Movin’? Movin’!

The other day, I saw this post on Instagram, Johnny Fiasco showing a shot of his Reloop case, getting ready to head off to San Diego for a gig. All bumped, stickers all over, and I thought, looks just like mine, but wait.. Bar code sticker? Looks like he’s actually checking his vinyl in as luggage… Always totally dreaded that, never wanted to part with my vinyl even for a second, carrying it as if it weighed much less than the 8 kg allowed in the cabin. Piece of cake, my face said, are you out of your mind, my arm and my back replied.

It’s the same case I schlepped along last time I played at the airport. My selection had long been adjusted to fulfill the surprising request of the restaurant to play House. They had actually said that they were afraid to fall asleep with the lounge stuff that I had been booked to play.

Perfectly fine with me. Spent a nice Sunday selecting the proper tracks. Big fun. There were a few that I didn’t even have to think about. Like this one. “Movin'” has always been one of my favorite House tracks. It was my first Johnny Fiasco 12″, about 20 more followed, plus remixes, plus samplers. Led to tons of other stuff. Fabriani, Bryan Jones, Sneak, Karizma… Today that’s about five feet of vinyl on the shelf.

Some of that doesn’t necessarily make the cut in 2025. But “Movin”? Hell yeah. Just listen to the first half minute. The funky guitar sample, the straight-to-business beat, claps slapped on top, tricky hi-hats, and then this monster stab – there’s no escape. This thing burns from the very first second. You get a nice little break, beat kicking back in – so simple, so effective.

This goes on for three minutes. By that time it’s probably considered a “tool” these days, a term that didn’t exist back in 1993 when this was crafted, and that’s just fine. You don’t necessarily expect (or need) much more. But then one sample sends it all into orbit. Brass Construction’s “Movin'” sped up to promote it from groovin’ to kickin’, perfectly placed to get a fired up dance floor from energized to gleeful, all grinning and possibly even singing along.

I’d bet my pants that this track was an inspiration to Bangalter and the likes when the late 90s French Filter House craze broke loose. All they had to do is apply the same mix of elements, speed it up, crank it up, douse it all with generous amounts of Disco, et voilà, you get the blueprint of Roulé and Crydamoure.

Not surprisingly, the three other tracks on this EP aren’t as legendary as “Movin'”. But that doesn’t mean they’re negligible. “D-Motion” is another toolish stomper, more of the jumping than of the forward moving kind, a great beat and a simple Mandrill sample – the best producers don’t need more than that.

“Taurus” got me thinking and wondering. Those two repetitive chords. I know them. It took me a while to come up with it. Darren Emerson. Underworld. Listen to “Taurus” and then to Emerson’s remix of Massive Attack’s “Risingson”. Great idea, in both cases, love it. Johnny did it first though. Presumably. Simple and effective as it is, this idea might just have more than two manifestations.

And then there’s “Zapped”, quirkily electronic, opening like a housy homage to Kraftwerk, continuing as a slightly jazzy stomper with a few chords and distorted vocal samples – this may not be a golden moment in House history, but Fiasco’s tracks just never lack concept, the beats are always well constructed, and they are always garnished with elements that support the idea of the track.

Just like the man, this EP keeps on movin’.

Release for review:
JOHNNY FIASCO – MOVIN’ – CAJUAL RECORDS – CAJ 229

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