What Summer?

Yes, we love to moan, "this summer is crap!", but then when it's too hot and sticky, as it gets in England in the Summer, we complain about that too.....but really, what Summer??? It's been the worst in years me thinks ; (.....And hence It's the name of my latest Beatport chart, because it's already Autumn in August, and mostly because, sadly, just about everybody who submits a chart for Beatport in the Summer calls it, guess what, "Summer" chart....how inspiring?

Anyway, too be honest I secretly love the grey rainy weather. I love wearing my Autumn clothes much more than my Summer ones. And grey is great when you're working in the studio all day...there's nothing worse as when the sun beats through my window in the afternoons so I can't see my computer screen and I have to close the curtains and work in the dark... or even funnier, with my sunglasses on. So bring on the grey! It's gloomy, introspective and productive. Love it!

★JoJo De Freq's What Summer? Beatport Chart

1 - Man Like Me - JoJo De Freq's - Island Pressure Remix (Prestel)
You know about this one already (cause i just blogged about it below), and yes, I've shamelessly put it at number one, cause I've decided I really like it now ; )

2 - Kevin Saunderson Rock To The Beat - Cristian Smith & John Selway Remix (KMS)
How fabulous is this??? Sexy deep, dramatic, and bang up to this second, curtosey of Smith & Selway's production skills. Check out the original new beat version on You Tube, it's even earlier than the Detroit techno version. Brilliantly retro and kooky, I'm in love with it. "Fantasy. Fantasy".

3 - The Loungin Kollective - Riddim Come Forward - Herve's Fire Pom Dem Version (Loungin Recordins)
Is it just me, or does this not sound like a big fat de-tuned techno lead?...Me tinks it's great twist for bassline bad boy Herve.

4 - Frankie - Brize (Faste Music)
I've always been a fan of Frankie's quirky techno sound and have featured him many times in my charts. He's had so many great tracks on his label, but still he remains quite a faceless underground producer. This one really blows my mind...brilliant late night contortions.

5 - Smith N Hack - Space Warrior (Smith N Hack)
I heard this originaly on a blog last year and had to wait for ever for it to come out...but it was worth it. This is bonkers, in the most skilled way. It's one of those rare visual tracks, just close your eyes and you can just see the cinematic Space Warrior in action.

6 - Gamal Kabour - The Filth (Poker Flat)
Sometimes Poker Flat is a bit too slick, cold and polished for my taste, so I had overlooked this one. Then Matt Walsh turned me on to this and I'll now have to eat my words. This is dirty and weird, in the best way of course ; )

7 - Lexy - The Return of Skakovac (Areal Records)
So lush and dreamy and emotional, a rare find.

8 - Thomas Schumacher - Red Purple (Spiel-Zeug Schallplatten)
I got turned on to this at an after-house-party in Vienna. It's hard to tell listening to it on Beatport, but the bass in this just makes you float. Simple but so effective.

9 - The Martin Brothers - Dum (Dirty Bird)
Another quirky bouncing bass line from the Dirty Bird crew. Dum. It just sums it up doesn't it? It's just how you feel some points in the night.

10 - Marc Houle - Jouster (Minus)
I looooove Marc Houle and I've been enthusing about him for ages. He seems a bit of an outsider to the whole minimal thing, despite being on Minus, and despite being very minimalist in style. His stuff just has something special about it. Something different. Can't put my finger on it. This is minimal electro, not minimal techno, from Detroit.

★ click on the link to go straight through to Beatport to listen/buy

In Da Bug

It was another great night. Packed with a responsive crowd. Felix payed the best I've heard him....and what character too, with that big cheshire cat grin, and swaying around with his big bottle of bling Tequila. And what about his spontaneous Ibiza-style go-go dancers (his girlfriend and her sister?!) going mad on the podium...er, booth. Brilliant.

I was a little wilted from this ridiculously humid weather we've had, as was everyone, so I eased into the night with some house-ier-disco sounds, before building up to the big-room-techy stuff.......and to my huge enjoyment (and relief!), the debut of my new remix went down a storm at about 2am........xxJ

Back 2 Jack

I'm back.....

After a little break in Ibiza to celebrate a friends birthday, which I almost blogged about but had to quickly whisk off to Paris to visit some family over from Canada on a whirlwind high speed Eurostar trip. Then dash straight over to Zurich and Madrid for a weekend of gigs, and wizz down to my debut in Bath not before a gig at Magic Circle in London. I've been in 6 cities over the last couple of weeks and although it's exciting, inevitably, it's exhausting too.

So I'm back......

Back with a bloody Summer cold. As well as the travel-fatigue, it's probably all the winter-like weather we're currently experiencing here in this part of the UK. But it's nice to be at home again to re-group, even if I'm somewhat debilitated with a bug.

Back, back.....

In London, in Dalston, at home! I'm currently in my studio finishing off a remix for Man Like Me, which I'm very very excited about. It was a totally unplanned spontaneous commission. I literally received his new single 'Carny' via MP3 as a promo and emailed back immediately to ask to do a remix. I love the track. When I saw them live a few times last Summer it was always the standout for me. But it's not in any shape or form that I could ever really work into a club set, so.......It's been an absolute pleasure to remix, I guess it always is when you really love the tracks you're working with...and that's how I'd always like it to be.... only work with the stuff I really love.....If we're lucky I'll get to post my remix up here when it's ready next week! I've also got another of my own original tracks in the works, it's just about finished as well, but got put on hold temporarily while I did the remix. So my new one will be ready for promo at the end of the month, I may post it up here too if I'm feelin generous ( and i usually am ; )

Back again.....

And got my html book out, and got I my blog title fixed up and looking sharp. Do you like it? If you look at it long enough you'll start breathing in time time with it, and it will hypnotize you, whhhah...I'm also re-directing all my traffic from jojodefreq.com over to here, and to my Myspace. My website was once the hub of my attention, but since these other web mediums have developed, it's been a bit neglected. I've had it for over three and it seems like eons! It's time for a re-fit, a renewal, so in the meantime I'll be sending people here.....which means a lot more action on this site.

Also got a new Beatport chart up: JoJo's Acid Carnival

And here is vid from Man Like Me, it's from his "Oh My Gosh" released last Summer, but it's a good taste of his sound and style and what's to come from their new single.....I think it's the bee knees ; )...I love all the home made pyschotropic graphics...and I'm really feelin the lyrics: