Raving Disco Breaks Vol. II

Good news, boppers—Eris Drew has finally released its second edition Raving Disco Breaksthe DJ mix series that debuted in 2019. The theme of the second edition is Rock the House— not exactly rock as in RAWK, but the verb sense of the word, as in “Keep it rockin.” Once again the mix is ​​available on SoundCloud and on tape, though it landed on my desk more like contraband, a huge audio file too big to store in the cloud. Oh yesI thought, now that's the good thing.

Naturally, Drew remains enamored with breakbeat house, a sound she links to her initiation into underground rave culture as a disillusioned '90s kid searching for deeper meaning in life. A son Vol. 1the cuts are fast, the selections will have your neck on a dark 12″ on Discogs, and the mixing style is more DIY party poster than endless scrolling. Drew spins through '90s rave tracks with speed, modern old school hop samples and an incredible, impossibly perfect Led Zeppelin guitar part that lands like a hooded hero. Pong Bass synth hits, a voice that insists on “just, like, rock'n'roll”. Have you ever heard Janis Joplin sing a song on a dance floor? You have now. Drew guarantees that every sample here will be at least 20 years old, if not older. It remains jazz on the horns. You can breakdance. you can make a bunny. He is an absolutely worthy successor.

Drew makes music about the body and the emotions, as reflected in the label name she shares with Octo Octa collaborator T4T LUV NRG. And while she's not the type of musician to write lyrics, her love of wordplay is evident. The Raving Disco Breaks The mixes make incredibly extensive use of the language, cutting it along with the samples in playful winks. In Vol. 1, might have been the announcer's voice that seems to welcome you to “Clubhouse Disco” (three genres, makes me laugh every time). Here are excerpts from well-worn rock 'n' roll slogans and fresh spins on all kinds of tracks that invoke the concept of “rock” in their titles, calling famous headphone user Terrence Parker's “Gonna Rock You All Night“and classic b-boy soundtrack”To a Nation Rockin'.”

Drew doesn't write lyrics, but she writes an online newsletter. I am struck by a passage in a recent publication, on its subject dancing and drugs, where he describes the wretched local raggers who escaped for the dim light of the underground warehouse. “Most of my peers in high school would find a party at some suburban teenager's house (out-of-town absentee parents) and drink until they were blue in the face,” he wrote. “Everyone was either straight or pretending to be. Rock'n'roll and hip-hop were the only “real” music at these parties. … Social norms and cliques were celebrated and reinforced rather than dismantled.” Contrary to the spirit of rock'n'roll, clearly, although I recognize the scene Drew describes here (perhaps a slightly younger, more sheltered teenager would have turned to reading indie music blogs). The best thing about Rock the House, apart from a good time, is that these distinctions no longer matter, never have mattered, and in fact have been fluid all along. Food for thought when you listen to this little vocal clip of Joe Strummer rapping on the Clash's more disco single, “The Magnificent Seven,” as extracted and sampled from a deep 90s track like the sample and remix of Eris Drew.