Electrorash

Truth be told, I’ve been looking for an excuse to do a post on breaks (and more) supremo DJ Deekline for quite some time. Although I feel a little weird talking about Deekline in the singular, because as long as I’ve been aware of his existence, he’s always been tied in with somebody else. First there was the Deekline & Wizard combo, and of late it seems to have largely transitioned to the Deekline & Ed Solo pairing. Although Wizard is still hanging around the bleachers. Why Deekline is so persistently attached is anyone’s guess though. Perhaps he’s the beauty to his collaborator’s brains. Perhaps he just gets lonely. Perhaps he doesn’t exist at all and he’s just a psudonym other producers use when they want to add clout to a release. Hmmm, makes you think, doesn’t it?…

Anyway. An excuse has finally been given in the shape of not one, but two stonking new takes on Tittsworth’s Kid Sister and Pase Rock featuring track ‘WTF’, delivered courtesy of the Deekline & Ed Solo outfit. For your listening delight they’ve turned in both a straight up breaks and a 4X4 remix, allowing DJs from both ends of the spectrum to get in on the action. Which is a good thing because these tracks are wicked, throwing in a cruising, bounce funk bassline and some more straightforward drums to give the original plenty of dancefloor heft. Deekline seems to have set himself apart from a lot of the other traditionally ‘breaks’ producers by getting in on the digital and blog bandwagon and this is no different - the tracks are promo only and not available to buy elsewhere. Awesome. Of course, this should only make you want to buy the original single and its Nadastrom, DJ Wool, Eli Escobar and Smoke and Mirrors remixes all the more. Grab it from iTunes (US and Canada or everywhere else), Beatport and Juno.

Tittsworth feat. Kid Sister and Pase Rock - WTF (Deekline & Ed Solo Breaks Remix)

Tittsworth feat. Kid Sister and Pase Rock - WTF (Deekline & Ed Solo 4X4 Remix)

But this is far too good an opportunity to pass up, so let’s have a brief tour through Mr Deekline’s back catalogue shall we? Possibly for my benefit as much as yours, but God I like him. First up is this charmingly funky, if functional bootleg of Clipse’s ‘Wamp Wamp’, taken from the Deekline & Ed Solo ‘DJ Food for the Masses’ single, an off-kilter release that also includes an intensely bass heavy rendering of the iconic ‘Young Folks’. Worth checking out.

Deekline & Ed Solo - Wamp Wamp

Next up we have a very, very Deekline outing in the Deekline & Wizard remix of the Deekline & Ed Solo track ‘Touch Your Toes’. I know. I’m confused too. Either way, this is a pretty fabulous summation of the Deekline ethic: booty-shaking basslines, slightly dirty hip-hop vocals and bouncing beats. This is why breaks was awesome 3 years ago.

Deekline & Ed Solo feat. Darrison - Touch Your Toes (Deekline and Wizard Remix)

God there’s a lot to choose from. Um. Here’s a more recent outing in ‘Steam’, a Deekline & Wizard track featuring production from Fresh, and vocals from Spyda and MC Ivory. This is, in a word, massive. This is like the spiritual successor to ‘Fasten Your Seatbelts’. And while everyone likes to dump on Pendulum these days, that track was off the fucking charts. As is this. Wooo.

Deekline and Wizard vs Fresh feat. Spyda and MC Ivory - Steam

And finally we have one of the biggest Deekline & Wizard tracks ever released, their remix of The Freestyler’s ‘Boom Blast’. This is what breaks circa 2004-5 was all about. Heavy ass beats, massive build-ups and thumping bass. Every time I heard this track I went a little bit special. Like I was screaming and jumping all over the place. I miss those days. Quite possibly everyone who used to dance in my vicinity is glad they’re gone…

The Freestylers - Boom Blast (Deekline & Wizard feat. Yolanda Remix)

And that really is only a sampling. Go explore Beatport or something and have a look at everything the man has to offer. This is party music at its very best. Whoever he’s playing with.