Fiveleg Records is the third label in the illustrious career of Los Angeles DJ legend Jason Blakemore. Bassex Records in the 90s and Life Music in the 00s both helped document the California house music sound for their respective decades, and now Fiveleg aims to do the same for the 10s. Blakemore knows his stuff; he started DJ’ing in Los Angeles’ then-burgeoning scene as early as 1992 and has been a fixture of the North American house music family since.
Fiveleg’s latest release introduces an interesting discovery: the mysterious producer who simply goes by DOOD. Blakemore first noticed DOOD several years ago, as the young producer would usually be found sitting outside the entrance of some of the biggest ‘rave’ parties (perhaps too broke to get in?) furiously working on a rudimentary hardware sequencer or outdated laptop. After seeing this person dozens of times before and after parties, Blakemore decided to investigate. He found that DOOD was actually creating tracks inspired by the sounds floating out into the parking lots of these events, and had amassed quite a bit of releasable material.
As can be expected from this story, DOOD’s tracks are outwardly inspired by the sounds of the downtown Los Angeles underground scene. The sweatier sets of regular L.A. players like Doc Martin, Wicked’s Garth, and even Blakemore himself seem to figure into DOOD’s cool sound. There’s “I’m Gone,” a totally trippy west coast nightclub excursion filled with effected percussion, squelchy bass, and dramatic build-ups. “Backbay Dub" and "Backbay Tech" both feature ominous late-night vibrations with a prominent dubby techno backbone. "Felinta" gets a tad funkier, as a rolling bass line and a sharp snare point the way to the dance floor. On the remix front there are two versions of "I’m Gone" … Blakemore himself provides a shuffling dub while L.A.-via-midwest duo Power PC create a bit of a Plastikman-inspired version with analog gear and drum machines powering the drive. These cuts are tailor-made with the west coast warehouse in mind; heavy dance floor movers and head shakers for the craziest of the crazies. The general public need not apply.
Orde Meikle (Slam) - “Cool EP … will spin!”
Andrew Grant (Circoloco / Barraca Music) - “Bumping!”
Tyler Stadius - “Cool tracks. Not easy to hear something a little different these days, but this release pulls it off.”
Cheets (Global Dance Sessions) - “Loving ‘Im Gone,’ especially the Blakemore Dub. Reminds me of past girl friends - a bit f**ked up and growls a lot. That must be the attraction!”
DK Watts (Short Bus Kids) - “This EP takes me back to the 90s!”
Dean Facer (United Colors Of House) - “Quality release … I’m on this.”
Velanche (Urban Landscapes) - “I’m sold on this; the originals and the remixes are pretty spot on. Very pleasing to my ears and groovy at that!”
Mozaic (Travieso) - “A very welcome flashback.”
SimonG (Deep South Audio) - “Bad boy beats, true house music or at least where it should be coming from; place where the spirit is free. I expect summer madness all over the globe with this!”
Russell Deeks (This Is Why We Dance) - “Clubby techno … three tracks in six mixes with the deep acid sleaze of ‘Backbay Dub’ the standout for me. Some freaky-deeky sounds going on.”
TJ Norris (Resident Advisor/Igloo) - “Dood has a knack for mixing the good stuff into something even a bit more sublime. ‘I’m Gone’ is a trip; fast forward, full speed ahead. Power PC’s mix slows it down, spreads it out, warps the goings-on into something slightly more freaky. When Jason Blakemore is employed to mix the track, keeping everything quite tight and streamline, it comes alive with fat beats and tiny, beveled percussion. It’s insular but somehow works.”
Also supported by Claude Von Stroke, Richie Hawtin, Luciano, and Omid 16B.
Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.
Underground Dance Music Promotion