Well, a classic of this week anyway. I just felt like a bit of retrospective appreciation was in order, so thought I would maybe start a regular that posts tracks pre-2008 maybe. At least that feels a long time ago in dance music terms.

The first is getting on a bit really. Released just two years after Dom and I entered this world, it hails from the time when House was still a hormonal teenager of a musical genre.

Soulful vocals and a throbbing bass. House.

The Fog - Been a Long Time

Over the last week or so, some very important developments in the electronic music world have
emerged. Naturally I feel a duty to report on them....

RESIDENT ADVISOR'S 2010 'TOP DJ'S' POLL NOW OPEN

Last year, Richie Hawtin (above) was crowned 2009's number 1 DJ as decided by users of Resident Advisor, the world leading online magazine for electronic music. Known for its general appreciation for the very best music and DJs, RA's poll is perceived by many (including SOTW) to be the most reputable of all. I've already casted my top 5, which this year I've settled on Erol Alkan in first place, followed by Ricardo Villalobos, Boys Noize, Craig Richards and Dixon. Chris is yet to finalise his choices but his is inevitably similar to mine, although he justifiably fancies John Digweed to claim a spot. Agree with us? Probably not, we've all got an opinion on who has blown our minds this year, so go and have your say and take part in the most trusted and highly anticipated poll of the year.

Vote for your top 5 DJ's in RA's 2010 poll here (You will need to be a member of RA)


WATERGATE 07 RELEASE PARTY TO BE HELD AT LONDON'S XOYO


It may not have been around for long, but London's XOYO club just off Old Street has already proved to be a heavyweight among the capital's elite venues. On Saturday December 11th, it will be where German superclub Watergate will hold their release party for Lee Jones' excellent recent mix for the club's record label. In what we anticipate to be a sell-out night, expect some of the finest house and techno around, imported directly from Berlin.

Get £5 early bird tickets over at RA now!

BUSY P, CASSIUS & A-TRAK DO GLASGOW


On Friday December 10th, legendary Glasgow club The Arches will host what promises to be one of the most exciting nights I've seen for a while. Ed Banger's uber-cool boss and DJ extraordinaire, Busy P will headline along with vinyl mix-master A-Trak and French House legends, Cassius. Despite being based in London and faced with a train fayer of £65 just to get to Glasgow, it would probably be worth the cost and the journey, especially as early bird tickets are currently at the bargain price of £7. My advice is, no matter what your proximity to Scotland is, it's a night you won't want to miss.

Grab those £7 early birders now at RA

With fabric's full club listings for November and December recently announced, of all the nights I eagerly scrawled my diary, this wasn't one. Sandwiched between Luciano the week previously and Mathias Tanzmann next weekend, and also because I had only just seen Âme perform last month at the birthday weekend (Ok, Luciano was there too, but exceptions can be made), I thought I may be able to get away missing this one. As it turns out, I didn't make it to Luciano or Perlon (Zip, Baby Ford, Alex Smoke etc.) at fabric the week before, two nights I was very keen on attending, so this turned out to be my consolation. I should know better by now than to see any night at fabric as merely a consolation, whatever the alternative, but I left EC1 at about 8:30 with that great, satisfying feeling of having just enjoyed an entirely successful night.

Âme would headline for the closing set in the perfect slot of 5-8, after Craig Richards and Guillaume and The Coutu Dumonts live. Room 2 looked surprisingly tempting too, with Terry Francis joined by Heiko Laux and Steve Rachmad, who have previously collaborated to make some exceptional productions, such as one of my favourite trippy house numbers to date, The Boatshow. If their production skills were anything to go by, it would hopefully not be so intense in the second room as it so often is, the reason I typically avoid lengthy spells in there. We actually headed to the fascinating confines of Room Three first, where James Priestly, Delano Smith and Brawther collectively delivered a well assembled and well executed jam of upbeat tech house to a surprisingly well-filled space. One thing which is becoming increasingly obvious to me is how unique and refreshing that third room of fabric's is. It offers a welcome break from the sweaty, crowded and often overwhelming atmosphere of Room's One and Two while still maintaining the true fabric personality- formidable sound system, rugged brickwork (with the original arches to add extra character) and the same uncompromising sonics that we step through the front doors for in the first place.

Downstairs, house was definitely the word. Craig Richards had already started spinning at the early time of 2am. Although slightly more playful than usual, his set remained ever funky and exciting, blending fun house, stitched together with sprinkles of quirky, frolic sounds that were as bewildering as ever on that system. Immediately after followed a dazzling live performance from Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts. His fervent session of his own unique style of house genuinely rocked what had become an almost full room. Combining punchy basslines with simmering synths and manually produced bongo effects, it was a great hour to witness, and that's coming from someone not usually that fussed about live sets.

Despite the tempting line-up over in Room Two, the relentless pounding that seeped from the arches of it's entrance made our mind up that we were to once again stay put in the main room where Âme's DJ half commenced his 3 hour set at just after the expected time of 5am. Âme's live set at fabric's 11th birthday weekend, performed by the other half of the duo, was undoubtedly one of the highlights- their reputation as producers is obviously and deservedly highly revered, but personally I felt it wasn't the most danceable of sets. In the booth on the other hand, it was a phenomenally groovy session. Their trademark deep house style was in full, glorious flow from beginning to end. It was the perfect demonstration of how good house music can be, exploring some slightly more minimal flavours at times, tech house at others and even some squelchy acid, to the frenzied delight of those on the floor. The set peaked when Lee Jones' twisted house groove Yoyo was dropped, then soon after Art Department's huge disco-seasoned anthem Without You. From the trend of the set, it seem more likely than not Without You would be melded in at some point. The sexiness of the bassline is the kind of thing you could see Âme being slightly envious that they didn't come up with first, and the vocal element went unsurprisingly down a treat with those familiar to it. For me however, the real pleasure came in the surprise inclusion of Ferrer & Sydenham's legendary house hit Sandcastles, which caused an eruption of euphoria at around 7am. In what had been such a consistently melodic amalgamation of relatively new house sounds, such a classic was what fabric is made for, and what Âme appreciate more than most other house DJs.

The video above of Ricardo Villalobos at fabric sometime in March this year may be short, unclear and prohibitively shuddery, but I feel it captures what Saturday nights are all about. Saturday is the night for House and Techno and that is when we come out to play. We want deep, dark and underground sonics and basslines so groovy, that we can, and will, dance to for many, many hours. I think that is a quality no other style of music can boast.

So to get your Saturday night started I've made up a little package just some glorious house and techno beats. Not a regular post or anything, I just feel excited for tonight myself! I also have included a little off-hand mix I fused together yesterday night before I hit an unfamiliar Friday night rave. Head over to Soundcloud via the link above the mix for the full track listing.

Techno/House Mix 12/11/10 by SweatOnTheWalls-Dom

Igor Brzovic - Friday Night Games (Adoo & Welldone Remix)


Mesuma - No Midi


Solomun - After Rain Comes Sun (Joris Voorn's Dusty Dub Stab)


John Tejada - Subversion


Lee Curtiss - I Can Hear You Arther

We're approaching 100 posts now, which I think is a fairly sterling effort since May for two guys who really should be concentrating on other things of perhaps greater priority than music.... Who am I kidding? Those 'greater priorities' i.e education, have only acted as distractions to us, preventing us posting at a faster rate than already. In review then, I think SOTW has been a success; we've managed to stay true to our original plan, which was simply just post music and our opinions on music we like, and hopefully that music and those opinions have been enjoyed by others. Some have told me they are, but either way our plan will stay the same.

I couldn't wait another three posts just for the sake of some kind of ceremonious occasion to post this, although it would have been gloriously appropriate. Our blog isn't named Sweat On The Walls just because we like the name, and its obvious connotations of underground rave familiarity, but also because we love John Tejada's legendary 2004 anthem. It will never become 'old' in the sense it feels old, and can't be used in modern day sets. It has a wonderfully evergreen aesthetic, possibly because Tejada has always been consistent with his unique style, something that explains why he is so highly respected as a producer. For someone as prolific, it's a remarkable feat to be have literally never sent out a bad record. It's these attributes that made Sweat On The Walls so timeless, and why only recently Donnacha Costello, Martin Lansky and XoX have decided to release their remixes on Poker Flat Recordings.

Sweat On The Walls is notoriously difficult to remix or reproduce, as me and Chris have found out. I wouldn't say it's the metaphorical 'blank canvas' for a remix, like many electronic productions are, but Martin Lansky's effort is probably the best on the three-track EP. He's barely fiddled with the bassline, but he's rearranged that legendary main synth pattern in a way that works perfectly with those anthemic vocals. In conclusion, he's allowed the original ideas to stay powerful, while injecting just a few engaging modifications. Donnacha Costello's remix is not quite as impressive. It's barely different from the original, just without the awesome progressiveness that we love it for. Nonetheless there is still a narcotic, hazy quality that makes it a worthy effort. Xox's 2004 adaption meanwhile, keeps all that progression and lays down a terrific squelchy acid line. Ladies and gentlemen it gives me great pleasure to post Sweat On The Walls once more...

John Tejada - Sweat On The Walls (Martin Landsky Remix)


John Tejada - Sweat On The Walls (Donacha Costello Remix)


John Tejada - Sweat On The Walls (Xox 2004 Remix)

For those of you who knew he was playing, I didn't get to see Luciano last weekend at fabric unfortunately. I won't go into why, but believe me if I could have made it I would have been there right to the bitter end, which I gather was around midday Sunday. No doubt I missed plenty, including more of his provocative 'party' touches that has stirred-up so much debate about his underground identity ever since his appearance at fabric's birthday weekend several weeks ago. Anyway never mind, this week I should be there to witness another one of the birthday disciples, Âme, who I believe are DJing this time, which is far more to my liking. I fully expect a delicious session of deep house and minimal grooves, very much in a similar vein as their excellent fabric 42 mix. Minimal is the word for those joining the German duo in Room 1, with Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts and Dan Ghenacia also lined-up for what should be a very interesting night.

Dan Ghenacia - Discolour


Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts - Groovy Solitude


Seph - Void (Pronsato's Guitar Mix)


D. Diggler - Graviton (Robag Wruhme Remikks)


Marco Passarani & Sacco - Flora (Livio & Roby Ce Face Remix)


Pole - Pfert

There are plenty of things in life that you can have too much of, but House music just isn't one of them. So it is for this reason I am blogging a bountiful collection of songs for your ears to pleasure themselves upon.

Firstly, I couldn't resist putting up the quite brilliant Audiojack remix of H.O.S.H.'s Cash The Chord. Craig Richards absolutely loved this tune when he dropped it at Fabric, and tremendously funky bassline is an inclination as to why he was dancing so frantically. It is actually impossible not to dance to this song.

H.O.S.H - Cash The Chord (Audiojack Remix)


Next is the latest from Veitengruber. Same lyrics as those in 'Seven Nation Army', however the soulful female vocals are fairly spooky at times and fit in perfectly with the staccato chord stabs and bassline that continue throughout.

Veitengruber - Behind a Cigarette


Featured in Tensnake's Chart of last month, this Lee Foss song has one of my favourite basslines of the last few months. It's just incredible. Polish it with a female vocal sample, arpeggiating synths and top quality production and it's a winner.

Lee Foss - Happen For a Reason


This Redo by Je Davu and St Propre is brilliant, with support from the main Latino Techno man Ricardo Villalobos.
Not the best quality mp3, but it's due for a full release soon.

Je Davu feat. St Propre - Disco2Disco (Latin Space Dub)


Loco Dice really has a knack for making some top productions. Loving this tune at the moment. Perfect House.

Mousse T - Toscana (Loco Dice)


This on has bee nsupported by Hawtin, Carola, Jacuzzi Boys and too many more to name. Need I say more?

Comme Lapin - Vaai


Hot Chip aren't huge on the house scene, and there aren't that many stand out remixes of them, however I believe this song to be an exception. The break fits perfectly with Hot Chip's original vocals.

Hot Chip - Touch Too Much (Kollektiv Turmstrasse Remix)


Finally a collab between Dusty Kid and Grooviera. And groove is does. A top 50 of beatport last month and a funky beat make this a highly recommended listen. Also I enjoy the name, so that's worth something.

Dusty Kid & Grooviera - Where the DJ Hell is Todd Terry?

University. 8 Hours of lectures a week and very fast internet connection in my room. What better way is there to delay doing any reading and generally procrastinate than just go looking for music? I have more listening time than ever before and now the convenience of beautiful lightning fast downloading speeds. The result is that since I've been here, which now approaches approximately two months, I have acquired, well, a helluva lot of music and more than I could ever attempt to share (unless you're in my halls that is where you can access my entire library). But I am going to share some of the stand-out records I've encountered. They are quite eclectic, but most vaguely fit into the tech house category I suppose. Unfortunately none are the track featured in the video above- a tortuously elusive little groove from Luciano's set at fabric's birthday weekend. I'm still looking for it, so help a brother out if you have any idea what it is.

A delicious tribal-flavoured remix of Ron Costa's Saltimb, taken from his recently released EP. Deliriously groovy bassline and some bizarre little flute breaks make this a real treat.

Ron Costa - Saltimb (Luca Albano Remix)


Now we've known about Cocoon's Egbert for some time, but productions like Vreugdevuur have led us to perceive him as merely a tech house wizard. Open has made me totally revise this assumption. It's a MASSIVE techno bomb for MASSIVE rooms. The first drop almost blew me off my chair. I dream of hearing this on a big soundsystem and maybe when Sven Väth cruises down to fabric in a few weeks he will make that dream come true?

Egbert - Open (Original Mix)


Spaniard producer Maetrik (who's performing live at fabric tonight) has teamed up with Kule Runner to make this snappy, shadowy minimal tripper. I really like the progression in this, it's patient, sexy and really quite heavy.

Maetrik & Kule Runner - Snorkel


Gavin Herilhy is no stranger, and again he demonstrates why he's so respected right now with this more brilliant techno vibes. Expect to hear this out a lot.

Gavin Herilhy - Stand For Something


Techno master Loco Dice doesn't disappoint with his freshly unleashed Got Leaks In The Roof. As always with Dice, there's the usual thumping minimal bassline and gentle synth patterns delicately layered, making this naturally a simply massive tune.

Loco Dice - Got Leaks In The Roof


My general teeming subconscious ear for tunes Craig Richards may have dropped in his sets does occasionally give me some real delight. I remember Jacek Seinkiewicz's Who Told You That? It was just so ridiculously head-y I couldn't exactly forget it. I fully confess that I get off on this breed of minimal.

Jacek Sienkiewicz - Who Told You That?


Slightly more downtempo, Pulshar's California State of Mind is an elegant composition of gentler house beats and emotive vocals, but the real pleasure comes from the surprising Balearic-style synth stabs that pierce the melodic structure of the tune.

Pulshar - California State of Mind


Matthias Meyer's Miss Apre Gate EP is a glorious little three-track collection of simply groovy tech house. The Rear Window is the pick of the bunch though, a divine amalgamation of sounds and sonics that compliment the bassline delightfully.

Matthias Meyer - The Rear Window


Steve Lawler's Gimme Some More will undoubtedly be rumbling some dancefloors underground- a relentless, pounding house banger with some catchy vocals thrown in. Guess what they say?

Steve Lawler - Gimme Some More


Raw As Fuck. Any electronic track titled this has got to deliver and fortunately Marcello Napoletano has delivered. It sounds minimal, but the 'raw' synth pattern gives it some added bite which is very satisfying.

Marcello Napoletano - Raw As Fuck


Dani Sbert will certainly keep the groove flowing seamlessly with this rapid techno hit.

Dani Sbert - Baphomet


The return of Jacuzzi Boys! And don't we just love their groovy latin tech house. Matthias Mesteno's remix of Bocadillos is just amazing. The shadowy vocal hook is gloriously hazy and, the bassline is heavy, progressive and typically compelling- little trumpet samples keep that fun side we expect of the boys.

Jacuzzi Boys - Bocadillos (Matthias Mesteno Remix)


Lastly, one of the heaviest, most addictive and simply brilliant dancefloor bombs I've ever heard. I had heard it knocking round in Craig Richards' sets for a while and heard it twice at fabric's birthday. It's the Kink remix of Marc Romboy and Blake Baxter's Muzik, which I have mentioned recently. This rather large installment of tracks is, as I said a collection of the best tunes I've acquired over the last couple of months, and this I would have to say is my favourite of them all. If you're DJing, I suggest you use this at some point, depending on the crowd of course, it's guaranteed a hefty reception.

Marc Romboy & Blake Baxter - Muzik (Kink Remix)

Whilst I was very tempted to title this post 'Justice Return', I feared that such a title might lead to disappoint on the realisation that no new material had been produced by the duo, only a special Halloween mix for a French radio station.

I hope I have avoided any such disappointment as this mix is simply Justice on top form.
Starting with some of the typical French House we have come to expect (and in a similar vein to their controversial Xmas Mix a couple of years ago), it develops into something slightly heavier with the likes of the Boys Noize and Soulwax remixes of Phantom Pt II.

Justice - In Extreme Mix


Thanks to El3ctronight.net for this.

I am severely hoping I need not explain how good either The XX or Kieran Hebdan (AKA Four Tet) are. So when Four Tet's remix of their hit VCR was released last month I was quick to jump on the approval bandwagon.

The track is classic Four Tet. It builds gently without too much fuss until the brilliantly simple drop at around the 3 minute mark, from where the track continues to progress with a grooving synth line.

The XX - VCR (Four Tet Remix)


And as a bonus, here's a really flowing house remix of the classic Crystalised.

The XX - Crystalised (Edu Imbernon Remix)