Dan Curtin – Dream Not Of Today [12''] (1994, Peacefrog Records)

 

'Dream Not Of Today' is a four-track 12" by American producer and DJ Dan Curtin, issued by the London label Peacefrog Records in 1994 as PF 024. The record contains “Track 17”, “Spliffed”, “Wind And Water” and “One Evening At Mrs. Applebees”. 

Curtin came out of the Northeast Ohio scene, working from the Cleveland area at a time when techno was still developing outside its better-known Detroit and Chicago strongholds. He had already been producing and DJing before setting up Metamorphic Records in 1992, a label that became an outlet for his own material as well as early work from producers including Morgan Geist and Titonton Duvante. Curtin also spent time working in Detroit with Carl Craig and released material on 33 RPM Records, connecting his Cleveland background with the wider Detroit techno network. 

The Peacefrog connection was particularly important in this period. Founded in London in 1991 by Pete Hutchison and Paul Ballard, Peacefrog quickly developed into one of the UK labels closely associated with the more adventurous end of early-'90s techno. Its catalogue brought together British and American producers, with releases from artists such as Luke Slater, DBX, Stasis, Eddie “Flashin” Fowlkes and Planetary Assault Systems appearing around the same period. The label's own description traces its name to a lesser-known musical reference by The Doors and describes its original purpose as an outlet for interesting, relatively underexposed electronic music. 

'Dream Not Of Today' arrived during a particularly busy period for Curtin. His 'The Silicon Dawn' album was also released by Peacefrog in 1994, while 'Parallel / Population 2' followed later that year. 'The Silicon Dawn' was among Peacefrog's early full-length techno releases and shows the same combination of Detroit-inspired structures, melodic passages and intricate percussion that runs through Curtin's work of the period. 

The four tracks on PF 024 sit somewhere between Detroit techno, early Chicago house influence and a more individual kind of tech-funk. Contemporary descriptions of the record point to fast-moving rhythms, acidic bass lines and a distinctly funky edge, while “Wind And Water” in particular has been singled out for its combination of driving percussion and melodic elements.

 
There is also an interesting geographical angle to Curtin's music. Cleveland was hardly the obvious place to emerge as a techno production centre in the early '90s, yet Curtin developed a sound that was clearly in conversation with Detroit while retaining its own character. His records were often faster and more rhythmically restless than straightforward deep house, with complex drum programming, distorted textures and melodic material working together rather than simply following the functional conventions of club techno. 

 

Label: Peacefrog Records – PF 024 

Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM 

Country: UK 

Released: Dec 12, 1994 

Style: Acid, Deep House, Techno, Detroit Techno 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Track 17 5:16 

A2 Spliffed 6:00 

B1 Wind And Water 6:48 

B2 One Evening At Mrs. Applebees 5:17 

 

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