This is very good, a new one from Doc Daneeka with a vocal from house legend Robert Owens, recorded in Berlin. The rhythm track becomes increasingly busy, the synths phasing in and out and the vocal twisting further around, repeatedly coming back to the word 'unconditional'. Vinyl only at the moment from here.
One of my favourite tunes of last year was Doc Daneeka's massively upbeat slice of retro-rave, recently repressed on vinyl.
The vocal sample is from I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love by The Emotions, from 1976. Back in 1992 it was used by 2 Bad Mice, a duo from Hertfordshire 'fuelled by takeaway pizza and spliff'. Hold It Down is a great record, from a time when bedroom producers with some basic equipment, a stack of records and a few of ideas could move mountains. Incidentally, the vocal sample is also the line Bobby Gillespie was singing when Weatherall created Loaded (as posted by Drew at Across The Kitchen table earlier this month).
1991 was the time when the dance scene fractured, with the rise of 'ardkore. Hardcore/'ardkore developed between 1991 and 1993, new producers, djs and clubbers arriving and shifting things on, with breakbeats rather than metronomic drum machines, increasingly fast tempos, 'cheesey' synth sounds, sub-bass and sped up vocal samples. 'Ardkore also lurched away from the utopianism of early house/acid house towards a darker vibe- but Hold It Down, the title itself a phrase used by people in clubs rushing on E, isn't too dark, more massive fun. Hands in the air people.
A friend tipped me off to this last night, an utterly retro but totally fresh breakbeat rave smash that was made in 2016 but sounds like 1991. That's an Emotions vocal sample in there. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
