a thread for Art Department (Canadian house duo)

The glum house track 'Without You' was #2 in Mixmag's EOY rundown and I think it was #1 on Resident Advisor's. I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since I first heard it.

What makes it unique to me isn't its minimal 90s-style disco-house stomp. This kind of thing is also being done by Soul Clap, Tensnake and Azari & III, although AD do it very well indeed. But what strikes me is the starkness of the dead-eyed male diva vocal and lyric: "I just can't/No I can't/Make it without you/I don't know what to do/I can't/Make it without you". It's a mournful Studio 54 zombie-chant that flips house on its head for me by being completely unmitigated in its misery. There's absolutely no good times going on in the singer's world. It's not even sadness or anger being expressed here - it's terminal despair, and that's what freaks me out about this record.

"Down" lyrics may have always existed in dance music; heartbreak turning up in all sorts of songs as far back as the disco age. But there's usually some sense of catharticism apparent in these tracks; either through a liberating sense of justice or a positive conclusion to the song's narrative. 'Without You' is almost punishing in its doom and despair. It doesn't resolve itself in any way.

At the same time I could totally see how this works on the dancefloor. The only catharsis in this tune is the way the beat bounces and drives so fluidly. There's a huge dark/light dichotomy going on between the music and singing.

'Without You' takes a huge risk by addressing depression on the dancelfoor. Almost working as a forewarning of the following day - maybe an acceptance of the ecstacy comedown? I dunno. I think you'd have to be brave to play this out at a club night unless your audience were already well versed on the dance canon.

Anyway, the new album "The Drawing Board" is out soon, and it's pretty much quality from start to finish from what I've heard. Anyone else heard it yet?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG8u9Lm2g0k

i'm a total dance-music herb, but this shit sounds like my catnip. i hope it's even more depressing than you make it out to be!

okay the dude just started singing, lol. didn't expect that! it's cool tho

just passed the halfway point and a lil burst of noise that was the most satisfyingly cathartic thing so far. i can totally imagine getting down to this.
ooh I'm likin' these synths that just came in (~5:25 on the youtube)

It's all about those synths. They've really worked on eeking out the details bit by bit, which is wonderful to me.

not exactly sure what "eeking out the details bit by bit" refers to in this context — you mean on this track, or the album?

but yeah, this was excellent, thanks for the thread!

DL do you like Benoit & Sergio too? They have a similar vibe for me.

i meant in the track. Album's not out for a while, so this is a general purpose thread.

xpost - not heard them Tim, but I will check it out.

Midnight People
What I've Lost
Walk and Talk

Between Art Department and Benoit & Sergio and the SECT/Ben Westbeech tune and the Ame mix for FACT, deep house with effete-to-creepy male vocals seems to be very thoroughly 2011.

Meanwhile I love this Art Department tune: I C U

more effete vocals!

okay the lyric on "What I've Lost" is pretty dang funny

Subject to what's on the album "I C U" is shaping up to be one of my tracks of the year actually.

Tim F - Funny I was just looking it up to come on here and say, "Hey I like this one track" and it turned out to be the one you were referencing.

Realised I have heard the Benoit & Sergio track - 'Walk and Talk' - on the Wolf + Lamb/Soul Clap DJ Kicks mix. It's definitely in this vein - lyric referncing severe depression as opposed to sadness/heartbreak - and subsequently my favourite tune on there.

Why I like these miserable tunes is beyond me.

As far as the AD album is concerned, my two faves other than 'Without You' so far are 'Robert's Cry' and 'Tell Me Why Pt.2', which has a kind of jazzy abstract sound.

Another tune in this style: Ruede Hagelstein's Emergency

xpost argh how is it that you have both the Art Department album and the Soul Clap vs Wolf & Lamb mix?

'What I've Lost' is pretty great! Reminds me of a lot of '80s adult pop like Black's "Wonderful Life", and would fit well on this thread: pot of coffee on a rainy day house

I should have linked to the youtube for "Full Grown Man", which is on the same single as "What I've Lost" and equally as good or possibly better, the Graceland to the flip's Disintegration perhaps.

Also No Regular Play's "Slide Away" is another recent classic in this vein.

"full grown man" is great, i have definitely heard it in a mix in the past but i can't place it

i'm so onboard with p much every suggestion in this thread. this may be obvious but that ndf single on dfa from last year sorta fits this category too, esp considering ndf = sergio (of benoit & sergio) + bruno pronsato.

and its not uber-depressive or anything but the johnny white & kenny glasgow remix of zev's "don't break it" is a nice track as well

i'm so onboard with p much every suggestion in this thread. this may be obvious but that ndf single on dfa from last year sorta fits this category too, esp considering ndf = sergio (of benoit & sergio) + bruno pronsato.

Yes! I didn't know the above connection either. Also not coincidentally used on that Ame mix.

there's some really strong stuff on this album - loving "roberts cry" - idk whether it leaps out as an above-average dance long player though (it has been a weirdly strong year so far for them, admittedly - frivolous/nicolas jaar/deniz kurtel/steffi - all of those have more personality in them than this, to me?)

I prefer AD to Frivolous and Jaar so far, and I really like those albums. I can def see 2011 being my house music year.

Listened to AD probably 6-7 times from beginning to end since late last week and I'm still noticing an abundance of new details each time I put it on - rare sign of a good album that it's the only thing I really want to listen to right now.

Frivolous is VERY VERY good, an excellent party album, but I can see myself exhausting it after more than a few listens. But I will be dropping these tracks when I play out...

Jaar is really great, but more of a headphones album rather than for dancing.

Are Benoit and Sergio due to release an album? I'd be anticipating that.

what's the deal w/ben westbeech? is he big? should i check out anything in particular? i really like everything posted on this thread and he added me on FB a while back, but i didn't know who he was

he just posted this and it's really pretty, so...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI5JlPWeyXs

This was the big Westbeech tune from a few years back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBuesAdCJtY&playnext=1&list=PL63EF48627DED55C1

Also the Wahoo remix of "Hang Around" but it doesn't seem to be on youtube yet. Nor is "In The Park" yet but it will destroy everything when it finally emerges.

he also posted the S.E.C.T. track he did w/soul clap that's pretty great. i listened to a few of his other solo tracks and they're a bit too jamiroquai-ish for my tastes.

https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/335852/dj-kicks-exclusives-ep-1

The s.e.c.t. track is what I'm talking about, possibly my favorite tune of 2011 so far.

Also not coincidentally used on that Ame mix.

now that you mention it, that ame mix pretty much nails this aesthetic

so i finally came across a copy of this, and holy shit! best dance lp of 2011 so far imo, "icu" and "what does it sound like?" are 2 faves but this thing is solid the whole way through. the vocalist keeps reminding me of morrissey, maybe it's just the cadence/annunciation but i keep hearing it. and i like it.

frivolous/nicolas jaar/deniz kurtel/steffi - all of those have more personality in them than this, to me?

yet again lex and i have polar opposite opinions. this thing is full of personality imo, and those other rec's are strong (haven't heard the steffi yet tho) but generally seem a bit more faceless than this to me so the whole issue of 'personality' seems like a weird thing to bring up as a selling pt

agree those other albums are more faceless but i think the actual production's a bit more distinct

the vocalist keeps reminding me of morrissey

lol this is why i dislike it then

i would agree about the actual production tbf, but it is arguably the best full-length articulation of the whole wolf & lamb / tensnake / soul clap / etc. aesthetic (along with the dj kicks, of course) even if it's not necessarily distinct.

"we call love" is soooooo good!

Love the groove but find the interplay of the vocals (and, weirdly, the lyrics, just their absolute vagueness and the randomness of the switches between "I call love" and "We call love") kinda annoying.

still really into this album, surprised at how quick this thread died!

the harvey remix of "we call love" is growing on me too

"Vampire Weekend" is my favourite currently, the build is so gorgeous.

Vampire Weekend?

Argh "Vampire Nightclub".

I referred to Vampire Weekend as Vampire Nightclub in conversation by mistake recently. My sister gave me this withering look, like "don't you know anything?"

hehehehe!

hohohohoho!

I was pretty positive about their Social Experiment mix when I reviewed it a few months back. Revisited today and was pleased to discover I still really love this mix, for the most part. Captures that sex addict has a moment of self-aware existential crisis vibe so well, but without the frequently cloying vocals of their own stuff. Love the obviousness of using two Robert Owens tracks.