DiggnDeepr: to Unearth Long Forgotten Gems

(words by: @kev-obrien )

Since his first big shot heard 'round the world of underground, cavernous dancefloors, the vocal and lyrical prowess of Simon Jinadu stood out. That shot was delivered via his collaboration with Jamie Odell on his 2013 Jimpster album, Porchlight and Rocking Chairs.

The unmistakeably earnest and heartfelt delivery of the song's deeply introspective and personally heartfelt lyrics were deeply moving to me personally at that time, as I was going through a divorce and through so many life transitions that I was finding it difficult to maintain a firm grasp on my own sanity, let alone on reality itself.

Songwriting of this nature within the often cheesy and shallow world of dance music vocals are a rare and welcomed commodity, so it was no surprise when the song was then remixed by the man of the moment, Dixon, and turned it into one of that summer's most remembered anthems.

Then came his breathtaking appearance on Klas-Henrik Lindblad's Moodmusic Records; in collaboration with Alessio Pagliaroli, "Distractions" (which was also simultaneously a breakout hit remix for Frankey & Sandrino). From my perspective, it was this record which truly propelled Mr. Jinadu onto the path which has led him to release countless collaborations with the most revered and highly regarded producers and labels in the business.

The moral of all of these words, however, does not lay on the surface in which I've used as a fitting place to foray into and down the rabbit-hole, as DiggnDeepr is obviously not about keeping our hands clean on the surface, its about getting them dirty and taking the time to dig to the bottom of the pile until our fingernails are so dirty that several days of showering will take place before we are willing to go back out into public.

In this case, that digging led me back in time, 15 years to be exact, to 2002. While I was there, I bought a Furby doll obviously. I listened to some new shit from this dude 50 Cent, who you can find in da club, who apparently is not into making love but is into having sex. All of this became moot when I discovered what I'd come to 2002 looking for: a single put out on the now defunct label Bitches Brew, by Jinadu, under his own name as original artist and vocalist, entitled "Natural Thing".

Prospecting trip over. Gem found, acquired, and now delivered to you: 

Happy Diggn!

Artist: Jinadu ‎
Title:  Natural Thing
Label: Bitches Brew ‎
CAT #: BITCH 001
Format: Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM  / Digital MP3
Country: UK
Released: 2002
Genre: Electronic
Style: Deep House, Broken Beat

buy the original 12":  https://www.discogs.com/sell/release/141937?ev=rb
buy digital: https://www.beatport.com/track/natural-thing-original-mix/764097

Buy the 12"

Diggn Deepr for Gems: Jinadu - Natural Thing (Original Mix)// 2002, Bitches Brew Records

The long-since defunct label Four:Twenty Recordings launched in 2001, and seems to have vanished with no trace in 2012, served as a hotbed for forward-thinking house music, releasing early cuts from the likes of Solomun, MANIK, Locodice, and many others, long before these artists became the superstars they would later become.

Despite being an avid supporter of the label, and on their promo list at the time; I -- along with hoards of others -- somehow (embarrassingly enough) completely missed this record entirely when it dropped.

A little nugget of knowledge I was not aware of until the excavation into the mystery that this record is shrouded in, is the fact that Four:Twenty turns out to have been a subsidiary of the infamous Hope Recordings brand (notoriously known as the label Nick Warren ran A&R for).

Anyhow, on to the subject at hand: the beautiful piece of music which is presented before you. 

It wasn't until recently when I unearthed this gem, which was covered in cobwebs entirely, that seems to have been largely overlooked and ignored by -- well, pretty much EVERYONE -- in the discovery of this original mix of "Alba Adriatica" by Class 71, which was released on wax in September of 2008, and included what would ultimately become it's arch nemesis that buried it into the ground early and for good, on it's B-side, which was a pair of mixes from Move D (which, while done with good intent and well-produced, simply don't measure up to the original, in my opinion.)

I stumbled upon this absolutely incredible chunk of driving, jazzy, nugget of grooving gold last month during an all-night digging session on Juno. It was a digging session like most others until I was led down a tunnel (thanks to Juno's highly accurate and intruitive reccomendation algorithm), where I found myself reminiscing days of old, remembering the classics that Four:Twenty delivered, but feeling the urge and need to be delving deeper into the label's back catalog. 

Then I hit the paydirt, and it was about as glimmering as a gem could be, despite the cobwebs it was raveled and tangled in.

!!!!-  Soundcloud's character limit restricts this entire article from being posted here, so read the rest of this piece in its entirety here:  http://bit.ly/2i20nsN  

Happy Diggn!

Buy the original 12": http://bit.ly/2i3198Y
Buy the original CDR promo: http://bit.ly/2i1VArD
Buy digitally: http://bit.ly/2lctyON

Read Full Article

DiggnDeepr For Gems - Alba Adriatica - Class 71 [Four Twenty, 2008]

DiggnDeepr is an electronic curation team, who also run a management agency dedicated to cutting edge artists and quality-driven labels, specifically in the underground electronic music realm. 

We specialize in label launches, label management, artist development, PR strategy, music promo & marketing, social media marketing,  and consulting.

Founded by Kev Obrien and Mik Santoro.

Labels & Client Labels: @eyedyllic   -- @moteurvillemusique  -- @superlux-records  -- @infolinesmusic  -- @vibemetothemoon  -- @ampispazi_rec