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17 October 2002

This week's second update has just gone live and online at Primalrecords.com and this batch holds some heavy weight. In addition to a massive Progressive House update, we've got exclusive white label music from the Detour and DMT3 labels, as well as new music from Wicked Crew principals DJ Garth & Markie Mark. Here's a quick look at what to expect:

ONIONZ, TONY & MASTER D "The Music / Flow / Busted Ass Beats" Detour (Promo) [House, Tech-house, Tribal]

The first of this update's white label action comes from our friends at Detour, who offer up a 3-way split EP between New York's Onionz and Master D and San Francisco's own Tony Hewitt. You know who they are, so I'll spare you the introduction. What you should know is that Onionz latest cut is most likely his best outing since "Acid Chantz." Deep and groovy, "The Music" holds onto its tribal roots but anchors itself with warm pads and soulful vocal samples throughout. Classy. On the flip, Hewitt gets a bit techier, a bit tougher, and bit drugged-out, calling on some twisted FX to push the track's relentless beats. Wrapping things up is Master D who offers a stripped-down tribal dub of "The Music" that should satisfy the bigger rooms wherever the original didn't. This is massive.

www.tangorecordings.com

V/A "Detour Limited Sampler" (feat. Allen Craig & DJ Huey, Earth Deuley, and Tony Hewitt, Carl Finlow & Ralph Lawson as TRC) Detour (Promo) [House, Tech-house, Tribal] Detour's at it again this week with a limited label sampler featuring new and old faces alike. First up is local production duo Allen Craig & DJ Huey, whose first outing for the label has been doing the business for many of us out here on CD-R. "Soul Power" comes in two mixes here, but its AC's Deep Dub that will no doubt move your dancefloor. The West Coast influence is inevitable, but its the added tech and jazz influence that boosts the cut's unique presence. On the flip, Tony Hewitt hands in a collaboration with 20/20 Vision partners Carl Finlow and Ralph Lawson that is a deep houser with a truly felt bass performance and a techy/electro vibe that reflects much of the current 20/20 aesthetic. Finally, Georgia-based producer Earth Deuley--hot on the heels of his latest release for Addictive--gives us "Hi-Fi," a deep and atmospheric tech-house cut with a subtle percussive element and laidback keys. If Earth's last release found its way into your box (and judging from our sales of the EP, for many of you, it did), you're going to need this.

www.tangorecordings.com

PANIC "Deep Inside / Eucalytas At Sunset / People Say" DMT3 (Promo) [House, Tribal, Tech-house] Upcoming San Diego producer Chris Davis has already found a home for his music with Big Chief's Bluedaze imprint and through his own up-and-coming Warbled Music label; here, the DMT3 label forks over a limited supply of white label pre-release copies for Davis' latest EP as Panic. Somewhere between Halo Varga and the Tyrant night at Fabric, my pick goes to "Deep Inside," a staggering deep tribal tech-houser with a breakbeat breakdown to die for. The 2 tracks on the b-side carry their weight with a blend of funky bass-driven house for the Big Chief and Doubledown sets, but it's the A-side that's getting the most support from our side of town. This one is first come, first serve, as always. Don't sleep.

DJ GARTH & MARKIE MARK "Anthem #1 / The Book" Grayhound [House, Tech-house] It was probably the fastest moving white label we've ever had. Garth and Markie return to the Grayhound fold with "Anthem #1," a deep UK-acid influenced cut that harks back to classic Heller & Farley-styled material but maintains its distinctive San Francisco edge. Daryl Pandy's impassioned vocal is flat out vintage stuff, and local crowds have been tearing up the floors in recent months for this one. Remember "20 Minutes of Disco Glory"? It's just as essential. Seriously.

www.grayhound.net

SALOME & IVES "Mystic Roya" (Holmes Ives Rmxs) Bedrock [Progressive, Tech-house] When it rains, it pours. One minute, I've never heard of the guy. The next, Holmes Ives is handing in quality remixes for Yoshitoshi and, now, original cuts for the Bedrock imprint. If you're expecting a full-on progressive belt-out, think again. Salome & Ives' "Mystic Roya" is every bit as mystic as its title: The original Holmes Ives mix is a 126 BPM ethnic prog cut with a simple, but very effective groove and an ambient soundtrack that implies that somebody's been listening to Ryiuchi Sakamoto when they're not listening to John Digweed. What's bowling me over, however, is the funky tech-house dub on the flip--dancefloor-ready, stark and dubby, a house vibe with a progressive edge. Support from Deep Dish, Anthony Pappa, and Jimmy Van M is already in.

www.bedrock.org.uk

BERNARD LEON HOWARD III feat. 80 "Marscarter" 2x12" (Original, Joshua, Morel, and Debo & Porter Mxs) Shinichi [House, Progressive] It came out about a year and a half ago on Tweekin', now, the Deep Dish boys have licensed it and found some very different producers to give it the re-rub for their fledgling and impressive Shinichi label. You might remember the original, a deep vocal house cut with a slightly ethereal edge. And you might remember Joshua's remix, an even deeper slightly disco dub. Those mixes are both here. New to the fold is Richard Morel, whose Pink Noise Dub takes the original into club territory for an upbeat and techy progressive interpretation. Also in the mix are Boston progressive wunderkind Steve Porter and legendary Boston DJ John Debo whose Deported Vocal Mix has no doubt seen the most play of any of the mixes. You heard it on Satoshi Tomiie's Global Underground Nu-Breed CD. And on Chris Fortier's Bedrock compilation. And you know what? It's pretty damn good. If you've heard Debo & Porter's fantastic mix of Everything But The Girl's "Five Fathoms," you may have an idea of what to expect. If not, just trust me.

www.shinichi.co.uk

Also with this update is new remix and production work from AJ Scent, Paul Woolford, Tomaz vs. Filterheadz, Blue Noise, Subtech, Phil Kieran, Lastmanstanding, Mara, Rocket, Jeno, Rob Mello, Murk, DJ Nukem vs. Chab, Satoshi Tomiie, Layo & Bushwacka!, Derrick Carter, Blaze, Hybrid, and more.

New label releases from Hooj Choons, Whole 9 Yards, NRK, Skint, Kubist, Marine Parade, Low Pressings, RIP, Westbound, Slip N Slide, and G-Swing are also in.

Finally, local Bay Area folks will not want to forget this week's Official PR2 Label Release Party, presented by Get Underground! and Primal Records. The party is on Saturday, October 19, at Club Six, located at 60 Sixth Street, between Market and Mission Streets in San Francisco. The main room will feature Tony Hewitt (Tango, Nightshift, Detour), Jeno (Wicked, Grayhound), DJ Adnan (Uniting Souls, PR2) and yours truly, Norman Arenas (Primal, PR2). In the second room will be the Smartbeat selectors.

The evening starts at 10PM and goes until 4AM, but the door is only $10 before 11PM, so you might want to get there early.

Hope to see you all there!

(Norman Arenas)
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