reede, 30. detsember 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #228: Electronome - Een Drumcomputer & Een Synthesizer



Some of the very best and innovating electro music comes from the Hague, Netherlands. The beat on this one is being hailed legendary by those who know it. It's made on a TR-808 drum machine and an overdriven, almost abused, synthesizer. It sounds insane, but yet so funky!

laupäev, 17. detsember 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #227: The Rurals - Big Fire



A huge dose of disco madness from 1999. I really like that simple, but very strong funky groove in this one, it just grows and grows. Very fun. The Rurals is most known for their deep house power ballads with the sweet sould drenched vocals from Marie Tweek, but this track proves that Andy Compton is a good producer who has an ability to spot a good groove.

kolmapäev, 14. detsember 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #226: DJ Deeon - 2 B Free



Bow wow we can do a bang. What a great disco house track from Chi-towns own ghetto dance music sensei DJ Deeon. Sure, the First Choice 'Let No Man Put Asunder' might be an overused sample in house music, but DJ Deeon managed to pull it off very well done. The track has gained a sorta cult following, and being featured in the 1997 Essential Mix by Daft Punk (when they used to be cool) certainly helped to cement this one into a classic.

reede, 9. detsember 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #225: Beverly Hills 808303 - Dinner At Barney's



Who would have thought, that some of the very best acid tracks would come out of the Hague, Netherlands? Beverly Hills 808303 is a 'dirty acid sound' project and as one could guess, every track is made solely with the Roland TR-808 and TB-303. And it totally works. The mastermind behind this project is a former member of the Dutch techno-pioneers Unit Moebius. Some of the tracks from Beverly Hills 808303 sound very funky, like its counterpart sound from Chicago, but some are absolute carnage with distorted drums and evil acid melodies. To sum it up - Beverly Hills 808303 is bare, stripped down, aggressive, high velocity, meant to do damage acid techno.

From Rivera's Groove Box #224: Ellis De Havilland - Fun Stuff



Acid house is fun. Those repetitive beats and squelching 303 bass melodies are very minimal and it may sound simple to a lot of listeners, but the truth is that there is no two acid house records in the world which sound alike. Die-hard gearheads know that every real Roland TB-303 Bass Line machine has its own unique sound. Some say, that the Chicagoan house producer James 'Jack Rabbit' Martin had the best sounding 303 unit, and that his track 'Rabbit Trax' feature some of the best acid lines in the history of its genre. And there are producers who swear that their acid bass machine sounds particularly evil - like it is haunted. And while it's true that a lot of acid music nowadays are made with virtual instruments, which may emulate the sound very well, even these records never sound alike. It's so because there are so many ways to tweak the acid bass line melodies, even if a producer would like to duplicate a well known acid melody, it would end up sounding different. I'm pretty sure even the original members of Phuture couldn't replay the exact acid bass lines they had for their classics for their later shows.

But the thing with acid is, there aren't really much memorable acid tunes produced in the modern times. We remember the classics because they sounded so unique, and a lot of modern acid house tracks just lack the spark. However this isn't the case for Ellis De Havilland's (aka Perseus Traxx) acid tracks. The last time I heard acid tracks sounding so fresh was when Helena Hauff made that split EP with Andreas Gehm in 2014. It's raw jacking acid straight from the sewer. But it's just produced so well, despite the lo-fi sound quality. The tracks sound very alive, because they're recorded live with all the hiss and bumps, probably first takes. The melodies are very funky - and they would sound like it when played on a real bass guitar I guess. The drums are very intense, sounding like true ghetto acid house should.

There have been some criticism for the made up biography for the fictional 'Ellis De Havilland'. The press release offered an intriguing backstory: De Havilland was a poor young man from Gary, Indiana who composed music on his church's reel-to-reel recorder in the late 80s before dying of a heroin overdose in 1992, at age 23. His tracks of blasted, lo-fi acid house were discovered later at a police auction. But it's a made up story presented to us from the label Bunker. Thump magazine wrote about it as being a case of 'When White Producers Co-Opt Black Identity'. But I don't care to be honest, because the music is just so good. I think it may be one of my favourite Bunker records releases! And being that Bunker is such an legendary label - that's saying a lot.

teisipäev, 22. november 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #223: Nina - What I'm Gonna Do



There must be a thousand US garage sounding house tracks out there. You know the type - stripped back vocal house music with strong keyboard grooves. And yet I keep finding tracks which take me by complete surprise. Nina's track features everything I want in house music - a good groove, driving beats and an hypnotic bassline. Minimal production, no unnecessary cluttered  sounds. Perfect dance floor material.

pühapäev, 13. november 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #222: DJ Rashad & DJ Spinn - Brighter Dayz



This is the third time I've featured a DJ Rashad track in my blog, and I'll have to say I'm only now beginning to understand how amazing that guy was. A nice juked up version of Cajmere & Dajae's song.

teisipäev, 8. november 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #221: RIP Productions - Pick Me Up (Licenced Mix)



What a nice UK garage house anthem! The vocal sample is from Mood II Swing 'Closer' (featuring Carol Sylvan). I like the beat the best in house tracks like this, they're so tight and the drums just keep on doing their shuffle. This is one of those tracks which I kept hearing at parties, and I didn't knew which version it was, because the line 'pick me up' has been used in many other house tracks. So I decided to bum the DJ and ask for the track ID! That's why I go to parties after all - to listen new music. C'mon DJ - surprise me, blow me away with your track selection, make me wonder 'what is that jam?'.

neljapäev, 27. oktoober 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #220: Kaazi - Balloon


100% Silk should be familiar for many outsider/lo-fi dance music enthusiasts. The label has brought some of the most unique sounding artists to attention. Although the label puts out music on all known formats, their cassette releases have had some of the most warm reception by the lo-fi music community. Kaazi is a new artist, but his album 'Zen Travel' is a strong beginning point in a future discography I can't wait to hear more.

laupäev, 22. oktoober 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #219: Tuning Circuits - Mindbender



Now this is hardcore to the bone. This obscure acid techno track comes from a cassette only album, originating from the Netherlands. The music has been rediscovered, but there has been no contact with the creator of the music, he's disappeared or just doesn't care about the new interest into his music and wants to keep a low profile. If I listen to newer noisy techno tracks, like Greg Beato's 'F7' then it comes really clear that Tuning Circuits was way ahead of its time. The rough sound is achieved with using lo-fi recording techniques - no mixing or editing afterwards, no samples, no stereo, no dolby. And still it sounds so lively.

'Non-concessive creative energy against the common lack of new ideas and thrown away idealism for easy money!'

From Rivera's Groove Box #218: DJ Swagger - Where You Come From



'So where you come from?'. I get that question a lot when I travel to the Big City. And more than once, I've replied 'I'm from the ghetto'. Usually when I say that, people get amused like I'm joking around. But I'm not sure if this is far from the truth. I live in a rural place, away from the big city life. The life I see around me is a mix of backwoods and redneck culture way of living. It sometimes sure as hell feels like a ghetto. It's a unique rural ghetto. I feel living away from the city life has made me more hardened in life. But then again, my surrounding is a bit more safer than a real ghetto. Do I want to leave my hood? I don't know. Everyone who can, does. When I visit the city, I feel like I don't belong there. I'm an alien there. 

This moody DJ Swagger track made me think again about the question 'where you come from?'. 

'I'm from the ghetto'. 

neljapäev, 20. oktoober 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #217: SAKI - Daytona Beach



There is a lot of mediocrity in dance music, and among all of this state of being mediocre, some great things can sometimes slip by unnoticed. I remember early this year when everybody had compiled their favorite lists of albums and singles of last year, and I tried to check them out as much as possible. This was because I didn't want to miss out something that had gone by me unnoticeably for some reason. I found many great things, but not the Palmbomen II album, which I stumbled upon much later. I was amazed that so few people knew about it. I'm pretty sure Palmbomen II's self titled album is going to be looked as a milestone for lo-fi dance music in the future. But this entry is not about Palmbomen II. I want to introduce you all to another lo-fi dance music producer who is anything else than mediocre - SAKI! This Floridan producer is making his own brand of exciting mix of techno and house, which he has lovably nicknamed 'swamp techno'. It's all rough and hardware only, a way of production which is again gaining popularity in the dance music scene, yet I can't recall any other producer who's taken a bunch of floppy disks with him for a live gig. When I say that SAKI is a future underground dance music talent to blow up, it's not an overstatement - just listen to 'Daytona Beach' and you'll understand.

neljapäev, 13. oktoober 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #216: Mike Huckaby - Baseline 88



I was amazed how simple these Mike Huckaby 'Baseline' tracks were. The basslines are repetitive, and the tracks very loopy, with little going on, but man are they addictive and catchy! Great track to include in a techno, minimal, outsider, lo-fi, acid or deep house DJ set - it really goes good with anything.

laupäev, 1. oktoober 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #215: DJ Sneak - In Da Clouds (Da Original Dub)



DJ Sneak is a house giant. A legend. That's a fact and no matter how much backlash he is getting from his twitter tweet rants, there's just no denying about his legacy in the house scene. He's got a huge discography, and while a lot of his tracks are maybe lukewarm, there are definitely some scorchers hidden there. All you got to do is dig. Some say that 'In Da Clouds' is their favorite Sneak jam. Well mine's 'Feel Your Body Talking' but I'll have to admit that 'In Da Clouds' will stuck easily into your head - it's loopy, but fun house track. Samples Chaka Khan 'Clouds'.

pühapäev, 25. september 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #214: Andras & Oscar - Looking Back (Zanzibar Chanel Remix)



Zanzibar Chanel feel like great guys to hang out with. Their remix of 'Looking Back' sounds more sincere in my opinion. The original is sugar sweet listener friendly deep house, something to make the girls go 'woooooooooo I love this song, the singer is so cute'. But this is the real deal.

esmaspäev, 5. september 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #213: Traxxxsters - Da Way U Work



Straight up from the 90s Daft Punk deejay record bag, this ghetto house classic is just banging. Daft Punk really used the track well in their Essential Mix, which may be totally the best house mix ever put together. The track comes from the Chicago ghetto house label 'Underground Construction' which strangely is not that known as the ever world famous Dance Mania Records.

From Rivera's Groove Box #212: Al Zanders - Let Me Be Lonely



You all may heard and seen the amazing video (done by OOUKFunkyOO) for 'Long Gone'. This track also needs a video like this! I really like what Al Zanders is doing - his tracks are deep and he has his own touch. Really comparable with guys like Max Graef & Leon Vynehall. Another good addition to the steady growing row of exciting fresh outsider house producers.

laupäev, 3. september 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #211: SZCH - Untitled B



It's crazy how a simple techno beat and editing skills can make an already timeless 80s disco classic even more better suited for the dancefloor! Tell me how it feels. Does it feel for you like it feels for me, yeah?

esmaspäev, 8. august 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #210: Fred Wackenhut - Orianna Twilight



So I was listening to the Legowelt latest Dekmantel mix while sleeping. Suddenly I was dreaming that I was in this empty supermarket, in the music store, and I was holding a CD in my hand. I didn't have to put the disc into a record player, because the music just started playing - it was surrounding me and I was drenched in heavenly lush electric piano chords. And then I looked on the cover, to see who's behind the music. The CD was a Steven Seagal blues album. Then I woke up...

laupäev, 6. august 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #209: MTS & RDTH - White Boy, A Mexican & An Engineer



From all the acid classics out there, bet you haven't heard this one before - this is one of my favorite bargain bin finds. The track has that classic late 80s Chicago acid house vibe, but it's really minimal. It comes from a sub-label of Trax and it also has that legendary 'Trax Quality Sound' by which I mean it sounds like playing a sandpaper under the record player needle... but lo-fi dance music is still very hot at the moment, so it's great to have records like this in your collection.

laupäev, 30. juuli 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #208: Stratton - The Joint



I like this a lot. The track, it's video and the limited vinyl release all come from very dedicated lo-fi dance music enthusiasts! It's true underground music. But why do we lo-fi? The simple answer is that the lo-fi scene just rebels against the polished cleanliness of other contemporary electronic music genres. Because overproduced music just doesn't sound 'natural' anymore.

neljapäev, 14. juuli 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #207: Radical Rob - Monkey Wah (Instrumental)



Such a funky piano classic house cut from the legendary dance music label R & S Records. The label was very influential in the 90s when it helped to develop the now familiar techno rave sound - hoovers, mad synth lines, acid, breakbeat, pianos, balearic, thumping bassdrums. Strangely enough, this is Radical Rob's only release, although one member of this duo - Peter Smith - did other rave acts, with Dub Collective and The Hypnotist being most acknowledged. Feel it. 

kolmapäev, 13. juuli 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #206: Elec Pt. 1 - Last Night



What happened to Andreas Gehm was very unfortunate - he died in pains and he was suffering from undisclosed health problems, all the doctors could do for him was prescribing strong opioid painkillers. He made many Facebook posts where he was mentioning feeling really worse and he felt like he was dying. It was horrible to read. But his legacy is very strong, he had an outstanding discography output with many releases and many aliases on well known underground dance music labels like Solar One, Bunker, Mathematics, Chiwax. Electro and acid music suited him best. 'Last Night' was his final post, he just wrote 'yes. Goodybe'. But I will not say goodbye to his music, because that will stay on the acid dancefloors until the end of rave days.

neljapäev, 7. juuli 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #205: After Hours - Feel It (The Salso Mix)



Let me put it straight - this track has been on a continuous play in my mind for two days straight. This is a true deep house classic from 1991, co-produced by Roger Sanchez, who seems to have lost his groove nowadays (what happened?). This track represents the rising NY deep house sound of the 90s the best. The jacking warehouse sound was getting tired by then, and this supersmooth sound took over the classy dance clubs of NY. The harder house sounds didn't go anywhere, they were still pretty big in the filthiest underground dance dens and in the European acid house raves.

teisipäev, 5. juuli 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #204: Aldo & Felipe - Burning Up



'Keep the fire burning... keep the fire burning... keep it burning HOT HOT HOT'. Real nice disco house we got here. It used to be the biggest style of house music for a while, but now it's pretty much an underground theme, because sampling disco tracks and getting away with it is pretty risky business. But in the underground, you can get totally away with it, most of the times. You see, the trick is to sample some real obscure music. If you go and sample Sade for example, you can get trouble like the underground house label 'Stamp' had when they were ordered to cancel their represses of unlicensed Sade remixes.

kolmapäev, 29. juuni 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #203: Macintosh Plus - 花の専門店



Ah, Vaporwave - internet's very own musical genre, but for some reason very few of my friends have heard about it. If it's done in the right way, it sounds amazing, but so much bad sounding tracks are out there. Vektroid/Macintosh Plus is one of the biggest names in this genre of experimental 'plunderphonics'. This track is one of the best from the almost cult status album 'Floral Shoppe'. The skipping sound effect is done in a very nice stylish way, it doesn't sound too weird, and it's showing that there is beauty in music that sounds 'broken' and lo-fi.

esmaspäev, 27. juuni 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #202: Guised - Doubt



I love these rough sounding deep house jams with a funky edge. This track by Guised is really simple, but sometimes it takes forever to find something good to sample and make it work well. Kinda has a Detroit vibe going on, reminding me of Kyle Hall's 'Measure 2 Measure'.

neljapäev, 16. juuni 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #201: Larry Heard Presents Mr .White - You Rock Me



Larry Heard is a musical genius, no doubt about it. He is a true musician, he approaches his music in a different way than most house producers. He's been in the house music scene ever after the beginning, and he made one of the most famous house tracks ever 'Can You Feel It?'. He knows how to make music, which makes you feel alive, and it's exciting to listen. Usually, when house music is done by real musicians, it sounds kinda predictable, like it is the case in so many late 90s and early 2000s house records. But this is not the case for 'You Rock Me' - this groovy as hell song doesn't even sound like a house track, it's something more. It's rocking house!

kolmapäev, 25. mai 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #200: Trackman Lafonte & Bonquiqui - Believe In Something



Do you believe? I want to believe. Believe in something. This projects is a collaboration between Legowelt and his former girlfriend Xosar. Their own brand of 'pacific house' which is a mellow lo-fi mixture of deep house. I'm not sure about their relationship, but if they've parted their ways, are they still gonna do some music together, every now and then, at least? Hope so.

esmaspäev, 23. mai 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #199: Minimal Vision - Magic Staircase



The Italians do many things good: food, fast cars, beautiful architecture, fashion, they are good at cursing, good tasting coffee... and deep house music! 'Magic Staircase' is a classic early 90s house track from Rome, it sounds and feels like taking a journey with a magical staircase through the skies straight up to space - this is how proper deep house should sound!

laupäev, 7. mai 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #198: The Pilotwings - Cavernes Magiques



I feel that The Pilotwings made the ultimate Legowelt sounding track, I guess they tried the Legowelt promoted Ganzfeld experiment and channeled their mindvibes to the Hague and Danny Wolfers directly. Well done, The Pilotwings.

reede, 29. aprill 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #197: Huerco S - Untitled



Hard to believe, but I didn't like this track at first listen. The reason? I felt the track sounded too horny. Haha. Tip: try to listen to this while watching old videos of people surfing, with the volume muted. Because that's what this track reminds me when listening - surfing on waves, windy somber weather, huge foamy waves, being one with the moving water and forgetting the world...

esmaspäev, 25. aprill 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #196: Legowelt - Sark Island Acid



No one does it like Legowelt. Well there are some producers who try to sound like him, but the way Legowelt (aka Danny Wolfers) makes his music is very unique - he has that magic touch between him and the machines he uses to make music. A true wizard of sound. He also has many secret ways to enrich his sound, one which is known is that he records his music on tape to give it extra deepness and warmness. 

'Smooth tape sound relaxes the mind'

reede, 25. märts 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #194: Palmbomen II - Cindy Savalas



Well, this is truly next level. Palmbomen II has taken everything what is so good about house and techno and made it somehow better. The video edit is amazing. So deep, so meaningful. When I'm listening to the album, I feel that there are some possible influences from Mr. Fingers, but who knows. The lo-fi aesthetics adds more deepness to the sound of Palmbomen II. I think it's safe to say that Palmbomen II's self titled album is going to be looked as a milestone for lo-fi dance music in the future. This is it. This is the peak of the lo-fi dance music scene we're at the moment. Hope this high will last forever.

kolmapäev, 16. märts 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #193: Actress - Crushed



This is probably one of Actress's best works, but what a shame it's really short! I heard Greg Beato playing an extended edit of this at the club, felt like it was going on forever. Everything just works in this track - it' simple, has an addictive bass line, great drums. Proper dance floor material, but actually not - it only appeared on the album, and without editing the track yourself, it's really hard to incorporate into a DJ mix. So I guess this one's straight for listening at home, like Actress probably intended.

pühapäev, 6. märts 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #192: Hinode - Shades Of Grey



What a nice deep house tune from the Italian-German duo Hinode. Some really clean and neat sounding 909 drums - I love the sound of that drum machine, so recognizable, a part of the DNA of dance music. That rough and gritty sounding bassline accompanied by the lush electric piano pads is just the sweet cherry topping on this delicious track. Their best work - future underground classic.

neljapäev, 11. veebruar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #191: Horror Inc - Jhator



Browsing through my record collection I discovered that I do have a lot of generic deep house records. Listening to them, you realize that they are nice records with good music, but they sound all so alike. Always the same chord progressions, the same drum patterns, same dreamy sweet vocals singing about love and relationships. Arrgh... not that this kind of soulful deep house is bad, but they're kind of useless nowadays. The days of cafe lounging deep house are over, and these tracks don't make you feel like dancing either. And just listening to them is boring. 

But 'Jhator' by Horror Inc is far away from boring. It's the most exciting underground deep house track I've heard in years. But of course, everything is clear when you see who's the man behind this project - it's Akufen, the guy who shook the dance music scene in 2002 with his cut-up sampled microhouse album 'My Way'.

kolmapäev, 3. veebruar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #190: Helena Hauff - Culmination Of Frustration



This is banging. Such a tough acid groove from our favorite techno girl Helena Hauff. With the first listen, the track may sound like too hard, but then it gets better with each new listen. That lo-fi production and distorted sounds gives the track more life to it - makes it sound like being in a loud warehouse rave.

pühapäev, 31. jaanuar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #189: Stacy Kidd - Jammin (Stacy's Disco Paris Mix)



Yo, yo - get funky, cuz it's sunday classic time! This track is one of Chicago's Stacy Kidd's best tracks, and he has a lot of those. Master of the early funky disco house sound, this track is also featured on one of the best groovy deep house mixes of all time: Mark Farina's 'San Francisco Sessions Volume 1'. Back in 1999 the best deep house came out exclusively from the US and Europe was filled with hard techno sounds, but of course now in the year 2016 the tables have turned. Crazy to think, but some of the recent best techno is coming out of the states again, with guys like Bookworm, Patricia, Greg Beato, NGLY, Willie Burns, Steve Summers, Karlist, Xosar... ah forget it, just every american producer representing the L.I.E.S. roster I guess. But there is always a place and time for some groovy funky house tracks!

neljapäev, 28. jaanuar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #188: Move D - Jus House



There's true deep house, and then there's the new fake sound which is being labelled as 'deep house'. The 'new deep' sound is very mainstream and cheap sounding, you can recognize it instantly because it just has no soul innit. That commercial deep house is being called rightfully 'derphouse'. You can google it, I don't want to waste any time on my blog about that crap. But 'Jus House' by Move D is a true deep house track, because you can feel it. It gets into your body, your soul and bones. Yes, it's minimal and it doesn't jump right into your face, but that's the beauty of true deep house sound... it just doesn't have to be filled with unnecessary crap to get your mood going. Less is more. But if you find this kind of stylistically true deep house to be boring, then just back away. Nobody is forcing anything on anyone, that's what house music is about - freedom. 

From Rivera's Groove Box #187: Errorsmith & Mark Fell - Cuica Digitales



One of the best tracks from last year. You don't believe me? Well take the word from Bleep record store then, because they chose that record as the best release of 2015. The track has a minimal vibe to it, with some weird drums and percussion bubbling on top of the main groove, which is a simple synth line and a loop of chanting vocals which go like 'aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhooooooooooooo'. The chant is really hooking and sounds like something straight outta Phillip Glass 'Koyaanisqatsi'. The track is also played by Frank Timm aka Sound Stream on his 2015 Boiler Room mix, so you know it's gotta be good!

kolmapäev, 27. jaanuar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #186: Patricia - Waiting For Alexis



'Dudes with female techno aliases is the new hide your face anonymous techno guy thing' (gimcrack, Resident Advisor board). Yup, it's exactly like that - 'Patricia' is the deep lo-fi techno project of Max Ravitz, a Chicago-born, but Brooklyn-based producer. Judging from the sounds he is making, he has beautifully mastered the art of lo-fi sounding techno. Kinda wish 'Patricia' would still be a chick though, not enough girls with rusty sounding analog hardware. I mean, we cannot solely worship Xosar forever. 

laupäev, 23. jaanuar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #185: Linkwood - Love Lost



Sometimes less is more. Duh. Linkwood sure did an amazing job with this track, it's the best from his 2015 album 'Expressions'. The 808 toms are on a infinite loop, a subtle drum kick and hats do their thing underneath. And then these deep 'whaaaaaaaaa-whoooooooooo' sounding pads come and go. Yes, that kinda sums it up. Future classic.

pühapäev, 17. jaanuar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #184: Paranoid London Feat. Paris Brightledge - Paris Dub 1


Have to admit, didn't feel this track the first time I heard it. Felt it being too simple, too minimal, not exciting enough. But as with so many other tracks, this thing just needs time to grow on you. The final nail on the coffin was hearing this live, loud at a party I visited. The stripped down production and dry flat sound feels much better listening it on a loud sound system at the club. Also, big props for Paranoid London for inviting the Chicago legend Paris Brightledge doing vocals for this track, he's amazing.

kolmapäev, 13. jaanuar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #183: Shinichiro Yokota - Do It Again



Japanese house music is one of the best kept secrets from the western world. Guys like Soichi Terada and Shinichiro Yokota did their own take of garage sounding house tracks, and it sounds so much smoother than the raw house beats of well known early 90s house producers. The production is really precise, no loose cannon sounds or out of tune samples. Thanks to the Rush Hour compilation 'Sounds From The Far East' these house tracks are not secret underground weapons anymore and many new house fans have discovered the magic of Soichi Terada and Shinichiro Yokota.

From Rivera's Groove Box #182: Wolfram Feat. Haddaway - Thing Called Love (Legowelt Special Dub Remix)



Wow, you know it's good when Legowelt puts the title 'special' in his remix. Legowelt is one of the best modern day electronic music composers, and his dedication to underground dance music is really astonishing and admirable. Maybe it's one of the most mainstream sounding works Legowelt has ever produced, but then again, Haddaway hasn't sounded never better than in this one. The video features scenes from the Swedish exploitation flick 'Thriller – A Cruel Picture'. Quentin Tarantino obviously took some inspiration from this for 'Kill Bill'. 

From Rivera's Groove Box #181: Charlie - Spacer Woman



Italo disco music is not your regular disco boogie-woogie. It has probably some of the most weird, but at the same time really fascinating disco dance tracks of all time. It was definitely more courageous than it's American counterpart. Even after disco music faded away in North American dance clubs and radio, Italo disco went stronger than ever. Producers were really open minded and tried new musical styles and technology - even obscure synthesizers at the time like the Roland TB-303 which many musicians thought was worthless because it sounded too synthetic (now it's regarded as one of the most recognized bass synths of all time). Love, robots and space - these are the many recurring themes in Italo disco. 'Spacer Woman' has all of it: strange love expression from an alien 'spacer woman' to the listener. Oh yeah, the blue aliens in the video are snippets from 'Fantastic Planet'. A french and Czechoslovakian animated sci-fi movie.

reede, 1. jaanuar 2016

From Rivera's Groove Box #180: Meredith Monk - Travel Dream Song



I discovered this from Legowelt's 'Smacko & Voltagio Shadow Wolf Cyberzine' mix. It's a soundtrack for the cyberzine - so that your enjoyment of reading the magazine is even greater. Meredith Monk is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer. She is well known for her vocal performances, as can be heard in this song. But this song is just written by her, the singer in this one is Dina Emerson. This song is written for the opera 'Atlas'. I really like how this song is sounding in the Legowelt mix, it has much more saturation, I guess Legowelt has put some of his tape magic into it.