Welcome to the third edition of All Gus No Fuss. This week I take a listen to a new record from Byron the Aquarius, Physically Sick 3 and finally the latest R.A.N.D Muzik Recordings imprint.
There isn’t much I can say on the topic of race which hasn’t already been mentioned in the past few months. Music is my life and I spent almost every hour of my day with my headphones in. Almost all the music I engage with is inspired by, influenced by and created by African Americans. It can a challenge understanding your role and importance in tackling social issues, and I appreciate the frustration this feeling can bring about. I genuinely believe music can have a direct impact in tackling issues such as a race. To those reading please take a minute to look over this incredible site, and spend some of your money supporting musicians who for so many years have not been given the appreciation they well and truly deserve.
Byron The Aquarius – Invitation To Openness
An invitation to openness is so often rejected. Especially to those yet to discover the magic a house song can provide. So often those unfamiliar with dance music dismiss the chance of enjoying such genres as they; ‘do not have words’, or ‘all sound the same’. Byron The Aquarius’s latest release might just be able to diminish some of those house music haters complaint’s and The 7 track e.p. feels like a formally written invite to a fancy wedding, where the formal and tidy service is suitably followed by an incredibly boozy and joyous party.
Every track feels blissfully slow and steady, chugging away with such ease, my personal favourite; ‘Smoke One For Huckaby (Mike)’. This tune feels directly inspired by and crafted for the house legend, one Huckaby could have produced himself.
‘Im Black and Proud (313)’ picks up the pace, a spacey synth accompanying the heavy and familiar thud of a 909.
Amongst the house hits are two almost ambient productions. ‘Lost In The Motherland (reprise)’ extends Byron’s open invitation beyond planet earth. And ‘The Promise Land’ simplistic melody feels welcoming and warm to those extraterrestrials amongst us.
“Bonus Track ‘Dub’ ” sounds muffled and moorish, leaving me enthralled by this Atlanta based producer. Byron Blaylock has been active for well over ten years, but is is only in the last five you feel he’s really found his feet as producer and ‘Invitation To Openness’ beautifully represents and embodies what he is capable of.
Physically Sick 3
Music has an ethereal effect on you, when the music’s purpose is to raise money for a charitable organisation aimed fighting police brutality and gentrification, its effects are simply heightened. The impact of this wonderful compilation peak when you have a glance at its track-list and attains otherworldly impacts when listened to.
The 27 track super mix is comprised of some of the US’ most exciting producers, intertwined with British based heavy hitters; including Anz, Special Request and Surgeon. These heavy hitters additions to the compilation are, as expected, excellent. Anz opens the affair with ‘Body + Mind’, a broken dub techno track, laced with a familiarly fierce vocal.
Special Request broke 2019, releasing four full length albums. My favourite release of his last year was Vortex 150 and the subsequent remix by Mall Grab. This remix felt more like a collaboration than a remix, and Woolford’s addition to this compilation; ‘Wallabies’, feels like it’s been heavily influence by Jordon Alexander, a native to the nation of ‘Wallabies’. A computerised take on a 90s sound, gabbered bass flows into more accessible and airy kicks.
‘A Prayer For Something Better’ is by the intricate artist Surgeon. So often a producer of rolling, heavy techno, this track showed me a more relaxed and melodic sound to Surgeon. If only all the worlds prayers sounded like Surgeon’s take on ambient, we might find ourselves tackling the problems facing humanity much more effectively.
The European additions to this collection are impressive but the whole compilation has an inescapably American feel and sound throughout. Shyboi’s latest solo EP; Rave Down Babylon is the Discwoman affiliates first production project which has really caught my attention. Her addition to Physically sick, ‘Eat That’, feels equally as impressive as Rave Down Babylon. Harsh and minimal In its opening, before rocking into life. Shyboi is tipped by many as one of the most exciting artists to emerge from New York and I cannot wait to catch her in a club hopefully soon.
It feels ironically adept that the purpose of this compilation is to try and tackle such important and real issue facing minorities, not just in American but beyond, and yet much of the music feels destined for a place beyond the realms of planet Earth and its seemingly endless list of problems. I guess in many ways it is a rave focused reminder that beyond the physical struggles of society, (often brought on by each other) there lies the therapeutic acoustic which dance music can so often provide.
In Savile’s; ‘You Will Be A Maker Of A Better World’ a jungle beat breaks into an empty chasm slowly filled by the words “I wanna use music, to try and and convince you to grasp in time, a love supreme, so that you will not remain a prisoner of time, but a creator, a maker of a better world”. Echoing my thoughts to a friend in a recent conversation, it can become tricky and frustrating understanding how, as a seemingly helpless individual, you can help challenge normalised social conventions so entrenched with racism, sexism and homophobia. This track amongst other influences highlight to me that much of social change must be a personal realisation and evolution amongst us in order to create and make a better world.
The role of music in Politics is, and always has been clear as day. Of all the things you can read online to evoke frustration and anger, one which gets to me most is comments like “keep politics out of it”. Which feels ironic as hell when written below one of the founders of the group; Underground Resistance’s Facebook post. Music can have the power to convince you to try and create a better world, and although at my ‘young’ age of 22 I am still trying to find my place amongst it all, the sample used by Savile beautifully reminded me of the higher power music can have.
It is easy to get lost in the beautiful collection of tracks this compilation provides and I hope many others like me are inspired by the content of such a collaboration of talented artists. However, individual and idealistic inspiration can take weeks, years to manifest into genuine change. This compilation raised over sixteen thousands dollars for Equality for Flatbush which hopefully will have a much more direct and fast impact on tackling challenges surrounding equality.
Everyone involved in compilations such as these, whether arranging or organising such a project, and even those who simply purchase and enjoy it must be celebrated. I have found frustration all my life in social media and its role in inactive involvement in Political movements. I do understand it can be hard to know, in a position of privilege, what you can genuinely do to help. So you, like most, blindly post a black picture on your instagram to try and find someway of feeling involved. I would strongly advise anyone reading this to not follow trends such as these, but to try and find artistic projects, like Physically Sick, investing money and time on creative endeavours which can actually create and incite change both physically and hopefully emotionally.
Pent’s ‘Intra7′ beautifully brings together ambient, dubstep, and electro. A holy Trinity, and a match made in heaven.
DJ Swisha’s perfect mastering work throughout the compilation is only matched by his mentally mesmerising ‘Stardawg’. Short but sweet, DJ Swisha is one of the many compilations contributors who has seen a rapid rise in 2020.
Other personal highlights come from the promiscuous DJ Python, whose track ‘7000’ at its core feels full of house influences, but beyond its basics finds a perfect balance between a track suited for an afters and one perfect for a Villalobos six hour classic sunrise set.
Garage is a genre unanimously associated with the United Kingdom, however Pittsburgh based Davis Galvin’s contribution to Physically Sick 3 is bound to have the best and brightest British garage producers shaking. Soft and subtle clock and bell chimes bounce back and forth from a familiar garage bassline.
Physically Sick 3 is an incredible compilation, every track unique and special, avoiding so many of the boring norms associated with areas of dance music production in 2020. Combine its acoustic awe with its political potential and Physically Sick 3 has provided me with genuine inspiration.
DJ Detox – RM12009 – R.A.N.D Muzik Recordings
When I spoke to Reece Walker last month, he spoke with a sense of quiet and deserved confidence. Within his closing words he mentioned the latest brightly flavoured release on R.A.N.D Music Recordings by fellow Leipzig producer; DJ Detox.
I think his words were something along the lines of ‘insane’. Insane doesn’t do this record justice. A lot of music I enjoy is made by producers I am a fan of, individuals and groups who I follow closely. I have no idea who DJ Detox is, but this collection of fast and thumping tracks has very much spiked my interest. In hindsight, having listened to the rest of R.A.N.D’s catalogue, I shouldn’t have expected any less.
Opener ‘Ounces to Pounds’ features the ever so familiar vocal from ‘It Takes Two’. The cult classic by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock. This vocal placed alongside a rave influenced groan, weighty by name and weighty by nature, this track was my first measure of DJ Detox. Tagged by its preview on Das Booty as ‘future hardcore’, a modern take on one of dances musics forgotten fables. I love hardcore.
‘Move Ahead’ does just that. It moves the sound of the record from harsh, long and stretched sounds to quick, short and snappy notes. Electro to begin, but before the jungle drums come in the track feels like it speeds up. That momentum is continuous till the end, perfectly complimented by a subtly sweet acid line.
It is truly ridiculous what Reece Walker has done with R.A.N.D Muzik Recordings. Every single release has been so unique, and featured 4 or more very different tracks. Detox deserves the attention now. ‘The Groove’ takes the infamous “yeah” vocal but instead of combining with harsher sounds, combines with a more clear and uplifting vocal. I hear subtle garage influences when listening to the third, and my favourite, track of this e.p.
Final track ‘Freaks’ sounds relentless. DJ Detox for the first three tunes evokes a careful and strangely calming feeling from his music with such pace. ‘Freaks’ ditches that, and as Detox lets his metaphorical hair down, his e.p. arrives at a thunderous conclusion. An awesome blend of acidic focused electro.
I’ve said before and will have no problem stating it once more, R.A.N.D Muzik Recordings are a label doing some special things. From chatting to Reece, but more importantly turning Ounces to Pounds, I can see Leipzig is a quality location for dance music.