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Tuesday 17 August 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Outstanding Orange-ites"














“OUTSTANDING ORANGE-ITES”
MUSIC IS THE ANSWER – SPECIAL POST
SUNDAY 15TH AUGUST


When the word Orange is used in conversation by our straight cousins, they tend refer to either that round fruit that burly rugby players eat at half time or “...the future’s bright the future’s...” mobile phone network, but when it comes to us the thing that springs to our mind first & foremost is the legendary afterhours Monday morning madness of a nightclub that has become an absolute institution & a reason to push the boundaries of normality to the extreme. And this weekend, well tomorrow morning (16th August) to be exact, marks a momentous occasion in the life & times of this iconic club, as it celebrates 12 years in existence, yes, the last year before it reaches its teens, this citric splendour that started life back in 1998 at its first home in Rotherhithe, although in those days the night was named Chiller, whereas the club was called Orange. However with a move to Vauxhall in 2001 that Orange, as an event, step out of the shadow of the club marked the beginning of something quite special. So to mark this special occasion, comes another in our series of special music posts in which we focus on the clubs most longstanding residents & then cram in news of latest studio works from others intrinsically linked with this Monday morning madness of an event.

Without question, the one name that we associate with Orange & who has been with the club right from those exploratory early days in Vauxhall is Fat Tony, the legendary D.J. that has been hitting the headlines of both the gay & tabloid press, as well as hitting the bill board posters for the biggest clubs in the business, of which Orange can be credited as one. That said, Tony’s career behind the decks close on fifteen years before the concept of Orange was born in 1998, a career that has seen this sometimes controversial character, feature large & wide across the gAylist scene, notable brand appearances also including, Crash, DTPM, Fiction, Matinee and, the mother of them all, Trade, the club where not only did he rule the famed lite lounge, but forged one of the strongest friendships in his long an illustrious career, that with the equally colourful character that is Lawrence Malice. But it was also in more main stream clubs & venues like Cafe De Paris & Puscha that have benefitted from the Tony magic, has seen him travel the world with his vocation, from capital cities like New York, Sydney & Moscow, to countries like South Africa, Greece & China. His time behind the decks has seen Tony rub shoulders with the likes of Madonna, George Michael, Prince, Michael Jackson & The Pet Shop Boys, such was the demand for his services at a never-ending number of celebrity parties, all this very much thrusting him into the media spotlight, Tony never being scared of causing a little controversy or speaking his mind. Indeed on such incident landed him in on the front pages of The Sun newspaper, the headline reading “It’s A Hit, Gender Bender D.J. thumps Wham! George!"

However, the rock & roll lifestyle that saw him party hard with the stars & celebrities of the music industry was to take its toll, as not only has he had to face a battle with cancer, but the ravages of his indulgent lifestyle saw him seek the sanctuary of rehabilitation in order to allow him to continue his passion for D.J.’ing as well as maintaining his relationship with his long term partner. Having won his first battle, the fight against cancer, Tony probably saw his most successful years with Trade and with other associations too, the days of Soho’s Review bar also real highlights, not least the formation of a D.J. & friendship tie with Stevie B that is as strong today as when it was formed. But, for us, it was the emergence from rehab that has seen the most dramatic change in Tony, most especially through his work. Not only has he once again become the D.J. in demand that he was all those years ago, but performances at Matinee’s Cable based parties & DTPM’s “The Bitch Is Back” will live in our memories. However, unquestionably, Tony is at his magnificent best when playing at Orange and no Bank Holiday party is the same without him & Tonnic doing their funky & fulsome most, he even having the ability to draw people away from Area’s main room and the likes of Paul Heron & Steve Pitron. We have been privileged (and we don’t use that word lightly here) to witness an incredible string of outstanding sets at Orange from this legendary D.J. and for us, he is the epitomy of what Orange is all about, pushing the boundaries, keeping in tune with the cutting edge sounds of now and capturing the imagination, both Tony & Orange doing this week-in week out. As for his time in the studio, well since coming out of rehab, Tony’s rediscovered passion in his art has seen a succession of track releases under the title “Men Adore”, cuts of which you can check out at http://myspace.com/djfattonyldn, although we continue to wait for promised further new tracks as well as remixes of old classics, so we will be watching this exciting news with interest.

Our other special devotion goes to two more legends of the dancefloor, who have been cutting a stride since our earliest days of clubbing and both continue to play an important part of the citric splendour that is Orange. Without doubt, The Sharp Boys have played a significant part in all the major clubs, parties & events across gAylist London & beyond for a good fifteen years now and their dynamism behind the decks always goes down extremely well, whether it be in the confines of The Terrace room at Beyond Area or the massive stage that is the London Gay Pride dance stage, just two examples of a myriad of joint appearances the duo have chalked up this year alone. To say they have been there & done that is a commendable observation, as they have been part of virtually every major club brand, venue & event, the list including Trade, Heaven, DTPM, Universe, Famous Five, Purple In The Park, Brighton/London/Manchester/Soho/Pride’s, the list goes on, but have also been very much a staple ingredient of virtually every party across the gay clubbing mecca that has been (and continues to be) Vauxhall, playing out at Area, Fire & Colosseum, branded parties touched by George & Steven including Gravity, Horizon, Space, Juicy, White Party, Later, & of course Beyond and no specialist weekend or Bank Holiday goes by without the boys being part of the essential line-up. However, the duo are also famous for their clubbing parties, Royal House, a concept that was born a few years ago now, but still has an amazing following & creates an incredible buzz, although despite having been involved in so many parties, such massive brands & even self made concepts, the boys will always been intrinsically linked with Orange and no party would be the same without them behind the decks.

You would be forgiven for thinking that, given that impressive C.V. of London & UK appearances, the Boys restrict themselves to good old blighty, but oh no, as their glittering careers have seen them play to thousands in countries as far apart as Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, & South Africa, whilst they have touched on cities such as Istanbul, Miami, Los Angeles, Moscow, San Francisco, Sydney and loads in between, clubbing destination hotspots including Fire Island, Ibiza, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, & Cologne having been intoxicated with their incredible blend of funky, electro, tech & vocal drenched uplifting house for which they have both become renowned for. But it would be fair to say that the duo of George Mitchell & Steven React are just as prolific in the recording studio, having amazed a discography that many would be proud of and during their time remixing works for the biggest dance & pop music names in the business, including George Michael, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Christine Aguilera, Aretha Franklin & Mary J Blige, although they also devote some of their limited spare time to laying down compilations too, their two latest being absolute corkers. The first of our choice is the mix that was lifted straight from their appearance on Gaydar Radio in advance of this year’s London Pride celebrations, when the duo performed a phenomenal closing set on the Dance Stage in Leicester Square, although this “Sharpcast” is taken from their clubnation show the previous night, while their “Dansen” titled compilation includes some superb tracks, not least Mark Knight’s “Devil Walking, Pirupa’s “Blu”, Swedish House Mafia’s “One” & Hifi Sean’s Psychedelic mix of the fab “Strings Of Motion”, although the boys also get in on the remixing act with their take on Boy George’s Amazing Grace, but give us a sneak preview of their own track “Dansen” which is due for general release v soon & the inspiration behind the compilation title. Both these mixes get our full thumbs up which you can grab at http://sharpboys.podomatic.com/ and watch this space for news on the full release of their new track, plus catch the boys playing this coming Bank Holiday at Beyond’s Manchester Pride special, plus Orange Trade back in London.

Now, as has become our tradition, in devoting this post to all things Orange, we have diverted slightly from our advertised coverage, but in keeping with the citric theme, give shout to the works by three other Orange resident/guest jocks, first up being Gonzalo Rivas, one half of the original RAW combination that is now an intrinsic part of any Orange party. For us, Gonzalo ranks alongside the mere handful of D.J.’s that stand out as milestones in our clubbing history, his involvement in Trade around the turn of the century, a very important time in our lives although he continues to cut an impressive stride across many parties where we appear and never fails to deliver storming sets that leave us breathless. This goes for his compilations too and his latest, a tribute to labels 99North & Higher State Records sitting nicely here, as the mix includes Upstate’s “I Get High”, remixed by The Sharp Boys, as well as works by Steve Tomas, & a plethora of 99 Allstars tracks plus much more that Gonzalo explains “...have had a huge influence on me over the past years...”, he being pleased to bring you “...a selection of my favourite tracks & remixes mixed all together in one podcast...”, which is a must for your collection at http://gonzalorivas.podomatic.com/.

Moving onto the newer member of the RAW line-up and one that is proving incredibly popular, as it seems the man simply plays out of his skin at Orange parties, Hifi Sean even been credited as saying “...I love playing RAW at Orange, it’s one of those satisfying spots you get as a D.J. sometimes to experiment with sounds & grooves & watch everyone on the packed out Monday morning dancefloor get completely lost in it all...” his enthusiasm for his work shining through in Fire’s mirrorarch room with spectacular results. This also goes for his studio work and hardly a day goes by without Sean putting together some sort of track remix and his compilation series, particularly the psychedelic ones have incredible following, so it goes without saying that his latest is yet another superb example of the Hifi heavenly sound, which you should sample yourselves by going to http://djhifisean.podomatic.com/, or failing which, check out http://tunyurl.com/hifiseanpodcasts.

Our final citric devotion goes to one Nick Tcherniak, who has been gracing the decks at Orange as a guest recently, but is no stranger to the Orange/Trade combo parties, where back-to-back sets with partner in mixing crime, Steve Thomas, have become legendary. Indeed Nick’s studio works with Steve have seen some amazing results , both “My People” & “Deep Water” making it big right across Europe, being included in playlists of the top named D.J.’s and projecting the Tcherniak & Thomas duo right into the mixing/remixing limelight. But here we shout out for Nick’s latest compilation, “Summer Heat”, which includes some sizzling tracks, not least Crazibiza’s “Pinning Around”, Lopez Twin’s vs Who Da Funk with “Shiny Disco Balls 2010”, Pagano’s “Fascinating” and the Todd Terry/Prok & Fitch collaboration “Something’s Going On”, which is a worthy addition to your collection. And while you’re at it, grab his devotion to Logan Schmitz’s private party “UP”, both compilations available at http://nicktcherniak.podomatic.com/.

Right, that’s it for our special look at some of the huge talents that make up the incredible afterhours that is Orange and a special birthday commemoration marking 12 glorious years on Monday morning madness, which we are sure, especially under the helm of one Steven React Sharp, looks set to have many more years of citric splendour full of “outstanding orange-ites”. (DISCO MATT)

Monday 9 August 2010

Music Is The Answer - "DM Does The News" - July/August Edition



















"DM DOES THE NEWS”
MUSIC NEWSLETTER –
JULY/AUGUST 2010


As much as we adore our weekly focuses on the top notch D.J’s out there, we would be the first to admit that this doesn’t allow us to keep pace with the ever increasing volume of compilation & track releases hitting our desks, whether it be from the huge list of disc spinning maestro’s we have covered in past reports, to those scene favourite’s we see in action behind the decks during our review duties, not to mention the new & emerging talent that we are pressed to promote.

So, the time had come for a new style report to allow us to address this situation, and as a result, “Disco Matt (DM) Does The News” was born, a music newsletter style post that will not only run through the latest releases from D.J’s we have covered in the past, share news on those new names, but moreover, serve as our way to keep you (as well as us) up to speed with the relentless pace of music activity across this glorious scene of ours, not just in the capital, but right across the globe.

The plan, just like this introduction, will be to keep the reports quite pointed & punchy, keeping the chat to a minimum, but choice to the maximum, offering all the relevant links & information to keep you best informed of what’s going on musically out there, as well as forthcoming gigs to keep your eyes out for. But fear not, our regular focus posts will continue, as will our special devotions to the music of those big club brands or latest trends and our “Disco Matt Does The Music News” reports will fit into that schedule, also complimenting our whole family of reviews, previews & recommendations.

Right, lets crack on and first up is a new compilation from Terry Vietheer who manages to fit occasional dips into the studio in with his D.J’ing gigs for club nights, Hola, Lovechild, Mixtape & Popcorn, as well as appearances at Barcode in Vauxhall & Shadow Lounge in Soho. His latest studio work has produced a track entitled “East Village”, which he has produced alongside Chris Cooper and is very much a progressive & tech in its making, while his August compilation has a more accessible feel to it, being devoted to his gigs at Popcorn and is simply titled “Heaven”, this 64 minutes of vocal drenched & uplifting house very much reflecting his live sets at this popular Monday nighter. Whilst the track & compilation show contrasting sides to Terry’s talents, both get a hearty thumbs up from us, which you can play/download via http://soundcloud.com/terryvietheer.

Next up is a track from Per QX, which started life back in May but has now got the recognition it deserves with a full release on Seamus Haji’s house label, Big Love, as part of a four track EP entitled “New Blood Vol 2” and includes three other tracks. However, it is Per’s “Blow Your Trumpet” that gets our attention, a big room, saxophone soaked stormer that this Swedish born trendsetting D.J. has been lauding across Europe on his many gigs & travels so far this summer, not to mention being tried & tested on his regular East End audience of followers. This fabulously funky 6 minute mix, which is available via https://beatport.com/en-US/html/content/release/detail/266930/big_love_digital_presents_new_blood_volume_2, is, as Per concurs, “...a must for any house music lover...” and we couldn’t agree more, while watch this space for a full focus on the fun filled Mr QX coming up soon.

Next is a Barcelona based Nacho Chapado who we focussed on back in May when he appeared at the massive London Global Dance Festival, yet as he has been so incredibly busy in the studio since, it is his two latest releases that get our shout. First up is his compilation mix “August Session” which is a cracking combo of pumping tech, tribal & progressive beats with latin & funky undertones that had us hooked right from the off, which you can grab at http://soundcloud.com/nch/nacho-chapado-in-session-august-2010 and will definitely find favour with those of you into the more minimal side of house. As for the track, it’s a much more vocalised piece of work, featuring the Madonna-esque voice of Alhena Bay and is a Chapado collaboration with mixing partner Sergi Vila entitled “Show Me Your Love”, which we adore. This 10th release on the “Spanish Mafia” label, Guarabear Recordings, is available via http://junodownload.com/products/show-me-your-love/1607655-02/ as an “original” mix & as remixes by fellow Barca based D.J. Ivan Gomez & Sorry Shoes’ Jean Phillips.

Onto another Barcelona based talent this time the emerging star that is Javier Medina who not only kicked off The Circuit Festival last Sunday alongside Pagano at the massive Devotion party, but also went on to woo the thousands attending the huge WE event later in the week. WE is certainly the talk of Spain at the moment, so with Javier very much in the mix there, his route to stardom is surely paved with gold and is our big tip of the year. Here we promote his latest compilation which is a two hour reflection of his spectacular set at Devotion just over a week ago, a tribal, tech & progressive collection of tunes which you can grab at http://soundcloud.com/javier-medina/devotioncircuitfestival2010 and watch this space for news on a track release he has worked on in the studio with close friend & fellow D.J. Leomeo.

Before we move away from the Catalonia capital, our next shout goes to Steven Redant who, like Javier, was in the thick of the action at The Circuit Festival, although his exhausting schedule sees him jet across Europe virtually every other week. So, his weekly “Get It On” compilations are becoming fewer & further between, while he lays down mixes drawn from his live performances, his latest being a tribal & tech triumph marking his storming set at the Gay Games in Cologne at the end of July, which you can listen/download at http://stevenredant.podomatic.com/. Then, there is his track “Dance” on which Steven combined forces with Lenz Garcia, vocalist Olaya & the multifaceted Marco Da Silva, to produce what Steven describes as “...another tribal stomper with a dirty dirty bass line and a clash of Marco's baritone voice and Olaya's diva screams..” and he isn’t wrong there. Having topped the masterbeat charts, we think this track is definitely going places which you can add to your collection via http://soundcloud.com/stevenredant/dance-steven-redant-lenz-garcia-marco-dasilva-feat-olaya.

Right, zooming across Europe and to a talent that has made the big time like no other recently and, having tracked his progress for close on three years, we are so proud of his achievements. Danny Verde is now certainly a name to conjure with amongst the top brass in the D.J.’ing game, this charming & modest Italian landing gigs right across the globe, just a week ago taking Montreal by storm, then jetting back to Europe for The White Party in Cologne. A brief respite of two days will allow Danny to draw breath before heading off to Brazil, then making Ministry Of Sound in the capital on August Bank holiday, all this meaning his studio work, which shot him to stardom, is pretty much on the back foot. However, his latest remix project in the piping looks like being another huge success, this marking the second collaboration with US vocalist Blake Lewis. As yet, we have no release date, but we can share this video teaser with you and think you will agree that “Till We See The Sun” is going to be a dancefloor scorcher, so go check out the sample at http://youtube.com/watch?v=wWJ8R-U2zZ8 and watch this space for further news on that.

Another guy that will be here in the capital for August Bank Holiday is Eduardo De La Torre, who will once again be gracing the decks of awesome afterhours club Beyond, so like Danny’s MOS gig, should be a definite date in your diary. And a must for your collection should be his Beyond devoted compilation which he laid down straight after ripping up The Terrace room with a rousing final set that saw the place packed right till the end, so if you missed that, don’t miss this & get your copy now at http://djdelatorre.podomatic.com/. Plus, just last weekend while on a well deserved break in Amsterdam, he couldn’t get away from the studio & has a new track in the making called “All Around The World”, so keep your eyes peeled for further info/links.

Right, we are on the home straight now as we shout for local boy plus OMFG, Circus & Barcode resident Kris Di Angelis who got our full focus in July, yet has been a busy bee in the studio since, well to be honest he is hardly out of it, Kris burning the midnight oil most nights, although not always with mixing partner Sam Hunwicke. Mind you, for his first ever track release on the open market, he has chosen one he compiled with Sam, “Anthem” being an a-typical tough & twisted triumph that you can grab at http://junodownload.com/products/anthem/1610816-02/, Mr Di Angelis remarking on the release “...I can’t believe it’s taken this long to actually put a tune out...” and nor can we Kris, more of the same pleeease!!

Now a talent whose time behind the decks is very much like the rollercoaster lifestyle he leads, Steven Geller having dipped in & out of the Vauxhall clubbing scene nearly as much as we have had hot dinners, although there is no escaping this man’s immense talents for mixing tracks and when he is on it, by golly it is a sight & sound to behold. So, we couldn’t give up the opportunity of pushing his latest compilation mix, 58 minutes of banging beats that will turn up the heat in your living room when you select it by going to http://djstevengeller.podomatic.com/, and keep your ears glued for his own new mix of “Some Kinda Rush” which makes an appearance, it’s amazing!!

Very much a new talent on the scene is D.J. Norbert M, who we threw into the spotlight on back in June following news that he had made for shortlist for the Popcorn D.J. challenge. Such was his splendid performance in the first heat, that he made the semi’s & now the final, which takes place tonight (Mon 9th Aug), so we wish Norbert all the best with that and will bring you news of just how he got on But in the meantime, we are thrilled to share his latest mix, dedicated to London’s Pride last month, which you can check out at http://norbertmik.podomatic.com/.

Another new(ish) talent to reach our posts, although not a full on focus yet, is Michel Mizrahi, who very much played his part at Matinee’s “Open Air Summer” party at MOS in July and issued a mix marking his magnificent performance there. However, not resting on his laurels, Michel has followed it up with his “Afterhours” compilation, which we think is even better than his Matinee one and is jam packed with euro style tracks, pulsating progressive beats & lots of vocal infusions that make this a stand-out 66 minutes of music mixing, which you must surely sample at http://soundcloud.com/michel-mizrahi/afterhours-michel-mizrahi.

Finally and bringing us right up to date is a D.J. that made a huge splash at the Gay Brighton Dance Festival this last weekend and is literally still recovering from the massive success that was Rebel Afterhours this morning, some describing it as “...the best party of the year so far...”. While we weren’t there, we can certainly vouch for Guy Williams’ amazing talent behind the decks and have to take our hat off to the man for the hard work he has put in both on his D.J’ing & his club promoting, both vocations bearing considerable fruit at the moment. Quite how he fits studio work in is beyond us, but he does and we simply adore his latest track compilation, “Like That” pulling in strands of tech, nu disco, trance & alluring vocals, which is, as it say’s on the tin “... an ass wigglin percussive groover...”. So don’t delay, go get your slice of this Williams wonder at http://soundcloud.com/guy-williams/guy-like-that.

Right, that’s just about it, although just time to tell you which three tracks are really doing it for us at the moment, which we are tipping for the big time on dancefloors, two already having emerged in the few days. For us, they speak for themselves, so go search them out as Denzel Park’s vocal mix of Mobin Masters’ “World Go Round”, Craziba’s “Spinning Around” & “So Alive” by Syke n Sugarstarr are very much on our repeat button right now. Oh we can’t resist, here are some links, http://youtube.com/watch?v=CYUaJ7k51RY, http://youtube.com/watch?v=1G9tKyKs7S4 & http://youtube.com/watch?v=lwhPStUHRIo, each one having been picked up a while back by two scene Favourite D.J’s and can be found in full glory on their latest compilation releases “Aural” & “Summer 2010” .

Next week we return to our focus style post, although give it a real citric flavour, honing in on Orange residents The Sharp Boys & Fat Tony, plus shouting for latest studio works from Gonzalo Rivas, Hifi Sean & Nick Tcherniak, while the following week, we point towards Lovechild with focuses on guest D.J.’s Johan Khoury & Aural Devil, with shouts for Jonny M & JC Christopher’s new mixes.

In the meantime, we hope you like our new “DM Does The News” style post and our 18 selections, so as we love to say, “...select those sounds, sit back, turn up the volume & let the music play...”

xDM

Monday 2 August 2010

Music Is The Answer - "Music Mixing Madam's"












Hey Folks,

Being back into usual music mode, we revert to our regular post format, although give it a female flavour with focuses on two artists yet to get our attention, but also squeeze in shouts for a trio of chaps & their latest works.

So, let’s crack on and our first focus goes to Sharon O Love, a female talent that first caught our eye back on NYD 2009, when she featured large in Salvation’s massive party at the now defunct Hippodrome, an event that had its fair share of controversy, although Sharon’s stellar set was one major highlight along with other resident stars Gonzalo Rivas & Mis-White, Sharon’s typical uplifting, rip roaring, funky & fulsome vocal drenched house very much hitting the spot with the 2000+ crowd that night. Indeed, her style of sound secured Sharon a position within the regular team at Salvation and has seen her tour with the international club brand across the world, appearances on the international stage opening up doors & opportunities for solo representations, destinations included in her globetrotting being Russia, Germany, Greece, France & Spain, while more unconventional spots have included Lithuania & Dubai. But it would be far to say that Sharon has made as much of an impact back here in blighty, spreading her good house heaven word across not just London for Salvation, but up north from her home town of Nottingham, her impressive C.V. including gigs for Federation in Leeds, Essential in Manchester, Gatecrasher in Sheffield & Ko Ko in Leicester, although her appearances have seen her go as far south as Torquay and up north to Edinburgh, with much in between.

More recent developments in Sharon’s career behind the decks has seen her become part of the team at new Sunday night club event Booster in London’s Vauxhall, her following in the capital having increased tenfold as a result and we get the feeling that she will become even more of a feature in this ever changing yet vibrant scene south of the river. Mind you that doesn’t stop her spreading those international wings of hers and just last weekend saw Sharon play at Hamburg’s Pride event and this lovable lady is about to thrill throngs of Mexicano’s in a weeklong tour that will capture over 5 gigs, before returning to Europe for whistle-stop drop in’s on Munich, Lausanne & Rome, fitting these appearances in with her commitments to Booster, all meaning that Sharon’s life behind the decks is busier than ever. So, given all this, it is hardly surprising that swapping the circuit for the studio is a challenge, but it is one that Sharon rises to as much as she can, not only laying down compilation mixes from time to time, but also devoting a chunk of her unstoppable energies into track creations with mixing partner Alex Senna, under the guise of After 6. The duo have, in the three years in partnership in the studio, racked up over ten mixes/re-mixes in their discography, many with the backing of the huge MOS label, although undoubtedly their biggest success has been the rework of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”, which has been playlisted on every major UK radio station, including the biggie, Radio 1, and such has been the track’s success that recent further re-works include a sunrise & a club mix.

However, for us, it is Sharon’s compilation mixes that strike real resonance with us and very much reflect her live performances behind the decks, so it comes as no surprise that we have found real favour with her latest release entitled “This Is London – Summer 2010”, just over an hour of Sharon at her uplifting & energetic best that gets you going right from the off with uplifting vocals hits of now. The mix includes the brilliant “Acapella”, a superb re-work of “Sunday’s At Heaven”, a 2010 favourite of ours in Pitron & Sanna’s remix of Paul Harris’s “I Want You”, which is a take on the Eurythmics classic “Love Is A Stranger” and rounds off with a new take on David Guetta’s classic “Just A Little More Love”. But there is plenty more besides, especially a fabulous take on the Hed Kandi hit, David Morales’s “How Would U Feel” with the seductive vocals of Lea Lorien combining with barnstorming new beats that give the track that amazing energetic feel that is so very much Sharon O Love at her best. So, it goes without saying that this latest offering gets a massive thumbs up from us and is a must for your collection which you can grab at http://soundcloud.com/dj-sharon-o-love, along with over 6 previous full on compilations as well as those remixes of “Fast Car” we talked about.

Our other devotion this week goes to Lisa German, who’s terrifically trouncing tech tunes have been entertaining audiences for as long as we can remember, Lisa having first caught our eyes & ears back in the heady days of Trade during the 1990’s, when she made it big in the main room of Turnmills, having been given a foot in the door by promoter Laurence Malice, who offered Lisa a slot in the infamous test lounge. So impressed was Mr Malice that Lisa soon found herself playing in Trade’s main room, becoming a feature of the residency team through the late 90’s & into the new century, not just playing for Trade in the capital, but touring with the brand across the country & overseas and Lisa was featured in Trade’s “Retrospek” album, which was released in 2002, pretty much making Miss German a household name for the club since. But house nay Home was also going to dominate her career in the early new century, as it was the club of the same name, Home, that saw Lisa play out each Friday, where she rubbed shoulders with the likes of Steve Lawler, Danny Tenaglia & Carl Cox, this then leading on to appearances for Space in Ibiza and really opening the floodgates on worldwide gigs, whether it be as near as France & Switzerland, or as far as Brazil & Australia, there has been virtually no continent untouched by the Lisa techy, funky, chunky house style. Mind you, that said, this Lancashire born & bred lass has cut a considerable stride back home too, residencies including Sheffield’s Gatecrasher & London’s DTPM, Heaven & Gallery at Ministry Of Sound, making her probably the most accomplished & professional D.J.’s on the circuit and a favourite with the clubbing crowd.

However, one of the most interesting developments in her career was a chance meeting with Hed Kandi’s Mark Doyle while Lisa was playing a gig for Centro in Singapore in 2005, Miss German very much impressing Mark with her chunkier style of house that was to suit the “Twisted Disco” label of the brand and was brought on board to play at an endless string of parties across the UK and overseas. Having been known for playing it on the tougher side at clubs like Trade DTPM & Gallery, her move to Hed Kandi was seen as quite a strange one by many, although Lisa has been noted as remarking on this stage in her career as “...an opportunity that really brought back my love for simple, well produced funky house music...”, something that inspired her to get behind the decks in the first place and in some ways brought her full circle from the early days back in Manchester at clubs Brickhouse & Hacienda, two places very much responsible for her emerging love of house music back in the 1990’s. But back to Hed Kandi and Lisa also stated that “...I felt very privileged to be asked to join the team...” adding that “...The Hed Kandi parties were some of the best I have played, the crowds were up for a good time, pure & simple and you couldn’t ask for more than that...” and it was this philosophy that Mark Doyle had pioneered with Hed Kandi, that saw Lisa rejoin his side for Mr Doyle’s breakaway new brand, Fierce Angel, Miss German being a staple ingredient in virtually every album release & party.

But it is fair to say that Lisa has, through all this, maintained her underground status and remains best known for her Trade days, her continual appearances for Gallery and new venture Smartie Party. Having said that Gallery has led Lisa to be part of the team at Friday nighter Onyx, Miss German having been recommended by Tom Fuller and, along with Ariel, rips up the Terrace room each & every week with her terrific tech toned tunes, all this meaning that Lisa hardly ever gets into the studio to lay down recordings, preferring to play it live to her audiences. However, we trawled the archives and managed to track down a rare mix of hers which you can download for yourselves at http://abmp3.com/download/7072338-mp3, plus why not check out this fabulous video, which chronicles her tour of Greece with Hed Kandi, via the link http://muzu.tv/hedkandi/greece-is-the-word-music-video/38503?country=gb.

Right, moving on and we promised to bring you details of a live set devotion to the magnificent Matinee “Open Air Summer Party” by emerging talent Michel Mizrahi and here it is, a glorious Balearic inspired 58 minutes of sounds that reflect his performance at this huge event last month. The whole compilation is drenched with euro style vocals & beats but with plenty of funky intentions too, Funkagenda’s collaboration with Mark Knight, the brilliant “Devil Walking” standing proud alongside Blast’s “Crazy Man 2010” as two highlights of the mix, which you can grab now at http://soundcloud.com/michel-mizrahi/michelmizrahi-matinee-ministryofsound-11july2010.

Next and we were so thrilled to be in the company of French fancy Leomeo this last weekend, he having taken all the plaudits at Lovechild’s “Hot Tropicana” party on Saturday. However, when we caught up with him earlier in the day, we were given a full insight to the special mix he laid down in celebration of the birth of his niece Jeanne, entitled "The Life", a touching collection of tunes ranging from Massive Attack & Coldcut to Otis Redding & Sophia Loren, but with much more besides. Leomeo described it as “...as celebration of the birth of life and a mix combining loads of different sounds that have meant alot to me & my life, so mean even more when dedicating these records in a special collection to Jeanne...” the love & passion of his devotion purely evident in his words & expressions. And we couldn’t agree more, this 111 minute chilled out mix compilation having already found its way into our collection and should be in yours too by going to direct link http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/the-life-soft-mix-special-dedicated-to-jeanne-by-dj-leomeo.

But the Leomeo story goes on and his exhaustive schedule of gigs leaves us breathless, recent trips to New York & Barcelona preluding his London showing. Whilst he takes every opportunity to rest between visits, such is the demand for his services, that Leomeo’s diary is pretty much booked out until December and much of it demands plane journeys here there & everywhere, including a return to his beloved Singapore. However, this delightful Parisian based beaut tries to fit in gigs in his native France and in recognition of this, has produced a compilation entitled “La Legende Masquee”, a mix dedicated to the the club of the same name in St Tropez where the man played out recently and is very much more in the Leomeo tribal & progressive style but with a touch of techno,which we found addictive from the start, being surprisingly reflective of that incredible performnce at Lovechild on Saturday and we are sure, a stellar set in St Tropez too. So, for another slice of Leomeo magic, go now to http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/la-legende-masquee-the-mix-by-dj-leomeo.

Now to our final trio of talents and who else could it be but the fabulous Francesco Pagano, who treated us to a simply scintillating set at Logan Schmitz’s private party, UP, two Sunday’s ago, leaving us breathless in admiration of the man’s diverse talents. And just four days before, he released his remix of the superb “Raise Your Hands”, a pulsating progressive track that has the Pagano trademark sound & style written all over it, so is surely one for your collection, his dirty warehouse remix available via http://beatport.com/s/t5w8tf. But as good as this track is, the really exciting news is a planned compilation release due out in September on Kult records, entitled “Digital Generation”, so watch this space for news on that.

Right, that’s it for another post, although we are already looking forward to next week as our report will be more of a newsletter when we catch up on our backlog of compilations & track releases, covering offerings from Terry Vietheer, Per QX, Nacho Chapado, Javier Medina, Eduardo de La Torre, Nick Tcherniak & Danny Verde, before returning to our usual focus format and a very citric flavour devoted to Orange residents, The Sharp Boys & Fat Tony the following week.

In the meantime, we hope you like our choices here and as we love to say “select those sounds, sit back, turn up the volume & let the music play”.

xDM