More gems from Claremont 56

Thanks to everyone who came out last night and thanks to Tom Croose for sharing his musical selections with us!  I know I had a great time and I think it was quite the success for our first party.  Hopefully they will let us stay for a monthly and I'm already trying to find a place with more of a dance floor.  Again if you had a good time or know anyone who would be interested, join our FB group for Beards of a Feather to hear more.  We promise we will try to keep you informed in the least intrusive spam-happy fashion possible.  Enough of that though, on to the tunes.

Todays tracks are a bit of a cool down for ya if you managed to stay out late like I did last night.  First up is a track off of the new album from JAZ (the South Carolina-dwelling vinyl guru whose work on Beard Science and Claremont 56 deserves some serious attention).  I Played Sports, released on Claremont 56, is available here and from it I would like to share this shy funky mover.  I'm not sure on the original, but here is the edit he has produced.  Also check out his Leather Get Going Mix which is as close to perfect as a beardo mix can get.

Jaz - Get Some Love

Next is a track that I first heard when Harvey showed up on BIS a few weeks ago.  Most of the tracks he played are obscure enough for even the nerdiest of beards, but towards the end he drops this absolutely amazing track by Stars 'N' Bars.  Frustratingly enough the record was hard to find before, but now it will be worth a generous fortune to pay for now.  Lucky for me, Claremont 56 followed their impeccable Originals, compiled by Moonboots & Balearic Mike, with a second volume compiled by Mark Seven that features the tune along with many other dreamy gems.  For now though here is quite possibly one of best tracks I have heard in a long time, I just can't stop listening to it.

Stars 'N' Bars - Stars & Bars

Balearic Soundtrack: Claremont 56

I've been in a balearic mood lately, meaning as the weather turns cold here and the fuses in my apartment begin to blow with all the space heaters running, I prefer to daydream about doing loads of coke on my yacht off the southern coast of France or dropping anchor off the coast of Kauai, diving through the lava tunnels by day and dancing around a bonfire on the beach as the sun sets. Claremont 56, the UK label started by Paul Mudd last year that has been pumping out beachy balearic vibes with verby guitars that Max Essa's Back To The Beach EP couldn't quite capture, that serve as the perfect soundtrack to my tropical daydreaming.

Smith & Mudd, is the collaboration of Mudd with Ben Smith, another UK resident have released the majority of the material on the label, which are mostly 12"s of tracks from their album Blue River that came out a year ago. Lexx channels the Mac and takes one of the best jams off the album, turning it into a dreamy jam you play on your yacht, the Wet Dream, after dropping anchor offshore from a deserted white sand beach in the Caribbean, then stripping down and diving into the crystal blue water.

Smith & Mudd - Shulme (Lexx Remix)

Returning from your swim as the sun sets you head into town and towards a bar on the water lit up by Christmas lights in the distance. Deep sounds emanate from inside and as you get closer the moon emerges from behind a cloud and you notice linen-clad tan locals also headed towards the bar. The sounds grow bigger and the buzzy synths begin to hum a steady rhythm. As you walk through the door the DJ puts Mudd & Pollard's "Scaffold". The track surges and wanes like the surf you can hear outside the bar and the echos of pianos and guitar begin to coerce you into a slow dance as the floor starts to heat up and bodies pack into the tiny space.

Mudd & Pollard - Scaffold

The energy is contagious and the dance party is on the brink of exploding into madness as the DJ drops the beat and comes in with The Night-S-Press "Dance". A beam of blue light turns to the disco ball and silhouettes of dancing figures are illuminated against columns of light shining forth from it and smoke fills the room.

The Night-S-Press - Dance

The dancing continues until the sky turns pale and the exhaustion of dancing for the last eight hours begins to wear on everyone in the room. As the sun breaks the horizon, the ambient version of Blackbelt Andersen's "Lørdag" comes on and the tired bodies begin to file out of the room and wander back to their abodes around the island. You return to your yacht and fall asleep only to awake in the late afternoon in time to do it all over again.

Blackbelt Andersen - Lørdag (Ambient Version)

All the music on this post is from the Claremont 56 label. The Night-S-Express "Dance" comes off of the incredible new compilation CD Originals, put together by vinyl experts Balearic Mike and Moonboots. The rest are off of the Shulme (Lexx Remix), Scaffold, and Lørdag 12"s, and are all truly lovingly crafted and genuinely felt.