Pig Flu - It's Had A Remix

2009-05-04 by The Double K

Sorted – Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag (7” Edit)

Following on from Hal’s posting…

There was a rave muzak cover version of Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag, from none-hit wonders Sorted on PWL International. Not the worst pop-rave cover version ever, but I can’t really sell it any stronger than that – it’s nice enough, but compared to the original they have managed to suck all the funk and energy out of the tune.

It’s not big and it’s not clever, but at least it’s topical.

Download MP3 (0:00min / 0MB)

We Can See If You Can Dance!

2009-02-07 by The Double K

Release – Dance In Eden

PARTY PEOPLE: WE CAN SEE IF YOU CAN DANCE!

A treat for the weekend here in the form of some rip-roaring 1992 hardcore. This tune has pretty much everything you could possibly want in a rave anthem: from the opening melancholy strings, the massive techno stabs, slamming breakbeats and bouncing bassline, to the heart-wrenching hands-in-the-air piano section complete with cheesy-as-fuck flutey bits. Absolutely wicked stuff.

The original vinyl is pretty sought-after and will set you back a pretty penny, but some kind souls re-pressed it last year and you can still get hold of copies through Discogs.

The Dilated Choonz Crew Grows Again!

2009-01-23 by The Double K

Mental Cube – Q (Santa Monica Mix)

BREAKING NEWS… BREAKING NEWS… BREAKING NEWS…

Great news! Our very own P.Rice & Doodle D this morning became parents for the second time – they have a new little girl, although I have scant information for you beyond that. I’m sure everyone will want to join me in sending them Congratulations and all good wishes!

And so to commemorate the occasion, a tune that captures the kind of elation they’ll be feeling once they get over the initial tiredness (so probably in about 18 years or so!), and one of the Future Sound Of London’s finest moments (albeit under a different pseudonym) – the enigmatically titled Q. I’ve gone for the Santa Monica Mix, perhaps against my better judgement as the original totally kicks. This mix doesn’t differ hugely, but has brighter production overall, most notably sharper sounding bleeps.

Either way it’s a stone cold killer techno/rave track that still gives me goosebumps when I hear it.

Music's Hypnotizing [1]

2008-07-16 by The Double K

The Hypnotist – The House Is Mine (Dark Syndicut Remix)

It seems to me that the late, great Caspar Pound has been almost criminally under-represented here at Dilated Choonz so far. At the age of 16 he was (partly) responsible for A Homeboy, A Hippie & A Funki Dredd’s Total Confusion, arguably the greatest hardcore record of all time (I think he was the Hippie). He then went on to found Rising High Records, a key label in the development of the UK’s Techno, Hardcore and Ambient scenes with artists such as Mixmaster Morris, The Black Dog, Pete Namlook and Luke Vibert, as well as his own projects. He was also responsible for licensing Sven Väth’s Harthouse and the mighty Underground Resistance to the UK.

He released a lot of his early rave stuff as The Hypnotist, and (predictably?) these are some of my favourite of his tunes.

First up we have a 1992 remix of the 1991 tune The House Is Mine. It’s a crossover track between house and hardcore – the original version opens up with a lovely bit of housey piano and vocals which soon descend into a massive Belgian-style techno workout before the piano is reprised. This remix opens the same but replaces the hardcore Belgian techno bit with some breakbeats and samples pinched straight from 2 Bad Mice, making it a little easier on the ear. (Don’t get me wrong though – the original is also great and I commend it to you!)

Music's Hypnotizing [2]

2008-07-16 by The Double K

The Hypnotist – Hardcore U Know The Score (Edit)

Now I know the title of this will immediately put some of you off (I can’t imagine why, but there’s no accounting for taste I guess…), but this isn’t your average banging ‘91 hardcore rave track. OK so it opens up with some huge techno stabs and a man shouting “Hardcore U Know The Score” – great if you like that sort of thing (and I do) – but nothing to write home about particularly.

Really this track is all about the parts where an incredible techno noise swoops in above the breaks. It can first be heard at about a minute into the track, and then it comes back a couple of times later on. You’ll know the bit I mean when you hear it – it’s totally wicked.

I’ve posted a short version of the track from one of those crappy rave compilations rather than the full seven minute version because the edit seems to have just as much of the swooping techno bit but less of the Belgian hardcore nonsense in between, which even I admit can get a bit much these days if you’re not really in the mood for it.

Piano Reprise [1]

2008-07-10 by The Double K

Electric Choc – Shock The Beat

Before we all get too carried away with Detroity techno, I’ve been meaning to sort out a couple of omissions from Piano Week (way back in April) for absolutely ages now.

First up, a track from 1991 which should definitely have been included in the “Italian Piano” section. It features one of my all-time favourite piano breakdowns, as sampled in DJ Red Alert & Mike Slammer’s Let’s Do It, and probably a few other places too.

With it’s sing-along vocals, wicked mellow breakbeat and cool bleepy section at the end it’s a true classic of the genre.

Encore: Just One More Piano Tune!

2008-04-11 by The Double K

Awesome 3 – Don’t Go

Due to popular demand (ta, Anthony :o) let’s have just ONE MORE TUNE!...

...and as the house lights come up on the wide-eyed and sweaty crowd of ravers, whistles are blown and hands are clapped, and the opening stabs of Don’t Go can be heard pumping from the speakers…

...and as the final piano chords sound out Security are starting to shuffle about muttering “haven’t you lot got homes to go to?” and “come on get yer coats”. It’s time to go.

Peace!

Piano More Powerful Than You Can Possibly Imagine

2008-04-11 by The Double K

Together – Hardcore Uproar

So it’s Friday and by now I’m sure you’re beginning to grow weary of the enforced jollity that listening to piano anthems all week has entailed. And believe me, I’m wearying of writing about them too…

But soldier on! I’ve saved the best until last. And it’s almost the weekend! Your jollity no longer needs to be forced quite so hard. And this is the final instalment (from me at least) of our piano anthems series – hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have!

Kicking of today’s trio of goodies we have Hardcore Uproar. For those of you too young to remember, this made it to #12 in the UK charts back in August 1990. It is a lot less hardcore than you might expect from the title (it would fit best into last Friday’s Warehouse Piano section), and starting from about 2.45 into the tune it has some of the best rave pianos you are ever going to hear in your life.

Really – I can’t think of any other tune that rinses the pianos quite as well as this. It wins hands down.

The Warehouse Piano [1]

2008-04-04 by The Double K

Mr Monday – Future

OK let’s go back in time a little to a time before breakbeats dominated the rave scene, to 1990 to be precise.

Let me be clear here: when I say “Warehouse” I’m talking about raves that happened in warehouses in the UK around 1990, not the Chicago discotheque. I never attended any raves in warehouses myself, but am reliably informed that if I had then I might have heard either of these fantastic piano-based tunes there.

Future is funky as hell house music, and the pure joy of the synths and pianos captures the spirit of positivity of a movement preparing to change the world with love, or to at least get totally off their faces while talking about it.

If hearing this doesn’t lift your spirits then you might as well go out and shoot yourself now.

Tinkling The Ivories

2008-04-03 by P Rice

Blame – Piano Takes You

...back to the pianos. A ‘92 classic dusted down from a corner of my record collection. My copy was bought for me for my birthday (my 19th I think), and has birthday messages from friends scrawled upon it. A nice touch, but it could substantially reduce its value. Some friends eh?

If you’re listening to this for the first time, get to a minute or so and wonder where the pianos are, they turn up in a big way a little way in. ‘Whistle posse, I can’t hear you’ etc.

Download MP3 (0:00min / 0MB)