WARMER MIXTAPES #372 | by Jimmy Edgar of Jets

I'm going to do an old school house compilation, since I am arranging an early 90s/late 80s disco/acid/house mix...
And my new music is heavily inspired by this type of club music.

1. Reese & Santonio | The Sound
The first time I heard this I was about 14 and listening to the radio in Detroit, probably just got out of highschool that day. I didn't find out who it was until a few years later but I remembered it and always was looking for this organ house, dirty, 909 sound. Kevin Saunderson produced it, he always had some kind of dark swagger to his beats, very sexy. Amazing how much mood you can create with a few minimal parts; literally drum machine, reverb & organ bass.

2. Mr. Fingers | Ammnesia
A few of Larry Heard's tracks have this amazing square wave, pulse width bass sound with this church chords over them and it just makes me think of driving through Detroit as a teen. I don't like nostalgia, but this makes me feel like I am part of a movement, especially being a contributing musician. The drains in the city are always smoking as if the underbelly of the city is burning; supposedly they are from the salt mines. Yet, this gives Detroit more of a visual edge like Gotham City. The derelict style is indeed a post-apocalyptic (as people often call it) piece of art, in my eyes. Again, the simplicity of this track has been influence on me because of the emotion it instantly conveys.

3. DâM-FunK | Paradise
I chose this track because Damon is a good friend of mine and also we are inspired by each other, brothers in music. This track is unreleased, I believe. In my humble opinion, it's his best song. I decided to put it right after Larry Heard because I know for a fact he was inspired by him, it especially shows in this one. Pure analog, recorded on tape, and funky as fuck. He is like-minded in that he knows how to create a sexy vibe, something that the ladies want to move their body to, as dancing can be an orgasmic experience even without the aid of toxic substances. I imagine some Pat Nagel painting but a moving animation featuring vector renderings of beautiful mannequin boys and girls jerking and hair blowing in the wind to a vivid colored sunset on a violet & pink beach scene, Just fantastic, gorgeous, feeling, ultra.

4. Lil Louis | French Kiss
Classic fucking tune that I actually heard on a Playboy mansion mix. One of the few tracks that can get away with a drastic tempo change in the middle of the mix. I saw Richie Hawtin a few years ago and he destroyed the dancefloor with this one. Instantly people freak out. Very nice melody and vocals. I'm really into Italo Disco and this certainly does the job. Anything remotely funky perks my ears.

5. Rhythim Is Rhythim | Nude Photo
This is Derrick May in his prime, as a young producer/DJ in the late 80s/early 90s. Probably one of the first Detroit Techno songs, next to Juan Atkins. He is the reason why I got a Yamaha DX synth, and smashing with the Roland TR909. It's too bad he isn't still making music. I saw him DJ in Detroit a few months ago at The Works with DJ Stingray and Carl Craig and it was one of the best sets I have seen him play. Me and my friend dressed up in leather and gold and danced like maniacs with the girls that night. The cops showed up and made a weird vibe but was a great evening. Full moon ensued. All you need is big sound, turntables, and a single red light and strobe light. This is Detroit.



6. Tyree | I Fear The Night
I dedicate this track to Pilar "Bauman" V, who was a good friend of mine. She was a very interesting artist from France. A couple weeks ago I invited her out to Club De Visionaire in Kreuzberg/Berlin. We had a beautiful night dancing and even met up with mutual friend Miss Kittin. We parted ways and that is the last time I would ever see her. She was murdered that night. We did not fear the night. Though, Berlin crime rate is relatively low, we must stay on guard and be aware there is negative and evil vibes surrounding us always. Rest in peace, my love.

7. Marshall Jefferson | Move Your Body
Chicago House at its finest and a quite early track that paved the way for a new sound that is still influencing music today. Technology played such a vital role in the rise of dance music. There's just something really charming about dance tracks that tell you how and when to dance and Move Your Body...

8. Bang The Party | Bang Bang You're Mine (Rock Me Gently) (Original/Radio)
One of my all time favorite tracks. Very much in the same vein as Reese & Santonio - The Sound, this track has some dirty, seductive vocals that will bring anyone out of the smoking corner to shoot looks at that special person who just caught their attention. My astrology reads Scorpio as my ascedant and if you know anything about astrology, then you know this speaks right to me. Listen and imagine.

9. Frankie Knuckles | Baby Wants To Ride (with Jamie Principle)
You may realize that this track was a big inspiration on my music, namely my song Hot, Raw, Sex from my 2010 album XXX. Whatever this song is about, drugs or sex... It does the job. The arpeggiating tones and the Prince-esque fuck chords make you think of a sex swingers club adorned with mirrors and blinking neon, everyone in high fashion and reflective jewelry. All being themselves, you could play this over the Rhythm Box scene from Liquid Sky and perfexion envelopes your body and mind with sweaty thoughts. This somehow hardly ever leaves my record bag and frequently drops on my ipods since I have several versions (the dirty sounding original tape demo is my favorite).

10. Bam Bam | Where's Your Child?
Acid hit hard in the midwest of America, soon followed over to London and Europe. The low pitched vocals are still heard in minimal techno from labels like M_nus and Hypercolour based out of Europe. The TB-303 was original made popular because bands who bought it ended up selling it because it sounded nothing like a promised replacement for your bass player, and a fun fact is that the japanese inventor who made it for Roland ended up getting fired (and later rehired). Early Techno musicians were picking these instruments up in pawn shops for around 50-100$ and syncing them with their TR-808 drum machines and developing what we know as acid. My studio isn't complete without my 808, and though acid is a very particular sound, it's damn near impossible to make it without these little silver boxes.

+11. Hercules | 7 Ways
Another fucking dope track that was probably released on Trax Records, if not they definitely would've put it out. 7 ways to make you jack he sings over the TR-707 beat. The 707 was different from the 808 as it samples real drum sounds, yet had a very electronic sound still because it was a quantized sequencer. Though, the 808 was a bit more loose because the sequencer was analog and bit more human because of the nature of circuitry, the 707 had its own sound and was used on some of the less sharp, more dirty acid and house track. Some of the pioneers literally had a jackin' drum sequence with some fill arrangements and a microphone. Some of the best parties I've done were when I was 16 and rockin it with drums and a mic. If you got it, then they got it. Get it? Good.