Hausaufgabe

Safe and sound in Berlin, back from a journey into the domain of dry heat, barren landscapes and artificial tacky glamour that is Nevada, I present yet another chapter in my quest to assemble the best possible house mix to whoever out there may be listening.

Due to a bad mixing day or something, the first attempt to put this one together ended up way too sloppy even by my standards. So I had a little do-over. Does this mean I’ll lose some cred with the old skool “one take only” heads? Probably. Does it mean you’ll end up with a more enjoyable listening experience sans trainwrecks? Hell yea baby!

At the 66th episode it’s getting hard to come up with original insight regarding the music itself, at least without resorting to the usual mess of adjectives you see in electronic music promo texts. One notable point however is the latest resurgence of early 90s UK hardcore influences, seemingly on the comeback after the previous peak in ~2013. Or perhaps it never went away?

01. Portable feat. Lcio – Surrender [Live at Robert Johnson]

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As promised, a new batch of sounds hits you hot on the heels of Hausaufgabe 64. “Too soon”, you say? Consider this a companion piece to the previous installment, here to balance out the (reportedly) headache-inducing house bangers of last week with a slower and more chilled out experience. Something, one might say, not only for the headstrong. So sit back and relax to the mix, I’ll be back again in a few weeks with different tunes and moods.

01. Snacks – Easy [Hafendisko]

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Ready or not, here I come, you can’t hide.. from the 64th episode of Hausaufgabe. Those who expected a special edition of SID chip arpeggios are in for a disappointment, as it’s business as usual in this podcast. After the cheesiness of the previous chapter I’m taking it back towards a more percussive territory. Is it house? Is it techno? Who knows, and more importantly, who cares. What’s certain is that these tunes will do nicely to keep those energy levels up in preparation for the long Easter weekend.

And don’t touch that dial, as I’ve already got a selection lined up for the 65th installment which will hit these dirty airwaves sooner than you think. In the meantime, have a blast with this one.

01. Tornado Wallace – Ferntree Gully [Beats in Space]

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Let’s go back in time.. Way back into.. err, a completely arbitrary period between 1996 and 2014. That’s right, it’s time for another one of those archive digging Hausaufgabe episodes, featuring recent second hand discoveries as well as tracks which have been lying unplayed on my shelves for some time. From melodic stuff to technoish vibes and jacking bangers, all your needs are served.

Make yourself comfortable for this one as it clocks in at whopping 85 minutes. After (hopefully) enjoying this ride on the waves of nostalgia, be sure to check back for the next one which will again concentrate on the latest house releases.

01. Komon & Appleblim – Key Vision [Aus Music]

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Podcastin’ ain’t easy but it’s necessary. For a while after the previous Hausaufgabe I was suffering from a case of mixer’s block. The problem wasn’t a lack of sweet tunes to promote, on the contrary: going through my backlog of unplayed stuff from past months I couldn’t decide what to include. First world problems eh?

After some stressing over the subject I told myself to screw it, have fun, go with the flow and all that jazz. Hence I put together set of upbeat house bangers with some hints of techno and Detroit thrown in. Hector Moralez and Truncate within the same 12-track episode? Not sure if one can get away with this but I’m willing to try.

A small note: before you get on my case about the digital distortion creeping out from a few of the tracks, let me assure you it’s not my doing but originating from the releases themselves. As much as I hate to hear awesome music getting downgraded by unskilled (or non-existent) mastering, in these cases I found the issue to be within acceptable limits. Hopefully you’ll do so as well and have a blast with these sounds!

01. Sam Irl – Free Two Grow [Jazz & Milk]

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Better late than never? Unlike Mr. Astley I’ve let you down by not delivering a new episode prior to the new year as promised. As a peace offer, I hope you’ll accept this lengthy mix intended to make things up and to get 2015 going. It may not contain everything for everybody, but with styles ranging from emo trance to acid and Chicago jacking there should be something for somebody.

Once again, thanks to all who have tuned in to these podcasts during the past year. Feedback is always welcome and I look forward to continue pushing forth excellent music as I encounter it.

01. Clarian – Wasting Away Again in Moderation [My Favorite Robot]

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Boom! New episode with sounds for your December. Wait – it’s December already? WTF happened to 2014?

It appears I’m hitting the festive season with a mostly fast and upbeat selection of mild randomness, or something. Among the usual house material, you can find some hints of trance, acid, mandatory NYC retro stuff and even some young folks’ genres an old timer like myself couldn’t begin to name. Post-moombahstep maybe? Be sure to check out the fine remix from Somepoe, one of the fine local warriors from our old Oulu hoods. Kärpät!

I probably have one more Hausaufgabe in me before the new year, so keep watching this space.

01. Johan Agebjörn – The Right to Play (Korallreven Remix) [Paper Bag]

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From the depths of darkest autumn I emerge with a new episode of Hausaufgabe. The journey here wasn’t easy, almost getting crushed by avalanches of white noise while trying to avoid the vast and hazardous swamps of compilations sporting content as random as their titles.. (Seriously, where around here can I find a “Berlin deep house beach”? No joke, I’d love to see one!)

In the end I survived, with a dozen gems for your housing needs. One may certainly notice a touch of jazz in this installment, as it seems to be making its way back into house music. As someone who was into that whole nu-jazz craze during the turn of the millennium (for all the 15 minutes it lasted), I can’t entirely object. Perhaps the next episode will be something slightly more uplifting again, perhaps not. Check back and find out.

01. Mr Scruff – We Are Coming (Max Graef Remix) [Ninja Tune]

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O hai, didn’t see you there. Ready for more Hausaufgabe? But of course you are. Word of warning: this episode is a semi-random “jam session” with a pile of new and old tunes that I found in my hands instead of something more planned out. Yes, believe it or not but usually I try to think about these mixes in advance.

As a result we start off with discoish things, get dubbed in for a bit and then bang out some straightforward house stuff. Does it make sense? Probably not, but does it matter with such sweet tracks anyway? You be the judge.

01. New Jackson – Made It Mine [Permanent Vacation]

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The leaves are falling, the birds are pulling a GTFO on us and for once one doesn’t have to enquire about the whereabouts of the drop – it’s right there in the temperature. It’s autumn time again, and here’s a soundtrack sort of matching the season. This episode wanders among somber melodies until stumbling upon more uptempo and retro house sounds and ending up.. somewhere a bit different.

01. Jazzanova feat Paul Randolph – Now There Is We (Kasar Reinterpretation) [Sonar Kollektiv]

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