All posts by Monsieur Seb

DJ with 25 years experience, composer/producer, music journalist, translator, writer, cook, dad.
Music suggestions

Monsieur Seb’s Daily Music Suggestion: a match made in heaven

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I guess some would call this a mashup, but I’ve always had a bone to pick with mashups.

Now, there’s good, real mashups like what Girl Talk does, and there’s the rest, which is usually called a mix. So all those superstar DJs who play “mashups” are actually just playing premixed tracks. But enough of that.

Here’s one such mix I recorded this morning, just for you.

I used to do it very often when I was resident at Maurice in Quebec City and it’s my old buddy Nicolas Boutin, aka Nic B. who first came up with it.

It sounds like they were made to go together, but don’t be fooled: Prince’s track is not tight, so keeping them beat-matched throughout demands a lot of attention and constant fine-tuning.

I’m saying that not to boast but rather to warn you, should you want to try it yourself.

Prince – When Doves Cry / Kenlou – What a Sensation (Sensational Beats)
mashup

P.S.: In a club context, once Prince was finished, I could let the Kenlou track run for a while, with about 4 minutes left into it, and since it’s just a drum track with lots of percs, I could throw in just about anything back into it and it worked nice.

Music suggestions

Monsieur Seb’s Daily Music Suggestion: a mysterious blueprint

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Theme

A few years ago — well, OK, many years ago —, when I got my first regular gig in a club (not yet a full fledged residency, at Transcencdance, maybe a few people remember), I spun mostly Jungle, as drum n’ bass was then known.

Guess we’re talking ’round about 1992-93 or something like that.

In any case, back then I bought this 12″ single, a record whose labels only contained the words “Monroe Production Co” on one side and “Blueprint Records / The Promotion Label” on the other. No information about the artist of track title, not even engraved between the grooves at the blank end of the record (my copy does not have the handwritten info that can be seen on the image I found on Discogs).

Whatever it was, the track on the “Monroe Production Co” (let’s call it side A) became my secret weapon: it was the track I dropped to kill the floor, and it worked!

That sampling of Aphex Twin’s Digeridoo obviously got everybody’s attention, and that deep menacing whisper, too.

But the battery became assault when the beat kicked in and that awesome bass came rumbling down one’s spine.

Obviously, you can’t feel the whole power of this bass through an mp3 and computer speakers, but believe me when I tell you it was punishing!

So, as I decided to share this track as today’s music suggestion, I managed to find out who the track was by. Turns out it’s a track titled The Theme by DJ Fokus, who, according to Discogs, on released four 12″ in 1993 and 1994.

So, P. Stokes, wherever you are today, this DJ and many many dancers thank you for that Theme!

Music suggestions

Monsieur Seb’s Daily Music Suggestion: far out, man!

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Paul Weller – Kosmos (Lynch Mob Bonus Beats) (1994)
Kosmos

Why did I decide to suggest this record this morning?

No idea…

I mean, it’s a great track! Seven minutes of psychedelic trip rock delirium by a man who, although not so well known on this side of the Big Pond is considered a national treasure at home (that’s Paul Weller, of Style Council and The Jam fame, if you hadn’t yet figured it out) and by Brendan Lynch, but that only explains why it’s such a great track.

It says nothing about the reasons that drove me to pick it as today’s suggestion.

Or maybe it does…

Man, I’ve got the munchies…

Hey! What day is this?

DAMN, that’s a cool track! Who is it again?

Music suggestions

Monsieur Seb’s Daily Music Suggestion: things you didn’t know they did

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I first heard this track on one of the excellent Beats in Space radio shows/podcasts and I was really susprised by it.

Now, I never presume that because I have never heard a track no one ever has, either, but, nonetheless, I’m still a pretty good barometer, and I can honestly say I doubt many of you have.

It took some effort to track a copy online, but I managed to find one on vinyl on discogs.com from a seller in Spain! Cost me about 25$ with shipping and all, but I still think it was worth it, even if only for the “historical” value.

The copy I found was a 1992 reissue with a 12″ mix, but the one I really wanted is the classic mix, from 1984.

The real interest of this track, apart from the fact that it’s excellent and sounds pretty fresh even today?

Just listen closely to the voice…

Why Don’t You Answer – Eberhard Schoener Dance Experience (1984)
Why Don’t You Answer

Music suggestions, News

Monsieur Seb’s Daily Music Suggestion: a quick poll

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The newly repaired SL1400 and the subsequent trip down memory lane I’m going through these days — digitizing favourites from my vinyl collection — has made me wonder whether it would be a cool idea to spin a set of classic oldies at Picnik électronik on August 16th.

Part of my reflexion comes from the fact (aside from this recording process) that I believe the people who attend Picnik go there to have a good time and not necessarily be preached upon, which my idea of a Cosmic Disco set — a genre not very well known and therefore not yet fully appreciated — might be perceived as.

I’d like to know what you think about it, please leave a comment below with your opinion on this idea.

Here are a few tracks that would surely make the cut in my selection for an oldies set:

Motif – Let the Madness Begin (1996)
Motif

Max 404 – Honey (1999)
Honey

Fluke – Slid (Modwheel Mix) (1997)
Slid

Music suggestions

Monsieur Seb’s Daily Music Suggestion: Doves, again!

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Yeah, I’ve made the Doves my daily music suggestion before, back when their latest album (one of my favourite of theirs so far) Kingdom of Rust came out (see the archives).

I’m recommending them again today because even after a few months out, I still can’t get enough of their song Compulsion and because today they released the instrumentals of Kingdom of Rust, an album aptly titled Instrumentals of Rust (d’oh!).

Now, I’m not enirely sure of the pertinence of releasing those instrumentals, although upon hearing about their upcoming release, I was excited about the news.

After listening to them, however, it is painfully obvious that recording an instrumental and merely removing the vocal track from an existing song are two very different processes, and the latter is rarely a good option.

Except in the case of Compulsion, which sounds as good sung and unsung.

Compulsion
Compulsion

Compulsion (Instrumental)
Compaulsion (Instrumental)

Plus, with its uncanny resemblance to Blondie’s Rapture, having access to an instrumental makes it very tempting to do a mashup!

Now, if I could just find Rapture‘s acapella…

Music suggestions

Monsieur Seb’s Daily Music Suggestion: Pezzner

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Pezzner. Dave. Seattle.

Valldemossa
Valldemossa

For those of you who have production skills, there’s a remix contest of this track going on at the moment on Dancetracks.

Ever since I first heard of the man with his first release on mt beloved Freerange Records in July 2008, I’ve totally adopted his unique style of production and remixing.

I won’t risk trying to explain it in words, but whatever it is, though, it’s obvious that Pezzner — who was one half of the eccentric duo Jacob London in a previous life — is about to blow up: my trustworthy buzz-radar has been picking up increasing chatter, not the least of which is a “compilation” of some of his remixes by OM Records (and the above remix contest)!

Some of his work has been featured on my mixes:
Deep Structures
Deep Structures

I Am Rhythm
I Am Rhythm