Power of Ten: Beatdown and Beyond

Power of Ten: Beatdown and Beyond

9 July, 2010 | 12.26AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: 6th borough project, agent x, beatdown, craig smith, delano smith, detroit, dj minx, floating points, graeme clark, kyle hall, lerosa, mike clark, missing linkx, norm talley, power of ten, reggie dokes, soulphiction, the lady blacktronika, the revenge, theo parrish

Welcome to “Power of Ten”, a new series designed to provide a primer for the sounds and subgenres you’re not likely to find featured on Beatport’s home page.

What is Detroit beatdown? A fusion of disco, soul, house, and techno, it’s often distinguished by its slower tempos and its loose, unquantized grooves, but there aren’t really any hard-and-fast rules; it’s not so much a genre as it is a feeling.

Beatdown originated with Detroit’s Norm Talley, Mike Clark, and Delano Smith, who aimed to bring back some of the soul and eclecticism that had characterized Detroit dance music long before techno, citing Ken Collier and the Electrifying Mojo as influences. The style went worldwide in 2002 when Third Ear Recordings released ‘Detroit Beatdown Volume One’. Compiled by Talley and featuring the likes of Mike Clark, Delano Smith, Alton Miller, and Eddie “Flashin” Fowlkes, the comp also included a little tune called ‘Falling Up’—a Theo Parrish jam that, once remixed by Carl Craig, would go on to become one of the biggest anthems of 2005 and 2006.

After that, despite further compilations in Third Ear’s series, you didn’t hear so much about beatdown. What got me thinking about all this was a new record by the Lady Blacktronika, aka “the First Lady of Beatdown”. She doesn’t actually come from Detroit—born and raised in San Jose, California, where she survived some dark years of drug addiction and life on the streets, she calls Mount Shasta home today. But her agonized, slow-motion beats and disorientingly dissonant chords are absolutely beatdown in spirit.

Whether people are using the term or not, it’s actually starting to look like a new golden age for beatdown, as producers from a growing number number of cities and scenes explore the woozy vibe of disco breaks spun at minus 8.

Old and new, and drawn from far beyond the Detroit metro area, the selections that follow may not be textbook beatdown, but they share a certain sensibility. And that, after all, is what it’s all about, as Talley put it: “I think it’s more about the vibe and the feeling rather than trying to put it into a certain category.”

Keep reading for tracks from the Lady Blacktronika, Reggie Dokes, Kyle Hall, Missing Linkx, and more.

The Lady Blacktronika, ‘Another Man’ [Untitled & After]

Not for nothing do they call her the First Lady of Beatdown. These chopped-and-screwed diva house cuts are among the most emotional dance music going on right now—and also the most experimental.

Theo Parrish, ‘Falling Up’ [Third Ear Recordings]

Yeah, you’ve heard Carl Craig’s epic remix so many times now, it might as well be branded into your brain. But how many times have you really listened to the original? It’s a different kind of beast entirely, stumbling across Rhodes scales in time to a drunken 4/4 beat, carefree and jubilant.

DJ Minx, ‘Lavender Lust’ [Third Ear]

From the trudging groove to the dissonant chords, this 2007 cut from Detroit’s DJ Minx is a clear predecessor to the Lady Blacktronika’s music; check out the panning on that Rhodes, and soak up the feeling of a world gone topsy-turvy.

Reggie Dokes, ‘Chicago Pimp’ [Clone Records]

Detroit’s Reggie Dokes is a master of slack, woozy grooves: check his ‘Spectacle of Deepness’ EP (We Play House Recordings) for some mindbendingly offbeat interpretations of Afro-beat, jazz dance, and techno; the Rhodes-led ‘Chicago Pimp’, meanwhile, is invigoratingly lush and ragged, like an overgrown rose garden.

Lerosa, ‘Tempio’ [Real Soon]

Dublin’s Lerosa busts out a beautiful, downbeat miniature here, all blocky chords and andante pacing. London’s Real Soon label has always been a source for deeply felt house music; they get extra props for routinely devoting space to more idiosyncratic jams, like this one.

Kyle Hall, ‘Create Your Own Existence’ [Moods & Grooves]

Detroit’s Kyle Hall comes from a family of singers and musicians, which might explain how he manages to come up with such an incredibly accomplished sound, despite being only 19 years old. Released on Mike Grant’s Moods & Grooves imprint, ‘Create Your Own Existence’ employs the blocked chords familiar from innumerable deep house records, but its nuance and grace easily set it apart.

6th Borough Project, ‘How Can I Show You?’ [Delusions of Grandeur]

Scotland’s 6th Borough Project—the duo of Graeme Clark (The Revenge, OOFT) and Craig Smith—know a thing or two about stripping things down. Here, they layer a handful of elements over a one-bar disco break to delirious effect; the groove is so powerful, it’s hard to believe it’s only about 94 BPM.

Hot Toddy, ‘I Need Love feat. Ron Basejam (Morgan Geist’s Love Dub)’ [Eskimo]

Where a lot of Detroit beatdown has a muddy, murky feel, Morgan Geist’s ‘Hot Toddy’ remix is spiky and crisp, just the thing to cut through the haze of a stoned, sweaty dancefloor. Get a load of that bass drop!

Missing Linkx, ‘Got a Minute’ [Philpot]

Recording as Missing Linkx, Philpot’s Michel Baumann (Soulphiction, Jackmate) goes for the high drama on this 112-BPM slab of synth and cello, with a looped vocal sample that grabs you by the lapels and shakes you senseless.

Floating Points, ‘Truly’ [Eglo]

I haven’t yet been disappointed by anything that London’s Floating Points has turned out; his unconventional productions have the kind of soul, groove, and musicality that’s all too rare in house music these days. For my money, ‘Truly’ is the best of the lot, with that impossible-to-define quality that vaults it into a category all its own. The more I play this, the more I’m convinced that it’s a perfect song, plain and simple.

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