To be completely frank and somewhat embarrassed – I know very little about this Fred Falke jam. I do know it has yet to be released. I know Laberge did a bootleg of it. I know that Quinten 909 also did one. Seems if I am correct that this has not been released, perhaps ole Fred is a day late and a dollar short. Oh modern music – you never cease to amaze me.

That being said, we love Laberge and Quinten is a name to watch in 2010 as well. Let’s get on with it then…

Download Quinten 909 Bootleg Version

So after taking last week off from NERD ALERTING to rant on how amazing the label is shaping up for the coming year (Pleasure & Pressure Vol.2 drops March 16th), I realized we have explored Parallel compression but maybe we have not covered the basics of what Compression does? Contrary to popular belief, compression does not just make things louder. In fact it can destroy your dynamic range and make your track a mess of bloated noise. So really the question is, do you know what your parameters on your compressor are even doing? A compressor is basically a automated volume control. When you think it got louder – it is usually just that the peaks of your sound wave have been tamed back.   Here is the most basic overview of the parameters that all compressors have. It gets super nerdy after the jump.

Threshold: This is what volume the input needs to be to trigger the compression. If the threshold is set to -10 db, then anything above this point will be turned down according to the Ratio you have set…

Ratio: The ratio is how much the compressor will turn down the incoming signal. Let’s say your ratio is set to 4:1. If your incoming signal passes the threshold by 4 db, then that 4 db of signal will be reduced 1 db. If the same ratio was set and the incoming signal was 8 db above threshold, your total reduction would be 2 db. You can gauge what your compressor is doing by watching the gain reduction meter. If you are getting 2 db of gain reduction, you can turn up your Make Up Gain by 2 db. This is what makes your signal louder.

Attack: This is how quickly your compressor reacts to the incoming signal. The lower the number, the faster your compressor will kick in. If you set it higher, say 100 milliseconds, your compressor will react slower. This means it will wait 100 milliseconds before it registers the threshold and  reacts to the ratio setting. This is how you preserve transients in drums. The loudest part of a kick drum is almost always the initial hit – or the head. The slower the attack allows more signal to pass through the compressor before it is triggered.

Release: This is how long the signal can pass through the compressor before it disengages. The faster the release, the sooner the compressor quits reacting. This is crucial on making the compressor “fit the groove”. It is also the means to make a signal “pump” which may or may not be what you want.

For a interesting analogy on compression – watch the below video. Get on it geeks!

*NOTE: The wet/dry knob is how you can easily obtain parallel compression as noted in a previous NERD ALERT.

**DOUBLE NOTE : The above compressor is a very good and affordable stereo buss compressor made by Cytomic, which is a replica of the far more expensive G Buss SSL compressor in Waves. More about buss compression soon, but for now remember – good value.

***TRIPLE NOTE : Pimp C drove a Kompressor not Compressor

“Money on the dresser, drive a Kompressor
Top notch hoes get the most, not the lesser”

PIMP C

***QUADRUPLE NOTE:  NERD ALERT’s to be the fast overview to geek ideas with music production. If the ideas we convey strike your fancy, there are millions of more nerdier nerds who can tell you more. Look ‘em up.

Although it may be surprising – judging from the recent Solid Bump discography – but Chicago and French disco house are actually just a small part of the label’s influences. One of my earliest and most pronounced influences came from the unassuming (at the time) location of Miami in the form of a series of mysterious white labeled 12 inches with little information on them. As it turned out, these were the productions of Murk – a duo who would go on to have a huge influence on 90’s house music.

In the beginning, the label was nothing more than two dudes, Oscar G and Ralph Falcon, doing records under an assortment of monikers (Liberty City, Funky Green Dogs, Deep South, etc.) to deliver the illusion that Murk Records was bigger than it was. The duo hit gold with it’s third release – “Some Lovin”. It is still common to hear this track (almost 20 years later) in current DJ sets. Soon Kevin Saunderson licensed a Murk “best of” EP, which helped the Miami boys gain international exposure. It wouldn’t be long before Murk attracted the attention of Tribal Records, who eventually released a complete retrospective of their tracks in 1993. You can read a great interview with the Murk boys here where they discuss their early career, working with 90’s pop stars, and such. Read the interview here.

Wednesday is usually Nerd Alert time at Solid Bump, however this week we have something far more exciting. In continuing to build anticipation for the second installment of our label compilation Pleasure & Pressure, we are introducing the new players on the Solid Bump team for 2010. Here we introduce Le Principle!

This young duo emerged in 2009 with a huge sound that paid homage to their Chicago legacy of disco infused house, all while firmly pushing the envelope beyond what could be simply labeled a “throwback” sound. An initial fury of free releases soon caught the attention of music blogs worldwide, while also attracting the keen ears of DJs such as Louie La Roche, Kissy Sell Out, and DJ Ayres. Most recently “You Can’t Fake It” has appeared as a staple in Treasure Finger’s live sets.

Their debut single, Paper Cat (co-produced by OCD Automatic), will feature remixes by Sammy Bananas, The Phantom’s Revenge, Bit Funk, and more. Le Principle will also be appearing on Tommie Sunshine’s new Brooklyn Fire imprint, as well as the pinnacle of Chicago house labels, the infamous Trax Records.

For now, please enjoy this free exclusive 320 MP3 entitled “You Can’t Fake It” to give yourself a taste of what is to come from the most exciting young act in the new era of infectious Chicago disco house. Le Principle takes Geraldine Hunt and flips her upside down.

Direct Download To “You Can’t Fake It” 320 MP3

An Interview with Le Principle:

Solid Bump Records: Le Principle members?

Le Principle: Garrett and Josh.

SBR: Previous releases/ projects?
LP: Garrett as Adulture & Nude Beach. Josh as DJ Figure.

SBR: What are some of your major influences?
LP: Bossa Nova, Chicago House, Detroit Techno, Mad Chester, DIY hardcore, even doo-wop.

SBR: How does the current “Disco House” revival distinguish itself from the style of a decade ago?
LP: There is a difference between just taking obvious samples and sticking a drum beat behind it and creating something unheard of. The generations before us recognized this and in our opinion their tracks will be timeless. By combining what past influences have showed us and recent technology, we can take the next step from where they left off.

SBR: What is the process of a track? Where does it start? When is it done?
LP: It usually starts in a record store. Searching for dirty diamonds and gaining inspiration. We also get a lot of inspiration from the cities we inhabit, its all really personal to us and the output usually depends on the song.

SBR: What is your current gear set up?
LP: Roland Mc 909 Workstation, Roland Tb 303, Several Midi controllers and Ableton Live.

SBR: Is anyone notable championing your music?
LP: Treasure Fingers, Louis La Roche, Tommie Sunshine, Grum, Kissy Sell Out, Sammy Bananas, DJ Ayres, etc.

SBR: What attracted you to Solid Bump Records?

LP: The aesthetic and focus on building a brand rather than making money.

SBR: Give us a link to a song that you consider “one of the greatest”.

Mike 2600 has been a friend of Solid Bump from the start. His company Burlesque of North America is a top tier design studio, known mostly for their cutting edge screen printing. This year for SXSW, the team decided to do another installment of their Do It To It series.

This installment continues the tradition of big name artist with the likes of Amanda Blank, DJ Ayres, Nick Catchdubs, Emynd, and many more… including Solid Bump chiefs – White Girl Lust.

The compilation will be given away at SXSW at the Burlesque event (Thursday March 18th at Silhouette – 718 Congress Ave, Austin TX). The packaging will showcase the screening styles of the design camp. For now, here is a preview of the diverse selections. White Girl Lust’s contribution is a bootleg edit of Prince’s Wanna Be Your Lover. After SXSW we will be releasing the track for free here at Solid Bump. Watch this space!

Tracklist is available on Mike 2600’s Soundcloud

Anyone who knows much about White Girl Lust knows that Eric used to produce/DJ/promote Drum ‘n Bass with with Shawn Sabo as D.Ecco & Sabotage on Andy C’s Frequency Records in the early 2000’s. In fact Sabo, for all intents and purposes, was essentially a part of the earliest incarnation of White Girl Lust. Soon after it started, Sabo’s day job at a young start up called Beatport (maybe you have heard of them?) got really serious. Thus he took a hiatus from producing.

I was thrilled when late last year Sabo called us up to let us know he was back in the game, rebuilding his studio (with even a few left over D.Ecco & Sabotage relics), and pushing their Manufactured Superstars brand as production alias. A few top secret collaborations may be popping up soon with Sabo and WGL.

For now though Manufactured Superstars made their remixing debut yesterday on Subliminal Records – the infamous imprint founded by Erick Morillo. It also features Frank-E, who co-produced some serious pop hits for the likes of Flo-Rida, Madonna, and more.

If you have a thing for Big Room House, definitely check out the clip below, then go cop it on Beatport.

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.

We come across many demos at Solid Bump, and although we had been aware of Leonardus for some time, we recently just made contact with him. He has some stellar tracks in his pocket, and although we can’t say for sure, there is a good chance we could see a collaboration coming soon! Until then, this young producer from the Netherlands has a DJ arsenal worth admiring. Check out his recent tracklisting from his Filter Sessions Volume 15 and you will clearly see what I mean. To top it all off, he dropped some brand new Solid Bump including Laberge’s selection from the Pleasure & Pleasure Vol. 2 compilation (due March 16th) as well as an upcoming MPfree from Le Principle (WATCH THIS SPACE – THIS WEEK).

Great mix,  great tunes!

1. Sonny Fodera – Bad Connection
2. Joey Youngman – Double Stacked
3. Trevor Loveys – Feel The Horns
4. Laberge – You Won’t Regret
5. Sean Biddle – Disco Nights
6. Agent Stereo – All Night Long
7. Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better, I’ll Go To The Disco (Buffalo Bunch Remix)
8. Bob Sinclar – I Feel For You
9. Hot Stuff – Happy Dayz Pt.2 (Jay Vegas Edit)
10. Le Principle – You Can’t fake It
11. Modjo – Chillin (Buffalo Bunch Remix)
12. Alex Herrera – LAX
13. Paul Cooper – Saxofon

Find the details here: http://www.shinenightclub.com/

Last week Le Principle & our visiting UK homie Ghosts of Venice hopped over to NYC to play the Discovery party at Santos. I had recently learned Santos was co-owned by Andrew WK. Much to my delight, my dream was answered and he was there. Not only that but Lee and Garrett did their duty, and got a picture with him. It was everything I dreamt it could be. You can check more pics from the event here.

Later that week Ghosts of Venice hopped over to play a show on Joystyxx Radio in Chicago. He even tossed in Meroz’s remix of “True Love” by Laberge on Solid Bump.

You can catch Le Principle & Ghosts of Venice at Axis in Columbus Ohio tonight and tomorrow at Trick Disco in Chicago.