German glitch/dub producer and acclaimed mastering engineer Stefan Betke, who records under the Pole alias, will issue a two-track, 12-inch vinyl release titled “Tanzboden” via Mute on August 13.
Betke’s latest effort, which will also be available digitally, came out of loops created during the recording sessions for his 2020 album, Fading, for Mute. “I began working in my Berlin studio,” he explains, “doing research and listening to the single recording sessions of ‘Fading’ to remember what I did exactly and to find out what I think about the recording months after finishing it.”
Regarding the title of the upcoming release, he says, “Tanzboden is an old-fashioned word for a dance floor constructed during the harvest time, mostly outdoors, and ‘Rost’ is the German word for rust which is an interesting connection to Tanzboden. If the dance floor is not really used for a long time anymore it starts to rust, and as the screws and metal plates which are holding the wooden parts together disappear slowly over the years, so does the Tanzboden itself.”
The video for the first track titled “Rost” can be heard below.
No paywalls, free to all. Help us remain 100% independent and unbiased. Please give to Big Shot by making a secure one-time donation to help us continue covering DJ culture and electronic music like we’ve done since 2003.
West Coast rapper Timothy J. Parker (a.k.a. The Gift of Gab) has passed away.
“It is with heavy hearts and great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear brother, Timothy J. Parker a.k.a. The Gift of Gab,” announced the Quannum crew. “Tim peacefully departed this earth to be with our ancestors on Friday, June 18, 2021. He is survived by two brothers, one sister, many nieces and nephews, countless friends, and fans across the globe. We ask that the family’s privacy is respected as we mourn the tremendous loss of our dear brother.”
During his career, Parker earned a global reputation for his unique lyrical flow and masterful technique.
In 2014, Parker was diagnosed with kidney failure. He underwent dialysis three to four times a week even while on tour. In 2020, he underwent a kidney transplant and remained active throughout the pandemic.
“Our brother was an MCs’ MC who dedicated his life to his craft. One of the greatest to ever do it,” said his bandmate and lifelong friend Chief Xcel (a.k.a. Xavier Mosley). “He’s the most prolific person I’ve ever known. He was all about pushing the boundaries of his art form in the most authentic way possible. He truly believed in the healing power of music. He viewed himself as a vessel used by a higher power whose purpose was to give positive contributions to humanity through Rhyme.”
According to a statement, Gift of Gab left behind nearly 100 tracks for future Blackalicious releases. “Some of those were already slated for the next release, but more of Gab’s lyrical genius will be heard for years to come.”
No paywalls, free to all. Help us remain 100% independent and unbiased. Please give to Big Shot by making a secure one-time donation to help us continue covering DJ culture and electronic music like we’ve done since 2003.
DJ/producer/Ed Banger boss Pedro Winter, who is better known by his Busy P musical alias, has dropped a clever pop-house jam called “Track of Time.” It is the Frenchman’s first release in four years. The track appears on an upcoming EP due in August featuring a trio of remixes from iconic house duo Masters at Work and others.
For the track, Winter tapped rising U.K. artist Haich Ber Na and Montreal-based Kaytranada protégé Shay Lia.
Winter, who will DJ Ed Banger’s July 3 label partyat Madam Loyal in Paris with Justice’s Gaspard Augé, Myd, Breakbot & Irfane, andBonito Boy, had this to say about “Track of Time”:
“Like Rakim used to say – “it’s been a long time!” – 4 long years since I released “Genie”. So many things happened, and of course the last few months probably accelerated the need to enjoy some studio time. Ed Wreck studio is back! First thing to come out of the basement is “Track of Time”; a way to express this feeling of being lost in time, in space… but most importantly it’s a summer song, thinking ahead, dreaming of dancing in clubs again”.
A music video about a 24-hour dance marathon directed by Baptiste Penetticobra dropped on Monday. Check it out below.
No paywalls, free to all. Help us remain 100% independent and unbiased. Please give to Big Shot by making a secure one-time donation to help us continue covering DJ culture and electronic music like we’ve done since 2003.
In 1998, Gerald Simpson (a.k.a. A Guy Called Gerald) released “Voodoo Ray,” a groundbreaking acid-house single that went on to become one of the most influential club tracks in history. The song decimated dance floors around the world and later appeared on Simpson’s Hot Lemonade album released the following year on U.K.-based Rham! Records. The now-classic track rose to number 12 in the U.K. charts and has remained ubiquitous. However, Simpson has consistently maintained that he was never paid by the label that released his music.
Simpson’s claim about nonpayment resurfaced in May when Funk Butcher tweeted: “Did you know that A Guy Called Gerald has not made ANY money from Voodoo Ray?…”
The exchange set off a chain of retweets and comments by shocked fans. Rham Records, which Simpson says has been restarted by the assistant of the original owner, replied that the allegations were false:
Thirty-one years later, Simpson has launched a Crowdfunder campaign. He’s asking fans to help him pay legal costs to secure payment for his recorded work.
“My work is blatantly being taken advantage of, again, and it’s time to end this. There is no agreement between me and this new company, verbal or otherwise, and I’m reaching out to you, asking for your help to stop this crook who is stealing from me,” wrote Simpson.
“While I now have everything that I need to mount a legal challenge, I need your help to cover the legal fees. It looks like it’s going to take about £20,000 to turn this around.”
Big Shot reached out to Rham Records via email for comment about Simpson’s claims. The label replied with the following statement: “We are aware of Gerald Simpson’s social media posts, we refute the allegations and his recollection of events. And we are continuing to pay any royalties that are currently due to him. No further comments.”
What’s interesting to note is that after Simpson split from 808 State and clashed with co-founder Graham Massey over songwriting credit for “Pacific State,” he recorded a biting retort to the group called “I Won’t Give In” found on his phenomenal 1990 album Automanikk. It will be interesting to see how the closure of this issue will affect Simpson’s music going forward.
Image via Wikipedia
No paywalls, free to all. Help us remain 100% independent and unbiased. Please give to Big Shot by making a secure one-time donation to help us continue covering DJ culture and electronic music like we’ve done since 2003.
