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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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'

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: 

Tetragrammafon - Soosääsk