Just The Music Please

Michael Cassette is definitely the most mysterious character in the Anjuna catalog. For starters, I'm not even sure how to refer to him/them, since by some accounts, Michael Cassette is a front for the Finnish duo (possibly trio?) Komytea. By other accounts, Michael Cassette is only one person (Erkka). For the sake of my sanity, I'll refer to Michael Cassette as if he was a real person. He's incredibly private, rarely tours, and honestly there isn't much information available about him.

With a name like that, it should be no surprise that his brand of progressive house is dripping with 80s vibes, synthesizers, and a beautiful neon glow. He broke onto the scene in 2010 with his first (and only) album Temporarity, which has achieved cult status, especially among Anjuna fans. He released a collection of "lost tapes" at the end of last year and has produced some other remixes over the years (including Oceanlab, deadmau5, and The Midnight), but for the most part, his catalog is defined by that one album.

Needless to say, when I saw that Michael Cassette was on the lineup last year, it became my top priority to get everyone in our extended friend group to go to that show and, oh boy, it was one of the most memorable experiences I've had at Explorations. The crowd was made up of two types of people: those who knew exactly what was about to happen (and were amped for it) and those who had no idea what was about to happen (and were blown away by it). Within 15 minutes, even the Michael Cassette "virgins" were screaming that we had to push to the front of the crowd. And the fact that he's Finnish was an extra bonus for the Finnish friends in our group, making the whole thing even more special.

All told, it was such a fun and incredibly unique experience. And a bit surreal too. He looked and acted like Coach Beard from Ted Lasso: serious and stoic the whole time, barely cracking a smile or acknowledging the crowd, cranking out this set like a synthwave psychopath. And every minute of it was pure joy.

1. Michael Cassette - ID

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/anjunadeep/michael-cassette-at-the-cove-anjunadeep-explorations-2023

First things first: last week's episode was M.O.S. This week's episode is P.O.S (the non-trance alias of Above & Beyond's Paavo Siljamäki). The alphabet soup similarity is a complete coincidence. Okay, glad that's out of the way.

Second, this is not a recording of Paavo at Explorations, because as far as I know, that doesn't exist. However, in the fall of last year, Paavo released a video of him playing this set on a lake in Finland. Within a few minutes of turning it on, like a soldier suffering from PTSD, I started having flashbacks. Thankfully, mine were of the joyous sort: happy memories of dancing with friends under the stars by the ocean.

Without a doubt, Paavo has played one of the best (if not the best) set the last two years in Albania. His 2022 masterpiece was an incredibly rare gem: all of us in attendance were blessed with two hours of music no one had ever heard, crafted during the dark days of a global pandemic. In an age where dance music is usually released as singles, having an entire album of new material — let alone enough for two or three albums — is unheard of. That kind of surprise drop is usually reserved for the likes of Beyonce.

In 2023, I ended up at his set almost accidentally, thinking I would just "catch a bit of it" and then head off to another stage. But boy was I wrong: it was evident from the start that, once again, this would be something incredibly special, and it was: a beautiful, rocking emotional journey over two hours. Again, this Finland set is only an approximation of what he played that night, but it hits all the same notes. The second track in this set — an ID, of course — is seriously one of the most beautiful layered melodies I've ever heard.

Needless to say, I will be prioritizing Paavo in my itinerary this year and I hope to see all you Explorers there too!

1. P.O.S. - ID

Original post: https://youtu.be/EpmAe7LHLh8?si=zxKUehqtESaQxQGe

The schedule and set times for this year's Anjunadeep Explorations were just released yesterday, and we're mere weeks away from our little slice of heaven on the Ionian Sea, so the next few episodes (to be published weekly instead of bi-weekly) will be a "Journey to Albania" of sorts.

M.O.S. — "Melody of the Soul" — was a trio from Russia when they played this set two years ago. Since then, one of the members (Oleg) amicably parted ways to pursue his own projects, and now M.O.S. is just a duo (Paul and Ilia). They are masters of easy-on-the-ears organic house and they're music is just as good for studying or working as it is for partying. Their podcast ("The Soulcast") is excellent and absolutely worth a subscription if you like what you hear here.

This is the only set (to my knowledge) that was not released officially by Anjunadeep, but instead released by the artists themselves. I'm not sure why exactly, but I really love their sound, so I'm more than happy to try to get them some more publicity. Actually, maybe they don't even need it, because they have a pretty great time slot this year: they're closing out the first night with a 3-hour set at Yacht Club.

To all you Explorers: I'll see you at Yacht Club!

1. M.O.S. - A Little Story About Big Whale

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/mosmusique/mos-the-cove-live-from-anjunadeep-explorations-2022

We're off to see Carl Cox (and others) today at a day party in SF, so it seems appropriate to pull this set off the backlog and publish it. Nominally, this was a small party in Scotland to celebrate Carl Cox Motorsport winning a podium; in reality, this is an absolute clinic on house music over the years. He covers a ton of ground in 90 minutes, hitting a lot of different decades, artists, styles, and labels, and somehow it all blends perfectly and seamlessly, which is exactly why Carl Cox is one of the best in the game. Grab your notebooks and pencils and get ready for a house music masterclass.

1. Joel Corry - Liquor Store

Original post: https://youtu.be/HBUfqPBD7Uo?si=DX_fjphymZecq45O

Due to an early set time, overly aggressive security screenings, and just plain bad luck, we missed Purple Disco Machine at Coachella last weekend, so I'd like to make up for that (in some small way) with this episode. Tino Piontek — better known as Purple Disco Machine — has been one of my favorite DJs and producers ever since I saw him at a small club in San Francisco in 2015. (That set is actually available online: https://soundcloud.com/purplediscomachine/purple-disco-machine-live-harlot-san-francisco)

Not surprisingly, his specialty is disco house and nu-disco, with a lot of 70s and 80s influences, and his sets are just pure fun. His talent for the remix is unparalleled and he's applied his golden Midas touch to songs by Lady Gaga, The Human League, Claptone, Fatboy Slim, Chromeo, Faithless, and many others. He also has a lot of original music, including one of my favorite dance tracks of all time, "Sambal", an Indonesian-inspired melodic banger that always leaves the dancefloor in a state of partial shock. Explore his back catalog for lots more gems.

He's come a long way in his career and it's truly heartwarming to see that he now plays to packed clubs and huge festivals. For this episode, we're going right to the granddaddy of them all: his 90-minute set at EDC Mexico two years ago. It's one of the best DJ sets I've ever heard and it's impossible not to be in a good mood when you listen to it.

1. Patrick Cowley - Menergy (Purple Disco Machine Remix) (Lorenz Rhode Intro Edit)

Original post: https://www.youtube.com/live/Q-DCrmPHNBI?si=Lu48Mi4CH2ujguU_

Happy Coachella Weekend One! I'm currently in cold and rainy San Francisco, but I will be going to the desert next weekend as a very late addition to my wife's friend group. The lineup is okay, but the main reason I bought a last-minute ticket was the announcement that RÜFÜS DU SOL and Eric Prydz will be playing very long sets — Weekend Two only — at the new Quasar stage Friday and Saturday evening (respectively). In honor of my favorite Australian indie dance trio, here is a great livestreamed set from Miami during the pandemic. Lots of club remixes of their songs, but also lots of good progressive melodic house with the same vibe.

There are some blips in the original audio around the two-thirds mark, probably due to technical issues with the stream. It wasn't me so don't kill the messenger!

1. RÜFÜS DU SOL - Alive (Anyma Remix)

Original post: https://www.youtube.com/live/eakRAd2AklU?si=w1hqalE2srXp_5PA

In honor of the gorgeous clear-vinyl box set of this album being delivered to my home this week, it seems only appropriate that this episode should highlight OceanLab, the side project from Above & Beyond and vocalist Justine Suissa that got me hooked on beautiful dance music over 15 years ago. Compared to your average album of dance music, Sirens of the Sea feels blissed out, Balearic, downtempo, and even downright soft in places, but that's exactly what makes it so unique and brilliant.

The whole album is saturated with beautiful melodies and angelic vocals and serves as the musical foundation for countless high-energy remixes that have been released over the years since. The 2009 follow-up (Sirens of the Sea Remixed) is a 20-track masterclass on club mixes. And just two months ago, Marsh released his own version of the title track, proving the album is still relevant and popular with fans.

With that, please enjoy this timeless piece of dance music history.

1. Just Listen

Original post: https://youtu.be/p_TkwNLJn68?si=NC7Lp1n0f1jLbzOX

I know it's only March, but in San Francisco, it feels like summer this weekend, so let's have a pool party! And who better to play than Satin Jackets, the gold-faced king of poolside vibes. This cheerful live stream from a Mexico City nightclub feels perfect for today and not just because of the vibes: only yesterday, we started planning an October trip to Mexico City, and Satin Jackets is actually playing in SF tonight. Synced!

The video for this set is literally just him, behind the decks in his iconic mask, so enjoy this audio rip instead while you groove with your legs in the pool, a cold beer in hand. Salud!

1. Satin Jackets & Panama - The Future

Original post: https://youtu.be/aoNQhnWauJU?si=ZMeWR9YJBwzLUzQK

Normally I wouldn't highlight an artist this frequently — Tinlicker was the star of episode #3 — but this seems like a very deserving exception. Hot on the heels of their new album "Cold Enough For Snow", the Dutch duo just released their contribution to the Essential Mix catalog with an instant classic.

Done somewhat in the style of the legendary Above & Beyond essential mix, this highlights their signature sound while also taking the listener on a musical journey through many years and genres. It has a perfect pace, starting off very slow and then building steadily to a "peak time" party; the calm, linear climb is reminiscent of how the maestro Eric Prydz builds his sets. Along the way, you'll be treated to Tinlicker's biggest hits and remixes, lovingly sprinkled with pop, breakbeats, 80s, prog rock, and even movie references.

Spoiler alert! Don't look at the tracklist until you've listened first. There's a lot of good stuff in here and the fun is in the surprise!

1. Oja Gjeiro - The Spheres

Original post: https://soundcloud.com/djthejudd/tinlicker-bbc-radio-1-essential-mix-17-february-2024

If you're into the house music scene, then you should already know Nora En Pure (aka Daniela). If you don't, consider this to be a one-hour primer to her style of deep house, nu-disco, and some big room melodic house (to keep the festival folks happy). She played this in an afternoon slot, so the video is a bit underwhelming and uninteresting, except for the requisite appearance of some Tomorrowland jabroni wearing a Native American headdress. For the last time: please stop wearing these things. Wear something else, white ravers.

Be sure to check out Purified Radio — Nora's weekly music podcast — if you like what you hear!

1. Danijel Kostic - Vinternatt (Nora En Pure & Sons Of Maria Remix)

Original post: https://youtu.be/4Nm-km9ARxs?si=nLBiaqfcae4KYDiM