As I stare out a window in downtown Madrid my mind wanders back to late nights in the Belfast, Cork, Dublin and Galway. Electronic music was rarely catered for in Ireland. Now there seems to be more than ever. True, Disco may not be staunchly Electronic; but these edits have that retrospective respect and dancefloor sensitivity.
I’m away to Ireland today for a wedding; a friend from my school days is getting married. Recession has more or less obliterated my friend base on the emerald isle, a handful are still there but most have moved onto other pastures (myself included.) Nonetheless I’m always interested to see what is happening back home. What music is being released. What gigs are going on. What the price of stamps is. Kenny Hanlon is a talented Dublin based DJ who has been responsible for the excellent InfiniteStateMachine music blog for some years now. A couple of years ago Hanlon decided to make the move and started Apartment Records. To date Apartment has been focusing on Irish talent, releasing the likes of Lerosa and Tr One. The focus has been on House. The latest 12”, by Bande Apartment (the collaboration of David Kitt and Tr One) bucks the House trend with not a Disco record but a Disco Edits record. The product: Rita, Kate and You Too.
I was surprised to see David Kitt on this record. For those not in the know, Kitt is an Irish singer-song writer of some notoriety. Yes he DJ’s, but Disco edits? Sure, who am I to judge, but I can reiterate what I recently said about edits, I’ve never been the biggest fan of them. Just from a few years back when everything was an re-take of something or other. Nevertheless, prejudices aside. The record. Side A opens with “Lubricating Rita.” A Disco take on Willy Russell’s play? No. But a work of 70s mirror-ball Disco. A decent beat intro gives some space before the melody reveals itself, a brash and quite brilliant set of keys that exude a kitsch catchiness. It’s a piece I’ve never come across before and a real gem of a Disco number. Packed full of fun and energy with the lengthy edit giving more chances for the DJ minded to sort out the next in line. An instant sunshine track if there ever was on. “Kate’s Girth” follows. I spent about an hour looking for the track. I was convinced I’d heard it before in a Loud E mix, then thought it was already released on C.O.M.B.I. or Moxie, but my searches failed. After more digging it looks like the track, a re-edit of Loud E’s “Johnville Jungle” from his Loudefied album, that track in itself an edit. Anyway. Again from obscure late 70s early 80s Studio 54 land, the track feels like two different pieces sandwiched together to create a Disco epic. A surprise choice though, considering Loud-E’s version.
As I stare out a window in downtown Madrid my mind wanders back to late nights in the Belfast, Cork, Dublin and Galway. Electronic music was rarely catered for in Ireland. Now there seems to be more than ever. True, Disco may not be staunchly Electronic; but these edits have that retrospective respect and dancefloor sensitivity. Disco edits flooded the market for years, and were well received. Now with less edits is it time to introduce more? Hard to know. Regardless, Apartment’s latest featured two well produced pieces of boa flailing retrograde wonderment. Fair play Mr Hanlon.
Rita, Kate and You Too is available on Apartment.
