Weekend Weapons: Tiga

Weekend Weapons: Tiga

21 September, 2010 | 2.33AM

• Written by: Xavi Hidalgo
• Filed under: Videos: tiga, turbo, weekend weapons

This is the voice from Planet Turbo… We’re talking about Tiga, of course, the intergalactic electro wayfarer (and wearer of Wayfarers at night) whose Turbo Recordings never, ever seems to let us down.

The Planet Turbo EP is the label’s latest missive, a five-track collection of Turbo classics like Tiga’s “You Gonna Want Me” and Popof’s “The Chomper” remodeled by Diplo, Hey Today!, the Finger Prince, Matt Walsh, and Carte Blanche.

In his Weekend Weapons selection, Tiga shares an assortment of recent faves, from bangers to brooders, including a few tunes that may or may not be him in disguise. Which track rescued him from a “spiritual void”? Read on to find out…

ZZT, “Zzafrika” [unreleased]

It’s been quite a while since I was so in love with one of my own productions. I don’t like to talk about ZZT too much. It’s me and Zombie Nation. This track is everything I love about dance music: it’s got energy, it’s got Chicago, it’s got some disco, some breaks, a touch of insanity, BUT it holds the line and actually works. I’m obviously totally biased, but I think it’s a fantastic record. I like the fact that it’s crazy without being aggressively stupid.

Boy 8-Bit, “Yard Birds (The Finger Prince Remix)” [Turbo]

The original demo of “Yard Birds’ is a killer. I got it as a three-minute rough demo from Boy 8-Bit and immediately signed it, and even forced a stay of execution on the demo version, to keep it intact on the release. This is a remix by The Finger Prince aka Gus Da Hoodrat aka one of my top five humans. I refuse to try and describe music; I prefer to talk about results. This record has brought me back from a spiritual void on a few occasions, times when I felt there was nothing between mega-bangers and mega-deep. Gus has shown me there is a path.

Nicolas Jaar, “Time for Us” [Wolf + Lamb]

Some Spanish promoter once name-dropped this “kid” as an example of the next generation. I immediately got defensive and asked him how old I looked. He said 23. I slapped him all the way down to 14. Anyway, I was curious. I started getting into his stuff...and then I got this. It’s a shockingly good record. I played it at 8am at Watergate in Berlin, an hour when lesser records show their cracks, and this just took over. What I love most is the confidence, the quiet calm, the faith in your own sound: the slow tempo, the slowdown…it’s all so subtle and restrained, and just magnificent. This is the kind of record I could never make, but secretly wish I could.

Massimo Massivi, “Hands Up” [unreleased]

This is a record by two Italian guys, one of which might be me. It’s got some brilliant vocals, some good beats, and just enough cheese to make me feel uncomfortable. BUT it’s good and it works very well in my sets and guest lectures.

Tiga, “You Gonna Want Me (Hey Today! Remix)” [Turbo]

What can I say? Even now, in 2010, I get asked for “Sunglasses At Night” and “YGWM” (acronym pronounced “Egg-Womb") all the time. Because I can’t deal with playing them anymore, and I’m not sufficiently professional to get over my own ego and just accept the mantle of “entertainer,” I have to come up with barely concealed, cynical “tricks” like having my own classic remixed and re-invented by some cool young dudes. Enter Germany’s Hey Today!, and what is admittedly a total monster record. This is a “get out of jail free” track. It’s huge huge huge and works in almost any setting. It’s amazing how fast “mildly embarrassed” turns to “proud” when people start jumping and screaming.

Mosca, “Square One (Julio Bashmore Remix)” [Night Slugs]

I’m a major fan of this guy, who up until recently I thought was a Puerto Rican teen (why did I think he was from San Diego?). Discovering he is British was tempered by the fact I also discovered he is clever and can write coherent emails. So fan-status remains intact. I could pick any of his tracks, or his amazing remix of Zero 7, but I’ll go with this one, because it has been a central part of my sets over the last year. Again, I love the restraint, and the fact that the post-breakdown payoff is achieved without sirens and hiss. It’s just on the right side of breaks and dub, huge bass, and i love how it changes the energy in a room (from Toddler to Early Adulthood).

T Coy, “Carino (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix)” [Deconstruction]

I just need a Motor City Drum Ensemble record in here. I am so impressed with this guy. His remix of my own “Overtime” was sensational, his remix of DJ Sprinkles a modern masterpiece, and now this take on the classic “Carino”. He makes house music that actually makes me LIKE house music: the best of the warehouse traditions with enough of a modern twist to avoid pastiche. I like how he manages to make things emotional without being obvious. Fantastic record. This is the music that is playing in one of the rooms at the multi-room party of my dreams.

Azari & III, “Into the Night (Prince Language Remix)” [Turbo]

Azari & III are Turbo’s big new signings. Fellow Canadians, and fantastic house producers. I am a serious fan. The album is stunning, and this is a remix of the upcoming single “Into The Night” by Prince Language. Fills a similar niche as the aforementioned “Carino” record. Proper emo-warehouse music for the early morning. So many of the records I love now reveal my longing to escape the brain-dead mega-hits I am forced (by nobody) to play every night in order to sustain my lavish lifestyle.

Tiga’s Beatport Top 10

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