kolmapäev, 30. detsember 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #179: DJ Fett Burger & Jayda G - NYC Party Track



I've heard that GQ 'Disco Nights' bassline sampled so many times before in house music, but DJ Fett Burger's track really surprised me. He uses that sample in a really repetitive way, so you almost wish that the loops would continue in a longer more familiar way, but it goes just on & on. Then the rave sounding synth licks come in and you're totally lost in this groove. By the way - that kid without his shirt walking around in the streets like he owns the city? Yeah, that's Fett Burger in NYC as a young kid in the 80s. So much class!

From Rivera's Groove Box #178: Shed - My R-Class



Ah, minimal acid techno - truly a warped sound which sounds like it's coming from out of this world, or even the future. It's definitely not for everyone. I really like the pulsating, throbbing and punctuacting synth line in this track. The video is really ace too. It's from the japanese monster movie Gamera Vs Viras, a really good campy sci-fi flick with neat practical special effects. It has it's charm.

kolmapäev, 16. detsember 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #177: Cocteau Twins - Pandora



After many months mainly posting some obscure deep house and techno tracks, this feels like a combo breaker. Bought the album from a record fair. Like it very much. She sings in gibberish, and it sounds so sweet.

pühapäev, 6. detsember 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #176: Julian Jonah - Jealousy & Lies



A classic UK deep house track. Clearly there seems to be some inspiration from Larry Heard and Robert Owens, especially their Fingers Inc moniker. The story is that Julian Jonah produced this song during the last couple hours of studio rental still available that day. This seems to be the recipe for so many classic house tunes, because that's what happened to Frankie Knuckles 'The Whistle Song' also. Frankie Knuckles actually worked together with Julian for 'It's A Jungle Out There'. Coincidence? Probably not. Great minds always go bump into each other. 

neljapäev, 3. detsember 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #175: Barbara Mason - Don't I Ever Cross Your Mind



Tell me, don't I ever cross your mind?

Sometimes?

This track inspired Jack J to create his big dance floor bomb 'Something On My Mind'

teisipäev, 1. detsember 2015

Arvustus: Tek Def, Trash Can Dance 2015


Eesti elektrooniline tantsumuusika ja seda ümbritsev skeene kasvas suuresti välja 90ndatel ilmunud ja nüüdseks legendaarse staatuse omandanud kassettkogumikest. Tõsised melomaanid lähevad näost punaseks ja hakkavad higistama, kuuldes kedagi mainimast kassette nagu 'Electronic Grooves From Tallinn', 'Legends Of The Nite' ja 'Exit: Compilation Of Non-Music'. 

Praeguseks on kassett kodumaise elektroonilise tantsumuusika jaoks peaaegu kadunud. Võib kokku lugeda mõned üksikud reliisid, need on peamiselt limiteeritud ja artistid ise avaldanud. Üks märkimisväärsemaid kassette, 'Poe Dameron EP' Endamisi Salamisi poolt avaldati üldse hoopis Moskva leibeli Isaiah Tapes poolt. Kuid nüüd on lõpuks saabunud nendele 90ndatel ilmunud kassettidele spirituaalne järglane tasuta jagatava kogumiku 'Tek Def' näol. 

Kogumikul on 12 erinevat esinejat, kokku 60 minutit elektroonilisi tantsubiite. Esimesena alustab reiviliku teknotränaga Darkside, kes teavitab kuulajatele, et süüde on antud ja sõit läbi kummaliste ja veidrate tehisliku kõladega helide võib alata. Sellele järgneb elektroonilist kehamuusikat Crash Test Money poolt, ning takkajärgi veel kütet kodumaistelt teknomeistritelt Süstem, Oudeis, Killerkat ja Mammonilt. Kusjuures, Killerkat teeb enda loo tiitliga otsese kummarduse modernse elektroonilise muusika pioneeridele Kraftwerk. 

Kassetti teine pool algab jungle muusikast mõjutatud Tondi looga 'Mask'. Jungle muusika oli 90ndatel väga levinud siinmail, ning Tont tuletab enda helidega paljudele kindlasti meelde kultusliku trumm ja bassi kollektiivi Lu:k. Johho 'Hõbepaberitega Haapsalu' on kogumiku kõige brutaalsema kõlaga techno. Kuid seda kõva laksu on kuulajal vaja, sest seda rohkem saab hinnata Tetragrammofoni 'Soosääsk' sooja sügavust. Järvamaa teknoprojekt Merelinnud lajatab seejärel toore ja repetiivse Chicago acid house tribüüdiga. Robi Uppini 'Clowntown Indian Fiddle' on kogumiku kõige vanem lugu – puhas elektroonika aastast 1994, see oli aeg kui house ja techno alles hakkas Eestis kanda kinnitama. Kassetti lõpetab Rasmus Lille industriaalselt kõlav 'Nr. 128'. 

Trash Can Dance on saanud hakkama millegi erilisega mida keegi teine siinmail viimastel aastatel ei ole julgenud teha. Tantsumuusika on kolinud füüsilistelt helikandjatelt laia maailmaveebi ja niimoodi istuvad paljud põnevad lood niisama netis kuni keegi nende peale satub. Põhimõtteliselt istusid need lood enne kogumikule sättimist lihtsalt sahtlis, sest netis on neid raske avastada tuhandete teiste seast. Aga nüüd on nad sahtlist väljas. Ja oli ka viimane aeg, sest mujal maailmas on tantsumuusika kassettiformaadis ammu juba tähelepanu uuesti leidnud. Tuntud nimed nagu Hieroglyphic Being, Delroy Edwards, Rezzett, Legowelt, Scott Grooves, Helena Hauff, Huerco S ja Low Jack on kõik teinud reliise mis on kiirelt läbi müünud. 

'Tek Def' on kogumik mida me vajasime, aga mille jaoks me ei olnud varem lihtsalt valmis. See kogumik on hea läbilõige sellest, mis toimub kodumaise elektroonilise tantsumuusika skeenis. Ühe puudusena võiks välja tuua tõsiasja, et seda kogumikku ei saa muudmoodi kuulata kui ainult kassettilt. Ja selles ei olekski midagi hullu, aga tänapäeval on liiga paljud kuulajad ärahellitatud digitaalse muusika liiga kerge kättesaadavusega. Välismaised kassettileibelid viskaksid kaante vahele ka download kupongi, aga Trash Can Dance on Mariaani süviku tasemel underground plaadifirma kes ei tee kellegile mingeid järeleandmisi. Võta juhe ja digitaliseeri ise, vot nii.

Helinäiteks raudselt minu lemmiklugu sellelt kogumikult: 

pühapäev, 8. november 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #174: Throbbing Gristle - Hot On The Heels Of Love



'That was a bit of a spoof on the Donna Summer single, 'I Feel Love', because disco was very big then in the 70s'. That's how Cosey Fanni Tutti, the singer and member of the industrial band Throbbing Gristle, describes their seminar electro sounding proto synth-pop song. Probably Throbbing Gristle's most dance floor friendly arrangement.

pühapäev, 1. november 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #173: Topaz Gang - Palm Tree



Vaporwave! I just discovered this musical style and I think I fell in love with it. It's so amazing - it has that nostalgic flavor of 80s music sprinkled with choppy and screwed lo-fi aesthetics. Youtube is full of vaporwave music and mixes, and it seems that it's pretty popular. Perfect backround music.

pühapäev, 25. oktoober 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #172: Gemini 27 - Right Baby Do What You Like



Nu Groove baby, yeah! This legendary New York house music label pumped out so many classics in the late 80s and early 90s. Nu Groove brought a harder sound to the house music scene in New York, which was dominated prominently by garage sound. The label released a variety of house styles - deep house, breakbeat, rave, techno, hip house. In recent years, many of the best selling tracks have been re-released, which only shows how influential the label still is.

esmaspäev, 19. oktoober 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #170: Hieroglyphic Being & The Truth Theory Trio - Keep Your Mind Open



My mind is totally blown by listening to this new jam by Hieroglyphic Being. Totally insane synthesizer action by Jamal Moss - he definitely knows how to work his gear. Distorted, fuzzy and lo-fi sounding, but at the same time very warm and emotional. Has that cosmic techno groove feeling in it. One of my favorite picks of the year. 

esmaspäev, 5. oktoober 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #169: 10cc - I'm Not In Love



You know, the thing with this song is that it ain't just a simple soft rock love song. It's actually a very well and precisely produced musical composition. And that's why I like it. Don't really care about the lyrics or message of the song. Using tape loops, Fender rhodes, electric guitar, and electronic drums synthesized with the Moog synthesizer, with a very Beach Boys 'Smiley Smile' feeling. The making of this song demonstrated here: 'Im Not In Love' making of documentary

pühapäev, 27. september 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #168: Mystic Jungle - Mystic Beast



What a great track from an even greater mini-album: 'Terror From The Deep'. Lo-fi and flat sounding deep and dark techno. Loads of acid flavored tracks. Altogether six very different styled tracks, but all with that grimy cassette-mastered feel. But it's on vinyl! Let the vampire mermaids attack and devour or flesh.

laupäev, 19. september 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #167: The Other People Place - Sorrow & A Cup Of Joe



What a great track from Detroit. Done by one half of the now legendary underground Detroit electro duo Drexciya. Heard this in a party recently. Had to go and ask the DJ what was he playing, because I didn't know the tune. He only replied me 'Detroit', stoned as he was. But I managed to find this track somehow! 

pühapäev, 13. september 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #166: Legowelt - Institute Of The Overmind



I had a terrible morning today. Nothing went as I planned and hoped will turn out. So I just started listening to music. There's something in this track which just cheered me up a bit. I think it's because this track is just so well produced. Really, Legowelt has been putting other house and techno producers to shame since the the 1990s. You can watch the video of making this track here: How To Make A Legowelt Track

neljapäev, 10. september 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #165: Mall Grab - Can't (Get U Outta My Mind)



Yeah, that's an Alicia Keys sample. Great lo-fi grooves from Mall Grab. This is a good example how you can create an atmosphere in a track with overdrive and distortion. 

teisipäev, 1. september 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #163: Hüpnosaurus - Always In 'N' Out



Some great lo-fi garage house grooves, with an outsider feeling. Rescued from some 1990's tapes of an underground Estonian techno and electronic music production group, Hüpnosaurus. Released by the amazing Ukranian label Wicked Bass recordings.

laupäev, 15. august 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #162: Tuff Sherm & Patch Free - Party Scraps



What a lovely and strange, almost weird sounding groove for deep house. They're describing this kind of out of this world sounding house and techno grooves as 'outsider house', or as DJ Haus calls it - 'oddball house'. Tuff Sherm and Patch Free are no newcomers to the scene, they have records out on prolific Mariana-trench-deep-underground labels like The Trilogy Tapes and Opal Tapes. There is also coming out a brand new record under the Hot Haus label, which is going to be super awesome. As long as there will be house and techno music which dares to sound interesting and different, I'll have faith into this electronic dance music thingy. 

esmaspäev, 27. juuli 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #161: Steve Poindexter - Street Fighter



An old, but unreleased track from the Chicago house legend and underground hero. Released on Delroy Edwards label LA Club Resource. Hypnotizing minimal synthesizer grooves with jacking drum machine beats, all accompanied by lovely tape hiss. I'm getting so used with tape hiss in the lo-fi underground house and techno scene, that I'm mostly disappointed when I don't hear hiss or distortion in a club track anymore. That super clean and polished digital sound is not for me anymore. I guess I'm in the deep underground zone now, super deep, like in the Mariana trench part of underground scene now.

pühapäev, 12. juuli 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #160: Tissu - Unmanned Vehicle



There aren't many house records nowadays which make me say 'wow'. Very deep analogue house track, with a techno feeling. Lush aquatic pads with driving hats. Every sound is put to its place with mathematical precision. An afterthought - it's crazy how many times we listen to the same 909 or 707 drums in house music, but they still sound fresh in every different track. It's like DNA, same pieces, but an alternate outcome, albeit with a familiar warm feeling.

pühapäev, 5. juuli 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #159: Charanjit Singh - Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat



Mõned päevad tagasi lahkus Charanjit Singh, mees kes kogemata vastu tahtmist sai acid house pioneeriks, kui tema 1982. aasta album 'Ten Ragas To A Disco Beat' taasavastati 28 aastat hiljem ühes India plaadipoes. 'Veteran of countless Bollywood soundtrack orchestras, Singh purchased a Roland Jupiter-8 keyboard, a Roland TR-808 drum machine and a Roland TB-303 in 1982 and decided to make a record that blended traditional Indian ragas with western dance music. Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat was recorded in two days and was a largely forgotten commercial flop until it was reissued by record collector Edo Bouman in 2010. Singh was an unwitting pioneer of acid house music, credited with inventing the squelchy sounds that would come to signify the Chicago acid house sound in the years to come'. Charanjit Singh lugu on näide sellest, et vahest on mõned enda ideedega ajast liiga palju ees, ja peavad enda õiget hetke lihtsalt ootama. Sest muu maailm ei ole lihtsalt teie ägeduseks mõnikord valmis.

reede, 3. juuli 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #158: Romanthony - The House Of God



The Iranian prayer in this song is about monotheism: 'God is one, he needs no one, there are no multiple gods, he doesn't need anyone else, he laughs at those who laugh at him, he was in the beginning and will be there in the end, he is honest, he never lies'.

teisipäev, 30. juuni 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #157: Die Roh - Xm11



Die Roh = Italian DJ and producer duo, formed by Sagats and DJ Octopus. DJ Octopus! My favourite underground house and techno producer in recent times. They approach their music with strict hardware only ethics - being tutored first by Lucretio from The Analogue Cops fame. Die Roh belongs to the new wave of underground hardware heavy house and techno producers from Italy. 'Xm11' is a super simple deep house groove with very infectious Mr. G styled rolling 909 hats. Sometimes simple is the best.

laupäev, 27. juuni 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #156: Soichi Terada - Rising Sun Up



Soichi Terada is a japanese music composer who releases various styles of electronic music on his own label Far East Recordings. He is also known best for the soundtracks for Ape Escape video games. His music is mostly unheard for the Western audiences, but the compilation Rush Hour recently put out made many new listeners realize the genius of Soichi Terada. This is my favourite from the compilation - crazy 90s garage sounding track, with a oriental style twist and retro video game sounding touch. But the whole compilation is filled with great tracks like this. Honorable mentions: 'Voices From Beyond', 'Hohai Beats', 'CPM', 'Shake Yours'. The craziest thing about Soichi Terada's japanese house music? It sounds totally unbelievable, but he worked together with Larry Levan on a remix for a Japanese pop-star Nami Shimada. That track was 'Sun Shower' and appearantly that's where the house and garage bug bite Soichi Terada!

esmaspäev, 22. juuni 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #155: Mr. G - House Is A Nation



Mr. G! The man with the funkiest hats in dance music, and I mean not the ones you wear. In a track titled 'They Say They Play House' Mr. G used the 'President House' acapella from Roland Clarke. Later he remade the track live in his notorious Boiler Room set, using only snippets from the original acapella and track. This live one of a kind remix became sought after by the house and techno community, who wanted an official release badly, which hasn't happened yet. Although Mr. G redlined his mixer levels so the Boiler Room recording would sound distorted and people wouldn't rip the tracks from the live set, it seems it was to no avail - because of the popularity and demand it still emerged as an ripped and cleaned version to Youtube and Soundcloud. This bootleg titled 'The House Is A Nation' could become Mr. G's biggest hit, if he'd only released a proper studio version of this!

esmaspäev, 15. juuni 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #154: Gherkin Jerks - Reznaytor



Gherkin Jerks is another Larry Heard alias, for his rough techno sounding tracks he released in 1988 and 1990 as two EPs, and a compilation CD with unreleased tracks which came out 2013. Some have commented these tracks to be the missing link between house and techno, which eventually came to known as tech house, a genre mixing the elements of both styles. The sound and production is very clean and minimal, and the roughness in the sound does not come in the production quality - as is the case with some techno nowadays with it's purposely tape hiss, distortion, overdriven and messy sounds. No, the roughness comes from the chaotic arrangement of the music itself. But at the same time, the tracks sound also very rigid sometimes, showing that they are not entirely improvisational and there has been some careful programming in the production. And that's why Larry Heard's music is great and he is one of the best producers ever in the modern electronic dance music history.

reede, 5. juuni 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #153: Greg Beato - Let Em Know



Greg Beato made some of the best underground tracks in 2013 with four very strong releases. Ever since that we've waited for a new extended player, which is yet to be (hopefully!) released. He's done some great remixes with his trademark gritty sound for Akra, Raw M.T. and Ron Morelli. The best thing with Beato is that he is untouchable and uncompromising with his sounds. It's his own unique touch on underground house and techno, whether you like it or not, he simply doesn't give a damn. And that's the true underground spirit - long live the tape hiss!

neljapäev, 28. mai 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #152: Ata Kak - Obaa Sima



Ata Kak became a familiar name to many underground dance music enthusiasts in early 2015 when the blog and label, Awesome Tapes From Africa, released this unknown African funk gem properly on CD, cassette and vinyl. Originally thought to be a lost release from Ghana, this surprised many when it came out to be actually recorded in Canada by a Ghanaian music producer. The whole release was supposed to sound like a hip hop release, but the result was just too damn weird to fit into that genre. Also, the mastering plant recorded the master tapes about +4 in pitch. I've been hearing 'Obaa Sima' a lot in the local underground parties. Very funky, catchy and danceable!

kolmapäev, 27. mai 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #151: Merelinnud - Lendavad Ära



The seabirds (merelinnud) gather together in flocks and are ready to fly away (lendavad ära). Music and production by Tanel Matsalu. A very deep track from the Estonian producer, with a more techno vibe than house music. There's a lot of good techno and house music coming out of that country with guys like Ajukaja & Andrevski, Robert Nikolajev's and Ragnar Rahuoja's project Дима, Kazk, Profile, Firejose, Neuronphase, Wick Blaze, Endamisi Salamisi to name a few. You can download it from his Soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/danielrivera

reede, 15. mai 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #150: Deterministic Finite Automata - Uncodable Response



This thing blows my mind. Another wonderful deep house track which everyone is sleeping on, because this one came out without much significant hype. But for me, definitely one of the best tracks this year to come by!

esmaspäev, 27. aprill 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #149: Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls



Pet Shop Boys very first released single. It came first as a more straight club oriented dance hit, with a more Hi-NRG, electronic disco or even early house influenced production by Bobby Orlando (Bobby O). That was in 1984. Then the track got a more radio and listener friendly mix by Stephen Hague - that's the version we hear nowadays in the radio and have been accustomed to. Without a doubt, the best Pet Shop Boys song. Great synth bassline, electro beats, soothing strings, deep vocals and chants all fitting together so right. 

neljapäev, 23. aprill 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #148: Unknown Artist - Benga Benga 1



Porridge Bullet PB005 - Afrobeat edits from Raul 'Ajukaja' Saaremets. Re-edit of Sampa Mapangala 'Yembele'. Got the repress. I didn't like the release that much at first, so I skipped this when it came out. But I heard it at the local parties in Tallinn, and it kinda grew on me. Give it a few spins if you're not feeling it right away! It's really simple edits with some lo-fi drum machine beats underneath the African funk tracks, but somehow it works!

teisipäev, 7. aprill 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #147: Tanel's Hot House Trax - Autokuur



Whoo-eeee-dooo-deee-dooo. Some self promotion. Just another generic garage track I made the other day. I just love how a pure and simple garage groove sounds, it feels just so right. Comes with a download. 'Autokuur' means 'garage' in estonian. Ha, clever!

From Rivera's Groove Box #146: Saint Etienne - Nothing Can Stop Us Now (Kenlou Dub)



Remember when Little Louie Vega and Kenny Dope from Masters At Work used to do great remixes and house tracks? I remember. The rhodes chords have been sampled both by Carl Craig on 'Sub Seducer' and Paris Underground Trax 'Hardcore Deep House'.

laupäev, 28. märts 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #145: Ajukaja & Maria Minerva - All The Heart Breaks



Such a nice song, isn't it? Careless and quirky house-pop with all the jazz they can blend inside it. Ajukajas's and Maria's first attempt to cook vaudeville-disco. 

laupäev, 21. märts 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #144: Legowelt - Beach Oceano



Legowelt is probably one of the most talented electronic music composers out there at the moment. He's got a home full of synths and machinery to make music. He's a total geek, in a good way - he's fascinated by old computers, UFOs and science-fiction, he used to make music on a audio tracker program, for heavens sake! He's been a member of the Unit Moebius crew. No doubt he has left his footsteps in the European techno scene and continues to break the frontiers. He is a professional musician. And that's why you can categorize his productions 50/50 into two sections - 1) hastily made studio jams and 2) amazing groundbreaking electronic music. The problem with people who make a living with music is that they have the need to pump tracks and songs out all the time, and so it can result in a lot of tracks lacking in quality. Legowelt is always quality, but many of his tracks feel the same - quick studio jams with many synths. Same synth lines, patterns... but not this song here, this, I feel, is one of his best works in the electronic dance music area! Bonus points for sounding like a japanese N64 video game music piece.

pühapäev, 8. märts 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #143: Mutual Attraction - Lost Tape



Can you believe that this wonderful track is the first (and so far the only) officially released track by this artist? This track is supersweet. It's like an instrumental jazz track, but entirely an electronic piece. I checked the artists instagram page, and from the pictures I saw loads of different analog gear. Very nice! We need tracks like this in times when the deep house genre is in a danger of being hijacked by commercial appealing dance music. Which is unfortunately going on right now. This is a reminder - don't let bad music win.

kolmapäev, 4. märts 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #142: Palace - Touch Me



Wow, what is this? A minimal lo-fi garage groove track? Pretty much sums it up. A very rough and minimal production with only a repetitive drum loop, vocal samples and few out of place piano chords. But somehow it just works. I couldn't make a track so minimal and simple, it's just not my thing - I'd stuff more drums and sounds to the track. Coming from the so called 'oddball' house label 'Unknown To The Unknown' - probably one of my favorite house labels at the moment.

laupäev, 14. veebruar 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #141: Delroy Edwards - 4 Club Use Only



I sleeped on this at first when it came out, and when I stumbled on this finally, it didn't move me at all at first. I have records like Virgo 'Release Yourself' and the classic stuff of Mr. Fingers, also a lot of Dance Mania and the rough basement sound of Chicago. So it didn't really impress me much on the first listen. But then it grew on me with every listen. Maybe I forced myself to like this release. It's super simple in it's sound, but then again it's also a very honest no bullshit or filler type of record. For die hard underground people, like the title says '4 Club Use Only'. But not in those fancy glimmering glamour clubs with bottle service where everyone is wearing fashion clothes and Gucci handbags. Rough dark clubs which resemble abandoned warehouses, basements and nobody asks for a dress code.

reede, 13. veebruar 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #140: Floating Points - Nectarines



Everyone is raving how the latest Floating Points 'Nuit Sonores' is the best thing ever, but I really don't care for that track. To me, it's the second track of the release - 'Nectarines' - the better one. It's a fact that Floating Points made 'Nuit Sonores' very hastily just before a gig, so basically it's just an extended jam strecthed to a full track. But 'Nectarines' is a very beautiful track, it's simple, but it works. It's the way the vocals are played around like a real instrument what makes it stand out. I hope Floating Points keeps on creating electronic music what is superior to everything else out there and doesn't lose his groove!

teisipäev, 10. veebruar 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #139: Willie Burns - Windows Down



Willie Burns is a great electronic music producer who has come to the spotlight in recent years. Some of his works are very noisy experiments in sound, but then there are beautiful tracks like 'Windows Down'. I think this track is his best work to date. As someone who has made music myself, I feel it's one of those moments when you create something and all of the elements of the track just work together so nicely. I love the melancholic feeling the track gives with it's carefully placed synthesizer play. Great official video from the Creme Organization too, a very good and caring label for underground artists. I hope to see more tracks like this from Willie Burns.

Here's a great article about him: http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1967

esmaspäev, 2. veebruar 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #138: Miltiades - d0.5u



Miltiades is like really really deep. Analogue drums, soft sounding pads, subtle ambience, light synths. It sounds really simple, but as a producer it's actually pretty hard to find similar soothing sounds, unless you are a total music freak, and know how to make music like this. 

pühapäev, 1. veebruar 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #137: West Coast Swingaz - Get Tha Funk



A while back I made a ghetto house track. I wanted to make a track sounding exactly like the classic Dance Mania sounds. I think I got it really good! The main push to create a track like this was the Boiler Room mix of Low Jack. He played a really cool ghetto track with obscene pornographic lyrics, which I still don't know who's behind that track. The track featured a really groovy low tom pattern, which I tried to re-create in my track. I'm not a fan of obscene lyrics, so I used the acapella of 95 North's 'The Request'. To sum it up - a pure house groove tribute to good underground house music!

From Rivera's Groove Box #136: Humanoid - Stakker Humanoid



'Stakker Humanoid' was one of the first acid house tracks to storm the charts back in 1998. It's an rave classic, and influenced many other future rave tracks to come. Humanoid was a short liven project, the duo split when the record just got big, and one of the members, Brian Dougans, went on to form The Future Sound Of London. The speech synthesis samples come from the classic arcade game 'Berzerk' - 'humanoid - intruder alert!'. Classic stuff.

kolmapäev, 28. jaanuar 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #135: Sound Waves - I Wanna Feel The Music



So many times I almost forget how much I love this track. Then it springs into my mind without a warning. This really is the template for the mid 90s deep house music. It came out in 1991 on Strictly Rhythm, you know, back when that label actually meant something (nowadays it seems they have lost that magic touch). Probably the best thing that label has put out!

laupäev, 17. jaanuar 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #134: Merelinnud - Shout-out To Greg And Leon



This is a really nice deep house track! You can download it here:
Kena sügav house muusika rada, allalaadida saab siit:
https://soundcloud.com/danielrivera/merelinnud-shout-out-to-greg-and-leon

laupäev, 10. jaanuar 2015

My Choice Of 2014 Best House Tracks

2014 offered plenty of good house tracks. There were deep tracks, there were banging harder tracks, a touch of funky tracks, and some borderline experimental sounds. There were many re-releases and reissues, which is always nice. Classic and old-school house sounds were very popular. Overall, it was a good year for house music. I would like to hear as much good tracks in 2015! Here is my top 30 picks:

1. Gianni Amoroso - I Don't Feel Your Love (3 Channels Remix)
2. Nail - Sweet Feet
3. DJ Octopus - Going To The Lake With carlos
4. DJ Haus - Hey Now Wait A Minute
5. P.O.L Style & Vin Sol & Matrixxman - Power Top
6. Gerry Read - Been A Lot Of Places, Seen A Lot Of Faces
7. Quarion - Sunday Night
8. Casino Times - AWD
9. Andreas Saag - In The Box
10. Leon Vynehall - This Is The Place
11. Sade - Love Is Stronger (Vin Sol & Matrixxman Remix)
12. Lucretio - Denying
13. Ajukaja & Andrevski - Rare Birds
14. Willie Burns - Washed Hands
15. Huxley - I Want You (Youandewan Version)
16. Huerco S. - A Verdigris Reader
17. Helena Hauff - The Purely Painful Confrontation of Opposites
18. Tanl Mtslu - In My Garage
19. Beato - Untitled A2 Russian Torrent Verions
20. Floating Points - Nectarines
21. Theo Parrish - Footwork
22. Legowelt - Experiental Awakening
23. Terekke - Untitled A1 L.I.E.S.
24. Deetroit - The Underground Understands
25. Nas1 - Dallas Vertical Call
26. D'Marc Cantu - The Lights Brighter
27. Rezzett - Zootie
28. Neuronphase - Dissapointed
29. NGLY - 5674
30. Nail - Together

From Rivera's Groove Box #133: Beato - Untitled



Russian Torrent Versions is a sublabel of L.I.E.S. - the most loved techno and house label of recent years by the underground dance scene. Some of the releases are very good, and some are your average bangers. This one by Greg Beato is a very cool stripped down old school flava house track. Sounds like a unreleased instrumental deep house track from the early 90s. Why the label is named Russian Torrent Versions is a funny story and I'm not sure if it's the truth or just a myth - because the L.I.E.S. catalogue was uploaded to a popular russian torrent site called 'Funkysouls', the guys behind L.I.E.S. label uploaded some 'alternative versions' of forthcoming tracks to the site. A little later they caught Nina Kraviz playing these 'russian torrent versions' of the tracks! Maybe this is just a crazy made up backround story, I'm not totally sure! I'm not liking the harder techno tracks which are being released on the label, but this track by Beato is a winner. Super simple and effective.

Russian Torrent Versions on ühe viimaste aastate palavamalt armastatud house ja techno plaadifirma L.I.E.S. võsuke. Mõned väljaanded sellelt plaadifirmalt on tõelised võitjad ning mõned on nii ja naa. See Greg Beato instrumentaalne house lugu on väga äge enda minimaalse kulgemisega ja vanakooli mõjutustega. Miks on plaadifirmal just selline kentsakas nimi nagu 'Vene Torrenti Versioonid' on üks naljakas ja sama veider lugu nagu plaadifirma nimigi. Kuna L.I.E.S. plaadifirma kataloog oli üleslaaditud vene torrentite foorumisse 'Funkysouls', mõtlesid plaadifirma taga olevad inimesed teha tünga ja panna ülesse sinna samasse avaldamata lood, kuid teistmoodi versioonidena - teine ülesehitus, viletsam kvaliteet. Mõnda aega hiljem avastati, et Nina Kraviz mngib neid 'Vene Torrentite Versioone' enda DJ settides! Võib-olla on see müüt, ma ei ole kindel. 

laupäev, 3. jaanuar 2015

From Rivera's Groove Box #132: Popol Vuh - Affenstunde


Lately I've been interested in modular synthesizers, their history and the sounds these wonderful machines create. Though I'll probably never own one in real life (because how expensive they are), I'm still fascinated by them. I have seen musicians perform live on modular synthesizers, and the sounds truly feel alive and natural. They sound natural because they are analog, and all sounds from the nature surrounding us are analog. Even if they produce cosmic out of this earth sound, it still sounds natural and good, not alienating and strange. Modular synthesizer music started to appear on records in the early seventies, before that they were used rarely and only in experimental music compositions. Critics didn't like these new electronic sounds at first, in fact they thought these sounds were a travesty - unnatural sounds! But there were some brave and adventurous musicians out there, who mastered these new music sounds and techniques and created new musical soundscapes.  Like Florian Fricke and his group Popol Vuh for example - their 1970 record 'Affenstunde' is a pioneering piece of ambient cosmic space drone music. It's one of the earliest Krautrock records to sound so strange and out of this world. Soon after this record came out, lot of other german Krautrock groups came out with similar experimental electronic music records (Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Cluster, Ash Ra Temple, Klaus Schulze, Faust, Harmonia). I really like these strange electronic sounds. To me, they sound very soothing and relaxing.

Krautrock, kosmische musik, hea kraam, kuulake kurat ja avardage enda mõistust hea muusikaga! Eriti hea laadida enda mp3 pleierisse ja kuulata magamaminemisel. Lend läbi kosmose alaku!