it's all good... » hypnotic

Hervé AK – Sesta Cella

Pinky — Tue, 12 May 2009 17:38:27 +0000

Released at the end of 2008 however I didn’t get my copy until a couple of months ago; hopefully there’s still some floating around but if you see one, jump on it. Apparently they also come with a cd single of the same tracks, although mine didn’t. Prepare to pay over the odds because it’s a piece of vinyl pressed and released in Japan but worth it for this single track, with the other three left way, way behind. This composition has an exquisite gentleness that makes you forget you’re listening to a four-on-the-floor house track with the off-beat repeated melody. Can’t help but wish it went on for longer, extended to cover a whole side – a soundtrack to dance under a starlit night to, with an approaching dawn infiltrating the blackness on the horizon.

Artist info:

www.myspace.com/herveak

Available from:

juno (available digitally, vinyl possibly sold out)

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Discogs listing

Simple Minds – Kant Kino

Pinky — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 10:15:15 +0000

A brief track from the Scottish songsmiths which has been ably employed in ambient mixes by those in the know, including Jon Marsh (of Beloved fame) on his simply sublime Travelogue mix. Perhaps this was the beginning of the habit amongst eighties ‘rock’ artists of including a leftfield slab of ambience tucked away on an album? Always exciting to discover an album that you’ve previously only recognise from the artist or the songs that were released as singles, has something completely different in pace and vibe tucked away unobstrusively in the middle of the B-side. Long may I continue to discover them.

Buy on: discogs | gemm | musicstack

The Martian – Star Dancer

Pinky — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:55:50 +0000

Timeless Detroit techno, released in 1993 but still sounds as relevant now amongst contemporary techno releases today. It’s has an enduring simplicity; the relentless techno 4/4 beat, the hypnotic phasing of the main keyboard sound, the expertly arranged percussion. The comments on the release in discogs are a testament to the influence this record has had although the A side, ‘Cosmic Dancer’ passes me by, it’s all about the B side in my book.

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Discogs listing

Ron Trent / Joshua / Abacus / Chez Damier – The Foot Therapy EP

Pinky — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 22:14:03 +0000

Been away in Italy for a wedding hence the lack of posts but now back and rarin’ to get some regular posts flowing into this blog showcasing some damn fine music that deserves extra mention for your audio pleasure. Visited Rome after the nuptials for a couple of days and inevitably gravitated towards any record shops there was time to visit, in this case the Re-Mix record store for some diggin’ in the crates amongst the large amount of second-hand stock in the back rooms. If you’re prepared to spend a few hours down there, some on your knees, you can dig up some gems for between 2-4 euros each. They have listening facilities, the old stock is mainly house, techno and deep house from what I could see but there was too much to get through it all… this time.

Dug up this classic, a billy bargain at €3, either to keep as a second copy or to sell on (ended up giving it as a gift to a friend). Prescription Records were the seminal deep house label of the nineties, with releases that are rightly regarded as classics today. The vast majority of the catalogue is still sought after and you’ll have to part with upwards of £20 to get some of them, including this one unless you’re a patient digger. In 1997 I was in Singapore en route to Australia backpacking and ck sent me a mixtape that included this untitled track (B2) as well as lots of other Prescription tracks. The whole mix was sublime, one that perfectly encapsulates the time; I really really hope that I’ve still got it somewhere, if I find it, we’ll definitely put it up on ck’s mix page on TipTop.

Set your spirit free… Set your spirit free.

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Discogs entry

**UPDATE** For those who are either unwilling to pay the price to get the original pressing or feel it unnecessary, the French label P&D licensed and re-released this in October 2009. This also illuminated the fact that the untitled B2 track from the original release (as featured here) was actually called Let The Spirit by Joshua, spread all across the A side on the re-release.

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Discogs entry