There are a lot of stories in Chicago, and if anything pisses me off it’s that the dance music press in the rest of the world keeps telling the same fucking stories over and over again. This review isn’t the proper forum for a history class but suffice to say that you can’t say you really know this town if you don’t know Darren Brandon. Under aliases DJ Quad, In Blueblackness, and here as Donnie Tempo, Darren has released a torrent of tracks over the years, I think without any pause, in every format and medium. Dive into his discography and you’ll find sensual, gorgeous records, some of his best work scattered across remixes for Nite Life Collective, Distance and a bunch of other labels that went tits up in the 2000s.
So it’s a delight to see him getting a proper pressing here on Perpetual Rhythms, after his remix of “808 Ronin” on Brian Harden’s The Essence of Chicago EP on Pep Rhys last year. “Atlantic 22” draws from 808 State’s “Pacific State” – not quite a cover or a remix but somewhere in between. “N-Haler” is all uptempo groove – a beat like a mixdown of a freestyle track made deep by someone that knows the dancefloor like the back of his hand. Side B features more percussion-driven tracks “Sunbelt In Asia” and the chilled afterhours “Central LYNK.”
Published first in 5 Magazine Issue 138, featuring Dave Pezzner, Jeff Derringer, a tribute to Earl Smith of Acid House pioneers Phuture, mixes and interviews from Boorane, Jay Hill, Tim Zawada & more. Become a member of 5 Magazine for First & Full Access to Real House Music.
