Last time I followed EDM, about a decade ago, I was particularly interested in DJs like John Digweed and Joris Voorn who, though deft computer mixing, were often keeping 3-4 tracks going in their sets at any one time. Anyone have recommendations from among younger generations of house and techno DJs who have so much going on in their sets?
― Melomane, Monday, 5 June 2023 17:00 (one year ago) link
yeah those DD comps are terrific
that klein & mbo track is new to me - ace!
i posted some recent faves on the hi-nrg thread but here's another one, think this one got a lot of play at LA parties back then
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teVG7I3fSg4
― donna rouge, Monday, 5 June 2023 17:44 (one year ago) link
I've posted this before on the Hi-NRG and DJ mixes for download threads, but this is an Eighties Hi-NRG/Boystown/Eurobeat/queer pop mix that I recently put together as a "proof of concept" experiment for the night that I've managed to bag in Nottingham. Putting it together was an absolute revelation for me, and I'm forever replaying it and thinking Big Thoughts about the genre as a whole. https://www.mixcloud.com/miketd/the-boys-come-to-town/
― mike t-diva, Monday, 5 June 2023 19:42 (one year ago) link
Hi Mike, I don't know if you caught this or not, but James Hamilton was mentioned a few times on the latest episode of Bill Brewster's DJ History podcast - a long chat with Simon Dunmore of Defected records:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/54Et1YCnvzFTczV14kyNOo?si=yUIHi3zLStCdE84vMCdUGw
― rincton monkspoon (NickB), Monday, 5 June 2023 20:18 (one year ago) link
Dan, I think that thread you are thinking of was me pontificating that the mix you mentioned was more Italo than Hi-NRG, but I could be wrong. Apologies If I was indeed making fun of you.
Anyway, I don’t think a revival is coming particularly but I do think it’s a misunderstood and underrated genre that more people might love if they heard the good stuff.
― stirmonster, Monday, 5 June 2023 20:57 (one year ago) link
Thanks Nick - I’ve been in contact with Bill Brewster several times and he interviewed me about James Hamilton a while ago, with a view to doing something substantial about him; I also pointed him towards a few other people that I thought he should talk to, and he took the leads. I’ll give that podcast episode a listen soon.
― mike t-diva, Monday, 5 June 2023 21:51 (one year ago) link
Oh cool, look forward to hearing the fruits of that!
― rincton monkspoon (NickB), Monday, 5 June 2023 22:26 (one year ago) link
Stir, no that mix was def very Italo friendly. The discussion I’m thinking about was like a decade ago. I think I was talking about funkapolitan and modern romance and you mentioned blue rondo and then I said something about forget the faux latin post punk funk what about following the Italo revival with a hinrg one and I think I you were opposed! I can’t find it though.
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 02:15 (one year ago) link
sure you know a lot of these already but some hi-nrg suggestions:
La Palace De Beauté - The Pleasure SeekersTiger Moon - Somethings Tells MeThe Only – Love Dies With The NightMalibu - Lust Or LoveSabby – Friday NightPaul Parker - Pushin Too HardChapter One – Playing With LoveLisa Smith - Sweet FantasyAmante - Be My DelightPromise Ring - Be Mine TonightJackie Touché – Watch OutMotion - Don't StopStephanie Wells – Planet Of LoveTheo Vaness - Bad Bad BoyTanya – Darladi-LadadaKrukutz – Love InsuranceX Ray Connection - Get ReadyRoni Griffith - SpysMike Hammer – DivineBardeux – Three-Time Lover
― rincton monkspoon (NickB), Tuesday, 6 June 2023 07:00 (one year ago) link
really like the first one on that list, something about it really reminds me of coil:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSBHSj4iDBY
― rincton monkspoon (NickB), Tuesday, 6 June 2023 07:05 (one year ago) link
oh shit i missed this monster:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8pcxrv2mqMDesire – Affection
― rincton monkspoon (NickB), Tuesday, 6 June 2023 07:18 (one year ago) link
LOVE that X Ray Connection track, used to have it on 12-inch myself. Eric - Who’s Your Boyfriend is the most underrated Bobby O track IMO; one of my absolute favourites of his.Hi-NRG occasionally seems to pop its head above the surface, but my sightings have few and far between: the Krystal Klear remix of Fun Fun - Baila Bolero, the Studio 2054 remix of Kylie & Dua Lipa - Real Groove, and Greg Wilson has been playing Patrick Crowley - Menergy.
― mike t-diva, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 07:28 (one year ago) link
Lots I don’t know on that list Nick. Looking forward to investigating. Cheers.
And Dan, I think the discussion you mention might be even further back than you remember it being. And, you could be right. I am nothing if not capricious!
― stirmonster, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 09:08 (one year ago) link
I love the Promise Ring, picked it up after hearing Morgan Geist playing it a bunch, but always considered that more a freestyle track then hi-nrg
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 11:17 (one year ago) link
ah I found the reference, in the "eurodisco" thread:
"i love hi-nrg but i pray it never becomes 'cool'. that pretty much goes against the entire point of the music."
I was mistaken, it wasn't that you didn't like hi-nrg, just that you didn't predict the revival...16 years ago.
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 12:07 (one year ago) link
xp: Oops I think I wrote Promise Ring by mistake, obviously we mean Promise Circle. Promise Ring still emo the last time i checked! :D
But yeah, that was maybe an iffy call but the kick feels like it's headed in a hi-nrg direction. The guy who produced it (Ish) made stuff in both styles - the Tiger Moon track is very hi-nrg, but he also produced Noel and Company B who are both obviously freestyle superstars
― rincton monkspoon (NickB), Tuesday, 6 June 2023 12:16 (one year ago) link
and also of course hi-nrg does not equal eurodisco. Forget I said anything.
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 12:35 (one year ago) link
and youtube calles Be Mine Tonight "Hi-NRG Freestyle" so it's ok.
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 12:36 (one year ago) link
another recent fave, love the unexpected cut-up bits:Lois & Lane - Turn on the Nighthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJn00XELgYI
― donna rouge, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 14:05 (one year ago) link
Tanya – Darladi-Ladada is a favorite. I think I bought it thinking it was the italo Tanya.
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 14:21 (one year ago) link
some longtime favorites that were on my italo/hi-nrg mix posted not too long ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBhz07DUTM4
Bobby O:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOvEWc0C4bk
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 14:22 (one year ago) link
more bobby o:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WhSjFpXjGg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH8JkoRYO88
― dan selzer, Tuesday, 6 June 2023 14:24 (one year ago) link
Just catching up here after my last thread. The Lauren Grey track is a huge huge favourite – it also still sounds great pitched all the way down as well.
Sounds like I need to get some records up.
A few other favourite Hi-NRG tracks I like to play off the top of my head
Dave Storrs – Dancing On The PlanetPamala Stanley – I Don't Want To Talk About ItTwo Sisters – DestinyTapps - Don't Pretend To Know
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 8 June 2023 13:13 (one year ago) link
*Sounds like I need to get some recordings up
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 8 June 2023 13:14 (one year ago) link
It's not that I don't like hi-nrg vocals, obv that's part of the charm. But I think some of these would do good with an edit. A lot of the vocal melodies are too triumphant and happy or something for me. I'm generally anti-edit, and more italo vocals than a lot of the types of DJs who won't, and I have a long history of railing against disco edits for removing vocals....but some of these tracks and some others I was listening to last night, just killer aggressive arpeggiated synth stuff that gives way to cheesier chorus. Again, not that there's anything WRONG with that! Just that I'd like to play some of these without it.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 8 June 2023 13:49 (one year ago) link
i predict a year or so from now ppl are going to be looking for a hi-nrg thread that doesn’t have hi-nrg in the title!
― the late great, Thursday, 8 June 2023 13:50 (one year ago) link
Feels like an untapped scene to edit, though I think Justin Van Der Volgen had an edit ep with something that was hi-nrg I think.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 8 June 2023 13:51 (one year ago) link
https://myrulesrecords.bandcamp.com/album/i-need-a-man-living-in-harmony-justin-van-der-volgen-edits
for sure.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 8 June 2023 13:52 (one year ago) link
i agree Dan. i've done a few myself. Here's one of Roni Griffith's Desire. i actually love the vocal version but also wanted an instrumental. Bobby O goodness.
https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/EYghkpy87n
this is maybe my all time favourite Hi NRG track -
Sylve - I've Only got you to Blame
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4v8T4pkJrg
― stirmonster, Thursday, 8 June 2023 14:05 (one year ago) link
Awesome. Has anybody had a longer career with more records making the same song over and over again and having them all rule as much as Bobby O?
My two favorite Bobby O's, Roni Griffith's Spys:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4h_YAw3Nkc
and the way too unheralded Love On Video by the New York Models, one of my all time faves:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqERpetQkH4
― dan selzer, Thursday, 8 June 2023 15:22 (one year ago) link
Can I just mention one more song here, one that is cheap and easy to find and everybody has it but never gets played? Even though it's a totally perfect song that just fell through some cracks?
Man Parrish's Heatstroke. B-Side to Hip-Hop Be Bop. Maybe because it wasn't electro/hip-hop people ignored it? It's absolutely proto-hi-nrg, vocoder robot love song with amazing latin disco freestyle drum breakdown with italo bassline.
Why isn't this song in the upper tier pantheon of music?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhnJF45l1Fo
― dan selzer, Thursday, 8 June 2023 15:28 (one year ago) link
^^^ hell yeah
― broken breakbeat (sleeve), Thursday, 8 June 2023 15:42 (one year ago) link
whlle on that topic, great interview:
https://walkonthewildsidenyc.substack.com/p/man-parrish?fbclid=IwAR00K40UYzzS3-o6wCbxPjZ7BkaNap6GlrgJjjsInoZWxH_0ReAZ4ES5AfM
― dan selzer, Thursday, 8 June 2023 18:35 (one year ago) link
i recently got rid of that EP. i have a "hip hop be bop" on another comp, "man made" is pretty good, but i'm not really into the rest of it
it did occur to me as i was listening that "heatstroke" is pretty unusual, although to my ears it sounded more like one of those really bad post-ubiquity roy ayers disco tracks. maybe this was because i had just picked "fever" and "you send me" out of the dollar bin, and was still in shock from how awful "take me out to the ballpark" and a few other tracks were
what makes it hi-nrg? i have to admit i don't really know anything about hi-nrg except i generally don't enjoy it
― the late great, Thursday, 8 June 2023 18:51 (one year ago) link
that interview's great
― mh, Thursday, 8 June 2023 19:19 (one year ago) link
what makes it hi-nrg?
octave basslines, high tempo, lack of funk.
― stirmonster, Thursday, 8 June 2023 19:30 (one year ago) link
IIRC “Heatstroke” was originally written for a gay porn movie. It was an A-side in the UK in 1983, and it slotted fine into the gay club music of the time.
― mike t-diva, Thursday, 8 June 2023 19:41 (one year ago) link
you sure you're hearing Heatstroke? It's not an EP, just the 12" of Hip Hop/Heatstroke. And Heatstroke is extended. And glorious.
― dan selzer, Thursday, 8 June 2023 19:54 (one year ago) link
Yes, definitely. This was the 1983 12 inch that I bought at the time; it wasn’t a B-side to Hip Hop Be Bop here (I’d already bought that as a Dutch Ramshorn import). https://www.discogs.com/release/105387-Man-Parrish-Heatstroke-LP-Version-cw-Man-Made-LP-Version
― mike t-diva, Thursday, 8 June 2023 20:21 (one year ago) link
Oh sorry, you were replying to tlg!
― mike t-diva, Thursday, 8 June 2023 20:24 (one year ago) link
Wow that Sylve track is quite gorgeous.
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 8 June 2023 21:11 (one year ago) link
yeah i'm hearing heatstroke. what i'm calling an EP, discogs calls an album!!
https://www.discogs.com/release/20044-Man-Parrish-Man-Parrish
^^ that's what i got rid of. the entire b-side is ... not my thing
― the late great, Thursday, 8 June 2023 21:13 (one year ago) link
poor sylve. at least she made an incredible song from the heartbreak. sylve he probably wasn't that great anyway, trust.
― ꙮ (map), Thursday, 8 June 2023 21:17 (one year ago) link
xp oh! maybe what i heard is a different mix? i see yours is labeled "club mix" (didn't listen) and i see there's a "disconet mix" also. i'll have to compare
― the late great, Thursday, 8 June 2023 21:17 (one year ago) link
^^
Bobby O is problematic I have heard, but got damn if both those tracks are not complete all time bangers.
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 8 June 2023 21:27 (one year ago) link
he is a master of cowbells
― brimstead, Thursday, 8 June 2023 22:04 (one year ago) link
i’m dumb, i think i was confusing it with “together again”
― the late great, Friday, 9 June 2023 00:44 (one year ago) link