Short But Sweet

2008-05-10 by P Rice

Omar-S – Day

A little something from Detroit’s Omar-S to put a spring in all our steps for the day.

Omar-S has a great website where he sells his own records very cheap. You have to email your order. I think we should all get in touch and support the man.

Download MP3 (2:14min / 3MB)

Triple-Dipped Friday: Dip 1

2008-05-09 by The Double K

Tyree – Acid Over (Tyree’s Mix)

1! 2! 3! Are you ready?, Are you ready?

A trio of acid tracks here for you, to help kick off the weekend in fine style. Dip 1 is a classic from 1987: Acid Over, apparently so titled because by 1987 Tyree was already “tired of acid music in Chicago”, where Ron Hardy had been playing Phuture’s Acid Tracks (amongst other things!) since 1985.

Many thanks to cubikmusik for sending us a pure acid version of this track earlier in the week, but I’ve gone for Tyree’s Mix, which lightens the mood with the addition of some great vocoded vocals and sublime lounge-style piano chords.

A pitched-down version of the main acid line on this track was used by Luke Vibert in his Acidisco, which we had up here a while ago.

Download MP3 (6:32min / 9MB)

Triple-Dipped Friday: Dip 2

2008-05-09 by The Double K

Hokus Pokus – Different World

Do not try to hold back from this track! This is a track that will put you into a different world… A world of ACID!

Dip 2, and we’re going deeper and darker, with layered acid basslines and layered vocals (mainly a guy saying “a world of acid” over and over). This is yet another track taken from Jackmaster Phuture Trax, but, well it’s a great compilation!

Download MP3 (4:53min / 7MB)

Triple-Dipped Friday: Dip 3

2008-05-09 by The Double K

Farley “Jackmaster” Funk – I Need A Friend

Remember earlier this week I mentioned that I had some dark and scary acid tunes? Well Dip 3 is one of the darkest and scariest.

The Jackmaster brings us deep, deep acid bass coupled with violins, giving this tune a really strange atmosphere. Add Farley’s sampled voice “I Need A Friend” repeated over and over, and you have something that is (as a reviewer on Discogs puts it) “peculiar to the ear and moving to the soul”.

The track is taken from Farley’s 1988 LP No Vocals Necessary, one side of which is pure acid madness like this and the other side is all happy-clappy deep house; very odd indeed.

Download MP3 (5:33min / 9MB)

Acid Reign

2008-05-06 by The Double K

Joe Smooth – Reign

In digging round for acid tracks recently I’ve come across some pretty dark and scary tunes, but given the sunshine today they just don’t feel quite right. So instead I’ve picked another track from Jackmaster Phuture Tracks – a happy little house number with some Adamski-style pianos, flutey bits and a fantastic squidgy acid bassline; all together more in keeping with the summery weather.

Download MP3 (4:53min / 7MB)

Bit of disco, bit of climate change

2008-05-06 by Kevvy K

Gino Soccio – You Move Me

A mid paced, funked up groover from Gino’s classic 82 Face to Face album… have been relistening to this through fresh ears after it was used by Mauric Fulton to open his Future Boogie mixtape that I have been banging on about that you can still download from here.

Eco-minded London folks might be interested to know that there is a two day meeting this weekend in preparation for this year’s Camp For Climate Action, which will be taking place at Kingsnorth power station in Kent on the first week of August, where Eon and the government are planning on building the first coal-fired power station for 30 years in this country. You can get all the info about this weekend’s meeting here and we are looking for as many people as possible to come along and get involved.

There’s a very nice, online photo exhibit about last year’s camp at Heathrow here and if you’re not in London, you can find out more info about the various local groups around the country who are preparing already for this year’s camp here.

Download MP3 (5:59min / 8MB)

Acid Communion

2008-05-04 by The Double K

Ecstacy Club – Jesus Loves The Acid (Acid Chant)

Definitely one for Sunday here!

The track kick’s off with an excerpt from a 1979 homily by the late Pope John Paul II, an appeal for Peace which rings true at any time:

Now, I wish to speak to all men and women engaged in violence.
I appeal to you, in language of passionate pleading.
On my knees, I beg you to turn away from the path of violence and to return to the ways of peace.
You may claim to seek justice…”

Then the beats kick in, swiftly followed by a funky bassline and the high-pitched acid squeak that dominates the rest of the tune. Next, enter a guy saying Acid Acid Acid in hushed tones, with chants of Acieeed layered over the top and there you have a unique and absolutely killer Acid track.

This came out in 1988 on Swordfish and was given the fitting catalogue number DROP 1. (Perhaps surprisingly, the same year Swordfish also put out the first Godflesh LP.)

Download MP3 (7:29min / 7MB)

Towering Acid Tribute

2008-05-02 by The Mighty Alboy

Choice – “Acid Eiffel”

Another tenuous tribute to Albert Hofman- the accidental discoverer of the psychedelic equivalent of the atom bomb.

The track- acid eiffel by Choice (aka Laurent Garnier)- is a great example of the versatility of the 303- it can be subtle and beautiful, as well as tweaky and intense- and is also as sublime a piece of acid-inspired soundscapery as you could hope for, and I hope a fittingly epic musical trip for the originator of so many spacey inner journies…RIP Albert

I have a great clip of LSD being tested on some british troops, which is pure unintentional comic genius:

“constructive action was still attempted by those retaining a sense of responsibility, in spite of physical symptoms…
but 1 hour and 10 minutes after taking the drug- with one man climbing a tree to feed the birds- the troop commander gave up, admitting that he could no longer control himself or his men. He himself then lapsed into laughter….”

You can find it here on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-rWnQphPdQ

If one of my more technically-minded fellow bloggers would be so kind as to embed this into this posting for me, I would be much obliged ;)

Download MP3 (13:31min / 12MB)

The Return of "Fast" Eddie Smith

2008-05-02 by The Double K

Fast Eddie – I Can Dance

Following on from Fast Eddie’s Acid Thunder, let’s hear a little more from the man Eddie Smith. This track comes from a fantastic 1989 acid house compilation Jackmaster Phuture Tracks.

I love how Eddie uses the element of surprise in this track: it starts off all Chicago-housey with its uplifting synthesised string stabs and chirpy handclaps and then, just as you’re really starting to feel the mood… in drops a huge, filthy-dirty acid bassline. Great stuff.

Download MP3 (4:57min / 7MB)

Acid Request

2008-05-02 by The Double K

Hot Hands Hula – 70th & King Drive

This was requested by Tommy Squeaker absolutely ages ago and now we’re back on the acid I reckon it’s about time I sorted him out!

This is pretty straight-up acid house stuff: just a drum machine and a 303; the beats build up nicely (some good use of woodblock) and a chunky acid bassline with some weird key changes at points for good measure.

Download MP3 (2:55min / 4MB)