The White Noise Revisited

Time goes sailing on, like a skipping rock...

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000Z

Caged Animals - Teenagers in Heat

“I want to believe that you and me will always be teenagers in heat...”

I don’t think I have been so affected by a song for a long time. Teenagers in Heat fills me with a deep yearning and sadness for an unreachable past. First time I heard it I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach. Last FM stats reveal that I’ve listened to it 38 times in the past week, but that has a lot to do with its brevity - clocking in at just shy of two minutes it always leaves me wanting more. “Yearning” is a word that regularly crops up in descriptions of a lot of the music coming out of the US underground at the moment (Summer Camp, Washed Out, Teen Daze, etc), and there is more desire and longing on display in this one song than in an entire John Hughes movie. It borrows a little bit from Dion and the Belmonts A Teenager in Love (which I’m guessing is its inspiration), but the synthetic beats, chiming melody and Caged Animals’ mainman Vincent Cacchione’s emotive falsetto make it an altogether more modern interpretation of aching teenage lust. Paul Lester of the Guardian called it “doo-wop dubstep” and, as terrible as that union might sound, it’s a neat analogy.

But why am I so obsessed? I guess there is a part of me that can't quite believe that I'm not still 15-years-old, daydreaming about marrying Molly Ringwald while doing my paper round. But it’s not like I even want to be a teenager again, and certainly not one “in heat”. That gets seriously complicated. Nope, this is just another example of how music can reach deep into our unconscious with its slender fingers, teasing out feelings that we assume we’ve long since buried. The devious bastard...

I have no idea what the rest of the album sounds like as I haven’t got past this one song yet, and The New Yorker's proclamation of Caged Animals as “a hip-hop-influenced Velvet Underground” hasn’t encouraged me to investigate further, but I’m sure I will. But whatever, I know that it can never live up to the flawlessness of this nugget of heart-tugging pop gold.

Joe White Noise

CAGED ANIMALS - Teenagers In Heat from Caged Animals on Vimeo.

Eat Their Own by Caged Animals is out now on Lucky Numbers

Buy Eat Their Own by Caged Animals from Norman Records
Caged Animals Bandcamp
Caged Animals website

Fast Forward to the Past

2011-09-20T07:00:00.002Z

Puro Instinct - Vapor Girls

I am sitting on a coach. I am 14-years-old and have never lived anywhere except a small market town. There are three cassettes on my lap. They are: Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles, Countdown to Extinction by Megadeth and Precious, a 20-track compilation of popular indie disco songs. The cassettes, satisfying their geometrically determined potential for metaphor, each represent a door.

Sgt Peppers is a portal to a permanently sun-drenched solarium. Growing up in a non-Beatles playing household, I have just acquired the keys to the door through a sheer act of will, a downhill physical effort that somehow initiates a transformation of everyday life. In a week’s time, I will be threatened with a knife at a disco and later dance with a girl, sporting underwear outside of jeans, to Wet Wet Wet. It will be amazing, as though simply owning the tape is a passport into new realms of giddy experience. It will soundtrack its own luminous existence like a perfect, wheezing Dansette, on a Muppet bedspread, on a boat, on a river. But that’s another story for another time. Fast-forward.

Countdown to Extinction is a grubby door, slavered with many layers of paint. It opens onto the north-facing, six by ten box room, rarely aired and with a smell somewhere between burnt matches and old pornography. It gets a couple of plays. It will be the last heavy metal album I ever buy. But that’s another story for another time. Fast-forward.

Precious is a more complicated door. Made from good wood, parts of it are in decent shape, whereas elsewhere it looks like it’s been forced a few times, and split from the effort. There are a couple of boltless locks still attached. It opens with difficulty onto a garden filled with many plants and flowers, but also red ants and some partially concealed cat faeces. Play.

Anyone who grew up on Now! albums knows that all music, as long as it is popular, is equally valid, so owning these three tapes at once is perfectly acceptable, as if it needs verifying. But, equally, anyone who grew up watching The Chart Show knows that some territorial demarcation is required, at least once every three weeks. I had always felt at home watching the rock chart — the videos were expensive and inappropriately fogged in dry ice. Men with beautiful hair took an infantile delight in pyrotechnics and arm waving. The songs were simple and memorable, and women appeared, mostly as a kind of decoration, wearing different types of highly ornate bras. Built on fantasy and bluster, it spoke to my limited experience of the world.

The indie chart by comparison was unfathomable. Half the groups didn’t seem to make videos, their blunt grayscale photos at odds with the on-screen graphics. Most of the songs were muffled and fuzzy and played at clattering pace. Women were not only in the groups with bedraggled men, playing instruments, but wearing t-shirts over their bras. It was confusing and weird. These people didn’t look like they cared about being popular at all. But the obscurity proved to be compelling—homing beacons from an adult world far more oblique and interesting than the comical posturing of the rock chart. (As an aside, I’ve checked various clips on Youtube, and Michael Bolton is apparently always in the rock top ten, regardless of the year—a synth-toting spectre in blue tinted warehouses like Banquo’s strange uncle. Fast-forward.)

Evidently, it was time to go shopping, but I needed a shop window. So I bought Precious, and it dominated a summer. The anthems were an easy sell, as expansive as anything Iron Maiden could think up; it just took a while to refocus to a lyrical content of “feelings” instead of “murder”. And if at first Planet of Sound and The Drowners didn’t make sense, didn’t sound as universal and urgent as Sit Down and There’s No Over Way, then after a few plays it fell together. They weren’t a huge stretch from metal anyway: Pixies seemed like a surreal take on its dynamics, and Suede were a bit like the Quireboys.

A few tracks wouldn’t stick, though, those by Lush, the Pale Saints, My Bloody Valentine, the Sugarcubes. These weren’t noisy or anthemic — they were strange and light, distant, inscrutable. Nothing like chart pop music, and nothing like my basic conception of “indie”, they hung around in a breathy trance for a few minutes before fading away. No amount of close attention could break through that watery, reflective surface. I chased them around a bit, like trying to grab hold of one of those dandelion clocks that somehow drift into the room, then gave up.

Which is a long way of saying that I’m back at the door again, staring at Puro Instinct, and trying to shift the tangible sensations of an unseasoned, uncomprehending youth getting in the way. This isn’t to say that Puro Instinct directly replicate an early-1990s, lysergic indie pop sound — their press release for this album points in the direction of 1980s Fleetwood Mac and Sade, and makes much of their connection to Ariel Pink, who guests on Headbangers in Ecstacy. I don’t want to be dismissive of this, or of the quality on offer here. But it’s not what I hear — I hear the same dreamy aesthetic as those songs from Precious as I heard them 20 years ago, perched between pop songs and subconscious slithers. The result is that I can’t stay focused on the present when my mind goes dancing through the past. It’s even harder when the chorus of No Mames apparently has the phrase “kinky love”, which is the actual name of the Pale Saints track on Precious. I’m not sure it definitely does, but it’s what I hear, as though they’re mocking me across a chasm of time.

Because, just for the record, I like the past to stay in the past, so on the brief occasions that I can get a clear listen, there are some gems on this record. Somewhere between soothing and disquieting, Everybody’s Sick is a Lynchian earworm, while the perfectly titled Vapor Girls breaks the flashback spell, for a moment, with uncertain harmonies, and through the cracks I hear a woozily funky and afternoon wine-drunk California that I imagine exists. But it can’t sustain itself, and the past comes lumbering back in with its heavy burden and my younger sniggering self for unwanted company.

Sea Pinks - Oh London

It’s fitting, then, while I’m trying to dig the grit of the past out of my ears that Belfast’s Sea Pinks emerge from their garage, and make noise at me like one of those other non-video sporting bands on the indie chart. The odd ones, the ones that sounded like they hadn’t thought their songs through at all, like they just wrote them and put them onto a cassette the same day. Their sound is, on last year’s Youth is Wasted, rushing and blurred, not angry but urgent, with no notes in their guitars, and the words dispersing into the tin-pot din. Evidently, they’ve forgotten to move the microphone into the room they’re playing in. The songs flash by, caught up in their own momentum, all in the mid-range, reveling in their lack of relevance. No video.

The only change the new album Dead Seas seems to make is to move the mic a few feet closer, so that words are occasionally discernable. On that note, please enjoy Oh London, where the lyrical content is as amusingly bitter as you would have hoped for.

So what can we learn from this? That the past, like a leaky pipe, is always dripping in the kitchen? Yeah, alright. Rewind.

Graham White Noise

Headbangers in Ecstasy by Puro Instinct is out now on Mexican Summer
Dead Seas by Sea Pinks is out now on CF/Recs

Buy Headbangers in Ecstasy by Puro Instinct from Norman Records
Buy Dead Seas by Sea Pinks from CF/Recs
Puro Instinct blog
Sea Pinks at Bandcamp where debut album Youth is Wasted is available as a free download

The Imperfect Space of the Waking Dream

2011-09-13T07:00:00.000Z

Barn Owl - Devotion II

Some days I don’t really wake up at all. Not completely. Basic motor functions are intact, but in general it’s a fudge. Reality refuses to manifest completely – a confusion of barely understood stimuli with the singular intent of distracting and bewildering me. Inanimate objects are weirdly mobile, scuttling in and out of my path, and light itself is a vast, monochrome edifice, creating terrible waves at the corners of vision.

You’re the same as me, so you know what I’m talking about. You’re probably having a day like that today, stabbing dumbly at technology and failing to spell primary school-level words. Your shoes are in the fridge, and you’ve no recollection of placing them there. You’re an idiot in need of rest, but there’s a whole day to battle through.

It’s the ambivalence that’s the worst thing – the will to operate without the means to achieve. Somewhere, though, in that struggle, great things can happen. Ideas fuse with disparate thoughts in a way you otherwise can’t encourage, and the dimness of perception can create momentary, terrifying fantasy out of everyday objects. The befuddled trudge can, for short periods, coalesce into something interesting, even useful, if you enjoy being trapped in a netherworld between the real and imagined.

Lost In The Glare testifies that Barn Owl know this, and suggests they are perpetually trapped in that netherworld, probably by choice, working on their sound unnoticed in some low-watt cellar. Spacious and graceful, you might file this under ambient drone, but I think that does a disservice to the slow-burning intensity of this record, and the range of influences absorbed into the whole. There’s no infinite drifting here, always a build to something fierce yet indistinct. Something is always about to happen, often a plaintive picking of an old-English folk melody merges, incongruous against the dust-blown Eastern backdrops dragged from indistinguishable instruments. Even as they emerge and build, the hooks recede again, a shifting mirage in twilight. In and out weave the thumbprints of early Velvet Underground, the stripped-down Mogwai of Come On Die Young, the rain wet moors of Further-era Flying Saucer Attack and the slo-mo fuzz of latter-day drone metal.

The tension and release is best experienced by taking the album as whole. Devotion I and The Darkest Night Since 1683 combine to create a space as cavernous and forbidding as Light Echoes and Devotion II are searing and direct. It comes together in the imperfect space of the waking dream. Slow dancing tunes come on like ghosts, disperse and drift in the campfire space.

Barn Owl create dialogue between imagination and reality, making taut forest pathways from vapour trails in the eye of your mangled, sleep-deprived mind. Dislocated and engrossing, Lost In The Glare is a rich tale about nothing in particular – a train moving slowly through the desert night, getting nowhere slowly, shining hot white light and making malevolent fun with the shadows. It’s the ideal soundtrack for a journey around your somnambulant world.

Graham White Noise

Lost in the Glare is out now on Thrill Jockey

Buy Lost in the Glare by Barn Owl from Norman Records
Barn Owl discography
Barn Owl MySpace

Steve’s Opening Gambit

2011-09-08T07:00:00.006Z

The Beta Band - Happiness and Colour

The Beta Band - The Hut

I’ve always been a big fan of wilfully creative buggers who don’t bother to play the game, and they don’t come more bloody-minded than the Beta Band, who tried (eventually succeeding) to sabotage their career from the outset. Of course, it has since come to light that a large part of this self-destructive behaviour was down to the Beta Band linchpin Steve Mason’s on-going struggles with mental illness, which at one point became so severe that he was on the brink of suicide. But at the time, to anyone outside looking in, what you could see was a supremely talented collective, riding on the crest of a giant wave of adulation from the press and public, doing their level best to fuck everything up.

Their self-titled debut album is a much talked about case in point. Mason was slagging it off before anyone had even heard it, declaring it to be a “crock of shit” in a 1999 interview with the NME. They also said it was “fucking awful” and the worst album of the year. It wasn’t – in fact, I’d argue the case that it is the best album they ever made*. But can you imagine any other lauded band on the planet opening their debut album with a track like The Beta Band Rap, a bizarre collage of Fifties doo-wop, low-slung countrified hip-hop and karaoke Elvis? It’s a manic statement of intent that borders on genius if you take the time to listen to the lyrics describing the band’s genesis and comedy meetings with record company execs. Admittedly Mason’s no Chuck D, but it’s funny, inventive and right out there – everything that the music press was praising the band to the high heavens for, while in reality wanting them to deliver another ten versions of Dry the Rain. Nobody was prepared for the sprawling, unwieldy genre-mash record that emerged, leading the enraged EMI chairman to splutter: “What the fuck is going on with the Beta Band?”

What indeed? But things could have been even worse had the band got their way. The initial intention was for their debut to be a double album, with a second disc consisting of two pieces of music, Happiness and Colour and The Hut; epic slabs of indulgent ambient noodling and field recordings (ie somebody left a tape recorder running while the band were sitting in a field smoking copious amounts of dope) that made the 15-minute Monolith from The Three EPs (featuring samples of a washing machine being destroyed) seem accessible. At one stage the band wanted the album to be promoted by sending out these two tracks to journalists. In the end, sane(r) heads ruled and the second disc never saw the light of day, until it was leaked onto the internet a few years ago.

So let’s consider the evidence shall we? Of the two, Happiness and Colour has the most merit, consisting of, in patches, something approaching conventional “music” – loose campfire jams, punctuated by wayward melodica and harmonica solos; bits of wood being banged together; snatches of garbled conversation; and samples of bubbling water and sounds of the sea. There’s almost a proper song at the 20-minute mark, albeit with speeded-up chipmunk voices à la King Biscuit Time’s magnificent Eye o’ the Dug. My favourite moment happens around 13m 30s when a distorted guitar coda rings out. Close in spirit to the KLF’s Chill Out, if you stuck it on a bit of coloured vinyl in a screen-printed sleeve it would probably get snapped up by collectors in an instant. But The Hut is a step too far. It sounds like those messages you get left on your mobile when somebody accidentally calls you when they’re out and about – in this case, I imagine Steve Mason’s phone swishing around in his rucksack while he and the rest of the Betas are out rambling by a Scottish loch on a windy day. Getting through the full 20 minutes is a struggle even for me, and I’m a diehard.

However epic the folly, I completely admire the band for wanting to do things differently, even if it was eventually to the detriment of their career. Can you imagine the Vaccines doing the same? And of course it is much easier to laugh at all of this now that Mason is back on track, making some of the finest music of his career. We will probably never see the like again, and while the former EMI chairman breathes a big sigh of relief in his very big house in the country, I still cry myself to sleep over the demise of the gloriously obstinate bastards.

*Yes, NME scribe of the time (your name has not survived for posterity on the archived web link of your review), I am the "miracle" that "genuinely loves every last second of it.”

Joe White Noise

For old times’ sake – Hobbsy's Beta Band website
Purchase the magic from Amazon
Somebody still updates this fansite
Steve Mason website

A basic, post-industrial witchcraft aimed at social control...

2011-09-06T07:00:00.001Z

The Chasms - The Occult Soul Review

Meanwhile on the Isle of Man the situation has worsened. The extent to which society there has collapsed is still a matter of speculation. Mainland communications ceased several weeks ago, and we have neither heard nor seen anything from its inhabitants since. What we do know is that before communication was lost, widespread and sustained public disorder meant that infrastructure and industry had largely collapsed, and the struggle to regain order was ongoing.

The following communication, if we can call it that, we received quite by accident. A metal box, stamped in black ink as the product of the island, and smelling of foul engine oil, washed up on a quiet stretch on Lancashire beach and was discovered on the shore by a dog walker. Inside were several spools of audio tape, dry and undamaged by their journey. If the box was sent into the sea by accident or on purpose we cannot yet be sure, but what we do know is that it represents what is so far the only communication from an island which we can neither reach nor contact. What really went on there, we only have this excerpt.

The six tapes are accompanied by some damaged and oblique literature which appears to identify them by different, though obscure names. The sonic contents present a frankly unfathomable amalgamation of industrial noise and rhythms accompanied by a single human male voice. The nature of the tapes has required the expertise of several analysts from a range of disciplines, the better we might understand what we can learn from them.

Throughout the six segments is a consistent and remarkably ferocious drone of such amplitude that it dominates the entire document, suggesting the spontaneous nature of what is captured. There is some agreement on the origin of the noises: malfunctioning electrical grids, circuitry roughly dismantled, large overwrought engines and the recalcitrant shriek of metal on metal. Added to this is the single, sinister voice present throughout though often obscured by the noise, requiring a careful and dedicated ear. A leading acoustic engineer, Mr Gedge, has reported as recognizing the voice, but is yet unable to positively identify it, and close analysis continues. Speech content is a combination of exhortations, whispers, incantations and something approaching singing. Content addresses a range of concerns in a type of storytelling utilizing a dialectic form of English, a somewhat old-fashioned idea of “oral culture” and which may shed light on the ongoing situation on the island.

Of the tapes themselves, No. 5 (A Copse of Trees) seems to be a recital of an unknown screenplay, suggesting the islanders still have access to cultural documents and some understanding of their uses. No. 4 (Ghosts to Starboard) perhaps uses notions of the paranormal to meter out punitive judgment on the vain and greedy. Most disconcertingly, No. 1 (The Occult Soul Review) details an encounter with the devil.

Analysts have so far brought forward a number of intriguing theories on the nature and delivery of this material, and what it tells us about life on the island. One is that they are some form of reportage, though we can confidently dismiss this — despite the tangible reality of the scenarios detailed, the fantastical elements stretch credulity. It seems more likely they reflect either one, or a combination of, the following: the deranged response of the individual, weakened by physical and psychic peril, struggling to come to terms with a transformed landscape; or, an attempt to understand and control a disunited mass of people, in the absence of the state, through a conjuring trick of malevolent supernatural forces and the reintroduction of folk devils. A basic, post-industrial witchcraft aimed at social control.

Lending coherence to this idea is the way the noise, though initially forbidding, over sustained exposure seems to coalesce into a primitive form of music, perhaps with the aim of inducing a trance-like state. No. 2 (Thomas Merton 240 Volts) for example creates a meditative space from a discordant drone and pivots on the repetition of the phrase: “Inflame thyself with prayer — invoke, often.” Analysts have, following lengthy exposure, reported to such contrasting emotional states as terror, excitation and great joy. No. 3 (The Midnight Boat), meanwhile, appears to fashion a simple popular music structure from its internal disquiet, as though the shared cultural memory of mass entertainment were being recreated from second-hand accounts and its black charred remains.

Clearly, more time and research is required before the exact nature of this evidence comes to light. It may require some leaps of faith and imagination to understand this document as a form of social control or the details of insanity lashed together from the literal wreckage of a formerly peaceful, if rather obscure community, rather than some form of elaborate practical joke, a theory also put forward. If, as we suspect, the former is true, then it may be necessary for the United Kingdom to intervene as soon as possible. It is my personal view, however, drawn from the overbearing sense of dread which fogs these recordings, that it may very well already be too late for the Isle of Man.

Graham White Noise

The Chasms Bandcamp

No Place Like Plone

2011-03-16T11:07:00.001Z

There can be no worse fear for the music obsessive than knowing that somewhere out there is an amazing, life-changing album that you’ll never get to hear because fate never sends it in your direction. I’m pretty sure that lurking in the ever-growing pile of CDs on my desk is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, but unless somebody can add an extra day to the week that I can devote solely to listening to music, the majority of it will remain unheard by my ears. Running that a close second is the album that you know exists, but you won’t get to hear it because it never gets released. I don’t mean album sessions that get canned or albums that are rejected by labels for being rubbish and then end up appearing later in a slightly different form. I’m talking about entire albums that are recorded, submitted, accepted, but never see the light of day.

One such album is the untitled second album by the Brummie analogue synth wizards Plone. The trio of Mike “Billy” Bainbridge, Mark Cancellara & Michael Johnston made some devastatingly beautiful music during their short but ever so sweet career, represented by a painfully thin catalogue of two singles and one album, released between 1997 and 1999. An obsession with analogue equipment coupled with a naive charm and a playful approach to melodies made them loved by anyone who followed electronic music. Plus they looked like a trio of physics students, especially live, where they gathered earnestly behind banks of old-school synths (above).

My first contact with Plone was via the marvellous Plaything, their contribution to the 100th Warp release (WAP100), with its farty synth squelches that could put an idiot grin on the sourest of faces. Prior to that there had been a single, Press a Key, on Wurlitzer Jukebox - the original home of fellow Brummie sonic pioneers Broadcast and Pram. Plone, like Broadcast, then signed to Warp. On their first single release for Warp Records, Plock (much-loved, and played at my wedding), they married the sweetest Moogy melodies to a soothing, vocodered vocal inviting you to “Come out to play”, perfectly evoking the mood of an innocent, carefree childhood.

Their debut album For Beginner Piano expanded on this theme - whimsical, retro-futurist electronic synth music, with a nod towards soundtracks and imaginary themes to children's TV or the incidental music for amusingly dubbed 1980s Euro dramas. The melodies were occasionally cloying, but it definitely was not "the new elevator music", as Pitchfork stated in its less than glowing 1999 review.

They recorded a second album - not just demos; a proper, finished, mastered and ready to go album – but the death of Warp’s co-founder Rob Mitchell in 2001 led to the album release being postponed. Plone were one of Rob’s signings, and while that didn’t preclude other people at the label from liking the band and being behind their music, in the aftermath of his death, the appetite from both label and band to work on and promote the album was diminished. Time passed and so did the moment. Plone split and the album remained unreleased. Everybody moved on to new things…

Plone - 140
Plone - Arpeggios

After a time, torrents and download links started appearing on the internet (it’s not clear who initially leaked the album – band, friend or former label employee), but they disappeared as quickly as they were uploaded, and I seemed to always be one step behind. Then I finally stumbled upon a live link and was able to download the album in its entirety. Wow. Bigger, bolder and better than their 1999 debut, the 17 songs represented a great leap forward. They retained everything that made them brilliant, but the addition of live drums on tracks like 140 gave the Plone sound a welcome extra dimension. A driving rhythm is bashed out and the track culminates in a swirling, psychedelic wig-out. Plone never rocked before – it’s the sound of the band letting their hair down. Arpeggios also has live drums but is a more laidback affair, with twinkling pianos, spangly space-age effects and a gorgeous, hummable melody. I've popped those two tracks up above for download - if you're lucky you may still find a active link of the album in its entirety somewhere on the internets, but what it really needs (deserves) is for the somebody like Ghost Box, or even Warp, to dig out the masters and give the album the proper release it deserves. It really is a cracker.

Search eBay for Plone
Plone discography
Plone at Warp Records
1997 interview with Plone here

Phasers on Stunned

2011-02-18T10:00:00.000Z

Tangerine Dream vs Star Trek - I Dream of Star Trek

It was always going to take something special for me to bring this blog back from the dead. Maybe not special for you, but special for me. Sure, I've missed this place - the limited scribbling that I did over on Ecstasy in Slow Motion felt a bit half arsed, because it was - I was just going through the motions. But I've been feeling a real desire to start blogging again - all the stuff that I write for The Times is stuck behind the paywall and, try as I might, I just can't express myself in 140 characters. I'm a waffler. Plus, the story behind this first post is intrinsically linked to this blog. It would be weird to write it anywhere else.

So - why is dialogue from Star Trek spliced with music by Tangerine Dream special? I suppose the main reason is that I never thought I’d hear it again...

I wrote a post on here back in March 2007, an ill-conceived look back at the history of ambient and chill-out music from my very limited perspective. In that post I wittered, “I long to get my hands on a cassette a friend of my brother made, which spliced a Tangerine Dream album with dialogue from episodes of Star Trek. It was a bizarre union but it worked perfectly as music to lose yourself in, the dreamy soundscapes of Tangerine Dream combining with Kirk and Spock’s out-there and often hilarious observations on beaming down to yet another strange planet.”

That tape brings back some seriously intense memories. Predominantly of being in Oxford in the early-90s where my brother was at college and taking homemade blotter acid so strong that a guy I'd spent the entire day with emerged from the cupboard under the stairs ten minutes after we'd dropped and said to me, "Who the FUCK are you?" The night involved a crate of vintage champagne, trying to stop my friend jumping off the roof and much more barking-mad lunacy. I don't think I've ever properly recovered from it. But that night, as the effects were finally wearing off and we were coming down, drinking £80 bottles of champagne and smoking arm-sized joints, my brother's friend put on the tape that you can now download above in all its glory, all 102MB of it. It became THE comedown tape, the one we'd always lob on the stereo when frazzled. I never got past the first 15 or so minutes before slipping under, but would always wake up for the last few moments.

But for some inexplicable reason, every copy of the tape disappeared. My brother lost touch with the friend who originally had the tape and any copies in circulation with my circle of mates was wiped (replaced with a Spiral Tribe DJ-mix, no doubt) or lost. I had long since given up on ever hearing again. And then, completely out of the blue, in September last year I got an email from a guy called Chris –

I came across your White Noise website as for ages I have been trying to find the recording of Tangerine Dream with Star Trek dialogue and wondered if you had found it anywhere? I have asked everyone I gave it to but no luck. I got it from someone I worked with and he has no idea where his copy went either so if poss let me know. I cannot listen to Tangerine Dream without Kirk or Spock’s voice popping into my head! Chris

I’ve done many a Google search for Star Trek/Tangerine Dream (and combinations thereof) but nothing of use ever came up, so kudos to Chris for actually finding my post in the first place. But we were still no closer. He, like me, was looking for it, not in possession of it. But then, just before Christmas, Chris e-mailed me again with better news –

It would appear that my brother has found the Star Trek/Tangerine Dream tape amongst some of his old cassettes. He is trying to have it put on CD as we speak.

In the end it was Chris who took charge of the transfer, seamlessly linking the two sides of the C90 together by adding some of the original vinyl music (you really can’t hear the join) and making a glorious 90-minute version of the Star Trek/Tangerine Dream bootleg. And with the submission of the final mp3 came some interesting background to the mix from Chris -

If I’m not mistaken there are twenty episodes of Star Trek that the dialogue was taken from, including (in no particular order) -

What Are Little Girls Made Of/ Miri/Balance of Terror/Shore Leave/The Galileo Seven/The Squire of Gothos/Arena/Tomorrow is Yesterday/Court Martial/The Return of the Archons/This Side of Paradise/Errand of Mercy/The Alternative Factor/The City on the Edge of Forever/The Changeling/Mirror Mirror/The Trouble with Tribbles/The Ultimate Computer/Bread and Circuses/And the Children Shall Lead

As for the Tangerine Dream albums involved, there are four that I know of Phaedra, Force Majeure, Rubycon and, towards the end, Richochet for just a few minutes. The albums aren’t complete run-throughs, just sections of groovy music, so whoever originally mixed it did some selective editing.

So who did mix it?

I was told by the friend who gave me the original tape that the guy who mixed this tape was one of the many members of Saxon. He (my friend) used to work in the evenings for Saxon doing the light rig for their stage show, I spoke to him yesterday and he still reckons that to be true!!!

But of course - one of the members of Barnsley heavy metallers Saxon. Who else?

So there you go - a heartwarming tale of how the internet works for the good, connecting people and unearthing lost treasures. I really have no idea how the TD/ST combo works for anyone who doesn't recall it from back in the day, but to me it still sounds magical. It's good to be back.

Buy Tangerine Dream from Amazon
Full list of Star Trek episodes (1966-1969) Wikipedia
Official Star Trek website

Just Dropping It Onto My Tongue

2010-04-07T19:15:00.000Z

William Orbit - Water From a Vine Leaf (Spooky's Xylem Flow Mix)

When the Balearic Classics Panel* meet later on this month to decide the next batch of records to be inducted into its hall of fame, I have a suggestion for them. The Xylem Flow Mix of the Madonna and Blur producer William Orbit's Water from a Vine Leaf by progressive house legends Spooky. I'm not sure what the exact criteria is for a Balearic classic - it's an eclectic, freeform genre that takes in a diverse range of artists and music including The Blow Monkeys, Talk Talk, Nitzer Ebb, The Woodentops, The Beloved, The Grid and erm, Mandy Smith and the theme tune from Hill Street Blues - but I'd imagine any song that can provide the soundtrack to chilling as the sun sets at Café del Mar and larging it on the terrace at Space fits the bill. Spooky absolutely nail that brief with this one, transforming Orbit's slight piece of whimsical chill-out (from the third instalment of his Strange Cargo series) with vocals from Beth Orton, into a euphoric dancefloor destroyer - still retaining the delicate melodies of the original. When the exquisite acid droplets rain down at about the 4-minute mark the only people without their hands in the air are those wearing straitjackets. Prog-house heads in the audience might recognise the tune from its inclusion on the seminal 1996 Sasha and Digweed mix album Northern Exposure.

* This only exists in my imagination - Alfredo chairs the meeting, and DJ Harvey and Danny Rampling are on the panel.

Search eBay for Water From a Vine Leaf
William Orbit website
Spooky website - still going strong!
DJ Alfredo's 25 All-Time Balearic Classics here
Search eBay for Balearic classics

Intergalactic Bass Transmissions

2010-03-30T14:37:00.007Z

2 Live Crew - Ghetto Bass

There's a book out there waiting to be written (hopefully by Simon Reynolds), entitled The Evolution of the Bass in Dance Music. I'm not nearly knowledgeable enough to know where to begin (or end or what to write in the middle), but my first experience of bass as something that wasn't a four-stringed instrument wielded by Mark King was through the 2 Live Crew back in the mid-Eighties. Before they went all cartoon porno they used to be part of the Miami bass scene releasing records like Ghetto Bass (posted above), which had (for the time) sub-bass that the speakers on my crappy ghettoblaster definitely weren't equipped to deal with.

If I had the time or the inclination I'd trace my bassline journey from here in infinite detail, but instead we'll pick up the trail in 1991 as the rave scene exploded and producers made their basslines more and more ridiculous in order to mess with raver's addled minds. I'm talking about Beltram's Energy Flash, the Hypnotist's Death by Dub (above), Radio Babylon by Meat Beat Manifesto, LFO by LFO, ... I could go on and on and on and on.

Alex Reece - Pulp Fiction

Brief detour down memory lane.... I went to a rave somewhere in Dorset in 1995, and the main action was taking place in a large cattle shed where the DJ was spinning banging techno - normally my bag, but I got a bit bored and wandered off. I stumbled (literally) upon a small shed, which seemed to be crammed full of pretty smiling girls all swaying hypnotically in time to a sparse, minimal track with the sickest, window-rattling bassline I'd ever heard (turned out to be Pulp Fiction by Alex Reece). It got a couple of rewinds and I needed scraping off the ceiling before I went home that night. Couldn't hear properly for a week. And if you're talking about sexy dnb basslines (I was), then I can't not mention PFM's One and Only - but I already waxed on that one at length here. And if you're talking about sick dnb b-lines (we are) try these three belters -

DJ Trace - Mutant Revisited

Bad Company - The Nine.

Ed Rush & Optical - Pacman (Ram Trilogy Remix)

Starkey - Fidelio

But wait! There is a point to this disjointed bass-related musing and here it is - Starkey's got a new album out (Ear Drums and Black Holes, Planet Mu, April 19, 2010) and he's absolutely fckng NAILED it. He calls the music he makes "Street Bass" but "Space Bass" might be more appropriate as he is taking low-end rumblings into another galaxy. I'm sure it's no coincidence that Starkey shares his chosen moniker with "a global supplier of technologically advanced hearing products that assist with hearing loss". Too many nights with your head in the bins listening to this and you'll need them.

Unlike a lot of the dark, minimal dubstep out there, the Philadelphia-based wunderkid is blending his gnarly space bass emissions with gorgeous, warm synths - check Fidelio. It starts off sounding like the incidental music from 2001: A Space Odyssey , before Starkey drops the bass along with a terse, military beat. Then, mid-flow, it breaks off into a melodic interlude that Boards of Canada would be proud of. Elsewhere on Ear Drums... are collaborations with grime artist P-Money and the Texan MC Cerebral Vortex that aren't a million miles away from the prototype booty bass of the 2 Live Crew. And we've come full circle...

Pre-order Ear Drums and Black Holes from Boomkat
Starkey website
Starkey at Planet Mu
Starkey MySpace

Fakesch's Electronic Swap Shop

2010-03-18T12:00:00.000Z

Scaffolding - D-Tron (Fakesch Remix)

One of my favourite things in the whole wide world is pint-sized-yet-perfectly-formed itchy lil' acid-electro bangers, so this Michael Fakesch remix of Scaffolding is so far up my street that it's disappeared round the corner. You might remember Fakesch from his tour of duty with the brilliant electronikglitchheadz Funkstörung - they did amazing things to Björk and Wu Tang Clan and were just a nail's width away from being better than Autechre, but sadly divorced in 2006 due to "musical, personal and practical differences".

Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked - Fakesch is still doing ace things to other people's songs (he also did the music for the Aygo by Toyota ads that fans of T4 will be familiar with) but under his own name these days and Exchange, a collection of Fakesch reworkings of tracks by artists including Von Sudenfed, Mr Oizo, Bomb the Bass, Herbert and the Notwist to name but five, is due out on April 5, 2010 on Musik Aus Strom. Most of the remixes have never been released before. As mentioned above, the highlight is Fakesch's remix of Scaffolding's D-Tron, which sounds to these ears like a techno cocktail mixed by Hardfloor, consisting of two parts Mr Oizo's Flat Beat to one part Windowlicker by Aphex Twin, and a swizzlestick made of laser beams. I'd never heard of Scaffolding before, but they're from Denver and do a nice line in minimal techy electronica.

Buy Michael Fakesch from Boomkat
Michael Fakesch website
Michael Fakesch discography
Michael Fakesch MySpace
Buy Narratives by Scaffolding from Plastic Sound Supply
Funkstörung website

They Wanna Be Adored

2010-03-05T10:00:00.002Z

The Ruling Class - Sleeping Beauty

There is a part of me that will forever be stuck in 1990, stood in the back room of 1 Arbutus Close wigging out to the latest baggy/shoegaze twelve that I'd procured from Big Brian (without whom etc etc). A halcyon era (if viewed through the ol' rose-tinted bifocals) when the only things I really cared about was music, music, music and getting strawberry-eye butted. Oh, and mooning over seemingly unobtainable girls. There was lots of mooning. And a bit of acid. That was then and this is now...

But here come The Ruling Class, sounding more "then" than anything did at the time. The perfect combination of Madchester and shoegaze - Some Friendly-era Charlatans (minus the swirling Hammond), the Roses and just a smidgen of Slowdive's sonic cathedral guitars. They've got the hair (bowl cut, fringe in the eyes) and that sense of wide-eyed, psychedelic wonder that permeated all the best music of that era. Back in 1990 I would have creamed in my pants but the first time I heard Sleeping Beauty I thought it was a low-rent pastiche. A piss-take. You might as well go and watch a Stone Roses tribute band or just buy the albums by the bands The Ruling Class are so obviously in thrall of, I thought. Every bone in my body was telling me it was derivative nonsense but I still couldn't stop playing it. And the more you listen, the more you realise the reverence the band have for the era. They have expertly recreated the sound to such a level where you wonder if (with the right producer and label on board) they could go on to supercede their influences. Or at the very least, make a half-decent album. The Ruling Class, take a bow. If I had a time machine, you'd be my new favourite band.

Buy Sleeping Beauty/Marian Shine 7" on eBay
The Ruling Class website
The Ruling Class at MySpace

Stop, think for a moment ok?

2010-03-01T21:03:00.003Z

Gang Starr - Manifest

Spare a though for Keithy-E aka the Guru who, as I type these words, is in a coma following a heart attack. There were rumours circulating last night that he had passed away but these have been dismissed by DJ Premier, his former partner in beats'n' rhymes in Gang Starr. Guru would definitely make my Top 10 Hip-Hop MCs of All-Time list - with his laidback flows and lyrical dexterity he's up there with Kool Keith, Rakim, Kool G Rap and KRS-One. My most played cassette of 1989 was a C90 that had De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising on one side, with No More Mr Nice Guy, Gang Starr's awesome debut album, on the other. Here's hoping he makes a full recovery...

***UPDATE***

From the man himself: "I am doing fine and I am recovering! I'm weak though. I appreciate your well wishes and all the love!"

Buy Full Clip: A Decade of Gang Starr from Amazon
Gang Starr discography
Gang Starr at MySpace

No rabbit in a hat tricks...

2010-02-02T14:57:00.005Z

Walter Pico - My Alter Ego (Remix)
Walter Pico -Bad Guys
Walter Pico - Don't Ask
Walter Pico - Flash in the Pan

If I had an ounce of musical talent in my bones I think I would have ended up making music like Walter Pico. We've been leading parallel lives. As a kid, he saved up the money from two paper rounds to feed his desire to acquire hip-hop classics on wax. Me too! Then he became obsessed with gangsta rap - "If an album didn't feature a Parental Advisory sticker it wasn't worth the time of play," he says in his biography. Yep, I went through that phase too - the ultimate teen wigga, wandering the mean streets of Dorchy in my bomber jacket with the rest of the DTP (Dorchester Town Posse), NWA lyrics running through our brains every time a cop car cruised by. Me and Walter even became disillusioned with hip-hop at the same time, when it "started to resemble one of those scandalous, but colourful, glossy gossip magazines. Peeps recording in the booth were talking about whose necklace is the biggest and sparkles the most, who gets to date the 'model chicks' and who has the most cars parked up in front of mum's house." Couldn't have put it better myself. Plus we both rock a fat beatbox... So, yeah, we got a lot in common, me and Mr Pico. But the BIG BIG BIG difference is that he channeled his disillusionment into producing beats and rhymes of his very own. I got into techno and lost it in the bass bins...

With these impeccable credentials and bonafide old school influences, it's not surprising that Walter Pico makes brilliant music. He's a bit like Money Mark, playing wicked little keyboard riffs with awesome beats, snatches of vocal samples and the odd dose of old school "wiggy wiggy scratching". You can tell he's into Jurassic 5, and it's not just the fact that he's sporting one of their tees in the photo above. His music is a throw back to the good ol' days of hip-hop: "Original beats and real live MCs"... And he's a funny guy - occasionally I've found myself giggling away on public transport at some of his two-liners. Imagine Kid Acne if he came from the Home Counties. There's also a bit of the Flight of the Conchords in there. Sometimes you know he's taking the piss - it can almost verge on a pastiche of old school hip-hop - but he's doing it with intelligence and the quality never drops.

They obviously work better in context (ie wit da music), but here's a few examples of his lyrical flows. Little bit of politics + nifty wordplay = the win...

I dreamed of me, possibly, as an MC, but then thought just how nice it might be,
With life being high-speed and expensive, to change the ‘C’ to a ‘P’ and claim expenses.

Emcees with beef I eat like Black Eyed Peas, I used to slurp a lot until I caught Brain Freeze, now I wear a Parker with a pocket on the sleeve, with luminescent markers in the dark to write ideas.

Available to purchase now is My Alter Ego - an 11-track concept EP that introduces Walter Pico to the record buying public. It's the precursor to his first full-length LP, which should be out later on this year. And Mr Pico very kindly hooked me up with some exclusives that don't feature on the EP. There are four tracks up there for your downloading pleasure that actually make up a quality EP in their own right. When the outtakes are this good, you know you need to hook yourself up with some of the real shit. Link to buy below.

The talented Mr P even makes his own videos. Check this one for early single, Let's Get It Together - a crude but charming take on Aardman's stop-motion plasticine shizzle -

Buy My Alter Ego by Walter Pico from Norman Records
Walter Pico MySpace
Walter Pico at Crazy Worm Records- loads of good content here - tunes, videos and the like...

You're a Piece of Shit...

2010-01-29T12:00:00.002Z

Scott 4 - Aspirins

Recorded in State LP, the debut album from Scott 4, is another one to file under "lost classics"... Along with the Beta Band, Scott Blixen's merry trio of electronic cowpunks soundtracked the end of Nineties for me. They were slightly different to the Betas - a bit more country, a bit more krauty - but they had a similar schtick, blending lo-fi country rock with hip-hop beats. If I was being lazy, I'd say they sound a bit like Beck. But Beck if he was into Neu!

Aspirins is probably a weird choice for posting. I should have gone for something a bit more upbeat but this lovely, anguished slice of the blues is as bittersweet as chewing a handful of the titular analgesic and Maltesers at the same time. And I like pictures of pills. It has played in the background during many an angst-ridden moment in my life. What a beauty.

They ended up signing to V2 for half a million squids, recorded one more album and then disappeared. The flip side of their first single for V2 was 23 minutes and 15 seconds long so they were never really cut out for mainstream success. Still much missed in this neck of the woods.

Note to new bands: naming yourself after a seminal album by Scott Walker doesn't help much with the web searches.

Buy Scott 4 Recorded in State LP from Soul Jazz
Scott 4 discography
Search eBay for Scott 4

The Freddy Adu of Music

2010-01-12T10:00:00.001Z

Echoboy - Broken Hearts

I read a brilliant feature on goal.com about the Top 10 Lost Talents of the Decade in the world of football and it got me thinking about who were the great lost musical talents of the decade? Who was the Freddy Adu of music in the Noughties? I kept coming back to one person - Rich Warren. Now that's not to say that he didn't make some absolutely incredible music throughout the decade, but in terms of the size of his talent and potential, you'd have to say that his story is one of no hits and near misses.

Rich Warren was a prodigy; a fantastically talented songwriter and guitarist who had been in various bands since he was a teenager. He signed his first deal with Heavenly as one-third of the Hybirds in 1996, when Britpop was at its peak. Like most bands at that time there was a huge buzz of anticipation surrounding the Hybirds - retro-rockers carved in the image of the Jam and the Who, with Rich's inspired riffing elevating it above the dross - but they only released one album in 1997, and split at the end of the decade.

Following this false start, Rich holed up with an 8-track and a Casio and set about creating new worlds from above his mum's hair salon in Nottingham under the Echoboy moniker. He signed to Mute at the start of the Noughties and his debut album (Volume 1) was critically acclaimed and adored by me. I've posted Broken Hearts above - the point at which a supergroup featuring members of Neu!, Kraftwerk and Spiritualized come together to make some of the most affecting instrumental music you are ever likely to hear. The whole album is a belter. He made two more albums for Mute, including the brilliant Giraffe, which was produced by Flood. His last outing as Echoboy was Elektrik Soul Psymphonie in 2006.

In 2003, Noel Gallagher asked Rich to join Oasis. He declined, leading to The Sun headline: "He's not mad for it - he's just mad!" (Andy Bell eventually got the nod but it's a decision Rich doesn't regret). He played bass for Spiritualized for a while and also played guitar for Starsailor and Soulsavers, co-writing two songs on the latter's acclaimed 2009 album Broken. All extremely noteworthy achievements for any jobbing guitarist but a man of Rich's talents should be centre stage - the midfield playmaker, not in the holding role. Zidane, not Makelele. But unlike footballers, the careers of musicians don't necessarily fade with age so there's still hope that Rich's talent will be truly realised - and appreciated. In 2010, he's releasing an album under his own name for the first time - step forward mate, the spotlight awaits...

Buy Echoboy from Norman Records - Volume 1 is availble for the ludicrously cheap price of £4.99!
Echoboy website
Echoboy MySpace

[PS Haloscan have started charging for their comments service and I can't import the old comments into Blogger (or work out how to switch it back to Blogger's basic comment service. So until I work this out (any help much appreciated), all feedback or requests can be directed to me at joeclay23 [at] hotmail.com. Ta!]

His beats my rhymes are a perfect blend

2009-12-30T10:00:00.002Z

I was planning to end the year with a monster Best of the Decade post but I've read so many of them now across the blogosphere that I'm sure the world doesn't need another. What the world can never have enough of is old school hip-hop, so instead I'm rounding off the year with a corking ten track selection - Can't Stop Won't Stop Volume II - a follow-up to the one that accompanied my post about Jeff Chang's amazing book, Can't Stop Won't Stop (definitely my book of the decade) that you can read here. Happy New Year! See you all in 2010...

1. M.C. Craig "G" - Shout (Rap Version)

The man like Marley Marl is at the controls of this magnificent cacophony from 1985. Clattering beats, jittery edits, a cheeky Tears for Fears sample and the teenage Craig Curry belting out his rhymes. And who is credited for the brilliant, chopped-up edits? None other than techno legend Jeff Mills.

Find it on Beat Classics LP (DC Recordings)

2. MC Shan - Down By Law

Another masterly Marley Marl joint here, this time in tandem with his cousin MC Shan with whom he fought the Bridge Wars in the mid-Eighties. Down By Law was the title track of Shan's debut album and makes great use of the keyboard riff from 7th Wonder's Daisy Lady. Traffic released an awesome 2CD special edition of 'Down By Law' a couple of years ago (packed with rarities) that is well worth hunting down.

Find it on MC Shan - Down By Law LP

3. The Classical II - New Generation

This funksome underground classic was produced by Teddy Riley, the "King of New Jack Swing", when he was just 15 years old. Riley would go on to work with Bobby Brown and Jacko, but here his bumpin' New Jack beats underpin rhymes from The Lord K Born & L.A. Bru, a pair of rappers from the Bronx.

Find it on Word Vol. 1 (Jive Records) LP

4. True Mathematics - After Dark

A nifty companion piece to Whodini's Freaks Come Out At Night, After Dark was credited to True Mathematics, a mysterious rap act generally thought to be a collaboration between Public Enemy's Chuck D and the producer Hank Shocklee, with raps by Eric Sadler who, along with Chuck D and Shocklee, formed the devastating production unit The Bomb Squad. The laidback funk and smooth raps of After Dark couldn't be farther away from the incendiary beats and rhymes of Public Enemy - could it really have been created by the same people?

Find it on Champion 12"

5. Three Times Dope - Once More (You Hear The Dope Stuff)

Philly hip-hop trio and once part of the Hilltop Hustlers crew along with Steady B and Cool C, Three Times Dope (3XD) made one brilliant album (1989's Original Stylin'), from which this awesome song is lifted) and two less good efforts, before main rapper EST went on to become an award-winning songwriter, penning ditties for RnB royalty like Destiny's Child. This is classic late-Eighties hip-hop fare - packed full of funk samples, fat beats and EST's rasping flow. Quality - or as 3XD would put it, "acknickulous".

Find it on Three Times Dope - Original Stylin' LP

6. Schoolly D - Gangster Boogie

For his fourth album, Am I Black Enough For You, Schoolly D eased back on the posturing and consigned the thug-raps about gangsta life to the trash, opting instead to convey a fairly positive, pro-black message (if you ignore the lamentable Pussy Ain't Nothin'), while musing on the difficulties of life in the ghetto. It wasn't a huge critical or commercial success, but it's my favourite album of his. Notable for using extremely long, largely unaccompanied, samples of well-known material, including chunks of spoken word and loads of James Brown and old funk tracks. Gangster Boogie is the bomb - uptempo and insanely funky. The Chemical Brothers got their Block Rockin' Beats sample from Gucci Again, another killer cut on this album.

Find it on Schoolly D - Am I Black Enough For You LP

7. Marley Marl Allstars - The Symphony

Marley Marl again, showing modern hip-hop producers how it should be done. Cue up a dope beat and get a group of quality MCs to drop science all over it - simples.

Find it on Marley Marl - In Control Vol. 1 LP

8. EPMD - So What Cha Sayin'

Ranked seventh by Chris Rock in Rolling Stones list of the Top 25 Hip-Hop Records of All Time, Unfinished Business is about as good as it gets, and opener So What Cha Sayin' is the album's stand-out track. You can even let them off for murdering Luther Vandross's So Amazing - stick to the rapping guys. I don't think anyone used samples better then EPMD - this one appropriates If It Don't Turn You On (You Outta Leave It Alone) by B.T. Express, One Nation Under a Groove by Funkadelic and Impeach the President by The Honey Drippers to totally devastating effect.

Find it on EPMD - Unfinished Business LP

9. Ultramagnetic MCs - Poppa Large (East Coast Mix)

Everyone bangs on about Ultramagnetic MCs debut album Critical Beatdown (and with good reason - it is one of the greatest), but when it comes to individual tracks, Poppa Large is up there. Taken from their second album Funk Your Head Up, the East Coast Mix by the mighty Beatminerz is a party-starting chunka killer funk and a guaranteed dancefloor filler. Kool Keith is on fire, as per usual.

Find it on Ultramagnetic MCs - Funk Your Head Up LP

10. Eric B & Rakim - Juice (Know The Ledge)

There are very few songs that could follow Poppa Large but this is one of them - the title track of the 1992 film 'Juice' (which starred the late 2-Pac) is Eric B & Rakim's finest hour (or four minutes) by a country mile. Its inclusion on the Chemical Brothers' Live At The Social Volume 1 - one of the finest mix albums - seals its place in my affections.

Find it on Juice - The Original Soundtrack

Let Me Upgrade You: Electromix Volume II

2009-11-12T16:00:00.000Z

Another monster electro selection from the vaults. I'm posting the full length versions, but I've ordered the tracks with a sweet ten track mix in mind. Enjoy...

1. The Micronawtz - (I Can Do It...You Can Do It) Letzmurph Acrossdasurf (Club Mix Dub Version)

The second 12" release on the seminal New York label Tuff City, this primitive slice of electro was written by Barry Michael Cooper, who would go on to achieve fame as the screenwriter of New Jack City (which starred Ice-T). It's truly notable for being mixed by Afrika Bambaataa, credited on the flip as "The Peacemaker" for the role he played in bringing together warring gangs in NYC in late 1970s. It's a curious track but very influential - the cartoon voices would later be all the rage on the electro scene - and I love the simple, childlike melody.

Find it on Old School Rarities: The Electro Jams

2. Warp 9 - Light Years Away

I'd only really heard 'Nunk' by Warp 9, but I've really been getting into them lately. Blending synth-pop, smooth soul and galactic funk together they made some of the catchiest, poppiest electro around. Their first album, 'It's a Beat Wave', was released in 1983 by Prism Records. 'Light Years Away' was the third single from the album and was produced by John 'Jellybean' Benitez, who ended up working with Madonna.

Find it on Warp 9: It's a Beat Wave

3. Xena - On the Upside (Dub Version)

Electro-heads like myself will know the original version of this corker from 'Electro 2' - a properly uplifting number, bursting with lyrical positivity from Lisa Fischer (a Grammy award-winning vocalist who worked with Luther Vandross). It was produced by the same team behind Shannon's 'Let the Music Play' (another fave of mine). I'm posting the 'Dub Version' so you can check the production work in all its glory. As the dude on discogs says: "If you happen to be playing a gay Italo party this will set your mix on fire." Exactly.

Find it on Emergency Records 12"

4. Debbie Deb - When I Hear Music (12" Club Mix)

Debbie Deb was discovered by the mighty Pretty Tony (best-known for his production work as Freestyle - his track 'Don't Stop the Rock' was recently used by Cadbury's on that ad where the kids waggled their eyebrows). She co-wrote the catchy electro-pop smash 'When I Hear Music' with Tony and it was a massive club hit that still endures to this day (both Diplo and Craze put it on their Fabric.Live mix albums). Her story is a sad one - on the chubby side, the record company would often hire imposters, Milli Vanilli-style, to pose as her for live PAs and wouldn't put her on the cover of her records. Her confidence crushed, she faded into obscurity. It's not all bad though - Gwen Stafani often bigs up Deb, Janet Jackson covered another of her hits, 'Lookout Weekend', and she is part of a freestyle revival show with artists like Lisa Lisa, The Cover Girls and Shannon.

Find it on Street Jams: Electric Funk Volume 2

5. World Class Wreckin' Cru - Juice

It's common knowledge now that Dr Dre (NWA, Eminen) was once a member of this rap ensemble, who enjoyed dressing up in shiny gold suits and wearing make-up. They also made some pretty decent music, including this pioneering West Coast electro thumper with some industrial-strength heavy breathing, vocodered vocals, a melody reminscient of the Airwolf theme tune and some nifty scratching. Pure Eighties gold.

Find it on Street Jams: Electric Funk Volume 4

6. Jamie Jupitor - Computer Power

A protégé of the Egyptian Lover (see below), Jamie Jupitor has traded off this one track for his entire career, which perhaps gives an indication of how good it is. But it was written, produced and arranged by the Egyptian one, who also did the artwork, so I'm not quite where Jupitor fits in. I'm guessing his is the distopian voice that proclaims: "Computers are the future world, we program for the boys and girls, there's nothing we don't understand, we're smarter than the normal man...Computer power!"

Find it on Street Jams: Electric Funk Volume 4

7. Newcleus - Jam On It (Instrumental)

As much as I love the original of this, I've listened to it to death. So to avoid overkill, here's the 9-minute instrumental mix with that awesome keyboard line that Nightmares on Wax sampled on 'I'm For Real' in all its glory. Newcleus were skilled producers - a fact often overshadowed by their penchant for outlandish costumes and helium vocal gimmicks. To me, this is one of the best pieces of music to come out of the era.

Find it on Sunnyview Records 12"

8. Egyptian Lover - Dubb Girls (The Ultimate Mix)

The Barry White of electro works himself into a reet lather over all the "pretty, pretty girls" (are those sirens at the beginning the sound of an ambulance come to cart EL off to hospital after panting himself towards a coronary?) in this outstanding dub mix of one of his finest tracks. He overdoes it a bit on the old sampler but I'd let him off anything - his beat production skills are out of this world. A legend.

Find it on Egyptian Empire Records 12"

9. 19th Fleet - Star Raid (Dub Version)

I don't know a huge amount about this track. The vocal mix was on 'Electro 10', which was one of the best in the series so that probably explains why I'm so fond of it. Electro artists of the Eighties were completely obsessed with space travel and the future (as this ten track selection amply demonstrates), though it all seems rather quaint now. It changes hands for silly amounts of money these days so is obviously well regarded and extremely rare.

Find it on Midnight Sun Records 12"

10. Cli-N-Tel - 2030

Another future-predictin' slice of electro greatness, this time from Cli-N-Tel who was a cohort of Dre's in the World Class Wreckin' Cru. This banger was released on the Unknown DJ's Techno Hop label in 1986 and imagines a futuristic world where alien computers rule over human beings.

Find it on The Best of Techno Hop Volume One

Der Geruch auf dem Polizei

2009-10-08T10:00:00.001Z

Principal Participant - Fragrance Polizei

I first wrote about the mysterious Principal Participant on this blog back in 2007 when his identity was still being kept under wraps. I think I made some quip about it being "the side project of a mythical electronic artist". Well, now the cat is out of the bag, or rather, the minotaur is out of the maze - ahem - as it is now common knowledge that the man behind these gloriously funky techno sounds is none other than that "sad electronic hero" David Edwards aka Minotaur Shock.

David released two twelves as PP on the Part One imprint in 2007, as well as remixing Bloc Party, The Cribs and Blitzen Trapper. Things were all quiet on the PP front until September when he gave away a three-track Principal Participant download EP via the Minotaur Shock mailing list, featuring the three original PP tracks to be released so far - 'Wonderful', 'Principles' and 'Fragrance Polizei'.

It's absolutely top-notch gear - I'm posting 'Fragrance Polizei', a wonderful hybrid of early-Human League synthpop and Harthouse techno circa 1992 - gorgeous, twitchy, melodic, bleepy, banging, jackin' techno music. And as with everything David does, the more time you spend with it, the more you get back. I love the little drum fills and that hands in the air moment when the melody first drops. My only complaint (which is a common one from me) is that it should go on for another three minutes at least. It builds up such a wicked groove that I'm always disappointed when it's over so soon - then again, I usually just head back to the beginning again.

According to the PP website, David is working on a debut album, which is very exciting news indeed. He has also said that he may make some more of the unreleased PP material available for download soon, so if you dig it, best to join the mailing list here (scroll to the bottom of the page and enter your email).

Principal Participant website
Principal Participant MySpace
Minotaur Shock website

Angry Andrea

2009-09-29T12:00:00.001Z

Andrea - Temper Tantrum

I can't remember the last time I bought a record on the strength of the cover alone, but while killing time in the record shops of Soho before meeting a friend earlier on this summer, I was immediately drawn to this striking cartoon image of a girl. I think it was the green eyes that sold me. Anyway, minimal label information intrigued me further. I'd never heard of Millie or Andrea before - turns out that's just a pseudonym for high profile dubstep/techno producers MLZ (aka Pendle Coven) and Andy Stott. Both also make brilliant records for Modern Love, the techno label of which Daphne (home to Millie & Andrea) is an offshoot.

Anyway, geeky shit out of the way - what about da muziks? Well, 'Temper Tantrum' (credited to Andrea) is obscenely good. The main problem I've always had with the majority of dubstep is that it is, well, a bit dull. And yes, I'm fully aware that this is as a result of my ignorance of the music itself. I've not heard nearly enough and have never been to a proper dubstep club night (where I'm reliably informed, people smile a lot and go mental) to form a considered opinion. But 'Temper Tantrum' is seriously banging gear, like a much better produced and less busy version of early hardcore rave music. I'm thinking particularly of stuff on Strictly Hardcore, one of the proto-jungle labels, or even early Prodigy. The deep, dark basslines and chopped-up breaks also put me in mind of really early Meat Beat Manifesto.

The flip side, 'Vigilance' (credited to Millie) is even darker - sparse, dubbed-out rimshots and clattering drums and the sort of bowel-loosening low-end bass that makes my cat freeze wherever he is and his eyes bulge even further out of his head than usual. Reminds me a bit of dub techno pioneers Bandulu - remember them?

And the moral of the story is - do judge a book by its cover if the cover is really good. Or something.

Millie & Andrea at Boomkat - all three 12's sold out now - try eBay.
Mille & Andrea on Last FM
Andy Stott MySpace
Pendle Coven MySpace

Some Greedy Ass Fake Bullshit...

2009-09-24T21:39:00.003Z

Tusken Raiders - The Motorbike Track

Apologies for the massive break in transmission... I suddenly realised that if I didn't slap something down it would be the first month I hadn't posted since I started this blog back in 2006. A sorry state of affairs for sure... If anyone stilll cares, there's loads of music I'd love to post. I just need to get back in the blogging habit.

So let's have some mad love for Mike P and this phenomenal slab of insanecore from 1999 under his Tusken Raiders moniker. I can remember being at the Reading Festival in the same year and stumbling across the man himself tearing the crowd a new asshole in a packed tent in mid-afternoon with this absolutely banging tune - judicious use of the amen break, brutal nu-school dnb breaks, a fat, filthy bassline and a quality hip-hop sample (not sure where it's from). I don't think Mike P has ever got the respect he deserves, purely by dint of not being the Aphex Twin. But he was and is a true pioneer and this tune still sounds different class, ten years on. "Y'all need to knock that shit off...."

Tusken Raiders at bleep.com
Tusken Raiders discography
Planet µ website
Mike P/µ-ziq My Space

I Switch On I Switch Off I Switch On

2009-08-06T19:43:00.005Z

Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Colour Television

I've got a new favourite band! Eddy Current Suppression Ring fucking rule. I am completely and utterly addicted, hooked, smitten - call it what you want - to 'Primary Colours' the second album by the Melbourne-based Aussie post punkers. When the album was released in Australia it reached # 6 in the national charts and recently won the Australian Music Prize (their equivalent of the Mercury Music Prize). I'm not surprised - it's brilliant, combining the primal, raw intensity of the Stooges ('Sunday's Coming'; 'Memory Lane'), the slipshod nonchalance and genius of early Fall ('Which Way to Go'; 'Colour Television'), metronomic Krauty grooves ('I Admit My Faults'; the instrumental 'That's Inside of Me') and simple, catchy singalong tunes ('Wrapped Up'). There's even a bit of the Stranglers going on when they bust out the melodic synths on 'We'll Be Turned On'. It comes across as being totally effortless, with songs seemingly flicked out with the same ease you or I would reserve for picking our noses, which just makes it even cooler. If there's any justice they'll be massive in the UK too, though with the Ashes going on, British love for our Antipodean mates perhaps isn't at it's highest... But that's cricket, and this is music!

Those very nice people at Melodic in Manchester are releasing 'Primary Colours' in a special edition with the band's eponymous debut (which I haven't got around to listening to yet as I can't stop listening to 'Primary Colours', but the band reckon sounds more 1976 than 1982) as a double CD package for the bargain price of £11 (or £8 for the download) which is an absolute bargain. The download is available now, the CD due on August 17th 2009.

Buy 'Primary Colours' from the Melodic website
There's loads of great clips of the band playing live, videos, free downloads etc on the band's official website
Eddy Current Suppression Ring MySpace
Ignore my inane gibberings and head straight for this far more cultured, considered and contextual review from Melbourne website Beat

Go Take That California Trip...

2009-07-15T07:57:00.002Z

Depeche Mode - Route 66 (Beatmasters Mix)

Depeche Mode must be one of the most covered bands in history. There's an entire website devoted to all the different bands who've reinterpreted their songs. According to that website, 'Enjoy the Silence' has been covered a staggering 176 times - although admittedly the bands on that list whose names I recognise I could count on one hand. But for a band who have been covered so many times, they have only actually covered two songs themselves - 'Dirt' by the Stooges (which featured on the b-side of the 2001 single 'I Feel Loved') and 'Route 66' (on the flip of 'Behind the Wheel', released in 1987).

'Route 66' was written by Bobby Troup, originally recorded by the King Cole Trio in 1946 (as '(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66'), popularised by Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones in the 1960s, before the Basildon boys got their hands on it. It was when I was writing this piece that I found out that it was Martin Gore who sang it. I still can't quite believe that, it sounds so much like Gahany. Anyway, the Beatmasters version is a classic late-1980s flavoured remix, packed with snatches of film and TV dialogue and is also a megamix of sorts as it features elements of 'Behind the Wheel'. There is also an awesome bongo breakdown halfway through and a little drum break at about 4m 15s that I used to love so much when I was a teenager that I did a little re-edit of my own on a double cassette deck, looping it over and over again and extending the mix by about two minutes. A fledgling Beatmaster in the making? Not quite...

I'm going old school Mode crazy at the moment so keep an eye on my Twitter page as I'll definitely be lobbing a few tracks up on there - twitter.com/joewhitenoise

Search eBay for 'Behind the Wheel'
Official Depeche Mode website
Depeche Mode MySpace
Beatmasters MySpace

Dubnovoodoobasswithmyheadman

2009-07-01T12:00:00.001Z

Big Two Hundred - Drum Spell

Since disbanding Bizarre Inc back in 1996 after their second album, 'Surprise', was a commercial flop, Andrew Meecham and Dean Meredith have been incredibly creatively fertile, together and apart, with less chart success but with an increasingly eclectic sound. They both dabbled in Big Beat as Sir Drew and Psychedeliasmith respectively, before coming together again as Chicken Lips in 1999 and exploring the outer reaches of space funk, nu-disco and leftfield house. On the solo tip, Meecham has been recording spaced-out analogue disco as the Emperor Machine for DC Recordings since 2003 (more on that one day - the 'Vertical Tones and Horizontal Noise' series is brilliant), and Meredith's White Light Circus project (also on DC) is Moroder/Kraftwerk influenced dirty old school electro and celestial funk (again, I should really cover this some day as it is equally good).

But my favourite post-Bizarre Inc incarnation for Meecham and Meredith was Big Two Hundred. Under that alias they recorded a solitary album, 'Your Personal Filth', released on DC Recordings in 2003; a rampant collection of dub disco, punk funk and psychedelic garage rock, very much in thrall to Bristol's late-1970s post punk pioneers The Pop Group and with nods to The Clash and PiL. It's a fucking freaky far out and hugely underrated album with a dirty, stoned sound enhanced by the fact that it was all recorded on vintage analogue equipment. Check 'Drum Spell', which sounds like an outtake from a Can album - 12-minutes of locked Krauty grooves, a bucketload of spooky echo effects and insane, voodoo-influenced, dubbed-out percussion that sounds like it's being played with human bones. And to think this fell out of the same heads that made 'I'm Gonna Get You'. I want some of whatever it was they'd been taking...

Search eBay for Big Two Hundred
DC Recordings website
DC Recordings MySpace
Chicken Lips MySpace
The Emperor Machine MySpace
White Light Circus MySpace

I Just Can't Help Believing...

2009-06-24T06:00:00.000Z

Johnny Boy - You are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve

Sorry it's been a bit quiet here of late. I've got a lot on my plate at the moment, but one of the things I have been doing is starting to think about my end of the decade list. Yep, the first decade of the noughties (I hate that term but can't think of a decent substitute) is almost over. While I was sorting out an initial list (91 songs at the moment, hoping to whittle that down to 20 over the coming weeks), I came across this amazing song by Johnny Boy. I don't think my iPod has ever thrown this up in any shuffle and as it's the only song I have by them it's got swamped, but by crikey it's GOOD! Named after a character in Scorsese's 'Mean Streets', the Liverpool-based duo of Lolly Hayes and Davo were a precursor to the Ting Tings - boy/girl duo doing catchy indie pop - only far, far superior. Their second single, 'You are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve' was a call to arms against consumerism, produced by the Manics' James Dean Bradfield and released in 2004, when it reached # 50 in the hit parade. It's a brilliant tune - like Phil Spector producing Saint Etienne - with an infectious, euphoric, shout-along chorus. Unfortuntately, for various reasons it took them three years and two record companies before their self-titled debut album hit the shelves, and nothing on the album matched the brilliance of '...Generation'. But not many bands get it so very right at such an early stage in their career, so for that alone they should be lauded. Definitely one of the great lost singles of the decade.

Search eBay for Johnny Boy
Johnny Boy MySpace

Paint the Whole World With a Rainbow

2009-05-28T07:36:00.004Z

Black Moth Super Rainbow - Twin Of Myself

Black Moth Super Rainbow win band name of the year, if not the decade. But then great band names are in their DNA - previous monikers have included Allegheny White Fish (Pittsburgh-slang for a condom floating down the river) and satanstompingcaterpillars. Emerging from a chrysalis in an obscure Pennsylvanian forest glen in 2003, the fully-formed Black Moth comprise vocoder-wielding front man Tobacco, backed by four mysterious musical forces known as The Seven Fields of Aphelion, Power Pill Fist, Iffernaut and Father Hummingbird. So far so freaky deaky, weirdy beardy, right? Wrong. The biggest surprise of all is that the music concocted by the five-piece on their latest album, 'Eating Us', isn't as way out there as you might think. Sure, it's full-on under-the-influence-of-super-strong-blotter-acid psychedelia, but then whack your ears around 'Twin of Myself' - it's sublime psychedelic pop music, an inspired amalgam of Air's floaty Gallic goodness and some top drawer childlike melodies that could have come out of the Boards of Canada songbook. It's accessible and catchy - it wouldn't surprise me if it didn't worry the Top 40 if their UK label, Memphis Industries, released it as a single.

Granted, 'Twin Of Myself' is the poppermost moment on 'Eating Us', but the rest of the album is still easy on the ear. Produced by Dave Fridmann, it's a proper summer album, radiating warmth from start to finish, mainly due to the predominance of analogue electronic instruments including Tobacco's ubiquitous vocoder (which is set on soft and warm, not harsh and robotic), as well as a lush Rhodes piano and space-age Novatron. Other highlights include opening track 'Born on a Day the Sun Didn't Shine', which is a futuristic 'Strawberry Fields Forever', with heavy, looped beats and a gorgeous Rhodes, while 'Iron Lemonade' is a woozy bad trip, with a melody bizarrely reminiscent of the Grange Hill theme tune as re-imagined Plone. Not surprisingly, Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips is a big fan, naming the song 'I Was Zapped by the Lucky Super Rainbow' after them.

'Eating Us' is a wonderful example of machine music with an organic, human heart and can be double-dropped straight into the day-glo melting pot of psychedelic classics.

'Eating Us' by Black Moth Super Rainbow is released in the UK by Memphis Industries on June 8th 2009. Pre-order it from Norman Records
Black Moth Super Rainbow MySpace
Black Moth Super Rainbow website
Memphis Industries website

Jackin' in the Community

2009-05-21T08:00:00.001Z

Nathan Fake - Castle Rising

Norfolk’s finest big-haired knob-worrier Nathan Fake is back with a new six-track mini-album ‘Hard Islands’, which was released by James Holden’s mighty Border Community imprint on Monday. I caned the arse of Fake’s 2006 debut album, ‘Drowning in a Sea of Love’ - an inspired concoction of toytown synths, blissful, life-affirming distortion and thumping beats, and definitely up there with the best of the Noughties. His latest offering finds the prodigious 25-year-old hitting his stride, remodelling his style with a tougher sound, honed over the last few years spent roughing up the dancefloors of Europe. “Playing live a lot over the last couple of years has had a profound influence on the way I make music now,” Fake says.

Opening track ‘The Turtle’ is a straight-up banger – marvellous bubbly, squidgy acid, while on ‘Basic Mountain’, Fake staples his trademark fuzzy, pastoral electronica to hard-edged, analogue techno beats. ‘Castle Rising’ is rough, raw and loopily experimental acid house, recalling the glorious early years of 808 State, when A Guy Called Gerald was behind the wheel; and both ‘Narrier’ and ‘Fentiger’ are packed with gnarly Aphexisms, off-kilter melodies and brutal beats. I only have one complaint – it’s far too short. More please.

Nathan Fake - Outhouse (Main Mix)

The music of 'Hard Islands' is a return to Fake's roots - 'Outhouse' was the single he burst on to the scene with back in November 2003, an absolutely bruising monster of a tune, with only an eerie, dissonant AFX circa-Polygon Window melody to keep the relentless percussion at bay. If he's now 25 (I think) that means he would've been, er, about 19-years-old when he produced this. Suddenly those "Norfolk's answer to the Aphex Twin" comparisons have some resonance.

Buy 'Hard Islands' from Norman Records
Nathan Fake MySpace
Nathan Fake website
Border Community website

Spirited Away

2009-05-15T08:09:00.005Z

LFO - Tied Up (Spiritualized Electric Mainline Mix

When I first got wind of this union between the Gods of bleep techno and Jason Pierce’s psychedelic space rockers - probably in the news section of the NME - I messed my pants in excitement. An inspired collaboration if ever there was one, the results did not disappoint as Jason Pierce took the original bass-heavy techno thumper and transformed it into a blissful nine-minutes of strung-out ambient wonder, easily on a par with Global Communication's reworking of Chapterhouse's 'Blood Music'. Coincidentally, the only other remix Pierce ever did (until last year's effort for Goldfrapp) was of the Global Communication track 'Maiden Voyage' around the same time as this.

Pierce had obviously been rummaging around in the darkest recesses of former cohort Sonic Boom's drug bag, as there's not a trumpet or gospel choir in sight. This isn't so much a remix as a piece of music inspired by the original, with oscillating synths and drones, a gently plucked guitar, washes of beautiful, dissonant noise and the vaguest hint of melody to tie this rework to the original. It evolves so gradually the changes are barely noticeable and is a wonderful demonstration of tonal control. This is right up there with the best things Pierce ever did, and if he's considering a change of direction post 'Songs in A&E' I'd suggest a trip back in time...

Search eBay for LFO 'Tied Up'
LFO MySpace
Official Spiritualized® website
Spiritualized® MySpace

The Return of Elf Magic

2009-05-07T19:28:00.002Z

Wisp - Keeper Of The Hills

Deep in a mountain valley in Middle Earth stands the mighty Wisp – resplendent in his wizard’s robes, the Merlin of electronic music thrusts his knotted staff towards the three-mooned sky as he orchestrates a deranged army of dancing Orcs, goblins and elves, whipped into a frenzy by an insane musical collision between Aphex Twin and Genesis. Welcome to the wonderful world of Progtronica.

And no, that tag is not meant to be disingenuous. ‘The Shimmering Hour’ is an epic and conceptual album, as much influenced by medieval folklore as it is by the electronic music scene. Wisp came upon his artist name while reading ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy and has been known to dabble in the odd game of Dungeons and Dragons. The progressive element can also be found in Wisp’s exceptional musicality – the boy can play as well as program, and like the key protagonists of the progressive rock scene, he is not afraid to indulge himself. All he needs is to don a fox’s head for live performances a la Peter Gabriel and the link would be complete.

As an artist who has done all his growing up in public – releasing a plethora of high quality net releases for free and frequenting electronic music messageboards - Reid “Wisp” Dunn of Niagara Falls, New York has always been judged by the harshest critics of all; the notoriously hard-to-please IDM fanboy community. But Dunn has emerged unscathed, virtually bulletproof to the jealous sniping and totally driven by his own convictions rather than someone else’s idea of what electronic music should sound like in 2009.

‘The Shimmering Hour’ is the follow-up to 2005’s excellent ‘NRTHNDR’, Dunn’s first “proper” (i.e. you had to pay for it) album. There are references to all the various stages of his prolific musical career within, making ‘TSH’ his masterwork. There is no doubting Dunn’s technical prowess – his programming and production skills are exceptional - but what makes ‘TSH’ so special is the fact that you can tell he has poured his heart and soul into it. In an oft-faceless scene, Dunn’s quirky personality shines forth from every second of his music and his sound is unique. You could spot a Wisp track a mile off. Yes, he is undoubtedly under the influence of Aphex, but Aphex soundtracking ‘The Legend of Zelda’ as directed by Peter Jackson.

Joyous paint-the-sky melodies, fucked-up acid grooves, banging, emotive Euro-rave, Bukem-esque ambient jungle, bewitching medieval folk, lush breakdowns and complex, pulse-quickening breakbeats are all dropped into the musical cauldron and bubbled into life to create a magical brew, rich with the spirit of Bardic lore but driven by cutting-edge electronic production skills. Wisp is at the peak of his powers now; it won't be long before you all fall under his spell.

Buy 'The Shimmering Hour' from Norman Records
Incredible Wisp archive - all his net-label recordings are available to download for free!
Wisp MySpace

Box Fresh Techno

2009-04-30T07:40:00.004Z

Laurent Garnier - Astral Dreams (Speakers Mix)
Laurent Garnier - Astral Dreams (Headphones Mix)

The thing about top-notch quality techno is that it never seems to age. Take Laurent Garnier’s ‘Astral Dreams (Speakers Mix)’. It is nearly 15 years old, but rather than sounding dusty and ancient it still sounds box fresh today, like it was cooked up on Reason and burnt onto a CDr by some prodigious teen techno producer last week. 15 years is a long time, but the track is timeless, with super crispy production. OK, so if you were playing it out now you’d have to pitch it up a bit, but I probably would have given it a bit of a nudge even back then - you want everything to go faster when you’re young. As the ‘Speakers Mix’ suggests, this was one for the dancefloor, designed to shred ears – if you stood too close to the PA it sounded like a gigantic metallic dog was barking directly into your brain.

The ‘Speakers Mix’ originally surfaced on a 12” on FComm – the precursor to the French techno wizard’s debut album ‘Shot in the Dark’, which was released in the autumn of 1994. There was a ‘Headphones Mix’ that I’m also posting - this is a laidback, trancier affair that is more of the period and does sound slightly dated. But when that insidious acid line kicks in it’s a dead ringer for peak-‘Brown Album’ Orbital, which is a very, very good thing indeed.

Search eBay for 'Shot in the Dark'
Laurent Garnier discography
Laurent Garnier MySpace

As a footnote - I'm on Twitter now. You can find me here. Not sure how I'm going to use it at the moment, but I am considering doing occasional exclusive Twitter posts - 140 character reviews with tinyurl links to downloadable tracks - that won't feature on the main TWNR site. It may never happen, but if you want to see if it does - follow me! If I get 12 followers, I'll organise a supper for us all somewhere nice*.

* I won't.

Liberation Through Collaboration

2009-04-16T12:00:00.010Z

Mike & Rich - Vodka

Back in early 1996 when rumours of a collaboration between electronic behemoths Richard D. James and Mike Paradinas first reached my ears, I was so excited you would have thought it had just been announced that a re-animated Albert Einstein was getting together with Professor Stephen Hawking to finalise plans for a teleportation device. The reality was something far less highbrow - as Mike P revealed of their union: "With Rich it was ... fooling around pissed and on acid".

So not the groundbreaking, experimental electronic-fest everyone was expecting. Instead we got a couple of equipment-obsessed techno boffins getting mullered on vodka and acid in a studio and concocting some cheesy tuneage, though the resulting album, 'Mike & Rich' ('Extreme Knob Twiddlers' was a subtitle), is an underrated, joyful affair. Of the process itself, Mike P said in an interview with the brilliant Milk Factory website: "It started round his (Richard's) place and we just did this track. I think we both enjoyed working together, it was quite a laugh, so we carried it on. We were serious about the music though - it's not a pisstake, just elements of joy."

Many critics saw Mike P as the dominant force in the recording process, and the free-jazz keys of opener 'Mr Frosty' were certainly evocative of the music he produced under his Jake Slazenger moniker. Throughout, the playful synths and odd samples recall prime Rephlex-era µ-ziq material. But this simplistic view doesn't allow for the fact that (according to Mike P) the sessions were partly inspired by the unreleased Aphex Twin album 'Melodies from Mars'. Plus I can't imagine such a strong personality as RDJ would have been subservient to another producer - it's far more likely that he felt suitably liberated by the collaborative process, relaxed by multiple vodka shots, off his face on acid, and in the mood to create something a little bit different from his usual output. The crunchy techno of 'Vodka', with its off-kilter melodies is very Aphex, and 'Winner Takes All' recalls 'Cow Cud is a Twin' from the 'I Care Because You Do' album, while also being reminiscent of contemporary Luke Vibert's output as Wagon Christ.

'Mike & Rich' has aged pretty well considering and the cover is an absolute classic. Seeing the youthful Mike and Rich enjoying a game of Downfall is a reminder of more innocent times.

Squarepusher/AFX - Freeman Hardy & Willis Acid

Luke Vibert sent many a fan boy's pulse racing when he disclosed (again in an interview with The Milk Factory in 2003) that all of the electronic music scene's powerhouses have worked together at some point. "(Me and Richard) do work loads. Nearly every time I see him, we make music together. Same with Squarepusher. We’ve done tracks with Tom, I’ve done tracks with Mike Paradinas, everyone’s done tracks together." But, unfortunately, it appears that not many of these collaborations will ever see the light of day as they simply aren't good enough - too unfocused, sprawling and messy to be worthy of a proper release. Though tantalisingly, Vibert said that he might give some of them away via the internet - as far as I'm aware, this hasn't happened yet.

However, one track that did make it into the public domain was a collaboration between Tom 'Squarepusher' Jenkinson and RDJ under his AFX guise. Recorded to celebrate Warp Records’ 100th release and named after the popular high street shoe retailer, 'Freeman, Hardy & Willis Acid' marries some mournful Aphexian melodies to jazzy, rolling Squarepusher d'n'b beats. Then the ante is upped as the drums go all splattercore and it finally delivers on the acid promised by the title with some vintage squidge. With Warp celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, perhaps a few more collaborations between the old school heavyweights could be on the cards. Here's hoping...

Buy 'Mike & Rich' from Boomkat
Mike P's Planet Mu website
Aphex Twin fan resource/forum at WATMM - strictly for the hardcore fanboize - you have been warned!
Squarepusher MySpace
Warp Records website

A Scene Worth Celebrating Again

2009-04-09T08:00:00.000Z

The Early Years - Like a Suicide

As documented many times on TWNR, I was a teenage shoegazer. Ride posters on my wall, Ride T-shirt on my back, sporting the duffel coat/Converse combo, silly girls hair and a winsome, fey expression permanently etched on my fizzog. Now I consider myself to be a massive fan with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the scene, but everything pales into insignificance when compared to the shoegazer extraordinaire, Nathaniel Cramp of Sonic Cathedral. Nat has single-handedly resurrected the shoegazing genre, breathing new life into the much-maligned scene (Richey Manic famously said he hated it "more than Hitler") with club nights and a record label. If you want some more background info, we wrote a piece about Nat and Sonic Cathedral back in 2007 - you can find it here.

Nat's mission statement, as told to Jude Rogers in the Guardian, was to "contextualise shoegazing in terms of its influences and inspirations". But as well as looking back, Sonic Cathedral is also moving forwards, so the music he releases on the label is not a tired, hackneyed tribute to the original shoegazing scene. Instead, Sonic Cathedral represents everything that is great about music TODAY. Nat's eclectic A&R policy and fine ear has led to him releasing a series of phenomenal singles. All hits. No misses. That is quite an achievement in this day and age. If I were a major label I'd be getting Mr Cramp on my payroll quick smart...

Just how consistently great the Sonic Cathedral label output has been becomes evident when you listen to 'Cathedral Classics Volume One' - a compilation of the first eleven 7" singles released on the label since 2006, out on CD on April 20, 2009. It is, without a doubt, the best compilation I have heard for eons - a real throwback to the classic Creation compilations that were a testament to Alan McGee's A&R talents during the 1990s.

Kicking things off, The Tambourines' 'Sally O'Gannon' is a heady burst of fuzzy guitar pop - like Jesus and Mary Chain crossed with the Dandy Warhols. Courtney Taylor-Taylor (one surname not enough?) of the aforementioned Dandys would cut off his cock and flog it to Satan to still be writing songs this good.

For the label's second single, Nat rolled out the big guns - the union of Mark Gardener and Ulrich Schnauss was one made in heaven. The latter's remix skills transforms the former Ride man's heartbreaking country song, 'The Story of the Eye', into a lush slice of celestial folk - not so much shoegazing as stargazing. They should make an album together and then I can die happy.

Another shoegaze luminary to feature in the Sonic Cathedral oeuvre is the former Slowdive mainman Neil Halstead. He rocked up on the seventh single, remixing the San Francisco folk rocker Miranda Lee Richard's tender country ballad 'Lifeboat' and transforming it into a feedback-drenched slo-mo trip hop wonder, more reminiscent of Portishead than Halstead's former band (for whom the phrase 'sonic cathedrals of sound" was originally coined).

Things get really post-modern with the re-interpretations of tracks from Japancakes instrumental treatment of My Bloody Valentine's 'Loveless'. James Rutledge (aka the mighty Pedro) turns 'Soon' into a bleepy microhouse marvel, the swoons and groans of the original just about audible amid the bonkers skittering electronics, while Ricardo Tobar's reworking of 'Touched' is six-minutes of blissed-out, technoid brilliance - a Balearic classic in the making.

But the stand-out single for me is The Early Years (Brian Eno's favourite band) dark epic 'Like a Suicide'. A distorted, pulsing drum machine holds everything down, steady as a metronome, while a melody reminiscent of Joy Division's 'Isolation' hovers into earshot. It all shifts up a sonic gear when the vocal drops - a Gary Numan-esque baritone intones, "I'm not falling apart, just into pieces", before a guitar is mangled to death. Fuck Editors - this is how a 21st-Century Joy Division would have sounded.

Having said there are no misses, I am not the biggest Kyte fan. Under their own steam the Leicester band are unremarkable; their overwrought, piano-heavy torchsong 'Planet' is just a little too close to Keane for my liking. But when James "Maps" Chapman gets involved it's a different story - his remix of 'Secular Ventures' transforms the band into a credible proposition - imagine early-OMD with spikey Aphex rhythms. They should ask him to join full-time.

Elsewhere, Maps and M83 swap remixes, the Contino remix of Sarabeth Tucek's 'Something For You' is a comedown classic, and Sonic Boom goes all Radiophonic Workshop on Dean & Britta's (of Galaxie 500 and Luna fame) 'White Horses', a cover of a 1960s kids cartoon theme tune. And finally, with SCR011, the label released something resembling old school shoegaze - the bloody marvellous 'Within the Boundaries' by Daniel Land and the Modern Painters, an epic soundscape reminiscent of prime-Cocteaus.

Nice sleeve too - a gloriously yellow pastiche of 'Loveless'. Hopefully this is just the start for Sonic Cathedral. The label is preparing to release its first artist album later on this year - from Sweden's Sad Day for Puppets, who sound a bit like the Concretes crossed with Dinosaur Jr.

Forget the scene, it's the label that is worth celebrating...

Buy 'Cathedral Classics Volume One' from Norman Records
Visit the Sonic Cathedral shop
Sonic Cathedral MySpace

People in Motion Again

2009-04-02T12:00:00.002Z

Papercuts - The Machine Will Tell Us So

San Francisco is gearing up for another Summer of Love as there's a properly tasty scene building in the city at the moment. At its heart is Jason Quever, a guy with a very interesting back-story – he was raised in a commune in Humboldt County in Northern California, orphaned, and moved up and down the West Coast before settling in San Francisco. A talented multi-instrumentalist with a fine ear, he's become a focal point for West Coast musicians, playing with and producing a whole heap of acts including Devendra Banhart, Vetiver, Donkeys, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Cass McCombs and Beach House.

As well as his role as the Phil Spector of modern-day San Fran, Quever also has his own Papercuts project and the optimistically-titled ‘You Can Have What You Want’ is the third album he's recorded under that nom de plume, but the first to be released in the UK (on April 13 2009, by the ever-reliable Memphis Industries). It’s a dreamy collection of reverb-drenched pop songs, dominated by vintage analogue organs and Quever’s soaring vocals. The songs evoke hazy summer days, rich with melancholic drama and stunning arrangements – that Spector comparison was not a joke, though perhaps Brian Wilson circa-'Pet Sounds' is a more accurate sonic comparison.

It has a retro-future vibe - new sounds recorded on old equipment - that immediately brought to mind ‘The Noise Made By People’-era Broadcast (who incidentally have a song called Papercuts in their oeuvre – coincidence?), especially the drums, nailed on the press release as “Kraut-via Ringo”. Quever himself has flagged up 'The Twilight Zone' as a big influence on the album (he was watching the boxset on repeat during recording) - "It's clear to me that the show's mysterious, melancholic vibe seeped into the album", he revealed. This does actually make perfect sense. There's also a laidback, Gallic feel to proceedings; the evocative whiff of Gauloise and Gainsbourg permeate the tracks. Love it.

Catch the Papercuts experience live when Quever and his merry band tour the UK and Europe in April in support of the album -

09 April - Deaf Institute, Manchester
11 April - Bird On The Wire, London
12 April - Freebutt, Brighton
13 April - Rough Trade Instore, London
14 April - Cafe de la Danse, Paris
15 April - The Cellar, Oxford
16 April - The Legion, London
17 April - Buffalo Bar, Cardiff

Preorder 'You Can Have What You Want' from Norman Records
Papercuts at Memphis Industries
Papercuts MySpace

Life Without Britpop

2009-03-26T08:00:00.000Z

Blur - Never Clever

Imagine a world without Britpop... No 'Parklife'. No Jarvis waggling his arse at Jacko. No Noely G at No. 10. No Blur v Oasis. No Chris Evans. No Menswear. No ladettes. No Loaded. Hang on, that doesn't sound so bad...

But look, it could actually have happened. If Blur's 'Popscene' had been the Top 10 hit it deserved to be when it was released in 1992, the musical landscape would have been radically altered. In the grand plan of the band and their label, Food, after 'Popscene' had re-established Blur at the top of the indie tree, they would release 'Never Clever' - a bratty slice of pop punk where Graham's frenetic, phased thrash guitar loops back a rather lacklustre vocal performance from Damon. It's an exhilarating ride, but ultimately leaves you feeling let down and a bit empty. What's it actually saying? Not very much. Would it have been a hit? We'll never know. But if things had gone according to plan Blur would have had two Top 10 singles in the bag and the outlook for both band and label would have been a hell of a lot rosier...

ANDY ROSS (FOOD): They had this track 'Popscene' which we thought was great - this fucking song is a huge hit. Then it went in at 32 and we thought, Ah, this isn't going right at all. They had a song called 'Never Clever' that we thought was equally brilliant and the cunning plan was to have a big hit with 'Popscene', capitalise with 'Never Clever' and then we'd all be rich.

So 'Popscene' flopped, 'Never Clever' was shelved and the band hit the booze in spectatular style, almost self-destructing in the process. They regrouped, licked their wounds and came back with 'Modern Life is Rubbish' (arguably their finest) which, as we all know, invented Britpop and changed the face of music in 1990s Great Britain. For ever.

A live version of 'Never Clever' recorded at Glastonbury 1992 appeared on the b-side of 'Chemical World'. The studio version available to download here surfaced on a promo CD to commemorate Food's 100th release.

Anyone going to Hyde Park? I'll be there!

Buy Blur records from Amazon
Official Blur website
Buy John Harris's excellent account of the Britpop era 'The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock' from Amazon
Official Blur fanclub
Veikko's excellent Blur fansite

I'm Kool Keith Not a Bill or Dan

2009-03-19T12:00:00.000Z

Ultramagnetic MC's - Kool Keith Housing Things

I'm a bit snowed under this week so am posting a track that requires very few words from me. This is as good as it gets, and in this version from the remastered 'Critical Beatdown' (one of the ten finest hip-hop albums of all time), Ced Gee's awesome beats are boosted with an extra injection of bass to make speaker stacks crumble and fall.

Kool Keith is a one-off. Arguably the greatest - definitely the weirdest - MC of all time. The Salvador Dali of rap, his abstract, surrealist rhymes are beamed down from another planet. An unstoppable psychedelic force. I'll say it again - this is as good as it gets. Blast it.

Search eBay for 'Critical Beatdown'
Kool Keith website
Ultramagnetic MC's MySpace

How Danny's Noise Became a Force for Good

2009-03-12T10:00:00.001Z

Dan Deacon - Red F

Nu-rave eh? What happened there then? If you put the glow sticks, the pills and the multi-coloured leggings to one side, you were left with - musically at least - a rather joyless scene, producing very little music worthy of the title. Even the movement's poster boys, Klaxons, were (let's be honest) Jesus Jones with slightly better hair and trousers.

Step forward, then, Dan Deacon, who with his latest album, 'Bromst' - a luminous, euphoric collection of reach-for-the-laser rave epics - has produced an album that captures the giddy emotion of the original rave scene. Each song is heavily daubed in colourful melodies, pummelling Nintendo beats and hooks big enough to catch Moby-Dick.

I'll hold my hand up and say I was never Deacon's biggest fan. The "wacky" warning signs flashed up whenever I heard something by him, watched any number of the garish OTT vids available on YouTube or saw clips of him coercing groups of clubbers into dance-offs during his live set. Think an emo, laptop-wielding Timmy Mallet, and then consign that image to the dustbin...

However, it seems that even Deacon has tired of this perceived persona, and is determined to shake the (perhaps unfairly applied) "wacky" tag with a more mature outlook to making music. And rather than this resulting in an album of po-faced chin scratching and introspection, instead you get a broader, richer sound that still generates extreme levels of energy and excitement. Hey, I can even forgive him his overuse of the voice manipulation software this time around - in this dense, richly layered soup of sound, the vocals become another instrument - an essential component, rather than an irritating quirk. 'Bromst' also has a more organic, less mechanic feel, as Deacon explains -

"It’s different, there’s much less computer and a lot more live instruments (marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone, live drummers, player piano, etc) so the sound is a lot more rich. It was recorded to tape with many analogue synths so the sound is not as plasticy… its probably a little more dance at times too but also more intense, varied, serious… the tracks are meant to be listened to as a whole to get the complete experience."

About halfway through the second song, the argy-bargy punishing gabba techno of 'Red F', I lifted my jaw up off the pavement and realised that I was listening to something truly awesome. 'Of the Mountain' is stunning, as Deacon somehow manages to combine the playful twinkling glockenspiels of Penguin Café Orchestra with shamanistic, mantric chanting that wouldn't sound out of place on The Lion King soundtrack, pounding tribal rhythms and a portentous, synth-drenched outro that rivals Arcade Fire in its epic sonic scope. 'Slow With Horns/Run for Your Life' recalls Fuck Buttons distorted analogue drones, adds a cacophonous, almost funereal, wall of horns, before busting out into a tinkling, piano symphony, underpinned by hammering beats. Elsewhere, the bendy twanging 'Woof Woof' is a joy, 'Paddling Ghost' is a nifty slice of 'Bonkers'-style Toytown Happy Hardcore if DJ Sharkey played the marimba, and he even lobs in a curveball in the form of the medieval 'Wet Wings', which consists solely of a haunting, female vocal loops. As if to prove the leopard hasn't totally changed his spots, the chipmunk chorus and quirk-noise of 'Baltihorse' annoys. But that's a minor quibble.

I don't think Dan Deacon needs another blogger jibber-jabbering on about how good 'Bromst' is (Google it and you will see what I mean) but it is an incredible album - more than worthy of my fawning prose - and as this decade comes to a close, it feels like a benchmark for the future has been set.

'Bromst' is released on Carpark Records on March 23rd 2009. You can pre-order it from Norman Records
Dan Deacon's website is still shit but there's loads of free mp3s here
Dan Deacon MySpace

The Biggest Midget Got The Maddest Skills

2009-03-05T16:00:00.002Z

Lady Sovereign - I Got You Dancing
Lady Sovereign - So Human

I've completely lost touch with what's going on with UK hip-hop but I have got a massive soft spot for Lady Sovereign, despite the fact she is starting resemble Stacey Slater doing a photo shoot for Dazed & Confused. I wasn't into some of more commercial tracks on her debut album 'Public Warning', but I absolutely love her vocal style and she is a shit hot lyricist. Sov got mad skills, yo. Ahem. Plus being a bit of a labels geek, the fact she had a record out on the ubercool US hip-hop/electronic hybrid label Chocolate Industries gives her extra kudos to me.

Sov's new album, 'Jigsaw' is due to drop soon and in the grand tradition of all business savvy artists these days, it is being released on her own label, Midget, but is being distributed by a major. The first single 'I Got You Dancing' was a pop rap cracker with some awesome hoover noises and Sov busting out the Auto Tune to give it that 'NOW' sound. OK, so it doesn't sound a million miles away from Vicky 'MC Posh' Beckham's two-step collab with Dane Bowers back in the day but it still should have been a huge hit. I don't know how it fared in the hit parade - I stopped looking at the charts when downloads were counted. Yes. I am getting old... The second single 'So Human' makes liberal use of the Cure's 'Close To You' in way which will probably have Goths the world over burning effigies of Sov but works brilliantly. As well as using regular producer Gabriel 'Medasyn' Olegavich she's also worked with Benny Blanco (Britney, Katy Perry) and Dr Luke (Kelis, Leona Lewis) on the album (released in the UK on April 13 2009) which gives the impression that she is looking to crossover properly this time. Best of British Sov.

Medasyn featuring Lady Sovereign, Shystie, Frost P & Zuz Rock - The Battle

But before she went all crossover, Sov used to drop the real shit in dodgy council estates in Hackney. Or plush recording studios in Chiswick, but whatever... I first came across 'The Battle' in demo form under the title 'BoysnGirls' - it was a piss poor recording but had the feel of a real old school mic battle between two male MCs (Frost P and Zuz Rock) and two female MCs (Lady Sovereign and Shystie). It eventually got polished up into the version you can download above, which was released as a single by Ross Allen's Casual label in 2003. The rhymes are pretty much the same but it's lost a lot of the vibe of the original demo, which was recorded live and feels raw and spontaneous. I'd probably say the ladies win the battle, but it's a close run thing. I especially love Frost P's opening verse = boy spits fire. The badass string-heavy beats were knocked up by Medasyn.

Preorder 'Jigsaw' from Amazon
Lady Sovereign website
Lady Sovereign MySpace

Melodies from Mars, Vicious Beats from Venus

2009-02-26T10:00:00.003Z

The Tuss - Rushup I Bank 12

I realised that after all the shit surrounding whether or not The Tuss was Aphex Twin I hadn't actually got around to giving the album a proper listen. Grant Wilson-Claridge (Rephlex co-owner) gave an interview around the time the controversy was in full swing and made one very salient point - "People seem more interested in speculation and celebrity than content, quality or music. Be careful you don't miss something really great that isn't really famous." Nail whacked firmly on the head.

Over the past week, The Tuss's album 'Rushup Edge' has rarely been off me pod, and it rocks so fucking hard I feel very stupid for getting sucked into a debate over and above the one thing that is really important - THE MUSIC! This is mind-meltingly mental metallic machine funk of the highest order. As good as any electronic music I've heard over the last decade. Seriously. I played 'Rushup I Bank 12' about 15 times in a row the other day. Spasmoid-electro with stellar drum-programming that absolutely SMACKS it without resorting to the ludicrous off-kilter rhythms of the worst excesses of drill; plus twinkling pianos, Human League-esque chord sequences and the sickest, squelchiest avin' it acid squark. In the words of MasterChef's Gregg Wallace, "It's DEEEEP, it's DAAARK, it's DEEETROITY - I just want to stick my face in it."

Aphex Twin - Xtal

In a connected note, an mp3 of the wonderous 'Xtal' from Aphex Twin's masterwork 'Selected Ambient Works 85-92' popped into my inbox yesterday. Basically, the seminal Belgian techno label R&S Records is back! To commemorate the label's resurrection, it is releasing some of the most seminal albums from its impressive archive. These classic albums have been hard-to-find for several years and are to be digitally remastered for their release as the 'Masters Series'. On the 7th April 2009 Aphex Twin 'Selected Ambient Works 85-92', Model 500 'Classics', Ken Ishii 'Jellytones' and Dave Angel 'Classics' are to be released. A month later on the 12th May 2009, Derrick May 'Innovator', Model 500 'Deep Space', Joey Beltram 'Classics' and Aphex Twin 'Classics' will complete the series. The label are also signing new artists, so we can hopefully expect a new generation of quality tuneage from the stable. Hail to the horse...

I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that 'SAW 85-92' is one of the most influential records in my collection. The soundtrack to many a comedown, 'Xtal' is a giant marshmallow pillow of lush ambient wonder to disappear into. Lovingly remastered too - it just sounds even better...

Buy 'Rushup Edge' from Norman Records
The Tuss MySpace
Or The Tuss MySpace?
Brand new R&S Records website
R&S Records MySpace

Because Kurt Said So...

2009-02-19T12:00:00.000Z

Captain America - Flame On

Back in early-1992, if Kurt Cobain had told me to spray-paint my nutsack metallic green and moonwalk naked down South Street in Dorchester I would have done so without blinking, such was the influence he had over my dope-addled teenage brain. Luckily he made no such demands, instead bigging up a Scottish band called Captain America in an interview, thus leading me to discover a band who remain close to my heart to this very day.

I found this transcript online - it might not be the actual one I read (which I think was in the NME, where he also sported a Captain America T-shirt as pictured above) but Cobain, in discussion with Nirvana bassist Chris Novoselic, reveals his love for the Vaselines, and in turn, Captain America:

Chris Novoselic: "Kurt and I were totally into the Vaselines. I mean, they were my favourite band. They still are one of my favourite bands."

Kurt Cobain: "Definitely our Number One favourite band."

CN: "We finally got to play with them. They reformed, to play with us when we played Edinburgh, Scotland, in, er, early winter of 1990. So we met Eugene, and kind of kept a rap going with them. Then we heard Captain America, the band. We heard the tape, we were totally blown away."

KC: "Yeah, that's his new band, Captain America. They're really good."

Captain America was formed by Eugene Kelly in 1990 after the disintegration of the Vaselines, the Glasgow indie poppers he fronted alongside Frances McKee. The original line-up was a bit of a Scots supergroup, featuring Brendan O’Hare from Teenage Fanclub on drums, the guitarist Gordon Keen (BMX Bandits) and James Sheenan, (The Vaselines) on bass. O’Hare was replaced early on by Andy Bollen. After reading the interview where Kurt namechecked CA, I went straight down to Big Brian's Record Shop in Tudor Arcade and ordered the 12" and then had to wait for a few days before it arrived.

It was more than worth the wait. Captain America were like a grungier Teenage Fanclub - distorted, melodic guitars and Kelly's stoned, lackadaisical drawl delivering his bitter retort to a former lover: "I know what's in your head, I read your diary when you were in bed. Then I threw the pages on the fire...". You can see why Kurt loved them so much. It was tuneful and poppy but also ramshackle, noisy and raw. Even as someone who had never heard of the Vaselines I was totally smitten. Cheers Kurt.

Eugenius - Breakfast

Not content with nicking the name, the band also appropriated the logo of Captain America which was all too much for Marvel Comics who leant heavily on the band to change their name. So Captain America became Eugenius - either a godawful idea or pretty cool (I'm somewhere in between) - for the recording and release of their debut album 'Oomalama' on Paperhouse in 1992. Kelly dismissed the record as "indie-rock-by-numbers" but later declared this judgement to be a bit harsh.

From the nonsensical, chanting mantra of the title track (and album opener), 'Oomalama' had a sunny disposition that didn't really fit in with the angsty vibe that made grunge popular at the time - powerpop chords and soaring, melodious choruses abound. Kelly's voice often sounds everso slightly out of tune and he delivers the words like it's an effort for him to get them out but that works well with the overall laidback feel of the album.

But it was the words that really made me fall in love with 'Oomalama'. Like many of my favourite albums from this time, Kelly's worldview resonated strongly with me and whenever I listen to the album I am transported back to a very specific moment in time. Lyrically, Kelly's major obsessions seemed to be staying in bed ("Back to bed but this time wearing socks" - 'Bed-In'), a can't-even-be-bothered relationship with religion ("I kinda wished I'd found God" - Flame On) but he also writes some killer romantic couplets ("I'll be the words, you'll be the tune" - 'Breakfast'). The album does have a dark heart - the closing track of Side 1, 'Down On Me' opens with the lyric "Jesus take my life from me" and the song itself is downbeat. My only complaint now would be that the production is a bit murky in places but nothing that a good remastering wouldn't fix.

The Vaselines - Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam

It took me a while to get around to buying anything by the Vaselines - I was never really into the twee-pop scene - but I finally picked up 'All the Stuff and More' a couple of years ago. Nirvana covered three Vaselines songs - 'Son of a Gun' and Molly's Lips' (included on the 'Incesticide' album), and 'Jesus Doesn't Want Me For a Sunbeam', part of the intense yet beautiful 'MTV Unplugged in New York' performance, which was recorded in November 1993, just 6 months before Kurt's suicide. The Vaselines have kind of got back together again to play a few gigs.

Buy 'Oomalama' from Amazon - this edition also includes a bonus disc containing the b-sides from the original Captain America single releases plus radio sessions
Eugene Kelly fansite
Eugenius at MySpace

Banjo and Ergo Do Freaky Covers

2009-02-05T10:00:00.002Z

Banjo Or Freakout - Archangel (Burial Cover)
Banjo Or Freakout - Kissability (Sonic Youth Cover)

Bit late to the party, but I recently stumbled upon the magnificence that is Banjo Or Freakout, the splendidly monikered musical project of one Alessio Natalizia, a Turin native now resident in London. His album of covers (including Radiohead, Amy Winehouse, Vampire Weekend, Battles and loads more) caused quite a stir in blogland last year, while I was asleep. I managed to get hold of one - in handmade spray-painted freakout artwork for only a fiver! - shortly before they sold out and was completely blown away.

Natalizia's talent is to take a song and gently peel back the layers to reveal its heart, which he carefully removes and then wraps back up in a blanket of gorgeous, frazzled ambience. I've popped up a couple here - his stunning rendition of Burial's 'Archangel', in which he applies heartfelt yearning to the mangled soul boy vocals of the original over dissonant guitars (bizarrely redolent of U2's 'With Or Without You' - but in a good way) and muffled drums that sound like an apocalypse in another time-zone. His cover of 'Kissability' by Sonic Youth is equally awesome - kinda sounds like Ciccone Youth if they were tackling one of their own, with a side salad of Slowdive's ethereal guitars. "I work with one rule, a bitch of a rule," Natalizia explains. "My rule is to record every track just one time. No second chance." I think I'm in love...

You have to visit the Banjo Or Freakout blog - he often posts exclusive material here, like the 'Everything Fast EP', which was a collection of original Banjo material.
The covers CD is sold out, but you can still pick up his debut 7" (released in Jan 2009) from Norman Records
Banjo Or Freakout MySpace

Ergo Phizmiz and His Orchestra -Trick Me (Kelis Cover)

Who'd a thunk that lurking at the heart of Kelis's bumptious R'n'B banger 'Trick Me' was an eerie Balkan funeral march? Ergo Phizmiz and His Orchestra - that's who. The prodigiously talented Phizmiz is another purveyor of the singular cover version (his Aphex Twin covers album is immense) and this one is taken from the album 'Arff and Beef', which I got free when I purchased his album 'Nose Points in Different Directions' (Womb Records, 2007). I don't think 'Arff and Beef' is available any more, which is a huge shame as it also featured an absolutely deranged rendering of Destiny's Child's 'Survivor' as well as the entirety of the Velvet Underground's 'White Light/White Heat'. Hunt it down if you can.

Visit Ergo Phizmiz's website where you can purchase music and learn more about this truly unique musician.
Ergo Phizmiz MySpace

Golly Ghosh, Summer's Come Early!

2009-01-29T10:00:00.000Z

Koushik - Lying in the Sun

I only knew Koushik Ghosh from his uplifting guest vocalising on fellow Dundas, Onatario homeboy Manitoba’s awesome ‘Up in Flames’ LP, so I was very excited when I unearthed his latest offering ‘Out My Window’ in a box where I work. What it was doing at the bottom of a box with a load of other unwanted CDs I’ll never know, such is the loveliness contained within these lasered grooves.

‘Out My Window’ is the debut album from Ghosh, following a series of singles and EPs on cracking LA-based label Stones Throw. It is a proper summer record – track titles like ‘Lying in the Sun’ confirm as much – so it does seem rather incongruous to be listening to it in the depths of winter. But, like a drowsy hip-hop Panda Bear, Koushik works his magic with this delightful stew of 60s psychedelia, pastoral whimsy, smooth soul, shimmering funk and beats, with soft, echo-drenched dreamy vocals and Peanut Butter Wolf’s deft hand on the production tiller. Lush and highly recommended.

Buy 'Out My Window' from Norman Records
Koushik at Stone Throw
Koushik MySpace

I'll Wax You Down Like a Candle

2009-01-22T08:00:00.001Z

J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E. - Strong Island (The Blue Mix)

The original 12” pressing of the ‘Blue Mix’ of ‘Strong Island’ by J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E (AJ Rok, B-Luv and Curt Cazal) is rarer than Dodo doo-doo – the cheapest you are likely to pick one up one of these bad boys for nowadays is around $600. The mix was released specifically for the UK market in 1988, as the rapper AJ Rok explains –

“The UK was giving us mad love. So we did something just for the UK. It ended up going other places, but it was just for the UK.”

I find it hard to fathom why it is so sought after – though the original is definitely one of the finest hip-hop tracks of all time, the ‘Blue Mix’ doesn’t bring that much extra to the party. In places it feels more like a stripped-down dub – the vocals are often left accapella and the main guitar lick comes and goes. You can hear the awesome break nice and cleanly, and get a feeling for how the song was constructed – it's a bit like opening up the bonnet of a car and having a look at the engine. There are a few extra samples lobbed in here and there, in an effort to capitalise on the success of Coldcut’s remix of Eric B and Rakim’s ‘Paid in Full’, but it isn’t anywhere near as commercial as that. It’s raw and heavy. Dope, but not super dope.

And no, I don't own it. The re-released CD version of the Force's debut album 'Doin' Damage' featured the 'Blue Mix' as a bonus track, though that doesn't seem to have devalued the price of the original vinyl.

If you're feeling flush, here's an original pressing on eBay
J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E. discography
J.V.C. F.O.R.C.E. MySpace

Kowalski Worship

2009-01-15T10:00:00.002Z

Casino Versus Japan - Via Hotknives

I love it when music and a moment come together perfectly. I was walking home from work the other day through a proper London pea-souper – almost completely surrounded by fog as I marched over Tower Bridge in eerie darkness – and this fantastic song by Casino Versus Japan came on my iPod. The swirling haunted fairground synths and warm melodies enveloped me like an opiate cuddle as the static fizz and thud of the beats dictated my walking rhythm. ‘Via Hotknives’ is taken from a 10” released back in 2001 on the fabulously-monikered Wobblyhead.

Like many, I have been eagerly awaiting the Milwaukee-based producer Erik Kowalski’s fourth studio album. He hasn’t released an LP since ‘Whole Numbers Play the Basics’, which came out on Carpark Records in 2002 (the 2004 retrospective 'Hitori + Kaiso: 1998 – 2001' (Attack Nine) doesn't count as a new album, though it is utterly essential listening). I suppose the upside of this seven-year wait is that I am constantly revisiting his back catalogue, and falling deeper and deeper in love with Kowalski’s incredible output. His consistency levels are unparalleled and his sound is truly unique - every single song he has composed is a melancholic delight. As Boomkat once proclaimed - "you wonder how this quiet little guy from Milwaukee isn't king of the world". 2009 is slated as the year Kowalski re-enters the fray - I'm crossing everything I can that this is the case.

On a final note – massive apologies to my throat and lungs. Hot knives – what the hell was I thinking…

Nearly all Casino Versus Japan releases are out of print, but you can search eBay
Casino Verus Japan discography
Casino Versus Japan MySpace

Listen Yourself Warm...

2009-01-08T10:00:00.001Z

Mandy Smith - Mandy’s Theme (I Just Can’t Wait) (Cool and Breezy Jazz Version)

Brrrr... I’m sure, like me, if you live in the UK you’re bored stupid of people banging on about how cold it is. But it really is cold and it made going back to work on Monday after a couple of weeks off even worse than usual. So, as always, I turned to music to put a smile back on my face and transport me away from the Arctic capital and towards memories of summer holidays and being warm...

1998, the Greek island of Naxos, a nameless beach bar, a battered old backgammon board, endless pints of Amstel and chain smoking Lucky Strikes... The guy who ran the bar only had one tape - well, one tape that he actually played, he might have had a mighty collection of C90s for all I knew. Side A was some Richard Clayderman comp - I’ll spare you that now, but 'Ballade Pour Adeline' will always have a special place in my heart. Ahem. Anyway, over on the flip was an awesome collection of Balearic grooves, which I have since deduced must have been 'Balearic Beats Vol.1', as it’s the only compilation I can find which has Nitzer Ebb and Mandy Smith on it. The owner of the bar was definitely a huge fan of Bill Wyman’s child bride, as the ‘Cool and Breezy Jazz Version’ of ‘Mandy’s Theme (I Just Can’t Wait)’ often got a rewind. I’m a bit of a fan too - it’s a classic Stock, Aitken and Waterman production, and luckily there’s not too much of Miss Smith’s vocal (which is drowned in reverb so she sounds generic - it could any one of Banarama singing). But I love the cheesy Euro guitars and evocative chord sequences in a totally non-ironic way. It’s just a corking track, and one that is guaranteed to add a bit of sunshine and warmth to your life. Listen yourself warm...

Search eBay for 'Balearic Beats Vol. 1'
A Smash Hits interview with Mandy Smith
Stock, Aitken and Waterman website

It's Great When It's 2008, Yeah

2008-12-23T10:00:00.002Z

Look! I made a list! My favourite songs of the year.

Happy Christmas y'all, and have a great new year. Meet you back here in 2009 - my New Year's Resolution is one post a week!

x

1. Bright Tomorrow - Fuck Buttons (ATP Records)

Back in Dorset in the early 1990s, a legendary story was doing the rounds; of a rave at Weymouth Pavillion where an unscrupulous drug dealer sold valium instead of pills and it ended up with hundreds of ravers lying around on the floor in a dribbling mess, while manic cartoon techno blasted out of the PA. This incredible Fuck Buttons song is the soundtrack to that night - slo-mo mogadon techno with church organs and a gigantic swarm of wasps attacking your ears to conclude.

Taken from the album Street Horrrsing - buy it from Norman Records
Fuck Buttons MySpace

2. Daniel Land & The Modern Painters - Within The Boundaries (Sonic Cathedral Records)

Magnificent, ethereal, wonderous - insert (positive) adjectives previously used to describe Slowdive in here. It's the aural equivalent waking up and drawing the curtains to find it's a beautifully sunny day. The gorgeous instrumental ebbs and flows for over two minutes before Daniel Land opens his lovely gob. Schnaussed up by Lord Ulrich for that authentic nu-wave of shoegaze feel.

Taken from a 7" on Sonic Cathedral - buy it from Norman Records
Norman Records
Daniel Land MySpace
Sonic Cathedral - celebrate here

3. Feedle - Half-Light (Ecke Records)

If the Blur reunion does lead to the band reconvening in the studio, they would do well to come up with anything better than this cracker from Graham Clarke aka Feedle, from his second album, 'All Your Days Are Weird'. I only say that because it reminds me of a cross between Blur's 'Tender' and Albarn's 2007 supergroup The Good, the Bad and the Queen. Plus there's something of the Bowie in Clarke's vocal. But do bear in mind that this was made by one man in his bedroom in Sheffield, rather than musical royalty in a multi-million pound studio in dat London. Or a shack in Morocco. I am biased though as I released the album, but still... 'Half-Light', with its woozy 3am guitars and fairground organs, is sublime, plus it twinkles enough to also make it a wee bit Christmassy.

Taken from All Your Days Are Weird - buy it from
Ecke Records
Feedle MySpace

4. Chris Moss Acid - Sub For You (Futonic Records)

Bournemouth's finest 303 mentalist Chris Moss Acid wrote three songs in the time it took me to type that sentence. Prolific he may be, but the quality control isn't always there. That's not the case with 'Sub 2', the eagerly awaited (by me) follow up to the marvellous 'Sub', a concept album about a submarine written almost entirely on Moss's beloved TB303. The 'Sub' recordings represent a more melancholic, tuneful side to his usual banging acid output and 'Sub 2' is more of the same. 'Sub for You' is three-minutes of lush chords, Pac Man noises and subtle beats. And his name - Chris Moss - is a bit Christmassy. Ha.

Taken from 'Sub 2' - download it for free from
Futonic Records
Chris Moss Acid MySpace

5. Minotaur Shock - Jason Forrest (4AD)

You can’t get much for 54p these days. I checked in my local supermarket and these were a few of the things on offer for that price - a can of chopped tomatoes, baking soda, a small bag of Kettle Chips, a 200ml carton of milk for a cat, a large box of Bryant & May long matches. All staple items, no doubt, but if you're really looking to get some bang for yer buck, howze about, in exchange for yer 54 pence you get a stonking slab of electro breaks. Dave Tipper would be proud to have those dancefloor-friendly metallic beats banging out of his car-cum-soundsystem. But this is Minotaur Shock country, so amidst the clank, klang and acid squelch you also get fruity trumpets and a chiming guitar coda to close.

For those of you who don't know why this excellent song costs a mere 54p, here you go - 4AD - for reasons best known to themselves - decided to release 'Amateur Dramatics', the third album from Minotaur Shock aka David Edwards, as a download only, leaving Edwards to come up with a unique and amusing track pricing system to entertain potential punters in the absence of a hard copy CD. The entire album (which is fantastic) is available to download for £6.41. Thankfully, Audio Dregs, a lovely label from the US, have done what 4AD should have done in the first place and released the album on CD. Nice one dudes.

Taken from 'Amateur Dramatics' - download it from
Minotaur Shock website or buy it on CD from Norman Records
Minotaur Shock MySpace

6. Max Tundra - Number Our Days (Domino Records)

Ben Jacobs is Trevor Horn for the 21st Century. A true wonky pop marvel. A surefire hit like 'Number Our Days' should be lording it up at the top end of the hit parade. Hot Chip know this and invited Ben on tour with them. I know this and now I am telling you. Definitely the only album this year to be made available as a can of kosher chicken soup.

Taken from the album 'Parallax Error Beheads You' - buy it from Norman Records
Max Tundra MySpace

7. Gang Gang Dance - First Communion (Warp Records)

Gang Gang Dance exist in the space between the decimal point and the second number on all Pitchfork reviews. From Brooklyn, NYC - are they a band? Or are they a sixth form art project? On 'First Communion', world music-tinged guitars collide with acid house, tribal beats and a female vocal reminiscent of MC Kinki doing battle with Bjork. I like it.

Taken from the album 'Saint Dymphna' - buy it from Norman Records
Gang Gang Dance MySpace

8. Factory Floor - Taxidermist (One of One Records)

Drums of the year. A chilling tribal onslaught from the Floor, with a monotous intoning vocal about an animal stuffer and some detached, ice-cold new wave synths that sound like they're coming from the cellar of the house next door. The production is incredible, and this one is super, super LOUD. Watch yer eardrums, I'm tellin ya. Can't wait for them to do an album.

Taken from the 12" 'Planning Application EP' - buy it from Norman Records
Factory Floor MySpace

9. Portishead - The Rip (Island Records)

'The Rip' is 0.2mm away from being the most perfect song ever written. Who would have thought Portishead could have sounded so essential in 2008? Not me that's for sure, but I was happy to be proved completely and utterly wrong by the brilliant 'Third' - their finest album yet.

Taken from the album 'Third' - buy it from Norman Records
Portishead MySpace

10. Televise - Flood Out (Distant Noise)

Televise is Simon Scott, formerly of Slowdive, and this sounds pretty much like an outtake from the archive of his former employers. An instrumental soundscape of textured ambience, 'Flood Out' broods and builds into a shiting, organic wall of sound - a bit like watching a drop of ink in a glass of water. Proper mood music for a Sunday morning chill out sesh.

Taken from the album 'Secret Valentine' - you could have bought it from Norman Records but it's sold out! eBay's your best best.
Televise MySpace

11. Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez - A Magic (Carpark)

If you're going to be a singer-songwriter, having a tremendous name like Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez helps to set you apart from the plethora of lone guitar-wielding troubadours. Born in Cuba and now residing in Baltimore, Alvarez's debut album 'Why is Bear Billowing?' is a reminder of what one man and his guitar can do - this is whimsical, earnest and downright lovely. Extra kudos for the ace interpretation of Edward Lear's 'The Owl and the Pussycat'.

Taken from the album 'Why is Bear Billowing?' - buy it from
Norman Records
Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez MySpace

12. The Travelling Band - Lonely Day To Take A Train (Sideways Saloon)

Sometimes it's not about haircuts or trousers. Songwriting is a craft and the Travelling Band are master craftsmen. I'd have missed this one if it wasn't for my wife. She hasn't stopped playing their debut album, 'Under the Pavement' since it dropped unannounced through our letterbox back in September. I found it hard to pick one song out as this is a proper album, in that every single song is essential, but in the end I settled for this heartbreakingly glorious moment with a husky, battered vocal that is still as sweet as a nightingale. The album has echoes of everyone from Dylan, Crosy, Stills & Nash and Neil Young to The La's and The Coral. While everyone else is waxing lyrical about the Fleet Foxes album, 'Under the Pavement' is the one that I keep on coming back to.

Taken from the album 'Under the Pavement' - buy it from
play.com
The Travelling Band MySpace

13. The Ruby Suns - Remember (Memphis Industries)

Tender horns, lethargic beats, sighing vocals and a general mood of monged out reverie - 'Remember' is like a poppier Panda Bear, capturing that "Beach Boys playing in a faraway field after you've eaten four hash cakes" vibe that Noah Lennox does so well, but adding their own sunny, Polynesian-influenced psychedelic pop twist to the mix. Lysergic-drenched magnificence, all the way from New Zealand.

Taken from the album 'Sea Lion' - buy it from
Norman Records
The Ruby Suns MySpace

14. M83 - Couleurs (Mute Records)

Like a Francois Kervorkian remix of a long-lost Depeche Mode track, 'Couleurs' is perfect for closing an epic seven-hour DJ set in a sweaty Ibizan nightclub. Hardly surprising as remix master Ewan Pearson was on tweak control, assisting Anthony Gonzalez with this blissful moment of euphoric balearic brilliance.

Taken from 'Saturday = Youth" - buy it from Norman Records
M83 MySpace

Joe.

Everybody Rock to the New Wave Funk...

2008-11-20T10:00:00.002Z

I went to my mate's birthday party recently - he's an old school electro nutcase (one of his presents from his wife was an Egyptian Lover wig!) and the music played throughout the night has sent me into yet another phase of old school electro love and obsession. Below you will find a zip file containing ten of the best - from Warp 9's 'Nunk' from 1982, through to the dub version of 'Automan' by Newcleus, which sounds like it was recorded last week rather than nearly quarter of a century ago - specially unmixed, full length 12" versions. They're the originals and still the best. I'm now in this headspace where nothing else will do - it's as if my brain can only deal with thumping TR-808 beats, synthesised melodies and vocodered vocals. Anyway, some you'll have heard, some you may not. I'd love to write more but I don't have the time. One hour, ten killer tracks - download and love...

Download here: ElectromixxVol1

1. Warp 9 - Nunk (Arista 12", 1982)

2. The Russell Brothers - The Party Scene (SV) (Portrait 12", 1983)

3. C-Jam & Kid Frost - Commando Rock (Vine Street Mix) (Baja Records 12", 1984)

4. Whodini - We Are Whodini (Jive LP, 1984)

5. Captain Rock - Cosmic Blast (Extended) (Nia 12", 1984)

6. Man Parrish - Boogie Down Bronx (Dub) (Boiling Point 12", 1984)

7. Chris "The Glove" Taylor/Dave Storrs/Ice-T - Reckless (Club Mix) (Polydor 12", 1984)

8. The L.A. Dream Team - Rockberry Jam (Dream Team Records 12", 1985)

9. Det Reirruc & Latin Rascals - Axel F (Club Mix) (Streetheat Records 12", 1985)

10. Newcleus - Automan (Dub Version) (Sunnyview Records 12", 1984)

For all your old school needs go to Electro Empire

Joe.

A Blatant Act of Self-Promotion

2008-10-22T10:00:00.006Z

I know, it's been a long time...

But this time I have a valid excuse! I started a record label. Yes, laughing in the face of the credit crunch I decided to shove some of my hard-earned (or ill-gotten) cash back into the music industry. It had to be something pretty special to make me come out of my self-inforced record label mogul retirement (this is the third time I've done it), and they don't come any more special than Feedle. Regular readers will know that I've been waxing lyrical about Sheffield's finest purveyor of odd melodic noise pop for years, and when it seemed possible that he might like to release a record with me at the helm, of course, I jumped at the chance. Jumped so high I banged my head on the ceiling.

Ecke* Records was born...

Feedle - Picturedrome

The debut release for Ecke Records is 'All Your Days Are Weird', Feedle's wonderful second album, following 'Leave Now for Adventure', the history of which you can read about here. Over the ensuing twelve songs, it becomes evident that it is giant steps on from his debut. There is a greater emphasis on vocals, with proper big, shiny choruses and raucous guitars, but it still makes extensive use of synths and programming and the soaring electronic hooks that made Feedle’s name. Imagine a psychedelic sea shanty soundclash between Kevin Shields, the Orb, Plone and Syd Barrett. On a fairground waltzer...

It's actually been out since the 6th October, but I've been on holiday since then and have only just found any time to squeeze this post in. It's already found favour with Huw Stephens at Radio 1, who played the opening song 'Picturedrome' (following in the Feedle tradition of attention-grabbing album openers - 'Song for Dogs' anyone?), describing it as "wonky pop". That same song also featured on Huw's Radio 1 podcast. A few bloggers have picked up on it, but other than that it's all been rather quiet on the UK front...

But that hasn't been too much of a problem, as it's all gone loopy in Japan. Yes, as Alphaville once sang, Feedle is "Big in Japan." Obviously the Japanese have impeccable taste in music, and demand has been so great we've had to do a repress. Even record shops in far-flung corners of the countryside have been ordering it. Feedle's bigger than Shape Shifters in Japan - fact.

So, if you want to hear what all the fuss is about, go to the Ecke Records website (thanks to GS) where you can purchase the album for just £7.99, including postage to anywhere in the whole wide world. It's lovingly packaged in a digipack with beautiful artwork from Camilla at Cut Out and Keep. Following in a rich tradition of using album covers as a means for showcasing great art, there is no text to be found anywhere on the sleeve, just Camilla's sublime, absorbing landscape. This makes it fucking hard to find in record shops, but who cares about that when it looks so good? In my dreams there's a gatefold vinyl edition. Maybe one day... And keeping it in the family, my lovely wife designed the scribbly logo!

There aren't many copies left, so if you do want one, I suggest you get your order in quick. On the website you will also find a free five-track live EP called 'Go and Get Your Head Fucked', which includes old stuff, alternate takes on 'All Your Days Are Weird' songs and something exclusive.

As a final word, I like what somebody said about Feedle on the 65daysofstatic messageboard a few days ago -

"I reckon that Feedle will become one of them cult type figures. Like Ivor Cutler. Maybe after his death."

*Ecke means corner in German.

Buy Feedle 'All Your Days Are Weird' from Ecke Records
Or alternatively you can buy it from Norman Records - they liked it too!
Or if you don't buy CD's anymore, you can also purchase it from
To hear a selection of songs from the album, go to Feedle MySpace
Feedle is also on LastFM

On Saturday it will be four years since the mighty John Peel died. There can be no doubt that he is partly responsible for my extreme enthusiasm and passion for music, ergo, Ecke Records would not exist were it not for he. I'll be raising a glass to JP this Saturday, I suggest you do the same.

Joe.

Quest for the 8-Bit Melodies

2008-09-12T12:00:00.002Z

I never really got with the recent 8-bit/bitpop musical revolution (Crystal Castles and all that lot) despite, back in the day as an impressionable 10-year-old, loving the incidental music on many of the Commodore 64 games. My personal favourite was Martin Galway's (nephew of the famed flautist James) haunting music for 'Rambo: First Blood II'. There's a brilliant Top 15 of C64 themes made by some guy on YouTube -

I then found this incredible site where lots of insane people have remixed C64 theme tunes. Check it out! There are absolutely tons of them. I have barely scratched the surface, but my fave so far is a slo-mo techno version of the music from Bruce Lee - one of my favourite C64 games of all time. God I used to love kicking the shit out of that stupid ninja! I also found this crazy movie basd on the 'Bruce Lee' computer game by the improbably named Bruce Gargantua - It Rocks!

Adventure - Crypt Castle Cult

Anyway, there is actually a point to all this C64 reminiscing - the release of the excellent debut album from Adventure aka Benny Boeldt on Monday. Boeldt is a part of the Wham City Arts Collective and has recorded an album for Carpark Records of Washington DC. The reason why Boeldt's brand of 8-bit awesomeness has resonated with me more than previous exponents of the genre is his brilliant use of melodies. At times it's like prime Vince Clarke crossed with Happy Hardcore - wonderfully emotive hooks and evocative bleeps, all underpinned by bonkers bouncy beats. Adventure and me instantly clicked - maybe it also had something to do with look of pure joy on my 8-month old daughter's face when the album came on and she was in her bouncer - grinning away as she boinged up and down to Boeldt's 8-bit madness. He looks like a bit of a nutter too, and that's always a good thing in my book.

Buy Adventure
Adventure MySpace

Joe.

Vitamin Fusion

2008-09-07T09:00:00.001Z

Pedro - Vitamins

It's taken me a while to give the new Pedro (aka James Rutledge) album, 'You, Me & Everyone' the listening time it deserved. I'm a huge Pedro fan - I have the sleeve of his debut EP (featuring a beautiful drawing of a tree by the late, great Dave Tyack) in a frame on the wall in my house, and those first two EPs plus his self-titled debut album - all recorded for Melodic - I absolutely adore. So I'm pleased to report that 'You, Me & Everyone', is astounding, while also being a giant step forward from his previous output. Its release has been somewhat confusing. It came out on Mush in the States last year, but didn't get a UK release until May 2008, over two years since Rutledge downed tools and put the album in the out tray.

This is proper FUSION music - dense, confusing, complicated, liberating and insane - after my first listen I felt like I needed to have a lie down in a darkened room to recover. Having said this, you can tell that Rutledge had real fun making the album. It's not po-faced noodling; it's the sound of barriers being broken and sonic envelopes being pushed to the very edge and then over into the abyss of the completely new. Take 'Vitamins' - a moody techno intro bursts gloriously into twinkling electronics, tinkling glockenspiels, backwards guitars, brass stabs, mesmerising flutes, and percussion that is RIGHT OFF THE CHAIN. A pox on ye, James, for making me type that last phrase, but I don't know how else to describe it. The drums are properly mental. Double good. In the next life I’m coming back as a drummer...

How the hell do people write music like this? I have a basic grasp of how a band might compose a traditional song of verse/chorus/whatever, but I have absolutely no understanding of how on earth this sort of music gets written and recorded. I would say mountains of psychedelic drugs were involved, but I don't think James is much of a dabbler.

Buy 'You, Me & Everyone' by Pedro from Boomkat
Pedro MySpace

Joe.

Tina Turner

2008-09-03T19:30:00.009Z

Fatboy Slim - Michael Jackson

I overheard a woman on the train the other day telling her friend about a party she’d been to at the weekend. The DJ (by all accounts he was one of those cheesy old school flashing light box DJ’s of yesteryear), for some inexplicable reason, decided to drop ‘Rock and Roll Part One’ by Gary Glitter. Of course she said, it cleared the dancefloor. No one wants to be seen dancing to the music of a convicted nonce. Or do they? Apparently, one brave soul stayed on and properly wigged out. He was ostracized for the rest of the night and will probably rot in hell, at least if the outraged female storyteller has got anything to do with it. But I have a grudging respect for this lone dancing rebel. He was probably so skulled he didn’t even make the connection. And anyway, out of context, it's a fine tune, with the kind of infectious, bludgeoning tribal rhythm that demands some kind of hip shaking. If anything, it’s the DJ’s fault. If he hadn’t played it, the dude wouldn’t have been compelled to dance.

I can remember having a conversation with a friend a while back. We were trying to work out of it was OK to still like ‘The Thick of It’ in light of Chris Langham’s conviction. Yes, we eventually decided. Of course it was. It doesn’t stop being funny, does it?

It’s the same with Michael Jackson. Whenever I hear anybody talk about Jacko these days, it’s always with a certain air of shamefaced guilt. I'm definitely not his biggest fan, but ‘Off the Wall’ is an incredible album, and I fondly remember gathering around the old VCR to watch the John Landis 13-minute ‘Director’s Cut’ of the 'Thriller' video my Dad had taped off The Tube the night before. Do families come together to watch monumental TV events like this anymore? I was only 10 and it scared me shitless, but the dancing was bugged out. MJ was cool. Like a billion others, I wished I could dance like him.

Is there really any point to all this random pontificating? Not really. Well, kind of. MJ turned 50 last Friday. It beggars belief that he is half a century old. Happy Birthday Wacko you plastic-faced, baby dangling nutjob*. I would post something by you, but the handful of regulars might boycott my blog. Instead, up there is Norman’s awesome tribute to MJ. Altogether now, “Tina Turner, Michael Jackson…”

Until next time.

x

(* I know you’re skint, but please don’t sue me. I have nothing.)

Buy 'Off the Wall'
Buy Fatboy Slim

Joe.

Request to all thy little acid people...

2008-08-02T08:00:00.000Z

Shut Up & Dance feat. Ragga Twins - Lamborghini

When my brother and me were wee boys our favourite car (you have to have a favourite everything when you're kids) was the Lamborghini Countach. Look at it - it's a beautiful thing. I can't even drive, but I love it and I want one. Whenever we played the 'Sports Cars' Top Trumps, the one card we always wanted to win and keep hold of was the Lamborghini Countach. (Top speed: 305 km/h - hand it over, fool). Despite our fierce TT rivalry, I didn't really care if I lost, so long as I held the Countach in my grubby little paws at some point.

That little nostalgic interlude leads me nicely into some more nostalgic daydreaming (it's seamless here, innit?) in the form of 'Lamborghini', an absolute corker from Shut Up & Dance, released back in 1989. I can remember raving to this at the legendary Maximes parties at Bowleaze Cove in Weymouth, some of which I organised in my role as the Entertainments Officer of Weymouth College, despite not actually being old enough to go there! They were incredible parties, and I could bore you all silly with my stories (another time though, I'll try and stick to the point). We got North & South to DJ at a couple of them (North was Nigel Casey, who went on to become part of House of 909; South was Bournemouth's Justin Harris, of Freaks fame) and they played a blinder. I'm not sure if it was them who dropped 'Lamborghini' - if I could remember something like that, I probably wasn't there - but it got played a few times and caused absolute meltdown on the dancefloor. SUAD had a very hip-hop mentality to making dance music, laying samples from popular songs (in this case, 'Sweet Dreams' by Eurythmics) over tough electro breaks. They don't really get enough props - they were innovators and scene leaders, making some of the finest music to come out of that early period. 'Lamborghini' is probably their best, fusing electro, bleeps and rave with an iconic live vocal from the Ragga Twins. If 'Lamborghini' were in 'Old School Rave' Top Trumps it would win in most categories, hands down.

Shut Up & Dance website, featuring an online store
Shut Up & Dance MySpace
Lamborghini Countach at Wikipedia

Joe.

But if you can't say it all...

2008-07-25T07:54:00.006Z

Stetsasonic - Just Say Stet
Stetsasonic - Bust That Groove

'Just Say Stet' has possibly the greatest intro to a rap track EVER - that wicked keyboard riff, Wise's beatbox skills, MC Delite's opening verse and then the most shit-kickingest 808 drum loop thunders in and we're away... Stetsasonic are in the house. Incredible stuff. I first heard 'Just Say Stet' on the Streetsounds Hip Hop Electro 11 compilation, where I used the love the way it mixed into 2 Live Crew's 'What I Like'. I must have listened to it a billion times.

If I was asked to stick a song in a time capsule to represent the old school hip-hop of the mid-1980s (the golden era for sure, fuck 1994) I'd definitely consider this. It's raw as hell and has everything I'd ever want in a track. Prince Paul (who would go on to become one of the most successful and inventive hip-hop producers of all time, working with the likes of De La Soul, 3rd Bass, Big Daddy Kane, Gravediggaz), shows off his finesse as a scratch DJ with some precise cuts, there's fat beatbox from Wise and then, of course, the brilliant tag team rhyming skills of the trio of MCs - Daddy-O, Delite and Frukwan/Fruitkwan.

I think the Stetsa MCs were the finest rapping ensemble to ever commit their raps to wax - sure, there's better MCs out there (but I would definitely have Daddy-O in my Top 10 - I love his rasping, throaty delivery), but as a team, they were second to none. For further proof of this, check 'Bust That Groove' for some awesome 'pass the mic' rhymes over another rocking beat. 'On Fire', the 1986 Tommy Boy album from which these tracks are taken, isn't their best - that award goes to 'In Full Gear', when they morphed into the "original hip-hop band" and Prince Paul really hit his production stride (more on that soon) - but if you want to know how proper, upfront, old school hip-hop was done, these two tracks are hard to beat. I've come over all Westwood. I feel for the guy - it is hard to be white middle-class and talk about hip-hop without sounding like a complete and utter tit.

Full Stetsasonic discography
Stetsasonic at discogs.com
Search eBay for Stetsasonic

Joe.

Nothing To See Here...

2008-07-11T10:45:00.002Z

Chapterhouse - Die, Die, Die

...except, ironically, today for the first time in bloody ages, there is. Well, something to hear at least. For those of you who've been so kind as to query my whereabouts, I'm still here! Parenthood, as expected, has taken over my life. Well, that and a job that requires me to use my brain and my time for something other than writing lengthy pieces for this blog. I've contemplated retiring - there's a new generation of bloggers out there with the hunger I once had - but I still need an outlet to share the music I love, so I'm here to stay. For the time being it will be sporadic if at all, but I'm sure I'll be back on my game in the not too distant future. There's another podcast in the bag awaiting mixing and all that, which should go up fairly soon. Plus I have been making endless playlists for forthcoming podcasts, and have a few special guests lined up. Thank you to all the people who continue to send me music - I listen to as much of it as I can, and promise that some of it will feature on here at some point, even if it is just in the end of year 'Best of...' post. There's some incredible music out there at the moment, I just wish I had the time to write the words to do it justice.

So, while I'm here, please enjoy 11 crazy minutes of Sonic Youth-esque guitar histrionics, courtesy of Chapterhouse. 'Die, Die, Die' was originally available on a limited edition 12" which came free with the vinyl version of their tremendous debut album, 'Whirlpool'. It was also scheduled to appear on the recent CD reissue of 'Whirlpool', but was pulled at the last minute owing to time constraints. This is proof Chapterhouse weren't just a bunch of pretty, ineffectual M&S-jumper-wearing-namby-pamby-Home-Counties-boyz - they could properly rock the fuck out. This kind of thrash lunacy is probably the direction the band should have gone in, rather than all the ambient noodling and insipid dreampop of their second and final album 'Blood Music'. I had this one cued to post a while ago when my computer died, but then I thought it was rather apt to accompany this post. No idea why.

I'll be back...

Buy the 'Whirlpool' reissue from Amazon
Unofficial Chapterhouse website

Joe.

The White Noise Revisited Podcast

2008-05-23T08:00:00.000Z

Following years of daydreaming, months of planning, weeks in the making and several hours of brow-furrowing techno frustration* to get it up here and (fingers crossed) working properly, I am proud to present the first ever podcast from The White Noise Revisited. We start not with a bang, but with a molten ball of dissonant fuzz, and a theme that is close to our hearts - white noise - delivering a 78-minute sonic excursion into the realms of white noise in all its various forms. Well, I say we, but I just selected a few songs - my talented accomplice Feedle made it sound amazing, mashing the songs together, and incorporating additional frequencies and bursts of noise. Hopefully this will be the first of many. Stay tuned...

If you click on the link below, it should open iTunes and instantly start downloading. Let me know if you encounter any problems...

Click: The White Noise Revisited Podcast »

The White Noise Revisited Podcast 01:
White Noise Does White Noise

Pavement Intro
Feedle: Keep Driving (Unreleased, 2006)
Fuck Buttons: Sweet Love for Planet Earth (ATP, 2008)
Chris Clark: A Laugh With Hills (Warp Records, 2001)
Deerhunter: Lake Somerset (Kranky, 2007)
Autolux: Sugarless (Full Time Hobby, 2005)
Pan Sonic: Sãrmays (Blast First, 1999)
Ride: European Son (Imaginary Records, 1990)
Flying Saucer Attack: Outdoor Miner (Domino, 1995)
Blur: Essex Dogs (Parlophone, 1997)
Sand: Terminus (Satellite, 1999)
Mogwai: Like Herod - BBC Session (PIAS, 2005)
Spacemen 3: Suicide - Live (Fire Records, 1988)

Devised & compiled by Joe White Noise & Feedle
All mixing, tweaking and additional frequencies by Feedle
A TWNR Podcast 2008: all songs belong to the artists

* Extra special thanks to Jnr. D from Lazy.fm for helping me with all things techy - do yourself a favour and go and check out the Radio.Lazy podcasts over on his site. They're awesome - the latest is a Serge Gainsbourg Soundclash!

Joe White Noise.

The Song Remains The Same

2008-05-09T10:00:00.002Z

The Black Angels - Never/Ever

The Black Angels return with their second album, 'Directions To See A Ghost', and pick things up pretty much where they left off with 2006's 'Passover'. The Texans deliver another collection of doom-laden drone'n'roll gems, with Alex Maas's disconnected preacher's yowl holding court over a solid wall of distorted guitars and Stephanie Bailey's motorik, tribal drumming. The reference points (13th Floor Elevators, VU, Spacemen 3) hold steady, and thankfully, they are still angry and politically charged (the Iraq war is still a major influence on the band’s lyrics), and it is this seething discontent that drives the majority of the album. A couple of years of solid gigging has served them well, and even though their shtick hasn't changed all that much (nor would you want it to), there is an increased depth and complexity to their sound - the production is more robust and their use of sitars (particularly on 'Deer-Ree-Shee') adds some mystical Eastern flavour.

The album's centre piece is the sprawling epic 'Never/Ever', which recalls the psychedelic majesty of the Doors (namely 'The End' and 'Not To Touch The Earth'), with Kyle Hunt's dance-on-your-grave keyboards aping Ray Manzarek, amid the scuzzy guitars. 'Science Killer' sounds like Clinic on mogadon - in fact, I'm sure if you bought the album on vinyl and played it at 45rpm it would sound just like Clinic. Both bands are adept at recreating authentic 1960s vibes, and Maas's vocals aren't a million miles away from Clinic's Ade Blackburn. Much as I love the Angels, even I must draw the line at the over indulgence of 16-minute album closer, 'Snake In The Grass' - there's far better songs they could have riffed on into infinity - but thankfully, things are tighter elsewhere with recent single, 'Doves', the closest the Black Angels will ever get to being radio-friendly. I wonder how long it will be before these armageddon-prediciting survivalists down guitars and head to the wilderness to live in caves Manson-family style, so best make the most of them while you can.

'Directions To See A Ghost' is released in the UK by Light In The Attic Records on May 12th 08. Pre-order the album now from Norman Records
The Black Angels MySpace - the band are embarking on an extensive tour of the UK, starting at ATP Festival on May 10th 08 - check here for full tour listings...
The Black Angels website
Light In The Attic Records website

Joe.

Globe Alone

2008-05-07T04:30:00.001Z

Atlas Sound - Recent Bedroom
Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those That Can See But Cannot Feel

Despite originally being released on Kranky in the US earlier this year, Atlas Sound's 'Let The Blind Lead Those That Can See But Cannot Feel' has finally found its spiritual home, with this European release on 4AD. You see, Atlas Sound (the name the 25-year-old Deerhunter frontman Bradford Cox has used for his solo recordings since he was at school) and 4AD are such a perfect fit it feels like it was destiny label and artist would end up together. Combining shimmering Cocteau's-esque ambient dream pop with the singular vision of Kurt Ralske's Ultra Vivid Scene (like Ralkse, Cox is responsible for every sound you hear), 'Let The Blind...' could well be the archetypal 4AD album.

As with the ubiquitous Panda Bear, to understand the experience of listening to Atlas Sound you need to first imagine yourself, stoned, immaculate, sprawled in a field at a music festival, listening to a band playing in another field, far, far away. The songs drift in and out of focus, carried in the breeze with the dandelion seeds, as Cox delivers his vocals in a sleepy reverie, like a man singing himself out of a coma. The textured nu-gaze of 'Recent Bedroom' finds the guitars at their most prominent, but most of the time the electronics take centre stage, as on the title track's warm, enveloping opiatetronica, which recalls Casino Versus Japan. 'River Card' and 'Atizan' are bittersweet dark pop songs in the vein of the aforementioned Ralske's UVS, 'Winter Vacation' and 'Scraping Past' marry tranquilised Detroit techno with snatches of looped, treated guitars, and 'Small Horror' sounds like 'Loveless' on the moon. 'Let The Blind...' is a truly wonderful thing; the perfect soundtrack to daydream the summer away.

Check out the Deerhunter blog - there is a brand new free Atlas Sound EP to download, plus loads of free MP3s, videos and various goodies!
Buy the 4AD version of 'Let The Blind Lead Those That Can See But Cannot Feel' from Norman Records, featuring a bonus CD of exclusive material.
Atlas Sound MySpace - check here for live dates - Atlas Sound are embarking on a European tour as guests of Animal Collective during May, and also appears at the Stag & Dagger festival in Shoreditch, London on 15th May 08.
Comprehensive Wikipedia entry, featuring everything you could ever possibly want to know about 'Let The Blind...'
Atlas Sound at 4AD website
Brilliant review of the Kranky release at Pitchfork

Joe.

Resurrected by the Factory Floor...

2008-04-25T18:00:00.004Z

Factory Floor - Francis Francis

Where's Paul Morley when you need him? I only ask, because I feel I should be injected with a dose of his meticulously crafted, often baffling, prose to do justice to my latest discovery. The clue is in the name, you see - Factory Floor. Tony Wilson would have adored them. It could easily be Manchester 1978, but it's not - this is the sound of London 2008. It's like the baton has finally been passed on. We've been promised the resurrection before - the post punk revival of not that long ago, that failed to deliver on so many levels. But this could well be it.

On the first side of the orange vinyl 7" (limited to 500), an aborted, twanging surf riff hangs bloodied and ravaged alongside a dark, abrasive bass rumble. The drums clank and spasmodically twitch - there's even what sounds like the remnants of the click track Stephen Morris used to follow when Joy Division played live. The vocalist adopts the morbid, baritone howl Ian Curtis modelled on ol' Blue Eyes himself. The sound is so incredibly authentic you start to believe Martin Hannett is back from the dead and up to his old spatial production tricks. Like the condition it is named after, 'Bipolar' is a song divided; its personality split between the initial jaw-dropping JD resurrection, and the incendiary conclusion, as sheets of white noise guitars assault your ears, the vocal howl is replaced by a blood-curdling scream and the drums move out of claustrophobic Hannett-territory into a future funk dimension - all propelled by the immense bassline that sends you hurtling towards the dancefloor.

Then, over on the flip, Factory Floor lob out a curve ball that forces you to reassess who are they are and why they are here. 'You Were Always Wrong' is an absurdist tale which appears to be about a paper boy killed in an arson attack on a newsagents (featuring the greatest opening line to a song I've heard for a long time - "In the spot where the halfwit's magazines were..."). The music is ramshackle early-Fall - all deconstructed, clanging riffs, a jarring bass, drums like an orderly tumble down the stairs, and the vocal delivered with an incredulous bark that Mark E. Smith would be proud of.

It's impossible to ignore the reference points, but it is important to state that this is so much more than just a band regurgitating what has gone before. Factory Floor aren't some shonky old tribute act - arty and cerebral / primal and raw in equal measure, this is a truly remarkable debut.

I'm not posting either of the songs available on the 7" - buy that, you owe it to youself. Instead, I have 'Francis Francis', an exclusive demo generously donated by the band. This is a brief but stunning amalgamation of all that I have mentioned above, but probably closer in spirit to 'Bipolar'. Propelled by krautrock rhythms, the vocal reminds me of Syd Barrett for some reason, and it all culminates with a classic Keith Levene riff, which splinters into jagged shards before the song, abruptly, ends.

'Bipolar' b/w 'You Were Always Right' is released by Outside Sound on Monday 28th April 2008. Purchase it from Norman Records
Factory Floor MySpace - check here for upcoming live dates and streaming of all songs.
Factory Floor website
Outside Sound MySpace

Joe.

We Haven't Done This For A While So It Might Be A Bit Weird

2008-04-17T21:37:00.004Z

Ride - I Wanna Be Your Dog (Live)

I’ve been hunting high and low for this track for years, and am delighted to have finally tracked it down. I can remember my brother going to see Ride live in Oxford (Jericho Tavern, I think, a secret gig from 1991) and writing me a letter saying how fantastic they were, especially a mental cover of the Stooges’ ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ which they occasionally used to drop into their early live sets, and resurrected for that one night only. I was obscenely jealous – not only am I Ride’s biggest fan, but ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ is one of my favourite songs ever. That three-chord riff sends me bonkers and makes me want to go and smash shit up. Even now… So that combination of favourite band and favourite track with a little bit of brotherly envy lobbed into the mix means that I have always been gutted that I never saw them play it live, despite seeing them a few times. Being able to finally listen to it is perhaps a poor compromise, but it’ll do me for now. At least until they reform and I force them (at gunpoint if I have to) to play this for their encore. It’s only really worth listening to extremely loud, as it’s not the best recording. I think it’s Andy giving his vocal chords a proper Iggy-style workout, and at the end it dissolves into a right old mess. But I love it, and I’m sure my bro will too.

Ride - Eight Miles High
Ride - The Model
Ride - I Don't Want To Be A Soldier (Live)
Ride - Tomorrow Never Knows (Live)
Ride - Union City Blue

Ride recorded some really excellent cover versions throughout their career, almost enough to make a whole album. They recorded ‘Eight Miles High’ for an Imaginary Records compilation, ‘Through the Looking Glass’, in 1990. The Byrds were a huge influence on Ride, so this is a pretty faithful rendition really, with some additional squalling guitar noise. In some ways, their cover of Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’ (for ‘Ruby Trax’, an album of covers to celebrate the NME’s 40th birthday) while brilliant, now feels like a missed opportunity. At the time, it was a novelty – Ride go synthpop! – but listening to it now, it’s a note for note reconstruction with only Mark’s vocal setting it apart from the original. Imagine how much more interesting it would have been if they’d tackled it as a four-piece guitar band. I guess it could have been dreadful, but I think the best covers the band did were when they stamped their identity onto a song. Take their fantastic version of John Lennon’s ‘I Don’t Want To Be A Solider’, recorded live at the Reading Festival in 1992. As Simon Cowell would say, they definitely “make the song their own”, with a lovely chunky Stevie Q bassline, and some fabulous guitar mangling from Andy and Mark. Love it. Perhaps not quite as good, but worth a listen anyway, is their cover of the Beatles’ psychedelic masterpiece ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’. This was the song they used to climax all their early live sets in 1989 when they first started seriously gigging. Loz does a fine job on the best drums Ringo ever played, and it ends in a thrashing blaze of distorted riffing. Last, but by no means least, Ride covered Blondie’s ‘Union City Blue’, with Alex from Motorcycle Boy on vocals under the cunning pseudonym, Motorcycle Ride. It was originally given away on a cassette in ridiculously small quantities after a gig in 1989, but in 1993, Fierce Records in Swansea rescued it from obscurity and released it on a 7”. They don’t really mess around with the original too much, but it’s a lovely, lovely slice of dreamy guitar pop.

Marvellous Ride fansite
Ride MySpace
Official Ride website with links to buy their catalogue digitally

Joe.

Back Once Again With The Ill(ectronic) Behaviour

2008-04-09T20:04:00.002Z

Fizzarum - Phut Of Flex

Various flavours of electronic goodness for you to feast on today, as I try to make up for nearly a month away with a mega post… Kicking things off are these four minutes of futuristic effervescence from the Russian duo of Dmitry Dubov and Dmitry Letahovskiy, recording as Fizzarum. 'Phut Of Flex' was released by City Centre Offices back in 1999, on clear 7" vinyl limited to 650 copies. To me, this is as close to perfection as you can get. The dense crunch of Autechre is married to a sublime melody so delicate it would crumble to dust if you so much as glanced at it the wrong way, all lovingly doused in fizz and crackle. Fizzarum were eventually signed up by Domino, who released a collection of all their limited singles in 2000 entitled 'Monochrome Plural'. The duo was acknowledged as the spearhead of a vaunted movement in Russian electronica, which included EU and the Art-Tek label. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really a movement - more of a minor twitch - and despite a handful of self-released albums, Fizzarum ceased to exist in 2004.

Fizzarum website
City Centre Offices website

Boom Bip - The Move

You can hear the seeds for Bryan 'Boom Bip' Hollon's recent John DeLorean concept album ‘Stainless Style’ (under the Neon Neon moniker, and in partnership with Gruff Rhys) in his second solo album 'Blue Eyed In The Red Room', released on Lex in 2005. A move from Cincinnati to Silver Lake, Los Angeles transformed Hollon from a producer of underground hip-hop, towards a shinier more expansive, pop electronic sound. Out went the jazz, the looped beats and samples, and the esoteric rappers; in came live instrumentation, poppy hooks and lovely vocals from Nina Nastasia. 'Blue Eyed...' also represented the first time Hollon worked with Gruff Rhys, on the mind-blowing psychedelic masterpiece 'Do's & Don'ts'. My favourite 'Blue Eyed...' track is the wonderful 'The Move', which is like an undiscovered New Order instrumental with added melodies by Vince Clarke, some delectable beat programming and a euphoric soft centre, which oozes joyous tunefulness like honey dripping from a beehive. Mmmmm, honey…

Boom Bip website
Boom Bip MySpace
Buy Boom Bip from Norman Records

Jega - Whore

Since Jega’s third album ‘Variance’ was leaked and subsequently shelved back in 2003, Manchester’s finest aural mentalist has gone very, very quiet. In fact, if you consider that his last ‘proper’ release was the ‘Geometry’ album of 2000, you could argue it’s been eight years since Dylan Nathan unleashed anything new, aside from the odd track for Planet µ comps. That makes the Roses seem prolific. Debuting for Skam in 1996 with the brutal yet brittle ‘Phlax EP’, Nathan continued to beguile with further recordings for Skam (the raw ‘Card Hore EP’ in ’97), and two albums for Planet µ- ‘98’s awesome ‘Spectrum’, and the aforementioned ‘Geometry’. I love Jega. As far as I am concerned, he is the grandmaster of balancing brutal breakbeats with subtle yet exquisite melodies. There are many examples of the maestro at work, but I’m posting ‘Whore’, his contribution to the ‘0161’ compilation, which came out on Skam in 1997. A Prodigy-esque break and a mutant sub-low bassline (currently enjoying something of a renaissance) are joined by some melodic niceness. Rumour has it he’s redoing ‘Variance’ as he was unhappy with how it sounded - if this is the case, get a move on son – we’re hungry.

Jega at Matador Records
Buy '0161' from Skam

The Marcia Blaine School For Girls - Still

What sort of music do you think a band called The Marcia Blaine School For Girls would make? When I first saw the name, I was imagining idiot American college punk a la Sum 41 or Bowling For Soup. But no, I couldn’t have been further from the truth – they actually knock out top quality electronic fare. A Glaswegian trio, they took their name from the fictional school of the 1961 novel and film, ‘The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie’, and last year’s long-player, ‘Halfway Into The Woods’, narrowly missed making it onto my end of year best of list, only dropping out owing to other quality Scot-tronica releases from Mosca and Rubens. The album mixed up all sorts of styles, from minimal gorgeousness, to Detroit-influenced techno and crunching mid-period Autechre. Or in the case of ‘Still’, what it might sound like if Underworld’s Karl Hyde got stuck in a malfunctioning power station that was playing host to a titanic lightsabre battle, as a mournful, folky vocal is enveloped by a cacophony of glitch. Marvellous.

The Marcia Blaine School For Girls website
Buy 'Halfway Into The Woods' from Norman Records
Marcia Blaine Industries MySpace

Wisp - Clipian

Finally on this monster missive, I’m sending big congratulations to Wisp aka Reid Dunn from Niagara Falls, NYC, who recently announced that he has signed to Rephlex Records for the release of his latest album ‘The Shimmering Hour’, due later on this year. Wisp was where I came in – my first blog post for Spoilt Victorian Child was a eulogy to Reid’s immense talents. Back then, he’d just released his first hard copy album (2005’s ‘NRTHNDR’ for the now defunct Sublight Records) after a string of MP3 releases of such stunningly high quality, my brain couldn’t fathom why he was giving them away for free and promptly fell out of my ear. Reid divided opinion across IDM messageboards, with some churlish sorts suggesting his gifts were all too close to an imitation of those artists he was obviously influenced by – the holy trinity of Aphex Twin, Autechre and Boards of Canada. It would seem that his signing to Rephlex is vindication for those of us who knew there was more to his talents than as a straight copyist with solid composition skills.

I’m posting ‘Clipian’ from ‘Honor Beats’, an 8-track mini-album released on Sublight in 2006. ‘Honor Beats’, with it’s heraldic-themed cover and J.R.R. Tolkien quote on the inner sleeve, outs Dunn’s barely concealed love for all things Middle Earth and Dungeons & Dragons. Luckily, the album stops short of being a ‘Lord Of The Rings’-themed love-in, despite the tumultuous opener ‘Beadumægen’ with its sampled hunting horns and medieval pipes (all mashed up with a killer amen, natch), and instead demonstrates his versatility and insane production talents. ‘Clipian’ starts off with an extended passage that doesn’t sound a million miles away from Aphex’s ‘Analord’ series, but soon grooves off into clattering breakcore territory, with a wondrous “sky-painted” melody and Nintendo bleeps. Not one to watch anymore, but perhaps the One to drag the electronic music scene, blinking and covered with cobwebs, out of the underground and back into the spotlight once again…

Download all Wisp's MP3 releases from the Wisp Archive
Wisp MySpace
Buy 'Honor Beats' from Boomkat

Joe.

Magic Numbers

2008-04-04T15:30:00.001Z

Apologies for the break in transmission. That thing called life has taken over for a while. But we're back, and here's a welcome return from long term contributor Dave...

Six By Seven – Eat Junk Become Junk
Six By Seven – What's Wrong With Understanding
Six By Seven – All My New Best Friends

I’ve never really liked numbers. Put a page of numerical figures in front of me and a chemical reaction ignites in my brain, resulting in mental narcolepsy. So from a young age I have done all I can to avoid numbers, and still do today. However, one notable exception is with the Nottingham-based band, Six By Seven*.

Ever since their first album, ‘The Things We Make’, was released in 1998, I have readily put aside my numerical differences and embraced their dark and brooding world of finely crafted space-rock - although I did think the track ‘88-92-96’ was taking the piss a little! Since then, a further five studio albums have followed, as well as a couple of compilations of unreleased material. The line-up of the band has fluctuated greatly throughout the years too, with the number of band members ranging from 3 to 5 depending on when and which album you are listening to. It's all a bit too complicated for me to go into who plays what when to be honest with you, and I’m sure this can all be found elsewhere. However, for all the personnel variations, record label changes, side projects and financial and emotional upheavals within the band, the sound, and soul, of Six By Seven remains constant throughout their excellent back catalogue. Each album has an anger and an intensity that I don’t find within the fabric of many other rock bands, and even when their direction takes a softer turn, it manages to do so keeping a dark integrity intact, without resorting to sounding like Embrace. Six By Seven have a reassuring menace about them, like the rumble of a late-night journey on the underground when you are the only passenger in the carriage.

I had planned to go into each album separately, from the angrier rock on ‘The Closer You Get’ and ‘The Way I Feel Today’, to the soaring efforts such as ‘Bochum (Light Up My Life)’ on ‘04’ and the immense ‘What’s Wrong With Understanding’ on the ‘Left Luggage At The Peveril Hotel’ compilation, but I don’t think Joe has enough bandwidth on his server. I wish I could post one song from each album as well, but trying to narrow it down is not an easy task. Numbers you see, always clouding the brain from making concise decisions. Frankly, I think no matter which Six By Seven album you get, you can count on it being quality. But if you want an easy introduction to the band, head straight for 'Any Colour So Long As It’s Black’, the Best Of album, recently released on Saturday Night, featuring some interesting song choices and ace remixes from the likes of Flaming Lips, Bloc Party, Ulrich Schnauss and Two Lone Swordsmen. Oh, and a DVD featuring most of their videos. All for a tenner! You can't go wrong...

*Other notable exceptions include MC5, The Jackson 5, Jurassic 5, Radio 4, Soul Brothers Six, 808 State and Spacemen 3.

Buy 'Any Colour So Long As It’s Black’ from Norman Records
New official website here
Six By Seven MySpace
Buy Six By Seven music here

Dave.

Epochal Moments In My Life # 69

2008-03-12T10:00:00.000Z

69 - Desire

Once upon a time I lived in a very strange flat on the top floor of an enormous dilapidated gothic mansion in Brondesbury Park, with a very fine man called Matt Mancuso. I didn't live there all that long, crashing and burning after about six months. It was a crazy place with a constantly revolving cast of inhabitants and casual(ty) stopovers, always anchored by our genial caner host Mancuso. There was never any food in the fridge but every night was party night, when the booze flowed freely and narcotics were (chopped up) on a plate if that was what your heart desired. Aaaahh, yes, Desire…

So, one night in the middle of a week of typical debauchery, I was making the most of an empty flat to try and get some much-needed sleep. I eventually drifted off into the kind of exhausted, deep narcoleptic shut-eye where nightmares rule and you can't work out whether you've been under for five minutes or five days. I was disturbed by a fumbling at the door handle and instantly froze, racked with paranoia and ruing the fact I didn't keep a baseball bat to hand. After what seemed like an age, the door burst open, and I was confronted by a bear of a man, silhouetted in the doorway clutching a flat, square object between his paws. The Bearman slurred something I couldn't decipher, but as my eyes adjusted and my brain engaged, I realised it was Mancuso, and he was carrying a record.

"Don't get up Mr Clay," he mumbled. "I'm about to do something wonderful. You can thank me in the morning."
"Piss off Mancuso," I snapped. "I'm asleep. Whatever it is, it can wait."
"This can't," Mancuso said. "Trust me."

I groaned and rolled over to face the wall, listening to him fiddling with my stereo with all the dexterity of a fingerless man sowing on a button. The needle dropped clumsily onto the record, and Mancuso staggered back out of my room as it crackled into life...

I contemplated getting up and turning it off, but I couldn't move. I was pinned to my bed, dumbfounded by the regal majesty of the music that was pouring gloriously forth from my shitty speakers, like liquid gold. Mancuso was right. Of course he was. He knew the power of this mighty song, and decided to administer a potent dose of techno goodness where it was needed.

It's six simply sublime minutes of the most soulful techno you will ever hear, with a gorgeous string-infused keyboard line that warps like it's recorded on old tape, and the phenomenal chopped-up break that drops in and takes you away. Carl Craig, you are a genius. I can't believe I hadn't heard it before that night, and I don't know why it doesn't get played out more - it still packs a colossally emotive punch. I've had plenty of people who 'should' know what it is, ask me when I've played it, and then hunt down a copy at the earliest opportunity. If music can ever be made with a specific time slot in mind, this is one for 4am. Originally released under Craig's 69 (six nine) alias on R&S in 1994, it is a glaring omission from the otherwise immaculate compendium 'Sessions', which came out on K7 at the end of February.

I returned the record to Mancuso (after taping it, of course) the following morning. He was fast asleep, and we never mentioned the moment that had passed the night before. I hope in some small way that what I'm doing on this blog is a virtual version of what Mancuso did for me that night all those years ago - sharing the love, spreading the magic. Perhaps I'm being too idealistic about it, but ever since the demise of the C90 mix tape, sharing music hasn't felt the same for me - until now. And failing that, I hope that out there somewhere, someone is stumbling into your room at night and enriching your life with music.

Buy Carl Craig 'Sessions' from Boomkat
Buy the original 'Lite Music' 12" that features 'Desire' from eBay
Carl Craig MySpace
Carl Craig discography
In-depth Carl Craig biography at Planet E website

Joe.

Joe, Do You Hear Something?

2008-03-06T10:00:00.003Z

Cine City - Plants, Animals, H20

For one reason and another, I know far more about deep house than the average man on the street. Now, while this wealth of knowledge has never really served me that well in winning friends, influencing people, or even scoring sneaky points at the local pub quiz, it does mean that my record collection is peppered with obscure vinyl gems from labels like Classic, NRK, Pagan and Paper that may not be found on everyone's shelves. Take this banger from Manchester's finest Paperecordings (home of the awesome Crazy Penis) - 'Plants, Animals, H20' was located on the flipside of a 10" released by the label back in 1997. Cine City (named after the oldest cinema in Manchester - now defunct) was one of many pseudonyms adopted by label owners Elliot Eastwick and Miles Hollway, perhaps best known for recording as Salt City Orchestra.

Under the Cine City alias, they drafted in fellow deep house-head Si Brad, who acted as producer. I'm not really sure if this track is all that representative of the deep house scene - I'd file it more at the funky end of the spectrum. No matter - opening with MC Tunes's proclamation from back in the glory days of baggy of "Man-chester, the dance capital of England" (from the risible Stone Roses-sampling 'Tunes Splits The Atom'), the needle is thankfully dragged across the record and an atmospheric sample from an unknown sci-fi or horror film crackles into earshot (I've tried but failed to find out where it's from). Then, from out of nowhere, a whipcrackin', überjackin' drum beat (if I'd programmed it, I'd be a skeleton, trapped in the studio still going mental) is fired up, a filthy bassline drops and we're plunged into Jedi Knights-style nu-school breaks territory. Dangerously veering towards future jazz at various points, the track is kept on track by a guest appearence from the mysterious Wai Wan on keys. Legend has it Wai was rehearsing in the next door studio, and popped in one afternoon for a cuppa, and ended up laying down some seriously pimping keyboard science all over the outro. Wonderful stuff. Paper sadly got pulped in 2003, but Eastwick and Hollway are still in demand as DJs, and, funnily enough, Eastwick also runs a legendary pub quiz. Any chance of a deep house round, Elliot?

The label also made a video for the A-side of the 10", 'Are You Sure Joe?', which you can feast your eyes on below. Paper tell the story:

When we first started paper, we managed to get hold of a Super8 camera and we all drove off onto Saddleworth Moors, just outside of Manchester and filmed our first video. It was the first lo-fi dance video and was filmed using paper beakers, shoestrings and magik eye dust. I'm sure you'll agree that no expense was spared and it was purely fuelled by passion, foolishness and belief in the music we were making in the North West of England. This video was found in a box in my loft on an old VHS, sent to be digitised in London and whacked up on YouTube for all to see. The orange coat is still knocking around and its stars all the peeps who set up Paperecordings. Andy filmed it and Elvis was there courtesy of rock n roll. Mmmm, slick isn't it? Fun though.... Love from Paper x

Buy Paperecordings mp3s from Paper
Elliot Eastwick's World Famous Pub Quiz at MySpace
Wai Wan MySpace

Joe.

That Difficult Second Album...

2008-02-27T21:05:00.001Z

The Charlatans - Ignition
The Charlatans - Can't Even Be Bothered

The phrase 'difficult second album' has become something of a music journalism cliche over the years, but there are certain albums that definitely reinforce the theory. The Charlatans' 'Between 10th And 11th' is one such album. Following a swift and relatively painless rise to fame in 1990, sprawled in the back of the baggy bandwagon, humming their signature hit, 'The Only One I Know', the band suffered something of an identity crisis under a sudden press backlash to their retro-psychedelic sound, dominated by Rob Collins's signature, swirling Hammond organ.

Unfairly labelled as a poor man's Stone Roses (and much worse), the Charlatans suffered growing pains as they tried to develop their sound. Their guitarist, Jon Baker, left the band after the 'Over Rising' single in February 1991, and the bassist, founding member Martin Blunt, was hospitalised after being diagnosed with manic depression. Baker was replaced by Mark Collins, and Blunt's stay in hospital was thankfully short, but a black cloud had descended on the band, causing them to scrap sessions for their sophomore album with the producer Hugh Jones, that had already spawned the poorly received (but rather excellent) single 'Me. In Time' (released November 1991). Reconvening to the studio with genius producer Flood, best known for his work with U2, Depeche Mode and Erasure, the Charlatans recorded 'Between 10th And 11th'. The album was originally due to be called 'Anti Clockwise', but the band changed it at the last minute, opting to name it after the location in New York that housed the band's first US gig. It was released with little fanfare in March 1992, following the single, 'Weirdo', the previous month.

The chiming, discordant guitar on opener 'I Don't Want To See The Sights' sets out the album's stall from the get-go, with a marked absence of uplifting Hammond swirls, and singer Tim Burgess's bleak portrayal of a British life - "...dirty pictures plastered on the wall" and "A classic alcoholic argument" - reminiscent of the same worldview of early 1990's Britain Damon Albarn was documenting on Blur's 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' (another 'difficult' second album). In fact, Burgess's lyrics throughout were a marvel, revealing the floppy fringed optimist appeared to have morphed into something of a brooding, joyless figure, harbouring predominantly negative thoughts. The opening lines of many of the songs on the album make compelling reading -

Ignition: "The sick and complicated eyes are mine to find, a way inside"
Page One: "Physically I resemble a vulture"
Tremolo Song: "The birds don’t sing, they crush my skull, And I'm worthless"
Weirdo: "Most of the time you are happy, You're a weirdo"
Chewing Gum Weekend: "Don't ask me to socialise"

Not exactly laugh a minute... In 'The End Of Everything' you even had an anti-war song, with Burgess revealing, "There is no soldier in me, I want my guts where they are..." He also pilfered an enigmatic line from the poet e.e. cummings, “Not even the rain has such small hands” (from album closer '(No One) Not Even The Rain', which also contains the somewhat gloomy couplet, “And I don't like the air that I breathe, It can't escape from me”). Understandably, the band wanted the lyrics printed on the sleeve, but Burgess would only agree if the album's cover depicted an overripe bunch of bananas, as opposed to the cheesy band shot wanted by the label - a statement of sorts, perhaps, of how Burgess was determined to drastically alter the band's media image, or at the very least, bring everything in line with this bleaker outlook.

Musically, this is a dark, claustrophobic album, with Flood's sparse, spatial production allowing the band to experiment and create some thoroughly modern guitar pop. New boy Mark Collins would make a strong contribution to this musical about face, as 'Between 10th And 11th' showcased a guitar heavy sound, packed with slashing riffs on 'I Don't Want To See The Sights' and the funked up 'Page One', alongside ominous bursts of heavy distortion on 'Ignition' and 'The End Of Everything'. Namesake Rob Collins would also broaden his range, adding pumping, funky piano to the second single 'Tremolo Song', and atmospheric, ambient washes throughout 'Subtitle' and '(No One) Not Even The Rain'. The Hammond that had defined the band's previous output was still present, but far heavier, to compliment the guitars. The bass of Blunt pulsated in perfect compliment to Jon Brooke's terse, electronic drums - all part of Flood's brilliant production masterplan.

I was tempted to post the entire album - apparently, the band hate it, and are actually in the process of giving away their tenth studio album for free, so I don't suppose they'd mind. But no, that's not what this place is all about. I'm sure you'll be able to find it somewhere, but nothing can replicate the joy of buying it and pushing play or dropping the needle. I'm posting a couple of highlights instead - the aforementioned 'Ignition', along with 'Can't Even Be Bothered' - the Charlies own slacker anthem, demonstrating a solid understanding of Nirvana's quiet/loud dynamics, and even bearing a passing resemblance to 'Come As You Are' from 'Nevermind'. Or maybe that's just me... Two gems, plucked from an album full of doomy sparklers.

On a personal level, 'Between 10th And 11th' is the soundtrack to the first time I realised that love hurts, and being in love could be a transitory feeling. I fought hard against this realisation, clinging on to previous good memories of a relationship and spending a futile and difficult period trying to win the girl back, and smoking prodigious amounts of dope and drinking more than was healthy. Eventually I succumbed, and allowed my heart to break in two. Shortly after, 'Between 10th And 11th' rarely left my stereo. I pulled it apart, lyrically and musically, relating everything to my situation. It was a perfect fit - it helped and it didn't. I wallowed and I eventually moved on. 'Between 10th And 11th' meant everything to me, and still has a very special place in my heart. When I interviewed Martin Carr for Spoilt Victorian Child, I told him how much I loved 'Everything's Alright Forever', the Boo Radleys' first album for Creation. He revealed that he didn't "understand" the album at all, and that it meant "nothing" to him. I feel this is probably the case with the Charlatans and 'Between 10th and 11th' - they don't understand their album either, and have decided to pretend it never happened. In fact, if it wasn't for 'Weirdo', nothing from this era of their career would have survived. Tim, Mark, Jon, Martin - life's too short. It's time you made your peace with this brilliant album. It deserves some love from its makers.

Buy 'Between 10th And 11th' from Amazon
The Charlatans official website
Full Charlatans discography

Joe.

Holy Fuck! Fuck Buttons Are Out There, Close To The Ruby Sun

2008-02-19T13:50:00.001Z

Fuck Buttons - Colours Move

It feels weird to be talking about albums of the year in mid-February, but it’s going to take something astronomically incredible to knock Fuck Buttons from the top of my pile come the end of the year. ‘Street Horrrsing’ contains just six songs, but proceeds to pummel your synapses into a bloody pulp through a vast armoury of distorted, repetitive pulsing drones, a cacophony of sonic fuzz, tribal drums, church organs and what sounds like Satan himself broadcasting evil diatribes direct to your brainbox from a detuned, smashed-up radio at the bottom of a quarry. There’s even a deranged chimp kicking off during album closer ‘Colours Move’. Think Spacemen 3, think Swans, think Suicide, think Pan Sonic – just thank the fucking Lord that the Bristol duo of Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power still give a shit about taking risks and doing something different. ‘Street Horrrsing’ is a sonic breath of fresh air, if that breath was exhaled by a gigantic fire-breathing dragon that has just swallowed Antarctica.

‘Street Horrrsing’ is released by ATP/Recordings on 17th March 2008 – pre-order it from Norman Records
Fuck Buttons My Space
Fuck Buttons website
Fuck Buttons at ATP/Recordings

The Ruby Suns - Kenya Dig It?

Running Fuck Buttons pretty close come the end of the year, will be ‘Sea Lion’, the latest album from the Ruby Suns; brainchild of New Zealand-based Californian ex-pat Ryan McPhun. The last time I encountered McPhun, he had a healthy Brian Wilson obsession, which is still present and correct for ‘Sea Lion’, but the palate is now broader, with the net of influences spread wider. So this time it’s ‘Pet Sounds’ (the use of space echo and echoplex make these comparisons lazy, but inevitable) by way of ‘Graceland’, as the Ruby Suns follow Vampire Weekend, Yeasayer, Beirut and erm, Damon Albarn, in adding elements of world music into the indie-pop mix. This time it’s Polynesian folk and Maori influences that come to the fore, rubbing shoulders with Animal Collective-esque experimental psychedelia, electro-pop and stuff that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Disney soundtrack. The 24-year-old McPhun is a prodigious talent, and ‘Sea Lion’ bursts with the sunny delight that comes with boundary-free experimentation. Somebody buy the man a sandpit…

‘Sea Lion’ is released by Memphis Industries on March 4th 2008 in the UK, and on Sub Pop in the States. Pre-order the album from Norman Records
The Ruby Suns MySpace
The Ruby Suns at Memphis Industries

The Heliocentrics - Distant Star

When the next generation of MCs are on the rob for killer breaks to loop up and rap over, they need look no further than The Heliocentrics’ ‘Out There’ LP. The Heliocentrics are lead by part robot / part human drummer extraordinaire Malcolm Catto. Always metronomically bang on the beat, but with a rhythmic, funky warmth, Catto is the man DJ Shadow turns to when he performs live, or when his fingers tire of digging in the crates. Of the 20-plus tracks, a selection are short interludes or skits, but there is much to be said for the longer, meatier tracks. Catto has assembled a band so accomplished and tight you get the impression they wouldn’t slip out of synch even under the influence of a monster dose of LSD. With the exception of a handful of vocal samples, ‘Out There’ is an instrumental opus, packed with Eastern influences – a sci-fi concept album of sorts, documenting an imaginary voyage into space. All that's missing is Kool Keith to pop up and drop some of his crazed science all over one of the tracks, and this could have been an album worthy of the tag ‘vintage Mo Wax’. As it stands, it’s a fine fusion of hip-hop, funk, jazz and all things psychedelic – a brilliant fusion of Sun Ra, Axelrod and Morricone, driven into outer space by Catto’s exemplary stickmanship.

‘Out There’ is out now on Stones Throw offshoot Now-Again. Buy it from Norman Records
The Heliocentrics at Now-Again Records

Holy Fuck - The Pulse

One of my greatest fears as a music obsessive is that I'll miss something brilliant. Of course, it's inevitable that this will happen - there's so much music out there, and my ears aren't capable of hearing every single second. It's a bit like trying to catch an entire shoal of fish with just a float, line and bit of cheese on the end of a hook. So that's why it's great when something that almost slipped through the net (or ignored the cheesy hook, to continue that rather poor analogy) is brought to your attention. This is the case with Holy Fuck. I've seen the name around a bit, but made no effort to find out what they sounded like. Then, a colleague leant me a CD of their latest self-titled album, which came out on Young Turks/XL Recordings in October last year. Thank fuck - I love Holy Fuck. I still don't know that much about them - they're Canadian and they're aiming to recreate modern electronic music without using any modern equipment, like laptops. So as it says on their MySpace page: "Find something in the trash... plug it in!" This is a fairly good summation of what they do, but it doesn't quite do justice to the incredible racket they concoct. Bendy, throbbing, pulsating instrumental electro rock; like a more organic and funksome Add N To X. From the propulsive, krauty opener 'Super Inuit' (recorded live), the relentless pounding doesn't cease until the 9 track album comes to a rousing climax with the metallic thrash-jazz of 'Choppers'. Along the way 'Milkshake' digs out an 808 for an old-school electro inspired thrash out, while 'The Pulse' kicks off with bleeps and develops into a wigged out, frenzied post rocker with an octopus on the drums, bashing the crap out of anything he can whack with his sticks. 'Lovely Allen' is euphoric space rock, and sounds like that Sigur Ros track popularised by the BBC ident being savaged by wolves. Magic. I'm off to find out more - I suggest you do the same.

Buy Holy Fuck from Norman Records
Holy Fuck MySpace
Holy Fuck website

Joe.

Three The Hard Way

2008-02-13T12:58:00.001Z

3rd Bass - The Cactus
3rd Bass - Sons Of 3rd Bass
3rd Bass - Wordz Of Wisdom (Club Mix)
3rd Bass - Wordz Of Wisdom (Death In The Afternoon)

‘The Cactus’ by 3rd Bass is my 11th favourite hip-hop album of all time. Now before you accuse me of damning it with faint praise, first remember what an absolute old school hip-hop nutjob I am, and then consider the strength of the competition – Public Enemy, Ultramagnetic MC’s, Eric B & Rakim, Boogie Down Productions, EPMD, Gang Starr, anything produced by Kurtis Mantronik or Marley Marl… there’s a formidable list of competitors out there, and to be my 11th favourite album, you’d have to be pretty fucking great - ‘The Cactus’ is certainly that. The Brooklyn, NYC duo of MC Serch and the baseball-obsessive Pete Nice came together in 1987 when producer Sam Sever suggested the duo work together. Serch had already released a couple of 12s for Warlock and Idlers (original home of the Jungle Brothers) in 1986, but these had largely gone unnoticed. Together, as 3rd Bass, they would make a huge impression on the late 80s/early 90s hip-hop scene – ‘The Cactus’ went gold in the US – but despite this commercial success, they still don’t get enough recognition.

You see, it’s hard to talk about 3rd Bass without mentioning the fact that Serch and Pete Nice were white, making them the first successful interracial rap group (the third member of 3rd Bass was black DJ Richie Rich). It shouldn’t really be a big deal – they’re quality MC’s - awesome, intelligent lyricists; the production is tough and innovative, and they signed to the massively influential Def Jam label – all the ingredients are there, but they were two-thirds white and I often wonder if this is why they don’t receive the plaudits they deserve. You could argue that the Beastie Boys managed to have a long and fruitful career, but they weren’t really taken seriously early on (and with good reason: the popularity of their dumbed-down party frat boy rap/rock with a predominantly white college crowd often overshadowed the fact that they were great rappers, and they had to totally reinvent themselves in the early 1990s). 3rd Bass actually signed to Def Jam just after the Beasties defected to Capitol Records, so were seen by many as a direct replacement for them – one novelty white rap act, replaced by another. Wrong.

To me, the album I would most compare ‘The Cactus’ to, is De La Soul’s ‘3 Feet High and Rising’. This may seem like a strange comparison to make, as the 3rd Bass style was far removed from the idealistic self-styled ‘daisy age’ hippy outlook of the De La crew. Both Serch and Pete Nice were New York natives, and their lyrics were far more hard-hitting and realistic; concerned with traditional hip-hop themes and language – brags, big-ups of themselves and their crew, name-dropping cars, bad-mouthing women and dissing other rappers (they had beef with MC Hammer and the Beasties, vocalised throughout ‘The Cactus’). There is one obvious similarity – the Prince Paul produced ‘The Gas Face’ (which featured an appearance from Zev Love X from KMD, the original moniker of MF Doom), which inevitably has a De La feel, both musically and lyrically. The main similarities I see are a definite sense of humour. Neither acts took themselves too seriously and were, first and foremost, entertainers. The tracks on ‘The Cactus’ are all linked together by short musical skits and in-jokes – not a cohesive theme like the mock quiz show of ‘3 Feet High & Rising’, but it has a similar feel in the way it is structured. ‘Flippin’ Off The Wall Like Lucy Ball’ finds one of the MC’s doing a fine impression of a 1930s Count Basie figure, over a jazz/blues backing. Title track ‘The Cactus’ (which samples The Doors’ ‘Peace Frog’) appears to be a companion piece to the Jungle Brothers’ ‘Jimbrowski’ and De La Soul’s ‘Buddy’, which are all about mythically massive male genitalia.

It’s a truly classic album, which also featured Public Enemy’s production team, The Bomb Squad, on a couple of tracks. My favourite 3rd Bass track of all time is ‘Wordz Of Wisdom’, which was the last track on ‘The Cactus’, and was later released in an extended 'Club Mix' form on the flip side of ‘The Gas Face’ 12”. Producer Sam Sever utilises the classic Amen break alongside tough beats of his own and samples from Gary Wright, The Commodores and Steely Dan, as Serch and Pete Nice drop some of their most ferocious rhymes. There was also an incredible ‘Death In The Afternoon’ remix that sampled Depeche Mode’s ‘Never Let Me Down Again’. I was a huge Mode fan at the time this came out and it completely blew me away that somebody could sample them on a hip-hop record to such devastating effect. I’ve posted both these tracks, along with ‘The Cactus’ and ‘Sons Of 3rd Bass’, with its sample of Blood Sweat & Tears’ ‘Spinning Wheel’, awesome scratching from Richie Rich and scathing Beastie Boys dis –

You know about that silver spoon havin’
Buckshot acne showin’, L.A. weak-ass sell-out
Non-legitimate, tip-doggin’, jethro pseudo intellectual
Dust-smokin’, pretty boy playwright posin’
Folks wiggin’, whinin’ annoyin’ Def Jam reject devil
White bread no money havin’ slum village people clonin’
Step children!

Just as it seemed that 3rd Bass were making some headway with getting white rap music accepted as an equivalent art form to that being produced by their black contemporaries, along came Vanilla Ice and blew the whole thing apart. The success of his 1990 single, ‘Ice Ice Baby’, turned white rap into a safe, corporate way of making money and nobody gave a shit about acts like 3rd Bass and their hard-won credibility – credibility didn’t make money. Their second album, ‘Derelicts Of Dialect’ was pretty much one long dis of Vanilla Ice, and I think it suffered because of this. Of course, their target was a righteous one, but I think they should have just stuck to their guns and continued on their own path. Maybe it is this obsession with Vanilla Ice and the group's own craving for credibility that have ruined the positive epitaph 3rd Bass so richly deserve. Either way, just listen to the quality of the music on ‘The Cactus’ and savour the flavours of the 11th best hip-hop album of all time!

The brilliant video for ‘The Gas Face’, featuring a guest appearance from Flavor Flav –

3rd Bass website - with loads more songs to download
Search eBay for 3rd Bass
3rd Bass wikipedia entry
3rd Bass discography
Sam Sever website

Joe.

Surf's Up

2008-02-08T20:24:00.000Z

Polygon Window - If It Really Is Me
Polygon Window - Quoth (Wooden Thump Mix)
Soft Ballet - Sand Lowe (The Polygon Window Remix)

Though I reserve the right to change my mind whenever I feel like it, today, Polygon Window is my favourite of Richard D. James's many musical aliases. 'Surfing On Sine Waves' is a phenomenal album, and I get vexed when I read Aphex FAQ's where he says there's another entire album's worth of material from the Polygon Window sessions that he can't be arsed to release. "Probably when I'm dead, they'll find it," he morbidly stated. When Warp came to remaster and rerelease 'SOSW' to celebrate the opening of their US office in 2001, the label asked Richard for some extra tracks to make it special. He obliged, although the story goes that he just gave them the first two tracks from the DAT of unreleased Polygon Window material. He's a wilful bugger, but I guess that's why we all love him and why there is so much webspace given over to discussing the finer points of his music and myth.

'SOSW' has a certain mood, depth and ambience that makes it totally unique. His use of delays, effects and homemade synths meant it sounded like nowt else on the planet. Apparently it was recorded between 1986 and 1989, which makes it even more staggering, as he was still a teenager, working from his own blueprint for electronic music, though he was definitely influenced by electro and early techno recordings by the likes of Kraftwerk and Cybotron. I was (still am) completely mesmerised by the album when I first bought it, listening to it over and over again, stoned off my face on Mark's snorkel bong in my tiny box room in Halls. It's moody and as magnificently brooding as the granite cliffs of Cornwall that informed all RDJ's early output. In fact, more so than any of his other albums, I think it's this one that most evokes the Cornish landscape and sea. Perhaps it's just that sepia-tinged cover image of Porthtowan beach, but there's more to it than that I'm sure. I've got Cornish roots, and 'SOSW' always transports me back to there - specifically, to the Lizard peninsula where I spent so much time as a child, with its ancient fern-packed hedgerows; the stark and often desolate vistas, coloured purple, brown and grey; the crumbling towers of the abandoned tin mines; the futuristic alienness of the Goonhilly Earth Station; the seemingly neverending beach at Kennack Sands... I always believed there was mystery lurking around every corner, and 'SOSW' is the soundtrack to this magical time and place.

'SOSW' was the first artist album in Warp's 'Artifical Intelligence' series, and probably the only one to sample Julie Andrews, blending tweaking acid, soothing synth sounds and old school TR606 drums. It's hard to pinpoint a favourite track, as it's the album as a whole that I love, though 'Quoth' (also released as a single) is a stunning demonstration of powerhouse drum programming. Unusually structured and allegedly featuring sounds Richard sampled from his job as a tunnel digger, 'Quoth' is a jackhammering monster of a tune. I also love 'If It Really Is Me', with it's beautifully simple piano melody and sampled snatches of dialogue. Simply gorgeous - and bizarrely pops on the occasional generic Ibiza 'chill-out' classics album. Very un-Aphex. It's perhaps not surprising that these two tracks stand out - legend has it that Richard spilt orange juice on the master tapes containing 'Quoth' and 'IIRIM', and they had to be partially rerecorded. Perhaps this story is really a cover for the fact that they were brand new tracks, not recorded during the 86-89 sessions. As always, I would encourage those of you who don't already, to go out and purchase this album. I was happy to buy the remastered 2001 version of the CD, to accompany the original CD and luvverly clear vinyl, gatefold edition already nestling in my collection. How many different formats I own of a particular record is usually a pretty good guide of how much I like it. I like this one an awful lot.

I'm posting 'If It Really Is Me', the slightly tweaked 'Wooden Thump Mix' of 'Quoth' from the single release, along with a remix RDJ did under the Polygon Window alias for the Japanese industrial synthpop outfit Soft Ballet. I hadn't come across this remix until recently, when a kind soul sent me an mp3 of it. It was taken from an album of remixes of Soft Ballet tracks entitled 'Twist & Turn'. Released in 1994, it also featured remixes from Orbital, Higher Intelligence Agency, Adamski, Pop Will Eat Itself and EMF. The Polygon Window remix was the last thing Richard ever recorded under the pseudonym, though to me, it sounds closer to his material of the same period under the Aphex Twin name - the drums in particular are very reminiscent of 'On'. Anyway, it's a brilliant remix, weaving atmospheric synths and buried vocal samples in and out of the thunking industrial drums.

Buy 'Surfing On Sine Waves' from Warpmart
Search eBay for Polygon Window
Polygon Window discography

Joe.

Experiments With Language

2008-01-29T19:15:00.000Z

School of Language - This Is No Fun

School of Language is David Brewis of Field Music's solo project, and debut LP 'Sea From Shore' finds Brewis breaking away from the structurally perfect pop nuggets of his former day job, in order to further deconstruct the concept of 'popular' music. If that sounds rather dull and contrived, it's anything but. If you think of Field Music as Lego, where each brick fits snugly into the next, with School of Language, Brewis chucks some Meccano and Sticklebricks into the mix, building something altogether more playful and abstract, but without losing the wonderful melodies that made Field Music so special.

The highlight of the album for me is 'This Is No Fun', which demonstrates perfectly the differences between the two projects - sonically denser and lyrically darker, it sprawls and rocks out in a way Field Music never seemed able. In 'Rockist', divided into four parts that open and close the album, Brewis uses his own voice as a backing rhythm, a bit like Bobby McFerrin, or even Laurie Anderson. For ‘Disappointment ‘99’, Brewis reveals his inner-Timberlake, as rough, funky rhythms rub up against his glorious, hook-laden falsetto. When I first heard Field Music was being shelved for the foreseeable future, my initial thought was, 'Why?'. On hearing this fine debut, I completely understand. Fortune favours the brave, and away from the comforts of the band dynamics, Brewis is thriving.

'Sea From Shore' is released by Memphis Industries on Monday (4th February). Pre-order the CD from Norman Records - first 10 orders get a free T-shirt!
School of Language at MySpace
School of Language at Memphis Industries

Joe.

You Are Golden

2008-01-27T09:47:00.000Z

Ride - Blue

Dave Grohl. Phil Collins. Don Henley. Karen Carpenter. Loz from Ride..? Yes indeed, you can add the name of Laurence Colbert to the list of singing drummers. Not that he ever sang when he was behind the kit, he was far too busy thumping the shit out of it, but occasionally, a bit like a prisoner on day release, Loz made it behind the microphone. Eventually, one of his compositions made it onto a Ride album; the lovely, jangly, Byrdsian ‘Natural Grace’, which slotted nicely onto the ‘Mark’ side of 1994’s ‘Carnival Of Light’ LP, but was beautifully sung by Mark, not Loz. By that time, though, Ride was a mess. Andy was, by his own admission, a “grade A loon” and rifts between Andy and Mark meant that by the time the band came to record their fourth and final album, ‘Tarantula’, Mark had all but given up on the band. It was the Andy Bell show and all the worse for it. Loz didn’t really get a look in, which is a shame, as you get the impression he had plenty to give…

But if we rewind back to 1992, and the release of ‘Going Blank Again’, Loz was a whisker away from making his song-writing debut on a Ride album. ‘Blue’ was written and sung by Loz, and was featured on the original tracklisting of the album. Creation, and the band’s US label, eventually ordered the band to shorten it, so ‘Blue’ was dropped, along with ‘Tongue Tied’ (which I wrote about here), and another Loz composition, ‘Everybody Knows’.

‘Blue’ is a great song, and fully deserving of a place on ‘Going Blank Again’. I take the record companies point – with these three extra tracks on the album, it would have been way too long, but I wonder if ‘Blue’ was dropped for being inferior, or because it was by Loz, and his standing in the band as a songwriter wasn’t as strong as Andy and Mark's. Rightly so, I guess, both Andy and Mark were exceptional talents, but it’s a shame nonetheless. ‘Blue’ is a lovely song, and Loz has a sweet, vulnerable delivery which suits the atmospheric, almost dubby qualities of ‘Blue’ perfectly. Funnily enough, it’s predominantly a drum-free track, with the percussion only coming in on the choruses, which feature swooping harmonies from the other two. This version of the song is taken from the ‘Firing Blanks’ CD, which was a collection of unreleased Ride material from the box set released in 2001. It ends with a couple of outtakes of some studio jams from the band – I was going to cut them off, but they’re a reminder that once upon a time, the band enjoyed playing together and had a laugh in the studio, resulting in some incredible music.

Post-Ride, Loz played drums in The Animalhouse, Mark’s new band, and is currently drumming in the reformed Jesus and Mary Chain, as well as playing solo acoustic gigs, performing his own material. You can hear some demos on his MySpace page, including the Kinks-y ‘Rainy Days On Sunday’.

Laurence Colbert MySpace
Interview with Loz on the Creation website

Joe.

We're Gonna Have A Good Time...

2008-01-18T08:48:00.000Z

Flowered Up - Weekender (Weatherall's Audrey Is A Little Bit More Partial Mix)

Almost exactly a year ago, erstwhile White Noise contributor and all-round good egg It’s A Sin wrote a post about Flowered Up’s awesome baggy epic ‘Weekender’, perhaps one of the greatest songs of that whole damn era. In the comments that followed the post, I promised to dig out my copy of the Andrew Weatherall remixes. Well, a mere 12 months later and after much painstaking searching (you try finding a white label in a spineless black sleeve amongst three gajillion slabs of vinyl), I have finally managed to locate the bugger, and slapped up the even more epic 17-minute 'Weekender (Weatherall’s Audrey Is A Little Bit More Partial Mix)'.

Around this time (1992), you could never be quite sure what you were going to get from Weatherall. Already bored of his reputation as acid house producer du jour following the huge success of his work on ‘Screamadelica’, he had taken to turning up for DJ slots and spinning sets solely of dub reggae classics, much to the frustration of all the ravers turning up hoping for a night of hedonistic, hands-in-the-air, laser reaching excess.

Luckily for Heavenly and the boys from Flowered Up, Weatherall decided to play nicely, turning in a fabulous dancefloor friendly remix, taken straight from the (old) school of ‘Screamadelica’. Completely ignoring Liam Maher’s vocal and most of the other key components that made up the song, Weatherall, ably assisted as always by his Sabres cohorts Kooner and Burns, opted for an elongated intro, isolating the backing singers ‘We're gonna have a good time…” refrain, over cascading percussion and an incongruously serious piano riff. Midway through, the remix shifts gears into party territory as Weatherall drops in the cowbell from Run DMC's 'Peter Piper', and calls round Jazzie B's house to borrow a clubbed-up Soul II Soul-esque hip-hop beat, with call and response male/female vocal exchanges, and finally locates some of the original elements of the song in the mammoth guitar riff.

I haven't been to a festival for ages, but the remix title, 'Weatherall's Weekender', got me thinking that that was something I would definitely shell out some money to attend. A full weekend of live acts and DJs chosen solely by the man himself, plus he could DJ with all his various hats on. Promoters take note...

Search eBay for Flowered Up.
Flowered Up MySpace
Andrew Weatherall at The Rotters Golf Club
Two Lone Swordsmen MySpace

Joe.

Balling Out Of Control In The Deep

2008-01-13T17:40:00.000Z

Zephyr Nova - We Are The Crab People
Beak - Sea Pen Meets Angler Fish

More music today to file under ‘wouldn’t exist without the internet’, as something that started out as an impenetrable in-joke between the members of a forum affiliated to a content-free Aphex Twin fan site resulted in an album of stunning electronic music.

The forum in question is part of the We Are The Music Makers website or WATMM, which started life as the only working facet of what is supposed to be a huge Aphex Twin resource, the only problem being there is, as yet, no content. Bizarrely, the forums have thrived, and even evolved, to now contain specialist artist forums covering Aphex, alongside his contemporaries, including Autechre and Boards of Canada. There are also sub-forums under the EKT (Electronic Knob Twiddlers) header, where members post their latest musical oeuvres, and face the ridicule or praise of the razor-witted and notoriously difficult to please fraternity. Basically, it’s your one stop shop for hot gossip, pointless speculation and extreme fanboy rumour mongering about your favourite electronic composers, tips for forthcoming releases and artists to watch out for, and latterly, incredible music from the forum members.

The ‘Deep Sea Creatures’ compilation that this post is about, was born when a forum member set up a bracketology contest to try and discover what the forum members deemed to be the most ‘IDM’ thing. In other words, what thing, aside from the music itself, best represented the electronic music known in the States as IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), or electronica to those residing on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean. 32 things, including eventual winner beards, hot favourite cats, and others including space stations, lego, aliens, maths, were paired off and pitted against each other in head-to-head vote offs, with the winners going through to the next round. You can find the full results of the contest here, if you’re still with me. It was just a silly bit of fun to wile away 3 seconds on a Thursday morning, but somehow, the success of deep sea creatures, who triumphed over cats in the semi-finals before narrowly losing to beards in the final, captured the imagination of forum member Fred McGriff, who also started the contest. Fred stated his intentions in a separate thread: “I'm going to put out a full length limited deep sea creatures themed release, because deep sea creatures balled out of control in the "what is the most IDM thing" tournament. They may have lost to beards, but they won me over.”

And true to his word, he did. Initially, all forum members were invited to submit songs, which were to be judged on their relevance to deep sea creatures, quality and overall cohesiveness with other songs to make an album. I don’t know if you’ve ever Google searched ‘deep sea creatures’ or watched the fantastic ‘Blue Planet’ or the Discovery Channel lately, but there’s some crazy shit going on down there, and the music needed to be representative of this weird and wonderful world. I was lucky enough to be one of the judges on the project, so got to hear all the submissions and the quality was, in parts, unbelievable. People took it extremely seriously, as for many, it would be the first time their music would feature on a hard copy release. After much deliberation, 13 awesome tracks were selected, and finally sequenced into an album, which became the first release on the new Futonic imprint.

The resulting ‘Deep Sea Creatures’ compilation is a triumph, and one of the best collections of electronic music I have heard in a long time. It’s the ultimate concept album, and one that fully evokes the subject matter it is conceptualising. This album should be sent to the BBC and Discovery for use on any forthcoming programmes featuring journeys to the dark depths of our oceans. Opening with Zephyr Nova’s brilliantly inventive, ‘We Are The Crab People’, which conjures images of hoards of weird beasties roaming the ocean floor in search of rotting flesh, and is more than worthy of a place alongside the work of established composers already mentioned in this piece, the compilation takes in old school Aphexisms (the tuneful ‘Alvin Submersible’ by Newmans), thoughtfully twinkling and softly strummed post rock (Adjective’s ‘Don Walsh & Jacques Piccard’), early Autechre-style mental rhythmic fuckery (‘Balling Somewhat In Control’ by Braintree), lushly mellow, nostalgic BoC melodies (‘Benthophelagic Waltz’ by Lol Alzado), pulsing, minimal techno a la Two Lone Swordsmen (Transient’s ‘Fear of the Dark Depths), brooding dark ambience (Agent Nerve’s ‘Anchor In The Dark’) and even what sounds like the soundtrack to an undersea soft porn movie (Beneboi’s sultry, jazzy ‘Hagfish’). Some of the songs defy categorisation – Lucid Rhythms’ ‘Aquazone’ is a sprawling psychedelic masterpiece, and Beak’s ‘Sea Pen Meets Angler Fish’ combines a melody straight from a 1970s children’s TV show, with clanking percussion and a sweetly plucked acoustic guitar. None of the featured artists are well known, with the exception of one or two who have released music on net labels in the past, but on the strength of this release, there are some who deserve wider recognition than a CD limited to only 100 copies will grant them.

Bonus! Exclusive video (new edit) for Lucid Rhythms’ ‘Aquazone 5’ by Lol Alzado -

If you would like to get your hands on a copy of the ‘Deep Sea Creatures’ compilation, you can either buy one from the Futonic Records website, but get your skates on as there’s only a handful left. Or, for those of you who have read or simply scrolled this far down, I’m giving away a copy of the CD to the first person who sends me an email with the answer to this simple question - complete the title of the Wes Anderson film - The Life Aquatic With ???? Remember to include your name and full postal address. Email joe@thewhitenoiserevisited.co.uk. COMPETITION CLOSED_WINNER: OWEN DAVIES/LICHFIELD/UK.

Visit the We Are The Music Makers forums
Deep Sea Creatures at MySpace - listen to the genius that is 'Deep Sea Cowbell' which inexplicably missed the final cut...
More Zephyr Nova music at MySpace
More Beak music at MySpace

Joe.

United By Melody, Separated By An Ocean

2008-01-09T14:24:00.000Z

Holland Buffalo - Electricity
Holland Buffalo - Optimistic

Just a quickie today to bring your attention to the brilliant collaboration between TWNR faves Feedle and the Harvey Girls. The artists started a mutual appreciation society after being virtually introduced when they both released albums on SVC Records. Realising they had more in common than just a shared label and not letting the fact they were separated by the Atlantic Ocean stand in the way of making sweet music together, the boy from Sheffield and the boy/girl duo from Portland, Oregon began swapping ideas over the internet. Thence, Holland Buffalo was born. The four-track EP is released on the Terciopelo Handmade label and available to download from Amie Street for such a paltry sum it’s hardly worth mentioning (but I will – it’s 82 cents or 42p!). Fans of Feedle and the Harvey Girls will be thrilled by the audio fruits of the union – skewed, brilliant, original pop music; equal parts shimmering electronic melodies to harmonious country-blues on ‘Electricity’ and ‘Optimistic’ (which puts me in mind of electronic cowpunks Scott 4, who recorded for Satellite in the late 1990s). These songs are both available to download with this post, but it’s more than worth your while heading to Amie Street to gobble up the whole EP in superior quality, including the other two songs that make up the EP – ‘And Again’, which recalls ‘Murmur’-era REM, as neatly plucked mandolins and Hiram’s world-weary vocal combine with one of those distorted, twinkling smudges of melody Feedle does so well, and the wonderful ‘Spring’, reminiscent of Feedle’s finest moments, with an eerie, disembodied vocal set over a waltz-time drums and a sumptuous, shimmering refrain. 2008 should see a brand, spanking new LP from Feedle in some shape or form, and the prolific Harvey Girls are finishing various album projects.

Here's the video for 'Optimistic' -

Buy the Holland Buffalo EP from Amie Street
Holland Buffalo My Space
Harvey Girls at SVC Records
Harvey Girls My Space
Feedle My Space

Joe.

Before The Robots Ruled The Earth

2008-01-05T15:22:00.000Z

Motorbass - Stereogramm Gelato

Motorbass - La Doctoresse

Motorbass - Les Ondes
Motorbass - Neptune

Before Daft Punk made robots sexy and redefined dance music, placing Paris at the centre of the house music scene, a collaboration between fellow Parisian's Philippe Zdar and Etienne de Crécy would help to lay the foundations for one of the most fertile periods in French music history. Both Zdar and de Crécy would go onto create seminal albums as individuals; de Crécy under the Super Discount moniker, and Zdar enjoying commercial success with Cassius, alongside Hubert 'Boom Bass' Blanc-Francard. Boom Bass and Zdar also recorded as La Funk Mob for Mo Wax.

As Motorbass, the duo released two EP’s on their own label in 1993, ‘1st EP’ and ‘Transphunk EP’, showcasing a sound that combined old school hip hop and funk influences with heavy basslines and the traditional thud of 4/4 Chicago house. A fine example of their nascent sound was ‘Stereogramm Gelato’, which sampled the bassline from the Fatback Band’s ‘Wicky Wacky’, adding a solid house beat and various bleeps and tranced-out effects for a funky and unique take on house music. Another side to the Motorbass sound could be found on ‘La Doctoresse’ from the ‘Transphunk EP’, mellower in its construction, with a jazzy, trip hop vibe shared by F Comm’s brilliant, laidback jazzster St Germain. The duo signed for PIAS dance offshoot Different in 1996, releasing a second EP, ‘Ezio / Les Ondes’, before delivering the indescribably awesome ‘Pansoul’ LP, which is where I came in.

‘Pansoul’ is one of those albums that I have never grown tired of. It is an absolute classic, and would probably get far more recognition if it hadn’t been for the staggering global success of Daft Punk. It is far less commercial, but hugely innovative and massively influential. When listening to last year’s universally acclaimed Burial LP ‘Untrue’, I kept trying to work out what it reminded me of and finally I realised it was ‘Pansoul’. Check out ‘Les Ondes’ and ‘Neptune’, and the way the minimal snatches of vocal weave in and out of stark, dubby, atmospheric beats. 'Pansoul' is nowhere near as dark as 'Untrue' and injected with funk rather than paranoia, but in the same way that ‘Untrue’ was hailed as the sound of urban London by night, ‘Pansoul’ is an evocative soundtrack for a night on the tiles in underground Paris.

Tracks like ‘Flying Fingers’, with its sampled hip hop beats, scratching and twanging bass, add a head-nodding suss to the proceedings, and you won’t hear a better demonstration of funky, filtered French house than ‘Wan Dence’ – not even on a Daft Punk album. ‘Pansoul’ has everything – it is specific to a certain era in music, but manages to remain timeless; it defines a sound, a time, a place, and creates a mood that appeals both to the mind and feet. It’s one of those albums I only ever want to listen to from start to finish, where each track follows perfectly on from the one before. Sure, download the tracks I’ve posted and you’ll get a rough idea of how good this album is, but you really need to buy it, roll yerself a fat one, stick on the headphones and lose yourself in the wonder of ‘Pansoul’. I own three copies – vinyl, CD and the 2003 reissue 2CD on Astralwerks, which contains the first two EPs as a bonus disc.

Search eBay for Motorbass - it's all out of print at the moment but you can pick up the CD and LP on eBay
Motorbass discography
Etienne de Crécy MySpace
Phillipe Zdar MySpace

Joe.

He's Changing The World With Romance

2008-01-01T12:00:00.000Z

New Fast Automatic Daffodils - The Peel Sessions

1. Purple Haze
2. Man Without Qualities II
3. Jaggerbog
4. Big II (Instrumental)
5. Get Better
6. Part Four
7. Man Without Qualities One

To kick off 2008 I'm going to revisit one of the most popular posts of last year. Back in April 2007 I wrote a piece reappraising the incredible 'Pigeonhole' LP by the New Fast Automatic Daffodils and it seemed to strike a chord with many of you. I wasn't alone in believing the band was massively underrated as a series of comments in response to the post testified. I've always said that one of the best things about doing this blog is being able to write about and share the music of bands that have seemingly been forgotten in the wider world. It was great to get such a positive response, and allow people to share their experiences of the New FADS. You can find the original post and read all the comments here.

Above you'll find the two Peel sessions the New FADS recorded, zipped up into one folder. They're brilliant sessions, managing to capture some of the fierce intensity of the band live. Tracks 1 - 4 were recorded on 19th December 1989; tracks 5 - 7 11th November 1990. From a frenzied thrash through Jimi Hendix's 'Purple Haze', an instrumental version of the seminal 'Big', both parts of 'Man Without Qualities' ('One' is one of the best things they ever did) and the blistering, funked up 'Jaggerbog', this is quality stuff. I'm still waiting for a wise label to remaster and reissue 'Pigeonhole' and kick off a well deserved period of New FADS adulation. As I mentioned in the original post, it is more than worthy of the treatment, and it is now pretty evident that many others share this view.

So, Happy New Year to you all. My life changed forever with the birth of my daughter on Christmas Day, but I'm still hoping to be able to keep this place up, between all the nappies and sleepless nights! Have a good one yerselves!

Search eBay for New Fast Automatic Daffodils
New FADS fansite- a work in progress
New FADS My Space
New FADS discography

Joe.

The White Noise Revisits 2007

2007-12-17T19:45:00.000Z

Let us show you the year through our ears...

Here is the end of year stuff from the White Noise Revisited. To kick off, 21 haiku (what you can’t say in 17 beats, ain’t worth saying) accompanying two 45 minute mixes comprising the best songs lifted from the best albums, singles and downloads of the year. Download them both, slap 'em on a C90 and play them on that Walkman you asked Santa for this year.

Then, Lighthouse selects some songs that floated his boat - some to download, and some brilliant You Tube links to titilate both eyes and ears. Interestingly enough, we both chose completely different songs, which only goes to show what a fantastic year it’s been for music.

The White Noise Revisited will return next year, and hopefully we’ll be rather more prolific than we have been over the last couple of months. Have an awesome Christmas and New Year and thanks for reading and commenting. Keep supporting the music you love by purchasing an original – there are links all over this post to buy the music we have written about, so don’t forget to do so.

Download: The Year Through My Ears 07 Side a

1. Battles – Atlas

Glitter Band stomp backs
Math rock with weird Smurf vocal.
Single of the year.

Taken from ‘Mirrored’ LP on Warp Records.
Buy from Norman Records.

2. Dizzee Rascal – Pussy’ole (Old Skool)

Dizzee digs out the
rave hoover and ‘Woo yeah!’ break for
old school genius.

Taken from ‘Maths + English’ LP on XL Recordings.
Buy from Norman Records.

3. M.I.A. – Boyz

Everything but the
kitchen sink is chucked in this
ethnic music mash.

Taken from ‘Kala’ LP on XL Recordings.
Buy from Norman Records.

4. Black Affair –Tak! Attack!

Former Beta boy
finds cure for depression through
tuff electro beats.

Taken from ‘Tak! Attack!’ 12” on V2 Records.
Buy from Norman Records.

5. Aleksi Perälä – Autumn Morning

Finnish wunderkid
awakes from hibernation
and shows his talents.

Taken from ‘Project V’ LP on Rephlex.
Buy from Norman Records.

6. Mosca – Our Light Shone So Brightly

Mosca’s Winterland
was my album of the year.
Bittersweet wonder.

Taken from ‘Winterland’ LP on Herb Recordings.
Download from Beatport.

7. Burial – Near Dark

Universal praise
for these stark dubstep soundscapes
from press-shy wizard.

Taken from ‘Untrue’ LP on Hyperdub Recordings.
Buy from Boomkat.

8. Wooden Spoon – Maime

One man picks up his
guitar and plucks whimsical
wonder that I love.

Taken from ‘The Folk Blues Guitar of Wooden Spoon’ on Bo’ Weavil Recordings.
Buy from Bo’ Weavil Recordings.

9. Sennen – Blackout

Nu-gaze gem from band
named after the Cornish cove
or Ride song maybe?

Taken from ‘Blackout’ 7” on Hungry Audio.
Buy from Norman Records.

10. Soulsavers – Kingdoms of Rain

Lanegan's growl and
majestic sounds equals
spiritual gold.

Taken from ‘It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land’ LP on V2 Records.
Buy from Amazon.

Download: The Year Through My Ears 07 Side b

1. Lady Sovereign – Random

Pint-sized chav rapper
is best female MC since
Roxanne Shanté ruled.

Taken from ‘Public Warning’ LP on Island.
Buy from Amazon.

2. 7 Hurtz – Beatbox

Campag Velocet
drummer rocks electro beats
as Output waves bye.

Taken from ‘I Hate Music (The Best Of Output Recordings)’ LP on Output Recordings.
Buy from Norman Records.

3. Rubens – Bank Holiday

Glasgae boys do great
take on vintage Black Dog sound
with live drums to boot.

Taken from ‘Carnivalesque’ LP on Herb Recordings.
Buy from Boomkat.

4. The Good, The Bad & The Queen – Kingdom of Doom

Portrait of London
from the diverse supergroup.
Best things Damon's done.

Taken from ‘The Good, The Bad & The Queen’ LP on Parlophone.
Buy from Norman Records.

5. Ringo Deathstarr – Starrsha

Their name suggested
grinding punk rock. Nope, this is
awesome nu-gaze joy.

Taken from ‘Ringo Deathstarr’ EP on SVC Records.
Buy from SVC Records.

6. Gravenhurst – She Dances

Song dedicated
to Sandy Denny, sounds like
the folk Boo Radleys.

Taken from ‘The Western Lands’ LP on Warp Records.
Buy from Norman Records.

7. Caribou – Melody Day (Four Tet Remix)

Four Tet avoids jazz
and turns Caribou's sweet song
into 60s folk.

Taken from ‘Melody Day’ single on City Slang.
Buy the LP, 'Andorra' from Norman Records.

8. Field Music – Kingston

Mackem boys provide
a lesson in how great pop
should be short and sweet.

Taken from ‘Tones of Town’ LP on Memphis Industries.
Buy from Norman Records.

9. Miranda Lee Richards – Life Boat (Neil Halstead Remix)

Voice from the heavens
reworked by shoegazer for
ethereal fuzz.

Taken from ‘Life Boat’ 7” on Sonic Cathedral Recordings.
Buy from Sonic Cathedral Recordings.

10. Panda Bear – Take Pills

Like listening to
the Beach Boys playing in a
field far far away.

Taken from ‘Person Pitch’ LP on Paw Tracks.
Buy from Norman Records.

11. The Tuss – Goodbye Rute

Is it Aphex Twin?
Doesn't matter if it's not,
this is quality!

Taken from ‘Rushup Edge’ LP on Rephlex.
Buy from Norman Records..

That's all from me, Joe White Noise, over to Lighthouse...

Taken by Trees - Tell Me

Alternately soothing and unsettling, 'Open Field' is a consistently beguiling record, one that feels like it came from a far flung corner of some dank forest.

Buy 'Open Field' LP from Norman Records.

Beirut - Siki Siki Baba (Live at Glastonbury)

Obviously, Beirut were the toast of the bloggers last year, but I missed out on all that, because I wasn't paying attention. To compound that fact that I had lost touch, I discovered them through the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury. Even the BBC are ahead of me these days.

Buy 'The Flying Cup Club' LP from Norman Records.

Loney, Dear - I Am John

I have no idea who Loney, Dear is. I have never heard any other songs by him, and I have no intention of doing so for fear of ruining this perfect headlong downhill sprint of a pop song. Falsetto of the year.

Buy 'Loney, Noir' LP from Norman Records.

Electralane - Tram 21

Electrelane played my damp town in October and made the pokey room in Corporation spin around with their brutal, wistful, noisy romance. Then they split up. In my house, they will be missed long after we've played holes through their records.

Buy 'No Shouts No Calls' LP from Norman Records.

The Fall - Reformation

Mark E Smith's 'American band' mark a distinct return to the bass led sound of days past. A two note masterclass in tension and release, a fragmentary account of another diasatrous US tour, and great, great dancing from all involved.

Buy 'Reformation Post TLC' LP from Norman Records.

Marnie Stern - Vibrational Match

On paper - panicked, arrythmical drumming; many fingers telegram looped metal solos into an unfathomable tapestry; knotty and unpredicatble song stuctures; woman shouts aphorisms. In practice - dense and exciting and uncategorisable and like debris falling off a mountainside, it rocks.

Buy 'In Advance Of The Broken Arm' LP from Norman Records.

Amiina - Rugla

I discovered the record shop I always wished existed in Monorail in Glasgow. They sell everything I can never find, and a ton of stuff I never knew I wanted. This either means I am very hard to please, or should get out more. In any case, they were playing this on a Saturday morning, so it got bought.

Buy 'Kurr' LP from Norman Records.

Avey Tare & Kria Brekkan - Sis Around The Sandmill

Presumably, Panda Bear and Animal Collective will be topping lots of polls this year, as well they might. But this much maligned counterpoint shouldn't be overlooked. None quite deliver the same sense of weird as when the vocals first creep into this one.

Buy 'Pullhair Ribeye' LP from Norman Records.

Prinzhorn Dance School - Crackerjack Docker

Prinz and Horn like to keep it simple. So should you.

Buy 'Prinzhorn Dance School' LP from Norman Records.

Björk - Volta

I feel a bit sad that new Björk albums are sort of recieved these days with gladness muted enthusiasm, as though they're not anything to get really excited with, while she seems to be pushing further out with each release and with 'Volta' having the most fun she's had since 'Debut'. I think they used to call this sort of thing protest music.

Buy 'Volta' LP from Norman Records.

The Harvey Girls - Lazlo, Buddy

Another hazy, rich, imaginaitive masterpiece from the ever underrated Harveys this year. The magnificent 'Declinate' only costs a quid from SVC records. You're continued ignorance merely shortchanges yourself.

Buy 'Declinate' EP from SVC Records.

Euros Childs - Y Mwnci Drwg

Two full albums of melancholy and madness from Euros this year, and also this. And only he could make something like this both deranged and slightly moving at the same time, like getting lost in a beach front funfair.

Buy Euros Childs from Norman Records.

Lighthouse.

Brothers Gonna Work It Out

2007-11-28T14:56:00.000Z

Ghetto Brothers - You Say That You're My Friend
Ghetto Brothers - Ghetto Brothers Power

Forget gangsta rap – this is the real thing. I first came across the Ghetto Brothers when reading Jeff Chang’s incredible history of hip-hop, ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’. They were a New York gang based in the Bronx and became active during the late 1960s. They were heavily involved in Puerto Rican nationalism, and had a reputation as one of the more politically minded and less vengeful gangs, during a period when gang colours transformed the bombed-out city grid into a spiralling matrix of disputes. “If you went through someone’s neighbourhood, you were a target,” explained Carlos ‘Karate Charlie’ Suarez, the president of the Ghetto Brothers. “If you got caught, they beat the hell out of you.” At one point it was estimated that there were a hundred different gangs claiming 11,000 members, and that 70% were Puerto Rican, the rest black. Other gangs included the Black Spades, Savage Skulls, the Roman Kings, and the Savage Nomads.

The vice-president of the Ghetto Brothers was Benjamin Melendez, a 19-year-old who had founded the gang. According to Chang, Melendez was, “…a teenage diplomat turned young revolutionary – a gifted orator and organiser.” ‘Yellow Benjy’ was a fighter, but his real passion was music. As children, he and his brothers had won a talent contest singing Beatles songs. Melendez formed a Latin-rock band under the Ghetto Brothers name, featuring his brother and fellow songwriter Victor on bass, another brother Robert on rhythm guitar, and assorted players making up the rest of the band. All three were also members of the gang, but saw the band and their music as a way of the communicating their message to a wider audience.

Melendez was instrumental in organising a moderately successful truce between all warring factions in 1971 after one of the Ghetto Brothers, Cornell ‘Black Benjy’ Benjamin, was killed trying to prevent a fight between rival gangs. Instead of seeking revenge on those responsible for his death, Melendez and Suarez used the situation to bring all the gangs together to sign a momentous peace treaty. Change swept through the Bronx.

But for Melendez and his brothers, it was still the music that was their main focus. The sleeve notes for their one and only album ‘Power-Fuerza’ present the group’s ideologies and hopes for their music –

“This album contains a message; a message to the world, from the Ghetto Brothers. The Ghetto Brothers, a community organization dedicated to bridging the ever-increasing gap that exists between society and minority groups, believe music to be the common language of the world. Through music, they are able to inform society of the plight of the 'little people' in their quest for recognition. Therefore, the music of the Ghetto Brothers serves as a way of communication. If the Ghetto Brothers’ dream comes true, the world will learn that the 'little people' wish to be acknowledged; wish to be properly educated in order for them to pass on their knowledge to their children and proudly inform them about their heritage and culture, and be a functioning part of the growth of America. If the Ghetto Brothers' dream comes true, the ‘little people’ will be ‘little people’ no more, and make their own mark in this world. Listen to the Ghetto Brothers… and take heed.”

Moving away from the politics and the admirable sentiments carried within the band’s message, the music itself was influenced by the brothers’ love of the Beach Boys, the Beatles and doo-wop. They started out covering Grand Funk Railroad songs, but soon developed their own style, which was closer to the teen-themed Latin pop of California, with sweet, harmonised melody underpinned by a funky as fuck Latino backbeat. Check out ‘You Say That You’re My Friend’ and try telling me that you don’t just want to break out into a joyous boogie! It’s like the Beatles have had a massive funk injection. The guitars really remind of the Los Hombres’ hit ‘Let It All Hang Out’. Some of the song construction is a bit naive – check the clumsy attempt at a Lennon/McCartney style middle-eight about a minute into the song - but according to Chang, ‘Power-Fuerza’ was recorded in one take, hence the raw, under-produced sound, which actually accentuates the enthusiasm and energy you can hear bursting from the record. The key themes are love and betrayal, as demonstrated by the slower ‘There Is Something In My Heart’, which is still infected with some pure bongo funk and a sweet bassline. ‘Mastica, Chupa Y Jala’ was another dance number, with Santana-inspired guitar heroics from David Silva. Only ‘Viva Puerto Rico Libre’ hinted at the band’s political stance, while the album closed with ‘Ghetto Brother Power’, a live favourite from the time the band played Bronx block parties, plugging their amps into lampposts and inviting all the other gangs along. Chang writes, “…(during) the band’s signature song ‘Ghetto Brothers Power’… they launched into a kind of blazing drum-and-conga breakdown that drove the Bronx kids crazy. The song climaxed with a promise: ‘We are gonna take you higher with Ghetto Brother power!’”

At the time (it is believed to have been recorded in 1972) the band signed a low-key deal for $500 with a small Latin label called Salsa International/Mary Lou Records. It didn’t shift many copies and failed to move that far from the Bronx, but it is a hugely important record in terms of how it reflects a move away from gangs and guns, to a celebration of being young and free. The Ghetto Brothers were instrumental in putting this back on the agenda, and their music deserves far more recognition. I was amazed at how easily I was able to track down a copy of ‘Power-Fuerza’. It just seemed so obscure, despite its obvious historical importance, but good ol’ Google and a passionate UK-based online world music distributor called, erm, Passion Music made it surprisingly accessible. I highly recommend any of you interested in the band to do the same – it’s a brilliant album.

I have hugely simplified the fascinating story of the Ghetto Brothers (and pinched all my facts from Chang), so if you have any interest in learning more, please buy Jeff Chang’s ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’ as he devotes a large portion of the book to the gang and the band. You can buy a copy from Amazon.

Buy Ghetto Brothers ‘Power-Fuerza’ from Passion Music

Interviews with Benjamin Melendez and Carlos Suarez, both taken from the 'Can’t Stop Won’t Stop' website

Ghetto Brothers clip featuring Carlos ‘Karate Charlie’ Suarez, who is referred to as ‘Charlie Melendez’ by the narrator -

Joe.

Some Shit That Flipped My Lid

2007-11-22T12:16:00.000Z

Montag - Safe In Sound

First up today is the new album from Montreal’s Montag aka Antoine Bédard. ‘Going Places’ is Bédard’s third album and represents a new direction for the producer, as he veers off into wonderful experimental electronic pop territory, reminiscent of Caribou’s recent masterpiece ‘Andorra’. While not quite having the epic scope and soundmashing skills of the mighty Caribou, ‘Going Places’ is still a wee psychedelic pop gem, especially the two songs featuring vocal contributions from Stars’ Amy Millan, of which I’m posting the gloriously soaring ‘Safe In Sound’. ‘Going Places’ also features collabs with M83’s Anthony Gonzales and Owen Pallet of Final Fantasy, while the title track is the result of the ‘We Have Sound’ initiative in which Bédard sent out a worldwide call for collaborators. Over 70 musicians from 15 countries responded, including members of Isan, E*Rock, Ghislain Poirier, Vitaminsforyou and Ckid, who all contributed clips of sound, resulting in a beautiful song that totally makes the album. ‘Going Places’ was released in the summer in the US, but is getting a UK release by Carpark on the rather strange date of 17th December 2007, which means it probably won’t be making anyone’s end of year lists, which is a shame as it deserves acclaim. Having said that, I don’t suppose anyone really cares about release dates as much as they used to – just try not to forget about it in your pre-Christmas daze.

Montag website
Buy Montag from Norman Records
Montag My Space

Neil Burrell - Towards The Hills

Neil Burrell is a bit of an odd fish, following in the lineage of truly individual artists like Syd, Cap’n Beefheart and Nick Drake. ‘White Devil’s Day Is Almost Over’ is a collection of deeply dippy, freaky folky madness, exemplified by opening song ‘Ooompa Zoompa (Four Voices)’ which directly lifts from the Ooompa Loompa song from the original ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ film, before climaxing with Burrell barking gibberish in tongues as he slashes away at his (I’m imagining) battered acoustic guitar. I warmed to Burrell almost immediately, in a way I never did to Devendra Banhart. Signed by the increasingly maverick Manchester-based Akoustik Anarkhy label (legend has it the trio who make up the label were the only three present at Burrell’s debut gig in the city), the album was produced on a shoestring anywhere Burrell could find to record – junkyards, a basement in Leeds, the mushroom fields (probably). The lo-finess of the production (microphone cords wrapped around light bulbs because he couldn’t afford a proper stand) adds a whiff of authenticity to proceedings until you can almost believe it’s 1968 again and John Peel is befriending Neil Burrell rather than Marc Bolan and a whole new history is being written. This is pastoral, psychedelic UK folk music at it’s very best. ‘White Devil’s Day Is Almost Over’ is released by Akoustik Anarkhy on 10th December 2007.

Buy ‘White Devil’s Day Is Almost Over’ now for £9.99 from Akoustik Anarkhy shop
Neil Burrell My Space
Akoustik Anarkhy website

The Nightjars - No Kicks

Staying in Manchester, I was more than pleased to get my hands on the latest recordings from The Nightjars, a band I tipped for greatness earlier on this year. Unfortunately, I got the CD stuck in the old mini-hi-fi system I have in my bedroom and ended up having to take the fucking thing apart in order to get it out! I’m glad I did, because the seven-track mini-album ‘Towards Light’ finds them starting to fulfil the early potential I heard in last years single ‘Cease To Exist’ and a series of demos the band kindly shared with me. Produced by the mighty Kramer of Shimmy Disc fame (an inspired choice),‘Towards Light’ is a tight, accomplished set of melodic, incendiary post-punk guitar music. The mighty ‘MDMA’ shows off the lyrical talents of bass player / singer Ollie Wright with its stream-of-consciousness loved-up drug babble, while ‘No Kicks’ is two-minutes of impassioned guitar pop in the best traditions of the city, with Wright’s vocal underpinned by his meandering bassline, and spiky guitars. I know a few critics have complained that the songs featured on ‘Towards Light’ have been knocking around for a while now, and perhaps the band haven’t progressed as quickly as many would have hoped. But there will be plenty of people out there who haven’t heard these songs, and they do deserve a wider audience. Plus, Kramer’s exemplary production skills add a final flourish to the whole package, ensuring interest outside of the band’s tight circle of fans. However, I hear they are an awesome proposition live (I still haven’t seen them – please play London soon!), which is maybe why those in the know feel the studio recordings don’t do the band real justice. This is so often the case, but they are just starting out and there is enough promise to suggest even better things from their debut full-lengther, whenever that surfaces. ‘Towards Light’ was released by Reveal Records earlier on in November.

The Nightjars website
Buy The Nightjars from Norman Records
The Nightjars My Space

Gramme - Like U
The Boy Lucas - There Are Great Monsters Going Past

I lamented the demise of Trevor Jackson’s Output Recordings imprint ages ago, but having recently picked up the ‘I Hate Music’ retrospective compilation, it finally feels like the gravedigger’s spade has patted down the earth on the label’s burial site. The lushly packaged box set contains two CD’s – one spanning the early years, with the second focusing on the final years of the label’s existence – and a DVD featuring loads of videos (37 in total) from all the key protagonists. I wasn’t so familiar with the 2004-2006 period, so it was good to get stuck into the second CD and the pioneering futuristic electro funk by the likes of Manhead, Lopazz and DK7, plus the spasmodic punky rantings of Mu, and experimental glitchy techno from Luke Abbott. But it’s the first CD that is the real gem, reminding you of what made Jackson such a brilliant A&R man – Fridge, Four Tet, Sonovac, 7 Hurtz, Colder, Playgroup – the list isn’t endless but it’s pretty long and distinguished one. Then there’s the ones I’d almost forgotten – the distorted punk funk of Gramme, lo-fi weirdness from the Boy Lucas, the hugely underrated electronic post rockers Icarus, Jackson’s twisted Skull alias. The thing that made Output so great was that Jackson signed what he liked, rather than what he thought would be popular, and it was this singular vision that made the label unique. I’m posting Gramme’s ‘Like U’, which doesn’t actually feature on the ‘I Hate Music’ comp, but is one of Output’s finest moments, and the incredibly weird yet beguilingly lovely ‘There Are Great Monsters Going Past’ by The Boy Lucas.

Output Recordings website
Buy 'I Hate Music - A Compilation of Output Recordings 1996-2006' from Norman Records

Life Without Buildings - The Leanover

I’ve been hearing this song ‘Shake It! Shake It!’ on the radio by Thomas Tantrum for ages now and it’s been bugging the shit out of me – firstly because it’s rather annoying, but secondly because it really reminded me of another song and I couldn’t dig out which one. Then it dawned on me – ‘The Leanover’ by Life Without Buildings – an absolutely brilliant song from a Glasgow-based four-piece who were around in the early part of this decade and recorded for Rough Trade offshoot Tugboat. The comparison isn’t really a fair one – there are similarities in the vocal styles of the two female singers, but the Thomas Tantrum vocalist has a contrived Catherine Tate ‘bovvered’ delivery, whereas Sue Tompkins of Life Without Buildings has an utterly charming talky way of singing that makes me want to pop her in my pocket and take her home. I love the way her vocal dances in and out of the post rock backing, leaving you out of breath as you struggle to keep up with what she’s saying. It’s a cracking single and I guess I owe my rediscovery of it to Thomas Tantrum. Life Without Buildings split in 2002 after releasing one acclaimed album, ‘Any Other City’, though a posthumous live album was released back in May this year.

Buy 'Live at the Annandale Hotel' from Norman Records
Life Without Buildings My Space
Thomas Tantrum My Space

Duran Duran - The Chauffeur

I’ve been enjoying the Guardian’s list of ‘1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die’; partly because I don’t own that many of them, despite having a vast collection of music (it’s good to know there’s still so much out there for me to discover), and partly because it actually seems to be pretty well put together and the choices are really eclectic. There are obviously lots that I would add to the list, but to close this post I’d like to touch on one they did include. Until I met my wife, I think it’s fair to say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Duran Duran, but over the years I have learnt to fully appreciate the brilliance of ‘Rio’, the band’s second and greatest album. Leaving the singles to one side (though you can’t ignore ‘Rio’, Save a Prayer’, ‘My Own Way’ and ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’), real magic is to be found elsewhere on the album. I always think the ambient electronic opening of ‘New Religion’ is something off the Black Dog Productions album ‘Bytes’, until John Taylor’s bendy bassline chugs into earshot. ‘Last Chance on the Stairway’ is bittersweet Durannie pop at it’s very best – John Taylor’s bassline stands out again (Alex James learnt all the tricks from JT), but Andy Taylor’s flashing riff is great and there’s even a vibraphone solo. The production throughout is shinier than one of Simon Le Bon’s metallic suits and his lyrics are mostly ridiculous. All of the above comes together on the album’s tour de force – ‘The Chauffeur’ is one of the best things Duran Duran ever did. It’s even got panpipes fer chrissakes!? Nick Rhodes’s influence is all over ‘The Chauffeur’ – his clanking drum machines and twinkling synths, a swooning JT b-line, and some lyrical ludicrousness from Monsieur Le Bon – “Out on the tar plains, the glides are moving…", and “The aphids swarm up in the drifting haze”. Mental cocaine-fuelled genius from the very top drawer.

Official Duran Duran website
Buy 'Rio: Remastered' from Amazon
Duran Duran My Space

Joe.

Take Me Home

2007-11-13T07:21:00.000Z

The Earlies - Morning Wonder

Wotcha peeps. I've just started a new job so until I settle into a new routine I'm not sure what my posting frequency is going to be. I used to do a lot of writing at work but this new job is looking like it could be hard work! And then there's the small matter of my wife being pregnant! Yep, it's all about to change round my way. So, please bear with me - I've got so much awesome music that I want to post and I don't want to fall into the trap of just posting songs for the sake of it without the usual earnest and considered blathering. I also spilt a glass of orange squash all over my old keyboard and the space bar stopped working. That was annoying. I've got a new one now, which is all ergonomic and lush. Anyway, (tenuous link alert!) it's early in the morning (!) and I've only just woken up so I'm rambling. This is a fantastic song by a fantastic band without any real associated memories for me to bang on about. It's just brilliant. I'll be back soon...

The Earlies website
Buy The Earlies from Norman Records
The Earlies My Space

Joe.

Only the truly wise...

2007-11-07T14:31:00.000Z

Hashim - Primrose Path

Hashim (it means pulverizer or destroyer of evil in Arabic) was the pseudonym for Jerry Calliste Jr, a Bronx-born electro producer best known for the seminal 1983 cut ‘Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)’, the first ever release for the classic Cutting Records label, of which he was also the Vice President. ‘Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)’ is Hashim’s best-known song – quite rightly too, it’s a classic breakers anthem, has featured on countless compilations and still sounds innovative and cutting edge to this very day. However, I am always drawn to the lesser-known ‘Primrose Path’.

Whereas ‘Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)’ was proper machine music, ‘Primrose Path’, its title taken from Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ (“Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads”), had a human heart, with instrumental backing from The Force adding a funked-up, live feel to the deep electro sounds. A fat rubber band bass line and atmospheric guitar stabs combined with pumping 808 beats, haunting vocodered vocals and Hashim’s trademark melodic orchestral strings to create a fantastically atmospheric and evocative song. It's harder to pinpoint the influence of ‘Primrose Path’ as you can with ‘Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)’, but it was definitely way ahead of its time and still sounds incredible to these ears. It was included on ‘Electro 11’ (released in 1986), which also featured cuts by 2 Live Crew, Roxanne Shanté and Stetsasonic, and later turned up on Dave Clarke’s belting 1996 ‘X-Mix – Electro Boogie’, alongside classic electro and techno tracks by Underground Resistance, Aux 88 and Model 500. Hashim also made his mark as a producer on a number of other seminal tracks, including the Imperial Brothers’ ‘We Come to Rock’ (which I wrote about here).

For such a gifted producer I’m always left with the feeling that Hashim didn’t leave the mark he could have done. He was hardly prolific, recording a total of four singles as a solo artist from 1983 to 1987, including the two mentioned above, and only recently resurfaced with an mp3 only release for his own company Bassmint Music in 2005. Not exactly a vast body of work, but certainly a case of quality over quantity, and his reputation as a true electro pioneer will never be in doubt.

Search eBay for Hashim
Hashim discography
Hashim My Space
Hashim at Hashim Music

Joe.

A Vintage Year for Techno

2007-10-30T15:00:00.000Z

While rummaging around in The White Noise Revisited cellar the other day, I came across a bottle of the 1993 vintage and upon uncorking it and inhaling, my nose was assaulted by the heady, metallic aromas of techno. Yes indeed my music-loving hombres, 1993 was a brilliant year for the techno arts. I can support this statement with four words – Black Dog Productions' ‘Bytes’, and back it up further with three more: Orbital’s ‘Brown Album’. However, I’m going to focus on three less vaunted long players to really add weight to the proclamation.

F.U.S.E. - Substance Abuse
F.U.S.E. - Dimension Intrusion

‘Dimension Intrusion’ was the fifth in the series of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ albums released on Warp during the early 1990s. Recorded by Richie Hawtin under his F.U.S.E. (Further Underground Sound Experiments) moniker, it was actually released on Plus 8 before Warp licensed it. I’m sure my brother will crawl down the wires and bite my ears off for making this statement, but I actually think ‘Dimension Intrusion’ is Hawtin’s best album - far superior to his efforts as Plastikman. It contains some of his finest banging acid techno (‘F.U.’ and ‘Substance Abuse’), alongside deft moments of sparkling electronica like the title track and ‘A New Day’, which were more representative of the ‘AI’ sound Warp were championing. ‘Slac’ is the slo-mo jackin’ acid oft repeated under the Plastikman guise, and the epic ‘Theychx’, which features speech samples from George Lucas' 1971 debut movie THX 1138, is an exercise in understated bleepy ambient wonder. ‘Mantrax’ is another gem, a driving, acidic groover with soft percussion and harmonic chords. But it’s ‘Substance Abuse’ that is the standout. It’s an absolute monster – like the doom-mongering older brother of Joey Beltram’s ‘Energy Flash’, with an equally thunderous bassline, but replacing the euphoric "Ecstasy!" chant with the cautionary "Overdose!". I wouldn’t say ‘Dimension Intrusion’ is underrated, as I know lots of people who, umm, rate it, but it is often overlooked, especially in favour of the other albums in the ‘AI’ series. Dig it out or hunt it down - it’s a blinder, make no mistake.

Buy F.U.S.E. 'Dimension Intrusion' from Bleep
F.U.S.E. discography
Plastikman website

Luke Slater - Mauve Violin
Luke Slater - Colonian Space Unexplored

Before Peacefrog soundtracked adverts for televisions with folksy ramblings, they used to release albums like Luke Slater's brutal ‘X-Tront Vol. 2’; the aural equivalent of being thumped to death by a man with fists made of hammers. Rough, raw and heavy on the drums, the nine tracks present on the CD (there was a limited vinyl release that included an exclusive ambient 12”) don’t bother with any subtleties. My wife was in the room when I was burning this CD onto my computer and she expressed her objection to this sort of music, proclaiming it the sort of “male techno bollocks” that used to ruin her night when it was played at raves back in the day. It’s hard to disagree with this assessment, but I have to confess my undying love for this sort of soulless, pounding death-by-techno madness. Of course, Mr Slater has demonstrated a fine ear for melody over the years, recording under various guises, but on the ‘X-Tront’ series melody wasn’t really on his agenda, with the exception of the odd tune in ten. ‘Mauve Violin’ sounds like it could be hippy new-age nonsense, but it’s verging on the gabba. The only accompaniment to the distorted drums and percussion is what sounds like a computer malfunctioning and some ear-shredding bleeps. ‘Colonian Space Unexplored’, a co-write with early collaborator Alan Sage, is slightly more refined and funky, like electro on steroids – all clattering percussion and manipulated drum noise.

Search eBay for 'X-Tront Vol. 2'
Luke Slater discography
Luke Slater website

Hardfloor - Lost In The Silver Box
Hardfloor - Trancescript

The German duo of Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker released their debut album, ‘TB Resuscitation’ in 1993, following the success of the truly immense and epoch-making single ‘Acperience 1’ with which they made their name. Dedicated to the inventor of the Roland TB 303, each track on the album followed a fairly rigid blueprint, wringing every last drop of life out of the device, which was originally marketed to guitarists for bass accompaniment while practicing alone. ‘TB Resuscitation’ is really a retro acid house record, a nod back to 1987 when the likes of Phuture and DJ Pierre were pioneering the acid sound. Bondzio and Zenker’s major accomplishment was managing to inject their repetitive, one-dimensional music with gallons of soul, humour and creativity, causing sensations in the listener ranging from madness to sheer euphoria. They probably worked in an atmosphere akin to being in intensive care – a small room, surrounded by bleeping boxes, yet somehow emerged with their sanity intact, enjoying a lengthy career in the industry that is still flourishing today. ‘TB Resuscitation’ featured the ubiquitous ‘Acperience’, but also tracks like album opener ‘Lost in the Silver Box’, which is a more severe take on their craft, with thumping drums and the 303 tweaked to make sounds ranging from birds tweeting to a lion gargling gazelle guts. ‘Trancescript’ is a funkier effort, following the usual pattern of building to a crescendo with a series of layered melodic acid lines. It should only work in a club environment, but there is something about the way they construct their songs that makes them just as suitable for home listening. The great thing about the music is that repeated listening reveals different patterns and sounds. The fact that it can also cause the onset of insanity is by the by. Yes, it’s formulaic but it’s a formula that works, and ‘TB Resuscitation’ is an absolute classic.

Search eBay for 'TB Resuscitation'
Hardfloor discography
Hardfloor website

Joe.

Psychebaggyshoegazedelia

2007-10-25T21:53:00.000Z

Spirea X - Chlorine Dream

One of the things I like about this blog is the fact that it gives me the chance to sing the praises of bands that I feel never got the requisite amount of love they deserved at the time. Spirea X are one such band. They were signed to 4AD and fronted by Jim Beattie, a former member of Primal Scream responsible for their early 1960s jingle-jangle sound and booted out of the band when they went all leather-clad rawk first time around. The name Spirea X was lifted from a song by the Scream from Beattie’s time in the band; the b-side to the 1986 single ‘Crystal Crescent’, which also featured ‘Velocity Girl’, considered by many to be the defining C86 track.

‘Chlorine Dream’ by Spirea X is a classic lost single from 1991. Opening with a chiming guitar riff reminiscent of the Byrds, the song is a fabulous amalgamation of 1960s psychedelia, dream pop and shoegazer guitars, all underpinned by a danceable backing track of pulsing bass and baggy beats. I can remember seeing Spirea X play it live on ‘Snub TV’*, BBC Two’s yoof music show of the early 90s, and going absolutely crazy about it. From the almost hymn-like quality of the dual vocals of Beattie and Judith Boyle, to the uplifting middle 8, complete with euphoric trumpets, and the heavy bass drums at the conclusion, reminiscent of the legendary Hal Blaine’s drums from Paul Simon‘s ‘The Boxer’.

Spirea X only recorded one album – ‘Fireblade Skies’ – also released in 1991, which featured an extended version of ‘Chlorine Dream’. For a band who seemed to have everything going for them – signed to 4AD, classic songwriting, hip sound – it never really happened. The album flopped and Beattie disbanded the group and left 4AD shortly after. He went on to form Adventures in Stereo with Boyle, but is currently missing in action. Try and pick up the album from eBay if you can – it really is worth your time and love.

* I had a 3 hour video packed full of stuff I’d recorded from Snub TV, which a friend accidentally taped over with ‘Enter the Dragon’. I’m still gutted.

Search eBay for Spirea X
Spirea X on the 4AD website
Spirea X discography
Adventures in Stereo at twee.net
Read about Snub TV

Joe.

Grizzled Rave Vet Sent to Nu-Rave Heaven/Hell

2007-10-22T19:52:00.001Z

Nic Nell - It's A Trance Off

I really don’t know what to make of this. It’s either a work of pure, unadulterated genius, or one of the most excruciatingly awful pieces of music my ears have ever been subjected to. Let’s get one thing straight – listening to ‘It’s a Trance Off’ makes me feel old. Decrepit even. If I was to hear this song emanating from my teenage kid’s bedroom, I would feel compelled to bang on the door and tell them to turn the shit down, or preferably off, and listen to some proper music, like Ride or Aphex Twin. I always thought I’d be a Cool Dad, but I’ll probably conform to type in the end. But this is a good thing. I’m 34 years old and I don’t suppose Nic Nell is making music with people like me in mind. Nope, this is PROPER nu-rave – probably the first nu-rave song I’ve heard that actually delivers on the RAVE. This is for glowstick-wielding teenagers; Klaxons fans, clad from head to foot in luminous clothing with large, plastic sunglasses, skinny jeans and household ornaments suspended on chains around their necks. The kids who are swallowing shitty £3 eccys like they’re Smarties and going fucking bug-eyed loony with their big-haired chums at underground, underage parties all over the country. It definitely, definitely, DEFINITELY isn’t for me…

Having said that… it’s growing on me. I can’t stop listening to it. Maybe I’ve gone mad. It’s infectious, joyous music. It’s like N-Trance crossed with At The Drive In and it’s properly bonkers. Yeah, Bonkers, like the happy hardore rave phenomenon that is still going strong. Mental cartoon techno, played at 180bpm plus by the likes of Sharkey, Hixxy and Dougal. Nic Nell has lovingly replicated the sounds of this movement – the Nintendo bleeps, rushy synths and thudding snares – and laid his own distinctive emo-lite vocal over the top. And I know that if I wasn’t a grizzled rave veteran (Castlemorton was my ‘Nam), I’d be whipping off my top, paunch an’ all, and larging it like it was my last day on earth each time this song is played on the radio, which will probably be every 10 minutes in the not too distant future. I liked Rozalla, so why can’t I like Nic Nell? He iz da FuTuRe, rite? He is going to rule the world one day and there’s nothing that me and all my miserable, misanthropic mates can do about it.

In summary then – excruciating genius.

Nic Nell My Space

Joe.

All I Need is Cigarettes and Sonic Noise

2007-10-17T11:00:00.000Z

My Bloody Valentine - Cigarette In Your Bed
My Bloody Valentine - You Made Me Realise (Live in Vancouver)

Smoking in bed is a filthy habit. Dangerous too. Still, I’ve laughed in the face of danger and indulged. When you're a smoker you don't really question the places where you smoke, you just light up when the mood takes you. I fondly remember sharing cigarettes in bed with once-significant others and my true love; wondrous post-coital ciggies, body and soul still humming with joy, and Nick O'Teen ramping up the feel-good hit. Sometimes even a fag wasn't enough. "Woke up - skinned up!", I wrote to my brother after my first morning in Halls of Residence when I'd just left home. The exclamation mark suggests glee, like I'd achieved something meaningful...

...something meaningful, like my love for Bilinda Butcher. Ahhhh, Bilinda, with an 'i'. Bilinda with the eyes. I'm sure I wasn't alone in thinking I was in love with her. Of course it was just another silly, teenage crush that was always doomed to be unrequited. But when you've stood in a room watching My Bloody Valentine play live, and witnessed an audience leaving in their droves because the volume is steadily increasing to ear-drum rupturing levels as the band hold steady on that single chord from 'You Made Me Realise', and Bilinda’s just standing there, nonchalant, looking like she's waiting for the bus rather than a sonic noise terrorist driving people insane through distortion. Then you know you're not dealing with any ordinary girl. Listen to her sing, cooing sweet nothings that mask threats of violence - "Scratching your eyes out, with a smile" - then, gloriously detached on the sweet 'doo doo doo' outro of the song.

I'm a reformed smoker now and I'm in love with a real person. I don't really smoke at all, let alone in bed. These days I'm far more interested in the really important things, like how fucking great the drums are on 'Cigarette in Your Bed'. That trebly, almost drum machine sounding quality, with fantastic rapid fills from Colm O'Ciosoig. And before Trading Standards get on my case, let's actually revisit some white noise, with the aforementioned 17-minute live version of 'You Made Me Realise'. Nearly 20 years on, still nobody does it quite like them.

Buy My Bloody Valentine from Amazon
My Bloody Valentine fansite
My Bloody Valentine on Wikipedia

Joe.