Queen Mary - Love Me Now (Love Kiss Mix)

Summer vibes this week with some cheesy  Italo house.

Queen Mary appears here on their only vinyl release Love Me Now, which became a classic re-release on a bunch of Italian DJ compilations.

Producers Maurizio Pavesi and Miki Chieregato released other solo productions of vocal driven Italo under various other aliases, but this is the first time they seem to have appeared together.

Pavesi Sound Records looks to be run by Maurizio himself and has a particular emphasis on his own releases. Particular tip on the Wayan record!

Love Me Now is undoubtedly cheesy. While it seems to bring in the worst of disco in over the top chorus vocals, lame chord progression and too much on the low end, the piano riff and percussion have that classic Italian house feel of the early 1990s. 

In particular the Love Kiss Mix I think puts the most emphasis on the piano and allows the cringier elements to seem endearing.

Check out the record on Discogs here.

Orson W - Just When You Want It

Played this for the cover but picked it up for this tune from Dutch producer Orson Witteveen.

Surprisingly not a reference to the other famous Orson, Witteveen released a number of progressive house and trance records to varying degrees of rarity and quality.

Loep Records was a sublabel of Attalos Records based out of a shop in Arnhem. A number of Orson’s releases featured and they often kept with the animal art theme, although this elephant definitely hits harder than the others.

Just When You Want It travels quickly from tasteful, restrained tech-house into breakbeat and then into a half speed breakdown thats sure to polarise.

Just as confusing is the fact that the second b-side All Night Long features a vocal sample that says “just when you want it.” Not sure if I would play this all night long or if it peters out just when I want it. 

Maybe it’s all just Orson’s mind games. Maybe it was a pressing typo.

Either way I’m glad to have it in my bag and on the channel.

Check out the record on Discogs here.

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Up-Date - Let’s Vogue (Vogue House Mix)

 This weeks upload is from Michael Kidd Gomez with classic early 90s house.

I originally copped this for the Underground House Mix which is a little more restrained, with beautiful keys, but found I was beaten to the upload and that eventually, I preferred playing the Vogue Mix anyway.

Vogueing became popular in the underground through the early house music scene in the clubs of Chicago and New York, then was popularised and, some (including DJ Sprinkles) may say ruined, by Madonna with her pop hit.

This is a more authentic call to arms for people across the floor to strike a pose, coming from an underground mainstay of early New York house music, on this release as Up-Date.

I think theres something about simple drum programming and bass that you can’t sit still too, and the vocal work really sets this apart as a great slept on cut!

Check out the record on discogs here.

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S-X - Man In My Life

Underappreciated dancehall business this week on the channel from mysterious group S-X and General Degree.

This cut looks like a Jamaican 7-inch release coming from the original US 12-inch on Main Street Records, produced by label head, the prolific Danny Browne (credited here as Brownie).

Unsure of the riddim on this one but the soothing female vocal chorus combined with unabashedly romantic lyrics made it pop off the shelf for me. 

Featured on this is General Degree, often known for his x-rated style, referred to as Mr. Do It Nice after his 1993 single of the same name.

In a world of dancehall that was dominated by sex and vulgarity, it's particularly amusing to me that General Degree is a man "who's not afraid to say 'I love you baby.'" 

Perhaps a whimsical ode to toxic masculinity?

Don't sleep on the version either!

Check out the record on Discogs here.

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