I don’t much like posting other people’s content on Heads Down, but I make an exception for these dudes. As loads of you will be aware, I worked on the Red Bull Music Academy earlier this year in London, which was a fantastic experience. The Academy is a rare example of a superbrand investing in fringe culture at a grassroots level, and doing it brilliantly. In other words, I didn’t feel dirty.
Recently though, I’ve been so frantic that I kind of forgot that the Red Bull Music Academy is an ongoing concern; especially in regards to it’s kickass radio station, imaginatively titled Red Bull Music Academy Radio.
They’re constantly updating their archives with shows from the various scenes’ brightest and hottest: I thought I’d hook you up to the new Lovefingers (ESP Institute’s head honcho) and Morgan Geist shows. El sicko!
Here’s part two of the Augmented IbizaJon Sa Trinxa interview I did as part of the (iPhone app) promo. Here he talks about his secret and not so secret spots in Ibiza (and the man knows!); if you’re heading to the island this summer or intend to in the future, this is a must-see.
Sorry about the quality; iChat’s pretty dodge but it gets the job done!
Well, here I am diligently (hand) stamping the Heads Down logo on my (ultra) limited 12″ release on my new (imaginatively titled) Heads Down Records. It’s very exciting, because I have some incredible releases to come: the first release in ten years from DFA’s Research, a new one from my other label’s (Untracked Recordings) star (alongside Red Rack’em of course) artist Frank Booker and a second 12″ from the soon-to-be-freaked-over Gangs Of Rome.
Back in the here and now though, here’s a sample of my favourite track from the upcoming Gangs Of Rome debut. It’s called ‘Sol Invictus’ and it’s a heavy slice of post punk sleaze-infused boogie. You can buy a copy from me direct now if you fancy it… There’s only 200 of ‘em!
Jon Sa Trinxa is an extremely lucky dude. He has (I think 80% of DJ’s would agree) the dream gig. He plays epic sets twice a week to the sun-kissed faithful at Sa Trinxa on Ibiza’s Salines beach, as well as further sets all over the globe, all through the week. To put it simply, we spill no tears for the man.
I’m currently working on an iPhone app called Augmented Ibiza (we went live last Friday), which is a rather clever live social guide to the island, a mobile platform for clubbers, DJs, promoters and venue owners to share in real-time the better parties, restaurants, bars and secret spots on the White Isle… You get the picture. I interviewed Jon on iChat as part of the app’s promotion (he’s an Augmented Ibiza curator) and he was so upbeat and cool I thought I should share it with you at Heads Down. Sorry about the crappy quality… It’s iChat innit!
Listening to Jon makes me want to wade into the Med, with a cold Cuba Libra in my hand…
Do you remember back in the nineties when you used to describe a hot joint as being straight “gaaaangsta!”? Now don’t front, I know for a fact a lot of you know exactly what I’m talking about. Before you became the austere chroniclers of all things high end, collectable and beardtastic, you used to rock PNB (when it was independent!) and have little temples to Primo set up in the corners of your bedsits. Don’t think I don’t know.
Anyway, I’ve started using the adjective “gangsta” again (liberally) to describe a hot groove, or a outfit that knows how to set up a hot groove. Padded Cell are one of those outfits. So is Maurice Fulton, so is Jimmy Edgar and so are Cage & Aviary. Straight gangsta!
Padded Cell have been frustratingly quiet of late, only giving us a momentary glimpse of their powers in recent times with their totally gangsta (see? It’s easy) remix of LCD Soundsystem’s ’45:33′, a remix that was kind of eclipsed by the hugely hyped Theo Parrish version of the same tune. So here they are in full effect. And the silk-hankied fop never had it so good.
Christopher Tubbs presents another hour of post punk excursions, jazz futurism, cosmic funk and 21st century disco. This month we have blazing heat from Cos/Mes, Gangs Of Rome, Beautiful Swimmers and absolutely essential edits (didn’t think I’d be typing that anytime soon!) from Bottin, Luca C & Brigante and Jacques Renault.
Tracklisting:
Sam Sallon ‘You May Not Mean To Hurt Me’ (Begin Mix)(Fascinating Rhythms)
Hot Toddy ‘I Need Love’ (Morgan Geist Mix)(Eskimo)
Cos/Mes ‘Heavenly Trax’ (Jonny Nash Remix)(ESP Institute)
Jacques Renault ‘In The City’ (Private Release)
Gangs Of Rome ‘Sol Invictus’ (Heads Down)
Bottin ‘Sage Oil’ (Artifact)
Beautiful Swimmers ‘Big Coast’ (Future Times)
Mim Suleiman ‘Mingi’ (Running Back)
DJ Spun ‘Straight To The Bar’ (Watchawannado)
Chemical Brother ‘Swoon’ (Lindstrom & Prins Thomas Mix)
Luca C & Brigante ‘Lucio’ (Double Drop)
Soft Rocks are four guys from Brighton with more records than you. And they know more peripherally about those records than you (or me, let’s be straight) so we should really be experiencing that internal conflict between admiration and loathing that these facts generally ignite. I’ve generally loathed them up until now (they’re so frikkin’ NICE when you meet them too, it’s disgusting), but this remix has forced me to put the Hate-orade back in the fridge and give it up for love.
I play this a lot. I mean a lot a lot. It conjures up all that wonderous imagery that keeps us buying records: dark strobe-shocked clubs, sweat-drenched disciples having sonic epiphanies to fizzing synths and raw-dog percussion. You may never have the opportunity to play it at the perfect moment to that perfect dancefloor that raves eternally in the recesses of your subconscious, but you will love it.
If you ever wondered what it was like to be at ground zero at the genesis of one of the most important cultural movements of modern times, you should probably sit down with Leo Zero (aka Leo Elstob). Lots of people claim to have been there at the birth of Acid House, but few were… Leo was in and around some of the most crucial firestarters of the period.
Leo’s also one of the promoters behind seminal house nights Soulsonic and Faith, a DJ par excellence and probably one of the most in demand remixers in dance music today. He’s also one of the most versatile producers at work in the industry, full stop. His work as a founder member of the cult group Mountain Of One and producer of the Radio 1-bashed Zarrylade tell that story. Moreover he’s an art school graduate with an obsession for record cover art and collage… The level of output and quality from this guy is intimidating! It’s all here in one of my favourite Heads Down interviews yet.
It’s very rare for major labels to bother pulling out the big gun remixers for major artists anymore (witness the hopelessly rubbish mixes for the Gorillaz album). These days they usually get some kid who’ll do it for nothing on a crack of Reason or something; you know- a electro mix from DJ Wizzle Wozzle of Shoreditch or some such soul-destroying nonsense.
So it’s a refreshing change when a label like Parlophone decides to get two of the biggest remixers in leftfield dance (and old collaborators) Lindstrom & Prins Thomas to rinse it out. Essentially they’ve taken a heavily electronic record and replayed it with real instruments, applying all the mixing and arrangement knowhow accumulated from doing 1,345,345 remixes in the last year alone (and that’s only Prins Thomas!).
Expect to hear this all over the festivals this year… It’s nine minutes of sun-soaked bliss.
This Thursday at Heads Down is very special for me as I have one of my heroes behind the wheels of nickel plated steel. Research aka Geoff Serle is one of the pioneers of the UK electrofunk/industrial scene of the late seventies/early eighties. He’s recently been returned to the limelight by New York’s DFA, on their no-wave compilations.
This is doubly awesome because he’s about to release his first release as Research in eons on Heads Down’s very own Heads Down Records in about six weeks! I’m embarrassingly excited about the whole thing. The record is absolutely incredible, but more about that later.
I’ve heard Research DJ recently, and the man has TASTE! Come down to Vibe and check out how the REAL heroes do it.
