Here is the third round of “Classic House Tracks According to the Word of Todd” by Todd Edwards. These next few posts will have a theme of tracks by the classic house duo Masters At Work who heavily influenced the Todd Edwards’ sound. Here are some words from Todd himself.
———————————————————————————————————————————
Masters At Work created an epic catalog of orginal productions and remixes beginning in the early nineties. I idolized them, I really did. The only club I religiously went to was the Sound Factory Bar on Wednsday nights to hear Little Louie Vega spin and he NEVER disappoints!
The perfect combination of keyboard playing and drum programming. They are both masters of their craft. Little Louie always reconstructed the songs they remixed. He would always use very jazzy musical chords while keeping the vocals in the song the same. It was a great lesson for a young and new producer like myself, “you can make a song sound completely different just by using different chords that still work with the melody, BRILLIANT!”
If that weren’t enough, there was Kenny Dope Gonzalez’ drum programming. To this day there is no drum programmer that I have more respect and admiration for. It was Kenny Dope’s drumming that inspired my muscial style.
When I heard MAW’s remix of St Etienne’s “Only Love Can Break Your Heart”, I was blown away! The swing Kenny Dope put on his snares and hi hats… I tried to immitate… yeah, not so good. However, others started to take note of my drum programming and the shuffling boardering on sloppy swing that my tracks had. Who would have thought that poor imitation would help me develop a sound? My track “So Real” on The Messenger ep was based on this remix.
Lucky Shiner is the full length album by the stellar, Gold Panda. An introspective and delicate producer whose music is the perfect introduction to Fall. Lovely autumnal tones that sooth heart and soul. “Same Dream China” is a hypnotic track that is a nod to Philip Glass/Steve Reich with its moving marimba melodies while incorporating lo-fi kyotos with some raw Bibio-esque sounding beats. Stream the entire album at luckyshiner.com
[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Sept%202010/Gold%20Panda%20-%20Same%20Dream%20China.mp3] Gold Panda – Same Dream China
Ever since Scenario Rock seemed to have just faded away I always wondered what DVNO has been up to. I love their first album “Endless Season” especially the track “Modern Epicureans” and I was blown away by “Both Gotta Move On” off “Histrionics”. DVNO is back with this emotional remix of Jamaica’s “I Think I Like U2” which is a nice peak into what DVNO has in store. #SoEmotional
Mr. Emil has been making moves these past few months, moving down to NYC to join the Cantora Records family and now remixing NYC’s Samuel. An uber-pop production featuring 0o0o’s and Ah’s by Emil himself. It’s only a matter of time before more Emil music emerges.
[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Sept%202010/I%20Heart%20NY%20(Emil%20&%20Friends%20Remix)%20by%20Samuel%20from%20HEAVYROCMUSIC.mp3] Samuel – I Heart NY (Emil & Friends Remix)
UMM WHAT?! This is an official mind explosion. Squarepusher steps up his game by incorporating a serious LED-Helmet a la Daft Punk and from the looks and sound of that 1 min clip it is an epic dance funk explosion. Warp Records is seriously back in the game with that forthcoming Brian Eno release and this new Squarepusher LP which solidifies his place in my mind as a crucial electronic music producer of our time. “Shobaleader One: d’Demonstrator” is out October 18/19. Exciting music this fall!
ACID HOUSE! SQUELCHING 303! TECHNO! All courtesy of Berlin’s Techno Maven, Boys Noize. This is all in honor of the upcoming 50th release on Boys Noize Records with a double single of “1010” and “Yeah”. Preview “Yeah” here.
[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Sept%202010/boyz-noise-1010.mp3] Boys Noize – 1010
Here is the 2nd installment in ” Classic House Tracks According to the Word of Todd” by the one and only Todd Edwards. This week it is a track by the Chicago-House DJ/Producer pioneer, Lil’ Louis.
[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Todd%20Edwards/lil%20louis%20-Club%20Lonely.mp3] Lil’ Louis – Club Lonely
Lil’ Louis is an extremely innovative producer. His track “French Kiss” was a very deep house track which slowly went down in tempo until the whole track came to a complete stop, while a woman simultaneously is moaning to a point of climax. It sounds even better than it reads. Even though that was a ground breaking track, it is his other brilliant work that inspired me.
The track is called “Club Lonely” It starts out with a deep bassline and synth chords. Then another layer of synth chords come in complimenting the first. Then, a saxaphone pattern comes in on top of that. And if that weren’t enough, a beautiful song on top of that. But the peak of this song is the chorus. The harmony that was created for the chorus is one that inspired me like no other. I definitely learned to layer music from this song. If you listen to my Sunshine Brothers work, you will here some of that influence, especially “Like A Fire”.
Bibio blesses the chillwave king, Neon Indian with a re-visioning of his track “Mind, Drips”. This is the only way you can get me to appreciate a Neon Indian track, with this remix that showcases the full Bibio sonic spectrum. From his ability to produces raw beats to his amazing grasp of jazz guitar – this track has it all.
[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Sept%202010/MindDripsBibioRemix.mp3]
Neon Indian – Mind, Drips (Bibio Remix)
Mr. Mehdi and Mr. Riton are on the quest to bring Acid back and I am a proponent of that. And what better way by taking that fat synth bassline in Chromeo’s “Don’t Turn the Lights On” and turning it into an energetic Acid House track. This one is a dancefloor killer y’all.
“Portrait” is the latest from the Boston Duo, Plus Move. A tune that merges their love for dance, hip-hop and pop, Drake would be proud of their rhymes and flow. It is only a matter time until their debut LP, “Leaving Home” drops.
[audio:http://diestruktur.com/asianmandan/music/Sept%202010/07%20Portrait.mp3] Plus Move – Portrait
All music shared on this site is copyrighted by the artists and are only meant as samples, please buy their music,
buy their merchandise, see them live, support them, tell your friends about them, love them, cheers.
