"The only alternate to the spectacle becomes the spectacle of the alternate. Discuss."

Factory Newsletter #1

Coming across the FAC.DANCE compilation at Rotate This was one of the highlights of the month. The sleeve notes, written by the walking DJ encyclopedia that is Bill Brewster, mentioned a book for those who needed to know more about New Wave and post-punk music: Shadowplayers: The Rise and Fall of Factory Records, by James Nice. I needed to know more. One library trip later, it was mine.

As the title suggests, Shadowplayers goes into exhaustive detail on the origins and early beginnings of Factory Records, the anarchic, under-managed, pretentious shambles of a label that nevertheless was responsible for some of the greatest artists and records in the late 70s and 80s. Joy Division, New Order, OMD, A Certain Ratio, the Happy Mondays and countless other New Wave/electronic acts were born from Tony Wilson's vision of a Manchester movement that would spearhead a new wave of Northern culture and sophistication.

If you're the kind of person like me who likes to obsess over details and obscure knowledge, you need to read this book. Not only does it paint a clear picture on the origins of early electronic music as we know it, but it exposes you to artists who you've likely never heard of. Section 25's "Looking From a Hilltop" sounds like a present-day Detroit techno homage, despite being recorded by a pasty-white English band in 1984.

Marcel King's "Reach For Love" was a funky Paradise Garage favorite in 1985, after being produced by the same guy who fronted New Order (bonus points if you don't have to check wiki for his name).

Anyways, you can check out the full FAC.DANCE song list here; share your favorites below and try to incorporate some of these songs into your mixes. It beats playing whatever shit's on Beatport's 'most popular' list...

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[Dancers at Studio54]

Are you tired of crowded clubs, overpriced drinks and terrible Top40 music? Of course you are.

Do you want to see more classic dance parties across Toronto? Of course you do.

This is your chance to make it happen.

We need 50 people to make a classic disco, new wave and house dance party happen. If you sign up for our mailing list, we can convince owners that people will come out, resulting in you getting an amazing dance party to take some hot selfies at.

Sometimes the realities of the DJ scene collide with the idealism; promoters and owners want guaranteed bums on benches, or on the dance floor, or anywhere inside the premises as long they they pay cover and buy drinks. DJs want to play their special music, and people just want to have a good time. The solution: get on our mailing list to satisfy promoters and make the dream a reality.

Q. Why do you need 50 people on a mailing list?

A. We need some kind of guarantee for owners and promoters that a crowd will show up if we put on a dance party, and it won't be just us and a roomful of expensive equipment, alone, dancing slowly and crying in the dark. It's also the best way for us to let you know when and where to be once we get the venue sorted out.

Q. What kind of dance party will this be?

A. A classic New York/Chicago style dance party: dirty disco, 80s new wave, early house and techno with the odd pop song thrown in for fun. Basically this, but longer and louder.

Q. I don't want to receive spam and crappy promotions.

A. I have no interest in sending spam; the list will solely be used to send you information about dance parties and DJ nights we set up across Toronto. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Q. Sounds fun, where do I sign up?

A. Right here:

Subscribe to Mixes in the Attic's mailing list

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Q. Now what do I do?

A. Bask in the knowledge that you've helped to make the world a slightly better place.

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And the music world breathes a sigh of relief as this blog is once again updated. Even though this was released back in October, it deserves another listen:

I can hear the complainers already; it's too long, why the fuck is there clapping noises, who the hell is Steve Reich? Leaving aside the length (it's perfect), clapping (amazing) and Steve Reich (check out his vids on Youtube), what this remix is is ten and a half minutes of stuttering disco sleaze that revisits the lost art of taking your damn time.

I love that it takes nearly five minutes for the beat to drop. I love the snippets of "Ashes to Ashes" that's thrown behind the beat. I love the weird and slightly depressing lyrics. It's a shame that I can't think of any DJs who would be willing to play this.

David Bowie's Love is Lost (Hello Steve Reich mix by James Murphy for the DFA): glitchy disco goodness, or 10 minutes of spastic clapping and no bass? Let me know...

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