Portable, DJ Nature and Freerotation’s Steevio play the final event of the year and we have two double passes to give away.
Milo Johnson returns to Golf Channel with a box set of music largely inspired by the `70s porn industry and Swedish erotica.
The task of whittling down our shortlist of favourite albums this year felt more arduous than ever; the past 12 months have seen a glut of formidable long players released, and the strength of this list is reflected by those LPs that didn’t make the cut. Our final selections were based a few important questions, most pertinently, ‘had we heard anything like this before?’ If the answer was yes, chances are it didn’t make it. The 20 long players showcased below are, in our opinion, utterly unique, crammed with enough ideas and flair to make them worthy of revisitation for years to come.
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DJ Nature’s been in control for several decades now. From Milo Johnson’s early days of jamming out with Bristol’s Wild Bunch sound system to an 1989 transition from London to New York and the subsequent beginnings of the Nature Boy project, there’s been an assurance and confidence permeating through every “ruff disco” production that he’s gotten his hands on. Johnson’s decision to step back from producing at the peak of his mid-90’s success to raise his two children instead speaks to this self control and sense of timing – much like his decisions to turn down gigs that would “sacrifice sound quality for money”, there’s a strong drive and determination to deliver his musical message on his own terms.
Full details have emerged of Return Of The Savage, the long-awaited debut album from DJ Nature, due for release through Golf Channel.
There aren’t many artists who manage to drop their project just as it’s taking off, only to return with the same venture twenty years later and find success with a completely new audience. It perhaps speaks volumes for the timeless quality of proper house music that it hasn’t necessarily needed to change in that time to still sound strong amidst more recent developments in dance music. Yet when it comes to the music of Milo Johnson, there’s an overwhelming feeling that his music stood apart from the crowd even back in 1991 when he was issuing a few New York-flavoured house gems under the name of Nature Boy.
Golf Channel have been promising a debut album from DJ Nature – founding member of iconic Bristol soundsystem The Wild Bunch along with Nelle Hooper and Massive Attack’s 3D – and long term contributor of excellent edits to the label for far too long.
Veteran disco purveyor DJ Nature will release two 12″s on Golf Channel ahead of a mooted long player for the NYC imprint.
I met Phil South at the Williamsburg townhouse he shares with his wife and two young children shortly after he had dropped the boys off at school, which, one might gather, is his favorite part of the day. Soon afterwards he gets to work in his capacious basement home office. Despite being one of the masterminds behind NYC’s legendary underground party, No Ordinary Monkey, and the creator of Golf Channel Recordings, a label that’s put out original works, edits, and remixes by the likes of Justin Vandervolgen, Mark E and DJ Nature, South’s daytime is domestically stable and placid. (On this particular day, some workmen were over, finishing up the installation of a new irrigation system for the backyard garden; half of the basement was a neatly-organized kids playroom; and the living room had shelves stocked with books, immaculate photographs lined the walls, a large flat-screen TV sat in a corner, and cushy couches nestled up against the windows.) I sat down with South to get some insight into how the English expat manages to juggle it all and where his life of DJing, party promoting and record label running all originated.
Arriving just as Juno Plus waved goodbye to the first decade of the 21st Century was yet more exquisite adventures in the realm of the disco bump from DJ Nature. A founding member of key 80s Bristol crew The Wild Bunch, the producer – real name Milo Johnson – now residing in New York was already responsible for some of our favourite music last year with releases on Golf Channel and Jazzy Sport.
It’s the latter highly feted Japanese imprint that have persuaded Johnson to revisit his 2003 rare as a morally inclined politician album Sunchaser as DJ Milo and cull four tracks for some up to date dancefloor dynamism. Spread across two twelves inches, it’s the latter volume that resonated with most warmth to these ears (though this should not be viewed as an endorsement to eschew the delights of the first offering with the stuttering drunken KDJisms of volume one, side 2 certainly making the decision making difficult).
Averting your attention back to volume two, the disco bounce refix of “Possessions” has your senses locked down as soon as the gently infectious key riff makes its presence known and is joined by a delightfully buttery female vocal melody. Both combine with consummate ease in riding out the soulful clap that drives the subtly tweaked beat on an understated but suitably exquisite production.
Those twitching for a bit more bombast can find solace in the B Side counterpart “Gyrating Savages” which is driven by an insistent beat reminiscent of Curtis Mayfield’s production work for Patti Jo. Heavy organ vibes and a jagged soul guitar riff play out atop with a relentless momentum aided by extra servings of percussion.
Tony Poland
