Arctic Sunrise And More

I could go on posting Underworld tracks and remixes but thought I better change course, variety being the spice of life and all that. I may return to Underworld next week maybe- I can feel a series coming on. Today I offer some new tracks for Friday, the third Friday already in January, a month that is still less than three weeks old but feels like it's been around for much longer.  

This came out ten days ago (although Bandcamp has the release date as 3rd February) and is one of 2023's best new tracks to date- Arctic Sunrise by Joe Morris. Given the blast of cold, cold arctic air we've had coming our way this week and the considerable amount of snow dropped and then frozen over between Tuesday night and Thursday, it's very appropriately titled too. Joe is a Leeds based DJ and producer whose 2021 album Exotic Language was a treasure trove with everything from Chicago house to to ambient, dub and Balearic. On Arctic Sunrise Joe's pulled everything that hit the spot on that album into one eight and a half minute place. It drifts in slowly, shimmering synths and washes of cold, dawn light. After a minute chunky drums kick in, throbbing synths, rattling hi- hats, an acid bassline and some lovely synth pow pows. It all freezes over briefly at five minutes and then a jumpy sequencer line runs in and it all builds back up again into some quite intense acid house action. I love it and think you will too. 

Two years ago Joe did a mix for Brighton's Higher Love label, run by Balearic Ultras, an hour long mix taking in tracks by several people who have been featured at Bagging Area before- Dan Wainwright, Duncan Grey, Original Disco Thing- and plenty who haven't. Ideal fayre for Friday- listen here. 

In a similar vein is this, brand new from Blavatsky and Tolley and Rude Audio, the latter outfit remixing the former pair (whose remix of BTCOP's Just A Disco I posted last year and is still rewarding getting lots of air time round here). The contrast between the deep voice intoning 'just a fuckin' disco', Weatherall in interview transformed, and the finger picked acoustic guitar part that pops up in the second half is beautiful. 

Dance Floor Killer is, like Arctic Sunrise, aptly named and Rude Audio's remix adds to the fun, firing bleeps and lasers from left to right while the chuggy dub techno thumps on. It's on Soundcloud and at Bandcamp.