Doc Martin is one of the most revered DJ’s in the American house music scene. His career goes back to the earliest days of rave culture, and he has toured the world many times over and held numerous residencies at top dance clubs. His many recorded mixes are collected in a number of places around the web: Rave Archive, Ezeskankin, and MPiii to name a few. This particular one is a favorite of mine, collecting many of my favorite house and deep house anthems in one epic journey. This recording combines all four parts of the Visions of Paradise set into one long mix, which was originally spread across two cassettes. I don’t know the year it was recorded, but given the track selections, I would say it was sometime in the late 1990’s.
Listening to old-school acid house often means listening to scratchy old recordings ripped from 20-25 year old mixtapes. Not this time! Back in 2000, Underground Construction, a Chicago house label known for releasing literally hundreds of great 12 inches, compiled and released an excellent compilation of hits from the Trax Records vaults. For those not familar with Trax, here’s a little history from Discogs:
Trax is one of the two original Chicago house-music labels (the other being D.J. International Records). Founded in the early 1980s by Larry Sherman, Screamin’ Rachael, Jesse Saunders, and Vince Lawrence. Responsible for the release of “Acid Tracks” by Phuture, “Move Your Body” by Marshall Jefferson, and many other records that shaped the Chicago and acid house sounds through the 80’s until the early 1990’s.
Mixed by DJ Rick Garcia, this is a journey through twenty-four of Trax Records’ most famous and beloved anthems. These songs shaped the future of house music and techno, with their haunting synths and acid 303 lines, as well as soulful vocals by Darryl Pandy and Xavier Gold. Essential and timeless.
Here’s a live 60-minute mix I did on Saturday. I just grabbed a small stack of house vinyl from my collection and hit record. It ain’t perfect but i think it flows well and has a nice funky vibe… mix of Chicago, French, and NYC house from the 1990’s. Featuring tracks by: DJ Sneak, Dmitri from Paris, The Rurals, AV8, Kevin Yost, Jordan Fields, Montefiore Cocktail, Jamiroquai, Claudio Cocolutto, NLC, Aleem, and Bjork.
DJ Sneak is beloved among house heads around the world as one of the most famous and popular DJ’s of the “second wave” of the Chicago scene. Sneak’s deep, yet funky style is exemplified by this mix, one that I feel is the best I’ve ever heard of his. It includes many rare, sought-after house tracks, and has that deep hypnotic groove that Sneak is famous for without being too repetitive or minimal.
This is the sound of Chicago house that was contemporary to Daft Punk’s first album and provided the ground work for the French house and UK disco house genres that followed in the mid-to-late 90’s. Without a doubt, a classic of the genre. Track list after the jump…
Ore Records was a short-lived UK house label, an off-shoot of XL Recordings. From 1993 to 1996, Ore released classic house music (also known in the UK as “handbag house”) with lots of diva vocals and disco flourishes. Notable artists on Ore included Tommy Musto (under the alias Colourblind), Jay Denes of Blue Six (who later saw much success on the Naked Music label), and legendary NYC producer and DJ, Todd Terry.
This compilation, released in 1995 and mixed by Todd Terry, brings together ten of Ore Records’ top releases from 1993-95 into a fabulous, flawless disco house mix that also happens to be pretty rare. I first heard it in 1997, and often mixed Party Faithful’s “Brass: Let The Be House” anthem into my college-era DJ sets as a peak-time dance track. What a tune! Track list and more album art after the jump.
This mixtape was recently featured on my rave forum site Ravetrash.com, re-discovered and uploaded by my buddy Ria. In his words:
JAJO was the name, DJ JAJO a.k.a Juan Mauri Vera. Jajo was from Spain & going to school here in St.Louis. He soon dropped out & started DJing full time for STL raves. the scene was just flourishing and there was a party every weekend there, it seemed. He passed away in 1997 from a drug overdose. R.I.P.
This mixtape came out circa 1992. It did not get to me until the next year as it was re-recorded onto other tapes and passed on down the line until i got it and did the same thing fro my friends. This was pre-internet so it took more motivation and time to spread your mix.
The mix is an underground legend. This mix got me into house music which then led me more into raves and such. I’m not the only one.
This became my “white whale” ever since i lost my cassette copy of it after driving off with my tape case on top of my car. I have since searched for a copy to no avail. Friends and colleagues like Perry Ellis & Melloman who had a copy, could not seem to find it in their pack-rat lifestyle abodes.
It was just a waiting game.
Melloman recently FINALLY found the tape and we reminisced about everything as it seemed like i was listening to this for the first time. My room mate ripped it from tape and digitized, cleaned up & remastered the mix to mp3. it still has a few pops & hisses but overall, decent quality to rock out to.
I’ve listened to this mix myself many times, and it is timeless and funky like all the greatest house mixes. It is a relic from the earliest days of the midwestern rave scene, but doesn’t sound “old” in any way. Rock out to this immediately and savor your old school cred.
Here’s the third volume of my “Meow Mix” series, celebrating the sound of house music, poetry, and soul. In keeping with the “Meow Mix” theme, this one weaves house and techno together, instrumentals with vocals, classic tracks and new surprises. Check out the poetic lyrics that flow like a beatnick free form jam in the addictive opening song by Holly Palmer & Dobie. Kenny Larkin’s meditation on a world without soul (“Without”) and Todd Gardener’s definition of house music (“Do You Know House?”) and Billie Holiday’s plaintive call to take “All Of Me” are also voices that will stay with you. I could write a paragraph on each of these tracks, but I’ll just let it speak for itself. Tracklist after the jump…
