If you saw my introductory post, I included a 50 min mix of some tunes on the calmer side of the dance spectrum. In this post, I want to introduce you to or remind you of some incredible tunes that will get even the stiffest guy at the function moving. Hope you enjoy!
Mall Grab is one of the key players in the rise of the Lo-Fi House scene. Usually making direct usage of bombastic 909 drums, cassette sounds, and a heavy focus on sampling, lo-fi artists have started stretching the deep end of the house spectrum in some new directions. On Love is Real, the collaborators make use of a short loop from Shalamar's I Owe You One repeatedly. The layering of the hi-hats over the sample build up into a stir of energy for the first drop. This is the brighter side of lo-fi house, even reminiscent of some aspects of the French sound. Thankfully, it comes right in time for the warmer months.
With $700 on hand, this record could be yours. Discogs, the largest online vinyl database and marketplace, currently has this record listed at that price at the low end. Take one listen and you might be able to tell why. The stomp, without hesitation, starts right away in this tune, and quickly ramps up to a high energy display of incredible talent and gritty production. Perhaps that is where the allure stems from: the roughness of the lead vocals, the crackling of the vinyl that comes along with the upload, and the flamboyant horn break in the middle.
The price of the record is so astronomical because a small community has sifted through thousands of other recordings to find absolute gems such as this, and they are still not yet available to stream. The same can be said for leagues of other records, as upon their release 30+ years ago, vinyl was the dominant format and streaming services were not yet able to be conceived. There are numerous labels now focused on unearthing brilliant, forgotten music and making it more widely available. That can get very difficult with the rarest music, since a high enough quality tape or pressing of the record can be even harder to come by. Thankfully, records like this can be heard through YouTube, which continues to be the best music resource on the internet.
