International Deejay Gigolos

DJ Naughty, "Gigolo Style" (YSI link)

David Carretta, "Les Coloquintes" (YSI link)

I think that we're going to take a look back this week, as we focused on so much new shit last week. Can't forget your roots, blah blah blah. Following on the DJ Hell post, here's some stuff from the recent International Deejay Gigolos Box Collection 1: 1997-2000, the 4 CD compilation that rereleases the first four releases in the International Deejay Gigolo series. It's an essential document, filled with so much great music and a nice piece of history for that period in electronic music.

I'm not sure if many of you associate DJ Hell and his label with electroclash from the beginning of this decade like I did. If so, you really need to get this box and listen. It totally opened my eyes to how much amazing shit the label has put out, how long it has been doing so (mid 90s) and how it came out of the techno scene as much as anything. On this first disc, which the two tracks above come from, you even get two singles from Jeff Mills, the Detroit legend. While techno was the obvious influence, the label's success stems from its willingness to push at that genre's boundaries. My favorite example is DJ Naughty's "Gigolo Sound," which sounds like a Berlin kid re-imagining electro music. It's phenomenal, for real, vocoders, synths, heavy bass, industrial drums. Naughty's the star of the first disc, with three tracks here.

There's a few more classic tracks here, but I figured I'd throw up an unknown one to me in David Carretta's "Les Coloquintes." This one seems to take its cues more from the house side of things, sort of briding the gap between techno and house with a nice, repetitive yet rhythmic tune. The synth on this demands that this get played on a huge system in a big room in Berlin late-night. Okay, we'll have much more to say on this boxed set, the label's past and present. In the meantime, cop the boxed set as it's an essential purchase for any fan of dance and electronic music.

-LCD Soundsystem's new album, Sound of Silver, drops today in the UK and on iTunes, so go grab that shit as it's the album generating the most excitement at Pound for Pound HQ. It drops next Tuesday in the U.S. It's Spring, motherfuckers! LCD Soundsystem! Yeah yeah yeah!

-Speaking of highly anticipated albums, there's a really cool event at Sway tonight, as Oxy Cottontail has brought in Crime Mob for an early show at Sway. I'll be doing a post on the new album, but here's a chance for NYC to see some of the ATL's best for an album release party (combined with a Mass Appeal issue #44 release party). RSVP at CrimeMobRSVP@wbr.com to get in and enjoy the Bacardi open bar.



-There's also some fun live RAWK music going down in Philly at Upstairs at Sal's (200 S. 12th St.) with Wolfenschnitzeltron and The Crippled Detectives.