The Dance Off (pt. 2)

So, in the last post I was pitting classic garage against more recent electro bangers in a kind of disco fight to the death, and in this post I'm... doing exactly the same. Which doesn't say much for my powers of imagination.

Good old Lonyo, good old Sunship. (I should say, I've no idea if it's actually a Sunship mix of the song, or if he produced it, or if he had anything to do with it at all, but I might as well put his name to it because he's quite possibly one of the hardest-working and most-consistent garage DJ's ever. And he deserves the love of the people. In particular the garage girls.) This piece of old school awesomeness is one of my favourite summer tracks, and it's not sexist: it's appreciative. Probably. Either way, it is a classic.

As is the SFA song 'Flowers', which is why I refuse to post it. There can't be anyone from my generation who hasn't heard that song. But one of their less known tracks is '8 Days A Week', and it follows pretty much the same brilliant formula. Which is a good thing in my book.

Competing with the two classics (I might be stretching the applicability of that word a bit, excuse the hyperbole) I have already mentioned, are two recent releases that have caught my attention. Neo Tokyo's 'Because You Left' and the Culture Prophet remix of 'RAR'. The Neo Tokyo track sounds a bit like an old Gameboy theme song which has mated with a funky vocal sample it met on the internet - a sound which I actually quite like. It's worth a listen.

As for the Culture Prophet remix... it starts epic and just gets more so. Then it gets chilled out. Then it gets epic again. It's almost as if the song is so awesome they had to give you breathing spaces in the middle of it so you can keep dancing. (I've got slightly hyperbolic again there, but it is a cool song.)

Love it.

On a side note - Apparently garage music was influenced by that hero of mine: Todd Edwards. Which means I don't have to feel like a chav for listening to it. Because Todd Edwards is an awesome and respected house DJ (despite all his songs sounding strangely similar), and if you don't believe me you can look below.

Lonyo - Garage Girls (Sunship Mix) Buy
Neo Tokyo - Because You Left Myspace
Sweet Female Attitude - 8 Days A Week Buy I apologize for the quality on this one, it's difficult to get hold of a decent version.
Romulus & Remus - RAR (Culture Prophet Remix) Myspace


Bassline Bonus (recommended)
Artful Dodger - One More Chance Myspace

Todd Edwards Bonus
Appaloosa - The Day (We Fell In Love)(Todd Edwards Liturgical Mix) Buy

The Dance Off (pt. 1)

Sometimes, albeit it very rarely, I sit down and I listen to some banging electro and I think: "This banging electro that I've sat down to listen to isn't really doing it for me". And by that I don't mean 'doing it for me' in any kind of sexual sense, because that would sound a bit gay and weird. In fact, I'd be pretty surprised if anyone thought that was what I meant.

So that's two sentences wasted.

Any way, when I have these particular moments of lost faith, I find myself turning to another genre. Which is usually garage. Because to be honest, old school garage has its moments. And when it has them, it has them big time. 'Love Shy' is quite possibly one of my favourite tunes of all time - not, obviously, because it is some kind of fantastic original musical accomplishment, but because it just sounds happy. It sounds like the producer just bounced up and down on his keyboard when he made it. It sounds like they were on E, and somehow injected that E into the actual song. Quite probably, most people won't have the emotional attachment I have to garage. And for that reason, I've stuck Kristine Blond's old classic next to Mr Miyagi's more recent dance remix of 'Up In The Blue', which is also awesome, and is less sickeningly commercial and pop. But I know which one would make me dance if I heard it at a funeral.

Neither, because that would be sick... But 'Love Shy' would make me want to dance.

Old Mr Dodger and Craig David were once the very essence and lifeblood of the garage scene, bringing it to the mainstream with more success than almost anyone else. 'Woman Trouble' is my particular favourite of their many collaborations, mostly because 'Rewind' is so overplayed, and I reckon it trumps the Gooseflesh remix of 'Taken Away' for sheer euphoric danceability any day of the week. Although the Gooseflesh remix is definitely a pretty handy tune, and one of my recent favourites - I'm sorry to say I ignored it for a few weeks after I first got it, alas. But I am now repenting by playing it about 5 times in the last half hour.

You can make your own minds up about which you prefer - but I know which songs will stick with me for a good few years to come.


(The garage songs, in case I haven't been clear).

Kristine Blond - Love Shy Buy
Jake OH - Up In The Blue (Mr Miyagi Remix) Buy
Artful Dodger feat. Craig David - Woman Trouble Buy
Digitalism - Taken Away (Gooseflesh Remix) Myspace* awesome

*Apologies if mediafire is being a bit funny, they've definitely got some server issues at the moment.