Lawrence, DJ Sprinkles & Pépé Bradock

We have landed in Berlin. Before many of the upcoming posts begin reflecting my surroundings by descending into techno debauchery, I thought I would share a bunch of upbeat, housey tracks. Let's get the tail end of this week going in the right way shall we?

Got a little gushy when I spotted this one.. DJ Sprinkles' classic 'Brenda's $20 Dilemma' getting a rub down from Japan's own little maestro Kuniyuki Takahashi. Very exciting stuff.
Kuniyuki really added a lot of spice here - buckets of percussion, keys, pianos - but with the original intensely meandering bass line intact.

DJ Sprinkles - Brenda's $20 Dilemma (Kuniyuki Dub Remix)

The A-side of this release also featured two different remixes of 'Grand Central, Part 1 (Deep Into The Bowel Of House)' by Motor City Drum Ensemble.. Check that out here.


Dial boss Lawrence seems to be bigger each time I write about him. I spotted a certain DJ Koze describing him as his 'brother' in some Berlin street press. Impressive.
Anyway, I came across this sprightly number called 'Teenage Barb' the other day. Was confused by the title, but wowed by the music. Light n' breezy with a cleverly restrained, funk filled bass, wandering composition and harps - this is another example why Lawrence is a big deal at the moment:

Lawrence - Teenage Barb

'Teenage Barb' was lifted from Volume 5 of Endless Flight's 'I'm Starting To Feel OK' compilation series from mid last year. It also features cuts from Eddie C, Lowtec and the much hyped Juju & Jordash.. Check it out here.


I got into Frenchie Pépé Bradock a little late in the piece, thanks to a bunch of smokey remixes he made for Nicolas Jaar. I have been researching him a bit lately, and his hypnotic sound often mirrors Jaar's - but with often with a big, upbeat French veneer.
I especially liked his 'Confiote De Bits' remix collection from '09. Loads of good stuff on there, with originals by some equally interesting artists. Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora got the Bradock treatment back in '04 with her song 'Angola'. As a rerub, it definitely has a Jaar reminiscent tone with smoky jazz undertones, filtered vocals and restrained percussion. It is a really great bar back-room smoker.. Check it out:

Cesaria Evora - Angola (Pépé Bradock's Bateau Ivre Rework)

Definitely head over and have a listen to Bradock's remix collection 'Confiote De Bits' here. It also features several other excellent interpretations of work by the likes of Château Flight, Roy Ayers, Iz & Diz and Zero 7.