global underground, a discussion.
Today I discovered Nick Warren’s GU024 was discontinued. In memorium of this wonderful release, I wish to explain further:
Global Underground is one of those finds as a new listener of electronic music that makes you understand you have joined this party much, much too late. Here is a whole record label which is complete with the ability to fund tours, talented photographers quite capable of romancing the club scene and promotion that permeates the entire dance music community. And they release mere mix cd’s. In the traditional sense, this is not creative output. But at this point, I must digress.
The history of mix CD’s is really a thing, like most good bits of history, that starts in Britain. A moment in time encapsulated in a recording, a club named Renaissance saw fit to record Alexander Coe (aka Sasha) and John Digweed in a massive 3 hour set back in 1994. This was the first ever release of a mix on a recorded medium, save for standard cassette tapes that DJ’s would give out to promote themselves. It still stands as a wonderful testament to two of the most enduring voices in promoting electronic music. To this day, Sasha as a producer, and Digweed as a DJ, push the boundaries of our traditional senses of electronic music and show us new- and important- voices. (to be fair, Ministry of Sound had a prior release, but again, Renaissance was the groundbreaking one).
Quick on the heels of the Renaissance Boys, the Global Underground crew (from here on in, we’ll be referring to Global Underground as GU), again a british export, started releasing mix CD’s in 1996. Tony De Vit, mixing in Tel Aviv, was the first DJ to mix on the label’s extremely well thought out release package. Each release has a single DJ mixing two discs, often themed, in a particular location. Tony’s was 001, but the important ones to me are much later. Starting with John Digweed’s early GU’s (006, 014) and Sasha’s 013, I was an early fan. But then in 2002, during a deeply troubling time in my life, GU 022, Melbourne, mixed by Dave Seaman was released and I was from there on in an avid fan. I was introduced to Lamb’s “What Sound,” and a series of recordings that were powerful emotional anchors at the time. Though, as releases continued from the label, some of the mixes have become overly minimal and tech house, which, for me, is coma inducing. Nothing can stay perfect forever, and a lot of people are into minimal house, but I just sit back and wait for progressive to return in full force again.
Now mix CD’s are often misunderstood as cheap attempts at creative output by non musical people. A fellow named Henry Rollins can be easily google searched for his outright hatred of DJ’s and electronic music producers. Here in again, we must dissect the exact reason why DJ’s are held in such high regard amongst electronic music listeners (except for deadmau5 but he’s a sham anyway), but degraded amongst musicians and taste makers of other genres.
Electronic music is given very little air time on the radio, every So Cal (current location) radio station that focused on electronic music has shut down quickly after starting up and KCRW has to alot late night hours for the real record crate pillagers. And so usually, with a brand of music that doesn’t get large scale popular adoration, you get individual, apostolic voices, who combine music of a certain brand (sometimes many different styles) and present it in a continuous mix. Henry Rollins did the same thing on his “Harmony in My Head” show on 103.1 before it shut down. What a DJ does is to dissect the releases of the day; sift through the deluge of music that is made available by thousands of outlets and reduce it down to a pure, blissful collection of- traditionally- 15 to 20 songs on a “disc”. The electronic music community is fortunate to have a multitude of DJ’s, focusing on particular styles in an effort to proselytize the listening masses. If you’re a fan of a particular DJ, this is one of last few cases of an album being listened to straight through. And let’s face it, a DJ mix is an hour of music that has been set and organized for you, a mix is a blessing during long periods of travel or even just an evening that doesn’t need focus on the stereo.
In the final aspect of my thesis, is the UK. Not only did they invent the idea of releasing mixes on a recorded medium, but Britain is one of the most open musical cultures, whilst being extremely forward thinking in terms of what is truly “next”. This is especially the case in London, mecca for electronic music and truly progressive styles of all music at present, where drum n bass can be heard on the radio, along with John Digweed spinning on Kiss on Friday nights. The reason why is that electronic music has been accepted and become part of the musical landscape much more in the UK than in the US. This style has been assimilated into the inner of ear of londoners. The US club scene is still in its infancy, some 15 years behind the UK scene and in turn the rest of the country just doesn’t know what to do with it. And what is most interesting about America’s difficulty with electronic music is that the current pop and hip hope trends are utilizing what techno has been using since, well, 303’s, 808’s, Akai’s and Boss Pedals were all we had.
I hope this explains what a continuous mix is. It is an art form and a way of presenting music that inspires the particular DJ and this music together, becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Technique aside, this is a way of discovering new artists and formats of music. Like all music it is a method of communication, but this one is a way of taking many voices, a multitude of production techniques and grouping them together to reach a particular destination. One that is usually a blissful journey.
The recommendations I will provide presently are my own finds, and ones that may not be your particular cup of tea. All of these DJ’s were finds via Global Underground, parties where I saw these individuals spin, or remixes that pointed me to the artist.
Nick Warren, his later works on the global underground label, are by far my favorite headphone candy. Paris GU030 is my favorite, disc 2 especially. Shanghai GU028 is a true party record. Reykjavik GU024 is a treasure trove of artists, including the brilliant track “Crayons” by Starkid, who was taken from us much too early, much too soon. Lima GU035 is a bizarre voiceless and distracted mix that I recommend for solitary evenings or long drives. Also a mix but not on the GU label is the “Don’t Look Now” Bonus CD mix. Chill mixed with club in a way that has yet to be topped.
James Lavelle’s Bangkok GU037 is a modern twist of psychedelia and a worthwhile listen. As mentioned before, Dave Seaman’s Melbourne GU022 is a truly lovely mix, one built for lonely deserts. Sharam’s Dubai GU029 is a marathon of house music, literally music to shag rotten to. Every single one John Digweed’s mixes is a brilliant trip through clubland. He’s the godfather, just sit back and listen.
Renaissance was mentioned prior and I must emphasize one DJ, James Zabiela, who has released two master series discs, one very soon to be out among us, called “Life”. His free mixes, called “Four” are also must haves. His earlier stuff were a developmental practice, but these two are gems. Along with Dave Seaman’s multiple Renaissance mixes, including his Master Series Volume 7 are really wonderful finds and sexy as hell.
That’s good enough I think. I hope you enjoy them.
backchat.
