Digitised DATS and previously unreleased jams from one of the original kings of Chicago.
Derrick Carter is one of the most highly-regarded house music artists of all time. Lauded by many as a DJs DJ, his flawless technical ability and party-minded sets aimed squarely at the dancefloor rank him among the top in the world. As a producer and remixer his intricate and unique records are instantly recognisable as his own; often awkward, sometimes unpredictable but always funky, his productions represent an extension of his individual character, both of which are celebrated with this new retrospective compilation.
Derrick doesn’t do obvious, so rather than go down the easy route of selecting his most well-known productions and remixes, on House Masters Derrick Carter, Derrick selects those lesser-known records that demonstrate the breadth of his musical ability and depth of his house music heritage. Although hugely influential underground jams like ‘Squaredancing In A Roundhouse’ and ‘Where U At?’ may not have been commercial successes, but that’s not what Derrick is about – as Derrick puts it: “I'm shut out of the ‘hit making’, I'm exclusively about booty shaking”, and tracks such as ‘The Warrior’, ‘Tripping Amongst The Stars’, ‘A Hope (Over U)’ are indicative of the groove and innate energy which lie at the heart of the very best Derrick Carter productions.
“Choosing the material for this compilation was an experience for sure” says Derrick of the selection process. Describing the process of whittling down the final track list from a lengthy list of ‘possibles’ was a process he describes as “sometimes taxing and frustrating but also fun and exciting”. Long-lost DATs were unearthed and hard-drives we scoured in search of forgotten files and versions previously unheard, but in the process Derrick “rediscovered some gems, ran into a few old friends, and had a blast”, resulting in “what I think is a damn good representation of DC”.
Included here are no fewer than 15 previously unreleased cuts and edits which previously would only have been found in Derrick’s own personal record bag or CD wallet; this is the first time that hidden gems and secret weapons such as the 16 minute funk epic of SoCalled’s ‘Richi’, The Innocent’s ‘Theme From The Blue Cucaracha’, DJ Bang’s ‘Hallelujah’ and his personal “private stock” reinterpretations of Freaks’ ‘Boiling Point’ and ‘Telefunky’ amongst others have ever seen either the light of day or have been available digitally.
Summing up an artist’s entire career in a single release will always present a challenge – especially one as prolific and particular as Derrick Carter – but in terms of a unique and timeless collection of some of his most personal and significant records, this is a damn good place to start.
House Masters Derrick Carter is out 12th November
Derrick Carter plays an exclusive ‘Derrick Does Disco’ set at London’s Loft Studios on Friday 30th November - tickets available from RA
Tracklist
CD1. DC Originals
01. Sound Patrol 'Tripping Among The Stars' (Trippin' At The Kat)
02. Rednail featuring Noni ‘Never’ (Never In A Rubber Room)
03. DJ Bang ‘DJ Bang Make You Jiu-Jitsu’ (Technical)
04. DJ Bang ‘Hallelujah’ (DC Private Edit)
05. The Innocent ‘Theme From The Blue Cucaracha’ (DC Private Edit)
06. Derrick L. Carter ‘A Hope (Over You)’ (Meeting House Dub Edit)
07. Derrick L. Carter ‘Squaredancin' (Jazzz Extension)
08. Derrick L. Carter ‘Where U At?’ (The First Mix)
09. DJ Bang ‘The B.E.A.T’. (DC Private Edit)
10. Oneiro ‘The Warrior’ (6BC Version)
CD2. DC Remixes
01. SoCalled '(These Are The) Good Old Days' (DC's BHQ Remake)
02. Freaks 'Telefunky' (B.H.Q. Low Mainetnance Reversion)
03. Truman Industries 'Love Plus' (Derrick Carter's ‘Love Groove’ Mix)
04. Freaks 'Boiling Point' (BHQ Private Stock)
05. Angry Mexican DJ's 'I Like It Funky' (Derrick Carter's B.H.Q Re-Rub)
06. Pty Ltd 'Who's Been Watching You?' (DC Native Dub)
07. Rosie Brown 'Bliss' (D’s Boom Bap Bleep Edition)
08. SoCalled 'Richi' (DC's Full Phat Edition)
09. This Ain't Chicago 'Ride The Rhythm' (Derrick Carter Mix)
10. Jorge Watts 'Up To The Sky' (DC Chi Hi Mix)
Tour dates
26 Oct - The Warehouse Project, Curated by TEED, Manchester
27 Oct - Lollipop, Bucharest
28 Oct - Horse Meat Disco 9th Anniversary, London
30 Nov - Derrick Carter Does Disco, The Loft, London
1 Dec - Design at Suju, Swindon
2 Dec - Boiler Room Classic Music Company takeover (live online broadcast), London
26 Dec - The Sanctuary, Cumbria
28 Dec - The Den, Newcastle
29 Dec - Sub Club, Glasgow
1 Jan - The Warehouse Project Closing Party, Manchester
