slow motion radio station...

2008-02-14T16:59:00.000-08:00

View RSS feed

The Modern Lovers

2007-05-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

Somehow, unbelievably, I missed listening to the Modern Lovers for twenty years up until a couple of weeks ago. All the reading mentions these guys as a pivotal link between what the Velvets were doing and what Punk then became, but for some reason i just blew it off.

In my head they marked the same area as James Chance and the Contortions. Don't ask me why it really makes no sense. Its just that sometimes in my personal cosmology of music there must be a little grease on the lens that allows me to misinterpret one band from another.

Well as I have said before delayed gratification can sometimes make the fruit that much sweeter.
Jonathan Richman (the lead singer) apparently thought of himself as carrying on the spirit of the Velvet Underground whom he adored. To me he seems like a slightly straighter version of Iggy or more precisely a perfect precursor to the three cord English version of punk and its decedent American Hardcore. While the Modern Lovers certainly flirted more with melody than either one of those venerable institutions the energy and force is certainly there.

Odawas

2007-05-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

I joined E-Music recently and was pleasantly surprised at their offerings. Being limited to indie music exclusively caused me to go outside of my usual channels and look up new music totally outside of my experience. This in turn led me to Odawas.

Their sound is a lovely combination of many bands I have treasured dearly over the years. OK Computer era Radiohead, Neil Young, Ennio Morricone (can't deny his whistling influence) and the Beach Boys all mixed together in a heady stew. The track I have up is very epic in its sound and just floors me every time.

It is a bit solemn at times, but hey sometimes that is just what is needed.

For your pleasure Odawas (myspace link)

Bee Gees

2007-04-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

I have been sitting on this one for a while. I mean who willingly admits to liking the Bee Gees? Generally they are regarded as one of those hidden pleasures that you listen to alone in a darkened room with the shades drawn to preserve your critical respectability.
Put on the white suit load up the cd player with Saturday Night Fever and do a turn on your light up dancefloor pretending to be a younger more attractive John Travolta.

In any case that was the Bee Gees that I was familiar with. As my father put it "That was when they started using helium right?"

I bought this album on a recommendation and was completely surprised with its sound. This was recorded in the late 60s and has an unmistakable Beatles influence in a lot of the songs. The arrangements are awesome and it is just an all around good album. The track I am posting is one of the more obvious, but there are tons more great tunes inside.

Of Montreal

2007-04-02T09:11:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Maeda in the comments I am going to try out a new technology here today (oops, didn't work with my host) with a recent purchase from "Of Montreal." This is the middle track off the album above. According to reviews of the album it ties the entire piece together. I only know that I like it and so I must foist it upon you my merry readers. Let me know what you think of the music and of the technology for sharing tracks.

Tree of life

2007-04-02T08:47:00.001-07:00

Tree of life, originally uploaded by hector.

Took my daughter to see Mark Ryden's new show in West Hollywood last weekend and she soaked it all up. She particularly loved the installation he did, but only having my phone made taking good shots out of the question. Still, this one turned out pretty ok.

tomorrow by mars 1

2007-04-02T08:45:00.001-07:00

tomorrow by mars 1, originally uploaded by hector.

I have been spending a lot of time recently looking at art and on very rare occasions purchasing some stuff. I just picked this up from Mars-1's solo show at the Jonathan Levine Gallery in NY thanks to the miracle of the internets.

Air

2007-03-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

This has probably been done to death, but just in case this coffin needs another nail, the new Air album isn't half bad.

Once you start doing a little research into french music and the influences of these guys it becomes apparent how much they love their influences. Now wearing your heart on your sleeve is not necessarily a bad thing. And in the case of Air they tread some delightful territory with their homages. Yet, spend some time with Serge Gainsborough's work particularly the History de Melody Nelson and you will listen to Premiers Symphonies with new ears.

One of the most enjoyable albums of my recent memory has been their Late Night Tales. A dream of a mix tape in the old sense. Remember when you made mix tapes for a friend, or girl you liked? Favorite tracks that somehow flowed together in a weird wonderful way. Stoner rock next to new wave. The Cure on the same side of tape as Black Sabbath? Good stuff.

In any case this all goes back to a track I wanted to play from the new album Pocket Symphony.

Air - Night Sight

Matthew Dear

2007-03-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

I was trawling about the internets, checking old spots and updating myself on the state of the world, as is my habit on weekday mornings. After a long absence philip sherburne has started posting again on a semi regular basis. Having been off the techno tip for a while now it was interesting to catch up and best of all hear about a new album coming out by Matthew Dear.

I really liked Leave Luck to Heaven when it came out. With Junior Boys first album it seemed to presage a return to romantic new wave sounds that in fact have come back into fashion. Imagine my surprise when I read sherburne's depiction of the new album, and better yet Yancy's more fully realized piece. Yancy also gracefully provides a link to a streaming version of the new single Deserter.

Great song, not track, but song. It really reminds me of some of the really late period Joy Division where they were already beginning to mutate into New Order musically but still had Ian Curtis singing for them. The music is sparkling and beautiful with that great mournful deep voice over the top. Scott Walker occasionally hits the same areas and it is a beautiful place.

enjoy and look forward to the upcoming album.

Matthew Dear - Deserter

Justine D.

2007-03-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Back again are the guys from I get rvng with their latest mix cd from the beautiful Justine D.
Now ordinarily I don't like mix cds, I want the full tracks to add to my collection so that I can quickly forget about who compiled the music and simply add to my ever expanding collection. However, once in a while something shows up that so defines the zeitgeist that I have to give my grudging respect and just jam to it.

This is one of those cds. With the recent proliferation of "new wave" bands on my space such as Glass Candy, the Chromatics and Farah a collection such as this was inevitable and since it speaks to my youth so successfully, quite enjoyable. Just check the tracklisting.

01. Robert Fripp & Brian Eno - Swastika Girls
02. The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds (7" Mix)
03. My Bloody Valentine - Soon (Andrew Weatherall 12" mix)
04. Shocking Blue - Acka Raga
05. Nitzer Ebb - Warsaw Ghetto
06. Turntablerocker - Love Supreme (Reduce to the Dub)
07. Daniel Wang - Like Some Dream (I Can't Stop Dreaming)
08. Ministry - All Day Remix
09. Glass Candy - I Always Say Yes
10. The Cars - Moving In Stereo
11. Hot Chip - No Fit State
12. Arthur Russell- Make 1,2
13. Chic - I Want Your Love
14. Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom - Black Spring
15. David Bowie - 1984
16. Crass - Walls
17. Malaria! - Kaltes Klares Wasser
18. Human League - Marianne
19. Christian Death - Romeo's Distress
20. Death In June - Nation
21. Goblin - Suspiria
22. Syd Barrett - Love You
23. The Zombies - Don't Go Away

Goblin, Delia & Gavin, Bowie, Chic, Ministry and an Andrew Weatherall remix of My Bloody Valentine! What more does a growing boy need?

What I can't figure out is how the guys from Igetrevng break even on this stuff. Five bucks for a cd is not much and each one is wrapped in a handmade case.
I have not listened to Diamond Dogs and particularly love the Bowie track on this compilation. 1984 is awesome!

Follow the links above to the myspace pages of Farah and Glass Candy for some choice free tracks.

Yoko

2007-03-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

Once again thanks to the mechanizations of Andrew(Lovefingers), I have new respect for an old artist. He recently posted a remix he did (I believe) of one of Yoko Ono's tracks. Called "Triple Fantasy" it really knocked my socks off. Melodic, wistful and downright hooky I could not stop listening to it. It appears that he has now taken it down, but expect it to pop up somewhere soon. Something that good can not simply live scattered on hard drives forever, vinyl demands it.

After getting caught up in his remix I rethought my position on Yoko. Brought up by rabid Beatles fanatics does not give one a very fond mental image of her, but we must all one day confront our prejudices and this one was profoundly ridiculous. A pioneering artist in her own right before she met John, Yoko went on to perform music well on par with anything else available at the time. I just needed to open myself to its charms.

I hope these two tracks do for you what they did for me. Not the most obscure, but still great

Yoko Ono - Walking on thin Ice

Yoko Ono - Kiss Kiss Kiss

Out of date

2007-03-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

This album made a comeback a few years ago in a big way. Everyone from The Rapture to The Futureheads cited it as a pivotal record in terms of their sound. I guess I missed out at the time. Being contrary and cheap can have its advantages though. By delaying gratification for a few years the fruit, in my mind, has just grown that much sweeter.

It took Sophia Coppala's film Marie Antoinette to really turn me on to a track from here. Although I didn't really like the movie all that much, her use of "Natural's Not in It" to characterize Marie's problems with spending was one of the most precise uses of music to document image ever.

Learn the words and apply them to your life. Its always good to view your day to day capitalist existence with a touch of irony and removal.

Gang of Four - Natural's Not In It

Cortney Tidwell

2007-02-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

I came upon this artist via a yet unreleased remix by Ewan Pearson. He dancified her in a way reminiscent of the best parts of Bjork and Goldfrapp, really dazzling glamorous stuff. Not wanting to prerelease something, I tracked down one of the singles off her album and was really suprised at how different it is. In some ways it reminds me of the Dennis Wilson track I posted up here a while back. Languid and shoegazey, I really enjoy it.

Courtney Tidwell - Eyes are at the Billions

oh and here is her myspace page

and here is some info on said remix

Look for it when it comes out Courtney Tidwell - Don't let the stars bring you down (ewan pearson remix)

Winterpills

2007-02-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

Gotta be upfront with y'all and say that this is not something I was able to find on my own. Once in a while I get sent promos, some are ok some are a little bit less. Most of the time they don't even rate mentioning. Today however with an overcast sky and the last few days of Belle and Sebastian type music ringing in my head I thought it might be worth it to promote a little melancholy pop. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Winterpills - Brokenarm

In other news Other Music from New York is going to start offering digital downloads free of DRM for sale on their site. This should be a great place to get obscure stuff that isn't totally crippled by bits and bytes that screw with your rights as a consumer.

Damn, it feels good to be a g....

2007-02-15T09:12:00.000-08:00

Alice Coltrane

2007-02-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

In case you had not heard, John Coltrane's wife Alice passed away in the middle of last month. Although her music never attained the following that her husband's had her impact on music is immense. Here on Journey in Satchidananda she works with Pharaoh Sanders on some beautiful, expansive, meditative tunes.

Enjoy, R.I.P. Alice

Alice Coltrane - Journey in Satchidananda

goblin

2007-02-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

This may be old and played out to some of you experienced soundtrack hunters out there, but Goblin are RAD! Weird building layers of keyboard arpeggiations combined with a powerful bass make me happy.

I picked up a copy of a greatest hits comp and have been hooked.

I should post more but here is one particularly fun track.

Goblin - Profondo Rosso (Main Title)

Any opinions out there about mediafire as a host for these tunes. Does it work ok?

Cause 'trippin and smokin' is all that you do

2007-01-25T20:36:00.000-08:00

Sabbath in Paris 1970

Long Live YouTube!

Andy Griffith vs. the Patriot Act

2007-01-22T19:56:00.000-08:00

Just watch it

burial

2007-01-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

Burial, burial, dark, burial, burial, underwater, burial burial , half remembered rave anthems, burialburial, jungle? burial burial, top albums of 2006, burial burial, surprised that I was hooked, burial burial, haunting melancholy, unnerving, lovely, distant, jittery, smoky, loved, my cell phone ring

Burial - You hurt me

unlike most of the music i have loved recently this is dark, spare, haunting music.
Perhaps I am not allowed to turn my goth side off. I have had a lifelong fascination with the darkside (Vader be damned) and this album allowed me to indulge while feeding me a new vision of an underwater London whose memories of warehouse parties still echo through the cold still water.

Stopping for a bit

2007-01-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

This has been wicked fun, but as I have mentioned recently I am drifting. I feel my musical center shifting to some new uncharted territory and don't really feel the confidence or certainty to expound on what has moved me recently.

Something that I was grateful to find online recently, (in its entirety) ,is an old album by Dennis Wilson entitled Pacific Ocean Blue.

Dennis was Brian Wilson's brother and the drummer for the Beach Boys. He hung out with Charles Manson and certainly had his own distinctive take on music.

I had heard of it a lot in odd circles and a dedicated search yielded some amazing results

Dennis Wilson - Thoughts of You

so melodic, soulful, and actually shoegazey

Groovin

2006-12-04T08:28:00.000-08:00

Got this track a while back, but I am just starting to groove on it. Mike Shannon, to my knowledge, has been mostly a purveyor of strict techno and IDM style electronic music.

Imagine my surprise when I heard this tune. It is a deep groovy piece of house music, with vocals!

I had a great weekend up in the Bay Area attending what is by all accounts a pretty famous underground annual party. Good times.

Mike Shannon - What's your pleasure

Update!!!!!
This is not in fact Mike Shannon. It is the Mole. Here is the correct info.

ARTIST: The Mole

TITLE: Conversations With The Past EP

LABEL: Wagon Repair, CA

The track name is: Jingover

Drifting

2006-11-27T08:29:00.000-08:00

Talking with a long time reader in the comments last week, he noticed how my taste has changed over the past few months. I agree. I spent a lot of time concentrating on minimal techno and house when I first set up the blog and for most of the last year.

It's not that I have completely gone off techno by any means. It is just that I have recently been feeling the call of more pronounced and obvious melody. For the most part it has taken the form of beardo disco selections, but it is really across the board. I hope I don't lose to many of my long time readers (and I know you are out there even if you rarely make an appearance in the comments section). Follow along and if you know of something similar please feel free to drop some knowledge in the comments box. I hope to learn as much by doing this as anyone does by reading it.

So for this week lets try something maudlin but distinctly American.

Lee Hazelwood - My Autumn's Done Come (soooooooo gooood)

Lee Hazelwood - Your Sweet Love

Two for Monday

2006-11-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

I have had some amazing finds over the past week and I wanted to jump up and give everyone out there a pre-turkey day treat.

First off is the beautiful Betty Botox. Renowned for her hot legs and hot hot disco remixing action. Betty has put out a 12" on the Rvng label.

A side project by Optimo co-founder jd twitch, Betty delves deep into the world of pulsing disco edits with the recent Rvng of the Nrds vol 2 release. Following hot on the heels of Tim Sweeny's vol. 1 12", vol 2 uses Patrick Cowley as the basis for the A side. Check out:

Betty Botox - Voodoo 1

Yesterday I was equally delighted and surprised to find a cd of Phantom Slasher at Amoeba in Hollywood. A side project of the prolific Idjut Boys, Phantom Slasher satisfies in a way that few of the beardo style disco offerings rarely have. Deeply funky takes on disco classics would adequately describe this album. Dancing around the house like a gay man on acid would also describe its effects. Check out:

Phantom Slasher - Lasagne for 10

Update - Sorry I didnt know you had to register to download on Yousendit now. I will be switching to a less invasive company. Still, these are great tracks....

Thinking about...

2006-11-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

This past week I have been concentrating on a few tracks that have really caught my notice. Last week the guys from Low Motion Disco (love that name) dropped one of their new tracks in my comments section with their now typical anonymousness. If you caught the track I featured on here before you know the style. Cough syrup beats with wondrous melodies layered over the top. I know that the last track that I featured was a slowed down version of something by the Chromatics. Where they got the source for this track, or if this was something they created all on their own is a complete mystery. In any case since they provided it so freely I am going to pass on the love and give it to you all. I am particularly fond of the guitar work that is responsible for the melody.

Low Motion Disco - frantic low moment

This second track is something many of you out there may or not be familiar with. Flaming Lips is certainly a big enough brand name in the world of rock. However, somehow I either never heard this track before or it simply escaped my attention. A couple of weeks ago I was letting the itunes do its shuffle thing when this track came on and just set me back. The beat is slow and steady and although it doesn't have the syncopation of a good disco track I find the strings so pleasurable that I had to draw attention to it and pass it on.

Flaming Lips - The Observer

Vote

2006-11-07T11:48:00.000-08:00

All kidding aside, if you live in the states, get off your ass go down the street and cast a vote. Even if it doesn't end up being counted at least you can bitch about the government knowing full well that you did your part to change things.

The Clash - Police and Thieves

Update: Saw this over at BoingBing.net and I had to share it: George Michael's Freedom with a twist

Sven Libaek

2006-11-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

I went to go sell back quite a few cds this last weekend and in the process came back with some incredible albums. First off this week is a collection of rare soundtrack music from the man on the left, Sven Libaek.

The album is called inner space and it is just awesome. If you are familiar with "The life aquatic with Steve Zizou" soundtrack you might have heard some of his delightful 60s infused scores before.

Sven Libaek - Growing up now (Instrumental)

Sven Libaek - Desert

Baaba Maal

2006-11-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

Now this is going to date me, but I remember playing this out quite a bit when it came out. It was around the time that Planet Dog was gaining in ascendancy and the idea of fusing "world music" with dance was still a rather novel idea.

I personally used to play the second mix offered here, but now I might be more inclined to wards the former.

Baaba Maal - Sidiki (Groucho's 12" Yard Mix)

Baaba Maal - Sidiki (Cafe Del Mako Mix)

Joni

2006-10-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

80s

2006-10-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Going back over some of my music from the 80s I am discovering again so much of what led me to dance music in the first place.

I would ideally love to post Every Day is Halloween from the early Ministry singles comp, but I have yet to find it again and my only copy was always on tape. In its place here is another great track from the early days.

Ministry - All Day Remix

Soul Mekanik

2006-10-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am not one to sing the praises of a former member of Take That, but with Robbie Williams latest 12" he has drafted in some serious talent to rework his track Rudebox. I am really fond of all of the versions, but if forced I prefer the Chicken Lips remix and this particular track by Soul Mekanik.

I have been drifting off electro house styles for a while now, but this really tears it up in a bouncey booty shaking way. Hell it even has my late 50s dad walking around repeating the chorus "Why you so nasty?"

Robbie Williams - Rudebox (Soul Mekanik Extended Dub)

Update: apparently the boys from Soul Mekanik handled half the production on the entire album, so there might be more of interest here.

Deep House

2006-10-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

I have recently been drawing some connections between balearic, space disco, and good old fashioned deep house. I went on a small spending spree and picked up some Larry Heard (although certainly not enough!) Manuel Göttsching, more Prins Thomas , and this lovely little track by Kerri Chandler.

Kerri Chandler - Digital Love Affair

Patrick Cowley (Remix)

2006-10-09T08:33:00.000-07:00

This track is totally over the top, but still incredible:

"In 1978 Patrick recorded an 16 minute long extended Remix version of the song " I Feel Love" performed by Donna Summer . Later, in 1981 , this Megamix was released by Casablanca Records. The Original 1977 version, which was composed by Giorgio Moroder , lasted 8 minutes ."

Check out this Patrick Cowley page for more info about this disco producer

Donna Summer - I feel love (Patrick Cowley remix)

From this great compilation, of which I will probably be posting much more music.

**Update** I just reposted the remix for the guys over at RVNG
they are putting out a ton of great tunes in the psychedelic/dance/beardo genre. Check em out and blow some of that hard earned cash.

Piere Henry - Psyche Rock

2006-10-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Something I heard yesterday on Jack FM

2006-10-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

Starting on my way to work yesterday I heard a station id for Jack FM that went roughtly as follows:

"Hey Jack
I guess that if I harrass little boys and then say I am an alcoholic and was abused as a kid that makes everything ok."

this was quickly followed by

The Cure - Boys Don't Cry

that combination almost made me want to rush out and find that bastard Foley and kick his and his enablers asses right then

Somehow Jon can project levity into any situation

Recent Mix

2006-10-02T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a recent mix cd I made. It kind of goes all over the place but it works for me. These days if I listen to too much of one style I get bored. I put it down to a unidentified case of ADD but it could have something to do with the random function on the Ipod changing my musical aesthetic.

1)Yesterday's Dream - The Shades of Black Lightning (bumrocks.com)

2)Low in the city - Low Motion Disco http://www.myspace.com/lowmotiondisco (Someone put this out!)

3)Spleez - Rub-n-Tug

4)Rudebox (Soul Mekanik Extended Dub) - Robbie Williams

5)Welcome To Zion (Sebo K & Metro Remix) - King Roc

6)Addicted - Original Mix - Anja Schneider

7)Gol - Donato Dozzy (This track is stunning dub influenced techno, on a good system it will blow you back. Look for more great stuff on his Dozzy Records imprint)

8)Belfast - Orbital

9)Along the Wire (Superpitcher Remix) - Lawrence

10)Serpentine (album edit) - My My

11)B-Movie 6:AM - Misc.

Krautrocksampler

2006-09-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you would be interested, but I have been searching for this book for a number of years and lo and behold thanks to Dreams Less Sweet I found it. That blog directed me to the aptly titled Post Punk Junk who is hosting this rare tome.

Krautrocksampler was written by Julian Cope of The Teardrop Explodes and Head Heritage.

Enjoy.

Link

On the Rub n Tug tip

2006-09-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

Reading Jaime over at Daughters of Invention led me to find a few cool tracks by this group. Very cool slow motion beardo disco. Moving on from one myspace page to another led me further to Mindless Boogie. Where I found that incredible version of Hot Chocolate's disco anthem that is playing via youtube above.

If anyone knows where to pick up a copy of that version I would be much appreciative.

Vangelis

2006-09-27T19:24:00.001-07:00

So I was going on about Vangelis in a previous post and true to form I couldn't hold back from picking up some thankfully cheap copies of his cds. At time the guy can go totally over the top, but he can be perfectly sublime too (as the Bladerunner Soundtrack demonstrates).
<-Love that pic!
Vangelis - Albedo 0.39

Vangelis - Spiral

Pharaoh Sanders

2006-09-24T11:55:00.000-07:00

This song is just such a thing of beauty I had to jump on and turn you all on to it.

Pharaho Sanders - Shukuru.

Gram Parsons

2006-09-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I have been contemplating shelving this project for a bit due to the fact that I simply don't seem to have the time necessary to update it. It sure isn't because I haven't been hearing good music though.
Getting into the whole beardo disco lovefingers/bumrocks sound has opened my head up to varieties of music I had not thought of in ages (hell I am actively seeking some of Vangelis's 70s output with a fervor I haven't felt in years).
With this view in mind I picked up a double album set by Gram Parsons. It contains his total solo recorded output on one cd and it has been something I have been meaning to do for a long time. I mean if you live in LA you gotta study the history of the music here (see woebot for an expanded [and typical for him, outsider] view of LA's musical history).
Connecting the dots in his short life leads one to the Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers and strangely the Rolling Stone's at their most country. Here is a track by him, and one the Stone's wrote with him in mind.

Gram Parsons - A song for you

Rolling Stones - Wild Horses

Louderbach

2006-09-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

Since I got on the Troy Pierce train its kind of hard to get off. Louderbach is his darker less minus sounding work under his own Underline imprint ( I previously posted something from Matt John that also falls under this label).

My wife thinks that this track is a little repetative, as she personally prefers techno that has more of a song structure to it. Sometimes though I like a little pure machine music. Whereas machine soul like 69 makes you imagine humanoid robots displaying emotion and longing, this is pure assembly line repetition.

See what you think, and tell me about it in the comments you lazy sods.

Louderbach - Vital (Donnacha Costello Mix)

Lawrence

2006-09-07T08:31:00.000-07:00

I have recently started writing reviews for Stylus Magazine, which I think is pretty cool cause I used to follow their reviews quite closely and its nice to now be a small part of their team.

In any case my most recent review was for the last 12" by Lawrence, which consisted of remixes of Along the Wire by Troy Pierce and Superpitcher. You can go here to check it out. Superpitcher did the apparently difficult job of living up to his former hype, but it was the troy pierce stuff that really suprised me. I have been kind of listening to his stuff from a distance, not completely involved in the output, but the Painted by Scholars mix just drew me in. I can't really explain why, although it is sleek and a bit sexy. Check it out for yourselves.

Lawrence - Along the Wire (Troy Pierce Painted by Scholars Mix)

The Mack

2006-09-05T07:52:00.000-07:00

Recently while trawling through the soundtrack department at Amoeba I came upon this gem. I picked it up new for about nine bucks out of some hazily remembered memory of an incredible review (generally when I do this it is a 50/50 toss up as to whether it will suck or not). This time the odds played in my favor.

The Mack soundtrack is a great album all the way through. There are some highlights as in the hit "The Brother's Gonna Work it Out" but it is remarkably consistant throughout.

Check out the hit and pick up the album. This is a prime example of the long tail at work.

Willie Hutch - Brother's Gonna Work it Out

The 70s become a more and more interesting decade for the study of music, politics, and culture as time goes on. I hope its not just cause I am stuck in some kind of nostalgia trip.

Monday quick fix

2006-08-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a few moments to introduce a few of you out there to this man. I get quite a few myspace friend requests from artists that I almost like, but this guy is really pretty good. I downloaded a couple of his tracks from his myspace account but so far they are all up for grabs. Minimal from the middle east.

Kirk Degiorgio, Esoteric

2006-08-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

I have been a long time follower of Mr. Degiorgio's work. Not always the most pleased follower, as I found some of his attempts at Detroit homage a little lacking. Yet there always remained a spark that kept me coming back.
I think I first ran into him via Mo'Wax in the mid 90s and was recently reminded of his authority by a web page he put up detailing some of the greatest soul and r&b albums of all time. I got a lot of good selections off that list and my respect for his knowledge and insight increased tremendously.

I recently got his latest 12" and it is pretty amazing. In contrast to his earlier stuff, he attempts a disco track here and pulls it off incredibly well. Energetic, propulsive, and exciting I have already slotted it into my latest mix cds. I am going to give you his original mix but if you know anything about space disco you will get the whole thing in order to pick up the Spirit Catcher Remix or the equally fun but much more housey Jimpster Remix. Get it here.

Kirk Degiorgio, Esoterik - Starwaves

as a bonus, from a comp that came out some time ago on Hefty, here is Degiorgio remixing Phil Ranelin

"For The Children" Kirk Degiorgio - Offworld Mix - Phil Ranelin - Phil Ranelin Remixed

Prima Norsk - Space Disco

2006-08-23T08:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a little something I picked up this last weekend at Amoeba SF. As an aside the Amoeba on Haight Street is somehow much better than our humble Hollywood Amoeba, at least as far as the organization of the dance section goes. I was able to easily find what I was looking for without any confusion as to which genere I should be searching in, which always makes the record shopping experience more pleasent. My wife and I chalked it up to the temporary nature of life in LA. It was easy to tell that many of the employees of the Amoeba SF store had been there for ages and refined their sections precisely. In LA everyone is looking to move on to something better and the committment level at retail must not be very great.

Anyway, here is to a quality record shopping experience, and to celebrate here are a couple of quality cuts from great Norwegian artists.

Lindbaek & Lindstrom - Aliens in my pocket

Todd Terje - Bodies (Prins Thomas Orgasmatron)

Very busy now

2006-08-21T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am starting grad school this week and getting up to speed is kicking my ass. Its probably that I have built grad school up in my mind to be some kind of super difficult thing more than anything. As with many things it is the anticipation more than the actual event that is the killer.

I have picked up some really odd and great music over the past couple of weeks that I am hoping to share soon as well as some stuff that I can't share quite yet, but when I do it will be great fun. Later this week I am going to throw some more quality nordic music out there thanks to this purchase. Its been out there a while but unavailable to me.

Tonight I just wanted to share a couple of tracks from back in 1993. I originally picked this up on cassette tape in a little second hand record shop in Camden and at the time it toally blew my mind. I think it bodes well that when I found it cheap last week in San Francisco both the kids started nodding along to it in the back seat and my seven year old even raised her hands in the air at the appropriate time.

Spooky - Little Bullet

Spooky - Orange Colored Liquid (this kind of reminds me of Higher Intelligence Agency)

Back

2006-08-20T11:09:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a week in the bay area of rest and relaxation. Posts returning soon.

For the weekend

2006-08-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

I have been loving some of the stuff over at Lovefingers.org recently. The spacey feel of some of the tracks they have been posting has just been killing it. In particular the Throbbing Gristle track from June 15 (Distant Dreams 2) and Champs Boys Orchestra Tubular Bells (Cosmic Mix) are an absolute necessity. I have heard tons of Throbbing Gristle and am actually familiar with this track from years ago. The timing of hearing them at this particular moment though is what provides the real impact.

Here are a few things of my own that their sound has me listening to:

Psychic TV - New Sexuality

Global Communications - 5 23 (Maiden Voyage)

John Barry - Fun City
from the Midnight Cowboy soundtrack

Kompakt - Speicher 38

2006-08-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

I haven't been giving Kompakt as much love as I anticipated when I first started this blog. At that time Kompakt was pretty much the alpha and the omega. Their string of releases was so strong and their reputation so legendary that I thought I would be spending a good chunk of time reviewing their tracks. Time and entropy can bring down the mightiest of houses though.
The fact that they handle their own online distribution probably contributes to my lack of coverage recently as well. I like to do my shopping online in one central location and for some reason I found their shop a little tedious to work with and switched to using beatport full time.
Well, their new Total comp is going to be out soon and word on the net is that it is going to be up to their old standards of greatness. I also recently got a copy of Speicher 38 (their hard dance sublabel) and my interest was rekindled once again.

Both tracks are pretty outstanding. and very different from one another. So to get some of you out there to purchase, I am only going to post one side so that you are forced to pick up the other. This is Oxia with the darker more industrial sounding track of the two.

Oxia - Future

Touch and Go 25th Anniversary

2006-08-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Found out about this upcoming festival a few months ago and just flipped. In the 80s and early 90s Touch and Go blew away most other indy labels out there. Their roster alone was unreal The Butthole Surfers, Big Black, Rapeman, Jesus Lizard the list goes on and on, literally the pantheon of golden age American "Alternative" Music. If you are a fan of music journalism you might have read "Our band could be your life," which documents this time pretty well. In any case the label has a festival coming up that documents their accomplishments both in the past and currently.
My friend Martin is travelling half way across the country just to see Scratch Acid (from my homestate Texas, more specifically Austin) and Big Black. Not so ancient readers of my site might know Touch and Go from CocoRosie or !!!, who are also playing.
(By the way, I can not say enough about how important Big Black was to me and my group of friends growing up so I won't even try. Just pick up a copy of The Rich Man's Eight Track and get blown away.)

!!! - Hello is this thing on

CocoRosie - Noah's Ark

Scratch Acid - Greatest Gift

Big Black - Jordan, Minnesota

Connaisseur Recordings

2006-08-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

Besides the Lindstrom that I picked up this weekend I also invested in a couple of main floor releases. I picked up the new Pan Pot ep on Mobilee (which is amazing) and this release from the previously unexplored Connaisseur Recordings. They are a young label with only a few 12"s to their name so far, but if this is anything to go by they bear watching.

This track is by Mariel Ito, which is a pseudonym for Erik Estornel better known as Maetrik for his recordings on Treibstoff and ILLmatic. This ep has a decidedly electro slant to it, but the 3 Channels remix I am featuring pulls in a jacking minimalist direction.

Mariel Ito - Lone Romantic (3 Channels Remix)

Six Cups of Rebel

2006-07-31T12:50:00.000-07:00

Six Cups of Rebel is Lindstrom under another name making sunkissed baeleric beats. This ep came out late last year but my head was deep into pummelling techno at that time. This summer finds me drifting upward in arpeggiated spirals to tunes like these as well as old classics by Tangerine Dream.
I read a quote from a fellow blogger where Lindstrom described the utility of his music thusly, "We want to make music people want to fuck to... fuck long and well too".

Nice one.

Six Cups of Rebel - Arp She Said

Rub n' Tug

2006-07-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Well I am just beginning to understand how precarious it can be to keep your head down in the sand. All this time I have been living in LA and it has been a hotbed of sweaty disco action. That is a flyer for a party I just missed and I have come to find out that DJ Harvey has been throwing parties pretty much blocks from my house for about two years now. In addition Lovefingers.org is based here in LA. Ah well, better late than never.

All this knowledge came about after purchasing an "album" by Rub n' Tug at Amoeba that I can't seem to find much of a reference to anywhere online. Its called "Better with a Spoonful of Leather." Carnage over at TAPE seems to think its a collection of edits and he could be right but I don't know the originals well enough to recognise them. The album, as Jun (who works at Amoeba) discribed it to me before I purchased it, is certainly "druggy." It sounds like chopped and screwed disco. Check it.

Rub n' Tug - Sea Men

Rub n' Tug - Tea Please

Heatwave

2006-07-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

Damn its hot. Los Angeles has been baking for the past week. Temperatures in the San Fernando Valley yesterday reached 115 and all other conversation has taken a back seat to discussions of global warming and the cost of running air conditioning.
Thankfully I don't have to wear a suit and tie to work so I don't have to suffer as much as your typical corporate drone, but I guess that is why they get paid the big bucks. In any case life goes on, if at a slower or more languid pace. In this weather I would love to spend the day lounging at some beachside bar like Cafe del Mar, just relaxing and watching the world go by.

On a day like today I think it is fully appropriate to dedicate a tune to a classic 70s R&B/Disco band, especially since their very name evokes the times. Here is Heatwave with their classic Star of the Story off their album Central Heating.

Heatwave - Star of the Story

In addition here is a track most of you probably already know from disco comps and the movies, Heatwave doing Boogie Nights

...and just to see if anyone makes it this far into the post I am going to embed one of my greatest finds this year down here at the bottom. Last night while trawling through the boards at ILM I discovered this unreal resource. Cocoon, Sven Vath's tech label, has a site up dedicated to exploring the Cocoon lifestyle called Cocoon Styled. There are pictures from events, streaming sets, and perhaps most importantly tons of incredible dj sets available for download. I just pulled off a set of Villalobos at Voltt from earlier this year that is better than any commercially available set of his I have ever heard. There are sets there from Luciano, Vath, and many more of the names many of us have come to know and love. Check it out.

Thomas Schumacher

2006-07-24T09:05:00.000-07:00

I have been sitting on this track for almost a month now. I purchased it pretty much on a whim, just listening to tunes wanting something that would remind me of how devestated Body Language left me last summer. After buying it I initially put it to the side because I realized that I was also a little tired of that electro one riff sound.

Still, the desire for a summer anthem has not left me. I even briefly considered making my first trip to Ibiza just to satisfy that need. The need for complete abandon, hands in the air dancing satisfaction is particularly strong with me recently. Maybe its because its been so long since I had a truely life affirming dancefloor experience. I think the last time it happened was when I saw Michael Mayer and Reinhardt Voight in Nov of 2003. Time flies...

However, traveling to Ibiza is ridiculously expensive and duty calls. So as we all should, I am going to try and make my own little piece of heaven here now. This heaven is going to be built one track at a time and in the hands of a skilled dj this track by Thomas Schumacher would be close to the summit in an escstatic set.

Thomas Schumacher - High on You(from his album Home)

Here is a little something from earlier in his career that has a bit more of an acid feel to it.

Pier Bucci

2006-07-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

I know that most of you seem to hate it when I post video. People come here expecting free tunes and a little unobtrusive commentary with a sprinkling of spelling and grammatical mistakes. So I am really trying to reign it in.
Seriously.
But what can I do when youtube just keeps throwing me these gifts. Pier Bucci's album still moves me and after investing in some new speakers recently I can hear the ridiculous amount of detail and clarity his music has. This is all to say that I am posting more video.
This is Pier Bucii - L'nuit

Oh and if you have a chance give some cash to a worthwhile art project. Square3's film "Speaking in Code" is going to be phenomenal when it is released and might just be the closest I ever get to seeing some of the artists I love. Check it out.

For the love of Minimal

2006-07-18T08:35:00.000-07:00

I have been dwelling on the eclectic for a while now, stretching out and letting the effects of the strong Southern California climate affect my musical direction. Its not as if I haven't been stockpiling tracks away and listening to them as they randomly pepper my day through the magic of the ipod, its just that climate influences mood and thus musical preference. When I think of most minimal I imagine Berlin in the winter. Coming in out of the cold into a dark sweaty space where the music is pumping and the people are grinding.

In my stockpiling I have continued to have love for the relatively new label Mobilee. Legend is that they rocked the house at their Sonar event and largely dominated the proceedings. Their intriguing blend of deep minimal techno/house certainly keeps me checking back on their progress.

Exerecise One's Flight Cancelled is a deep dark burner that is loaded with bass and heavy synth lines.

Exercise One - Flight Cancelled

I have championed Pan Pot on here before but I see no reason to stop a good thing. This track has been with me since late last year but continues to show up in the mixes I throw together for myself.

Pan Pot - Black Current

As an added bonus I found this clip from youtube of a forthcoming release by Sleeper Thief called Full of You.

Whirlpool Roductions/Justus Kohncke

2006-07-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

Justus Kohncke was one of the first artists to really draw me into Kompakt. His blend of techno and unashamed heartfelt pop was just so exciting. He really new how to make a banging track as well. I had read about his first band Whirlpool Productions but never heard anything before stumbling on this at Youtube. Odd how similar it sounds to a lot of the edits coming out in 2006.

Justus Kohncke - 2 after 909

Justus Kohncke - How long has this been going on
(update: Oops according to Mr. Carnage from Tape this is actually Lipps Inc. doing "How Long" still a corker though and if you have heard any of Kohncke's disco homages you know he took influence)

Justus Kohncke - Station 18

His remix for Hot Chip's Over and Over last year really set me off. It became kind of a mantra around my house. "Over and over like a monkey with a cymbal the joy of repitition is really upon me!"

So what

2006-07-12T20:44:00.000-07:00

So what - Miles Davis

Close the window when I roll the indo

2006-07-12T16:00:00.000-07:00

Disco not Disco

2006-07-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little under the weather today. Stuck in the house with a summer cold while the weather outside is scorching is no fun. Everytime I have to leave the house I feel like I am going to tip over.

Ugh. So its time to explore the tunes I haven't gotten to in ages. This time period of early 80s electro disco is awesome. I wouldn't define it as post punk exactly, athough it certainly was influenced by some of those sounds. More like disjointed disco. The rhythms are not really straight ahead but are still propulsive and the choices in sounds are harsh and in many cases untreated.

Alexander Robotnik is probably one of the better known names on here. His classic, Problemes de Amour, used to rock the dancefloor in one of the little clubs I went to in my hometown pretty relentlessly. Sandwiched between Duran Duran and the Cure it made for a pretty interesting clubbing experience.

Alexander Robotnik - Problemes D'Amour

Connie Case's "Get Down" was a one time excursion for Noel Williams who went on to produce Miami Bass and electro. Classic Track.

Connie Case - Get Down

Top Five

2006-07-10T08:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't made anything resembling a favorites list or top of the pops chart in ages. These are a few of the songs that have me coming back for more.

1)Anthony Rother - Gott
This brutal stomper from late last year just jumped on my radar and I have been abusing it relentlessly recently. Rother has been the undisputed master of German electro for years but recenly has been making tracks with Sven Vath for Coccoon. "Springlove," a collaboration just released by the duo, has been sticking with me as well.

2)Rene & Angela - I love you more (Mr. K Instrumental)
This is by far one of the greatest of the many disco edits I have been jamming to recently. How far it deviates from the original I have no idea. Originally scored off of the incredible bumrocks site, this has turned into one of my favorite summer jams.

3)Nelly Furtado - Maneater (Radioslave remix)
Never thought I would see the day the Nelly Furtado would make my top songs but this remix by Radioslave aka Rekid is tops. The booty shaking backbeat is perfect.

4)David Bowie - Sons of the Silent Age
Still working my way throught the Bowie back catalog. Heroes is an odd album in comparison to those that have come before it. It makes sense when compared to the previous Low but still, Bowie was out there charting his own course in the late 70s.

5)Idjut Boys - A Place Called Tarot (Idjut Boys Re-edit)
Groovy dubby disco is the sound of summer. This track and Sizzle by Goat Dance rock. Is it the summer of Beardo Disco?

Dreams

2006-07-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Some nights as I lie down to go to sleep I find that my mind is not quite as ready to drop off as the clock would suggest. Everything is taken care of, I have watched adult swim and capped it off with a late night dose of the Simpsons but my normal routine doesn't seem to be enough for my brain to shut down with.
As I lay there thinking, drifting, I go over the day's events trying to determine if I made good choices or not and then likely as not listening to music in my head. I examine songs I love, searching for personal meaning and how things connect from one movement or genere to the next.
Last night I got caught up in the possible connections between Neil Young and the Sex Pistols for a while before drifting on to more etheral concerns. A recent book I read called "The Dark Stuff" by Nick Kent provided some of the glue that connected my mental ramblings. He interviewed and discussed the work of various "Dark Artists" working in the rock genere. All the usual suspects appeared, Iggy, Sid Vicious, Kurdt. The twin jewels of the book were a pair chapters on Brian Wilson and Roy Orbison.

I recently started "getting" the Beach Boys, especially now that I know how dark the story is behind those uplifting melodies and gentle harmonies. Orbison is someone I have always had a fondness for. In the interview he seems plain spoken and unpretentious. He came across as an artist that thought deeply about his work and its context while never making himself out to be any more than just another man. Profoundly refreshing.

Roy Orbison - In Dreams

The Beach Boys - God Only Knows

The Beach Boys - Caroline No

The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice

Paradise

2006-07-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

This Rhino Records comp on the left called "The Larry Levan Story" looks a bit cheezy. At first glance it appears to be nothing more than an extremely well timed release to coincide with the resurgance in interest in disco edits and the culture itself. I have been crazy for the stuff myself and I am particularly interested in the time just after what this comp documents. I love the disco, but I am really wanting to hear what Levan did with the harder electronic sound of the early to mid 80s. Maybe what I am really looking for is the Ron Hardy sound, but I digress.
This comp is actually pretty cool. The Sister Sledge track I am posting is one of my favorite tracks this year and it has pushed me to go back over the Nile Rodgers catalog in search of other delights (he is the producer). The inclusion of a Yaz track also made me happy. In my Texas hometown Yaz was huge (sounds weird to write that but new wave gay culture penetrated deep into redneck south Texas) in the mid eighties and the track gave me waves of nostalgia.

Sister Sledge - Lost in Music

Yaz - Situation

and here is an extra Yaz track that warped my young teenage mind.

Yaz - I Before E Except After C

That track and New Order's - Elegia made me think outside of the box as to what music could be. I just remember sitting in my room with headphones on and digging on the pan and layered effects of both of those tracks.

Merle Haggard

2006-06-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

From the man that sang Oakie From Muskogee over thirty years ago, which became an anthem for the "Silent Majority" against the 60s flower children, comes some interesting thoughts about life in today's United States:

You had a duet out this year with Gretchen Wilson called "Politically Uncorrect." The lyrics go, "Nothing wrong with the Bible, nothing wrong with the flag, nothing wrong with the working man." That doesn’t seem to be particularly controversial or politically incorrect.
Yeah, but what is nowadays? Everybody’s twisted around. Freedom ain’t free no more. What America was and what America is is a totally absolutely different country.

It’s a different country now compared to when and what?
Fifty years ago there was as much freedom in San Quentin as there is in the streets of New York today, with obvious exceptions. You’re just as likely to have a police officer throw down on you with a .30-30 [rifle] in New York as you are in San Quentin.

There was certainly a lot more political music a generation ago than there is today. And your songs have always had a bit of a political edge. Do you see music as political force or tool?
I wrote songs like “The Fightin’ Side of Me,” “Okie from Muskogee,” “Are the Good Times Really Over”—several different politically oriented things. I’m actually not afraid to do things of that nature nowadays, but my wife and family are. You have to take seriously one’s wife who says “I know you’re not afraid, but consider me and the family. Please don’t say those things.” That is how much we’ve changed in this country. If you do something like Springsteen did, they’re liable to come and bring the IRS in on you. That’s the absolute truth, and everyone knows it.

Read the whole thing.

A Guy Called Gerald

2006-06-29T08:05:00.001-07:00

I can't begin to do justice to the influence this guy has had on techno, drum and bass, and electronica in this little post. Suffice it to say that he was there at the beginning of the acid house sound in England, writing tracks that made the Hacienda the legendary club that it has become. He was also a founding member of 808 state and after working with them on their first couple of albums went on to inspire entire genere's with his solo albums.

Recently he has moved to Berlin and joined in the minimal crusade to overtake the universe. I am going to post a few tracks from his many albums ending with his most recent minimal anthem. Study and enjoy.

A Guy Called Gerald - Vodoo Ray (arguably one of the first acid house tracks produced in UK)

A Guy Called Gerald - Cybergen (from Black Secret Technology)

A Guy Called Gerald - Fever(or a Flame)(feat. Wendy Page) from the album Essence

A Guy Called Gerald - Time to Jak (off his most recent Sender Records 12") killer track

Gong

2006-06-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

I have kind of a strange personal history attached to Gong and more specifically System 7 (who were former members of Gong). Long ago and far away in London I used to hang around a certain record studio where Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy did some work and on occassion would hang out.

I have one memory that stands out in particular of doing a party at the nearby Brixton Academy and then retiring to Butterfly to chill out. Mixmaster Morris manned the decks in the house and wouldn't let anyone else close while Hillage, Giraudy, Youth, and the usual cast and crew rolled up and chatted as a rare beautiful English morning unfolded outside. Glorious times.

In any case, having met Hillage and Giraudy I always wondered about the music they created under Gong but not really having the temperment to explore Prog rock at that time remained fairly ignorant of their accomplishments. Fast forward 8 or 9 years and I discovered this track online. Coming off of Delia & Gavin's last album I was very receptive to the arpeggiated sequence that starts the track and was finally moved enough this weekend to buy the whole thing.

Gong - A Sprinkling of Clouds

"A market system has not worked in terms of poor people,"

2006-06-27T11:08:00.000-07:00

In a time where most political maneuvering is done to increase the wealth of a select group of already wealthy men and women, this view is refreshing in its reaffirmation of America being the land where everyone can have the chance to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps without the ceiling of an aristocracy (inherited by birth or wealth).

In regards to his decision to donate 31 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Warren Buffet the world's second richest man has said:

A market system has not worked in terms of poor people," Mr. Buffett said yesterday, in an interview taped earlier in the day for "The Charlie Rose Show" on PBS .

As for any thought he might have had in giving the bulk of his billions to his three children, Mr. Buffett was characteristically blunt. "I don't believe in dynastic wealth," he said, calling those who grow up in wealthy circumstances "members of the lucky sperm club."

Its refreshing to read something nice in the business section.

Minilogue

2006-06-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

Now this is really odd. I picked up a few tracks this weekend including this euphoric builder from Minilogue. I had been hearing good things about them for a while and already had their "Girl from Botany Bay" single. As I am doing some more research on them I discover that they are from Sweden and that in a previous incarnation they were known as Son Kite (check out some of their mixes under other stuff).

Now most people don't know this but Sweden was the home of a HUGE Psy Trance scene during the late 90s and early 00s and Son Kite was one of their biggest exports. I find it funny that they have moved in a progressive/minimal direction (appearing on Traum no less) because I have been trying to convince one of my old PsyTrance mates, Richard, to put out some music in this direction.
Seems as if these guys saw the connection even before I did.

Check out the track though. It is a long smooth builder that will put hands in the air and fits the glorious sunshine that has been peeking through the fog here recently.

Minilogue - The Leopard

Drone

2006-06-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

The first stop on the link bar to the right goes to aquarius records, an entity I came across online but which resides in the Mission District of San Francisco. The diversity of their music is only surpassed by their reluctance to embrace techno as an art form. Thus, I have a bit of a love hate relationship with the shop. They have turned me on to tons of cool stuff on one hand and then gone on to slag personal hero's such as Justus Kohnke on the other (more on him on an upcoming post).

One of my first discoveries through Aquarius was this band The Blithe Sons. Obsessed with ambient sound, much of their work is recorded on location along the coast of Northern California. Various acoustic and local sound sources are recorded and occassionally processed to create a hypnotic drone based music. A friend i forwarded some of their work to compared it to a "blasted soundscape," which just might be what I find soothing.

The Blithe Sons - Sea Glass

Dusty

2006-06-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Classic album. Lush orchestration, a beautiful voice along with the analog recording process of the time combine to form a beautiful whole. Son of a Preacher Man is probably the most well known track off this album but there are plenty more great nuggets to choose from.

Dusty Springfield - Windmills of Your Mind

Dusty Springfield - I Don't Want to Hear it Anymore

angelic

2006-06-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

angelic
Originally uploaded by mezzaluna arcana.

Sometimes Flickr is a delight. The more I explore this resource the more convinced I am of its wonderfulness.

...and now for something completely different

2006-06-19T08:43:00.000-07:00

Recently my mind has been wandering from its usual dance based moorings in search of hooks and choruses to chant along to. Nothing like screaming out songs from your youth to make you feel tribal again.

Big Boys came from close to my original neck of the woods, Austin, Texas. I grew up a little further south but when possible we always drove up to the weirdo capital of Texas to catch live shows and bask in the atmosphere of a truely liberated town.

These guys played a hardcore based rock and roll that also took influeces from funk and whatever else caught their attention at the time. Here are a few songs that take me back to high school and driving around town with nothing better to do than drink and sing along.

Big Boys - Hollywood Swinging

Big Boys - Fun Fun Fun

Big Boys - Sound on Sound

Sahko

2006-06-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

If you have been loving on SleepArchive spare a little thought to his predecessors. In interviews he often mentions the debt he owes to the Sahko label. In particular to Mika Vaino of Pan sonic, who previously recorded under the name OM or Ø.
If you listen to some of the tracks off this album, Tulkinta, you can hear the references that come up so often in the language of minimalism today.
Check out Boomkat's article on Sahko and what label founder Tommi Gronlund has to say about the recent resurgance in interest in minimalism.

Ø - Helium

Ø - Atomit

M_nus

2006-06-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for this compilation with baited breath (that was a lame choice of words, lets just say I was excited) and thus far it has not disappointed. The sound of min2max is, as the name implies, strictly minimal. Stripped down rhythms and finely tuned sound design make up the stock and trade of this album. Since my first introduction to techno the aphorism "do more with less" has alway struck me as highly appropriate. Like a painter who, only using the barest brush strokes, is able to suggest more than is actually there minimal techno functions best when it is suggestive rather than leading.

This particular track by Loco Dice best exemplifies this aesthetic on this compilation. A stripped down groove is the basis for the track which over time is added to and expanded bit by bit till before you know it you are jacking. Listen and enjoy.
Chantilly Bass is hosting another incredible and maybe even more vital track from this compilation over at her blogspot address. Sample the joy and then purchase.

Loco Dice - Orchidee

The Orchids

2006-06-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

From the album Dreams less Sweet
Psychic Tv - The Orchids

Shoes at Undefeated

2006-06-08T12:45:00.000-07:00

Shoes at Undefeated
Originally uploaded by hector.

This has nothing particularly to do with music other than they were playing what sounded like ragga at time I walked into the shop. This has more to do with my increasing facination with sneakers. Although I have not started standing in line to purchase the latest limited run of nike's, I find the culture facinating. The consumerism is so pure. It almost makes us record collectors look like pikers in comparison.

This is really the entirety of the store as well. The other wall is blank and is about 5 feet to the right of the end of the picture. The utilitarianism of the shop also reminds me a lot of a record store. In particular the new shop Turntable Lab on Fairfax has an almost identical set up with records lining the walls as opposed to shoes.

Digging

2006-06-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

One nice thing about being a packrat, (or at least as much of one as my wife will allow me to be) , is that when the inspiration strikes you can go digging throught the collection for precursors and influences. That compilation on the left was released around 1995. Ifach was a label run by Baby Ford who was already almost a decade into his musical career by the time this came out. Ford's style by this time had already evolved into a strain of dark minimalism that would be an example for today's minimal scene. In fact, Perlon records was founded by one of his early collaborators, Zip.

Ifach Vol.1 collects the early 12"s released on his legendary label by Ford himself as well as a who's who of English techno. Ed & Andy from Plaid do a number of tracks under the alias EcoTourist and Mark Broom contributes a few tracks, as well as collaborations with Ford.

The packaging resembles nothing so much as a contemporary cdr. The artwork is photocopied and the sleeve is a flimsy piece of plasticine. Still to a budding explorer this cd was a monumental find. Along with Sahko Records output and Rob Hood's work on Tresor and M-Plant, the mid 90s provided many chances for mind expanding alternative views of what Techno could be.

Baby Ford - Dead Eye

06/06/06

2006-06-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Hey today only comes around once a millenium so lets give the devil his due. The most recent thing I have read on this subject, (which is contained in the wikipedia entry connected to the title of this post), says that 666 is actually a numerlogical reference to the Roman Emperor Nero who prosecuted the minority Christian community so vociferously during his reign. Therefore, hell was itself an analogy for the Roman Empire. Not exactly METAL but interesting.
All historical research aside the devil and by extension horror has made for some great tunes. Today we will celebrate The National Day of Slayer and throw in a few other choice cuts to keep things interesting.
First off the classic:

Slayer - Reign in Blood

Then from a slightly different perspective of the devil is Dies Irae. They see the devil as a contrarian rebel in heaven. Lucifer as the light bringer. The style is all over the place but very satisfying. Blues/Rock/Progressive/Krautrock etc...

Dies Irae - Lucifer

Finally, one of my all time favorite bands, The Misfits, who don't really belong here but I have been looking for an excuse to post one of their songs, so here is.

The Misfits - Night of the Living Dead

PSA

2006-06-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

Just for your info.
Never thought I would be reccomending a purchase of mixmag, but last month's issue had a top mix cd by Hawtin on it. The tracklisting is as follows:

1	2000 & One	Leaf 2
2	Cosmic Sandwich	Man In A Box (André Kraml Remix)
		Remix - André Kraml
3	Sleeparchive	ACD-Voice
4	Shane Berry	For A Moment
5	Audio Werner	Trust
6	Heartz4	Intimacy Girl (Someone Else Remix)
		Remix - Someone Else (2)
7	Tadeo	Granade Granate
8	Troy Pierce	25 Bitches (Gaiser's Too Many Bitches Makeover)
		Remix - Gaiser
9	Fraktion	This Fever Works
10	Marc Lansley & Falko Brocksieper	Popa Wheely
11	Sebo K	Horizons
12	Alex Under	El Encuentro
13	LocoDice	Seeing Through Shadows

Its a great mix for the cost of the magazine and it has a nice continuity to it. After hearing the last few mixes by Hawtin I expected something more fractured and intellectual but this is a great mix for just dancing to, without any particularly weighty intellectual thought process behind it. Is techno becoming more hedonistic? Perhaps the crossovers that have been happening betwee house/techno/electro have born more fruit than simply new songs. Maybe the respective mindsets have expanded? Next thing you know Basic Channel are going to release a straight up jacking track. We shall see.

I particularly liked the 25 Bitches remix on this mix and the last three tracks. Alex Under has been killing it recently. The Untitled track on Multiplicaciones is awesome as well. In fact what the hell, lets start the week off with some techno.

Alex Under - Untitled

Trance, is it part of your shameful past?

2006-06-02T07:48:00.000-07:00

The Age of Love: "The Age of Love (Watch Out for Stella Club Mix)" (1990) fromClassic Acid (Moonshine)
Michael Mayer: [Hi-hat kicks in.] Ah, I know it. It's old. Yeah, that's a fucking classic; it used to be so big here in Cologne. You'd drop it at a party, and people would freak out. It was one of the biggest anthems for the Cologne gay scene. The first years of techno here—'91, '92, '93—the gay community was much heavier involved into the club and techno here in Cologne. When I hear this, I always remember the times when clubs like Space Club were on and all the cute gay guys with their slim dresses [laughs].

Last week I was going on about Gabriel Ananda and Dominik Eulberg's influences and how they identified strongly with the eye-q sound of Sven Vath. After doing a bit of rooting around in my collection in pursuit of something that would show a direct connection I realized that I had it a bit off. The eye-q sound was harder and faster than their more recent interpretations of trance, but ole Jam & Spoon were right on the money. If you were going out in those heady days of the early 90s you no doubt heard this tune.

Listen to the sounds used, particularly in the intro. Crystalline sounds that jump out of the speakers with a metronomic pulse around 120-125bpm. If you stripped out some of the pads and the vocal chorus I would be totally unsuprised to hear this on the dancefloor today.

What is really cool about today's dance scene is the way that the ghettos of genere's from previous years have been breaking down. Dance started off very eglatarian in the fact that there were only so many tunes, so you had to play a number of styles in order to get through the night. The 90s saw genere's get so compartmentalized that there was actual animosity between scenes and little music from one genere got played in the clubs or rave's of another. Today if you flip through mixmag its hard to say what belongs in the house section or the techno section and nights spring up that play everything from dubstep to disco in the span of a night.

Anyway, enjoy the music and have a great weekend.

The Age of Love: "The Age of Love (Watch Out for Stella Club Mix)

Disco

2006-06-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Be careful what you ask for brothers and sisters because you just might get it. Thanks to a fortuitous string of events I have been inundated with high quality tunes and disco information. The other day on ILM I made an off hand comment about how much I have been enjoying Mr. Terje's music, as anyone who has been reading here knows. Lo and behold a kind and generous stranger reached out to me through the miricle of YSI and sent me two large loads of his reedits. I am still trying to get my head around all of those tunes when I discovered this incredible treasure thanks to Dave over at 33/45. Upon further investigation Jaime at Daughters of Invention turned me (and anyone else who reads the blog) on to 3 free downloads from the Quiet Village project.

Whew! Well all that has my head spinning. Some days are better than others on the internet and yesterday was a treat.

Here for your pleasure are a couple of the tracks I just recieved. I try not to post stuff I haven't paid for, but seeing as I have never seen this stuff for sale anywhere I won't feel too bad.

Chaka Khan - Fate (tangoterje edit)

Issac Hayes - Zeke the Freak (todd terje rekutt)

(Update: The kind stranger from ILM was Jacob Sanders. Cheers mate!)

Alden Tyrell

2006-05-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

Due to an infatuation with Todd Terje and a host of other recent new disco music makers, I have started diverting my attention from straight techno and minimal to this revived art form. Alden Tyrell approaches disco from its 80s incarnation as Italo House. The beats are more pumping and the sound distinctly electronic, yet it still has a wistfullness for the groove and the disco ball. Its easy to see how Italo could go on to spawn genere's as diverse as EBM and trance once the gay euphoric elements are removed and all that is left is the sense of futurism and the relentless beat.
This track is off the recently released compilation of his work for Clone Records. Times Like These compiles his releases from 1999-2006 on one convenient package.

Alden Tyrell - Knockers

How can you not like a guy with all that gear and a giant robot on top?

Cluster

2006-05-25T08:14:00.000-07:00

In a somewhat different vein from the minimalism and maximalism that has dominated my posts recently, I bring you Cluster. Sometimes grouped in with the Krautrock movement in Germany, I find the tag kosmische music more appropriate. In my limited understanding of German I believe it better describes the ambient tendencies these guys had in contrast to the metronomic insistance of most krautrock. In any case, Cluster went through many periods from pure ambient noise to an almost dub influenced sound. Cluster also had many illustrious collaborators. They worked with Michael Rother from Neu on a project called Harmonia and with Eno on a series of albums during his Berlin period (which was around the time he worked with Bowie on Low).

Cluster - Im Suden (from Cluster II)

Cluster - Hollywood (from a great Tigersushi comp called More MGM which also has Maurice Fulton and Metro Area) Update: {This file got weird and I had to remove it, sorry.}

Oh Fuck

2006-05-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a tease but damn what a good tease. I just heard that Carl Craig and Basic Channel did remixes for the latest Rhythm & Sound 12." Since I have been ranting on Craig's greatness recently I was dying to check it out. So far all I have found are these snippets from Hard Wax, but damn if they don't sound good. The Craig track sounds like jacking dub(?) and the Basic reshape sounds positively epic.

Poor People Must Work - Rhythm & Sound (Carl Craig Remix)

See Mi Version - Rhythm & Sound (Basic Reshape)

Try your local record emporium or click on the Hard Wax link up above to order direct. So far I have not found them for sale as digital tracks.

Nathan Fake

2006-05-22T19:10:00.000-07:00

I just wanted everyone to know that they could do a lot worse than picking up the latest album by Nathan Fake. Drowning in a Sea of Love has been a continual joy for a couple of weeks now and I will do my best to throw a few tracks on here soon. I had initially had expectations of it being Ulrich Schnaussy but it is so much more than that. This boy really loved My Bloody Valentine and not just the pretty parts either, some of that album had dense guitar work that was actually kind of heavy and this shares some of those moments.

Peace

Gabriel Ananda & Cio D'or

2006-05-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Well, its a rainy morning here in LA, but listening to this you would never know it. I have been coming around to Ananda's interpretation of house/techno for a while now. It is very similar to Dominik Eulberg's expansive interpretation of what techno can be. I remember reading somewhere that Eulberg was directly influenced by Sven Vath in the mid 90s and wanted to reinterpret that sound for today's dancefloor. Discogs says that Ananada had a similar experience with Vath and his tracks have many of the hallmarks of that mid 90s trance sound particularly the build and heavy use of melody. The difference is all in the bpm. The sound today is noticably slowed down and given more room so that a groove is allowed to develop, in contrast to the Eye Q stuff that is between 10 and 20 bpm faster.

This track is a collaboration with Cio D'or on the ace triebstoff records imprint. The 12" is a single sided vinyl with a textured back that is signed by both artists. Have at it collector scum!

Gabriel Ananda & Cio D'or - Lauschgoldengel

Germany, where the past is the future

2006-05-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

So many things start here. Bambatta made electro from this album. Solvent's sound is just a mutated gene away from this place. The suprising thing is that unlike many classic albums when you put this on it sounds as fresh as the day it came out. The sound is bright but not too tinny and the sounds themselves just sparkle. On Futurama some of my favorite bits are when they try to imagine what the past, our current time, is like. Can you imagine what someone digging this album up in a thousand years will think? "Wow, they were more ahead in 1981 than anyone thought! I didn't think they even used computers till the 1990s and these guys are writing love songs to them."

Kraftwerk - Computer Love

John Tejada

2006-05-18T08:19:00.000-07:00

John Tejada is one of those odd producers that are difficult to pigeon hole. He does a lot of progressive tech house sounding stuff, straight minimal tunes, indie electronica in fact it is a bit of a mixed bag. Sometimes like with last years "Sweat on the Walls" he hits the nail on the head perfectly. The track just jacks and the vocal sample just makes me think of all the sweaty warehouses I have danced my ass off in. That feeling of being lost on the dance floor and then suddenly its raining from all the condensation. MMMMMM. Lost in music. I cherish those memories as if they were religious. With this track he is going with more of a progressive edge. The feeling is more anthemic than jacking with a tight little melody that runs through the whole tune. Apparently the press release is saying that this will be his last tune ever before going on to a job in the real world, but somehow I doubt it.

John Tejada - The end of it all

Matt John

2006-05-16T08:46:00.000-07:00

Look at that sweaty gurner. That is a face that knows the dance floor.

Although I have heard very little by Matt John and liked even less, i am really digging this tune right here. His remix of 25 Bitches didn't seem different enough from the original to get too excited about but this minimal groover I found the other day is nice.

I am home with a sick baby today so the post will be short and sweet check out the tune and if you like it buy the EP.

Matt John - Hologramm

Stolen from Boing Boing because we all need to know this

2006-05-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

DOJ moves in dark of night to quash EFF wiretapping lawsuit
Kurt sez, "Early Saturday morning, in the darkest hours of the night, the Department of Justice made good its threat to file a motion to dismiss our class-action lawsuit against AT&T, contending that AT&T's collaboration with the NSA's massive and illegal program to wiretap and data-mine Americans' communications (which violates the law and the privacy of its customers)--despite being front page news throughout the United States and the subject of government press conferences and Congressional hearings--is a state secret. The motion was accompanied by declarations by Lieutenant General Keith B. Alexander, Director, National Security Agency and John D. Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence. We will vigorously oppose this motion. Donate to EFF and help stop the illegal spying!" Link (Thanks, Kurt!)

Furry Plant

2006-05-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Richard Woflsdorf - Buena Onda

Nice to see him working with a 4/4 kick again.

{In case no one figured it out this is Villalobos working under a different name, check out the 12" the other side is a 5 min remix that is a bit more to the point}

Growing up

2006-05-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

I was really fortunate to grow up in the home I did. We had our ups and downs but at the end of the day my parents thought about their kids before they thought of themselves and that makes all the difference in the world.

I think that I got my love for music in the home. We always had a decent stereo and in 80 or 81 my family moved into a house that my dad had the foresight to have wired for sound. You could listen to what was playing in the living room throughout the house and although the speakers were pretty basic it thrilled me to no end as a kid. TECHNOLOGY.

My dad loved the Beatles, Barry White, and of course FM radio. I remember disco and rock radio being on most of the time providing a steady backbeat to my childhood.

Here is one of Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra's offerings from those days.

Love Unlimited Orchestra - Strange games and things

Another great memory from those times is roller skating. In what I guess was my first connection to clubs, my parents used to drop me and my brother off at the skating rink on Fridays to spend a couple hours skating around in a circle and attempting not to bust our asses. I wasn't really interested in girls at the time but always felt kind of odd when I had no one to skate with for couples skating. I can just see the lights going low and the disco ball casting its reflection on the smooth wooden floor when I hear this Earth, Wind and Fire track.

Earth, Wind and Fire - Fantasy

I can't say that I was fortunate enough to have my family blasting Marvin throughout the house through the 70s. We were a little hip but by no means cool. However, when my dad hit his middle age/seperated blues he took up driving a fast car and listening to 80's R&B. Sade, Anita Baker, Marivn, as long as it was loving music my dad rocked it. At the time I was a little shit about it and wanted to blast the Butthole Surfers whenever I got in his car. In the end I think we ended up influencing the other more than we thought. I got into the R&B later on and he likes New Order and the Cure. He loved the Sexual Healing era Marvin but this track is pure Balearic bliss.

Marvin Gaye - After the Dance

Drifting

2006-05-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

Since it has never been my intention to make this site an exclusively dance music centered blog, I am going to divert today and play a few tracks that at their heart retain the qualities of repetition and beauty that I enjoy most in dance music.

First off is the old man to the left. John Cage was a towering figure in experimentalism during his lifetime. If you know it or not his ideas have influenced how all of us perceive sound. Dance music and its branches have been particularly shaped by the ideas he had about sound as an end in itself.
Neveretheless I am not playing one of his more experimental works. I really love this piano piece that he did early on in his career. It is very melodic and restful and sometimes that just hits the spot.

John Cage - In a Landscape

From Cage I want to move on to more contemporary themes. As I mentioned my love for repetition (like a monkey with a cymbal, the joy of repetition is really...) above I wanted to post a couple of tracks that could easily be considered "rock" but to me seem so much more.

Ghost is a band that I posted about on my first week on. Since hardly anyone was paying attention at that time I don't feel to bad about coming back to their music. The review at the link I posted on their name will do a much better job at informing you about them than I could so don't be afraid to click through. The least information you need to know is that they are Japanese hippies that can jam. Repitition is a big part of what they do but not as much as the following group.

Ghost - Ganagmanag

Finally there is Circle. This band is still somewhat of a mystery to me. I have two of their albums and a number of free floating tracks, but the albums differ quite greatly in production quality and to a degree style. At some points they use a syth as an arpeggiator and at others its just a full on Krautrock/Finnish experience. This album shows more of their jamming rock side but will take you on a trip nevertheless.

Circle - Alotus

How did I miss this?

2006-05-07T20:23:00.000-07:00

Just picked this up for a fiver and it suprised the hell out of me. I guess I missed the hype on Mr. Bucci, if there was any. Apparently he is from the Chilean axis of evil that counts Luciano and Villalobos among its members. You can hear the connection in the programming in a couple of the trackes for sure. Lovely polyrhythms and a deep understanding of the psychedelic mindset.

This track kind of reminds me of what Dexter might have sounded like if it were influenced by deep house more than techno.

Pier Bucci - The R-8 Mooger

Like the Bucci track above, some recent tunes have really been opening up my appreciation for space within the confines of techno. The recent Carl Craig remixes are unreal. The Delia and Gavin track is good but I think the Theo Parrish I talked about here last month is just as strong and both are so wide open. The mood is so blissful.

Speaking of Villalobos here is an oldey but goody that reminds me of West Coast deep house a lot.

Ricardo Villalobos - 808 the Bass Queen (Queen of Bass Remix)

Isolee

2006-05-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

Isolee, what can you say about a guy that makes music that would cause even a robot to shake his ass. When Beu Mont Plage came out everyone loved it. That shit was an instant classic. Western Store is just a collection of his 12"s before his first album, with a couple of remixes thrown in for good measure. Use these to enjoy your weekend and go pick up the album you cheap bastards!

Isolee - Lost

Isolee - Beu Mont Plage (Freeform Reform Part 1 & 2)

why is it I like it when Freeform remixes and is remixed but not their own stuff?

Carston Jost

2006-05-03T13:11:00.000-07:00

I first came upon this man thanks to Lawrence. The first few Lawrence records were released under the Dial label which Jost co-founded. Their dreamy sound drew me into Dial's orbit and I was lucky enough to have a friend get an unexpected infusion of cds from a devotee in San Francisco. He burned me this album and I was lost for quite a while. Jost had obviously heard Basic Channel and his work combined their understanding of space with a bit of an emotional hook.

Carsten Jost - Krokus

Strangely, I can't hear the name Krokus without thinking of these guys. Ahh the odd blessings of growing up with Middle America FM radio.

Gotta check out this man

2006-05-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a comment, I went and checked out Cameron's site electro-lights and lo and behold like a gift from the heavens is a track that has had me salivating for months now.

Go on pay a visit. He has wonderful taste.