The Horizon Plate #1

Between the excellent cover art and the confident "buy this record" on the label, I knew the 12" was worth my dollar before I even listened to it (yes, this one actually cost a buck!). This diligently assembled mix from the early 80's reassures my belief that I am a disco fan. There is no question that I love the music, but can I truly say that I love the genre when revisionism plays a large role in my tastes? Thanks to this mix, the answer is in fact yes. Prior to hearing "The Horizon Plate," I always questioned my relationship with music that I am constantly butchering in Ableton. I mean, I often prefer recent edits over originals and classic disco djs played plenty of cringe worthy tracks to me. Fortunately, William Eager selected and mixed a batch of tracks in the early 80's with the same spirit I have in 2008. This is a missing link between disco fans like me and the disco era. I don't have a complete list of the source material, but there is a start below. Please comment if you can identify any of the other tracks.

Incomplete tracklist:
ESG - UFO sample
Sharon Brown - I Specialize In Love
Sky - Let's Celebrate
NYC Peech boys - Don't Make Me Wait
Chaz Jankel - Glad To Know You
Ian Dury - Trust Is A Must
Was Not Was - Tell Me That I'm Dreaming
Tom Tom Club - Wordy Rappinghood

William Eager - The Horizon Plate #1 | Zshare | 320 kbps

If You Truly Love Me

Only In The Dark f/ Lisette Melendez - If You Truly Love Me (Club Kryptonite Mix) | Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

I ripped this record like two months ago and entirely forgot about it because I didn't label it right and both the name of the crew and the name of the song are entirely generic. Awesome latin house from 1990 with Lisette Melendez on vocals. Breaks down into cheesy-but-aight pop-rap half way through, then picks up again.

You might know Lisette because of her freestyle hit "Together Forever." Dudes seem to be playing that track a lot these days because it has the "Sing Sing" break in it and yeah you know how that goes.

It's Really Not A Shame!

This record came to mind the last time I chilled at the Barbary with most of the DBJ members. It's very tasteful and can fit into many types of sets. Check it out Money Brick Politics!

Monie Love - It's A Shame (My Sister) (Red Zone Mix)
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

60 Minutes of Fear

At last, RVNG's newest release is here to rescue you from a musical rut! I imagine if you frequent this blog, you are a fan of dance music history. I've certainly spent the last six years exploring everything from funk to mnml. As my Expedits can tell you, things have been going well too. After all of this time collecting dusty old 12"s with dub mixes that sound cool until the vocal/sax/synth/etc comes in and ruins it, I need a break. I need to hear "songs" instead of "tracks", songs with distorted guitars and big choruses - punk songs.

Fortunately, Optimo's JD Twitch recently released his "60 Minutes of Fear" mix and "10 Inches of Fear" edits. The mix is an eclectic blend of punk spanning 3 decades, featuring Big Black, Crass, The Butthole Surfers, Sonic Youth, Husker Du, Black Flag, The Minutemen, The Pop Group and more. It's a refreshing change from my typical diet of drum machines and computer music. Now I'm having fun nodding in agreement with Flipper and discovering The Fatal Microbes. Twitch also took it the extra mile by digging up some old Crass records releases, getting permission from the bands and doing a 10" of DJ friendly re-edits. Now we can get crusty in the club.

Thank you for the reminder Twitch!

Order JD Twitch's 60 Minutes of Fear CD & 10 Inches of Fear 10" here. It's definitely a good deal considering you get a fully packaged mix cd & 10".

The Mob - Witch Hunt (JD Twitch Re-edit) - from the 10"
Zshare | YSI |128 kbps

Bonnie And Clyde (DJ Apt One Edit)

Back in the day, Burnso and I did a 4x4 live mix where we put the "Sucker MC" drums over Bonnie and Clyde. I finally got around to making this a formal edit. I kept it very loose so that it retains the live feel of the original, where there is almost no drumming to speak of, so the guitar and vocals meander all over. Basically the idea was to create an edit which just sounded like there were a few additional live musicians in the room, albeit percussionists.

Serge Gainsbourg avec Brigitte Bardot - Bonnie And Clyde (DJ Apt One Edit)
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Hot Stuff

Another gem from from Tequila Sunrise's 50 cent sale. Time for a confession: I hate string sections in disco music. Most string-laden disco music is garbage to me, but this track is a rare exception. I am happy to share Novella Edmonds' "Hot Stuff" with you in all of it's stringy glory. Enjoy this fine disco instrumental (sorry Novella!):

Novella Edmonds - Hot Stuff (Instrumental) | Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Dollar Bin Jammers, Make RCMP Yours

Here's a formal introduction to the newest offshoot of the Philadelphyinz/Dollar Bin Jams family: RCMP.

RCMP is the brainchild of Relative Q (who you may remember from DBJ guest Mix Number 1) and me, DJ Apt One. It's a strictly classic Eurodance project.

More details emerge by the day, but I've just received word that there is a very good chance that RCMP will be on vinyl some time in 2009. Yay!

There will be free music for you at some point, no doubt, but in the meantime, go and listen to RCMP at myspace.com/rcmpmusic and make RCMP yours.

The Acid That Ate New York

Here's some great early acid from my own pile of Tequila Sunrise fifty cent scores. What caused me to pick it up in the first place was the fact that it was mistakenly filed inside a sleeve for Inner City's "Good Life" (which I found for real a couple minutes later, cha-ching!). Also, note the difference between my spelling of "acid" and that from the label pictured above (from Discogs). This is because the copy I grabbed is actually a House Nation Records white label test pressing with the track information rubber-stamped on, so I'm guessing it never even had a sleeve of its own to begin with.

Check back for a posting of the flip, "The Acid That Ate The U.K."

Mark Imperial - The Acid That Ate New York
DivShare | YSI | 320 kbps

And don't forget to check out Nighttime World radio tonight at 10 p.m. EST on Party 934!

South Africa

Here's an odd one Hamilton did in 1985. It's follows his stripped down, percussive formula, but adds prominent strange little sounds to the mix. This is the first of many scores from Tequila Sunrise's excellent 50 cent sale that I will be posting. Also, if you need more Bohannon, don't forget the mix I posted last April.

Bohannon - South Africa (With Vocal And Rhythm Mix)
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Ryan Todd repost!!! | Mediafire

Crazy Elephant

Here's some rock for a change. I picked this up a few weeks ago from a junk store near the Italian Market for a quarter. I mean, with a name like Crazy Elephant, who wouldn't?

Crazy Elephant - Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Crazy Elephant - Dark Part of My Mind
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Let's Steal Some Motherfuckin Jeans

I went on a 90s-underground-hits-ripping binge last week. They got a recession on, let's mob on Macy's!

Thirstin Howl III - Brooklyn Hard Rock
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Gangsters of Freestyle "Get the Hoe"

This is a Motivational Song!

Gangsters of Freestyle - Get the Hoe | ZShare | YSI | 320 kbps

Exclusive Sharegroove Edit

Brooklyn's Sharegroove, aka DJs Duckcomb & Steve Shakewell, are already known for their "sounds of serious fun" as djs. It seems like their edits are also informed by the same ethos - just listen to this Double Exposure track they recently gave me. Duckcomb patiently builds the groove by emphasizing some soulful vocal loops, warm keys and funky guitar. Eventually, he really lets the vocal and horn sections loose for maximum dancefloor enjoyment. Try this one out in your disco sets and see! As always, feedback is welcome...

Double Exposure - What You Need (DJ Duckcomb Edit)
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Will You Be There When I Need You?

This reminds me of lying inert on the beach in Miami, serotonin receptors fried and bone-tired from only two hours of sleep, while the hypnotic throb and pulse of bass drifting over the dunes wobbles in and out of my consciousness. God, I can't wait to go back.

Vikter Duplaix - City Spirits (King Britt's Scuba Trip)
DivShare | YSI | 192 kbps


Also, big thanks again to Darklord for his outstanding guest set on Nighttime World radio last Monday! Be sure to tune in for this week's episode, broadcasting live tonight at 10 p.m. EST on Party 934!

Silk City this Wednesday + Confusion

This Wednesday I'm playing with The Model, Sgt. Sass & Joe Lentini at Silk City. Many genres will be represented, worshiped, combined, desecrated, warped, rebuilt and shot into the core of the earth.

I'm not sure what any of this has to do with New Order or Arthur Baker, other than that Johnny from The Model probably loves New Order and Joe Lentini may worship Arthur Baker. Anyway, Arthur Baker has done numerous remixes of New Order's "Confusion", but my favorite is the 12" mix from 1983. Also, the video is a must see for any fan of dance music. Arthur Baker with reel to reels, Jellybean Benitez at the Funhouse, and early 80's NYC club kids!

Also, I wish our visitors left comments more frequently. We love to hear from you!

New Order - Confusion (12" Mix) | Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

This Saturday - Philadelphyinz 3-Year Anniversary f/ Shawn Ryan, Mike Tee and many many more!

This Saturday we celebrate three long, awesome years of Philadelphyinz! We've got some of Philly's best DJs and best friends to help us celebrate, including some of Dollar Bin Jams' finest.

DJs Apt One and Skinny Friedman welcome:

DJ Stumble (SmartTech)
Mike Tee (Robotique / Paradise / Macho City / Dollar Bin Jams)
Kenny Raw (Tech Support)
Shawn Ryan (Hurrah / Dollar Bin Jams)
JJC (Dollar Grillz)

Be prepared for funk, disco, electro, soul, rap, club, house, freestyle, juke, ghettotech, garage, bassline. Fuck it - get ready to dance to anything and everything.

$2 Shot+PBR 10-11
$3 Mini-pitchers 10-12

Hosted by Lexie

Medusa Lounge. 21st and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA.

FREE

Get all the details plus full biographies on all our awesome guests HERE.

BONUS - Some random records I ripped last week!

Young MC - Bust A Move
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Commodores - The Bump
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

New Peoples Potential Unlimited Release

Here's a strange track I first heard on Deep Sang's recent DURKL Promo Mix. Apparently Crunch was a New Orleans based solo artist from the early 80's. Somehow People's Potential Unlimited Records found these tracks and blessed the world with a reissue. Hats off to them for discovering such an awesome obscurity. "Funky Beat" reminds me of Gary Davis & His Professor's "The Professor Here," though Crunch is far more raw. My online research didn't yield any results, so here's what the label has to say about it:

"Get ready for an analog ride. These 80s multi-tracks are all we have left from creative mind, CRUNCH. Hurricane Katrina wiped out the home studio and master recordings. Now back from the bayou, every struggling sound, tape flutter, and disco hiss are re-released on vinyl, and sounding extra dirty. Only available on Peoples Potential Unlimited Records. Originally released on Style Records (1982)."

If you like what you hear, be sure to pick up a copy here.

Crunch - Funky Beat | Zshare | YSI | 128 kbps

Victory!

Photo courtesy of Philly.com.

Photo courtesy of Cashion.

Broad Street was beautiful last night. Just thought I'd remind everyone of Apt One's foresight back in August.

Steppin It Hotter This Year

This track appeared on my Hip-Hop mix a month ago and heads were feeling it, so here it is. I bought this record when I was 12 years old and it's still dope 13 years later. Hope you enjoy!

Ini Kamoze - Hotter This Year | Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

RFTW - Oh Sheila (DJ Apt One Remix)

OK here's my take on one of the Dollar Bin classics, complete with all the dirty ass vinyl crackles from the a capella.

You’ll notice it’s somewhat different than the version that appeared on the Bell Ringers mix, more synths for your ass.

Some fun samples in there for you nerds, too.

Ready For The World - Oh Sheila (DJ Apt One Remix)
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

DARKLORD Presenta - Il Suono Scuro

The first of what I hope to be a series of soundtrack mixes. Being October and all, I opted to leave out a stack of my funkier records and instead concentrate on the dark and dissonant sounds of the silver screen. A few classics (Flashing, Baseball Furies Chase), a few weird unknowns (Alien Earth, One Foot In Heaven) an original and an edit help to keep things a bit more interesting than the typical Halloween-time jock jams mix. At least, I think so...

The mix is also available in a physical format, CD to be specific, with really handsome artwork designed by Megan Mitchell. If anyone is interested, please send me a message (either here or on myspace) with your address and I will mail you a copy for FREE!

Big ups to Shawn Ryan for helping me turn a pile of moldy records into a veritable, balanced mix.

Enjoy!

DARKLORD Presenta - Il Suono Scuro | Direct Link | 192 kbps

Michel Rubini & Denny Jaeger - Beach House (The Hunger, 1983)
Simonetti, Morante & Pignatelli - Flashing (Tenebrae, 1982)
Tangerine Dream - Between Realities (Firestarter, 1984)
Barry De Vorzon - Baseball Furies Chase (The Warriors, 1979)
John Carpenter - The Bank Robbery (Escape From New York, 1981)
Synergy - Alien Earth (The Jupiter Menace, 1982)
Gary Scott - The Chase (Final Exam, 1981)
Giorgio Moroder - Valley of the Dolls (Foxes, 1980)
DARKLORD - Legends (2006)
Goblin - Buio Omega (Buio Omega, 1979)
Pino Donaggio - Mannequins (Tourist Trap, 1979)
SSQ - Trash's Theme (Return of the Living Dead, 1985)
John Carpenter - Street Thunder (Assault on Precinct 13, 1976)
John Harrison - The Dead Suite (DARKLORD edit, 2008)
Jack Nitzsche - Jenny Shot (Starman, 1984)
The Edge - One Foot In Heaven (Captive, 1987)

My Cousin Roy Interview

This Saturday at Hurrah, we are excited to host NYC's My Cousin Roy. His label, Wurst Edits, has been releasing creative new takes on vintage dance music for the past couple years. Not a typical disco edit label, Wurst uncovers and updates dance music from across genres. In addition to his own releases, Wurst has worked with Runaway, Lee Douglas & Eamon Harkin. This week Dollar Bin Jams conducted the following interview with Roy. Also, we have one of his edits below for your listening pleasure. See you Saturday!

When did you first start DJing, and how did you get into it?

1996, following a semester abroad in London. Fell in love with clubbing in the Summer and Fall of '95, and started collecting dance music 12s shortly that Fall. Had been a big music head since my uncle gave me his old turntable when I was just 5 and spent my weekly allowance on LPs, and then eventually cassette tapes, throughout my childhood.

How did you end up collaborating with the group Mathematics in 2004 and 2005?

I was a drum & bass DJ/producer and one of the members of Mathematics in a former life. Left the "group" in 2004 in favor of playing my record collection instead of just one tempo/style.

Aside from the obvious play on words, is there any other meaning behind the name Wurst Edits?

Does there need to be? Heh. Just thought it was a funny and clever name, and yes, I'm a fan of ground meat squeezed into casings. Mmmmm, sausage.


What motivates you to do edits? What elements in the music do you hope to emphasize or eliminate through the process?

It all started with this Ruts DC jam I loved, but it was too short to play out. I went into the studio with the intention of extending all of the best bits and then had a lot of fun making little loops. Next thing I knew I was doing this to all of these songs I found that I wanted to put my personal stamp on, and Wurst Edits was born. I think the edits thing has gone a bit overboard, with too many folks editing the same songs, or those that just don't need editing. I only want to put edits out that bring something new to the table, whether it's Marcos and Jacques from Runaway adding instrumentation of their own, or Doug chopping things up a significant amount, or Eamon locking in on his favorite grooves within the broader context of a song. Wow, I really went overboard on that question, didn't I?

What is your favorite city to play in and why?

New York, New York. Nothing like the energy of a party going off here. Horsemeat Disco in London, the I'm A Cliché night in Paris, Too Much Joy in Minneapolis, and the Gomma night at Erste Liga in Munich were all pretty slammin'.

What new releases have you been enjoying recently?

Terje's mix of Jose Gonzelez is beautiful. Gorgeous, in fact. Laughing Light of Plenty's "The Rose" is incredible as well. Go Thom!

What can we expect from you and Wurst iin the future?

The triumphant return of Runaway in a few weeks! "Use Me" and "Just Got Paid" are the boy's finest work to date, in my extremely biased opinion. Doug (Lee Douglas/Douglas Sound) is working on some new ones as is Eamon and some other buds of mine.

What's the best dollar bin jam you've ever scored?

Robert Gorl: Darling Don't Leave Me - several times over. I always pick it up when I see it to give to friends. Also gotta mention Miss Nicky Trax: Acid In The House, but that was 99¢.


My Cousin Roy - In For It | Zshare | YSI | 128 kbps

Love So Deep

Toney Lee instrumentals rule. Further evidence can be found here.

Toney Lee - Love So Deep (Instrumental) | Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps

Forever More

It's nearly impossible to pick a favorite Francois K. mix, but I have to say that his rework of Moloko's "Forever More" is easily towards the top of my own list. The source material helps; Roisin Murphy's untouchable vocals are placed front and center in a lush and breezy backdrop by Mr. K and some additional keyboard flares from another studio veteran; Eric Kupper. In a word, this is flawless pop music for the dancefloor.

I've posted the 7 minute version of the track, but the 12"es that host this tune (there are a few) have a 10 minute version that extends the intro and some of the breaks halfway through. Vinyl hounds be forewarned: it took me months to track this record down. I can't say why for sure, but I finally nabbed it from a dealer on Gemm.com. Right place, right time I guess.

Moloko - Forever More (FKEK Vocal Mix) | ZShare | YSI | 192 kbps

Covers

Shinehead was known for his reggae covers of contemporary pop hits. He did Englishman in New York too.

Shinehead - Billie Jean (7")
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps



A lotta love for this Philly-Pittsburgh hybrid. This record was actually a birthday present years and years ago.

Doin' It also features a great cover of Light My Fire and the crucial Don't Mess With Bill.

Spanky Wilson - Sunshine of Your Love
Zshare | YSI | 320 kbps