Random Clips Of DJs Playing: 19

Take 2 EP - DAMH (Stem Records)

Read my Ibiza Voice review of this sunshine-infused double-header here.

Thee Kaleidoscopic Rebellion: 24/8/13

Thee Kaleidoscopic Rebellion: 24/8/13

Circle - Fatima (Eglo)

Walking on Deodron - Plaster (Touchin' Bass)

Lonely (Jerkoff Mix) - Spaventi Dazzurro (MOS)

Informer - Call Super (Houndstooth)

Cause - Esteban Adame (ICAN)

Skarn - Doka & SHLTR (On Records)

Malfunction - Bookworms (L.I.E.S)

005.7 (Tuff City Kids Remix) - Subjected (Vault Series)

Kick Ya EP - Vlad Malinovskiy (Flumo)

Deposit - Hank Jackson (Mr Saturday Night)

Respect To All Those Acid Trax (Vinyl Only) - Aubrey (Komplex de Deep)

Miamisphere (Terekke Remix) - Lorna Dune (Lo Bit Landscapes)

Industrial Disease - Concrete Fence (PAN)

Too Late - Warlock (Frijsfo Beats)

Out Damn Spot - Perseus Traxx (Bunker)

Extra Solar Planets (Wasp 17b) - Jeff Mills (Axis)

In The Dawn Of Light - Legowelt (Cocoon)

Emotion Number Eight - Secromance (Tevo Howard Recordings)

In The Grid - Funkinevil (Wild Oats)

Don't Cross The Railways - Choco & Cherry (Mathematics)

Ancestral Data Bank - Ras G & The Afrikan Space Program (Brainfeeder)

Thee Kaleidoscopic Rebellion: 24/8/13 by Cacophonousbling on Mixcloud

August Chart

Another Lifetime - Trevino (The Nothing Special)

Choco & Cherry - Echo 106 (Mathematics)

Deposit - Hank Jackson (Mr Saturday Night)

Lost At Sea - Terrence Dixon (Surface)

Briefly Eternal - Horror Inc (Perlon)

Colonial Patterns - Huerco S (Software) 

Mutazione Italian Electronic & New Wave Underground 1980-1988 Compiled By Walls) - V/A (Strut)

Black Octagons -  Call Super (Houndstooth)

Miamisphere - Lorna Dune (Lo Bit Landscapes)

Vault Remix Series 1.0 - Subjected (Vault Series)

Nemesis EP - Plaster (Touchin' Bass)

6AM Decay - Aubrey (Komplex De Deep)

Cause & Effect - Esteban Adame (ICan)

Act Of Speech - Joey Anderson (Anunnaki Cartel)

False Memories - Marcos Cabral (L.I.E.S)

Apron EP - Greg Beato (Apron)

Remix Project 2.0 - DJ Spider (Sublevel Sounds)

Off The Grid - Anthony Parasole (MDR)

Exclamation - R Zone (R Zone)

Tabula Rasa - LD Nero (Trelik)

Kakemonsteret EP - Oyvind Morken (Full Pupp)

Read my review for Ibiza Voice of this, at times brilliant EP, here.

Dead Architect Series Portfolio EP - V/A (Modularz)

Read my review of this interesting quartet here.

Validation Part 3

 

I interviewed I Sagittariun about four weeks ago. He had quite a few things to say so it was a pleasure, and an easy job, in the end, to get something worthy of publishing out of him. One of the comments which were made in reference to the article though, referred to him as ". . .someone who takes himself way too seriously." Which got me thinking why someone would actually bother posting such a comment in the first place. Being a music and arts lover generally, I've always appreciated the full package, i.e.: the artist living life to the full and the music being just one outlet for expression, hedonism, politics and other areas of the arts being examples of others. 

The idea of the artist just making music for the sake of doing so reduces what should be a passion and a search for meaning to a job like any other. Sure, the music may be a collection of loops and a distillation of key influences but it's the creative process and what it is endowed with which counts the most. To have no opinion is to reduce oneself to the level of the journeyman DJ and performer who endlessly tours the globe, living what many believe to be a glamorous life, the reality of which is often the opposite. Rootless and without a scene to latch onto, life is lonelier that it sounds and once locked in a spiral of constantly travelling to gigs, hosting personality-free radio shows which are just recorded mix sessions spewed out from iTunes containing a wedge of new promos in order to satisfy distributors and thus give the impression you are giving your "full support!" because you "will play!" . . . a lack of rigour and detail starts to dominate. I've always found it a little paradoxical that this is often something which affects the older, more stalwart members of this scene. Paradoxical because I would hope that once someone's made shitloads of cash, or at least elevated themselves to s higher level through their music, then they'd do everything they can to keep on evolving.

But as we know that isn't always the case. Richie Hawtin has arguably been the most innovative musician making house and techno over the last twenty five years. Like him or loathe him his influence can't be ignored. What happened though? As a DJ and musician he was always so far ahead of the game, but then came the sell out. His obsession with technology and style over content. Luciano is another, Carl Cox probably hasn't played a decent set since the mid-nineties, Slam really should be churning out much better stuff than they do with all their years of experience . . . But it's not just the old guard either.

The anaesthetised "house sound of today" as pioneered by the international libidinous funk crew and evangelically laid at our feet by them and their cohorts,  has stumbled on a winning formula and it's going to get milked it for all it's worth. It's a pity because it could still be so much more. However, it's happier to stay on autopilot rather than go further out on the limb that  looked like being explored a little more thoroughly than it actually is. No one can blame it for wanting to purvey a good time and do what it is doing, it's just that there are a lot of worthy characters out there who are just as, if not more talented and not getting what they deserve, Who am I kidding? This is the age of selling yourself and a lot of these guys work their arses off. There's also the vagueness of enjoyment. How can you possibly be enjoying yourself while your music has a message to impart? How can you party while half of Europe is on or below the breadline? (Not to mention most of the world). However, wouldn't it be nice if  the impression of caring about something else other than partying was given? Interesting people make the most interesting music. There's a direct correlation that's impossible to fake.

Retrospective - Mr G (Rekids)

Read my review of this flawless collection from the daddy mack of bass-heavy warehouse grooves for Ibiza Voice here.

I-Robots Present The Detroit People Mover EP - V/A (Opilec)

Read my review of this duo of beefed-up Detroit classics here.

Thee Kaleidoscopic Rebellion: 27/7/13

Here's the track list from last night's shindig.

Jah Jah Ah Natty Dread - The Upsetters (VP Records)

Pedro Navaja - Ruben Blades (Caliente)

Dirty Boots - Sonic Youth (Geffen)

The Future - Prince (Warner Bros)

Deep In Vogue - Malcolm McClaren (CBS)

Nothing Can Stop Us - St Etienne (Warner Bros)

Tongue Of Labyrinth - Divine Styler (Rhyme Syndicate)

Alhambra - Yello (Mercury)

Loodo - Baaba Maal & Mansour Seck (Rogue Records)

Get Ur Freak On - Missy Elliott (Elektra)

Assasin - The Orb (Big Life)

Free Your Mind - Funkadelic (Westbound)

It's Just An Ecstacy - Project XYZ (More Music NYC)

Tokyo Nights (Coco & Stonebridge Edit) - Tokyo Knights (DJ Mag)

Acid Thunder - Fast Eddie (DJ International)

Oh Baby - Rasoul (Soulfood)

Sate Of No State - Fred P (The Corner)

Feel The Love (Nuit Blanche Edit) - The Spencer Filipsson Experience (Crack & Speed)

The Bump - DJ Buck (Siesta)

The Wanderer (Journeyman Thump) - Romanthony (Prescription Underground) 

Hey Ladies - The Beastie Boys (Capitol)

Theme - The Sabres Of Paradise (Sabres Of Paradise)

Spanish Castle Magic - Jimi Hendrix (MCA)

Thee Kaleidoscopic Rebellion: 27/7/13 by Cacophonousbling on Mixcloud

The Cooler

Well it was hot today innit? Grab it here.

Thee Kaleidoscopic Rebellion: 13/7/13

Here's something to excite you. Last week's show, belatedly uploaded nearly a week later. Sorry, there's no track list available. It's a Harry Sword selection. (That's not to say there's no track list available because it's a harry Sword selection, you understand.)

 

Thee Kaleidoscopic Rebellion: 13/7/13 by Cacophonousbling on Mixcloud

New York Is Alright - TV Baby (Ellum Audio)

Review for Ibiza Voice here.

Pipes At Helios Canyon EP - The Third Man (EPM)

Read my review of this fine release here.

July Chart

The Pleasure Box Vol 1 - V/A (Bio Rhythm)

Oscillating Metronomics EP - V/A (Appian Sounds)

BQE - Fred P (The Corner)

Hypoferm - Holdie Gawn/Micawber (Sylphe)

History Of Dates - The Mole (Perlon)

Dream House Vol 1.3 - V/A (Blind Jack's Journey)

Next System - Arttu (Philpot)

He Do The Police In Different Voices - South London Ordnance (Aery Metals)

The Trap/Jackal Youth - Fantastic Mr Fox (Black Acre)

200 EP - Donato Dozzy (Electronique It)

Well, it's hot enough to boil a monkey's bum, so here are some choice cuts to accompany your constant perspiring.

Loft001 EP - Ejeca/Citizen (Loft)

Read my review for Ibiza Voice of this split release here.

A few Words With A Sagittariun

The enigmatic A Sagittariun is responsible for some of the most melodic, attention - grabbing music coming out of the UK at the moment. Not a lot is known about him though, although I've heard on the grapevine that he originates from the Bristol/West Country area. His most effective method of communication is, unsurprisingly, through his music, which is exclusively issued through his own Elastic Dreams label, resplendent with bastardized Disney imagery and a witchcraft/masonic design hybrid (well, that's what it evokes in me anyway). I played a mix by him on my last radio show and contacted him to see if he would answer a few questions regarding his (mal)practices. He very kindly sent me some answers at the end of last week just as I was going to bed listening to the World Service with a cup of hot chocolate, (for medicinal purposes, you understand), so here's what passed between us.

You're not the only artist to hide behind a mask, but you are the only one I've noticed who uses an established image. Why Mickey Mouse and why the juxtaposed designs which grace Elastic Dreams' releases?

It's not so much about the image of Mickey Mouse, more the context in which the image is presented.  The logo as a whole depicts Mickey with his eyes X'd out, in a pentangle, with Satantic scripture around the outer circle, skulls in the corners of the pentangle.  Such a cool collage of very strong imagery….Mickey Mouse is such an iconic character, the symbol of American innocence, a symbol of industry, but also a character whose roots lie with  darker forces, you know Walt Disney allegedly linked to the Nazi party, propaganda films featuring early Disney characters…it's taking this wholesome image and sticking it in this quite dark context…the pentangle downturned and the Satanic scripture….

Has the Disney corporate behemoth noticed you using their intellectual property, and what do you plan to do if they do?

I recently changed the logo actually, removing the Mickey Mouse image, but not at the request from Disney, but from another source.  So I reworked the logo and stuck Bambi's head on there, the message is still the same

How has the current economic situation had an impact on the way you work?

The A Sagittariun project is very much a labour of love, I do not benefit from it financially and quite frankly, do not expect to.  I'm fortunate in that I have other incomes from my day job, you know to pay my rent, feed my children, and so there's no economic forces between me and A Sagittariun, so the music that comes through is pure, from the heart, from the head, it's a very personal project, I'm not making music for money, I am making it for pleasure.  I press up records that lose money, the digital downloads are chicken feed, but it doesn't bother me, I'm always moving onto the next record, and currently putting the finishing touches to my first A Sagittariun album.  If people dig the music, great, we've made a connection, my mind to yours, and that's something special that I'll take with me.  Pure music always comes out of repression, of hardship, look at the history of music, the blues players, the reggae musicians, rhythm & blues players, people making music as a way of expression, so many influential musicians die penniless, I try not to get tainted by the 'music industry', so many contemporary artists now have become obsessed with the notion of money and success from this artform, and it breeds negativity and hatred, the way some of these DJs carry on, bitching and all…..

It's normal for the underground to hide itself even more during times of economic and political turmoil. Do you think that is the case at the moment, and what is "the underground" anyway?

Right now I'm not sure sure what 'the underground' is, because in my opinion, there's too many artists obsessed with fame and money, and they making fuckin drum loops, chord stabs, basic shit.

Listen, A Sagittariun is what it is, I'm not hiding my identity because of any cultural or economical situation, I'm presenting a music project known as A Sagittariun.  I'm not interested in putting myself forward as some fodder, I'm putting the music at the forefront, I'm not interested in seeing my face star back at me from flyers and magazines and websites, because that image is not what the project is about.  I'm not knocking any artist for doing it their way, but this way is my way, as intended from the inception of the project.

Economic and political turmoil have always thrown up some of the greatest music, art and literature in modern times, fact.  These times should make people think for themselves, represent themselves, have an opinion, make a choice, take an alternate path.  But in 2013, I'm not so sure that there's this wave of creativity coming through, I'm old enough to recall the climate in the 70s and 80s, when there was huge divide between classes and the power, and these times are etched forever in the history books, such a fertile time for art and expression, but I'm not so sure the younger generation know how to rise up, and I think the internet has played a huge part in this shift and apathy...

What about the corporate influence on music? Glastonbury being a prime example. £205 for a ticket is the price of a small holiday abroad for some. How do you view the herding of people into place to be entertained? They all seem to be enjoying themselves.

Well, I have a huge infinity to Glastonbury actually, I have a special bond with the Eavis family, and I like what they do.  I haven't been in a few years, and yes, the whole affair has completely changed, and I guess become more corporate, but on the subject of the entry fee, well you can't complain, all those acts, DJ, performers, for £200, come on, Glastonbury can be a life changing  experience, even now in it's more corporate form, it's not a huge sum of money for people to go have a lost weekend in the beautiful Somerset region.

Corporate influence on music?  Well, that's just happened over time really, hasn't it, and the big corporations have moved in on the scene, from record labels to the devices on which we listen to music…advertising, marketing…..it's a sign of the times, you know we used to have such a thing as counterculture, and this is where ideas and debate grew from, the the corporations bought up all the countercultures so they can control the mass population and brainwash them into feeding into their ever expanding pockets.  Perhaps the younger generation don't know any difference, so I sure hope they are having a good time, that would be pretty sad if they weren't 

How does the music you make relate to your world view and do you believe in music generally being a subversive force for good?

I'm not sure I write the music I write with any world views, in just the same way that I don't write music to ensure sales or popularity, I just write the music that I emotionally connect to.  A lot of my stuff is quite melancholic in ways, but I like to sprinkle a lot of hope in there, I want my tracks music to be positive, to go to some place.  Sometimes I'll use a choice sample in there, something with a message, something to make people think a little deeper, I don't know, you see it's a wholly personal thing, I only draw upon my own history, the music that I grew up with, the messages that I got from this music and imagery, and I guess I'm keeping the line going with music that isn't just designed for some hedonistic moment, but something to really engage in.  And quite frankly I'm a long way off achieving that, but I enjoy the creative process and trying to get to that point. 

You recently posted on your Facebook page:

 "I don't make music for DJs and nightclubs, I make music for dreamers and heads, I would rather my music be consumed through headphones in the horizontal position, preferably on a comfortable bed, and that my 12" vinyl records may come in handy as a table or rest in order to perhaps construct a mellow smoke to enhance your listening experience…."

Yet the music you make is just what the doctor ordered for many a discerning DJ, so why say this?

Well, like I said in my post, I'm NOT making music for DJs and clubs, I don;t sit down and start writing, thinking 'oh yeh, I can imagine this in a club, people going out their minds'….I write across the whole electronic pallete, lot's of BPMs, music with melody, music without….4/4 techno beats aren't exclusively for the dancefloor, I never understood people who could not listen to those kind of rhythms outside of the nightclub environment, music is music.  And when all is said and done, you can't beat a one on one experience with music, hence my reference to listening through a pair of headphones, lying on a bed, perfectly relaxed, poised to let the music posses you.  The album which I have coming out in November, it's a listening experience, from start to finish, call me old fashioned, but that's how I want the album to be digested.  There's stuff on there in the mid 130bpm right down to 80bpm, but you listen to it as a whole and it will make perfect sense, it's a trip

The video for 'The Mojo Odyssey' is a great piece of work. Could you explain the thinking behind it and do you have plans for any more similar sound collages?

Thank you, truth be told I put the video together pretty quickly, I found a couple of striking short films on the internet and spliced it all together.  So much of the music I love has always been represented by great visual elements, and I think this is lacking in so much music today.  People forget that the two go hand in hand, instrumental electronic music can still be visualised, you can relay a message in the marriage of the music and moving pictures, and this is what I did with both The Mojo Odyssey and A Lucid Dream, in fact the music has MORE impact when coupled with the videos, because I am able to express both my music and perhaps my outlook, my dreams, my nightmares, my imagination…  I plan to take A Sagittariun out as a live experience, and will lost definitely be hooking up with like minded souls to compile images and visual accompaniment to the music I'll be creating live.

There's a purity in your output  that conversely feels lived in and raw. I read the article in Slim about your favourite producers, but what influences and interests do you have outside music and how are they brought to bear in your work?

I guess my influences and interests are within the arts, and history.  You know, as a teenager, I read a lot of books, on history, politics, alternative politics…I'm interested in film, and literature, and counterculture and I suppose subconsciously it's all there when I create the A Sagittariun music.  It's a vibe, an attitude, you can't put your finger on it, but it's there, because it's what made me, shaped me, and it most definitely shapes my music.

What does the future hold for Elastic Dreams?

The album 'Dream Ritual' will be out in November to coincide with the Sagittarius zodiac time, I expect I'll put out a 12" single before that, and I'd like to sign up other artists is they are to my taste, but right now Elastic Dreams is A Sagittariun and vice versa, so I'm more than happy it being a vehicle for the A Sagittariun releases

Cacophonous Bling Podcast 3: A Sagittariun by Cacophonousbling on Mixcloud

Parallel Series 4 EP - Developer/Truncate (Mote Evolver)

A nice little showcase of West Coast techno for you, reviewed here over at Ibiza Voice.

Ghost Dreams EP - Nubian Mindz (Counterchange Recordings)

Review of the ace Nubian Mindz 'Ghost Dreams' EP for Ibiza Voice.

Pablo Bolivar Interview

Interview with Pablo Bolivar for Ibiza Voice here.