Just A Daydream Away

This came out at the start of the month, a lovely piece of psychedelia from California courtesy of Marshall Watson and Cole Odin called Just A Daydream Away. It's got a real lighter than air quality, the sounds all drifting forwards together powered by chuggy drums and whispered, echo- laden vocals. 

The remixes take things further. The Joe Morris Remix is eight minutes of lazy poolside action, electronic drums and synths that gather pace and turns into something really quite expansive. 

Then there's the Hardway Bros remixes. Sean Johnston's on an indie- dance trip at the moment, his previous remixes for Islandman and Holy Youth Movement both hitting the sweet spot. The Hardway Bros remix of Just A Daydream Away is a ten minute epic, chiming indie/ folk guitars, chugging drums and a sense of wide eyed possibilities. The Daydream In Dub (Live At The SSL) Mix is, uh, dubbier. 

In conversation with a friend a while ago, I was told that sometimes 'you' just need to forget all that 'boy stuff' about lists, recordings and equipment/ technology/ instruments. The only thing that matters with music is how it makes you feel. Just A Daydream Away, all the versions but Sean's Hardway Bros Remix especially, make me feel good, like a summer afternoon that will never end. 

Buy the EP here. 

Arctic Sunrise And More

I could go on posting Underworld tracks and remixes but thought I better change course, variety being the spice of life and all that. I may return to Underworld next week maybe- I can feel a series coming on. Today I offer some new tracks for Friday, the third Friday already in January, a month that is still less than three weeks old but feels like it's been around for much longer.  

This came out ten days ago (although Bandcamp has the release date as 3rd February) and is one of 2023's best new tracks to date- Arctic Sunrise by Joe Morris. Given the blast of cold, cold arctic air we've had coming our way this week and the considerable amount of snow dropped and then frozen over between Tuesday night and Thursday, it's very appropriately titled too. Joe is a Leeds based DJ and producer whose 2021 album Exotic Language was a treasure trove with everything from Chicago house to to ambient, dub and Balearic. On Arctic Sunrise Joe's pulled everything that hit the spot on that album into one eight and a half minute place. It drifts in slowly, shimmering synths and washes of cold, dawn light. After a minute chunky drums kick in, throbbing synths, rattling hi- hats, an acid bassline and some lovely synth pow pows. It all freezes over briefly at five minutes and then a jumpy sequencer line runs in and it all builds back up again into some quite intense acid house action. I love it and think you will too. 

Two years ago Joe did a mix for Brighton's Higher Love label, run by Balearic Ultras, an hour long mix taking in tracks by several people who have been featured at Bagging Area before- Dan Wainwright, Duncan Grey, Original Disco Thing- and plenty who haven't. Ideal fayre for Friday- listen here. 

In a similar vein is this, brand new from Blavatsky and Tolley and Rude Audio, the latter outfit remixing the former pair (whose remix of BTCOP's Just A Disco I posted last year and is still rewarding getting lots of air time round here). The contrast between the deep voice intoning 'just a fuckin' disco', Weatherall in interview transformed, and the finger picked acoustic guitar part that pops up in the second half is beautiful. 

Dance Floor Killer is, like Arctic Sunrise, aptly named and Rude Audio's remix adds to the fun, firing bleeps and lasers from left to right while the chuggy dub techno thumps on. It's on Soundcloud and at Bandcamp. 

Tak Tent Two

Back in Lockdown Two I put together a second mix for Tak Tent Radio, an internet radio station based in Scotland who broadcast my first mix for them back in October (here). The second one, which I cleverly titled Tak Tent Two, went live yesterday. It is an hour of instrumental sounds, ambient, Balearic, minimal techno, shoegaze whatnot- which is pretty much where my musical head has been for the last year.

Tak Tent Two is here. Hopefully it might enhance your Sunday morning in Lockdown Three. 

• Death Circuit: Strom Dub
• Jose Padilla: Agua
• Richard Norris: Cloud Surfing
• Richard Fearless: Driving With Rodelius
• Pye Corner Audio: Phase B
• Future Beat Alliance: Beginner’s Mind
• Joe Morris: Firefly Island (Gallo Isola Acida Mix)
• The Long Champs: Straight To Audio
• Apiento and Co: The Light Machine
• Andy Bell: Heat Haze On Weyland Road

Isolation Mix Eleven

This week's mix is made up entirely of songs released during lockdown, since mid- March 2020. Some of them have been written and recorded during this period. I could easily have doubled the length of this so maybe I'll come back to this and do a part two. This one has the trippy psyche of Sonic Boom, dusty funk desert blues from Ess O Ess, some dubby jazz (or jazzy dub) courtesy of Jah Wobble, Number's post- punk dance stance, yet more excellence from Weatherall and Walsh's Woodleigh Research Facility, Justin Robertson and Sofia Hedblom's blend of Nigerian rhythms and electronic dub, Dan Wainwright's pagan chug and some Balearic bliss from Joe Morris, Rich Lane, The Long Champs and a cover by Rheinzand. There's one segue which is a bit of a mess but it'll have to do. Life has surface noise and all that.



Sonic Boom: Just Imagine
Ess O Ess and Saul Richards: Totem (Swamp Crawl)

Jah Wobble: Lockdown 5 (Forbearance)

Number: Red Flag

Woodleigh Research Facility: Karra Mesh

Formerlover: Correction Dub

Dan Wainwright: A Blessing

Joe Morris: The New Dawn Will Come

Rich Lane: Barry Island (The Long Champs Dub)

Rheinzand: All By Myself

Rituals

Dan Wainwright has been in flood mode during lockdown, a torrent of releases and tracks on Bandcamp. The latest is his best yet, a four track e.p. on Amsterdam's Night Noise label. The opener is Raindance, a full on chugging piano banger, night noise indeed. Second track Ceremony, which grows in intensity, has didgeridoo, space, bass, Space Invaders FX and eventually a violin, a controlled freak out. The Joe Morris Dubwise remix of Raindance is exactly what it says, Joe slowing it down, spacing everything out, dropping some lovely trippy piano in and piling the echo onto the drums and percussion. It's a funny coincidence that when I last posted something by Dan I paired his Peace Of Mind and Get Higher releases with a new two track release from Joe, the laid back Balearica of The New Dawn Will Come. Now the two of them are united on one release.

The track that really raises the hairs and hits the heights at the moment is the third one, A Blessing, which starts out as an acid monster, dark noises likely to end up with the carpet worn out under your feet, synth sounds beamed in from left and right, the tension building for several minutes. Then unexpectedly the ceremony begins with bells, finger cymbals and chanting and the definite whiff of incense before the groove returns and the dark acid kicks back in. 2020 dance music and ancient ritual combined.

The New Dawn Will Come

Some new music for Sunday, downtempo, blissed out and chasing the Balearic beat. Joe Morris is a Leeds based DJ and producer who has created two new tracks quickly during the lockdown and they are a perfect sounding pair, bass and drums padding away and some lovely optimistic piano.



Dan Wainwright is on a creative roll, producing one new thing after another. Peace Of Mind is a slowed down, cosmic, synth voyage, like sunshine coming through the trees, a feeling of contentment and the knowledge that whatever comes tomorrow can be dealt with.



Get High is more direct and built for dancing, wonky, off kilter new beat.

A Dance With Jupiter

More kaleidoscopic, electronic Balearic action today, brand new and from the most unBalearic environs of Leeds. Exotic Language is the first full length album from DJ and producer Joe Morris (who put out an e.p. last year called Jacaranda Skies that I really enjoyed), nine tracks taking in chilled out soundscapes, waves lapping on beaches, quality dub, spaced out excursions, Italo house and bass-led Chicago dancers. There's so much in here to enjoy, from the slower paced, relaxed stuff to the faster floorfillers- it's even managing to combat the particularly wet weather we're getting currently. A month's rain in a day forecast for today. The weekend looks fairly grim too. Summer seems to have stalled. Float away with Joe.

Jacaranda Skies

Sorry for the break in transmission yesterday. It was Richard Branson's fault. The buck goes all the way to the top.

Yes it's late January and yes the weather is still a bit shitty but we can console ourselves with the thought that it is getting lighter for longer, slowly but surely, day by day. This new release from Leeds-based producer Joe Morris is Balearic through and through, the sound of beaches, sunsets and pine trees. Four tracks, none in any hurry to get anywhere but too busy to be ambient. Here's two of them.

Jacaranda Skies



The Lost Garden