praise!

I just have to do another post.  When a new song comes along from Candi Staton I have to think its worthy of a second post....lets not even mention that its remixed by Larse of Noir Music. Lets also not mention that its about as pretty as a song could be.  Oh... and one more thing.  The things the interweb can lead you to uncover is really quite magical: Candi Staton, up there in my top 5 vocalists ever is married to none other than former Toronto Blue Jay, former Montreal Expo, former Atlanta Brave, former.. ok so the guy played for a lot of teams... but he was the shit as far as defensive-speedy infielders go... Mr. Otis Nixon!

How d'ya like them apples? ha.

Candi Staton - Hallelujah Anyway (Larse Vocal Mix)

its just that music in your phone

I can't listen to reggae style beats if its hot out. I've never been to "the islands" but something about that music just makes me really uncomfortable when the sun is shining.  But that exact same music on a rainy day... when its dark and overcast, or shit... it could even be snowing... and well its a totally different kettle(drum) of fish. 

A musician friend of mine living in Amsterdam mentioned a new collaboration between The Orb and Lee "Scratch" Perry and I was obviously pretty curious as its not exactly the first dance partner I would've picked for either of them but now that I've heard it... wow.  The whole album is pretty astounding.. and it just so happens that I'm making my way through it on a particularly dreary day.  Perfect. 

A day I might add, that began with Nicolas Jaar's Essential Mix (without the BBC babble).  I've been seeing it on soundcloud for a little while but I kept skipping past it. I don't know why, as you would think Nicolas Jaar + Essential Mix = Aurgasm.  And you'd be totally correct.  More a masterpiece of thoughtful music than a floorfiller DJ set. But Nicolas Jaar is just that. A Master. The opening bit of dialogue from the man who scored Twin Peaks is so haunting I'm getting chills just typing about it.. I'm also a total geek for cinematic scores so that could explain that.

Ok anyway.. I got a little bit lost there. Here are my fave 2 tracks off the new album The Orbserver In The Star House by The Orb feat. Lee "Scratch" Perry.

The Orb feat. Lee " Scratch" Perry - Ball Of Fire

The Orb feat. Lee "Scratch" Perry - Hold Me Upsetter

Now that we've looked after rainy day music... its time for somethin' to get your feet poppin'... This one was also on that schweet mix Josh made for our last roadtrip.. and what an apt title, seeing as thats where most people have all their music nowadays.

Dixie Yure feat. Uri - Music In Your Phone

Welcome to the Idiot Fair

I know Summer isn't officially over yet.. but once September hits it really does feel like Autumn in my mind.  And what a Summer it was! But I won't lie, I really do love Autumn.  the fun new wardrobe replaces the boys in shorts... and the weather is much more tolerable... though I do love the sunshine.  I guess I officially put Summer to bed 2 weekends ago when I went up North to Sudbry and my friend Pierre's place for a little roadtrip with the boys.  Chillin' on a gorgeous Lake with great friends and great music for Labour day was definitely the right choice.  Josh, as always, had a fresh playlist ready for the roadtrip and we sort of played dueling iPods the whole trip, which is quite fun. So over the last couple weeks theres been A lot, maybe too much, new to me music coming in my ears and its always hard to decide what to put on here... but here we go.

When I first started the blog I think one of my first posts was about Aquarius Heaven... and I mentioned his stuff was all produced by dOP.  I didn't really know who dOP was... well.. now I do. Three party animal French guys from Paris.  Their stuff seems to range from chilled lo-fi funk to more hip hop based tracks. but its all pretty damn good.  Here is their latest single Kisses, and one from a previous album that I'm really diggin'.

dOP - Kisses (Original Mix)
dOP - New York


I mentioned Josh's pretty legendary mix albums he throws my way... well heres one of my favourites from the most recent one.  I will, however, warn you.  just skip the first FOUR minutes.  I'm all for a little bit of mixing space but really... 4 minutes of monotony before the song really starts... and this isn't even a club mix or an extended mix... its the original.  Mind you, it is a pretty fun little bit of oddball circus music leading into it.. so if time is on your side then just listen to the whole thing patiently, damnit!  And in keeping with house music's pretty hilarious lyrics... this one is great.

Adultnapper feat. Black Light Smoke - Idiot Fair (Original Mix)

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