---

title: "Quick Mix: 10 top records with Van Sim"
authors: ["nikomas.md"]
abstract: "We invited ᴠᴀɴ ꜱɪᴍ back, this time to chat about some of his favourite records"

---



# Track 1 - Tasti Box - Sanfrancisco (1992)

{{< youtube sq7jdWjKGsA >}}

N: So what have we got here… 135bpm?

A: Maybe more man, Let’s see. Yeah, 137bpm. So, this record is rare because its from San Francisco. In the beginning [San Francisco] had a big scene in like 1987 to like 1993, a huge wave of stuff like this. They have this label there called ZoeMagik Records, West Coast.

N: Well the pace of it and the euphoria is quite similar to some house you might hear on the East Coast, the energy of it.

A: But it is more contemporary, more Future Jazz. Also there was this hippie rave culture for decades. Listen to this part: It’s very ravey rhythm, its progressive, breakbeat house. Yet, it’s just crazy that it’s from San Francisco, because it plays between New York, Detroit, Chicago and the UK.

N: What do we know about Tasti Box?

A: It’s two people, very good producers. They also produce other kinds of music. Their tracks are full of synthesizers; you can understand the sequencer patterns. They probably had an MPC if they were jazz guys. After all, it’s jazz, the music is jazz, that is what was relevant in that time and that place. They want to produce music for raves in San Francisco, that’s it.




# Track 2 - It's Thinking - Surviving Desire (2000)
+++ It’s Thinking - Afterglow (Bushwacka Remix)

{{< youtube MmwRhGCQS6Y >}}

A: Second track I wanted to show you. It’s Thinking. It’s three people, Dutch. On a Canadian label. Very nice, quality underground music from Canada. Only eight records on this label, but this music is… you can’t say it’s electro, its house and techno music, raw.  So many nice elements.

N: These 909 hats

Andreas: yeah 909.

N: I don’t wanna interrupt, but I really want to listen to another track on this record, I can see there is one there called “afterglow”. Afterglow is a good word.

A: Hey and look, afterglow has a “Bushwhacka” remix, let’s check that.

{{< youtube Hbamc0O5s9M >}}


N: Ah now we have the acid. Electro. The snare is like someone hitting a box. Noisy. That’s a real dub snare, heavy, dead.

A: Bravo, it’s dead, empty. This is a very good record to have.

N: Yeah with just those two tracks it must be worth 50 euros

A: Lets look, haha, yeah, 59.


# Track 3 - D'arcangelo - Diagram 20 (2002)

{{< youtube AIrVa1SiEVY >}}

A: Next. This must be one of my favorite artists. His name is D’arcangelo. From Italy, Fabricio & whatever .. They are brothers. They started late, 1996, 1998.

N: So they are living and producing in Italy?

A: Yeah, this is more raves. A lot of Detroit or electro, German style. Yet, a kind of American attitude. I’ve never heard anyone play this track.

N: Yeah, the vocoders and synths are very Kraftwerk inspired, but it’s super serious.

A: Yeah, it’s for serious sets. The artist is very underground, but DJs know them very well. It’s also released in Canada.

N: Which side of Canada are these all coming from?

A: Montreal

N: Ah so it’s just over the river from Detroit.

# Track 4 - Dave Angels - Trip to Darkness (1992)

{{< youtube to0GJI0ve4g >}}

A: Next. This one also is one of my favorites. This record is really close to my aesthetic. Listen to this baseline, this is the bass I like, and it’s changing all the time.

N: Very deep. Even the way it is mixed; dark, reduced highs, underwater.

A: Very American rhythm. No clap, just snare.

N: So who is this? Dave Angel? Who is Dave Angel?

A: He is one of the most serious rave producers. His name is David Angelico Nicholas Gooden. He is from Chelsea, London. Black British artist. His father was a huge jazz artist in England. He said he was inspired by Miles Davis, Chadwick Parker and his father. A huge jazz artist in the 70s.

N: Well in general 70s disco and jazz was one of the main influences on Techno, so if he was exposed to jazz through his father, it makes sense that he ended up producing electronic music.

A: Exactly. This is why Juan Atkins made that one EP called “Jazz is the Teacher”. The guy who created techno, produced a record called jazz is the teacher. One of the best anthems. You see the label, R&S. One of the most iconic trance and techno labels in Belgium, worldwide even.

# Track 5 - Viridian - Salavation (1996)

{{< youtube py1W1nT2_wo >}}

A: Now. I will put you one of my favorite tracks ever. I think it’s one of the best tracks ever made. Produced in Australia, from one guy Viridian. He has a lot of aliases. This is from 1996. I contacted him and told him to repress it. Fun Fact, Alexander P. has this record.

N: Aha, because he was there.

A: This track is out of this world. These tracks are ones I said I would keep to myself. But I don’t care anymore, that’s the past.

N: We have to help each other find our way around this music, to help the community grow.

A: Put the volume up, I want you to listen to these elements.

N: The bass is dotted, like the dub tape delays. The decay on the filter of the arps is so nice.

A: Every 16 bars something moves; it’s not quite looping.

N: I think he is playing with arpeggiators on a keyboard, so he is able to move between different patterns, probably recording in layers.

A: And it’s not dark, it’s something different. Melancholic acid.

N: Ambivalent even.

A: One DJ played it in ᴋʟᴜʙᴅ, but I can’t remember who it was.

# Track 6 - The Quest - Flytrap (1996)

{{< youtube 38OoFUplya8 >}}

A: So, just quickly now I’m gonna put… one British guy, Romani kind of, he has thousands of aliases, one of them is Kinky Roland. Legend label. Look how many aliases he has…

N: It’s a really solid track.

# Track 7 - Napolean - Rudebwoy (1992)

{{< youtube j_hhlVef_Ls >}}

A: Oh, and check out this one. I played it at ʜᴏɴᴇꜱᴛ ᴇʟᴇᴄᴛʀᴏɴɪᴄꜱ warehouse rave. It’s the first time I played a track where I saw ᴀʀɪꜱᴛᴏᴅᴇᴍᴏꜱ like “woaaaaah, malaka!!” Because it’s a British acid techno track, with drum and bass on the breakdown. The name is Napoleon rudebwoy. This one you will love. Maybe you heard it from me before. One of my favorite tracks ever.

N: Dirty kick.

A: Wait for it, now the drum and bass will come… The bass that comes after is breaking walls… and now the rave part.

N: Proper warehouse stuff.

A: I’m crazy about the vocals.

# Track 8 - Juno - Soul Thunder (Drillers Mix) (1990)

{{< youtube hh3u94PtJf0 >}}

A: Next. I have played this track a lot of times in ᴋʟᴜʙᴅ. Juno. The bass is amazing.

N: Powerful Square bass.

A: Yeah, Massive. Listen to the snare rolls.

N: Classic hip hop vocals. I can imagine hearing this on pirate radio.


# Track 9 - Go Diva - Detroit Battleship (1993)

{{< youtube 5v-DlB4HsLQ >}}

A: This next one I found by accident, sadly the pressing is not good, but it still has really nice elements. Detroit.

N: It’s very you.

A: We played it in Sousami once, and I don’t know, people all came inside the bar and started dancing. It’s the only time I ever saw [our friend] hiding in the corner, because it was just a room full of guys with no T-shirts on jumping up and down, yelling. They destroyed Sousami. Was an amazing party, me and ꜱᴏᴄʀᴀᴛᴇꜱ brought like 300 records each, we played so many tracks.

N: it’s a demonic track, huge.

A: You’re right, this sound is very me, 1993, Detroit Battleship.  


# Track 10 - Aux88 - My AUX Mind (Egyptian Lover remix) (2019)

{{< youtube hum1HqCtMb4 >}}

A: Let’s finish with… we said something about Egyptian Lover earlier so I wanna check this one. Here it is, I know which is my favourite version, I love it especially for the beginning.

“I would change the record, but I can’t, because all I hear is my A.U.X Mind”.

A: I just can’t change this record!
