Saturday, November 30, 2024
Track Of The Day: Les Rita Mitsouko - Marcia Baïla (Virgin)
Predating my arrival in Paris by ten years, but still residing deep within its psychic layers, ‘Marcia Baïla’ is one of those tracks which typifies French pop of a certain time and place, yet remains timeless and non-genre specific. It’s boss and everyone should know it. That’s what counts.
Friday, November 29, 2024
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
Track Of The Day: Black - Wonderful Life (Ugly Man/A&M)
There’s always a time and a place for this song. I muct have seen Black quite a few times in his early days and, although impressed by his voice, mainstream chart success came out of the blue. The melancholic steel drum backing is the perfect foundation for Colin Vearncombe’s equally tortured vocals which, just like gin and tonic, combine to form an unbeatable combination. In this video Vearncombe is shot like a matinee idol from the thirties, with my home town New Brighton, providing the perfect bacdrop. I lived just a short walk away from where a lot of this was shot when the track was initially released. It’s changed a lot since then, mostly for the better.
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Salbany - Crossroads (Paraiso)
Title: Crossroads
Artist: Salbany
Label: Paraiso
Cat Number: PARAISO014
Genre: Techno
A1: My Life
A2: Crossroads
A3: Next Morning
B1: Mito
B2: Crossroads (Cisco Ferreira Lisbon Dub Remix)
B3: Mito (AMX Remix)
Digital bonus: Crossroads (Cisco Ferreira Elexated Mix)
This is more like a mini album coming, as it does, with three versions of the title track (one not available on vinyl, which is nice. More power to the digital bonus track!) And it’s unapologetic rechno all the way from “local legend-in-the-making Salbany”. These tracks are all good, but as with a lot of techno it’s nice to have something within the grooves that distinguishes them a little more than their relentlessness. So where the title track is concerned, I’m more drawn to the ‘ Cisco Ferreira Lisbon Dub Remix’ which slows things down just a tadge by using the backing synth washes as friction. His ‘ Elexated Mix’ is very Millsian, very insect menace, while the original is similar to the dub, but more in-your-face. All of these tracks will work wonderfully well in a big room with the speakers spitting air. ‘My Life’ is great. The spoken word and the keyboard flourishes taking it up a level. Of the two versions of ‘Mito’, AMX’s version is more stripped down and becomes more urgent towards its conclusion, and ‘Next Morning’ gathers momentum using an isolated drum roll and loping bass. This release swings from start to finish.
Uf0 - Uf0 (Fourier Transform)
Title: Uf0
Artist: Uf0
Label: Fourier Transform
Cat Number: FTV004
Genre: Techno
1: God Moving Arps
2: Enzo
3: 303 Corp
4: Talitha Modmatrix
Having first heard of Uf0, aka Sergio Garcia, courtesy of his release on Further Electronix (the magnificent ‘You Will Shine’ being the case in point), I was more than a little pleased to find this release in my inbox a couple of months ago. And it’s his first release this year under this name, having also done something as Braindance Warrios. “Braindance” is another name for intelligent techno/dance music” I suppose. A title I am loath to use but I guess can serve a purpose if you’re pissed and trying to explain genres to that certain someone. And while this release is something that could fall into that category, to me it’s all just fifty shades of techno. Sorry for the generalisation, which I hope doesn’t take anything away from how good this release is. The first two tracks are more stretched, with ‘God Moving Arps’ being a floaty, ambient new age symphony with a relaxed break beat underlay. It’s the best track here. ‘Enzo’ feels like a four to the floor nursery rhyme. The sounds are warm and embracing and whisk you away into a safe place which hints at instability. Both ‘303 Corp’ and ‘Talitha Modmatrix’ twist drum and bass into intermittent chaos, the dominant motifs being contrastingly upbeat and constanty trying to break free from their percussive anchors. It’s all about impressions isn’t it, and this is all very good, but far too short.
Monday, November 25, 2024
Track Of The Day: Jah Wobble, The Edge, Holgar Czukay - Snake Charmer (Island)
I went to see Jah Wobble & the Invaders Of The Heart last night. They played The Apex Theatre in Bury St. Edmunds, a gig which had originally been scheduled for April last year, but was cancelled at short notice. Last night was a cosy, under attended affair. The band ran through their set in 90 minutes. Playing three Public Image tracks that I recognised, the highlight of the whole night being an excellent version of ‘Poptones’. There were jazzy, improv-style interludes, as well as a cover of ‘Liquidator’, amongst other stuff. Wobble moaned about his lumbar cushion and generally payed the geezer from his chair. All very nice. On the way out a chap in the row behind me asked me if I’d enjoyed it, and then said that he’d been to the gig he did in Chelmsford, which was around the time of the cancelled Bury one. At which time he’d played for three hours and had his two sons in the band. I had wanted to go to this gig, but the missus said she wasn’t interested. D’oh. Anyway, this track, as can be seen from the line up, is a bit of a curiosity, and comes from an eponymous EP. Francois Kevorkian was also involved. And now I think about it, it doesn’t sound a million miles away from the spaced out interludes of last night.
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Track Of The Day: Andy Simion - Gen Y All (Palinoia)
A nice trancey builder. I know very little about Andu Simion, except what it says in Discogs about him, which is that he’s a “DJ, producer and photographer based in Ploieşti / Romania. Ploieşti, the home of the mighty Petrolul . . . anyway, this is a great piece of layering. The grout that holds a set together and subtly adds to it. One of the earlier releases on Eric Cloutier’s excellent Palinoia label, a great, hypnotic piece of music.
Friday, November 22, 2024
Track Of The Day: Altitude - Internal Memory (Vade Mecum)
Dub techno is one of the funkiest genres out there. That feels a bit counterintuitive to write, but it’s definitely the case. It can also be one of the most misunderstood, and most negatively stereotyped. I’ve posted quite a few tracks of its ilk in this column and it’s probably fair to say that if they were all played back to back in a continuous mix there might not be that many “moments”. I suppose that’s why I wouldn’t do that in the first place, and why tracks like this piece of atmosphere creating minimalism are so important, functioning on so many levels; adding energy to the mix while invoking the imagination.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Monday, November 18, 2024
Track Of The Day: Sabres Of Paradise - Tow Truck (Depth Charge Mix) (Warp)
One of two quite similar remixes that J. Saul Kane did around thirty years ago for The Sabres. This one was released along with a version by The Chemical Brothers and still has what it takes. It’s a wonderful, shuffling behemoth of dubbed out idiosyncrasies which segues seemingly disparate syncopation into one linear voyage of analogue heaviness. An interesting and humorous piece with a life of its own; primarily driven by guitar stabs and a throbbing low end. Unique amongst a sea of pretenders from the man that brought you ‘Han Do Jin’.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Track Of The Day: Leonel Castillo - Stealer (Sushitech Records)
Nothing to see here, just a piece of groovy, funky, dubby minimalism served up for the discerning listener. Sonically very engaging because with tracks like these its all about what may happen rather than what does, and what does is very good. The pulsing vibes and shuffling percussion are perfectly timed so that when certain flourishes clash it feels like there are small explosions going off. Is this dub techno? Of course it is. Crucially it’s a good seven or so minutes long with plenty of swing. The perfect foundation for the mix and mass hysteria. Hypnotic and mesmerising, this is nothing you haven’t heard before, but it is executed with panache and style.
Friday, November 15, 2024
Track Of The Day: Janeret - Scape (Original Mix) (Berg Audio)
A track that’s just been released, ‘Scape’ has all of Janeret’s hallmarks. Deep, driving, hypnotic; something that will hold its own as a highlight as well as adding another crucial layer to the mix. It’s not rocket science os it? He’s hit on a winning formula and if it ain’t broke? Anyway, this might sound like these tracks are a bit predictable. Well, they are. However, when it’s what you come to expect and want, it’s just the ticket. This particular tune feels a little bit faster than some of his other recent productions, so I would pitch it down a little. It’s a keeper though. And, dare I say it, a banger.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Luke's Anger - Corporate Hell EP (Co-Accused Records)
Title: Corporate Hell EP
Artist: Luke's Anger
Label: Co-Accused Records
Cat Number: CR007
Genre: Tracky
A1: Corporate Hell
A2: The Sentinel
B1: UFOh No!
B2: Haffa Bar Jack
I guess the highest compliment I can pay a release like this is that it wouldn’t sound too out of place had it been released on Relief around 30 years ago. And I hope that sounds like the compliment it’s supposed to be, rather than a thinly-veiled comment on a lack of imagination in house music nowadays. Because this is house, rather than techno, even though it wouldn’t be out of place in such a set. ‘Corporate Hell’ is an exuberant piece of four to the floor excellence. It’s energy is palpable and it’s impossible to listen to without smiling. ‘The Sentinel’ is more minimal and goes harder. The rimshots are amazing, as is the farting bottom heavy backdrop. ‘UFOh No!’ is where we cross over from house into techno proper I reckon. The groove is tighter, the hi hats more emphasised, and the funk reeks of insect menace. It jars in the best way possible. And ‘Haffa Bar Jack’ signs us off in a similar way to ‘Corporate Hell’ only everything is amped up and those bonkers noises that Neil Landstrumm used to specialise in have been enlisted to ensure dance floor mania. There are a lot of similar sounding releases to this around at the moment, there have been for a year or two now. However, this is possibly the best I’ve heard. “Superbe”, as they say in France.
Later Version - Create All Next EP (Tartelet)
Title: Create All Next EP
Artist: Later Version
Label: Tartelet
Cat Number: TART054
Genre: Ambient Funk
1: Active Refill
2: Bushy Stunt
3: Wall Push
4: Drifting Pottery
5: College Identity
Described as “dreamy rave escapades” in the press release, this five tracker from Later Version, on the always reliable Tartelet deftly surveys a lot of the cross-pollinated machine funk hinterland, where deep house, in the case of ‘Active Refill’ blends seamlessly into the soaring breaks of ‘Bushy Stunt’, which comes to a grinding halt as it is absorbed by the meticulous beat abstraction of ‘Wall Push’, which acts as the EP’s fulcrum, inasmuch as ‘Drifiting Pottery’ dabbles once more with breaks and ‘College Identity’ stretches the percussion out into a more linear form. It’s quite a skill to pack so much into one release and make it work on so many levels, but Jerod S. Rivera and Daniel Letson manage it with plenty of room to manoeuvre.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Track Of The Day: The Doors - Riders on the Storm (Elektra)
I’ll always have time for The Doors. I might have been alive in the 60s, but has no idea of their existence being far too young. My earliest memories are those of TV, or better still ,TV and football. I can make out one or two episodes of Patrick Troughton’s ‘Dr Who’ through the ether, with everything crystallising in 1970 with the Mexico World Cup, and that immortal final. Somewhere else though, surfing the sine waves, were The Doors. Was Jim Morrison an irritating drunk? Possibly. He was also a star and a great lyricist. The Doors sold a lot of records and, rather like the Beatles, occupied the best of both worlds for a good few years. ‘Riders On The Storm’ is far from being my favourite track of theirs, but it came into my head while on holiday in Turkey recently and lodged itself there. I would have been 7 when this came out I think. And there’s still no escaping it.
Glok/Timothy Clerkin - Alliance (Bytes)
Title: Alliance
Artist: Glok/Timothy Clerkin
Label: Bytes
Cat Number: BYTES30
Genre: Cosmic Chug
01:Empyrean
02: AmigA
03: Nothing Ever
04: Scattered
05: The Witching Hour
06: E-Theme
07: Nothing Ever (Reprise)
The ‘pagan, pre-christian headspace’ referred to in the press for this collaboration between Andy Bell and Timothy Clerkin is something noticeable from the off. That sonic sweet spot being quickly attained on the mordant throb and grind that is ‘Empyrean’; a dark, electronic folk freak out. It’s the off-kilter wonkiness of the horns in the breakdown that does it for me, and then the low drone that sounds like a hurdy-gurdy on steroids. It’s a mood that is thankfully pursued to the end of this conceptual ode to the British countryside turned upside down. ‘AmigA’ with its dominant organ motif which, along with the guitar, harmonic vocals and undulating synths resplendent with high end flourishes coalesces to become a pastoral psychedelic hymn. Words aren’t necessary, you fill in the blanks. ‘Nothing Ever’ is a song though. The vocals rising through the fuzz and smeared ambience to dominate its twisted, cultivated context. This is pre-industrial revolution agrarian rock seen through a twenty first century context. Having to go backward in order to go forward isn’t an uncommon approach. However, the great paradox of this is that is sounds anything but retro, even while it conspicuously wears its influences. So both ‘Scattered’ and ‘The Witching Hour’ carry with it them the residual debris of first generation psychedelic workouts. It feels like happenings were conceived to showcase magical music such as this; portentous and throbbing. The latter lets the 303 loose, adding another dimension and amplifying the disorder which counterintuitively manages to hold itself together. Ushering out the collection with a reprise of ‘Nothing Ever’, which closes on a euphoric note, something that has always co-existed on a parallel level with occultish and hallucinatory traits throughout the entirety of this album developing them into some sort of discofied wall of sound on which multiple personas and worlds co-exist.
Saturday, November 09, 2024
Friday, November 08, 2024
Track Of The Day: King Crimson - Elephant Talk (E.G./Warner Bros)
A bit of an outlier for me this, and a relic of some stoned sessions that went a bit off piste a long time ago. A great track though. Particularly memorable for Robert Fripp’s inventive guitar playing, and Adrien Belew’s lyricism. The people who introduced me to this were friends from the other side of town, both literally and figuratively. We discovered that we had a lot in common. I guess my side was a bit more raw, but it's all about perspective.
Thursday, November 07, 2024
Tuesday, November 05, 2024
Track Of The Day: Cyrus - Inversion (Basic Channel)
Every time I feature a Basic Channel track I wonder what I can say that hasn’t been said before. It’s never difficult with amazing music though, and if there’s one pair of artists who have the innate ability to create something that can elicit different reactions and feelings every time a piece of their music is listened to, it’s Mark Ernestus and Moritz von Oswald. ‘Inversion’ is almost 18 minutes long, but it passes in an instant. It sounds like the backdrop to a longboat full of vikings raping and pillaging a small, helpless coastal village in Yorkshire back in the dark ages, but it’s so delicate that you could be stroking a cat while the berserkers are on the rampage thinking that all is right with the world. An eternal wormhole of sonic bliss, into which you can pour the entire contents of your imagination and get different results every time, going beyond beauty in the course of its wanderings.
Monday, November 04, 2024
Track Of The Day: Quincy Jones - Ghana (Mercury)
Probably the most influential musician of the last 75 years. “Jack of all trades, master of all of them” for sure. Quincy Jones’ influence became more apparent once he became Michael Jackson’s producer of choice. However, his talent was widely known well before then. This track, from his album ‘The Great Wide World Of Quincy Jones’ from 1959, is a subtle big band extravaganza which feels very familiar, glamorous and evocative all at once. Something from the rat pack era that you feel you’ve heard before, but only because it’s probably been copied so many times.
