Hamster House. What is it?
It’s a house that a hamster lives in.
It’s also my first mix for A Deeper Groove, after being hounded for a couple of years by Joc to get something done. This, as with all future mixes, is strictly vinyl mixed in a one off take, with no post-editing. And it also contains tracks that I’m listening to for the first time since hearing 60 second snippets on Juno or wherever I’ve bought stuff from. That explains some of the rough edges in the mix, but it’s something I love doing. The child like, Christmas-esque, excitement of getting a 12” x 12” parcel through the door is enhanced by flinging the wax straight on the decks and hitting record.
That’s the background.
For the next 49 minutes or whatever it is, you’ll hear some new hip hop, some old git hop, and some mid-tempo modern boogie in between. Although 80 – 90% of my racks are filled with hip hop, I’ve never stopped buying house music since I first got into it back in the late 80’s, and recently there’s been a raft of good music coming out again. Quantity has caught up with quality, and it’s easy for me to fill a whole e-shopping bag with exclusively 4/4 music now. And, the 6th Borough Project track on this mix is filled with quality. The vinyl is 4 tracks deep, and I don’t think there’s a bad one on it. Deep basslines, disco edges, and relentless beats. The same description could be applied to the track straight after it, Love Me Like This. Floating Points have taken an early 80’s boogie record of the same name and updated it for modern ears, and there’s no doubt they’ve done a great job.
Providing the bread on either side of the dub-disco burger is hip hop with a similar twist. Deep electronic basslines and beats, with a big inspiration from Dilla. In fact, Stones Throw provides most of the slower stuff on here, with a real gem right at the end by the late, great, Charizma.
Final thanks-for-the-music goes to Den Sorte Skole (‘The Black School’, in Danish): a 3 man DJ crew who have put together the only mix that, for me, betters Liam Howlett’s Dirtchamber Sessions for creativity. An unbelievably eclectic selection makes up their mixes, and this blend of Eric B & Rakim comes from Part 2, released last year. I cannot recommend this enough. They boys have more taste than a four tongued chef, and have put together a 60 minute mix using 6 decks that leaves you scrabbling around on the tracklist trying to work out how the hell they do it.
That’s the specifics.
Keith the Peace
Tracklist
Dudley Perkins - War Goin’ On
DJ Spinna - Dillagence
Beat Konducta - J.D. & J.B.
Eddie C - You’re Welcome
6th Borough Project - Do It To The Max
Floating Points - Love Me Like This
Atlantic Conveyor - You Got Me
Y.B.U - Soul Magic
Eric B & Rakim - Let The Rhythm Hit Em (live blend by Den Sorte Skole)
Percee P - Raw Heat
Black Star - Definition (instrumental)
Charizma - Cut The Play
