We get a good number of demo submissions here at SBR HQ. And no hate but most are really just drums that sample far too much of mediocre disco songs. In fact most usually sound like 128 mp3 files. With the progression of Ableton in the last 5+ years the simplicity and ease of sampling makes this 100% expected. It’s certainly not like the cost (and emotional energy) of buying an Akai S900 in the days of yore and actually digging through crates to unearth that random 4 bars that would make a tune… But no hate… swear.

Good music can be made with anything and be done anywhere. However, I will say most of what we get sounds a bit lazy. Enter Cajmere and Gene Farris. Well, it is much less an entrance than a history lesson. Cajmere (a.k.a. Green Velvet) has been doing this style since it’s beginning and his label, Cajual was one of the labels that gave birth to this style. Gene Farris is certainly no noob either. Check his discogs just to see – if you do not know.

That beings said, after a few tunes from Curtis Jones that were not up my alley recently, I was THRILLED to see Gene’s name on this record. Could it be? Is there a chance that they called on the old Chi-Town mojo? The answer is simply yes. And we at SBR could not be more thrilled. Hats off to a couple of the pioneers.

Buy it on Beatport

Most of you may know the basics of house music’s history. However, I have this fantasy about some 13 year old kids stumbling onto our site through [insert randomelectroblog.com], have only recently learned there is more to dance music than Steve Aoki or Bloody Beetroots masked electro bangers.

Maybe, just maybe, some kid is curious. I remember being 15 and getting a issue of URB that was dedicated to the pioneers of techno. It changed my perspective of dance music.

Even if you are a old timer, this documentary is a great watch. You hear about the epic drama around the birth of house, the scene, the clubs, the industry backstabbing, and most importantly the music.

History of House Part 1

History of House Part 2

History of House Part 3

History of House Part 4

History of House Part 5

History of House Part 6

History of House Part 7

History of House Part 8

History of House Part 9

History of House Part 10

History of House Part 11

History of House Part 12

History of House Part 13

We at Solid Bump all share a high level affection of cats. Someone get this man an Oscar.

View @ Vimeo

Phew, we survived SXSW and had a great time. While we were away Clayton from WGL wrapped up a piece of modern cinema brilliance – the trailer video for Pleasure & Pressure Vol.2. It gives you a little glimpse of what we look like in the real world and what our daily lives are like at Solid Bump. Just keeping it real, ya know?

The EP has been getting an AMAZING response – currently it is  #1 on the Turntable Lab charts as well as the “Release of the Moment”! Also big up to everyone who has been dropping it in their sets as well as those who said they were going to give it some burn in Miami! If you don’t have it, get it!

Pleasure & Pressure Vol. 2 featuring Le Principle, White Girl Lust, Alona, Mykill, Laberge, and Meroz!

Buy it at:
itunes // Beatport // TTLab

There is nothing I like more than a good nerd tutorial, especially one that comes with a free preset. Ableton has made leaps and bounds in the area of managing beat slices. Especially regarding the ability to make your own customizable presets. I stumbled onto this tutorial a couple months ago, then forgot to install the preset. Yesterday, Mad Decent’s in house engineer, DJA tweeted this video, which reminded me to install it. As DJA states, with this preset “you get the style of a MPC set to ‘mono’ but without hours of carefully dialing in the ADSR in live”.

Ski was the man behind many of the best tracks from Jay-Z’s debut album as well as Camp Lo’s “Luchini”. Dude knows something about chopping beats. Watch the video, then head over here to grab the preset.

Although Solid Bump Records thrives by supporting up and coming artists, we are very selective in who we really throw ourselves behind. While this release is not on SBR, we would have happily signed it! Lucky for you, Ghost of Venice opted to release their first single for free.

Although the entire package is quality, for the taste of the SBR editorial staff, the original mix of “I Learned From The Best” can’t be beat – I guess that is what happens when you learn from the best though. The beat is jackin’, the sample is accented by a following synth line, and a smoothed out repetitive vocal stab sets it off. Add in some Ed Banger-esque start/ stops and you have a winner. Recommended.

Download Full EP Here (via Mediafire)

Sorry folks, looks like Ghosts of Venice have attracted a BIG dance label who asked that the link be removed. Shame for you new comers but AMAZING for Lee. I raise my glass in salutations!

Promo Video:

Meanwhile here are some of the things that made Solid Bump worth all the blood, sweat, and tears in 2009!

Pleasure & Pressure Volume 1

To me, this was the real kick off of the vibe of the label. Although 2010 will have plenty of surprises, this introduced the foundation of sound. Funky, fun, and memorable. It was also the commercial debut of one of our favorite artist, Laberge.

Buy on Beatport

Back & Forth Animated Video

Credit where credit is due. This video was Clay’s beast to tackle, tame, and unleash on the world. In classic Solid Bump style, this project was conceived and pitched as “this will be easy and fast”. It wasn’t… but the results were awesome and got a nice bit of shine for the label.

Buy on Beatport

Laberge Debut EP

The Solid Bump ace in the hole of 2009. Who could resist the champagne infused groove that he conjured for the “This Feeling EP”?

Buy on Beatport

White Girl Lust Live Debut

We got the opportunity to take over Vessel nightclub in San Francisco to do a one off label showcase. It came together fast and furious with little time to prepare. New signee Mykill opened up the night with a killer set of classic Disco House that led into a live set from White Girl Lust (with Clay on live bass). By 10:30 the large venue was packed – no small feat on a Wednesday night. The highlight of the set was definitely the debut of “Oui” – a song that we had just started with Alona only days earlier. Peep the youtube video of the show. The track will appear on Pleasure & Pressure as well as a single with alternative mixes in early 2010.

Laberge – Funk Music (White Girl Lust Remix)

A taste of the progression of the WGL sound. Lee from Ghost of Venice said it best, Robot Sex Music.

Buy on Beatport

Writing this post got me hyped for the new year. It’s insane what we have in store and in the next few weeks we will be making some announcements. Trust me, you’ll want to stay tuned!