A-Trak - Hollerboard Redux Set

There's no debating A-Trak's spot on the Mount Rushmore of DJs. You could literally spend days, if not weeks, enjoying his wide range of sets and mixes. Back in October of 2015 he dropped his "Bloghaus Revival Mix," with the followup coming about about six months later, here. While he didn't directly reference the Erol Alkan forum, it no doubt played part in the track selection as a hub for electronic music aficionados from around 2007-2009. Last night he released a recording of a September 28th set in Philadelphia entitled "Hollerboard Redux Set."

As he mentions in the description, this Hollerboard Redux party arose from the message board of the same name, based around Diplo and Low Budget's Hollertronix parties. Before Soundcloud and EDM, it was message boards and forums like Erol Alkan's and Hollerboard where DJs and fans alike shared mashups and "lesser-known regional styles," bringing incredible creativity and experimentation to DJ sets. The result below, a mix of tracks from the Hollerboard Era and new songs with the same spirit, is one of the widest ranging sets you'll ever hear. Where else are you going to get Billy Joel pitted against A$AP Rocky & Skepta in the same hour as Justin Timberlake, Parliament, Bloc Party and Kraftwerk.
The back and forth in the mix is incredible. One minute you're popping off to Cajmere "Percolator" the next your gliding across the floor to A-Trak's ABBA aided "Voulez-Vous" or pumping up the jam before releasing the beast on Hall & Oates. That said, A-Trak's made all of those transitions fit together better than PB&J. Like Kid Sister's "Pro Nails," which he helped write, this mix is dressed to the nines, "toes done up with her finger nails matchin'." Just one look at the massive tracklist, almost as wide as it is tall, and you'll realize what kind of treat you're in for. It's some serious "Laffy Taffy" as A-Trak's journey is sure to leave your head spinning.

Finally, as writing this A-Trak tweeted out a list of his DJ sets from Hollerboard to Bloghaus to Rap and Cut It Out (here). If you've missed any of these, make sure to save or download for your holiday parties!

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DJ Mehdi B2B A-Trak @ Electron 2009

Is there such thing as a Throwback Monday? How about a Mehdi Monday? Because that's what today has become, as someone sent Busy P a recording of Mehdi and A-Trak's 2009 B2B set at Electron.

The names and date alone should be enough to get you excited, and what's not to like. The selection is top notch, and the display on the decks something to behold. There's so many classic bloghaus cuts, and especially at the end a number of rap delights. The final 10 minute flourish from "Robot Rock" through "Hip Hop," "Paper Planes," "Can't Tell Me Nothing" to the double dose of King Hova is enough to leave your head spinning. Further to the physiological impact of this tremendous throwback mix, if "Pocket Piano" doesn't give you heart palpitations, you better check that you actually have one.

Transport yourself back to the late oughts and enjoy the stream below!FOLLOW A-TRAK: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Throwback Thursday: The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)

While I'm busy thinking about 2017 and the new music it brought (especially as I work on my picks for Album Of The Year and Top 100 Tracks), I felt it apropos to shine a light on an older track that played a massive role in my year: Fred Falke's remix of The Whitest Boy Alive's "Golden Cage."
Now this story actually starts in 2016 when FACT Mag published a list of the "30 best blog house tracks." As is often the case I opened the article in a new tab but I never got around to reading it, until one day early 2017, when I spent the afternoon thoroughly digging through the countdown. I always knew I liked Fred Falke, but boy did this one blow me away. And it took no time at all. The opening is absolutely intoxicating with the most incredibly uplifting synths and funky drum delivery. Further along it only get more groovy and grandiose, setting a sublime, strutting soundtrack suitable for your morning coffee, afternoon pick me up or after club crooning session.

It, like so much of the best bloghaus, pairs the indie punk rock aesthetic with rave revelry and the power of PLUR. For my tastes, it is dance music at its best. The crowning jewel being Falke's ability to mix the emotional lyrics with the oh so fun and frivolous funky feels. Just a short stint of the video below exemplifies just how much fun (maybe frustratingly so) the crowd is having as Fred plays live.

Anyway, that's all I've got for this. It was one of my most played tracks year and deserved a share. I can only hope that you enjoy it a fraction as much as I do, and that it inspires some digging of your own.

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Dr. Fresch & NuKid - 151

Dr. Fresch has been busy. Just two weeks ago he dropped another godly G-House bootleg, in the form of A$AP Ferg's "Plain Jane," and earlier this week I wrote about his Bloghaus episode of The Prescription. Now he's teamed up with NuKid for a potent original production, "151." Like most of what we've come to expect from the good doctor, this track is overly ominous, dropping an unavoidable weight on unsuspecting listeners. Claustrophobes be warned, this one closes in on you quickly, because in spite of its unsightly heft, it's actually quite nimble. The drum work deftly delivers this diabolical dance groove that flows as freely as a noxious gas. Just like the titular concoction, this track is best consumed under adult supervision, and can lead to regrets the next day. Download free here.FOLLOW DR. FRESCH: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Dr. Fresch - The Prescription 30: Bloghaus with Wongo

Yesterday Dr. Fresch dropped the 30th edition of his popular mix series, The Prescription. In honour of this milestone, he upped the dosage to two full hours and invited Wongo to help him spin some salacious bloghaus. As you might expect, it is all kinds of sick, wicked and nasty beats and bangers. Both hours feature some of the most respected names of this egregious electro era, and truly some of the most raucous remixes, fire flips and audacious originals.

Right from the get go we're greeted with one of my favourites, Jack Beats and their "Get Down." The next dozen or so tracks turn to more of the mainstays of the scene with SebastiAn, Mr. Oizo, Crookers, and the genius that is Fake Blood. Those names reappear in Wongo's mix while Hervé and Switch make multiple entries as well. With "Marina Gasolina," "Mars," "Erotic Discourse" and "Hustler" all appearing, there's no questioning the quality of choices for a true bloghaus set. Find the full tracklist here and download the mix for yourself free via Hive here.FOLLOW DR. FRESCH: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Throwback Thursday: Hot Chip - Boy From School (Erol Alkan Rework)

It's been a while since I've done a Throwback Thursday post but lately I've found myself digging deeper and deeper through my library, in part fostered by Erol Alkan posting his "Reworks Volume 1" playlist on Spotify. I've noted before that he's without question one of the biggest influences in my musical taste, and that playlist is chalk full of some of my favourite of his works, particularly his take on Hot Chip's "Boy From School." Whether with Boys Noize, his own originals or his unparalleled remix rework/re-edit collection, the man always crafts the most infectious and inspired records.

While I could have just as easily gushed about his "Forever Dolphin Love," "Why Won't You Make Up Your Mind," or "Zero" reworks, I'm still on a Joe Goddard bent and as he's a member of Hot Chip I figured why not continue to run in that direction. What makes Erol's "Boy From School" rework so special is precisely what makes all of his work so genius. He works with the original track's appeal: if it calls for intense banging breaks and beats he does it, if it's a more melodic, expressive tune he takes that into regard. Here with "Boy From School" he keys in on the twinkling sheen of the original, and brings that to the fore, giving the bells more room to breath in the extended now bloghaus bent. And maybe this is really the crux, maybe I'm just a bloghaus boy, but it's that kind of raw mixture of post punk with alluring electronic ideology that makes all of these reworks so magical. They're epic in form and sound design, and just so much fun. That's really what dance music is about; losing yourself in a flurry of fun on the dancefloor. Do yourself a favour and check out as much Erol as you can, you won't be disappointed. He's the perfect mixture of Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and Kraftwerk.FOLLOW EROL ALKAN: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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Destructo & Volac - What I Got

Russian duo Volac have teamed up with don of west coast deepness, Destructo to create an edgy, grind it out, house number that further propels the combination of rap and hip-hop vocals with deep bass house grooves. Destructo has been cultivating this style for the last couple years, along with the likes of Dr. Fresch and Night Bass Records. "What I Got" is yet a further example of the quality that can come out this pairing of slick, intimidating vocals and stormy, ominous production. It almost has a bit of a callback to bloghaus, in its rough sound design, built around gritty vocals, à la "Beeper" or "Hustler."

Certainly the scene at large has changed, as well as the expectations of the particular sounds and their delivery, but if we were to hear "What I Got" 10 years ago, I imagine it would fit in fairly well. Perhaps the biggest differences between this and a decade prior, is its slightly more refined digital sound design, and its dependence on deeper drums to drive the groove. "What I Got" succeeds in combining scratching effects, an ever growing atmosphere of intimidation, and a surefire shuffling groove. It commands attention while not being overly needy, it just bumps along doing its thing. Whether two hours or 10 years old, "What I Got" is a potent production, that I'm sure will garner a lot of club play. Pick up what Destructo and Volac got, for free via The Artist Union, here.

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