Månadsarkiv: september 2011

Nearly two decades after Arthur Russell ‘s death, his catalog continues to grow. The New York composer and avant-disco icon left behind a wealth of material, filling box after box of tapes with sketches, dubs, and alternate versions, and thanks to the archival work of labels like Steve Knutsen’s Audika —founded in 2004 to introduce Russell’s music to new generations of listeners—the best of that material continues to find its way to our ears. The latest addition to the canon is a newly remastered edition of his classic ” Let’s Go Swimming .” When it was originally released, in 1986, it was clear that Russell was sailing deep into uncharted waters, as far as dance music was concerned. ”A lot of DJs take the tapes I make and try to make them into something more ordinary,” Russell told David Toop. ”‘Let’s Go Swimming’ was supposed to be a futuristic summer record. Some DJs said that nobody would ever, ever play that. I think eventually that kind of thing will be commonplace.” Judging from the present day’s bountiful supply of Balearic house, nu-disco, chillwave and other ”futuristic summer” sounds, Russell was indeed right. The reissue includes all three versions of ”Let’s Go Swimming”—Russell’s own ”Gulf Stream Dub” and ”Puppy Surf Dub” as well as Walter Gibbons ‘ mind-bending ”Coastal Dub.” (Gibbons also put together the song’s accompanying video, armed with a VHS recorder and copious nature-show footage.) As a bonus, the EP also includes the previously unreleased ”Make 1, 2 (Gem Spa Dub),” an 11-minute slice of blissed-out funk. Check it out on Beatport here . Watch this video on Beatportal Läs mer →

Jacques Renault —yes, that is his real name, a fact that goes some way towards explaining the Brooklynite’s effortless cool—turned out one of our very favorite cuts of 2010 with his remix of Midnight Magic’s ”Beam Me Up.” Runaway , his duo with Marcos Cabral , has been at the forefront of the new-school old-school house scene for a couple of years now, thanks to their records for Rekids , Permanent Vacation , Endless Flight , I’m A Cliche, Spectral Sound , and labels of a similar ilk. And Runaway’s On The Prowl label is quickly becoming a buy-on-sight affair, at least for fans of deep, emotive house and inventive disco. The attitude is old-school, the ideas enduring—all of which might explain why we couldn’t resist including Renault in our artists-to-watch roundup for 2011. Just like his namesake, this dude is going places. Read more on Beatportal Läs mer →