A Derogatory Term

Well it has been 6 whole months since the last Derogatory Playlist and the longer I left it the harder it got to put one down as my long list of dance tracks got stale. I came to the decision that I just had to make the post sooner rather then later so I am able to move forward. This playlist will be a little different to the others as it has been 6 months of tunes shrunk down to 11 carefully selected tracks. What you have below are 11 tracks I have heard over the last 6 months new or old which have stayed with me until now – from 2009’s Die Verboten which I heard for the first time this week, to the 1997 Jam & Spoon track I stumbled upon earlier this year. From Krautrock to dubstep, disco to funky house, electro to psy trance and progressive back to electro. There were no rules with this playlist and that is why it probably will not flow as well as the others (starting with a 20 min track will probably not help either). I hope for those of you who have not heard some of the below tracks you really enjoy the levels they can take you.

A Derogatory Playlist PT XVI

Download the Complete playlist zipped

1. Die Verboten – Live in Eivissa
2. Bat For Lashes – Pearls Dream (Skream Remix)
3. Tensnake – Coma Cat (Original Mix)
4. Holy Ghost – On Board (feat. the DFA Celestial Choir)
5. UNKLE – Heavy Drug (Surrender Sounds Mix)
6. Gramophonedzie – Why Don’t You (Original Mix)
7. Gorillaz – Stylo (Alex Metric Remix)
8. Jam & Spoon – El Baile
9. Two Door Cinema Club – Undercover Martyn (Softwar Remix)
10. Sherlock’s Daughter – Kids (Alison Wonderland Remix)
11. Das Racist – Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell (Wallpaper. RMX)

I highly Recommend

Live In Elvissa – Die Verboten

I have been hanging out to hear this track for over 3 years ever since I first heard that Soulwax was going to team up with Riton and produce an experimental Kruatrock band. Live In Elvissa is the only track to be released from the group and was released on a limited edition vinyl pressing of 300 last year. I regretfully did not get myself a copy of this as I could not justify the postage at the time. Due to this error I did not get a chance to hear the track in its full until I received this vinyl rip from a dude over at the Soulwax – thanks Lynxx.

Live in Elivissa is a 19 Minute journey through the parallels of instrumental electronics with incoherent conflicts of sounds creating a quest for the main melody. Riton and the Dewaele brothers use a combination of their excellence in composition and electronics to funnel surrealism from their mind into our ears, where a world of sliding synths and stabbing melodies chase each other into the abyss.

Bat For Lashes – Pearls Dream (Skream Remix)

I am glad that a dubstep mix made it into the playlist as it is reflective of my slight fetish I have had for the genre in the last 6 months. Bat For Lashes were quite a big band of last year and the vocals work perfectly in-front of the deep frequencies and off beats which help keep the track dark and cold. Similar to his Chromeo remix, Skream has managed to really exploit the most underground sounds into a final product of pop.

Holy Ghost – On Board (feat. The DFA Celestial Choir)

This Holy Ghost cover of Friendly Fires On Board was one part of a joint EP they released earlier this year where both bands covered each others tracks with Friendly Fires doing Hold On. I think most people agree that Holy Ghost was the band out of the two who hit the spot with their version of On Board featuring the heavenly DFA Celestial Choir (I think I hear Nancy in there). I was thinking of posting the Celestial Choir Dub Version but I now believe that the vocals do add to the track. The big bass synth dominates the track throughout holding the chords together as Holy Ghost’s DFA disco style dances over the rest.

Gramophonedzie – Why Don’t You

It is not often I will post a house track on this blog as I do not really get the chance to listen to enough of it to find the good stuff. I have a feeling though that House may be making a return to the mainstream (Yolanda Be Cool as an example) as electro starts to get more distorted and girls get sick of sharing dance floors with sweaty, teeth grinding alpha males while the sound of a chainsaw screams from the speakers. House is more classy then electro and there is always a place and time for it. Gramophonedzie has tapped into this new sub genre of house which mixes vintage records with house beats creating a somewhat cabaret feel about it. The track will keep you moving for the first minute and a half with a simple funky intro. The interesting part starts after this when it cuts into the sample of the old record that then drops back with the beat. I believe that this will keep a dance floor very happy.

Jam & Spoon – El Baile

El Baile was produced in 1997 by the duo Jam & Spoon who clearly had massive influence on trance in the 90’s and today. I love unexpected variation in genres and El Baile has to be one of the biggest jumps I have ever heard from sweet Spanish guitar and vocals to rolling bass and deep beats similar to modern psy trance. The track continues to progress into an electronic monster with break downs cued by the sweet acoustic guitar.

Sherlock’s Daughter – Kids (Alison Wonderland Remix)

I received this track earlier this year over email and made a promise to myself that I would post it at some stage. Sherlock’s Daughter are an indie rock band from Sydney who are starting to poke their head into the scene. The vocals on the track allow for a perfect back setting for Alison to come over with some quality electro production which is the focus on this remix. Big synths stab as they run cleanly through the chords creating a true indie dance verse. The soothing female vocals are perfect for breaking down the track and it is evident that Alison has her fingers on the pulse when it comes to laying down tracks. I look forward to hearing more from her in the future.

Alison Wonderland’s Myspace
Sherlock’s Daughter’s Myspace

Thanks once again to Adso for the great posts over the last couple of months – he has got me into some fantastic bands as I am sure he has done the same to many of you. I will be back soon with another album post as the good ones are starting to stack up again with many more on the horizon!

Thanks

Jimps