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Diverse Artiesten | Short & Snappy 18

Going north? Check these twelves from the nordic countries
12", various

Tekst: Dewey Sakitumi

Publicatiedatum: 14 november 2002

Dewey Sakitumi goes all nordic on us with this round up of twelves, all of which have two things in common: 1. they are great tunes and 2. the producers all hail from Scandinavia. Maybe it's not important where they're from, but then again, maybe it is?

Dharma1 - Belong (12", Nine2Five Recordings)
Finland has been coming out of the closet music wise, a couple of months ago Nu Spirit Helsinki released their self titled debut album on the American Guidance label and now I've just gotten hold of Dharma1's single 'Belong' on Nine2Five Recordings. This label specializes in breakbeats with a funky twist. The b-side has tracks by Trusoul & Jay City and Somaina Odiah. The Trusoul track is quite nice with a nagging funky little b-line but overall both tracks are average. 'Belong' is a real song, the intro with its stabbing drums builds up nicely to the drop where the vocals come in. Singer Tuomo sounds very much like a guy that some of us know as The Twat In The Hat, which can be a bit of a problem for some to enjoy this song. The vocals are very soulful with a good melody and a strong hook in the chorus. Not one for the hardcore breaks guys and girls though.
www.nine2fiveoffice.com

Sumo - Wintersong (12", Africanism/Yellow Productions)
DJ Gregory really started a new direction in deep house music with his track 'Blockparty', a big hit from the ever growing Africanism series on the French Yellow Productions. With it's Soca-like Caribbean beats, a fresh funky sound was introduced to house music. Since then, a lot of great and not-so-great releases in this series have seen the light of day. 'Wintersong' by Sumo is a real winner again. Vocals are provided by Karime Kendra (who released some stuff on Sirkus records and has collaborated with Red Snapper a.o.) and it's produced by Combo and Alf Tumble from Stockholm, Sweden. A beautiful song this is and with added dub-version, beats and acapella, a powerful DJ-tool as well. Speaking of DJ Gregory, his underground hit from 2002 'Tropical Soundclash' has been re-released on Defected, with added mixes by Kenny Dope. A separate single contains the original version and a stand-out cut called 'Damelo' on the flipside.
www.yellowproductions.net

Povo - Shihab's Habit (12", Raw Fusion)
Raw Fusion is a fresh new label from Sweden and its third release contains three tracks under the Povo moniker. The title track is straight up bebop jazz with a house beat, a catchy hook from the horn section, so strong it makes you wonder if they made it up themselves, or borrowed it from an old Art Blakey tune. Same goes for the 'Good & Bad' on the flipside, a mid-tempo jazztune with some funky drum programming. But who cares if it's not their own melody, Stetsasonic were right when they said it's all about re-introducing people to those great old tunes, in their own classic jazzual hiphop track' Talking all That Jazz'. Raw Fusion is a label to watch!!

Swell Session vs Ernesto's - Let Me Decide (12", Hollow Recordings)
Swell Session is Andrea Saag from Gotheburg and on this tune he teams up with singer Ernesto. 'Let Me Decide' is vocal broken beats at its best, catchy soulful vocals, funky drums and a big bassline. The three remixes are a bit more experimental, so for maximum dancefloor damage the original mix is the one to go for. Having said that, I should point out that this version is also featured on the otherwise excellent Tribes vol. 7 - Soulsearching part 2 compilation, featuring tracks by Fertile Ground, RJD2, Ayro and Donnie, compiled by Michael Rütten. Also make sure to check the Hollow website for some free mp3 downloads of Swell Session and Ernesto!!
www.hollow.nu

Andreas Saag: Jazz Lesson (12", Samuel L Session)
Normally I don't give a rat's ass about most techno tunes, but this is something else. Three tracks with a pounding techno beat, and added jazz-like chords and keys. Not Acid Jazz, not Jazzy House, call it Tek-Jazz if you will. The jazz stuff makes it funky and the fast pace of the rhythm track really gets you going. This could be a tough one to play out, but when you drop this at the right moment it should cause a storm. Check it!
www.samuellsession.com

Puddu Varano - Back To You (12", Murena Records)
This one has been out for a while, but it should be included in this Nordic roundup. Murena is a Danish label that specializes in latin- and afro-flavoured dancefloor vibes. 'Back to You' is produced by Alex Puddu & Morten Varano and is an excellent example of what afro-inspired house should sound like. Lots of percussion, bouncy beats and dubby horns (featured especially on the Faze Action remix). Morten also runs a very successful clubnight in Copenhagen called Voodoo, now also a label for which he records as Los Chicharrons, together with Ramon Santana. Voodoo #8 has just been released…
www.murenarecords.com, www.pudduvarano.dk

Los Chicharrons - Tumba/ Santeria (12", Voodoo Recordings)
Having already dropped two albums on Tim 'Love' Lee's Tummy Touch label, the masters of party beats and latin bongo madness have started up a label of their own. With quite a bit of success apparently, because they are already at release #8. 'Santeria' is a mid-tempo cut that's nice to listen to, but it won't turn any heads when played out. 'Tumba' is a great party track with lots of percussion, vocal samples and a sax sample which you immediately hum along to. No need to buy all their singles, but get at least one a year and have a party!
www.voodoorecordings.com

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