Just The Music Please

Seeing as how we've just seen the very talented duo Eli & Fur twice in the span of a week, it's basically a no-brainer to highlight them on this edition of the podcast. They're currently traveling up and down the west coast for their "Dreams at Dusk" tour, where they're playing two-hour sets at twilight, and then again (in select cities) playing later in the night for some peak time energy. We saw them first in Portland for a lovely and chill Sunday day party at White Owl Social Club and then again the following Friday in San Francisco for a wild, energetic show at Audio.

This mix showcases their sound really well: melodic, dancy, sometimes a little haunting, but always musically interesting with a tasteful amount of vocals. There's even a surprise Beatles remix that I had completely forgotten about and it delighted me again when I re-listened to the set this past week. This 2-hour journey is a little softer than their club appearances, but that's also what makes it a great listen.

The broadcast is no longer available through the official BBC iPlayer and the only official posting I could find is a YouTube upload with a janky video: literally a camera pointed out a hotel window (presumably in Los Angeles). In other words, this was tailor made for the podcast. Enjoy!

1. Joep Mencke & Ben Juno - Rain

Original post: https://youtu.be/ivfUikhgRww?si=_Txg2f33j57dzijS

Fahlberg is a name that I've been noticing more and more in the past couple of years and it seems like maybe now he's finally breaking through a bit. Case in point: this set that 1001Tracklists posted a few weeks ago from a warm-up party for Tomorrowland Brazil. The genre is hard to nail down here; if pressed, I would have to call it something like "melodic deep progressive house". Fahlberg is from Sweden, so I've seen the term "Nordic Melodic" thrown around recently, which strikes me as more of a dance music inside joke than an actual genre. That said, he does sound like fellow Swede Jeremy Olander, though I would call Fahlberg's style a tad softer.

This set seems to be tailor-made for the podcast because the video adds almost nothing here: the shots of the crowd are kind of boring and the video is mostly just Fahlberg lightly bopping around behind the decks. The set, however, is a wonderful 90-minute "night driving" soundtrack, so do yourself a favor and play this in the car the next time you're hitting the road for a long evening drive.

1. Fahlberg - Transition

Original post: https://youtu.be/JSSYPYL8OsU?si=j1wD0ueICf5O2LnL

Yesterday, Above & Beyond released their first new album (of dance music) in 7 years, so to honor that, let's revisit their set from Coachella this year. It's fairly brief compared to their usual shows since Coachella time slots are usually 50 minutes or so, but it's still a notable performance for a couple of reasons: they hadn't been to the desert in a very long time (17 years!) and about half of this set was new music.

Given the short duration of the show (and the mix of old and new songs), this set can serve as a nice primer for A&B newcomers. And since the best four songs from the album make an appearance here, this set is also a great "Bigger Than All Of Us" mini-mix. No matter if you're a new listener or a long-time fan, this set packs a really nice punch in a short amount of time.

1. Above & Beyond - Stepping In

Original post: https://youtu.be/eZL4AgKNvVI?si=G51X_FQHTIyR9VKR

In honor of Anjunadeep Explorations (happening right now in Dhermi, Albania!), and because we just saw him two weeks ago at Anjunadeep Open Air LA, ...and... because Anjunadeep just released this set last week, it seems only appropriate to post Marsh's set from last year's Explorations festival. This 3-hour gem is what he played at Empire (the main stage) from 3:00 am to 6:00 am; it's exactly what you want from a Marsh set — very melodic, occasionally bangin', and very classy — with a special treat for the last hour...

Now, for those of you who saw Marsh at Explorations in 2023, hearing "the last hour is a surprise!" might trigger some PTSD: that year, Marsh played drum and bass for the last hour, which was — hmm, how do I put this politely? — highly polarizing, to say the least. However, I can confidently say that any fan of dance music will enjoy the twist here and really appreciate the final act of this set. Enjoy!

1. Marsh - Endless (Dave DK Ambient Mix)

Original post: https://www.youtube.com/live/JkYcUZ-mmok?si=9PzvveBCL4cs427U

Deep Dish is back! The duo — consisting of Iranian-American artists Dubfire and DJ Sharam — was influential in the 90s and early 2000s with their album Junk Science and a long streak of remixes. They had their biggest hit in 2006 with "Say Hello" and recorded a BBC Essential Mix in 2014, but have been relatively quiet since. This year, they've suddenly resurfaced, with a new single and a calendar of tour dates.

This 3-hour set is pulled from their appearance at The Concourse Project in Austin back in January. Their sound here is hard to summarize concisely: some melodic techno, some minimal deep house, some hip-hop vocals, some hypnotic grooves. Similar to a Guy J set, the beat never stops, and it's a steady, groovy train ride the entire time. Fire this up while you're deep in work or on a night drive and you won't be disappointed!

1. Tom Baker - Natural Intelligence (Electrypnose Remix)

Original post: https://youtu.be/E3eds2a5RcI?si=F0wOnmqRqtRDRlmC

Keinemusik — a deep house collective/label out of Germany — is having a moment. Much like their music, their rise in recent years has been gentle and steady, and the world has taken notice. Comprised of Adam Port, &ME, Rampa, and Reznik, their gigs — especially those that end up on YouTube — are usually helmed by the three former, though any permutation of the crew might show up. Online their sound is labelled as melodic deep house or Afro house, though I'd describe it as "organic house meets world music". However you want to label it, it's always smooth, consistent, accessible, and fun, with plenty of kerchiefs and oversized t-shirts, since I guess this is the look now.

In recognition of their current impact and importance, Coachella granted the boys an amazing primetime slot: closing out Saturday night in Sahara, the huge hangar that hosts the largest dance music acts. We were there in person and can attest that the vibes were immaculate for the entire hour and a half. It was full without being overly crowded, and everyone in attendance was really into the music.

1. Rex The Dog - Not Going Home (Rampa Remix)

Original post: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1SZLFzqEPu

After a (not so) brief hiatus, we're back! Now that spring — and the start of festival season — is upon us, it feels appropriate to pick up where we left off. Last week, a few friends went to Dreamstate San Francisco (actual location: Daly City) and the Friday headliner is the inspiration for today's episode.

Back before HOLO became an international sensation, Eric Prydz was just a lowly progressive house DJ, quietly establishing himself as a true master of dark and hypnotic melody. Even though he's most known for "Call On Me", that track sounds nothing like the rest of his catalog; fans who go to one of his shows expecting that kind of sound from will be sorely disappointed. His productions and live sets are a masterclass in melodic subtlety, but he can still bring the hammer down just as effectively. When that incredibly iconic snare first starts to hit, you know you're in for a wild ride.

This 2018 set from Tomorrowland includes all the classic Eric Prydz elements, plus a rather large number of unreleased tracks, works in progress, and bootlegs (see the track listing below). It has a slow, tantalizing build for the first 40 minutes, in a very linear way that only he can pull off. Once you're at the top of the climb though, it's a fantastic plateau all the way until the end.

The video is really well done and the show had a ton of amazing visuals, so I highly recommend actually watching the video at some point. But you know, sometimes you just want the music (please).

1. Cirez D - Echostage NYE ID 01 (Working Title)

Original post: https://youtu.be/p_rXt7sWn_E?si=lLhVLIOk9gyUYjmq

In honor of our trip to Mexico City next week for Group Therapy 600, this week's post cannot be anything other than one of my favorite sets of all time: Above & Beyond's very first Group Therapy radio, recorded at their show in Bangalore, India. This was perhaps the biggest mile marker of their career: they shed their "Trance Around The World" branding — which they had used for 9 years — for a new name and visual style, derived from their 2011 "Group Therapy" album. That album is undoubtedly the most important and influential of their career, making this pivot even more significant.

On a personal note, I didn't really get into Group Therapy until the latter half of 2013, so I was about a year late to this set. I was traveling Southeast Asia as part of my career break "sabbatical", and while I traveled through Malaysia in October of that year, I had this set basically on a loop. Unlike most of their sets, this one has no gentle, melodic build-up: it comes in super hot and euphoric and it's party time immediately. Whenever I hear "Wayfarer" — the amazing Audien track that opens the show — I have a flood of memories from that time of my life. I can still vividly remember walking around Kuala Lumpur on warm evenings, listening to this mix while gazing up at the twinkling Petronas Towers. The last twenty-five minutes of this set are an absolutely perfect ascent to heaven.

Without further ado, here's a small slice of dance music history!

1. Audien - Wayfarer (Intro Mix)

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/aboveandbeyond/abgt001

It's been about a month since the last episode, and a few bits of news from that time all point to the same show, so this week we'll be revisiting Cristoph's banging set at Audio in San Francisco from early 2020.

In July, the world finally received Cristoph's private edit of "Where's The Music Gone", a Pete Tong remix he's been playing in his sets for 7 years (!) without a proper release. At about the same time, Audio celebrated their 10-year anniversary with an open-to-close set by Spencer Brown. (We were at that show, as well as the Eli & Fur show a couple weeks later.) And just yesterday, Cristoph announced a September gig in San Francisco, so it seems appropriate to pull out this deep cut from the Cristoph catalog. This is a dark, hard-hitting — but also really melodic — set that's mostly typical of his sound, with lots of Eric Prydz (his mentor), Jeremy Olander, Yotto, Dosem, and the like.

This show was recorded by a fan, so it includes all the audio from the room. Not surprisingly, the quality of the music is kind of poor, but all the ambient sound really captures the energy and controlled chaos of Audio: from the cheering to the chatter you can overhear to the air blasts, you'll kind of feel like you're actually there in the room. This party happened mere weeks before the coronavirus lockdown in San Francisco, so in retrospect, it was probably a super-spreader event. Enjoy the music here without the risk of contagions!

1. Everything But The Girl - Missing (Cristoph Private Intro Edit)

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/idjunkie/cristoph-audio-san-francisco-2020

Later today, we'll be seeing Above & Beyond play at a Pride block party here in San Francisco, so for this week I'd like to dig into the archives and pull out a really old set of theirs. This isn't the original recording, but instead one of Tony's "recreations" that he streamed during the pandemic lockdown. It's from their first show in Argentina and actually predates the release of their first album, though some of the songs from that album do make their way into the set.

It's a bit of a trip to listen to their old sound, as it feels pretty different from their shows in the "Group Therapy" era. It's not better or worse, just a different style. Twenty years makes a big difference, especially in dance music. I really like the old sound, so these old sets are a treat for me. I hope you enjoy too!

1. Karen Overton - Your Loving Arms (Club Mix)

Original post: https://youtu.be/b13vktLlVso?si=2zhAr2Bo9WtRo1oM