The Vunders Ov Vilnius

 I've been developing a slight fascination with Lithuania. Specifically the city of Vilnius. Stumbling on a couple radio shows out of Vilnius and some sets by DJs from there it immediately caught my attention with left of the middle, dark, melodic beats. Sometimes a borderline "world music" element appearing in the sets... its combining everything from dark industrial noise, hip hop, deep house, melodic techno, reggae and downtempo electronica  into this slurry of wonder. I was on a steady diet of radio shows from Vilnius or by people associated with Tomas Von Party's Multi Culti label for about 6 weeks before i was ready to resume my regular listening habits. If you don't know Tomas Von Party, i highly recommend getting acquainted. For one he's Tiga's brother... good reason to pay attention. Secondly, he was the head of A&R at Turbo Records since its inception until he decided to start his own label Multi Culti Records, which sounds exactly like you'd expect: bird sounds, drum machines, chanting, acid bass lines. Its a rabbit hole i got lost in and if you are into a more underground element of dance music... this was a VERY refreshing rabbit hole.

Here is a sampling of some stuff I've been listening to lately

Anchorsong - Butterflies

Kelli Hand - Roots

The Oddness - Get It Together

Miss Represented - Crack That Habit (Johnny Aux Remix)

youANDme - Jungle Book

Some Happy, Toe-Tappy

Welp, I just had a look at the way I began my last blogpost, in January of 2019:

"2019 eh? Life has certainly changed..."

Think I might have jumped too soon on that one, because HELLO 2020, YOU TOTAL FUCKING MESS.

So now that the obvious is acknowledged, let's get to the good shit. And 2020 has certainly brought me lots of that, I think I've only been to one club this year...so most of what I have been discovering is via the beautiful souls that have been putting up Live Streams for us since March, via friends sharing their new discoveries or via the ever so amazing Spotify algorithm. As I look back through the tracks I intend to post I realized its all VERY vocal house, thats never a bad thing, and I guess with all thats going on in the world, some happy, toe-tappy is just what we need.

So in the meantime, before Charles has this years No Pots and Pans ready to tide us all over for the next however much longer we have no where to go hear good music outside of our house for, theres this.

Hope it helps.

Get Your Groove On

Aretha Franklin - Rock Steady (Correlate Club Ready Edit)


Richard Burton - Bad Luck (DJ Spen Bootleg Remix)


Rahaan - Disco Fantasy (Chicago Service Edit)


FunkSkool - Get Together Now (Funky Disco Edit)


Felix Da Housecat feat Agata - Energy (Extended Mix)


TERR - Tale Of Devotion (Original Mix)


HiFi Sean & Shalvoy - Jumpy (Original mix)


Kelly G - Feels Good (Yeah!) (Kelly G. Little Louie Party Mix)


Brutha Basil & Brutha Louie - Freedom Of Dance (It's The Beat)  (Louie Vega's Ritual mix)


The Clark Sisters & 3 Winans Brothers - Dance (Mike Dunn's Gospel Re-touch)


DJ Spen & The Muthafunkaz feat. Sharon Adams and Lisa Mack - Changed My Life (Code Red Vocal mix)

In The Beginning Was A Beat

2019 eh? Life has certainly changed. I don't digest music in quite the same way and I don't have quite as much free time to make blog posts as I used to, which sucks because I love chronicling the things i consume musically.
I decided to do things a bit differently for this one and just put up a bunch of what have been my fave tracks in the past little while-- and a stomper of a bonus at the end.

Easing in with some disco and happy-clappin then on to some slightly more serious business.

enjoy.

Patti Labelle - Music Is My Way of Life (Joey Negro Funk In The Music Mix)

Sophie Lloyd feat. Dames Brown - Calling Out Your Name (12" mix)

400 Blows - Movin (Special Extended Club Remix)

The Juan MacLean - Happy House (Original Mix)

Lee Rodriguez - Making A Living

David Shaw and The Beat & Jennifer Cardini - Sentiment Acide (Jennifer Cardini Remix)

TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos (feat. Robert Owens) - Where Were You

Llewellyn - San Junipero

Rodriguez Jr - Ocean Drive

And for some reason, this track popped into my head today. It was on the first John Acquaviva CD I ever bought, possibly my first house music cd(??) called Transmissions Volume 1, but being a MIXED cd... i never got to hear how the track really started because the mix wasn't quite perfect and John actually kinda abrasively mixes it in and cuts off a little bit of the opening vocals. Weird for John Acquaviva, still to this day one of my ALL TIME fave DJs.

Anyhoo.. this song is 24 fucking years old, a proper Detroit Classic. Suck on that kids.

Tralopscinor - Always Did, Always Will

Its physical. Only logical.

Oh Tina. So fly. So badass. I've seen a couple videos of her live lately and man... THAT would've been a party! But i digress... Tina remixed into some down right sexy progressive deepness will certainly do in a pinch!
The first time i heard the sample sneaking in my jaw was on the floor and its safe to say every time I listen to this track (A LOT lately), it gives me the feels all over again


Robjamweb - Ce Que Est L'amour

Nanna At The Club

My good friend Liesel shared this beauty of a video online yesterday and it gives me so much joy i thought I'd share it here. This woman and her smile and moves and age and demeanour and awesome kicks and friends. They all give me joy.

Timmy Regisford - At The Club

Deelicious

Given the current 3-4 day snowstorm we're in the midst of here in Toronto... This one gives me a little hope. I can't wait to be sweating while sitting still on a patio with an ice cold beer in my hand enjoying this. Though I struggle with the fact its called a club mix. Just because its long as hell doesn't mean its a club mix.

Greg Wilson feat. The Reynolds - Summer Came My Way (Luxxury Club Mix)


I used to read Details magazine in the '90s. It was decent for a time and I would skim through most of it but i loved their album reviews. One day while on the 80 bus from Lower Sackville to Halifax, Nova Scotia I read the album review for Beth Orton's Central Reservation, and as my bus pulled up in front of HMV on Spring Garden Rd, I hopped off and ran into the store to buy it without a second thought about listening to it first. The review had sold me that hard, and one of only two times I can remember being that impressed by a review that i just bought it. The other being Basement Jaxx Remedy.  Central Reservation became something that I still listen to today, and for several years I gobbled up everything I could from Beth Orton and even got to see her at Glastonbury in I think it was '03. Then yesterday while digging around through some older releases from the Cube Guys i found this way-more-chilled-than-I'm-used-to-from-them beauty of a track, and its been on repeat ever since. I'll also add that The Cube Guys are fucking fantastic live. Rarely have I heard Producers that I like deliver live but I've seen them a few times and always rock the place.

The Cube Guys -  Central Reservation (Face Off Magik Remix)

Learned about this producer this week, and let me tell you... if you like soul and disco samples his entire catalogue is great. I wasn't totally sure which one to pick for this post but i  went with the one that introduced me to him, a Bill Withers track. Go check out his soundcloud/spotify or some are available on iTunes/Beatport.

Deelicious - Lonely Town Lonely Street (Original Mix)

Different from the Rest

two of these three have been on such heavy rotation for the past month that I'm actually pretty shocked I haven't gotten board of them yet.

My friend Charles has been bopping this one at the office lately, turns out it was posted in a facebook post of a group I'm in for the weekly Music Mondays where =everyone posts what moves them. THANK YOU FARHAN! Helluva track. And if you're slightly nerdy about things you'll probably enjoy this little Q&R with the man that made it about him and how he made it that I stumbled on while trying to find the damn thing...

Interstate feat Biroll - Karl Lowe St. Groove


I'm pretty sure I owe this one to a ride back from a rugby match back in the Autumn with my friend Nick. I have to say, my friends have really good taste in tunes, lucky me! basically one giant disco build with some sassy piano. my favourite!

Marquis Hawkes - The Basement Is Burning


Lastly, during my fairly epic (appropriate use of the word) 3 day drive home for Christmas through more different kinds of storms than I can really remember This came on about half-way into the first 7 hour drive, and I swear we played it at least 3 times in a row. Its one of those things where you discover some other funny little sound or oddball lyric with each new listen.  I've heard (and LOVED) a few In Flagranti songs over the years, they seem to do some more guitar heavy stuff as well but when they do a housey/indie dance track... watch out. Best enjoyed with headphones so you can hear every little nugget, unless of course you have a fabulous home stereo set up. Its actually likely still better on headphones.

In Flagranti - Different from the Rest


Don't forget we're on SPOTIFY if you want some Moonbooties on the go