dc house grooves

“it’s a dark winter’s evening, cold enough to chill your soul. warmed by a few pints and the prospect of a night to remember, you drive in convoy up to the big smoke. tonight your whole club tribe are together, and you’re going to make the most of it. it’s been a long week in your dead end job; it’s all been leading up to this. the subs are pounding to a pirate radio mix tape; your heart is pounding with the anticipation of the night ahead. after what seems like an eternity circling the backstreets, you find a parking space and head for the venue. your pace is brisk; the frosty air bites at your skin, but you don’t notice. like a coiled spring, you’re fully loaded and ready to release. arriving at the club, line snakes round the corner. you hear the low end rumble pounding from the door – you’re already locked in. chancers abound, jump the queue, get you sorted, on the list, with the dj. as the queue slowly diminishes, you make small talk with your mates and those around you. there’s a strange camaraderie; people you’ve never met before and will never meet again, all aligned with the same goal – to make it through that door and have a night that will make your hearts sing. the real thing. you make it to the door. the gangster bouncers measure you up. will you get in tonight, or get sent packing? they have the power, and they know it. “where have you all come from?”, “think you’re getting in tonight?”, “don’t like the look of your mate”, “i can’t believe i’m doing this, but just this once i’ll let you in”. wankers. you step past them, feeling their hold over you recede as the still muffled bass washes over you. you pay the door tax to a disinterested tattooed girl, and as you drop your heavy winter coat in the cloak room you feel a great weight has been lifted, both literally and figuratively. through the double doors and into the inner sanctum. the filter is lifted – the dubby tribal rhythms surround you. head for the bar, get the beers in. the dancefloor is empty, save for a few hardy souls on a mission. the smoke machine fills the space, the lighting disorients. the small talk soon disintegrates as feet start tapping with greater frequency. the music steps up a pace, the the tribal rhythms segueing to a more driving beat. the crowd unconsciously drifts towards the dance floor. you can feel it now; it all falls into place. the sound is yours. it’s no longer about dj’s and artists and genres and tunes. the music just is. the flash of the strobe casts animated silhouettes, the room spinning like a giant zoetrope on acid. the latent synesthete is unleashed, senses triggered in unison like an orchestra conducted by the unseen dj. tracks seamlessly blend in to one another, each immediately recognisable, yet simultaneously unknown. you have arrived at your destination, and you hope tomorrow never comes.”

andy grant – strobes & smoke (311MB / 320kbps / 136 minutes)

tracklist:

conjure – pressure release (future vision records)
lars behrenroth – ice on the sun (version remix) (freerange)
junior boys – child like beats (timmy white label)
patrice scott – visions of mantada (aesthetic audio)
kerri chandler – hexadecimal (deeply rooted house)
james curd feat. jdub – buffalo girl (dj sneak’s remix) (greens keepers music)
manuel tur – girardet (freerange)
turntable rocker – all night (club) (compost blacklabel)
faze action – original disco motion (jay shepheard dub mix) (faze action)
halo varga – future (original mix) (siesta music)
+ lil’ louis & the world – i called u (the story continues) (white)
risksoundsystem – the sound is yours (kerri chandler remix) (legato records)
mark knight, adam k & soha – from the speaker (original club mix) (toolroom records)
artist formerly known as… – controversy (purple mix) (white)
tiger stripes – beach buggy (original mix)
western union – around the west (herbal essence)
wheels & disco – funk (white)
mark knight & funkagenda – man with the red face (toolroom records)
+ jungle brothers – i’ll house you (houseappella) (warlock)
dave spoon – 88 (mark knight & funkagenda remix) (toolroom trax)
latour – people are still having sex (lp mix) (smash records)
spincyle – best foot forward (wrong recordings)
finlay quaye – untitled (hoxton whores remix) (white)
tjr – log jamming (catalyst)
tears for fears – shout (karl g mix) (white)
leftfield / lydon – open up (full vocal mix) (hard hands)