Whiskey Pickle Records is proud to present the debut release of Austin’s own S&M Music Company, comprised of musician DJs Samantha Garrett and Michael Zawodniak (AKA Iron Mike). Individually, Sam moonlights as Cap’n Tits and wields a wicked axe as the front lady for local dance quartet Whiite Walls, while Mike is a founding member of the Flying Turns DJ Crew as well as keyboardist for the live incarnation of celestial power-popsters Orthy. Their pairing grew from the monthly Deep Cuts party which features the duo waist high in vinyl stacks with their extended back-to-back DJ sets of sleazy disco and uplifting house. From this connection it was only natural for Sam and Mike to hit the studio and this single is the tasty result.
“Walk Away” is a slow burner that features Sam on vox and guitar while Mike lays down the keyboards, the bottom end, and offers his production talents. A stripped down bass and drum groove sets the frame work as chords build to a psychedelic boiling point with Sam’s echoed vocals bouncing around in a cavern of reverb. On the remix tip, Torontonian disco wizard Cyclist steps up to bat first and knocks it out of the park with his party-jam version while Austin native Ian Orth, flying solo as Orthy, takes the groove to lower BPMs with a brooding and hypnotic remix.
Recorded, engineered and mixed by James Jones at Potluck Music in Austin, TX, it was only fitting that this fresh duo found a home for their work on Austin’s leader in underground dance sounds, Whiskey Pickle Records. Don’t “Walk Away” … DANCE!
Nick Warren - “Fabulous original and two killer remixes.”
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - “Dope! I love this.”
Sleazy McQueen - “Yes … the Cyclist remix cruises!”
Robbie Hardkiss - “Love the pretty, spacey groovy original and the ’80s fun of the Cyclist remix. Sweet record.”
Tensnake - “Sweet EP … I’m loving the original and the Orthy remix.”
Brett Johnson - “The Cyclist mix is my favorite of the bunch.”
Jaymz Nylon - “Sexy and chic … very Paradise Garage.”
Alkalino - “Cyclist brings the funk … that’s the one!”
Jacques Renault - “I like the oddness here from Orthy … nice one.”
Bruce Tantum (Time Out NY / Brooklyn Radio) - “Wow, the original is nicely deep and jazzy, to say the least! And both of those remixes should work some dance floor magic, too.”
Tony D’Onghia (Radio Koper-Capodistria) - “Smooth and sexy. I like it.”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - “Outstanding! Another five star release from Whiskey Pickle … an indie-disco masterpiece.”
Richard Hardcastle (Solid State / All Out War) - “Lovely warm funk on the original version and Cyclist, with the usual excellence I expect, turning in a harder edged version that’s more relentless but no less infectious. The Orthy version is crazy, too. Great package!”
Electric Tooth (music blog) - “Another rock solid release by Whiskey Pickle Records. ‘Walk Away’ has this disco vibe that’s hard to shake off. The Cyclist remix will definitely make a stir on the dance floor. The Orthy Remix is has a moody, yet distinct groove that doesn’t seem to let up and will stay stuck in your head long after the driving bass as faded.”
Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.