"DJ Shadow told me I would like Garage years ago, but I didn't listen," confesses Keb Darge, the triple OG collector of Northern soul, deep funk, and pretty much anything good and rare. Cut Chemist, also an avid digger, has been pushing boundaries of DJing since he first got his hands on turntables at the age of 11, all the while amassing ridiculous amounts of vinyl, which he unleashed often on his highly sought-after mixes and live performances. For The Dark Side - 30 sixties Garage Punk and Psyche Monsters, the two join forces and gather some of the most exciting sounds that came out of the '60s—"honest" and "raw" and obscure AF pieces of rock history that retain a "a palpable sense of excitement even to this day." Described as DIY "emulation" of Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, as well as other American and British bands (Beatles, Kinks, Rolling Stones), the tracks collected on this comp, for the most part, are built on a simple setup of drums, guitars, and organs, and this stripped down, raw aesthetic what gives beauty, power, and undiluted thrill to tracks like "Suzy Creamcheese" by Teddy & His Patches, "Project Blue" by The Banshees, "Cuttin' Grass" by Caretakers of Deception," and "Pretty Little Thing" by The Deepest Blue." In addition to the music, the compilation includes extensive liner notes by Keb and Cut, as the pair shares entertaining, one-of-a-kind stories attached to the 30 records ("some of which change hands for frightening amounts of money") presented.

• includes extensive liner notes
• music label: BBE 2017

reviewed by nakadamus 04/2017