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DJhistory.com has put the entire Swag catalogue online for the first time including this compilation from the ‘home’ of electronic music, Sheffield.

Swag’s roots start in the late 80’s with Chris Duckenfield working at WARP Records and DJing with Richard Benson on pirate radio and rave parties. With the addition of Richard Brown, they were briefly The Three Amigos until they rechristened themselves Swag due to their addiction to the sampler; clever eh!

A bag of Swag records might be anything from “tuff electric minimalism” to a “vivid disco homage”. Swag fans include Danny Tenaglia from NY and Glasgow’s techno purists Slam but due to their ‘anything goes’ policy, you can here them all over the place whether it be London’ Fabric, Sub Club’s house night or more soulful locations such as The Unabombers long running and much loved (and missed) Electric Chair in Manchester.

Taking the next step up, they quickly established themselves as producers who took the House rule book and decided to re-write it. Early monsters like 1995’s ‘Version 1’ on the Dark Corners EP (Jus’ Trax) and ‘Version 5’ on the Drum Hydraulics EP (Junior Boys Own) in the same year set the pace and led to loads of remix requests by those that know like Herbert (Big Chill 2008), Moloko, Björk and Groove Armada.

Taste The Difference Vol 1: The Very Best Of Swag is the first album release on DJHistory.com. I’ll always have a soft spot for DJ History as, they started their Big Chill Festival Radio Show with the line, “were going to break the golden rule of DJing and tell you who the tracks are by”; now isn’t that a good idea?

Top track on the album if the funky Latin of ‘Macambira’ by Cyz and I love the manic laughter in the funky ‘Crumpled Cones’ of the 20:20 Visions remix. But as indicated, this is all over the place with deep tribal throb on ‘Primitive Urges 4’ and the space synth funk of ‘Musicbox’ and ‘Version5’ (far superior to ‘Version1’ in my book).
So this a compilation of top tracks for fans to love again and for new fans to get dancing too.

Reviewed: V/A - Taste The Difference Vol 1: The Very Best Of Swag Release date: 15th September 2008 - WAV £8.99; MP3 £7.99 Exclusively at DJhistory.com
1. Cyz -Macambira (Swag Vocal)
2. Swag - Musicbox
3. Swag - Urges 1 (Maas Mix)
4. Swag - Crumpled Cones (2020 Mix)
5. Odori All-Stars - Spacejam (2020 Mix)
6. Plastic Head Band - Go Bump In The Night
7. Swag - Version 1
8. Swag - Primitive Urges C4
9. ASK - Pass It On
10. Swag - Version 5
11. Sean Dimitrie & Tim Fuller - So Hot (Swag Vocal)
12. Metro Area - Piña (Swag Mix)

Links
www.DJHistory.com DJhistory have a new monthly night Secret Weapons (named after their monthly single releases) at the Big Chill Bar.
www.myspace.com/2020visionrecordings
Electric Chair - “After more than ten years of underground clubbing, Electric Chair is primed for it’s final execution. The final Electric Chair takes place on 26th January 2008”.