- There's been plenty of talk over the last few years about the resurgence of New York City's clubbing scene. Rightfully so—one could easily make the case that the after-dark landscape, particularly off-the-beaten-path, is as strong as it's been in decades. But that didn't happen spontaneously, as if decreed from on high by the clubbing gods. It was years in the making, with groundwork laid by a brigade of hard-working party promoters, label heads and DJs.
Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin, who fit all three of those categories, are some of the leaders in this new era. The duo have been throwing Mister Saturday Night parties since 2009, with their much-loved outdoor Mister Sunday parties running almost as long. They run the Mister Saturday Night label, and they've refined their DJing to the point where they're among New York's most popular home-grown spinners. In short, Carter and Harkin are riding high—what better time to release a mix CD?
Weekends And Beginnings is an 18-track mix recorded live at Mister Sunday this past summer. It's not quite as gleefully weird as some of their label's output—there's nothing as eccentric as, say, Lumigraph's "Yacht Cruiser" or the fluttering boil of Archie Pelago's "Frederyck Swerl"—but the mix still has a lot of scope, covering everything from gospel house to deep tribal techno. The former is represented by the Tommy Musto version of Jasper Street Co.'s 1998 soul-drenched classic "Love Changes"; the later comes in a great passage that layers Anthony Parasole's "Quickstrike" beneath Elgato's gently bleepy "Zone." As if to signal early on that this won't be a linear mix, the set kicks off with a lilting '70s-era chanson, "La Passion des Collines," followed immediately by the synth-bass boogie of Terrence Jerome's "Believe." You'll also get Maurice Fulton's piano-fueled remix of Alice Smith's "Love Endeavor," the smoky jazz of Adesse Versions' "Modal" and Jürgen Paape's stomping "Take That."
Carter and Harkin save one of the most beautiful sequences for last. Bass Clef's "Ghost Kicks In The Spiral," a gorgeous hymn of a track, drifts into Sam Orwell's "Secret Nothings," a song reminiscent of "Night Moves"-era Bob Seger. It's an unexpected closer that shows the confidence these two have built over the years, and it's that confidence that makes this set such a pleasure.
Tracklist01. Le Chanteur - La Passion Des Collines
02. Terrence Jerome - Believe
03. Alice Smith - Love Endeavor (Maurice Fulton Remix)
04. Nebraska - Green Marimba
05. Cobblestone Jazz - Traffic Jam
06. Mr. G - Daily Prayer
07. Anthony Parasole/Elgato - Quickstrike/Zone
08. Caribou - Leave House (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix)
09. Adesse Versions - Modal
10. Jasper Street Company - Solid Ground (Tommy Musto Remix)
11. House Of Gypsies - Another Worry
12. Lord Nelson - Shango (Daniel Haaksman And DJ Beware Remix)
13. DJ Duke - Sun Beats
14. Jurgen Paape - Take That
15. Ike Release - Phazzled
16. Recloose - Can't Take It (Herbert's Some Dumb Dub)
17. Bassclef - Ghost Kicks In The Spiral
18. Sam Orwell - Secret Nothings