Dark Was Night Optimo

27 samples of music been once included on the Voyager Golden phonograph records that launched into space with both Voyager spacecrafts in 1977. They been aboard to represent the diversity of life on Earth for any intelligent extraterrestrial life who may find them in the interstellar space, the region between stars where the galactic plasma is present. Among the sounds and images selected to portray the culture on Earth is also Blind Willie Johnson’s song "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground“. He is around to represent the human expression of loneliness and as his music went on to leave the solar system Blind Willie Johnson died decades before penniless of malaria fever after sleeping bundled in wet newspapers in the ruins of his house that had burned down. A tragic story that moves the heart and soul of Jonnie Wilkes and Keith McIvor real deep. The two lads from Glasgow, Scotland are globally famed as DJs, label-heads, producers, remixers, party throwers, and partygoers under their moniker Optimo. For both the story of Blind Willie Johnson and his song is a moving tale that exemplifies the power of music. Now it guided them on their trip towards their sixt offical dj mix that runs under the header „Dark Was The Night“. „We wanted to make a mix cd of "dark" music but without resorting to cliche about what "dark" music is. Each mix cd we have done reflects a different part of the night and this mix is our attempt to invoke the sounds of a dark winter's night but at the same time we feel the music is far from being "cold" and "soulless" and is full of atmosphere and feeling.“ the Sub Club resident DJs reveal about their intentions behind a mix that covers artists like Berlins dark techno Newcomer Recondite, native Detroit techno misfit Terrence Dixon, New York City minimal wave veterans Jeff & Jayne Hudson, or the late seventies Scotish punk band The Freeze. A selection of heterogene musical approaches that sound homogene in any second of the dramatic suspense that Optimo created. In their night not only the smiling faces crowd the floor. The sad and lonely dance too to soulful, transcendent music of the spheres. When you want to top their mix down in styles again Optimo go the genre spanning way: melancholic techno, space out acid house, minimal wave, or even bittersweet synth pop call the tune to represent the diversity of sounds and emotions that a dark dancing night can offer. A mix that would perfectly fit on one of those Voyager Golden phonograph records. It could tell all extraterrestrials and future humans who find it that the humans of the now are able to dance to the deepest haunting sounds without loosing their sense and sensibility.