Below is a live DJ set from Beatery favorite Zodiac Cartel, shamelessly reposted from his Soundcloud page. It’s full of the techy, funky, sloppy-clap goodness we’ve all come to expect from the man. If you’re a regular Beatery listener, you’ll surly recognize more than a few of the jams in this epic two-hour tech-funk throwdown. Enjoy.
It seems like it’s been a long while since I’ve posted any proper electronic dance music, so today I’d like remedy that by to introducing you an unsung favorite. Meet Sam Hell. He’s quickly becoming my go-to producer for ass-shaking funky electro, now that the Plump DJs have gone all rave-wobble on me. And while he doesn’t seem to have as many different tricks up his sleeve as the aforementioned duo, he consistently delivers bouncy beats that get a reluctant dance floor moving. Let me give you a taste of Hell…
Cosimo
An older breaks number, this is the song that made me sit up and take notice of Mr. Hell. It reminds me of the Plumps of yore… especially when it gets around to that funky melodic hook near the end of the track.
Algebra
This is his latest single. Not much more than a syncopated bassline and some techy stuff on top, but sometimes that’s all you need in a club track.
Mothership
And rounding out the sampler we have this rolling progressive house cut. I love the breakdown in this one. That dramatic piano and synth combination almost has a Muse vibe to it.
PLAY ALL
For those of us with shit to do.
If you like what Sam Hell’s got going in these tracks, you can pursue more of his work on Beatport and even Amazon.
First, Adam Freeland was after your soul. Then Benny Benassi needed satisfaction. In 2010, England’s Cakeboy steps up to fill the chantable, disaffected robot vocal gap with Swamp Thing.
Surprisingly often the A-side of many singles end up in the shadow of any of many remixes that may follow (or were deliberately solicited to maximize commercial viability). In this case though I think the original version holds ground quite firmly as a sunny electro-breaks jam that doesn’t break any new ground but hits all the right notes and sweet spots you would want/expect from this well-flogged territory. The JFB remix turns the lights down a bit and staggers into Dubstep territory, but don’t let that scare you away. The crunch is all still there along with a few new melodic phrases that add a nice darkness to the track that is missing in the original (hey, it’s about a monster after all!).
I had the pleasure of meeting LA-based producer Nicholas Bennison when I worked for Looq records back in the day.
Originally from the UK, Nicholas is a killer producer and DJ. He’s a genre chameleon, switching from melodic progressive to trance, tech-trance, and full-on psy, and his sound has gotten the attention of some of the biggest names in the biz, and he’s done original work and remixes for a crap-ton of labels, including legendary Hook Recordings.
He tends to keep it pretty tough and rolling - as reflected in his own sound and also that of his label Propulsion Records.
This set from him from 2004 runs the gamut of sounds, and is chock full of solid tunes. I grabbed it from his website at the time of release back when and it’s been with me ever since! Actually, I remember it from a particular night of it playing in my car while I ferried Jondi and Spesh between gigs on NYE…
It makes killer road music - so burn yourself a copy for the road to Black Rock if you’re going to BM this year — it will definitely keep the journey interesting.
I always thought Norweigians were pleasant, mild mannered folk, but if you listen to the music of production duo Rawthang, they’re fulla some serious fuel too.
This is a DnB release I stubled upon years ago when it was first released on Orgone Records (a sublabel of previously covered DJ Dara’s Breakbeat Science powerhouse), and I haven’t been able to forget it since.
Both cuts are pretty driving, wih some searing production work.
Unity is 100 percent full on ravey, with a nu-Hoover inspired lead and some piano work that could find it’s way into a Happy Hardcore tune…minus the happy!
B-side Netrunner (my fave) is full on cyberpunk - deep wet-as-frack bass stabs, and skittter lines to make you feel like you’re INSIDE THE MACHINE…
Sadly, Rawthang have almost NO internet presence, but you can find their other releases listed on their discography. Some may have been vinyl-only, as I believe this one is too - so these are rare gems!
