A real nostalgia trip this. I remember being very much into John Foxx era Ultravox, and then really going off them once he left. Of course Midge Ure turned them into something else; which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, just different. And this track was one of the most memorable, if not only for the line “Riding inter-city trains, Dressed in European grey”. There’s also a strong Roxy Music feel to this, with the synth work and the sax. (Bryan Ferry released a same-titled song later on). I saw the eponymous Alan Resnais - directed film later on, but haven’t got around to reading Marguerite Duras’ novel on which it was based yet.
Monday, September 30, 2024
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Wednesday, September 25, 2024
Paris The Black FU v The Exaltics - Paris The Black FU v The Exaltics (Engineroom)
Title: Paris The Black FU v The Exaltics
Artist: Paris The Black FU v The Exaltics
Label: Engineroom
Cat Number: ER15
Genre: Electro
1: The Exaltics feat. Paris The Black FU – Propaganda DNA (The Alternate Universe Mix)
2: Paris The Black FU & The Exaltics – An Alien’s Commentary On What He Observes From The Edge Of Space
A couple of short but sweet electro vignettes to put you in a parallel sci-fi universe. More the America of the fifties than anywhere else. There’s a strong, consciously kitsch component to both tracks here. ‘Propaganda DNA (The Alternate Universe Mix)’ is built around a spoken word which, with its “We Want Your Mind . . .” refrain over stripped back beats is coming from the realms of brains in fishtanks. ‘ An Alien’s Commentary On What He Observes From The Edge Of Space’ is a richer composition, the lyrics are delivered more in tune with the beats and there is a nice pitch change about a third of the way through to plateau the piece and set it on its way again. A couple of keepers from the tethered imaginations of Paris The Black FU & The Exaltics whichare over all too soon.
James Welsh - Ternary 2 (Strid)
Title: Ternary 2
Artist: james Welsh
Label: Strid
Cat Number: STRID002
Genre: Techno
1: Invisible
2: SMC
‘Ternary 2’ is the second release in a three part series from James Welsh, and I don’t have any more context than that I’m afraid. So, ‘Invisible’ is an epileptic break beat backed banger with a repetitive concave sound that sounds like an empty glass bottle being beaten. It’s a nervous throbber. ‘SMC’ comes from a similar place, but is all low end, heavier and has more intent. A heavier stepper built on its own linear bounce and energy.
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Track Of The Day: Will Buckley pres. Buki Cole & Free Radikal - Travelling (John Ciafone Travelling Remix) (Latenite Productions)
I mean, what more could you ask for. One of house music’s most singular and potent producers in the shape of John Ciafone, using his skills to push a tune to its tracky limits. There really isn’t that much more to add except that this is the type of stuff that Ciafone used to make in his sleep, and in doing so he would highlight the deficiencies of the vast majority of like-minded artists. It’s almost three tracks in one: the vocal could almost stand on it’s own; then you’ve got the tracky grinding layer sitting on top of the meandering keys like a couple of sonic tectonic plates. Lovely stuff.
Monday, September 23, 2024
Ammonite-Blueprints Revisted (Ransom Note Records)
Title: Blueprints Revisited
Artist: Ammonite
Label: Ransom Note Records
Cat Number: R$N44R
Genre: Diaphanous Spectrum
1: You Don’t Know Me (David Holmes Remix)
2: When You Don’t (Salamanda Remix)
3: Too Close (Midori Hirano Remix)
4: Forgive Me Forget (Franz Kirmann Remix)
5: What If I Knew Me (Dot Never Remix)
6: ARP (Lapalace Remix)
I’ve just seen an ammonite fossil sell for £90 on ‘Antiques Roadshow’, so this piece feels very relevant indeed. And what a package it is. Kicking off with David Holmes’ remix of ‘You Don’t Know Me’, which is a modern folk masterpiece, soaring on a solid percussive foundation. There’s a lot more to it than that, but mere words don;t do it justice. Just be assured that it’s an uplifting, anthemic, hands-in-the-air masterpiece. ‘When You Don’t (Salamanda Remix)’ is a subaquatic downtempo symphony with far eastern flourishes. ‘Too Close (Midori Hirano Remix)’ slows things down and minimises the beats, highlighting the vocal which seems to come from all directions. ‘Forgive Me Forget (Franz Kirmann Remix)’ is a lost transmission from beyond the stars. The effect is of a short wave radio being tuned into a wall of sound. ‘What If I Knew Me (Dot Never Remix)’ and ‘ARP (Lapalace Remix)’ terminate this collection, the former dabbling in broken beat, the latter ambient; the third law of thermodynamics finally being realised as almost total abstraction brings this package to a close, the overall effect being one of alleviation and bliss split into a multitude of sonic facets.
Ben Pest/Maelstrom - For The Floor Vol. 4 (Cultivated Electronics Ltd)
Title: For The Floor Vol. 4
Artist: Ben Pest/Maelstrom
Label: Cultivated Electronics Ltd
Cat Number: CELTD015
Genre: Techno/Electro
A1: Ben Pest – Who Would Have Thought I’d Be
A2: Ben Pest – 26 Hybrid
B1: Maëlstrom – ASCII TWINS
B2: Maëlstrom – PERMANENCY
No arsing around here. As the title suggests, these tracks aren’t for easy listening. Ben Pest’s double header is characterised by bass heavy beats, distorted vocals and an urgent syncopation, all of which fuse together in his sonic blast furnace. ‘Who Would Have Thought This’ is the heavier of the two, with ‘26 Hybrid’ being more fleshed out. Maelstrom’s ‘ASCII TWINS’ has a marshal feel to it, underpinned by linear percussion and overseen by apocalyptic synth flourishes. ‘PERMANENCY’ takes the electro train and is all tightly wound and compressed. Denser than dense, this release feels like a quartet made for a fetish club.
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