Music that makes my world go round…
WHO: Lawrence a.k.a Peter M. Kersten
WHAT: hazy, abstract, deep, beat driven ambience, melancholic but never oblique.
WHERE: Germany
WHEN: 2009
WHY: “Until Then Goodbye,” follows up Kersten’s previous more techno-ey stuff created under the pseudonym “Sten.” Here he reverts back to the beautiful minimalism of older releases such as 2005’s “The Night Will Last Forever,” to provide us with the melancholic and unpredictable sounds which we have come to know and love him for.
LISTEN OUT FOR: “Grey Light” – a musical sounds-cape that beautifuly & soulfully reflects Hamburg the “rainy city,” that Kersten calls home. A good example of the randomized chord shifts and melancholic beats that characterize Lawrence’s sound.
WHO: DJ Sprinkles a.k.a. Terre Thaemlitz
WHAT: piano splashed, authentic, deep house, loaded with social connotation
WHERE: U.S.A
WHEN: April 2009
WHY: Terre Thaemlitz whitnessed the birth of deep-house when (s)he started DJing in the gay & transsexual clubs of Manhattan in the mid 1980s. 20 years down the line the term “house,” has expanded and broadened immesurably to become decontextualised and de-sexualised. The monologues that Sprinkles lays over his(her) tracks on the album are an engrossing insight into the commercialized trajectory of the history of house music. Sound and lyrical content combined, the album exists as a bold testament to House music untouched, in its authentic & revered state.
LISTEN OUT FOR: “Ball’r (MADONNA FREE ZONE.)” A provocative track that lyrically confronts Madonna’s commercial dissolvement of NYC’s underground Voguing culture in the 1980s. “Brendas $20 Dilema,” great title. A tune with ethereal flow that conjures cocktails at sunset and flirtations with the dancefloor.
WHO: Virgo a.k.a Eric Lewis & Merwyn Sanders
WHAT: Deep Chicago House with luscious synths and irresistible grooves
WHERE: Chicago
WHEN: Originally released as two separate EP’s in 1989 one under the name Virgo and the other as M.E, another alias the duo record under.
WHY: Remastered and reissued this year in order to obtain some much deserved recognition – considered by many connoisseurs to be one of the best House albums ever made.
LISTEN OUT FOR: “Do You Know Who You Are?” is an obvious hit. “Ride,” and “School Hall,” are slightly darker with a techno edge.
WHO: British producer Trus’Me with guest appearences by; Amp Fiddler, Dam Funk, Paul Randolf, Piranahead & Colin Steel (on trumpet)
WHAT: The sound is rooted in reggae, soul, disco and funk. The first half of the album is made up of covers of songs by soul singers such as Bill Withers and West Phillips and accordingly has a distinctive 70s feel about it. Trus’me then takes us on a fascinatingly organic journey and we end up in the realms of Deep House.
WHERE: Manchester
WHEN: Released December 2009 as a follow up to Trus’ Me’s seminal debut “Working Nights.”
WHY: Because “Working Nights” was so good we needed more
LISTEN OUT FOR: “Sucker For A Pretty Face,” pure funk, love it…(taken out of context sounds like it could fit in an episode of Flight Of The Conchords.)
“Sweet Mother,” a big tune, very smooth, very sexual and very summery.
WHO: Hans Peter Lindstrom and Christabelle Sandoo
WHAT: A modern take on 1980s Pop funk. This is Cosmic-disco, Psychedelic Dance with a dash of woozy strangeness
WHERE: Norway
WHEN: “Real Life is No Cool,” was released this year as Lindstrom’s follow up to 2008’s “Where You Go I Go Too.” This is his first collaborative album with Christabelle.
WHY: Having bonded over Motown, Grace Jones and Eighties Soul, Lindstrom and Christabelle decided to see where their combined creative juices would take them…this is the beautiful result.
LISTEN OUT FOR: “Lets Practise” it screams Donna Summer, “Baby Can’t Stop,” sounds similar to the late MJ’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin” and Aeroplane do a great remix. “Music (In My Mind,)” is also great, watch out for the Prins Thomas remix of this one.
Another Existence 