ES7127 seven-inch features Jeff Mills
‘THEME FROM STAR CHILD (EDIT)’
Our latest Electronic Sound seven-inch boasts two fantastic cuts recorded by Jeff Mills under his long-running Millsart alias, leading with an edit of the sparkling ’Theme From Star Child’. The track was first released at the beginning of this year as part of his Axis Expressionist Series.
‘Theme From Star Child’ is about human imperfection and how we can “be contorted, bent in weird ways, and yet still we’re beautiful”, according to Mills. The edit is marshalled by a flowing D-minor piano riff and has an unmistakable Detroit techno sheen. A plaintive organ follows the piano, with flickering percussion turning the mood into something nocturnal, as dark as the depths of night.
The initial impetus for the track comes from the cosmos and the fact that we are all – in a very David Bowie sense – star people waiting in the sky.
“To be scientifically correct, we are very special,” says Mills. “Because the chances that we never existed were always extremely high. That we are living and breathing and walking around is a miracle.”
Mills cites two contrasting musical inspirations for ‘Theme From Star Child’, one rather less likely than the other. The first is funk and soul music, which he describes as his go-to soundtrack when he’s driving.
“It’s not like the music of today, where it’s all machines. In the 1970s, you had a real bass player and a real drummer, you had melodies and a bridge and a chorus. They were trying to make people dance – and it feels great.”
The second inspiration is more surprising, but it makes sense when you consider Mills’ dedication to precision production and mastering.
“I learned a lot from Steely Dan,” he reveals. “They made such perfect-sounding albums. It took me a long time to mix this track, but once you get the levels right, like when the strings come in, that’s how you’re going to make people comfortable with your music.”
‘STEP TO ENCHANTMENT (STRINGENT)’
The flip side of the seven-inch is ‘Step To Enchantment (Stringent)’, a trouser-blasting cannonade of acid techno from 1993. A reverberating jackhammer bass drum underpins a persistent 303 loop, pecked by swarms of crashing hi-hats. The result is remarkably kinetic, so even though it keeps a consistent tempo, it feigns a constant acceleration. It feels as if you’re being gradually tipped into oblivion.
The track originally appeared on Jeff Mills’ ‘Mecca’ EP, his debut release as Millsart. The centre label of the disc featured a close-up image of his face, a brilliantly defiant pose taken from a photograph featured in The New York Times. Mills meant business and the EP rode the wave of hard techno he had helped to pioneer as one of the founders of Underground Resistance, the Detroit collective often likened to Public Enemy for their incendiary sound and uncompromising ethos.
“This track was an important turning point for me,” declares Mills. “I’d just left Underground Resistance and started my Axis label. Music was becoming very tribal, turning that fluffy and happy rave culture into something that was a lot more aggressive.”
He recalls DJing at The Limelight in New York at around this time, playing banger after banger.
“We danced so hard, we danced into another realm,” he says.
The theme of the ‘Mecca’ EP was curiously zen considering its reputation for destroying dancefloors. It starts calmly enough, with the Balearic vibe of ‘Inner-Self’ lulling you into a false sense of serenity, before the inevitable excoriation of ‘Step To Enchantment (Stringent)’.
“So much effort goes into making parties happen on Friday nights,” notes Mills, discussing the spiritual motivation of the track. “That’s what it’s all about, you know? So many people would come along and the club was always packed. It was a mecca for us. Everybody danced for hours because they wanted to reach a higher level of consciousness.”
