Stranger Than Paradise at Jimmy Valentine's

If you’re looking for some house music in Washington DC this coming Saturday night, DC House Grooves recommends that you get yourself down to Jimmy Valentine’s for night of quality tunes from the Stranger Than Paradise crew. I’ve not checked out this venue, but I’ve heard good things about it. I went to the last Stranger Than Paradise in October with DJ Jus-Ed supported by Navbox and Rosario, and had a great time. Quality tunes and a fun crowd.  This coming Saturday they’ve got DJ Leks Vargas (aka Leks The Imposter ) on the decks, with Elisa from New York, and I’m sure it’s going to be a fun night all round. If you make it down there, you may even find me throwing some shapes on the dancefloor, JD and Coke in hand

Stranger Than Paradise Facebook Page

Stranger Than Paradise Web Site

inspired by my recent hike to the bottom of the grand canyon, i’ve finally pulled my finger out and recorded a new mix of recent and not-so-recent deep-ish housey doings. recorded on 2 x 1210’s, and effects box and a zoom handy recorder h2.

andy grant – lost and found (245 mb / 320 kbps / 105 mins)

track list:

a man called adam – ¿que’ tal america? (the mericana mix) (prescription
manuel tur – vabanque (stimming remix) (freerange)
penner + muder – are you lost (dub version ) (moodmusic)
groovenauts – acacia (original) (tonality)
burnski – .girls (exquisite music)
kerri chandler – light the world (deeply rooted house)
john tejada / arian leviste – fashion avenue (moods & grooves)
rocco – supernova (freerange)
penner + muder – millennium falcon (moodmusic)
chez damier – untitled (kms 049)
chez damier & ron trent – untitled (prescription 107)
deviance – liquid life (touché)
pirahnahead – come together (whaadat music)
art jones ft tshedi – listen with your soul (multi-racial records)
bang bang – rhythm saloon (candy dealers vocal mix) (myna music)
the martinez brothers – where’s mr. brown (objecktivity)
jerome syndenham & dennis ferrer – jehlaz (ibadan)
tony lionni – 5th cycle (aesthetic audio)
sunshine jones – if you wouldn’t mind (tiger stripes acid dub) (nite grooves)
dj marquis – head over heels (stillove4music)

andy grant – shaken not stirred (320kbps mp3 / 228Mb / 100 minutes)

Track list:

ferrer & sydenham inc. – timbuktu (âme beatless mix) (ibadan)
roland clark – sunshine (ron trent remix instrumental) (need2soul)
alicia – p.o.w. (restricted access)
gus gus – very important people (warner bros.)
fresh and low – deep end (west side records)
quentin harris feat. monique bingham – you can’t have new york (clean shelter vox mix) (shelter records)
shotsis – deep desert soundz (multi-racial records)
juke joint feat. yvonne brown – gotta get up (muthafunkaz dub work) (tony records)
roy davis jr. – goodlife (rdj original mix) (mile end records)
d3 – dreamin’ (rurals funk mix) (peng)
rich medina feat. sy smith – can’t hold back (king britt scuba mix) (kindred spirits)
quentin harris – house (unrestricted access)
f12 – go bang! (ibadan)
ferrer & karizma ltd. – the cube (objektivity)
âme – rej (pastaboys dub mix) (defected)
tiger stripes – what was (nite grooves)
jus’dope – deep shit (soul heaven)
marshall jefferson feat. rachel pearson – feel me (usb records)

i received a request from darren clark to post my mix “the way we used to do it”, so i had a dig around on my hard disk, and here it is! i haven’t listened to this one in a while, and it takes me back a few years…. a very different style to my recent “strobes and smoke” mix, keeping it deep and moody at around 120 bpm. originally inspired by a long lost mix tape by rob acteson circa 1992, it’s eighty minutes of deep grooves the way they should be.

enjoy!

andy grant – the way we used to do it (177mb / 77 minutes / 320kbps)

track list:

backroom productions – the definition of a track (the backroom) (new york underground records)
fre-dee – ride it…you can’t fight it (drum break) (underworld records)
robert owens – gotta work (uncut mix) (freetown inc)
desiya – comin’ on strong (zanza dub) (black market london)
latour – blue (underground ice pick mix) (xx records)
davis feat. adolfo – 2b or not 2b (klubb kidz flava dub) (dj exclusive)
sub-culture feat. marcus – dreams (tribal life mix) (strobe records)
house of swing – rockaby baby (lazy boy records)
the creeps – change it (simonelli’s late nite disco dub) (clubvision records)
wanda rogers – prove your love (mad enthusiasts dub) (interstate records)
kcc feat. emile – heaven (mood mix) (azuli records)
hardrive feat. lg – sindae (masters at work dub) (strictly rhythm)
the klubb kids – don’t want to hurt you (flava dub) (dj exclusive)
freedom – closer (pierre’s generate power mix) (power music)
midi rain – shine (pierre’s chicago house mix) (vinyl solution)

“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)

i’ve not been too active on the decks recently, but i’ve got a new mix in the works….this time it will be more recent tracks that i’ve picked up over the last month or so. watch this space.

andy grant – once upon a time in london

r.i.p. productions – untitled (track b2 flake 002) (ice cream records)
ricky suarez – deep vibes (nice ‘n’ripe)
unknown artist – untitled (track a2 meccano vol. 1 (white)
rhythm construction co. – disco daze (nice’n’ripe)
kim english – nite life (retail mix) (nervous)
r.i.p. productions – untitled (track a1 flake 004) (ice cream records)
+ acappella: key to life feat. kathleen murphy – find our way (breakaway) (acappella) (sub urban)
unknown artist – untitled (track b2 meccano vol. 1 (white)
joey musaphia – untitled (track a1 cover ups vol. 1) (white)
nu-birth – anytime (original mix) (nu jak recordings)
unknown artist – untitled (track a1 meccano vol. 2 (white)
smokin’ beats – jazz house (dope mix) (smokin’ beats)
george morel – let’s groove (strictly rhythm)
+ acappella: livin’ large feat. colonel abrams – love is what we need (acappella) (nice’n’ripe)
grant nelson – in my soul (dubbed out mix) (nice’n’ripe)
grant nelson & richard purser – sensation two (nice’n’ripe)
the banned project – back 2 the future (nice’n’ripe)
chubby chunks – testament one (cleveland city)
g.o.d. – untitled (track a chilly 001) (g.o.d)
smokin’ beats feat. conroy – times are a changin’ (smokin’ beats)
24 hour experience – together (nice’n’ripe)
blak’n’spanish – kik da bucket (mouse trap)
unknown artist – untitled (track a2 meccano vol. 2 (white)
joey musaphia – untitled (track b1 cover ups vol. 1) (white)
ricky suarez – tonite (nice’n’ripe)
vybatronix – this feeling (nice’n’ripe)
g.o.d. – watch ya bass bins (track b1 chilly 004) (g.o.d)

you can still download the mix here:

andy grant – once upon a time in london (249 mb / 108 mins / 320kbps)

this mix is my trip back to that time in london, before armand time stretched tori; before kelly g two-stepped tina; before rosie got closer than close; before “UK garage”….and in keeping with the pirate radio mix tapes of the day, there ain’t no tracklist for this one

download:

andy grant – once upon a time in london (249 mb / 108 mins / 320kbps)

meet dj bo selecta! my two year old daughter bohannon seems to have taken a keen interest in rinsin’ the dub plates. the girl’s got rhythm and loves dancing to them house tunes, but today she decided to take to the decks herself. it won’t be long before i’ve got her fully trained.

teach them well

dj bo selecta!

too much tops, not enough BASS…

make some noiz!

as promised last week, the new mix is now available for download. named “back in the saddle”, as i genuinely hope to get my act together and start getting some regular output on to the revised dchousegrooves site. i really enjoyed putting this mix together – the tracks really flowed together, and there really wan’t much effort involved. as any of you who are dj’s will know, you should not have to try to do a mix….if you’re having to work on it, then it ain’t going to work out. the best mixes just flow, as if they were meant to be!

this one was the first mix i’ve done on my zoom h2 handy recorder – where has this thing been all my life? so simple to use – no messing about with pc’s or laptops…just record direct to the device and you’ve got your mix in a wav file on an sd card. when i started in this game i was recording to c90 casettes; things have come a long way since then! the only problem i ran into was that i was using an 4gb sdhc card, and my pc card reader clearly can’t read sdhc cards, so I had to transfer over usb cable from the zoom h2. never mind – we got there in the end!

so on to the mix itself; mostly new tracks picked up on a recent trip to dj hut, starting off on a deep kerri chandler tip with a track off his saucy dick dickler ep on max trax, then seguing into his latest relelease Kong on deeply rooted house. from there into a bit of standard west coast deep house from tango and grayhound, until things start getting interesting with jimpster – a hold on your soul and kimouts’ down to earth on buzzin’ fly. Then things get noisy with the drama society remix of tiefschwarz – original. We then journey into some melodic euro deepness from jay shepeard, kimouts (again) and trentemøller before starting to bang up the drummy shit for a few tracks. the eclectic contribution to the proceedings comes courtesy of ray charles and quentin harris, before we go all aciied for the finishers.

i haven’t give this one a full listen back yet, but I certainly had a good time putting it together, so i’m sure it’s be worthwhile. highlights for me are the tiefschwarz > jay shepheard transition and the trentemøller track. I hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed mixing it, and i hope there are plenty more to come from dc house grooves, back in the saddle again.

andy grant – back in the saddle (320kbps / 80 mins / 196mb)

track list (click the links to view the discogs release page):

kerri chandler – the drive (max trax)
kerri chandler – kong (deeply rooted house)
dj rasoul – candlelight affair (greyhound)
kinky movement – safe house (tango)
jimpster – a hold on your soul (freerange)
kimouts – down to earth (mymy monterrey wash remix 1) (buzzin’ fly)
tiefschwarz – original (drama society remix) (souvenir)
jay shepheard – 4nc (compost blacklabel)
kimouts – down to earth (original) (buzzin’ fly)
trentemøller – miss you (trentemøller remix)
soul clap – the giraffe (original mix) (airdrop)
jerome syndenham, texu, romantic couch – ebian (samual l session remix) (ibadan)
jon cutler & matthias heilbronn – 651 (original mix) (distant music)
ray charles – eleanor rigby (quentin harris remix)
jay shepheard – …the party’s upstairs (compost blacklabel)
kurd maverick – the rub (instrumental mix) (cr2 records)