Oh My Dear!

I, quite happily I might add, have a pretty fantastic group of friends.  As a line in one of my previous posts suggests, "I don't want the party to become my life... I have other interests too".  So after a pretty astonishing weekend of great dance music, I spent this Sunday with my good friends Cameron & Robin taking in a little Shakespeare in the Park... which was a pretty fantastic interpretation of A Mid Summer Night's Dream. It's open Sunday through Thursday in High Park, Toronto @ 8pm, and it was a superbly acted and well produced production of a story most of us have probably seen or heard of before. It does close next Sunday so if you haven't yet I definitely advise checking it out.  It is a PWYC event with a suggested minimum donation of $20, I definitely decree it worthy of that at the very least.

Now back to the subject at hand... MUSIC. I'm finding it a little bit hard to move on past my last post.  Still hopelessly in love with Crazy P's Eruption.  HOPELESSLY.  But I was also privy to some pretty sweet sets courtesy of the likes of the incomparable Matthew Dear, Lee Foss, Pat Mahoney and Soul Clap this weekend at a pretty damn stupendous beach party here in TO at Sugar Beach. After which I went to Footwork for the after party featuring Mr. Dear, Lee Foss and an (incredibly forgettable set from Soul Clap...R n B people....R n B.... at an after hours).  Sufficed to say, I will not over exert myself for Soul Clap ever again. You really ought to have an idea of where you've been booked to play... but to some extent when it got as bad as it got, people actually left the club: see here.  For those unaccustomed to the Toronto scene ... FW usually hosts premium.. top of the line House/ Tech-House and Techno. When a packed club of people spend 5 minutes standing around looking at each other, maybe someone ought to intervene.  INSIJS.

Luckily Lee Foss was on next and it got better from his first track.  Steadily progressing to a nice bit of thunder before Mr. Matthew Dear took over, and as you might expect, DESTROYED it.   The following is a collection of stuff I heard this weekend.  Well the stuff I was actually able to Shazaam, as a lot of the tracks were probably unreleased at this point so I'm having  little bit pf a hard time tracing them down.  Hope you enjoy it.  I most certainly did.

To start things off I'll start with Matthew Dear's last track of the evening, before moving onto FootWork.  As much of a music geek I am...there are still certain thing that I'm not sure what they're doing up there.  I kinda like it that way.  Matthew Dear's final track at the WKD Beach Party....

Marie Madeleine - Swimming Pool (Jacques Renault Remix)

Next up: Definitely no stranger to the Moonboots blog... Maetrik(a.k.a Maceo Plex, a.k.a Eric Estornell) who just keeps on, keepin' on with his pretty flawless production values and steady beats with poetry samples:

Maetrik - The Poem (Original Mix)
 
And lastly ... I ended my journey of the weekend at CZ.  If you follow the blog you already know how I feel about this place so I won't bore you with that.    I'm not typically a big pop music fan, but the Beyonce ft.Jay-Z track Crazy in Love has for some reason always got me.  Part of it may be this funky disco sample that I'm sure has existed for 30+ years but sadly I only know it from that track.   Anyways short story long.... I'm having a happy birthday chat with a buddy of mine and I hear it come in.  You'll know what I'm talkin' bout!  And if by chance you happen to know where that original sample came from please use the "contact me" buttons on the blog site to let me know, cuz I'm always in search of new sample sources.  Oh... and PS... this sucka' ain't out for another 2 weeks.

Nick Corline - Kiss Me (Nick Corline Club Mix)

gettin a lil craycray

I don't know that I can top this Thursday.  My hubby and I have a roommate who, for no reason or occasion decided to treat us to a fridge full of groceries, a bottle of champagne and a bangin' California Cabernet.  All this after going to see the largest touring of Pablo Picasso's works in about 40 odd years at the Art Gallery of Ontario... pretty smashing day. Then I made a bitchin' dinner out of all those groceries and danced around the kitchen as I made it.  If theres one thing other than groceries essential to the preparation of a good meal its great music.

A few posts ago I dropped a lil Crazy P.  The track that I posted is a remix off their 2011 album When We On.  I got curious about the original, and being more of an album guy really I just got the whole album.  Its an art form all its own, constructing a cohesive album. And let me tell you.. this entire album is bordering on masterpiece.  Up there with one of my all time faves, Groove Armada's Love Box, the beautiful/lazy disco vibes on this gem are something special.

The first track I'm sharing with y'all, Eruption, is far and away my favourite on the album. TURN THIS SUCKA UP! I dare you to sit still.  How do I see these guys play live?? Thats the next conundrum.

Crazy P - Eruption

Crazy P - Heartbreaker (DJ Edit)

Crazy P - Future Beat

Don't lead a lonely life.

Im a sucker for some nice vocal samples.  Especially older pop music re-purposed into something a bit funkier. Check out these puppies.... so I can get back to cleaning my damn floors!!

The Mekanism - Missing Love (Original Mix)

Dj Glen - All That She Wants (Glen & AOB Bootleg My Ass mix)


and when you're done with that! why not check out my buddy Deko-ze's new chart up on beatport!

Theres stuff from Dj Chus, Michel Cleis, Matteo DiMarr and a new track and remix from the man himself.

Deko-ze's August Jungle Funk Chart 

Do you think like a fish?

Its been a very busy couple weeks but in a good way.  Managed to make it to Montreal for a quick trip to take in Diverscite  and meet up with some friends who had just completed the Friends for Life Bike Rally (a 600k bike ride from TO->MTL to raise money for the People with AIDS foundation)and got to hear Chus & Ceballos at Stereo.  Then back to Toronto for about a week and then off camping for 5 days with my hubby to celebrate his birthday.  Had a great time with great friends on both trips... and now its time to get back to life and back to reality which means work... and blogging!

There was so much great music at Stereo.  That club truly is a special place.  If you love clubbing and haven't been there yet.. run, don't walk. Its worth the visit to Montreal all on its own. Absolutely tremendous sound quality.  This is one of the final tracks Chus & Ceballos played, and actually my introduction to The XX.  I've heard of them but kinda wrote them off before... I don't have any idea why... and granted this is a remix so maybe not even a great example of their own work but its fun.

The XX - Crystalised (Edu Imbernon Remix)

Now I wasn't actually at this next party.  But back in the day I spent my formative years in the Halifax rave scene.  And every year for the past 5 years or so a bunch of the old promoters and crew put on a Halifax Classics reunion weekend and bring in a big name to play out in the woods at some little camping and cottage retreat.  I've yet to make it back for it, but this year they had brought in Mark Farina. A friend of mine recorded the opening few minutes of his set on video and he opened with this little nugget.  I know South of Roosevelt were just featured a few weeks ago... but its a pretty fun throwback track... and for anyone out there with any dj skills I'm sure they could turn it into something even more dope.  I'm really going to have to check through the rest of their catalogue cuz these little remixes of oldies are awesome!

Tracy Chapman - Give Me One Reason (South of Roosevelt Bootleg)

Every year my hubby and I go camping for his birthday.  We go to the same spot every year... a gorgeous 70 acre stretch of land owned by a friend of ours.  No electricity. No people. No running water(other than a little stream).  Just a cute lil swimmin' hole, a few clearings for tents, and an out house.  On his actual birthday night we were listening to his iPod which has stuff on it from years ago because we never update it, and came across a set from Hector Romero.  Which is where we discovered this.  One of the funnier house tracks I've heard in a while.. absolutely spot on with the lyrics. It had us in stitches around the campfire several times. And what an awesome name.

The Royal We - Party Guilt (Matt Styles Club Mix)

And lastly a little classic gem that Chus & Ceballos played towards the end of that night in Montreal at Stereo ereo ereo ereo..

Tanya Louise - Deep In You

sunny songs for a rainy day

I can't think of anything more enjoyable on a shitty rainy day than sitting here basking in the loving glow of my iMac, as I hunt down some new choons, with the Olympics happening in the background.  So thank you rain. Maybe that can be my new excuse for not blogging lately...? its just been too damn hot!

Going to kinda ease my way in with this cute little remix from Ron Basejam.  He's appeared here before, at least once.  So far most of what I've heard from him is a little bit soulful and a little bit playful.. and this one is pretty much right on both of those marks. Plus theres a line about the sun and warmth etc and thats kinda what I want to hear you sing about on a rainy day.

The White Lamp - It's You (Ron Basejam Remix)

Do you know who John Barry is? I really think you should. Especially if you're a movie fan, a music fan, or even more so a fan of the way music is used in film.  John Barry scored the Bond films(as well as countless other films)...actually a master at setting a mood with a haunting score.  I'm not sure how it's never dawned on me before but Gui Boratto is so similar it hurts. The style, the sound...very few people, and I've heard a lot, can give chills with dance music the way Gui Boratto can. Exhitbit A: this remix of the Battles track "Wall Street".

Battles - Wall Street (Gui Boratto Remix)

So I show up at my friend Charles's house last week and as I walk in i see a flyer for a party in a couple weekends. Lee Foss, Matthew Dear, Soul Clap, Juan MacLean, Nitin and a few more that'll probs be the undercard.  Thats easily the tightest lineup I've seen not at a dance music festival this year. Even better was he fact that as I was looking at it I was actually listening to Matthew Dear... who I completely love. On top of making pretty much every kind of music you could think of and making it well.... hes not exactly hard on the eyes.  Plus his label has one of the cuter logos out there (Ghostly International).  The guys responsible for this remix of Matthew Dear's "Her Fantasy" have appeared before as well...from remixing Neil Young(amazing) to their own productions they turn out stuff that sounds exactly how you'd expect someone by the name of Poolside to sound like... sun soaked, breezy summer beats.

Matthew Dear - Her Fantasy (Poolside Remix)

And now what a rainy day really sounds like.... Another find courtesy VisionQuest... and the rather whacky names of their seasonal collections... this one from the Teen Collection Hot Jam 96.  The title doesn't exactly make me want to run out and buy it but once I knew it was VisionQuest I was fully on board. It sounds a lot like Trentemoller who I was a titch obsessed with back in the day... only a bit more dancefloor friendly.

QBeck feat. Julia Govor - Alice

JuJube Eyeballs.

So in my last post it was Pride weekend here in Toronto. A weekend of, to quote Pirupa, "party non-stop".  It also coincides with the annual dispersal of NPAP(No Pots and Pans), an annual collection of a hundred or so of the years best dancefloor ready tunes and remixes and a few hour long sets from some local and sometimes International DJs put together by my friend Charles and disseminated to the masses via flash drives to the couple hundred of us lucky enough to get our hands on one....before passing it on to others to keep on "playing it forward".  I thought thats in this post I would give NPAP a shout out and drop my favourite off of this years collection.  It has quite literally been on repeat on my iPod since I heard it. 

Crazy P have had a few different incarnations and I remember coming across them for the first time about 13 years ago on a John Acquaviva mix when they still went by Crazy Penis....its a bit of an attention grabber. This is pretty far removed from that sound... having said that, I havent heard the original.. but well.. just enjoy it. Its a good'un.

Crazy P - Beatbox (PBR Streetgang Remix)

And secondly, one of the best tracks of the entire weekend... after the Frankie Knuckles one from the last post of course.  Dj Jamal dropped this lil beauty which actually wound up being officially the last track of Pride weekend as he wrapped up Gay Day (or Canada Day to some) at CZ on the Monday following Pride.  It took a little while for it to sink in what we were actually listening to.  You know those times your there singing along to a track and you have no idea what it is.... or why you know the words... but for some reason you do.  It takes a lot of balls to do a remix or a cover or any kind of rendition on a Beatles track.  When you've got a catalogue like they do of popular music that is engrained in the conscience of pretty much everyone from just about everyone spanning 50 years, its kind of hard to better it. I won't say this betters the original.... but it is easily the best dancefloor interpretation of any Beatles work I've ever heard.

South of Roosevelt - Over Me (Original Mix)

an offer I couldn't refuse.

The Godfather of House touched down in Toronto last night to help kick off Toronto's Gay Pride closing weekend, at an absolutely off the hook party in a cute little park that totally came alive with fantastic music (and great lighting too!). I've heard Frankie Knuckles before.... about 7 years ago I think at Sonic, and just like that time it was a master class in fusing styles and genres from all over the shop into a pretty damn fine set. There was one track that really stood out so off I go onto my Shazaam... and damnit. nothing. I HATE THAT. Luckily there was a very friendly former staffer from Stereo-ereo-ereo standing beside me who saw my frustration and leaned over and showed me the track name already in his iTunes. Nick from Stereo(formerly) you saved the day :) I've been listening to this little nugget all morning/afternoon trying to kick this wicked tequila hangover.

Sorry for the delay, and I cant really explain having the time or inclination pride weekend to get this post out... but there you go :)

Happy Pride ladies and gents!  Now its off to check out some Guy Gerber (live) and Richie Hawtin etc etc playing at Ontario Place for Digital Dreams.  This hangover isn't getting any better. ooof.

Frankie Knuckles pres. Director's Cut feat. Jamie Principle - Your Love (The Shapeshifters remix)