The link above.. thats the mix, the eighth one from Laguna, and I think i’ve found the formula for this bar. Bouncy, and inoffensive.. and not too loud.
Anyone who has visited this bar knows its not a rave disco, but the sort of place where the music should be loud enough to hear, but not so loud that you have to shout.
I get asked ‘Am I a frustrated DJ’ becuase I’m playing quite quietly.. but I say no.. I love it.. I’m just after creating some kind of toe tapping hed nodding atmosphere and use subversive tactics to keep people buying drinks.
Right click the link on the right to save to your computer and enjoy later kovas – barroombeats_8
1. Isolée: The jacko theme 2. Pharoah Roche: Swing a right hook 3. Dr Rubberfunk: Beats working 4. Mahala Rai Banda: Mahalageasca (Bucovina dub) 5. Kutiman: Music is ruining my life (DJ Day rmx) 6. Stetsasonic: Talking all that Jazz (Dimitri from Paris rmx) 7. Makoto: Think twice 8. The Bamboos: Eel oil 9. The Bamboos: The witch 10. Soopasoul: Soopasoul theme 11. Kormac: Jubilee 12. Gerardo Frisna: Gosto do que e bom 13. Dolby Buster: Drop on demand 14. Gerardo Frisina: African nite life 15. Maelstrom & Napz: Spell it 16. Arctic Monkeys: Bet you look good on the dancefloor 17. Tom Central: The World (Tom Central rmx) 18. Middlewood Sessions: Red Waters
Click the link above for 73 minutes of all kinds of beats, incduing some UKG and the all time house classic strings of life.
1. Ian o’Brien: Yemura 2. Kuitman: Music is ruining my life (DJ Day inst) 3. Solo Moderna: Rare features rare creatures 4. Red Astaire: Rolling stone 5. Kruder & Dormfeister: Shakak 6. Ashley Beedle: Stand up Jamrock 7. Assesandro Olivio: Walk on that thing 8. MJ Cole: Crazy love 9. Scott Anderson: You used to hold me 10. Midea: Liquid 11. Cleptomaniacs feat Bryan Chambers: All I do 12. Povo: Shihab’s habit 13. Derek May: Strings of life 14. Three channels: Incoming 15. Akbul Dubroots vs Dirty decibels: Guadalupe Reyes 16: Kamisshake: Dark beat 17. George Delkos: We wish 4 darkness
Every so often i’ll come across something new and exiting. And this week it is the Austrailian funk outfit The Bamboo’s, it was all I could do not to play the two albums, Rawville and Step it up in full. It’s not the most original sound you’ll ever hear, but my life it’s funky. Think Herbaliser Band with more flute and less scraching.
On to my laptop djing styles.. people ask me if I miss vynil, and I have to say yes, I do miss it. I love the effects and loops and things I can do with Torq and Trigger finger, but I miss the scratching element. C’est la vie, I can’t have everything.
1. The Bamboos: My Baby’s cheatin 2. The Bamboos: Golden Rough 3. Thanos Amorginos vs BNC: The logical discussion 4. Flow Dynamics: Straight from the ground 5. Kormac: Scratch marchin’ 6. Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band: Look – A Py Py 7. Saravah Soul: Role da bike 8. Tenoria Jr. Nebulosa 9. Rockin Habanera: Energie Du Verre 10. The Bamboos: Bring it home 11. Soul Snatchers: Sniffin and Scratchin 12. The Bamboos: Crooked cop 13. The Bamboos: In the Bamboo groove 14. Giant Panda: TKO 15. RSL: Beanflicker 16. Fila Brazilia: The Speevan 17. Aim: Phantasm 18. The Messenger: Encounters feat fro 19. The Messenger: Tides of life 20. Edmund: Smooth Jazz 21. Giano: WSD 22. Shazz: Your love (feat Micheal Robinson)
Much more hip hop this week, including a south Wales special from Ralph Ripshit, (Associated Minds), and a super funky rework of Pharycde’s out and out classic hip hop banger Ya Mamma.
1. Rohag Wruhme: Hamburg 03.07.06 2. Zero DB: Sunshine lazy (Rapael Sebbag rmx) 3. Thanos Amorginos vs BNC: The logical discussion 4. Kormac: Scratch marchin’ 5. Dunklebunt: Le revedere (feat Amsterdam Klezmer Band) 6. Pharcyde: Ya Mama (rmx) 7. J-Live: Bososm (rmx) 8. Juju Orchestra: Kind of latin rhythm 9. Spark Arrester: Jazz pearl (Blend rmx) 10. Kormac: Mr soft 11. Black Grass: Set it straight (feat J-Live) 12. The Last Skeptic: Flip Flows (feat Verb T) 13. Ralph Ripshit: Most Colourful years 14. The Houdini’s: No more yesterdays (Gianna de Luca rmx) 15. Beat Fanatic: El pito 16. Vincent: The conjourer 17. Restless Soul feat Zansika: Everytime
How nice, one of the barroombeats mixes has made its way onto the airwaves. Special thanks go to Parker and Money$hot who dropped the barrrombeats2 on thier Saturday night mixtape, on XFM south Wales.
The player below is tracks 2 to 7 of the main mix, I got funky with the fourth mix at Laguna Bar, Cardiff and this mix includes tunes from my favourite label Ninja Tune. The track, ‘Dark Aceo’ comes from the 1999 complalation Funkjazzticaltricknology, (i think) and still sounds as good today as it did then. But my favourtie track on this mix comes from Eric Rico. Its as soulful as it comes and the beats flip in and around the 128bbm tempo. Seriously cool, in my opinion. Also check Kormac’s House for a taste of 1930’s French cafe life.. at least, that’s the image that I get.
Here’s antother link for the mix, hosted on postbox right click it to download it. 77mins 178mb 320kps stereo mp3
barroombeats_4
1Urban Deep: 1. Interlude 1 2. Urban Deep: You know I know 3. Jaylib: Sex Freaks (ft Quasimoto) 4. Sam Frank: Multiple partners 5. Edseven ft Mapei: Too much talk 6. J Live: Bosoms 7. Ronny Jordon and DJ Krush: Seasons 8. DJ Food: Dark Aceo 9. Connie Price: Sucker punch 10. Grandad’s slipper: Wind em up
11. Hefner: Dive into you 12. Erik Rico: Wonderful 13. Encounters ft Fro: The messenger 14. Kormac: Kormac’s house 15: Giano: WJSD 16: Midea: Song of the machines 17: The Houdini’s Orvathology
18: The Rolling Stones: (I can’t get no) Satsifaction 19: Komatic: Lucid 20: Buddy Rich: Big Swing Face a3
There are few musical styles I love more than really deep rolling dnb. I find it hypnotic, complete ffrr, depth, colour and groove. Not eveyone feels the same and once again that has been proved in Laguna. I don’t play much dnb here, just a smattering, and so far it’s been provoked more reaction than anything else I’ve played. Comments have included the simple ‘I love this’ to the more sarcastic ‘ how old are you?’
The analogy I draw is that of a shock jock radio DJ. You love them or hate them, but at least they provoke a reaction, at least you’re engaged. Having made a career out of being what I describe as ‘audio wallpaper’, the playing of marathon five hour sets in non dancefloor based bars, I find this rather amusing. All I know is that when I look up behind my laptop, people are tapping their feet, bobbing about, clearly liking the groove.
My conclusion is that unless there is a campaign to stop me playing quality dnb… I’m gonna keep rolling it out. It sits well will inst. hip hop, jazz, and soul, it’s a perfect bridge to and from loads of different styles of music, and In my opinion it’s great.
Today I am celebrating the 100th download of Barroombeats1
It was the first mix from Laguna, and was recorded on a cold and windy Good Friday. The mix begins at 117bpm, and begins with energetic jazz brakes, rolling into some instrumental hip hop, a splash of deep dnb and ends with the funking sounds of Quantic. Many thanks to Postbocks for the hosting.
This Friday, April 18, I shall return to Laguna after a week off last weekend, look out for a new mix next posted next week
The audio player below features a 20 minute slice (tracks 5-9) of the main mix, which is downloadable or streamed here
The third week of action at Laguna Bar.. and my laptop djing techinque is gaining interest from all sort of people.. Either they think its great that technology has moved on.. or im getting dissed for not using vynil Lord knows i’ve humped enough vynil about to think that I would like to harness one of the very many benefits of digital Djing.
That’s something I might start exploring as I begin to write little entries in this blog. The question as to how my djing has changed – for better or worse – since I switched from Vynil to this new Torq format.
Over time I’ll get to know what to write in a blog.. how to attract people and how to have discussions with others.. but for now.. i’ll stick to uploading the boiled down mixes from the night.
This mix is quite up, for the most part. It features one of my favourite dnb producers in jazzy mode, with the neatly crafted 111bpm jazz brake Cosmic Interlude. Thats the mellow point in an otherwise party orientated 80 minute set.
1. Wayne Gardener: Funky 2. Russ Gabriel: TrackA 3. Stetsasonic: All that Jazz (Dimitri from Paris rmx) 4. Gorillaz: Dare 5. Soopasoul: Brand Nu (Lack of Afro rmx) 6. Bobby Bryd: I know you got soul 7. Max Sedgley: Happy (Blackbeard rmx) 8. LTJ Bukem: Cosmic interlude 9. The Houdinis: Lost hands crumbles (Eddie Roberts rmx) 10. Solo Mederna: Oompah improvisations 11. Adam Craft: Tricker (Borris ross rmx)
12. Kahunn: Batteri 13. Akbul Dubroots vs Dirty Decibels: Guadalupe Reyes 14. Syrossian, Darius & Tracker 5: Deisel Burn (Audiojack rmx) 15. Culprit 1: Tricks (Rouge Element rerub) 16. MJ Cole: Sincere 17: Stanton Warriors: Right here 18: Artic Monkeys: When the sun goes down
The audio player above is a 20m slice of the second barroombeats mix from Kovas, recorded at Laguna Bar (tracks 14-19 in thetracklisting of the main mix)
Here’s the trackisting for the full mix, which can be streamed or downloaded using the link below, just hover your move over it to open the player.
1. Mike L: The word for this is cool 2. Juju Orchestra: Kind of latin rhtyhm 3. Dr Rubberfunk: Sunset break up 4. The Bees: A minha menina 5. The Houdinis: Blue ribbon jury 6. Tim Wood: Taste of Honey (Lack of Afro rmx) 7. Flow Dynamics: Live in the mix 8. Dr Rubberfunk: Come back breaker 9. Flow Dynamics: Superjam 10. Isolee: The jacko theme 11. Mr Scruff: Get a move on 12. Random Heroes: Gold block 13. Ballistic Brothers: Blacker 14. DJ Format: I’m good 15. Lowkey & Kardinal: Mamoth (Popof & Noiak rmx) 16. Hint: Snake patrol 17. Soopasoul: Soopasoul theme 18. Dr Rubberfunk: Beats working 19. Sugarbeats: Tickled Zinc 20. The Dining rooms: Phunky 21. Free The Robots: Session 2 22. The Beatles: St Pepper’s lonely hearts club band
Lord knows i’ve humped enough vynil about to think that I would like to harness one of the very many benefits of digital Djing.
