Mylo

I know this stuff has been out there forever, but I just LOVE the Mylo remix of Freeform Five. The acidic house quality to it is infectious. Every time it comes on the stereo everyone in the house starts shaking their hips and inevidably I get up to check the track name (a sign of quality).

I recently got the full length album by him and so far it has not killed it in quite the same way. I am giving it time though. In any case the weekend is almost here!

Freeform Five - No More Conversations (Mylo Remix)

Shortwave

He sure doesn't up date often but when he does its nice. Check out the noise.

I hve been wondering about this very thing myself

This post by Glenn Greenwald is stricking in its simplicity and its rhetorical force. I first started wondering about the commitment of small government Republicanism in the 80s when it seemed that a large government apparatus was fine when it worked for their causes. The Bush administration has gutted what remained of this admirable ideal.

But please read.

Connections

I am just getting around to reading Mr. Reynolds new book. I had wanted to wait for it to come out in the States to give it a go, but the planned elimination of the SST chapter compelled me to order it off of Amazon UK.

I am a big fan of the writer. He got me hooked with Generation Ecstacy, his previous book on dance culture. My only fault so far with Rip it up is that I think it is either too expansive or not long enough. Perhaps not long enough is a better discription. Many of the bands only warrant a couple paragraphs or at times a couple of sentences. It just leaves me hungry for more information.

In any case, he does a good job of tracing influences. Although I had heard the story of Joy Division being inspired by the track Warszawa off of Bowie's Low before, a discovery within my own collection made it suddenly relevent.

Trawling through my Joy Division cds I rediscovered a bootleg cd I had purchased in Camden market years ago of the Warsaw demos. they are pretty raw but give a real feeling for what the band would later become in the studio with Martin Hannet.

David Bowie - Warszawa

from the Warsaw demos a heavy version of
Joy Division - Transmission

perhaps their most fully realized track in the style of Warszawa
Joy Division - Atmosphere

My Sundays

Musical Mural goodness.

A little mural art for the citizens of Hollywood. 

A view of the posters on the way out.  

A view from the dvd section of the main floor. There is another giant room in the back for jazz, classical, and exotica. 

Its too bad I don't play anymore. 

A little corner of the house cds. It stretches on and on. 

A first glimpse of the the magic kingdom 

Dance music 

So much vinyl.. 

The State of the Nation

Last night I read Angry Robot's post regarding posting new or leaked tracks, and his belief that music blogs have lost the grass roots energy and independence that made them unique and vital. In addition Philip Sherburne wrote something similar a few weeks ago regarding the temerity of publicists trying to influence his writing policy by sending him review copies of albums.

I have a great deal of respect for both of these writers, but these posts have got me thinking. The sort of behavior they both describe can be thought of as bad. However, in this post sell out world could it not be better viewed as an industry shifting to adjust to the realities of the modern marketplace. As a former publicist, record reviewer, and dj I understand that the placing of music in tastemakeres hands is a vital survival tactic in a glutted marketplace. Once placed into the hands of a reviewer/dj/ect.. what the recipient chooses to do with that new information is in the hands of the individual. I recieved a lot of tunes in my time that didn't hit me, wouldn't work with my style, and most importantly would adversely effect the trust of my reader/listenship if I started championing only because I got it for free.

It was not so long ago that all record companies were fearful of being put out of business by uncontrolled distribution of any of their content online, and aggressively prosecuting anyone who tried to create new rules. I think I see this distribution of mp3s and promo copies to bloggers as a profound sea change in the way that record companies view the internet. They now see it as a mechanism for profit, and when you are dealing with a business that is the attitude you have to take when thinking about how they function. Businesses almost never act for purely alteristic reasons. When that is taken as a given, it becomes much easier not only to understand their way of thinking but to take advantage of it. I would much rather have companies send fluxbog tracks, for example, than sue him.

It has taken me a long time to come around to this way of thinking. In the 80s and 90s I was very much a hardcore purist towards artists that "sold out" and the tactics of record companies that chose to market "my" music to the world. As I have come to know more and more musicians and artists, I realize that it is a tough business to make a buck in and who am I to begrudge them their livelyhood. I expect to be paid at my job.

P.S. I do not recieve promo copies and am not advocting that they be sent. I do not even have time to listen to the music I have in as detailed manner as I would like. I just like to see all sides of a subject.

and because the best music is often made by indies that often do not have the budget to send out promo copies here is a great track that was not much advertised at all.

Sir Richard Bishop - Mystic Minor 23

Since I hit up Autechre last night i felt it was only right to continue the thread this morning with another great 90s electronica act.

Plaid

Like every other electronic music obsessive of the 90s I was into Black Dog. Sometimes their themes of Egyptology and technology went over my head, but I enjoyed the tunes. One night in the early to mid 90s I ventured to the famous Sir George Robey pub in Finsbury Park to check out a night of electronic music. Ed and Andy (pictured) were playing a mix of recent and past electro maddness that fried my brain. I had been expecting something a bit more trendy and of the moment and instead they took it back to the mid 80s playing stuff I used to break dance to in junior high. Needless to say it was awesome. I began obsessively tracking their releases after that point, following the name changes and label shifts along the way. Here are two very different tracks from their long career.

From 1989 Plaid - Uneasy Listening

From 1995 Kushti - Stromboli

Get DRM free music at Bleep!

There are tracks which one should simply have.

They provide a point of reference for which other things may be judged. This is one of those tracks. Its up to you to decide what end of the spectrum it falls on.

Autechre - Second Bad Vibel

pronounced (AWW-tech-ra) no matter what they say

(Update)As an added bonus, since it was mentioned in comments, a video.

Just in case you weren't around back in the day. This album is as essential now as it was then.

I first saw Vladislav Delay/Luomo in early 2002 at a small space in LA called the Echo. I wasn't keeping up with house or techno much at the time. I was coming off of one of my periodic facinations with the horribly named IDM, and went to hear the Vladislav Delay portion of the show with a couple of new friends. All dubbed out effects and space he did not dissappoint.

However, about half way through the show a funked up drum track started up and the floor started to fill up with a small group of grinding dancers. I was intrigued, but not entirely receptive at that point, still straddled with the baggage of IDM I found it difficult to get back into 4/4. Shortly later something snapped and I began to hoover this style of music up like there was no tomorrow. See if this effects you the same way.

Luomo - Syncro

Strangely, I agree with Christopher Hitchens.

These, if you didn't know, are two very different artists.

Ricardo Villalobos has altered house music's DNA in the last several years. Some might credit him with making minimal the defacto genre of 2005. When Sasha is digging in the minimal crate things are definitely weird.

On the right is Six Organs of Admittance. Ben Chasney is the leader and was the sole member of this group for a while. He makes a dreamy, feedback washed style of folk that owes a debt to John Fahey.

I only bring them up in the same post after purchasing Achso, Villalobos's latest. As usual he is out there, combing the depths that I thought house would never reach. On the track I am putting up, Seiso, he practically creates a new genere. Somewhere between krautrock/free folk (a la Six Organs) and of course techno. I was also reminded of Amon Duul II. Hell, I could just be imagining things but both tracks are worth checking out anyway.

Ricardo Villalobos - Seiso

Six Organs of Admittance - Home

I love a rolling bass line, and this track just rocks. Chuncky beats and a chicken scratch guitar line complete the picture.

Check out his website for mixtapes.

If you have not noticed up until this point there is a link for Beatport in the sidebar. It is a great place to pick up DRM free high quality mp3s and still support your favorite artists.

Oliver Koletzki - Muckenschwarm

Oliver Hacke just came on itunes following this and he is well worth checking out as well. Maybe I will throw one of those out soon. School and work are seriously cutting into my ability to post but I will soldier on.