Along with good mate Desyn Masiello, UK DJ Tom Morgan is bringing
Faciendo to Australia for the first time this weekend, with sets in Sydney and Melbourne. For those who came in late, Faciendo is about soundtracking entire parties from beginning to end with DJs combining sounds into a single unified set. A booking agency, label, broadcaster, event organiser and more, Faciendo aims to be an open musical community, playing, as they say on their site, "any genre of house music that speaks to and comes from the heart, be it labelled minimal, techno, garage, funky, progressive or breaks."
Showing the attention to detail and deep love of music that has won him so much respect, Tom took some time out to give Everguide a few Top Fives.
Favourite Five DJs
1. Cassy
She really is something else. A style of her own and an innate ability to find the special tracks that no-one else seems to have, most of which seem to be old vinyl releases that slipped beneath the radar. For anyone that’s not convinced, check
her recent three hour set from Trouw, there are some absolute belters in there. She’s at Fabric in a few weeks. Counting down the days already.
2. Raresh
I’d heard very good things about him for a while but truly got the hype seeing him a few months ago in London. He played one of the best sets I've heard in years. As hard as I tried I couldn’t tear myself away from the dancefloor to go for a piss. A DJ's DJ which is pretty refreshing in this day and age; he's clearly from the 'listen to everything' school and, again, rather than relying on loads of unreleased music from producer mates, he's primarily playing vinyl, a lot of which are at least ten years old. There's a serious movement coming out of Romania just now involving other guys like Rhadoo, Pedro and Praslea - which Faciendo draws quite heavily from - based on a complete lack of ego, sharing and respect; all of which are at a bit of a premium in the industry.
3. Danny Howells
One of the DJs who is primarily responsible for my unhealthy obsession these days, Danny was the benchmark for me growing up. His longer sets served as an education both in terms of track selection and structure – his Dig Deeper parties in Miami and extended sets at the Arches in Glasgow especially. Unfortunately, guys like him seem to be something of a dying breed, with it largely being a prerequisite that, under the current paradigm, you have to produce to a certain level to get anywhere. The scene definitely needs more like him.
4. Lee Burridge
The fact that he’s been at the vanguard since I got into dance music commands immense respect. A proper DJ that has never followed the trend and who has a real breadth to his sound. I'm also Feeling his production of late with Matthew Dekay.
5. Funk D’Void
World class DJ, producer and Scotsman, Lars never disappoints - as I’m sure the Deeper Sounds guys will testify.
Five favourite non-dancefloor tunes
1. Nightmares on Wax - Les Nuits
Sampling Quincy Jones's 'Summer In the City' quite heavily, I challenge anyone not to like this. Beautiful, heartfelt downtempo that touches the soul. I heard this on a beach in Ibiza a few years back and couldn’t think of a more apt setting for it.
2. Honeyroot - Starshine
Their first album, Sound Echo Location, has nursed some seriously broken men back to reality and has become a fixture towards the business end of a heavy night; the aural equivalent of a duvet, cup of tea and Attenborough boxed set. Starshine’s probably my pick of the bunch but the whole thing really needs to be heard in its entirety; it doesn't do it justice to condense it to a single track.
3. Global Communication - Delta Phase
Classic Tom Middledon & Mark Pritchard, I love all of the their stuff but Pentamerous Metamorphosis - the album this is from - edges it. It comprises five ambient soundscapes that come in at over ten minutes each and epitomise the Global Communication sound.
4. Bonobo ft Andreya Triana - Stay the Same
Very difficult to pick a favourite from this as the whole album is gold, however as I do love a good vocal, this shades it for me. Andrea Triyana's husky tones really bring another dimension to Bonobo’s expansive backdrop.
5. Sun City Orchestra - A Night in Ipanema
Don’t think this album ever saw a digital release, or anywhere near the attention it deserved and is somewhat of a hidden gem. Make a point of snapping this up as you won’t be disappointed; extremely musical downtempo that will appeal to those of a jazz sensibility. Best CD I’ve bought in a good while.
Five Favourite New Tracks
1. Jay Tripwire - Same Old Story (OCH remix)
D'Julz's consistently excellent 'Bass Culture' imprint do it again. The groove and bassline work a treat on the floor, with the dissonant sweeps giving it a distinctly afterhours feel. With some forthcoming releases on pretty reputable labels, I've got a sneaking suspicion OCH could be one to watch.
2. Bas Amro - See Through
Very solid, groove-laden house with a couple of big drops for effect, this is tried and tested. Bla Bla are proving to be a model of consistency and are churning them out at some rate these days.
3. Deep Mariano - Secret Passage (Franco Cinelli remix)
I’m a big fan of Franco's stuff and this is no exception; bags of groove and plenty of drive make this a bona fide winner.
4. Markus Homm – Keyframe Signal
Bit of a nod to 2005 here with a slightly mincey, feel-good houser. Don't let our rugged manly exteriors fool you, this one’s lodged firmly in the Faciendo playlist, as we’d be lying if we said we didn’t love a bit of mince now and again.
5. Eric Volta - My Senses & My Window To Your World
Upcoming on Ellum, this is one of their best to date. Blissful early night material that's great for setting the mood.
Five Favourite Classics
1. Soul Capsule - Lady Science (NYC Sunrise mix)
Tracks like this don't come along very often. One of the best intros I’ve heard and sheer quality from start to finish; utterly timeless.
2. Ame – Shiro
Oozing class, this is the perfect combination of old school flavour with a modern twist. Every sound sits so well in the mix and it really evolves over the 8 minutes. For me, comfortably Ame’s finest moment.
3. Los Hermanos – Resurrection
What's not to love about Los Hermanos? Just a quick glance at their discography shows why they are so revered across the board and, at last count, there were four of theirs residing in my wallet, all of whom would have a serious case for this list. Resurrection has been getting most rotation lately though.
4. The Persuader - Whats the Time, Mr Templar?
An early Jesper Dahlback composition that’s well ahead of its time, hard to believe this is 15 years old. Tough, techy house with a refreshingly original hook. As ever, Svek on point with this release.
5. David Christophere Presents Lift - Between The Hands Of Friends
On the seminal Hallucination Ltd, this is a proper 4 am, percussive weirdness. Shows its age a little with a lively bpm count, which the track loses some of its groove to; knock about 7 off it and you’re onto a winner though.
Five Favourite Clubs
1. The Liquid Room, Edinburgh
As a big part of my childhood, the Liquid Room in Edinburgh was where I cut my teeth as a clubber, from about the age of fifteen onwards. Barely looking my age and armed with an extremely spurious ID, I got to see DJs like Desyn, Howells and Burridge on a monthly basis, opening my eyes to the whole scene. For nostalgia reasons alone, it would come top, but that aside, it's genuinely a fantastic spot: perfect size, with a soundsystem to match. For anyone that’s curious, chunks of Irvine Welsh's latest film was shot there.
2. DC10, Ibiza
If anyone knows of a better place to spend a Monday afternoon, let me know. By all accounts, not what it was a few years ago, but still essential if you’re over there and a bit of an eye opener to most. As with most of the island though, it can get a little bit much in August when the masses of Brits and Italians descend.
3. Sub Club, Glasgow
Everything you need in a club: a little sweatbox with a low ceiling and finely tuned Martin Audio soundsystem. As much as I have a lot of time for the Arches, this is undoubtedly the best spot in the city.
4. Fabric
This place needs no introduction. I’m not the biggest fan of the main room - it’s a bit cavernous for my liking – but Room 2 is a cracking space that you can really lose yourself in.
5. Cinema, Bogota
I’ve had a couple of outstanding gigs here with one of the best crowds I’ve played to. Things have changed since with it being under new ownership, it’s worth an honourable mention though.
Tom Morgan and Desyn Masiello play as Faciendo in Melbourne at OneSixeOne on Friday June 1 and on Saturday June 2 at One22 for Deeper Sounds in Sydney and on Friday.