On Sat 16 Aug, Iain returns to the Bullitt Courtyard for the fifth year in a row of his party. We love the music and the crowd, and the fact that Iain always takes the best from the past and the present and often ends up sounding like the future. We’re also buzzing to welcome Derry’s finest and 6Music favourites Warriors of the Dystotheque.
Iain’s says he’s sounding better than ever (we very much believe him!) and to give you a taster, here are ten tracks that might get played on the night – along with some passionate and insightful notes from the man himself.
‘The yearly Bullitt chart that I put together has proved quite popular and I enjoy compiling them, a few familiar faces in there with the Andromeda Orchestra appearing again this time with their 8-track full length album which is a doozie.
So here goes… (in no particular order)
1/ The Andromeda Orchestra – Andromeda Orchestra feat. Nick the Record (Faze Action Records )
Opening with ‘Mythical’ an uptempo rhythm track with a striding bassline, wah-wah guitar licks and a moving Moog solo that works it up as an answer to the Full Motion dub later on the album. Nick the Record urges you to ‘Get Up and dance’ on his mid-tempo drifting, disco drop with pitched Moog solo work before moving into a pushing disco finale. Other stand out tracks include ‘Kano Line Dance’, ‘Magic Light Connection’ and ‘Swing On’. Solid Soulful Jazz Funk Instrumental Disco with the emphasis on live instrumentation, a class affair from the Faze Action stable.
2/ Toddsonic33- Groove Magician ep (Hot Biscuit Recordings)
Starting with ‘That Track’ a quirky electronic off-beat buzzer that thumps along getting on your nerves but hyping the room as it builds, handy. ‘Groove Magician’ comes on all innocent before pulling a morse code-style weighted b-line that gets added by a backwards Kraut vocal looping amongst the sonics waiting for something off-kilter to be dropped on top. ‘Enki’ brings similar science as the title track but heavier and finally ‘Popcorn’ puts us back to ‘88, 303 claps and snares firing over a nagging synth phrase and young house production. Strong DJ record.
3/ Baalki Darryl – Songs that Won’t be silenced (Deeppa)
A leftfield jazzy 6 tracker from this Russian label, perfect for setting up the mood. The wonderful ‘Devil may Care‘ comes on like Moodyman, meandering bongos settle with a languid drawn out male vocal supported by warm pads, a deep 4/4 beat and skittish percussion hits drawing the listener deeper into the groove. ‘Patterns‘ rolls along in an 8//4 stretched rhythm, congos abound amongst off beat hits and misses adding movement to the lush swirling Rhodes chords and piano phrases until breaking into what we’re now seeing as Baalki’s style of bluesy African style singing, this slithers along. The other tracks have the same musical standard and are strong enough to count too, the title track ambient vocal makes for a memorable intro, buy a double copy for maximum effect.
4/ Aktshun- Aktshun 2 (Stereophonk France)
Killer 6 track mostly house with a soul, funk, jazz & boogie feel. ‘Vibration‘ fires on all cylinders once it’s built with percussion, drums and bass layered on top of a ‘that’s a vibe’ vocal sample breaking down into a smattering of Loretta vocal cuts, hand claps and a Latin clav pusher, infectious. ‘Cloussette’ slips along with a backbeat over strings and a fluid bassline in the manner of a soundtrack before the guitar and flute join the party to fire it clear. The rest of the cuts are dope and work the dancefloor, get it.
5/ Red Rack ‘Em- Secret banger (Bergerac)
I love this guy, he considers his music, every time I see a new release I’m on it. Following on from his Italo Disco Banger which lit the place up here we have another beauty. With it’s kick, snare simple 4/4 over a held pitch and ‘Girl we could’ vocal snippet glides until the high in the mix bass comes through along with horn cuts and funk guitar chops whilst expanding the vocal sample to make the longer sentence. This is all about the little cuts and chops freestyle building on top of the solid beat ,the dancers are having it, up it goes and then the break, stripping the sample to bits and rebooting the whole heap into a joyful uplifting finale. It’s subtle as, not big room as I’ve described but damn does it have impact. The flip ‘Monday’ has it in spades too, I bloody love this, bag it.
6/ Adam Curtain feat Enchanted Rhythms- You say you love me (infiltrat)
A deep electro groove going on here, the 303 dirty bassline, neck snapping snares plus dark chords under pin the female refrain of ‘ you say you love me’ making way to tense strings and a definite 3am recommendation. There are three other tracks that shouldn’t be slept on either, both ‘Olive man & Urchinitus’ have proper electro leanings and work up the floor plus ‘Rskous’ brings breakbeat to the party in an old school.
7/ Baba Stiltz- Day tripping 12” version (Public Possession)
A contender for the slippiest ear worm of the year. Like the opening track from the Sopranos for want of a better description it pulses along as a country, spoken-sung electronic groover. The male vocal (I guess that’s Baba as there’s no other credit) is balanced by a female counterpoint (Kaya Wilkins) and it works really well, throughout the song it dips and weaves supported by some neat playing, each solo gives way to the next, ( keys, what sounds like an electronic kazoo and guitar ) and the whole thing pops ’n’ wiggles its way to the finish. Wasn’t sure if I was going to put it in but I find it just too quirky to leave out.
8/ Willie Colon/ Ruben Blades- Siembra , Joe Claussell mixes (US Fania)
Back to the beat. Joe Claussell is fast becoming the hardest working man in showbiz, from DJing worldwide (I saw him recently in Dublin, wicked) to his music productions he brings the positive energy and vibe to the dancefloor. That is evident here in his mix of the Latin classic ’Siembra,’ spreading out over three mixes he drops the string laden Latin percussive instrumental moving into a wicked Hammond workout that segues into the straight vocal mix without too much effort, plus that up a couple and the heavier kick of the dance dub joins to take this into epic 25 minute Latin sacred rhythm. Unforgettable. Now to do that you would need to put your money up as the vinyl weighs in at £37 plus postage (and you’ll need two of them) worth every penny I say.
9/ Pete Blaker – Don’t stop b/w Ice cold ( Hot Biscuit Recordings)
Opening up with swirling strings and effects this is one soundtrack from the cosmic discotheque, pacing along, building the perfect, sublime groove before a spaceship guitarist pops a sweeping solo before the vocal ‘don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop the music’ underpins the whole show and has you going ‘what’s just happened there?’ Utterly uplifting. Flip it and ‘Ice cold’ starts like an 80s soul funker but with pace before making way with an Anita Baker style vocal keeping the feeling with free keyboard solo putting it away. Not cold, hot, damn hot.
10/ Rahaan – For Dancin and Singin (Hot Biscuit Recordings)
Here’s another producer who keeps them coming intelligently and obscure enough that you keep going to anything he touches. Opening with the title track you’re in funk mode with a phat guitar riffing over quite a straight beat ( not a Clive Stubblefield ) but funk / rock all the same. The guy gives us a preacher JB ‘Good god’ ‘ uugh’ ’hit me’ style ( you get me? ) before doing the Wilson Pickett with the horn section stabbing with the female backing ‘Na na nanananana‘ punctuating the groove. It’s working overtime before it goes all Sam & Dave, Stax records , Otis ‘can’t turn you loose’ to the close. A sweater. Over on the flip is more the Rahaan we recognise, spacoteque cosmos bending ‘ The Galaxy ‘ all woozy Moog, horns and drums building, building like a Jingo being urged along with the odd ‘C’mon’ chant. Phew, a devastating dancer.
