Greg Wilson - Live At WOMADelaide Festival

Somehow Mondays continue to be a difficult as ever, so instead of forcing myself to find a new release to write about I've decided to return to the always awesome and reliable work of Greg Wilson. The legend's mailout arrived in my inbox today showcasing his "Last Festival 'Til When?" blog post and what may end up being both his first and last festival set of the year. Just over two months ago, immediately before the global lockdown took hold, Wilson took the stage at WOMADelaide Festival in Botanic Park in Adelaide.

Spanning nearly two hours, the set is full of upbeat and uplifting disco, funk and soul classics as well as its fair share of more recent releases in said sphere. The likes of Poolside and Todd Terje lead the mix to the tune of their "Harvest Moon" and "Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes," respectively. Even more trusted names follow as the mix really starts to soar with Late Nite Tuff Guy, Psychemagik and Dr Packer waiting in the wings. The latter appears a couple times, but I'm most drawn to his seemingly unreleased take on The Spinners "I'll Be Around," which appears around the 47 minute mark. As always with Wilson's mixes, there's gems like that galore and who couldn't use an extra shot of Prince, the Gibson Brothers or Chic in their life? Treat yourself to the effortless ease and glorious grooves of this mix (along with free download) and follow Greg Wilson through both his socials and blog below.FOLLOW GREG WILSON: BLOG FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Throwback Thursday: Tony Rallo & The Midnite Band - Holdin' On (Derek Kaye Rework)

For the first Throwback Thursday post of the year, I've decided to go back to one of my most played tracks from last year. Appearing in a Greg Wilson's Brixton Disco Festival Mix, Derek Kaye's raucous rework of Tony Rallo & The Midnite Band's 1979 "Holdin' On" immediately caught me. Obviously the fat and fantastic bass-line is the driving and commanding force of the original, but here Kaye has put it even more front and center. Riffing wonderfully, it gets better as it goes along, flourishing in this already incredible jazz-funk joint. It's not all about the bass though as the added percussion pushes it to new heights. And speaking of heights, we cannot talk about this track without showing some love to the awesome vocals (see them done live on Top Of The Pops in 1980 here). Sure to get you going, this high powered edit showcases both Derek Kaye's incredible ear and equally adept abilities.
Get "Holdin' On " as part of four track edit EP Kiss U All Over via Juno Records here.

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Mixes For Thanksgiving Weekend

For us Canadians we've got a long weekend to look forward to and while it's likely to be jam packed with lazing around the house, I've compiled a list of recent mixes you can play to make the time pass more easily. You'll notice that more than half of these mixes are disco and house-centric, a variety I think ought to be acceptable to most in-laws and older generations, I have also included a couple heavier, more banger friendly affairs. Find brief descriptions after the playlist and note that the mixes marked with asterisks are available for free download. Enjoy and indulge in moderation!

Erol Alkan - Live @ Sónar 2019
It's hard to beat the power of an Erol Alkan live set, the man's got an incredible ear and an uncanny knack for putting tracks in a position to succeed. The tracklist is there but it may as well not be as this nearly two hour extravaganza of energy is far more than the sum of its parts.

Benzi - Girl Trapz Vol. Sixteen*
'Edat' expert and mix master Benzi continues to churn out killer mixes. Here he gives old standards a breath of fresh air with lightening quick cuts and grin-inducing combinations. More than that he's always got the freshest of the fresh, featuring incredible amounts of forthcoming fire.

Folamour - Tapes For The PPL #6*
Far more laid back and funky than the previous two mixes, Folamour delivers delightful disco vibes built around a live band feel. There's oh so much awesome instrumentation and it moves along with incredible ease. Put this one on while you're cooking or cleaning and the work will fly by.

LeBaron James - Music For Lovers Of Music Vol. 2*
While sharing the same spirit as Folamour, this one is much more sonically full and focused on the dance-floor. LeBaron James tap into tons of classic disco vibes with fresh cuts from the likes of Purple Disco Machine, Joey Negro and Dr Packer, plus one of my favourites of the moment, their "Party Starter."

Mighty Mouse - Autumn 2019 Mixtape (Part 1)*
Almost splitting the last two mixes down the middle, Mighty Mouse too taps Horse Meat Disco's "Falling Deep In Love" while also offering up a number of his own awesome edits including his recent Double Exposure "Free Love." Surrender to the sublime strings and melt into this magnificent mix.

Hunter Siegel - Live From No Neon @ CODA (Sept 7. 2019)
The dark plur powerhouse is somehow managing to get darker and this live set illustrates that perfectly. I'll admit I haven't been as consistent in my No Neon attendance as of late, but at the last open-to-close set I saw Hunter play it featured tons of techno and he certainly has a knack for it. Here he plays plenty of extended numbers doing incredible duty in his post-Volac/Phlegmatic Dogs set. Gotta love the Victor Ruiz remix of Moby's "Natural Blues." Bravo Hunter, bravo!

Tensnake - In Your System Vol. 10
While it was the Mighty Mouse and Folamour mixes that appeared in my feed today, it was this one that most inspired me to make this post. Tensnake takes his time with this hour, letting the magic of his mix slowly suck you in. It is incredibly smooth and full of shimmering, groovy beauty.

Greg Wilson - Live @ La Discothèque, Ibiza Rocks Hotel (09.09.2019)*
Who better to close this post with than one of my most trusted, go-to DJs. Greg Wilson nearly always gives away his live sets for free and we can only hope more DJs follow suit. Not only that but he will often answer inquiries for IDs in the Soundcloud comments. His mixes are always clean and fun, showcasing decades of experience in the scene and unreal range in terms of track selection and vibe curation.

Underground System - Just A Place (Remixes)

This past week Brooklyn-based Underground System offered up a six pack of remixes of their groovy track "Just A Place." Stacked with the likes of Soul Clap, Greg Wilson and Gerd Janson, it is an all-star lineup no doubt.

Janson bookends the EP with opposing mixes, the first being more expansive and extraterrestrial, while the closing "Drum Remix" takes a more terrestrial, driving direction. The nearly seven minute opening track is exactly the kind of quality we've come to expect from Janson who lays down not just a brilliant bassline, but sensational synth work atop the blistering bongos. Further to the magic inherent in his productions, he once again perfectly straddles the line between nostalgic and fresh feels.

Second up in the legendary list of remixers is quite literally a group of all-stars in the foursome that is the Sol Power All-Stars. The Washington residents have whipped up an unstoppable workout that is sure to keep your feet moving as the occasionally squelching synths have your heart skipping a beat. Just as likely to produce palpitations, the Peter Matson edit heaves with heavy bass riffs. It is at once the most true to the original mix, but also the one most likely to make you go bananas on the dance-floor, ultimately illustrating the power of a quality club edit.

After invoking the word legend above, it really doesn't get much more legendary than crafting a killer mix with your son, which is the case here with father Greg and son Che. The two combine for an absolutely fantastic seven minute session that is sure to leave you swooning. The dope drum-line opening is reminiscent of the classic Greg Wilson edits of yesteryear and does indeed follow in the direction of those timeless craftworks, slowly adding and removing elements until ecstasy is achieved. With more than enough interplay, movement and acidic energy, this stands out as my favourite offering of the EP.

Entering the eleventh hour, Soul Clap and Midnight Magic match wits to melt your own. At times dirty, distorted and even unholy, their remix, like some of the others, plays perfectly with, and leans into, the lyrics. As though inhaling laughing gas as your press play, the track gets weirder and weirder as it goes, ultimately leaving you wondering what you just listened to. Perfect for your final listen of the night.
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Greg Wilson Live @ Brixton Disco Festival (04.27.19)

Last month the one and only Greg Wilson opened Electric at the Brixton Disco Festival and today he's gifted us with a free download of said set. As he says in the upload's description, the two and a half hour set starts with "a downtempo groove, gradually building towards a frantic conclusion." This evolution allows it to be used in a multitude of ways: as background beats as you embark on a long drive, as an extra jolt of jocundity with your morning coffee, as inspiration to get through an extended workout or quite simply as a party starting mix for your own festivities.

As always the wise and wondiferous Wilson has injected his mix with all kinds of awesome edits and infectious toe-tapping energy. Whether it be Donna Summer's "Love To Love You" sucking you into outer-space, the brilliant Blackbyrds' "Walking In Rhythm" giving a little glitter to your giddyup, or the fabulous funk of Gwen McCrae's "Keep The Fire Burning" propelling the groove, there's no shortage of ear-catching offerings. However my favourite bit about Wilson's mixes is always the sublime selection which inevitably introduces me to new favourites, of which there are two standouts in this mix. The frantic funk of Tony Rallo's "Holdin' On" arrives shortly after the hour 32 mark leaves my head spinning, while the closing track, Harry Thumann's "Underwater," I also heard Horse Meat Disco play last month at CODA and still has my jaw on the floor. Enjoy the mix below, and download it absolutely free here.FOLLOW GREG WILSON: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER

Thanksgiving Throwbacks

After an uneventful scroll through my Soundcloud feed this morning, I changed gears to focus on tracks not released this year, but indeed played an immense role in my year. So here's a quick taste of some throwback tracks that I'm awfully thankful for. Enjoy via playlist and read brief descriptions below.

Shina Williams - Agb'oju L'ogun
First heard in an Erol Alkan mix. Minimal yet massive, majestic groove-fest.

Poolside - Harvest Moon
First heard in a Greg Wilson mix. As if Neil Young recorded the original on a moon. Weightless wonder.

Turbotito and Phillipi & Rodrigo - Canção Para Laia (JKriv Remix)
First heard in a Kölsch playlist. Brilliant blend of techno, acid, and funky electronic grooves.

The Salsoul Orchestra - Salsoul Rainbow (Dimitri From Paris DJ Friendly Classic Re-Edit)
First heard in Horse Meat Disco's Essential Mix. Sublime strings, godly grooves in a pure disco delight.

Ignition - Sunday Secret Lover (Greg Wilson Edit)
Can't exactly remember where I came across this, but I feel like someone asked about it on Twitter, inciting me to look it up myself. My favourite Greg Wilson edit, in large part due to the section at 2:42.

Michael McDonald - Sweet Freedom (Live)
First heard this version on PBS' Soundstage, but it was the 12" version that got me hooked. I've always enjoyed MM's voice but it's the horn riffs that kept me coming back. My favourite track to throw on as I'm walking home, whistling and singing all the way.

Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces
Another one first heard in a Greg Wilson mix, although it feels so familiar. Can't help but get lost in this funky groove. Very few tracks induce such a confident strut the way this does.

Todd Terje & The Olsens - Baby Do You Wanna Bump
Right up there with my favourites song of the year, so it's weird I can't remember where I first heard it, although I feel it was another Erol Alkan nod. Cannot get enough this groove or the horns. Top Terje.

Paul McCartney - What's That You're Doing (ft. Stevie Wonder)
Another one first heard in Horse Meat Disco's Essential Mix. Jumped out at me immediately, like "damn, I need this" only to have jaw drop to find out it was McCartney. One of the funkiest riffs ever.

Enlightened Listening for August 10

Oh Fridays how I love you. Not only the promise of the weekend, but the new music you bring. No one can touch you. This week's edition of Enlightened Listening sees so many of my favourite artists dropping tracks. There's a couple incredible originals, awesome edits, mad mashups, and re-remixes. Look out for free downloads where available, stream away and read short descriptions below. ENJOY!

Savoir Adore - When The Summer Ends (Element Remix)*
I've been loving the range and diversity of Element's output and this only further exemplifies that. No it's not a trap banger, but yes it does indeed go off. A baile beauty.

MEMBA - Flash
Slaps and grooves with wacky wild design and the usual out of the world atmosphere. MEMBA are no flash in the pan talent, they just keep churning out quality at every corner.

Drake - Sandra's Rose (Crimsen Ghetto Remix)*
Not an "In My Feelings" mix? Yes, such a thing exists. Dope drum work and movement makes this an epic, dirty, dance all night kind of club cut. Kudos Crimsen!

618 - What You Do (Boe Boe Remix) [Sweater Disco Re-Remix]*
Another grooved out club cut, reliant on top notch percussion play. Sweater Disco doing what he does best, tweaking things to his liking, in this remix of a remix.

El Coco - Mondo Disco (Greg Wilson & Henry Greenwood Rework)
Drove home from the cottage last weekend to Greg Wilson's massive 3 hour Melting Pot set (here) and I never enjoyed leaving a cottage more. Not much to say here except enjoy this genius groove.

Piano&Specs - Flowtation Satellite*
Crafty combiners Piano&Specs caught my attention nearly a year ago with their "Sweet Dark Silence." Again they offer up an inspired rave classic made even more magical with provocative piano.

Tiga & Zyntherius - Sunglasses At Night (Dimitri Veimar Remix)
Turbo Recordings are on quite a roll and fairly so, they've got 20 years under their belts. From the package that includes Dense & Pika and Techno Seleba, I'm partial to Dimitri Veimar's mix. It keeps enough of the catchiness of the original, and Corey Hart namesake, while electrifying it to perfection.

Trentino & Usica - Cryme*
While I'll always think of Trentino as a DJ first, I've really come to love his productions. His remix of "La Player" hits my heart every time I hear it. Teaming up with Usica, who we've heard with friend of Bump In The Hump BLANSH, this track takes me back to the wild, and wicked bangers that Botnek used to drop with regularity. Drums and design on point, this one rocks hard and drops even harder.

Daft Punk - Robot Rock (KŸB Flip)*
The quality of Daft Punk's original will never cease to amaze me. Raw and ridiculously enjoyable, while the game has changed in the 13 years since its release, it's heartening to hear KŸB bring that same unvarnished intensity and gut-punch power to this killer recasting. Bass faces incoming!

*asterisks indicate track available for free download

Greg Wilson - Credit To The Edit 3

When it comes to disco edits, there aren't many more trustworthy names than Greg Wilson. Not only are his yearly "20 Choice Edits And Reworks" lists of undeniable quality, but his own edits offer up the same strength of free flowing fun and genius groove work. This past Friday we were treated to a ten-pack compilation, the third in the Credit To The Edit series, and first since 2009. Like the two previous installations, which hosted exceptional edits of 1gnition, Roxy Music, Yello, Chic and others, this too brings electro- and italo-disco to the likes of Psychemagik, The Chakachas, and more.The first track "Glad To Know You" is perhaps a DJ's greatest friend, an edit of an edit, from the always excellent Todd Terje; a perfect opener, not just for the compilation but indeed a party. The party picks up and threatens to go all night with the nonstop playfulness of "Cocaine Blues." Things only get bigger and more eventful with "Hold On" as the acid slowly eats away at the classic grooves. "Jungle Fever" further fills the fun quota with a sublime slow burner with plenty of brass breadth. Things then get twisted with the funky filter fest that is "Change The Beat." And this really kicks off the more electronic tilted second half of the release.

"Mink And Shoes" is rife with wicked and wild wobbles that is sure to infect everyone it comes in contact with its alien appeal. We stay high in the sky for "Magic Fly" which offers up more interstellar ecstasy, as Wilson and Peza punch up the groove of the classic Space track. The following track "Bad Times" opposes the previous instrumental perfectly, offering up the incredible performance of Captain Rapp on top of a more full foundation than the already ingenious original. The penultimate track "Crystal World" is about as fun, funky and cool as it gets. The drums, bass, strings, and horns all ooze with an exceptional energy and groove. And finally "Wonky Baseline Disco Banger" is exactly what disco edits are all about, it is just surefire fun, that shirks all pop music norms and delivers a dance all day groove.

After nearly a decade without a Credit To The Edit package, and disco undeniably on the rise, this couldn't have come at a better time. Be sure to follow Greg Wilson and pick up the album via iTunes.

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Four Fire Mixes

While I tend to spend most of my time digging through individual tracks, this past weekend afforded me the time enjoy some more mountainous mixes. So I've decided to share four of my favourites, two downright banger for banger blitzkriegs and two more tempered groove and dance oriented odysseys. Find them below in order of length from shortest to longest, with brief description attached.

An obvious contrast to Benzi's Girl Trapz series. All bangers all the time, plus the usual onslaught of edits and exclusives. Reworked from the original Diplo & Friends broadcast for even more fire. Free download and full tracklist provided.

Another epic mix of electro bangers, this time courtesy dope dudes 8-Bit Tits. Includes forthcoming fire from themselves and an electrifying list of the best belters from the last year plus. Also up for free download, with tracklist available upon request.

Turbo's top man Tiga takes us for a ride with his first set of the year. Live from Melbourne's Piknic Electronik, this two hour extravaganza runs through some of his classic like "Bugatti" and "Mind Dimension" as well as a handful of new cuts, including the forthcoming Tiga/Kölsch collab.

Almost at throwback level, considering it looks back at 2017's "choice edits and reworks," many of which take on disco classics. This is the sixth year in a row Greg Wilson had made such a list and I don't think I'm wrong to say that, with disco seemingly on the upswing, it's the best 20 yet. Also includes a blog post from the man himself delving further into the year that was.

Sunday Disco Delights

Yada yada yada, I love disco. Disco, disco, disco. There's nothing that I go to more frequently or enjoy so unabashedly as much as disco. Whether it's the strings and things, funky bass, gooey grooves, loving lyrics or just the anything goes ethos, I just cannot get enough of disco old and new. It's just the perfect mixture of live elements with repetitive electronic grooves. Today I've decided that I ought to showcase a small sampling of some of my favourites of the moment, from some of my most trusted sources. There's the ever awesome and expanding library of Funkingham (specifically Pimpin Willie) remixing the sublime Sade, the preeminent Dimitri From Paris, and supreme being SanFranDisko. The other two tracks are just as juicy and jam worthy; Cordycep I found through Greg Wilson and the "Everybody Dance" edit comes courtesy Dimitri From Paris, who referred to it as his all-time favourite. I leave you now to enjoy these disco delights and hope they give you strength this Sunday.Note that every other track is available for free download. Don't sleep!

Greg Wilson @ Glitterbox, Hï Ibiza (15.09.17)

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love disco. Not just because it's where DJing started, nor merely as a result of it's light and fun nature, but also that it's efficient and reliable (a line I'm borrowing from Kyle Kinane, who last night claimed German Techno is not good music but rather reliable).

A disco groove is an easy one to fall into with its four on the floor backbone. It's always there and while each second may not be utter excitement, it's truly epic long-form dance music, the kind you can rely on whenever you need a pick me up. It can serve as a subtle background beat or a groove guaranteed to get you moving.

Now, I try not to focus too much on disco because there's just so much of it that I could tie up all my time sharing it, but as I'm busy preparing a new season of Bump In The Hump in between attending comedy shows for JFL42, I've decided to showcase a mix I just came across: the legendary Greg Wilson's live set at Glitterbox. It kicks off with a killer Chic sampler in Chewy Rubs "Future Freak," before getting deep with strings and things from First Choice with "Doctor Love." We might have to start calling Greg Wilson, Doctor Disco because the medicinal vibes continue with Dr Packer's rework of Oliver Cheatham tune "Friday's Enemy." The blessed beats continue to churn with Cordycep's "7 PM" and Babert's "Boogie Oogie." The fun filled hour then finds its finishing line with the majesty of Marshall Hain's "Dancing In The City." You too can dance (where ever you want), as the full mix is available for download, absolutely free here, and be sure to check out more of Mr. Wilson's work below.FOLLOW GREG WILSON: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER