Dave Clarke - Back In The Box details....

Electronic music heavyweights NRK are back with a new edition in their retrospective “Back in the Box” series and this time have drafted in none other than techno legend, Dave Clarke. Having already seen instalments from MAW’s ‘Little’ Louie Vega and disco-don Joey Negro, “Back in the Box” is an opportunity for a DJ to turn rare secret weapons, b-side bombs and forgotten anthems into a brand new mix compilation.

Clarke’s selection for his “Back in The Box” is built around the sound of late 80’s Chicago house with a sprinkling of Detroit techno and a few classics from the UK’s emerging house scene. It displays an in-depth knowledge of the labels and producers whose pioneering work would go on to lay the pathway for dance music and club culture as we now know it.

The mix flows effortlessly through seminal tracks from the likes of Fast Eddie, Virgo and Foremost Poets, taking in the spaced out techno preachings of Blake Baxter, the acidic sounds of Bam Bam and the jackin’ soul of Ralphi Rosario along the way. To pick highlights from this album is an almost impossible task as it truly is stream of audio gems, many of which have never been included on a compilation before and will only be familiar to those who are used to blowing the dust from their shrink wrapped original Trax pressings.

Morales’ remix of Alternations ‘Feel it For You’ is a cut that has long been overdue for a return to the light as is Ben Mays ‘Lover Man’ and Julian Jonah’s ‘Jealousy and Lies’. Put these little known works of genius together with landmark records such as Pierre’s ‘Mystery Girl’ and T-Coy ‘Regret’, a track that helped launch the fortunes of the Deconstruction label, and you have a compilation that transcends the usual ‘Now that’s what I call Old Skool’ formula moves into the realms of classic status in it’s own right.

Whilst the UK is busy celebrating it’s ’20 years of Acid House’ Dave Clarke has drawn together the threads of dance music history and woven together a mix that truly shows how far back we have look to see where our roots lie. A snapshot of a bygone time that is truly timeless.

01. A Blackman, a Blackman and Another Blackman - I Believe
02. Fast Eddie Smith - Jack The House (Jack Mix)
03. Foremost Poets - Reasons to be Dismal
04. Scram - I Believe (Before The Storm Mix)
05. Virgo - In A Vision (inst.)
06. Bam Bam - Animal Attraction (Dynamic Guvnors Remix)
07. Da Posse - The Groove
08. M.E. - Ride
09. The Rude Boy Farley Keith - Give Yourself To Me
10. Mr Lee - I Can't Forget
11. Julian Jonah - Jealousy and Lies
12. Jungle Wonz - The Jungle
13. Blake Baxter - When A Thought Becomes You
14. Alternations - Feel It For You (Planetary Access Mix)
15. Master C & J - Face It (Club Version)
16. Ben Mays - Lover Man
17. Fantasy Club - Mystery Girl (Set Me Free) (Original)
18. T-Coy - Regret
19. Ralphi Rosario - I Want You (Transcontinental Mix)
20. Gil Scott-Heron - Space Shuttle (Paul Waller Mix)

Dave Clarke's Back In The Box is released on 6th October. the mix CD is accompanied by an unmixed CD; your chance to get some ultra rare house jams without the price tag!

www.nrkmusic.com/backinthebox

Skylark and Kemistry remix "Go That Deep"

"Go That Deep" by NUfrequency feat. Shara Nelson gets set for an official release on NRK next month; surely a contender for record of the year, this beautiful and infectious song has picked up a huge fanbase right across the board, with DJs as diverse as Pete Tong, Ame, Judge Jules, Gilles Peterson, Rob Da Bank, Laurent Garnier, John Digweed etc. supporting the many shades that this record comes in. From Charles Webster's mesmerising deep house version to Redanka's early 90's progressive club belter to the Original and Neon Heights laid back Balearica style.....

Nic Fanciulli and Andy Chatterley, AKA Skylark, have supplied a couple of brand new mixes of "Go That Deep"; a full vocal mix that is aimed purely at the deeper dancefloors, and a devestating Club Mix that will get lapped up by fans of Dubfire, Radio Slave etc. Meanwhile, another UK team, Kemistry, follow up their "City Slang" EP on NRK earlier this year with a great tracky remix, evoking shades of Sueno Latino with its infectious melody.

Go That Deep gets a full release on September 15th, with a couple of new extra Charles Webster mixes, Neon Heights and Original mix all available digitally as well as on 12" vinyl. A second 12" disc featuring the Skylark Club and Redanka mixes gets released in October. Your full support is much appreciated, it would be great to see this record do some damage in the commercial charts!

Skylark Club Mix
Kemistry's Shack Music Mix
Charles Webster Remix

Belfast's Scope debuts on NRK

NRK Music welcomes Belfast DJ/producer Scope (AKA Ric McClelland) to the fold, and his debut for NRK has 'epic' stampled all over it. Influenced by producers as varied as Kerri Chandler, Ian Pooley and Funk D'Void, Scope has been making great headway in the production world with some stella works for labels like Urban Torque, Forensic and CR2. bridging the gaps between soulful, deep house and techier territories, Scope has also remixed for the likes of Francois Dubois, Milton Jackson and Little Green men.

On his NRK debut, Scope delivers a great anthemic deep house production. "Omoplata" delivers steady, swinging punchy beats, heavy , thick stabs and dramatic strings not heard since Quentin Harris's "Let's Be Young". Comparisons will be made to Quentin's finest hour, but Scope commands his own style here. The "313" mix gets all acidic on yo ass with some classic old skool pianos giving this mix a nice retro feel.

"Omoplata" gets a full release on digital late September 2008.

Omoplata (212 mix)
Omoplata (313 Mix)

Charles Webster Coast2Coast Podcast

September 8th sees the release of the eagerly anticipated Coast2Coast mix by UK dance veteran, Charles Webster. Available on double mix CD, double DJ friendly unmixed CD, and two very limited edition 12" vinyl samplers, Webster's Coast2Coast project displays two different takes on the his sound.

Disc 1 features a host of exclusive remixes and edits by Charles himself and is an insight into the production sound that makes him ever popular with Dj’s, producers and music fans worldwide. Amongst the artists featured on this disc we have Roy Davis Jr, Henrick Schwarz, DJ Koze and Shara Nelson helping to create an eclectic mix that is shot through with percussive rhythms and soulful melodies. High points include the opening segment featuring Frankie Valentine’s ‘Zumbi’ overlayed with the acapella from Nick Holder’s ‘America Eats it’s Young’, as well as wonderful Webster rework of Justin Martin’s ‘Sad Piano’ – both truly sublime.

Disc 2 is a truly soulful affair which draws its influences almost exclusively from the early nineties with the odd smattering of post millennial recordings. This is like a trip down memory lane taking in some of the forgotten gems of US produced/inspired house music. From the opening cut of ‘Missing You’ by Larry Heard you know you are in for a treat and Webster never fails to disappoint, twisting and turning his way though classics from Groove Committee, Pal Joey, Alex M and Black Orchid to end on the spine tingling ‘Love Break’ by Basic Bastard & Blake Baxter. For those who like a little musicality in their club music it really doesn’t get any better than this. An inspiring selection from a standout DJ and producer.

NRK's Nick Harris caught up with Charles recently in London to discuss the C2C project, and other musical matters. You can download the free podcast here

To purchase advance copies of Webster's Coast2Coast CD, click here

X-Press 2 Balearic Mix

One dance crew synonomous with the Balearic sounds of the White Isle of Ibiza is X-Press 2. The UK trio have been visiting and DJing on the island since the late 80s, and have found it a constant source for their productions and DJ sets throughout their illustrious career. Dig out a copy of the legendary Channel 4 documentary "A Short Film About Chilling" and you will find X-Press 2's Rocky waxing lyrical about the island way back in 1990.

The X-Press 2 guys have very kindly supplied us with an exclusive "Balearic Mix" to this month's NRK newsletter, click the link below for an awesome one hour chilled out session courtesy of the guys.

Listen/download here

X-Press 2's recent Coast2Coast mix is a bumper 30 track comp spread over two discs, artists and remixers present and correct on this comp include Carl Craig, Blackjoy, Los Hermanos, Peace Division, Phuture, Mr. Fingers, Stefan Goldmann, Ame, Dennis Ferrer, Audion and Solomun. Future music blends with old classics, and the guys really impress on this mix. Also available is a DJ friendly Unmixed 2CD and two unmixed 12" vinyl doublepack LPs, all available from the NRK shop now.

NRK shop

The Baron Of Techno delves Back In The Box

International DJ and producer Dave Clarke, also known as "The Baron of Techno" (TM) has compiled and mixed the third installment of NRK's popular Back In The Box compilation series. Clarke follows on from Joey Negro and 'Little' Louie Vega's selections, and offers up a blistering selection of early house and acid tunes.

BACK IN THE BOX takes the World’s leading and longest serving DJ legends, and invites them to plunder deep into their collections to those old house records that rocked the party time and time again, records that have since been left dormant on the shelves, waiting for the right moment to be dusted off (and this is that moment!). Dave Clarke transports us back to the late 80s with a heady, sweaty, basement club mix of Chi-town house originals, heavy 909 drum workouts, sleazy vocals, brain scrambling 303 acid patterns and cold, moody synths. Whilst the industry celebrates 20 years of house music, many tracks on this compilation pre-date this with early productions from 1986/1987 coming from the likes of Farley Jackmaster Funk, Fast Eddie Smith, Mr. Lee, Master C&J and a superb early offering from Manchester's t-Coy (AKA Mike Pickering & co.) Underated classics from Foremost Poets, Julian Jonah, Blake Baxter and Pierre's Fantasy Club are mixed up in Clarke's inimitable fashion, and showcases some of his many roots and influences for the music that he has become world renowned for.

Dave Clarke has long been synonomous with the UK's techno scene, having set the foundations for modern techno music with his "Red" series in the early 90s, and with continued success with productions on labels such as Deconstruction and Skint. His electro inspried DJ sets have rocked many thousands across the globe, racking up an amazing gig-ography over the years and playing huge festivals and events. Dave Clarke also built up a great kinship with the late Uk radio legend, John Peel; the man who gave Clarke his well known moniker "The Baron Of Techno".

Dave Clarke's Back In The Box is released on October 6th 2008 on double CD (incl. bonus unmixed CD), digital album release and 12" vinyl samplers. Full tracklisting to be revealed shortly, check out some of the choice cuts included now though on the links below.

A Blackman, a Blackman and Another Blackman - I Believe
Foremost Poets - Reasons to be Dismal
Julian Jonah - Jealousy and Lies
Blake Baxter - When A Thought Becomes You
Ralphi Rosario - I Want You (Transcontinental Mix)

Charles Webster Coast2Coast out 8th September

UK dance veteran, Charles Webster, compiles the latest Coast2Coast. A double mix treat for lovers of the deep techy sound, with tracks & mixes from Pepe Braddock, Roy Davis Jr, Henrick Schwarz and Chez Damier. Includes 6 brand new Webster remixes, exclusive to this comp.

Charles Webster is the UK based producer/DJ who has quietly and consistently poured out timeless music for three decades now. Uncompromising and committed to doing his own thing, a look across Webster’s CV throws up some very familiar names of which Webster is all responsible for; Presence feat. Shara Nelson (Massive Attack) made one of the 90s most defining house albums with “All Systems Gone”, Furry Phreaks, Love From San Francisco, his legendary (and recently re-released) album “Born On The 4th July”…..

Most recently, Charles Webster compiled & mixed for Defected In the House, and produced a mammoth compilation covering contemporary, influences and historical studio work to huge critical acclaim. Webster also provides the remix on the huge “Go That Deep” by NUfrequency feat. Shara Nelson, set for big things this Autumn.

CD01 concentrates on the contemporary house sound, with mesmerising deep house sounds from the likes of Henrick Schwarz, Pepe Braddock and DJ Koze. Webster also supplies a stunning six new remixes exclusively to this compilation. New versions of tracks by Justin Martin, NUfrequency ft. Shara Nelson and Atjazz as well as new versions of his own productions (Furry Phreaks), making his mix on CD01 extra special. A superb blend of vocals, shimmering deep-tech and organic electronics, the disc ends up on the classic “I’m Your Brother” produced by none other than Berlin’s Basic Channel.

Webster breaks out the classics on CD02, mixing up a great selection of oft-forgotten gems from artists like Larry Heard, Pal Joey, Chez Damier and Victor Simonelli (Groove Committee). The ultra-rare Moodyman remix of Amp Fiddler (under his Jan guise) gets a dusting off as well as does early 90’s cuts from Blake Baxter and Herbert, all sounding as fresh and relevant today as they did back them.

Charles Webster Coast2Coast is out on 8th September 2008 on NRK Music. Formats include double mixed CD and double unmixed CD.

CD01 (Mixed by Charles Webster)

01. Frankie Valentine - Zumbi (Henrick Schwarz Dub Mix)
02. DJ Koze - Cicily
03. Pépé Braddock - 4
04. Kemetic Just - Do You Remember (Charles Webster 2008 Remix)*
05. Justin Martin - Sad Piano (Charles Webster 2008 Remix)*
06. Furry Phreaks - Lament For A Dead Computer (Charles Webster 2008 Remix)*
07. Atjazz ft. Dawne B - Parallels (Charles Webster 2008 Remix)*
08. Roy Davis Jr. - Motion
09. NUfrequency ft. Shara Nelson - Go that Deep (Version Mix)*
10. Greg Gauthier & Tony L ft. Sabrynaah Pope - Someone For You (String Quartet Mix)
11. Furry Phreaks - Want Me Like Water (Charles Webster 2008 Remix)*
12. Ratcliffe - Back To The City
13. Round One - I'm Your Brother

*Exclusive Charles Webster remixes especially created for his Coast2Coast mix

CD02 (Mixed by Charles Webster)

01. Larry Heard - Missing You
02. Groove Committee - Just Play The Music
03. The Mighty Bop ft. Duncan Roy - Lady (Herbert's In The Air Dub)
04. Amp Fiddler - Superficial (Jan Mix)
05. Alex M - It Works
06. Pal Joey - Rat Race
07. Pal Joey - Party Time
08. Black Orchid - Trumpet King (Smooth Mix)
09. Chez Damier - Untitled
10. Family Of Few - Intervoles
11. Basic Bastard ft. Blake Baxter - Love Break