About 10 years ago, there was a hype around a new sound from the UK. It was called 2Step or UK Garage and sounded like a fusion of House, RnB and Breaks. The hype didn’t really last long (at least outside the UK), but over the last few years, there seems to be a revival of that sound with some really good tracks coming out right now. I really like the current UK Garage wave as it seemed somewhat different from the first one (less cheesy), so I created this mix.

Tracklist:

The Discotizer runs a very nice blog dedicated to funky and soulful House music. Like me, he regularly posts DJ sets and writes about good music. I really like his enthusiasm about House music, and his DJ sets are really worth listening.

Here is one for you to check out what I am talking about.

Discotizer started DJing out of disappointment with the local club scene.

“It’s funny that you hear funky and soulful House music more often in boutiques than in clubs. Here in Cologne, it’s actually hard to find clubs where you can hear that sound.”

We discussed this issue for a while, but couldn’t really come up with a convincing explanation. A lot of people like funky House music, and labels like Hed Kandi are very successful with their CD compilations. However, there seems to be a mismatch between what people like to hear and what DJs play in clubs.

“I was born in Bulgaria, and I occasionally visit friends and family there. Funky and soulful House is much easier to find there than it is in Cologne. Too many DJs here just keep playing annoying Minimal and Electro sounds. I never wanted to be a DJ, but I think I can do better than many DJs that I have heard so far.”

So is this just a local thing after all? I don’t know, but I can certainly relate to Discotizers mission for more soul and deepness in current dance music.

Tracklist:

1. Manyus and Dario Guida – Fever
2. Trouble Men – Do It
3. Glaubitz & Roc – Sunshine Day 2002 (Sgt. Slick 2002 Mix)
4. Soul Avengerz – Dancing In My Sleep
5. Full Intention pres. Deep Down – Give Me Your Love
6. Stone & Heller – San Francisco ’99 (Milk & Sugar Extended Mix)
7. Bran Van 3000 – Astounded (Eric Kupper Extended Mix)
8. Thomas Bangalter & Bob Sinclar – Gym Tonic
9. Armand Sarkowski – I Love It
10. Richard Grey – Is A Friend Of Mine
11. DJ EQ – Got Feelin’ (Original Mix)
12. Voodoo Chilli – Get On Down (Original Mix)
13. Voodoo Chilli – Check Out Our Groove (Herve Club Edit)
14. Black & White Brothers – Put Your Hands Up (DJ Disciple Vanguard Dub)
15. Conga Squad – Learn To Phonk
16. Czr and Ito – Bringing The Funk
17. Basement Jaxx – Do Your Thing (Jaxx Club Remix)
18. Michelle Weeks – Don’t Give Up (Baffled’s Midnight Mix)
19. Da Hoodfellas – Peep The Technique (Hustle & Flow Chi-Town Peepin Remix)
20. Stacy Kidd – Street Jazz (Original Mix)
21. Fabio Bacchini – Funk Is The Message
22. Cassius – Cassius ’99 (Fabio Bacchini 2009 Re-Tweaked Mix)
23. Cricco Castelli – Life Is Changing (Original)
24. One-T – Music Is The One-T Odc (Denis The Menace Club Mix)

Latin and electronic sounds have been fused by many people already, but I often found that combination a little cheesy. However, over time I found enough tracks that blended those styles very well and preserved the best of both worlds. I combined a couple of my favorites in this mix.

Tracklist:

1. Bajofondo  - Grand Guignol
2. Jean Claude Ades & Vincent Thomas – Shingaling
3. Major Lazer – Hold The Line (Edu K Remix)
4. Toni Rios – Incapaz de Parar
5. Curv – Cuban Clown
6. Sarah Vaughan – Whatever Lola Wants (Gotan Project Remix)
7. Rainer Trüby – Es Lo Que Pasa
8. Michel Cleis – La Mezcla (Paul Kalkbrenner Remix)
9. Mihalis Safras – Chicas Latinas
10. Swen Weber – Samba de Bochum
11. The Fort Knox Five – El Barrio (Mo’Horizons Remix)
12. The Mighty Dub Kats – Magic Carpet Ride (Son of Wilmot Mix)

Nerditional information: Bajofondo is probably one of the best and most authentic Latin electro projects so far. It consists of a couple of musicians from Argentina and Uruguay and you can tell by their music that there are some real musicians at work here. A very refreshing contrast to the many, many sample-based tracks in this genre.

The Gotan Project has also been around for a while. With their combination of Tango and electronic beats, they can be found on many lounge compilations. I really like their music, although most of what they do is not really dancefloor music.

Rainer Trüby is not from South America, but he is still one of the evangelists of good Latin electro sounds in Germany. Talking about Germany, it is actually funny that Latin sounds have been popular with German producers for quite a while. Two good examples for this are “Shingaling” by Jean Claude Ades & Vincent Thomas (released on the Munich-based Great Stuff label) and “Samba de Bochum” by Swen Weber. However, to understand the irony in the track title “Samba de Bochum”, you probably have to be German: While one would expect such a track to with “…de Janeiro” or some other beautiful city, it actually ends with “Bochum” which is a grey industrial city in western Germany.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lievensoete/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

There is a flavor of electronic music that I had though of as “yet another sub-genre of house” for quite a while. I am talking about those slow grooving tracks between 100 and 120 BPM that incorporate elements of Disco, ethno grooves, Electro and Funk, among others. Some refer to that particular flavor as “Cosmic”.

Tim oS from Bavaria (southern Germany) promotes this sound together with the rest of his Beatz For Freakz crew, and he explained to me what is special about this sound and why it is so rare for someone living north of Bavaria to be familiar with this.

But let’s start with a DJ set by Tim oS so that you know what we are talking about here:

Tracklist:

1. DJ Luna – Soma Part II
2. Gorillaz – White Flag
3. Schoenrock – Jujube
4. Tim & Puma Mimi – Aquarium
5. Alternative Car Park – Jack Your Sorry White Ass
6. White Label
7. The Champ’s Boys Orchestra – Tubular Bells (Cosmic Mix)
8. JJ Cale – Ride Me High (Joakim Edit)
9. Kafka – Afro Innay (Golden Soul Remix)
10. Sabo & Uriel – Mi Tierra
11. DJ Ebreo – Balkan Tour
12. Sabo – La Negra Chula
13. Basement Freaks – Disco Life
14. Guem – Le Serpent
15. Amplified Orchestra – Dune
16. DJ Zeyhan – Discomatic (Enne Mix)
17. The Popular People’s Front – Arpin’ On (Hot Mix Live)
18. Lost ‘N’ Alive – Feels Like Love (Tiefschwarz Remix)
19. Afrobutt – Wunderbutt
20. Downtown Party Network – Days Like These

“The Cosmic scene is pretty much limited to Italy, Tyrol and Bavaria. I don’t know why, but it just hasn’t spread any further. However, where I live, you have various party crews who promote that style, and there is even quite a bit of competition.”

With its spacey and ethno-influenced soundscape, it is no surprise that those parties often take place in unusual locations and attract a hippie-esque crowd.

“We sometimes organize parties in clearings in the middle of the forest. We are a good team, so we usually have everything set up in little more than an hour, and the next morning it looks like we have never been there. Those parties are very unique experiences. I would also say that it definitely influences my sound and my track selection. It’s just very different to play outside in a forest under the starry sky than to play in a basement club.”

Tim started DJing with House music, but got in touch with Cosmic sounds through his DJ-colleague Zeyhan. While he still likes House music and other flavors of electronic music, Tim oS has found his personal style.

“This style is just perfect for me, and there really is no need for yet another House DJ. There are a lot of good House DJs around who do a great job. I still listen to different sounds, but I don’t understand why rather subtle styles like Minimal or Tech-House are so popular right now. I like it when a DJ set is very dynamic. It’s fine for me when there are times for both relaxed and excessive dancing during a party.”

Beatz For Freakz have also just launched their own record label. Their first release “Discomatic” is already available through all major download shops.

The next forest party will take place on May 22. If you live in the Munich area, check their website a few days before the party to learn about the exact location!