February 10, 2010
I’ve never been a Spliff-Head!
For some reason or another it’s never been my favorite choice of “recreational substances”, which is most likely why Reggae never really grapped me.
Of course when touring with The Orb and Alex Paterson you travelled in a cloud of puff (but I never inhaled!), and I flirted with dubbier soundscapes, but my angle to music has always been edgier, harder stuff to which you can exhale.
Music to keep you on your toes, or the edge of your seat, and not sit around in a pulp!
Having said that – the combination of Pilooski and Reggae Queen – Nora Dean – as featured on the gorgeous re-edit of her – “Ay Ay Ay” – in the 10th. installment of the Rvng Of The Nrds series certainly is the kind 4/4 driven Reggae Tech I would slap on the “one’s’n'two’s” anytime.
Another is Colourbox – “Looks Like We’re Shy One Horse” – on 4AD, which for years has been a stable part of sets with its gigantic dark void of a drop!
Combining the Tech elements of Pilooski with the otherworld production of Nora Dean is a match which draws a similar path to the work of Reboot and Michel Cleis, but in a less frantic tempo.
In short – if you loved “Caminando” or “La Mezcla” – you’ll probably lap this up like a kitten with cream!
9′23″ mins of gorgeousness, with some fierce Hammond organ grinding, it’s stuff fitting for after hours joints or a 6. am sunshine boogie!
MP3: Pilooski – AAA
February 10, 2010
As a teenager in the 80’s I used to spend hours in my room listening to New Romantics stuff from the likes of Ultravox, Gary Numan, Classix Nouveaux, Visage and other dark synth stuff to soundtrack my – albeit very, very comfortable and secure – misunderstood teenage existence!
My flirtation with the darkness of machines, and fascination of club reviews in NME of Steve Strange & Rusty Egan’s Camden Club, eventually (or rather luckily!) mutated into more colorful pastures such as Electro Hip Hop, and from there………well – you can piece it together yourself!
The Dark Esquire aka Brian C. Repetto from US very kindly sent me a sackful of mixes for his latest venture – “Situation” – which is out on ThisIsNotAnExit, and it somehow propelled me back to my teenage room and my angst ridden youth.
With no less than 9 mixes to choose from (varying from Techy to Downtempo and all points between) its combination of New Wave’ish vocals coupled with club-driven soundscapes may be an odd one, but of the lot the Crimea X remix taps into where my world is at.
It’s not everyday you get some nice cosmic theremin action, but Crimea X lets loose on the Hippie-stick, and sends The Dark Esquire into the Balearic Nu-Disco sunshine in comfortable mid-tempo fashion with acoustic bass’n'drum patterns, perky percussion and some really nice piano work to make you reach for the lazers!
Imagine Midge Ure (Ultravox) on a Nu-Disco trip, and it may make sense!
“Mum! – I’m hungry”!
Mp3: The Dark Esquire – Situation (Crimea X Remix)
February 9, 2010
Speaking of Gui Boratto!
Here’s a nice pant-swinger – “I Feel Love” – which surfaced in the tail-end of 2009 as single sided 12″, but now comes complete with with mixes from Robert Babicz and Pan Tone on Defrag Records.
And NO – it’s thankfully not a remake of the Donna Sumer classic.
Instead – what you get is a fierce, mid-tempo, Nu-Disco/Electro/Tech-stomper (I think that covers it all!) with plenty of depth for girls who respond to bass, and boys who respond to Laurie Anderson’ish vocoder vocals laced with some really nice arpeggio progression.
In true Gui Boratto fashion – it’s impeccable, and it’s the kind of shit you wanna wig-out to at 5 am – preferably with a big system draped around your ears!
“Rewind ‘n’ Reload”!!!!
MP3: Gui Boratto – I Feel Love (Single Sided Vinyl Version)
February 9, 2010
In a market where album sales in general are dwiddling, and the majority of digital sales are singular downloads, it hardly comes as a surprise that on the very day of the official release of Massive Attack – “Heligoland” – they are already streaming “Heligoland Remixed E.P” on their Facebook page.
What’s perhaps more surprising is “Heligoland Remixed E.P” doesn’t contain any work from Burial – as rumored – but is instead packed with remixes from Gui Boratto, Ryuichi Sakamoto & Yukihiro Takahashi, Breakage, She Is Danger and Tim Goldsworthy.
Which somehow leads me to suspect – perhaps – the forthcoming collaboration with Burial will be a dub album under an entirely different album name and not “Heligoland Remixed”. Then again – I could be wrong!
Personally I’m perhaps looking more forward to the Burial collaboration, than what’s being streamed, but having said that “Heligoland Remixed E.P” does contain some gems worth investigating.
The Gui Boratto remixes are already all over the blog’o’sphere, since they were included on the single release of “Paradise Circus”, but my juices definitely start flowing over the slow-burning genius of the Tim Goldsworthy remix of – “Pray For Rain” – which features Tunde Adebimpe on vocals.
Goldsworthy ups the tempo from the original to a nice chugging, mid-tempo, arpeggio-gliding DFA’ish groove, which weaves itself around you with its percussion-lad magic and spell-binding intensities coupled with some nice piano work rearing its beautiful head halfway through.
Imagine the DFA crew on a Disco trip to the Balearics and you’re not far off!
MP3: Massive Attack – Pray For Rain (Tim Goldsworthy Remix)
February 9, 2010
I had the pleasure of taking over the main stage, during a gig in Barcelona for a worldwide jeans company, from - Does It Offend You Yeah ? – and being it Barcelona it was most likely one of the best gigs I’ve ever played.
Having played there a number of times the city’s reputation as an all-embracing electronic music capital is already carved in concrete, and – if you’ve never played there – its crowds are a screaming, hanging-from-the-ceiling mass of wide-eyed, bronzed mad-hatters who are just gagging to get hit hard.
Taking over from Does It Offend You Yeah ? is no mean feat, so you’d better have your sonic bombs in order if you don’t want to fall flat on your face. Then again – playing between 04 am – 06 am there is after all only one way to go – isn’t there ? Up against the sub-bass wind, downhill, shirts-off and heads down!
50 Cent obviously didn’t attend, but on his new single – “Do You Think About Me” – he is very much flanked by a surprising list of remixers such as Space Cowboy (4/4 driven vocal/dub mixes), Raw Man (Justice-light inspired Electro mayhem) and Does It offend You Yeah ? in the shape of Bobby Bloomfield.
Best of the bunch – to these ears – is by far Bobby Bloomfield’s Indie-Tronic laced, trouser-flying, speeded-up Hip Hop noise-fest, which comes complete with all the hallmarks you’ve come to expect from DIOYY – big, brash and big speaker pounding!
The combination of 50 Cent in the company of the above is a mucho-surprise, but luckily the A&R investment pays off in bundles, and you can only ask yourself: Why the Hell didn’t they come up with this idea before ?
Place your volume knob in deep South East, and stand well clear of the speakers!
Mp3: 50 Cent – Do You Think About Me (Does It Offend You ? Remix)
February 5, 2010
Danish neo-Electro/Indie rockers – Spleen United – may not be a household name internationally – yet – but in their native Denmark they have clocked up substantial success with their dark Electro-Rock’ish albums, and highly stylistic Kraftwerk laden live-performances.
Known for not being particularly keen on having people remixing their tracks I think the prospect of having – The Juan Maclean – to strut his stuff on – “Suburbia” – may have changed their minds, and seen the opportunity in gaining them wider international claim.
The man-like production machine of The Juan Maclean seem hell bent to reach world domination by the end of 2010, considering his massive remix output. The constant stream of productions coming off his production belt is staggering, and needless to say not everything shines and turns to gold!
This may not be Juan’s best mix to date, but it presses the right Techy-buttons by distilling the original vocal of Spleen United to just bare minimum cut-ups, and instead focusses on letting the solid groove ride its course.
It will keep you on your toes – nonetheless!
Mp3: Spleen United – Suburbia (The Juan Maclean Remix)
February 5, 2010
Just to prove my previous point about the influence of Tom Tom Club here’s a crisp remix by Den Haan doing his do on Tim Sweeney favourites – The Phenomenal Handclap Band – and their “15-20″.
Released through Gomma Records on their - “Gomma Dance Tracks E.P 2″ – Den Haan opts the mirrorball factor by another 100%, and sends The Phenomenal Handclap Band off on a truck loaded with slapbass galore and enough Spacey Disco on there to resurrect Studio 54 instantly!
The weekend is upon us – get your flares out!
Mp3: The Phenomenal Handclap Band – 15-20 (Den Haan Remix)
February 5, 2010
With the current Nu-Disco movement gaining ever bigger momentum I yesterday stumpled upon – Tom Tom Club – and their – “Wordy Rappinghood” – in my iTunes files yesterday! Having an aha-forgot-I-had-that-one-moment! As you do!
The brainchild of former members of Talking Heads, married couple Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz, the pair had a brief moment of success with most noticeably “Genius Of Love” and “Wordy Rappinghood” in the mid-1980’s.
It’s a quintessential New York, quirky, arty oddity, which today sounds highly influential on people like James Murphy, LCD Soundsystem and the very foundations of the DFA stable.
This 12″ version clocks in at 6′44″ mins, and rides on an acoustic Disco-fied groove topped off with hooky synth-line, and the deadpan rapping of Tina Weymouth flanked by some mad, Japanese sounding child-like chorus!
Even today it’s completely infectious, and still holds its water throughout.
You can slap this on anytime, and it’ll go down a storm!
Mp3: Tom Tom Club – Wordy Rappinghood (12″ Mix)
February 4, 2010
In todays music industry you can come a long way with smart packaging and decent styling!
Unlike the tossers at the newly finished Grammy awards, including a certain French DJ who won “Turd Of The Year 2009″ here at Space Dust, we are fortunate that – Fan Death – both musically and visually holds water.
The lovely ladies have a new single out – “Soon” – which for some reason still is only available in the UK iTunes Store, through The Pharmacy Recording Company, and it’s a gem alright!
“Soon” comes smeared in mid-80’s SOS Band atmosphere, as if Jam & Lewis had been beamed straight into the ’10’s, and placed in the studios of DFA next to James Murphy.
Dark, dramatic Disco at its best with plenty of electronics and a sax thrown in for good measure.
Only problem – it’s way too short, but you can always hope for a solid remix package!
MP3: Fan Death – Soon (Original)
February 4, 2010
Those madhatters – Vinyl Life – have for their latest single been remaking – Joey Beltram – and his early ’90’s rave classic - “Energy Flash”! In fact – they restored the entire track, from the ground up without using samples, and added vocals by Phaze Future to cream the kitten off!
Now – just why someone would actually do that is beyond me! There was nothing wrong with the original! As they: “If it ain’t broke – why fix it!?”.
Nevertheless they did, and in honesty – it’s a decent attempt, and quite close to the original, without matching it – mind you!
As for the vocals – well – some like rap, some don’t, and personally I was quite content with Joey Beltram’s whispered “Ecstasy, Ecstasy” vocal to which he claimed, at the time, he didn’t know what Ecstasy was. It was just “a feeling” inside him, which transported itself through the mic and onto the track!
Yeah – right!
It is what it is, and personally I’d put my money and turntables on Joey’s steamroller original any day without hesitation.
You decide!
MP3: Vinyl Life vs. Joey Beltram – Energy Flash
MP3: Joey Beltram – Energy Flash (Original)
