Last month, the fantastic Dance music resource RA reviewed some of the best mixes over of the last decade. The list (here) showed the depth and breadth of Noughties Dance Music, it’s adventuorusness and rejection of the 1990′s superclub cul-de-sac. This was a decade that bought us the filthy fashioness of Electroclash, (anyone who ever went to a Electric Stew event would attest to that) the smooth Germanic innovations of Minimal House/Techno (pioneered by Kompakt, Get Physical et al) and the re-birth of Deep House and Dalston’s blast of Underground Disco. Of all the standout tracks that these genres spawned, there is still one that stands above all others it’s a track that blended the most interesting parts of many of Deep House, Techno and Minimal, that looked back as well as being gloriously futuristic, yet outside of Dance Music’s borders, criminally overlooked. This is Where We At.  In 2005, two German producers, under the guise of Âme, released Rej. A huge club hit, at the time, it presaged a return of the melodic dominance of Deep House, long dormant since the mid 90′s, with the minimal stylings of Booka Shade. Still to this day, it is hard to pinpoint what this music is, from Minmal Techno to Tech House, labels came and went to suit people as they pleased. At the same time, Dixon, another member of the Sonar Kollectiv team was setting up the Innervisions label, which would become the eventual home for Âme, Tokyo Black Star, Marcus Worgull and Henrik Schwarz, who formed the core DJ’s and producers of this genre.  The fifth release on Innervisions was a collaboration between Henrik Schwarz, Dixon and Âme, Where We At.

Sampling a spiky aggresive vocal line from Derrick L. Carter some four years previous, the three versions of Where We At take the rather desolate vocal and frame it around a groove that is both foreboding and moody yet hypnotic and wound tight with an infectious groove. It elevates the vocal to a manifesto, lines like ‘Is this all there is to life?’ take on darkly comic feel when you imagine where this track was meant to played, at peak time in small clubs and beachside summers, at the height of an individuals or collective’s losing it in the music. Where We At works as a fulcrum track, it perfectly sums up a time when Dance music wasn’t just hands in your air lunacy, it could be clever, it could comment, it critique, without losing it’s ability to move you in a serious serious way. A rare feat, and helps explain why Dance Music has approached the 10′s in good creative health, if not brilliant financial health.

Two other brilliant places to hear Where We At in context are Dixon’s live mix from 2006  as well as Henrik Schwarz’s Live (2007), which took the attitude, style and flourishes and transposed it through a live set that fuses Sun Ra and James Brown with the most forward thinking parts of the Innervisions sound. It stands as a great showcase for what Where We At represents, a brilliant combination of melody, groove and electronica still is as fresh as anything from Dance music in 2010.

Henrik Schwarz, Dixon & Âme – Where We At (Version Nº1)

Everyone else is doing a best of, so why not join in the fun? Here is the best dance track of the year. The super, super deep Androids And Stardust by Brawther. If found this gorgeous slice of deep house at the start of one of the best RA Podcasts of the year, from Giles Smith, the co-founder of the consistently brilliant Secret Sundaze parties. The whole mix is a wonderful journey that only Secret Sundaze does best, super deep but highly groovy music, clever, articulate and sexy. This track set the tone for the entire mix. Buy it here…

Tonight, in a rather dodgy backroom, of a once notorious part of Dalston, in a once derelict (metaphorically speaking) part of London the best club night in town will happen once more. Bad Passion happens monthly, a collaboration between (the oft mentioned round these parts) Oki-Ni and some seriously interesting DJ’s and musicians. (Phoreski, Felix Dickinson, Mark Seven and my personal fave so far – Eric Duncan from Rub N’ Tug) Bad Passion happens at the back-room of the Shacklewell arms, (itself the source of many nefarious stories and ‘run-ins’) where Dalston blurs into Stoke Newington, it’s relative distance from the craziness of Kingsland Road (think Bedford Avenue x2) gives it an edge of discovery that is now rather lacking from this nascent area.

Once inside, the fun really does start, the dancefloor is pitch black – and I mean pitch black, which funnily enough is awesome. The second bizarre thing about this venue is the outside section, which is like some crazy rum whore house, tatty but with these strangely intoxicating murals on the wall.

Beyond the decor, Bad Passion is all about the music, edgy spaced out psych/funk/disco/electronic/deephouse – there’s probably alot more genres I could splice into this but as I noted with the 50 parties post, it’s devotion to the unconventional and obscure while still firmly planting your feet on the dancefloor that gives Bad Passion an edge over some of it’s more perceived illustrious neighbours.

As anyone will know with half an eye on anything interesting and different it will probabaly get overrun with the latecomers that always ruin stuff like this (yes that’s you posh primorse hill/hampstead kids) but until that time, we can revel in people with genuine passion playing music for people that adore it’s off kilter charms. Here are some links to Phoreski’s mixes and and here’s a great interview with Daniel Mitchell from Oki-Ni on the Bad Passion night… (from the Oki-Ni Blog.)

See you on the dancefloor tonight!

Back in 1970, a hippie set up a party at his loft on Broadway, it was invite only no drink, (some) drugs and just a hell of alot of good vibes and beautiful music. 38 years later, David Mancuso’s loft parties feel like one of the last underground events that happen, he runs a night in London every three months through the Lucky Cloud Soundsystem, it takes place at the rather esoteric venue of the Light Bar (funnily enough in their loft) I’ve been twice and it never disappoints it is a truly unique experience. However, I have never found an entire mix of the night (it lasts over 8 hours usually) and then i stumbled upon DeepHousePage – included is a night at the loft about three years ago in either NYC or Tokyo. There are eight separate MP3’s and each has a rather bizarre intro from Mancuso (and his Japanese interpreter) but ignore that and if you’ve got the patience, enjoy…