TD006
Riding high on the inexplicable tech-house adoption of their last release, Talking Drums return with hit number six. This desert island disc finds the family bagging a last minute flight to sunnier climes, where the cocktails are strong and the seas are calm.
On “Air Ecosse”, the crew provide an engine overhaul to a middling slice of Scotch boogie, squeezing maximum thrust out of the new beat-y intro before a bubbling bassline and chiming chords provide some serious uplift. The captain takes the comms for a late deadpan vocal, hinting at a little Pet Shop Boys karaoke prior to touchdown in paradise.
The percussion pals kick off the Birkies on the B-side, boarding the bateau with a pair of proper harbour heaters. “Too Yacht To Handle” bubbles along like Mick’n’Keef in disco mode, oozing grooves under a swooning vocal a lá Nicolette Larson. A hazy arrangement lets the music play, indulging the instrumental breaks, soaring synths and subtle delays in true 12” Extended Mix styleé, perfect for peaktime at poolside or la playa. Dropping the tempo to a sunset strut, “AORwaves” provides the perfect cool-down, as TD cut back the fat on a forgotten soft-rocker to create a cosmic yacht bomb. Low slung, sleazy and spaced out, this is gonna rock a bar set and beyond.
Limited Press - Numbered Insert - Drum Fun Guaranteed.
BID003
“Our good friend Jason asked us to do a remix for his Before I Die label. As one half of Balearic titans Aficionado and a voracious digger, JB’s ears are tuned to perfection, and he picked out a beauty for this release, Bernardino Femminielli’s sublime Sign Of The Times en Français. So, we fired up the spaceship and got stuck into the stems to turn out our take on the track, a replicant slow dance with a little nod to Max Berlin. About to sell out in all good stores so grab one while you can.”
This marks our first foray into official remix world so were very excited to see it come out into the real world - especially in such a nice package. Got a lot more remixes in the pipeline. Busy bees 🐝
TD-CHUMS006
Summertime sounds abound on the sixth Drum Chums disc, which comes lovingly dubbed and diced by our friendly Fruit Merchant Hidden Spheres. Known globally for his free-flowing DJ sets, halcyon house hits and mastery of melody, Tom’s been at the top of his game for time now - just check those releases on Rhythm Section and Scissor & Thread - and it’s a pleasure to carry his drum sticks for this one. Cracking open his vault of top secret DJ tweaks, Spheres explores sweltering proto-house, tropical disco lilt and deepest waters across three floor-ready cuts.
The Fruit Merchant plucks something ripe from the Kalimba Tree on the A1, starting the party properly with joyous Afro-house jam “Stolen”. Carnival-friendly drums and a Boyd Jarvis bassline wind up your waist while the call-and-response vocals and exuberant brass send hands and heads skywards before the track transitions into an utterly ecstatic sax-led breakdown. This is magic.
For the B-side, Hidden Spheres treats us to a couple of deep digs from his time in Australia, both originating in the Aboriginal community. Emerging from the astral vibrations of a didgeri-drone, “You Better Dance” casually locks into an irresistible 105bpm groove, strolling through the echo-laced dubspace as its poetic vocal speaks to your soul. Balearic-paced and cosmic-minded, this one plays perfectly next to those I-Level 12”s. For finale “Together”, Spheres shifts back into proto-house mode, locking a hypnotic piano riff into some militant snare rolls to lay the foundation for the impassioned vocal. Delivering the occasional diversion into more mournful territories, Spheres reminds us why deep house deity DJ Sprinkles always takes his calls.
At Tom's request all profits from this release will go to Pay The Rent, a grassroots charity in Victoria, Australia working to honour the Sovereignty of Aboriginal people.
paytherent.net.au
Mix 009
It’s pre-boat season apparently so as a warm up for this illustrious time we’ve delivered a bumper-sized yacht-flavoured mix. The musicians were likely blasted on 70s Boogie Nights-esque cocaine but it also sounds like it fits on radio 2 when we were growing up… how could that combination fail?
Soundtrack your own greasy below deck times. Link in the bio
TD-CHUMS005
Drum Chums Vol. 5 marks the arrival of Captain Attractive, an international man of mystery, head-nod hero and edit expert whose many masterpieces inspired us to pick up the scalpel in the first place. Last seen leaving Berlin on a world tour, this legend parked the Red Motorbike outside Talking Drums HQ and treated us to a lesson in San Fran sleaze, hippie disco and MPC bump.
The A-side opens with the sticky funk of “It’s More Fun 2 Make Love”, a pitched down disco cruiser extended for the tantric dance floor and mastered on an old porno VHS. Sultry, slinky and rated X. We’re always hungry after the act and graciously Captain Attractive is on hand with a donut called “Memories” to close out the A-side, looping some sweet soul into the kind of hypnotic hip hop as house romper which defined beatdown way back when.
The Captain takes the yacht to the Med on the B1 with the super Balearic groove of “Dreamer”, an astounding combination of dexterous bass, choral vocals and rolling piano, all set to the shimmy of hippie percussion. It could be a Laurel Canyon memory, an Xtian obscurity or something much deeper, but it’s definitely twelve minutes of sunset bliss - just wait until my guy flips the script after seven minutes! The dude drops the curtain with another bitesize portion of MPC mastery, cutting up some thick wax guitar and cool keys over a swung groove for “Ghana Do It”. Captain Attractive taking you where you want to go.
100% Drum Fun Guaranteed.
Mix 008
A rather attractive proposition in number 8 (burp) of our radio series. Captain Attractive a.k.a. @therealeddiec has dropped a doozy and something super appropriate for not only the current weather (pure heaters am I right?) but our upcoming party too. Put you in the mood so to speak. There also may be a certain track hidden in there which will be making its way on to a Drum Chums future release incase you want to invest in futures.
Mix 007
Talking Drums Mix 007 is up. Transport oneself to double oh heaven with some pure-grade picks from the pantry. Nice robotic propulsion modern tech with some old favourites… all about right for soon to be sunny weather. We hope. 🤖 🦾🐙
TD005
Your favourite percussion pals take aim at the peak time on Volume 5, offering some different disco with a Balearic bent. Though the 45RPM button on the TDHQ turntable is finally fixed, these edit idiots managed to spill a spritz on the pitch control, so prepare to read this at -6%.
A-side “Slow Motion” sees the crew swing through some Canadian crates, transforming a high energy froth into sweet mid tempo syrup. Hydraulic sequences chug away to a cybernetic 4/4, lasers dance around the vocoder and a spacer woman sends us into ecstasy with an arms aloft chorus. The heads were spinning when this one teased in their radio mix, so don’t miss it on wax.
There’s a double feature on the flip, where TD tackle an overlooked slice of German glam, taming the tempo and turning out a totally cokey bit of disco rock. Repping expert bass grooves, euro boogie breakdowns, unexpected talk box, headband guitar riffs and a killer drum solo, this gives you that tops off at a family function feeling. The vocal version keeps it authentically off kilter, while the dub should appease peeps who think that Barrabas sounds like a deranged Rod Stewart.
Limited Press - Numbered Insert - Drum Fun Guaranteed.
Mix 006
Mixxx number Sixxx is up and about for your listening pleasure… 🐸 some real spongebob frog vibes, spacey Balearic and dream house in prep for nicer weather and garden-hanging with the frogspawn. It’s dressed to impress, so don’t depress, just caress your ears with finesse! 🐸 🐸 🐸
Cruiser
Here's a little space heater we dug and diced a few months ago before realising we already had it on a Light Sounds Dark. Rather than bootleg the bootleg we figured this might fly as a freebie / pay what you want. There's enough crackle and hiss to keep John Peel happy while the headnod bass and cosmic keys remind me a little of the Dirty Edits from way back when. Happy Bandcamp Friday folks!
Mix 005
Keeping you on your toes with wild release patterns, here is Talking Drums’ Radio Mix number 5. Nice pump energy to this one… almost a bit like it’s mambo’s number-sake.
TD-CHUMS004
It's debut time!
Making his first appearance on wax is Manchester's hottest property, Approach Release. When he isn't creating cross-genre chaos behind the decks, this genial gee mans the tram, so you gotta know he's comfortable at the controls.
In addition to a clean drivers license, the man is in possession of some seriously deep crates and this three-tracker sees him pick out a few obscurities in serious need of some scalpel.
The A side serves up the swooning space disco of 'Krypton Factor', a mid-tempo trip into the mirror ball nebula which pairs sweet female vox and dramatic sax with malfunctioning electronics and chest height bass riffs. File it under set opener, sci-fi frother and future anthem!
Over on the B side, A.R. indulges in a little beatific boogie via 'Coma', an outer national excursion building from bubbling bass and classy keys into the eventual heart-swelling vocal, an arms aloft moment if ever we've heard one.
We've been dropping this anywhere there's a CDJ and are just as happy as you lot to have it on wax. Approach Release makes it three hits out of three on the B2, as a slept-on slice of synth-pop Francais gets a necessary extension and leaves its lame chorus on the cutting room floor. Tune in for taut drum machines, playful melodies and a chic vocal.
100% Drum Fun Guaranteed.
Mix 004
New Mix for Talking Drums Radio 🎶 from Approach Release. Who coincidentally has some serious vinyl action out on Chums very soon.... Soundtrack your no mans land time while we wait all for NYE.
Mix 003
New Talking Drums Radio business... number 3 taken from a part of the Halloween party set (thanks to everyone who came down, it was class). Give it a blast
Mix 002
Talking Drums Radio deux is here for your listening pleasure 🌴 Follow the links for the sounds. Take a trip
TD-CHUMS003
After indulging in a little free movement over the first two releases, Vol. 3 sees us back in blighty, hanging loose with a hometown hero!
Way before our bongos had really begun to beat, Neil Diablo was slaying the hand-stamped edit scene with razor sharp disco reworks on his To Rack & Ruin imprint.
His energetic and effervescent sets at El Diablo's Social Club were the stuff of legend and his occasional appearances behind the Piccadilly Records counter helped pack the TD racks with some of our favourite floor fuel. Here, our newest Drum Chum digs extra deep with a triple threat of balmy Afro-disco, comic book funk and disco uplift.
Loose-limbed and laid back, 'High Emotion' stretches out across the whole of the A side leading the kind of slow motion dance we can't get enough of.
Potent polyrhythms underpin scratchy rhythm guitar and slick slap bass while that echo-laden vocal just keeps lifting us higher and higher.
The B side bounces into being with the synthed-up strut of 'Sex-N-Drugz', a portal into a parallel universe where Prince painted the Compass Point Paisley and the tempo never exceeded 100bpm - it's tropical pop served cooler than Kia-Ora.
The finale comes with the misty eyed magic of 'We Can', a triumph of snapping Italo snares and boogie optimism which shifts into bliss via a totally tops off chorus.
Keep the cowbell ringing folks!
Mix 001
First of the month seems like a good time to launch Talking Drums Radio 🎶 - a monthly mix series where we and guests can provide you with listening pleasure. Follow the link in bio to mixes and give it a blast.
TD-CHUMS002
After some inaugural heat from Hamburg, we catch up with our man from Saint-Ouen for Drum Chums Vol. 2!
As far as Percussion Pals go, Plastic Bamboo has the highest credentials.
Not only did he spend a decade behind the drum kit, but he was my flatmate for a few happy years in Manchester. Since relocating to Paris in 2012, he's played sets all over Europe, worked the scalpel with the Good Plus crew and secured a second dan black belt in digging.
Let's see what the prince of Les Puces has in store for us...
On the A1, Plastic Bamboo double doses an unknown new beat 7" extending the Arabic acid delight for a six minute soak. Properly peaking and packed with Middle Eastern flava, 'Ra Beat' is primed for dance floor demolition.
The Frenchman swaps the Arabic coffee for an Italian cocktail on the A2's 'Bertini', sticking an extra large umbrella in the frothiest of disco winners.
'Kamboja' offers a chance to catch your breath on the B1, bringing Balearic boogie with the upmost emotion and a melody you'll never forget.
We end the set in a peak time mode via the mysterious 'Forest Dance', a witches brew of dark disco and new beat stomp with just a hint of that techno-tropical flavour the Talking Drums love.
Bon soir et bisous.
TD004
Back with a bang for 2021 the TD team tame another couple of unclassics, offering end of night emotion and druggy chug on this wavey wax.
The A side looks skywards from the Mediterranean shore, waves of delay lapping its toes as Italo melancholy and Balearic sincerity go straight to its head. A lovelorn ragazza finds comfort in kalimba and 'Wicked Game' sobs softly from a nearby tabaccheria, signing off a postcard of this holiday romance.
Things take a turn for the trippy on the flip as 'Close Orbit' shifts gears on a synth-pop standard in favour for a zero gravity throb. Packed with slap bass, slanky percussion and the faint hint of new beat, this Afro-cosmic stomper is a slow tempo, high energy heater.
Limited Press - Numbered Insert - Drum Fun Guaranteed.
Bon soir et bisous.
TD-CHUMS001
New mutant offshoot from the Talking Drums crew...
You know how it goes at the after party, over indulge and you end up hogging the conversation. So, in the interest of better dancefloor discourse allow us to present Drum Chums, a new series of edits by percussion pals from across the globe.
This inaugural edition comes from our good buddy Basso, a Hamburg homie whose digging expertise is rivalled only by his scalpel skills and superb silliness. Dipping into the darkest corners of his ever-Growing Bins, Basso shines up a quartet of rediscovered delights for an edit EP which oozes grooves and off balance moves.
On an uptempo A-side, the German luxuriates in the spectral arps, glistening licks and uplifting chords of fusion boogie winner 'Do Stay For Breakfast', before serving the steamy, sultry and seductive vampire disco jam 'Soft Choppers'
Things take a turn for the Balearic on the B-side thanks to the Afro-tropical pop of 'Simple Stroll', all electroid bass, chugging percussion and playful guitar, and finally the cosmic cool of 'Breaking Bread', a spaced out bossa for heads and feet.