Someone said to me I should write about why I chose the tracks for Disco Circus (Volume 3) and how some of them came about. Here’s the tracks for CD1. Some words on CD2 coming next week.
1. Kamp! – Cairo
This is on the fantastic Discotexas label, I fell in love with this track the first time I heard it. When I started going through tracks I knew I wanted this to be the opening track for Volume 3. Check the Moulinuex remix too, I wanted that as well but had to choose. I still play the Moulineux remix in most of my DJ sets.
2. Matt Van Schie – Drifting Down The Sidewalk (Demo)
Matt sent this to me ages ago, in fact I wanted this for Volume 2 but due to various reasons it wasn’t possible. I asked him again (I might have begged, not sure) and he said yes. I think Matt is one of the most talented artists I know and I love this track (Matt is also in the band Van She). He can also drink more beer than me yet remain thin. I think this is a superpower.
3. L’Equipe Du Son – Lesson 1 (The Legendary 1979 Orchestra Remix)
I actually thought this was from the 80’s, it’s not. But starts the beginning of a classic section on CD1 and does it amazingly well. It’s retro back from the future if that makes sense. Which I don’t think it does.
4. Cloud One – Patty Duke
The first of the classics on CD1. I buy shit loads of music from the 70’s and 80’s, then forget a lot of it. Sadly some of it is utter garbage and was probably drunk when I bought it. I’m currently going through everything trying to catalogue it properly. This is one of the tunes I bought sober. I’m organising them alphabetically and am currently on the D’s.
5. Peter Gunn – Peter Gunn
This is probably the rarest of the track on here, I don’t know much about it. It’s mental, slightly bonkers, thus perfect.
6. Blo – Get That Groove In
How can you not get a groove on to this track? This was actually sent to me by my friend Chris who sends me obscure disco and psychedelic on a regular basis (normally when I remind him). He is my virtual record shop and pretty sure I have to thank him for a few other tracks on Disco Circus 1, 2 and 3. He will probably want some money now.
7. Black Soul – Africa Africa
I love African Disco and went out purposely to find some for Volume 3. My love of African disco started on Disco Circus (Volume 2). I heard an edit of this last year and set about trying to find the original. After 3 months of searching I gave up, and then I asked a friend who knew it instantly. I see this friend all the time so should probably have asked him earlier considering he has an encyclopaedic knowledge of 70’s music. I’m not going to say who it is because he will go on about it every day for the next 10 years (but thanks J).
8. Drop Out Orchestra – Ego (Blackstrobe Remix)
Total winning combination, Blackstrobe (Arnaud Rebotini and DJ Ivan Smagghe) and Drop Out Orchestra. I loved Ego from the moment they sent it to me (I also love the Tronik Youth remix). I was already getting ideas together for Disco Circus 3 when I got this and it went straight into the ‘YES’ folder.
9. Hypnotic – Droid (Automatic Piano)
Probably my favourite Italo Disco record ever. If I’d have made a classic Italo record, I wish I’d made this one. In fact I regularly perform air piano to this and pretend I did make it. In fact, let’s pretend I did.
10. Angela Paris – Wherever Forever (Vocal)
I bought the instrumental version of this a few years ago. I had no idea there was a vocal (should have probably paid more attention to the word ‘instrumental in the title). Then on a Sunday afternoon whilst I was cooking lunch for some friends, this track came on from my iTunes and someone said, “there’s a great vocal version of this track!”. I of course agreed (although I had no idea) and went and bought the vocal version.
11. Pat Lok – Yes Game (Bit Funk Remix)
Pat’s from Canada and his productions rock. Add US producer Bit Funk (awesome in his own right) and this is groovey modern disco at its finest. I was looking for a track that could blend from the classic tracks into the modern ones and pick up the pace. I think this does it perfectly.
12. Gigamesh – When Your Dancing (RAC Remix)
I put When Your Dancing in my top 10 tracks for 2011 chart thing. I think it’s fucking brilliant. I’m slightly jealous I didn’t make it. There was no way this CD was going out without this track on it. I’d have sulked and thrown tantrums until I got my way. Fortunately Matt (Gigamesh) and his manager are lovely and gave it to me.
13. Shake Aletti – Lights & Sparks (Mighty Mouse Dub)
This is the first of my remixes on the compilation. I only chose the dub because I felt there were too many vocal tracks. I love the vocal version and it’s one of the biggest tracks I play when I play it out. When I made this remix I went to open it up after a few weeks of not touching it to finish the mix down and it had disappeared. I thought I must have accidently deleted it. I spent 4 days re doing it until I suddenly remembered I’d called in Peanut Salad. I blame my friend Max for this, he started the ‘let’s give tracks silly names thing’. It’s not big and it’s not clever and I still have no idea what a third of the tracks are on my computer.
14. Only Children – Don’t Stop (Mighty Mouse Remix)
I did this last year. These guys are from Chicago and making some great disco at the moment. I never saw this as a dancefloor remix, more of a listening track and that’s why I thought it would work on the CD. Saying that, I played it out a few weeks ago and it went down brilliantly. So clearly I have no idea about this sort of thing and will never make that presumption again.
15. Figure Of 8 – No One Cries For Me (Mighty Mouse Remix)
From the wonderful On The Fruit Records. These guys are putting out some great stuff at the moment. I fell in love with this when I heard it and had no hesitation in remixing it; the vocal is haunting and beautiful. Even when I was making it I knew I wanted it on Disco Circus 3. Similarly to the track previously I saw this as more as a listening track as opposed to a dancelfoor track… which is probably another mistake.
16. Worship – Out There
Probably the most driving track on CD1. It’s subtle but so emotional. It was also one of my favourite tracks from 2011. It was quite hard to work out exactly where I was going to put this track. I had to do some juggling. It did live on CD2 for a while though and it was a pretty late decision to put it on CD1. I do ‘air synth’ to this in the car sometimes on the steering wheel.
17. Orson Bramley – Inverted Snobbery
When I look for tracks I like to do dig around through lots of genres. This was a track I found after weeks of digging. It’s classed as techno. I’m not sure what I’d call it but I think it’s futuristic. I knew exactly where it could fit. Although for a few weeks it was closing CD2. I think it’s the perfect composition to end something.