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 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!
A big whassup from Brazil my peoples! I’ve been traveling for a little over a month now (well, if you don’t count the year I was living in La Paz as “traveling”) and have a major itching to share some dope new music with all of you. Expect a bunch of posts coming up, which could possibly include any of the following:
The new Holy Fuck
The new Tobacco
Wu-Tang Clan vs. The Beatles (It’s good! Really!)
The new RJD2
See I always stock up on new music before a long trip, especially if I’m traveling by myself. I’m never alone if my fav artists are keeping me company (^-^)v I’m at the point now where I’ve giving this new batch of music a good listening to, and there’s one album I keep coming back to, over and over: Lazerproof. I just can’t get enough. Read the rest of this entry »
This last weekend, while pursuing one of San Luis Obispo’s many fine specialty shops, a song came over the store speakers that I recognized instantly. I began singing the lyrics for the Scissor Sisters’ song ‘Harder You Get’, recently featured on this very blog.
But wait… this wasn’t Scissor Sisters. Nope, I actually knew this song from the soundtrack of GTA 4; it’s Skatt Brothers’ dark-disco anthem ‘Walk the Night’ from 1979. There’s no surprise I found myself singing the Scissor Sisters’ song, however. The two tracks are strikingly similar, with their simple four-on-the-floor beats, low menacing vocals, vaguely threatening (and totally gay) lyrics, descending chords on their respective bridges… all the way down to their chorus of “do-do-do’s” at the end. (There has to be a better way to say that, but you’ll know what I mean when you hear it.)
Well, this is a perfect opportunity to kick off a feature I’ve been wanting to start for a while, which I believe I’ll call “Hearing Double.” Here’s how it works: we present you with two songs that seem to us to be too musically close to be a coincidence, and you, dear readers, tell us if you think the latter artist was inspired by the former. Jay actually wrote a similar post a while back for his “I’m Not in Madagascar” mashup, so go back and check that out for another fine example.
I assume in most of these too-close-for-comfort cases, we won’t know whether or not the more recent artist actually meant to rip-offpay tribute to the preceding one. However, in this particular case Jake Shears, Scissor Sisters’ front man, has taken some of the fun out of it for us. His quote is below. (NOTE: Not that I think the Beatery has any underage readers, but the following is definitely for adult eyes only.)
I was at a sex party in Mannheim, I was on the dancefloor. It was six o’clock in the morning. I was wearing a little rubber wrestling singlet. I was having a great time. There was a cloud in the room, this cloud of man sweat, cigarettes, spilled booze, shit because people were getting fisted, and poppers. And piss! It was disgusting… The most vile place I’ve ever been. And I was dancing, and the DJs put on ‘Walk The Night’ by the Skatt Brothers. It’s one of my favorites. It was one of those revelatory moments for me when I realized what I wanted the album to sound like and how I wanted it to make me feel.
So there we have it. No mystery to this one, but it’s still fun to hear how one artist has been influenced by another. Have a listen yourself, and please, drop us a comment if you have other nominees for the series.
And lastly, while we’re once again on the subject of the Scissor Sisters, I’ll remind you that they are coming to town in September! It’s a bit pricey, but this band ROCKS live. If you can swing it, come bring it. Information HERE.
