Damn, it's been a minute. Having been a pretty stressful summer, I was happy to overlook a nasty tooth pain that cropped up a little over a week ago, even as the pain became increasingly blinding. So when I woke up last Wednesday to find my left cheek swollen up like a softball, clearly things weren't going to go as planned. Finally having a bucket's worth of bloody pus drained from my jaw on Friday night, the fact I had someone digging around my cheek with a knife for a solid thirty minutes has resulted in a bit of a slow-down here at Zurkonic HQ. Oh, did I mention it was my birthday? Not usually uppity about that shit, but have also come to appreciate the idea of taking a day to just recognize the non-shitty aspects of your life.

Having been fortunate to have my close friends nearby for the duration of the incident, the day still didn't feel complete without seeing a friend of mine co-headlining this cute new queer bar that's popped up next to The Well. It was a pre-90s set, which most DJ's can't do interestingly--I know I sure can't. But as my homie shares my archaeological fervor for digging deep into what we love, I knew he would not disappoint. Unfortunately, having been on the adrenaline rush of a lifetime just a couple hours earlier, I had unwittingly doubled my antibiotics which, when mixed with barely a shot of Mezcal meant that I was not long for the party.

Touching base the next day, my friend mentioned playing the Gino Soccio-produced title track off of Karen Silver's 1979 album Hold On I'm Coming (yup, it's a cover of this song by Sam & Dave, written by Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter). From the opening ten seconds of the post-T. Rex shuffle beat, I knew why I don't tend to dip my toes into the synth-disco pool here as often as I like to listen to it and that's cuz there are just many others who knew it and lived it and you should go talk to them. Still, for anyone who's heard a Balearic comp or gotten into space-disco or Metro Area or Dr. Dunks' "Tight," the beat will still likely send a shiver up your spine and fill your crotch with radioactive hot lovin', no matter how many times it's been jacked (and if it's your first time, gurl, strap in). Seriously, it's that kind of beat and then you add in some of that Soccio magic with laser shots and some wicked guitar licks, well, you're in goddamn business. And the best part is it took me a solid two listens to even realize I was listening to a cover, though admittedly I was so bewitched by Soccio's masterful arrangement that it took a while for Silver's Joan Jett-lite screech to register (though it's sexy af when it does). Really, it doesn't get much hotter than this.