Frankie Knuckles
Live at Ministry of Sound, 1991

★★★★

Frankie Knuckles is the undisputed godfather of Chicago house music, and for a good reason too. The warehouses in which he hosted his sets was a gathering place for people of all creed and color, simply to enjoy the music. To rave and lose themselves in dancing, if only for a night. The story behind his hit song, "Your Love", is unpleasant but it should be considered that he really made it popular beyond anything that could've been normally achieved. By this time in 1991, Knuckles had released one of his most popular, and catchy tunes: "The Whistle Song". Simply titled, it incorporated an unorthodox sample of a whistle which helped create a very innocent, or childlike, relaxed atmosphere that was ahead of its time. A lot of Knuckle's music might seem dated by itself but when you listen to him at the decks, like on this bootleg, it still sounds powerful and filled with energy. 

The style of mixing and choice of music definitely has something to do with Knuckles's work with Larry Levan. Almost like a passing of the torch from one legend to the other, of course house music was only the next logical step from the garage tunes. This radio recording is definitely loud, beyond regular dynamics, and this insures that this is no such "audiophile" taping. It's something you would tape on a cassette and find years later and be completely blown away by it. Everything flows perfectly, and this can definitely be attributed to the guidance of Levan. The radio host cuts in every now and then to remind you what you're listening to. The whole mix is unfortunately not present, so a piece of the magic is lost, but what you get is truly fulfilling. 

A mix of echoing voices, swirling tribal drums, and synth stabs, completely envelop you in this torrent of sound. It's primal but modern, repetitive but never boring. All the traits you would want from a mix of this time period. I can only identify a couple of the tracks on here but they're all soulful and in some ways, pretty sensual. There's no denying the sex appeal of house music during this time, even now, I think that aspect has become more concentrated. Besides outsider house probably. There's even a bit of a jazzy thing going on here, with some scat singing samples and synth keyboard fondling around the twenty five minute mark. As compressed as this recording might be, it adds this nostalgic quality that members of the outsider house community strive to draw from. 

Knuckles really reaches to contain the entirety of the genre in just this one session. Near forty minutes in, the atmosphere has become slightly chilled, with almost an icy ambient feel that somehow continues to keep the rhythm moving. DJing without any computer or CD software was and is a real talent that takes lots of energy and practice. It all comes down to song choice, beat matching, and keeping the crowd happy. This release is a great example of all those coming together in perfect harmony. And in doing that, Knuckles can make you forget about all your problems and the world around you, if only for an hour. 

Favorite Song: It's a mix

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
Jo David Meyer Lysne & Mats Eilertsen Kroksjø     ★★★½   Jo David Meyer Lysne and Mats Eilertsen are two Norwegian musicians who have come together once more, on the Hubro music label (also originating from Norway). This encounter seems to place focus on the textural environment and less so on the improvisation techniques of Lysne (on acoustic guitar) and Eilertsen (on bass). The title Kroksjø is the Norwegian word for an oxbow lake, in which a "U" shaped lake is formed after being cut off from a river. Lysne has stated that these geological formations helped inspire this endeavor and that he views them as a symbol of the artistic effort, being impermanent and forever changing. Hypnotic motifs are lost and found on this record, and with the help of a turntable, the comfort of physical home audio is brought forward. Sounds from the natural world and folk musings seep through to the heart of this record, providing points of focus that solidify t...
Read more
Image
Jason Lescalleet The Pilgrim ★ ★ ★★ Everything I've been listening to has been really great recently. This is a very heavy and somber record by Jason Lescalleet. Part of the newer cohort of abstract electronic music, he's known for working with people like Graham Lambkin and Kevin Drumm. This class of individuals have been creating intense and vivid textures in their music with the help of outside sources, mostly field recordings. That concept is also utilized here but not in the usual manner.  Summed up, this album is about the relationship Jason had with his father, and a sort of memorial in remembrance of his passing. It's not easy to create an artistic project like this for anyone, in any medium or platform. Especially not in the niche and sometimes conceptual subgenre that Lescalleet resides in. But he does it beautifully and in great effect. The album starts off with a spoken introduction bye Lescalleet describing how his father felt about his mus...
Read more
Image
Joe McPhee, Piotr Michalowski & Andrew Drury  Live at Edgefest ★★★½   Edgefest serves as one of the larger American Midwest's avant-garde jazz festivals. Since 1997, the Kerrytown Concert House has provided an up-close and personal listening experience through this now four-day long festival. Its popularity, support, and collaborations have continued to grow in recent years. In 2017, Joe McPhee, Andrew Drury, and Piotr Michalowski performed three improvisations that have finally met my ears nearly two years later. Joe McPhee is no stranger to me, and while I have not heard Drury's music, I know that the two have played with each other before. Michalowski resides in Ann Arbor and besides being a self-taught horn player, he teaches at the University of Michigan and writes for the Ann Arbor Observer. So this setting and player arrangement was all new to me, and I was determined to go in with little expectations and to really listen to the interactions...
Read more