there are any you are really hyped to listen to let me know in the comments.  Digging in London 2010. Hello World....... My name is Adrian and I am a DJ and producer from Sydney, Australia. who is constantly fascinated and in awe of this crazy world and all the good music out there from the past and also present.
Often I find myself sharing content that I personally find of interest with friends via email, social media and in person over dinner or at the pub so I thought it might be an idea to document this info online to include more people that can get involved in the conversation. The time feels right once again to share with you my musical interests and discoveries as a DJ and avid music enthusiast as well as info related to music production, engineering and anything else that feels right at the time. I presented a monthly podcast titled 'Radio waves from Space' which ran from 2007 till late in 2012. and managed to only repeat one track in that whole time and really enjoyed the process of sharing this with the world at large.. At it's peak there were over 2000 subscribers via the iTunes podcast subscription tool. It is no longer online but I may share some of the mixes here at some point. The project came to an end as at the time I was DJing several times a week and just did not have the time or energy to put in to continue it. I believe the creativity that evolved from the podcast influenced my Djing and the wildly varied styes of music I was and I suppose still am playing regularly. I enjoy older styles such as funk, reggae along with early punk and modern electronic styles. Recently I have become more focused on music production and have set up with some close friends a recording and production facility in the heart of the Sydney CBD named Analog Cabin which does as the name implies have the look and feel of a Cabin and contains quite a few interesting Analog production tools. I plan on sharing some of our experiences setting up the space, creating music and the trials and tribulations of running a recording studio in 2014 after the facilities recent 1st birthday. The plan for the site itself is to include mixes from myself and other DJ's and electronic acts that I respect and enjoy their take on things. along with video blog posts from the studio, production techniques and general gear nerdery. As with everything new the virtual space may expand and morph into something else entirely at some time in the future. Welcome ~ Adrian |
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