hold it down, hold it do-own
The rather excellent Promo Mixes series got me thinking about how certain tracks will forever represent particular parties, clubs, gigs and nights out for me.
Tunes like King Britt’s remix of Josh One’s “Contemplation” (Lazy Dog parties in London, Charles Webster at Mad Racket), Dillinja’s “Warning” (Andy C at Fabric), MOP & Busta Rhymes’ “Ante Up” remix (any hip hop show, featuring any hip hop DJ, ever) will eternally be connected to cutting a rug, sometime, someplace, somewhere. Even a track as overdone as Armand Van Helden’s “You Don’t Know Me” still brings on a bout of the warm fuzzies: Frankie Knuckles teased the track out for a full hour at Sublime club in Sydney many moons ago, at a non-public-holiday Sunday night party for Mardi Gras weekend. That song was still ringing in my ears as our raggedy bunch emerged from the basement club in the blazing daylight, sweaty, squinting and covered in glitter, and avoiding eye contact with the disapproving businessmen who were rushing by.
One of my favourite ever club experiences was Co-op, when I lived in London few years back. Having discovered a smidge of West London broken beat while living in Australia, it blew my mind once I had relocated that the whole Bugz In The Attic crew, Afronaught, Dego, Kadi, Phil Asher, Domu, Seiji etc would throw this amazing little party once a fortnight at Plastic People. It was a really warm, familial environment, and I genuinely enjoyed seeing all of the regulars, even though I never actually knew any of them. Most of all, I loved the combination of the club’s well-documented sound system, the hassle-free pitch black dancefloor, and watching people in people in silhouette really dancing – kicks, back drops, spins – proper moves, occasionally illuminated by shooting flames when somebody held their lighter up in front of the air vent.
The ultimate tune for me of that era is Omar’s “It’s So”. I first heard of Omar in high school, when I bought his For Pleasure album on the basis of a gushing 10/10 review in a magazine (Juice, maybe?). Admittedly, it took me a few listens to get used to his unique vocal tone and phrasing, but once I did I played that CD to death. Omar dropped off my radar for a little while after “It’s So”, but it’s great to see his name being bandied about again now, this time in different circles, due to the Henrik Schwarz remix of “Feeling You”. It seems to have finally given him a level of crossover exposure that was well overdue.
For your lazy Sunday (and mine), a trio of Omar Lye-Fook’s London soul 
Omar – Saturday
Omar – It’s So
Omar – Feeling You (Henrik Schwarz remix)
