In Strict Tempo, vol. 79: News Round-Up (And I Go Clubbing!)
Firstly apologies for no newsletter last week, I was up in Liverpool for my best friend’s stag do. After a brief visit to the Cavern Club and a bit more time in the immediate area listening to cover bands annihilate The Cranberries’ Zombie a thousand times, a few of us finished up the night in Meraki, at a night of 160bpm Schranz techno. It was the first time I’d been to a nightclub in a while, and you know what? It kind of reinvigorated me to get out a bit more. Meraki is a great little venue, a short cab ride from the city centre, and whilst it wasn’t particularly busy in the club, the sound, minimal lighting, and especially the atmosphere was on point. Schranz isn’t my favourite genre of techno (I’m not sure it’s really anyones?) but the promoters were really committed to putting on a strong lineup and a top night. Also, a nice reminder of just how good Red Stripe out of a can can be in the right environment!
Festival season is upon us, and this year the discourse all seems to be about who ultimately owns the companies that put on these events rather than the music. I’ve been to massive festivals in the past and had a decent enough time, but the vibe is always better at smaller, more underground events, and it’s these kind of things that need our support more than ever. Talking to the promoter of the night I was at in Liverpool he said they took a huge bath on every night they put on, but they were genuinely doing it for the love of bringing an under-represented style of music to the small audience that likes it. It’s people like this who are the lifeblood of any music scene and they deserve our support.
Ibiza changes more and more every year but one thing that was always a constant was the Sa Trinxa beach bar. It’s been there since the 70’s serving drinks and good tunes and is one of my favourite spots on the Island. Sadly this year the powers that be seem to have put a stop to DJ sessions there, but it seems that they’ll still be allowed to play music, although for how long is anyones guess. There’s a petition to sign if you’re that way inclined.
We sadly lost Douglas McCarthy from Nitzer Ebb this week. One of the pioneering EBM groups, their influence on techno and more industrial leaning music is without question. Rest in Power.
We also lost John Reid of Nightcrawlers this week. Obviously everyone knows the MK mixes of Push The Feeling On, but it’s really worth checking out the original track to see just how far the remix pushed it. RIP.
Finally, Spotify are making the monthly listeners metric less visible on their platform. Good. It’s always been a crap metric and doesn’t really mean much at all. Sure it’s interesting to see, but it doesn’t tell anyone anything useful. The amount of artists I’ve seen with huge monthly listeners but a tiny number of followers, which is the real key to success. That’s the one you want to build.
New Music
Sophie - Product [Numbers]
A first vinyl pressing for this collection of Sophie’s earliest tracks on Numbers. Bipp is probably one of the biggest tunes of the 2010’s, no doubt about it.
Four Tet - Into Dust (Still Falling) [Text]
Four Tet dives into his record collection and pulls out his copy of Mazzy Star’s Into Dust for the remix treatment. I’ve said it before, but in my opinion Four Tet is an incredible remixer, and I actually prefer his remixes than a lot of his original work.
Babyfather - ƐƐƐƐ [WORLD MUSIC]
Dean Blunt’s Babyfather returns with a new slice of post-grime or whatever it is you wanna call this. I quite like it.
Cobblestone Jazz - Generations [Self-Released]
Not many people can do the long-form dance single like Mathew Jonson, and he’s back with this ten-minute long new one from his Cobblestone Jazz moniker. Marionette remains one of my favourite pieces of dance music ever, and this is alright too.
OKO DJ - Formentera [Stroom]
I went to Formentera earlier this year. Got seasick on the ferry over. This isn’t the kind of vibe I was feeling when I was on the island, but it’s an interesting listen nonetheless.
Mammo - General Patterns [Short Span]
Nice, long, dubby atmospheric gear here from Mammon on Matthew Kent’s new imprint Short Span. Proper hazy, proper deep, proper good.
Biosphere - The Way of Time [AD93]
A new album from ambient master Biosphere here. Just let this wash over you, and take you deep into your subconciousness. I did a floatation tank session earlier in the year, I wish it was playing this inside it.
That’s it for this week, thankyou as always for reading, sharing, and commenting - I really do appreciate you all.
