Toby Hemming

Hey everybody, we've moved...

2011-04-10T19:39:00.001-07:00

After four years, 85 posts and infinite typos this blog is officially over.... Anyone glued to my illeterate ramblings about ireelevant topics can find me over at the very sexy www.tobyhemming.com

Here I Come....

2011-03-14T15:49:00.001-07:00

Here I Come (Live) - Barrington Levy (ELMAYONESA Remix) by ELMAYONESA

REVIEW: THE STREETS – COMPUTERS AND BLUES The Streets

2011-03-14T00:28:00.000-07:00

REVIEW: THE STREETS – COMPUTERS AND BLUES

Atlantic/679

Mike Skinner is an idiosyncratic figure, on one side shouldering responsibility for the rise of “Corr Blimey” stage school performers such as Lilly Allen, and on the other side being a philosophical performer possessing the last unadulterated urban voice in pop.

Which of these is he? Difficult to tell, but one thing for sure is that Skinner himself is sick of trying to work it out Computers and Blues sees him signing off from his Streets alter ego to presumably go and ‘find himself’.
I was a big fan of the first two Streets records, genuinely unique in their approach they spoke volumes about the human existence that was seeped in contemporary black culture, without the need to emulate a lifestyle removed from any suggestion of Westside ghettos.
Since then my enthusiasm waned considerably as Skinner appeared to be merely treading water, whilst those around him expanded on the template, significantly exposing his shortcomings as a producer and lyricist.

It is therefore with some indifference I approached Computer and Blues, expecting a ‘more of the same’ type whimpering finale. One thing to remember about Mike Skinner however is to never underestimate him; and this maybe is his best record for years.

The smell of farewell hangs heavy over the whole set, Going through Hell is as clear a fuck you farewell as you can imagine. Featuring leery indie vocals from Robert Harvey of third rate indie rockers The Music- this is the sound of someone with nothing to prove, and is all the better for it.
Beats and samples throughout are denser than Skinner’s previous work, signalling an a marked improvement in his sometimes lacklustre production skills.
As a swansong Puzzled by People is as much even the biggest detractors could have hoped for, a short but sweet pop driven jam of sweet soul vocals and blustery piano rolls. Soldiers slinks along on top of a skunk stinking low slung electro groove, and We can Never Be Friends recalls the folk tinged sounds of days of yore in vintage fashion.

Computers and Blues is never going to be a vintage record, it’s unlikely to trouble many best of millennium charts when they creep around again. But as a hard won reminder of somebody who dared to take risks and listen to the sound within, it’s a fitting testament. I’m not betting against a festival reunion in five years when the funds run dry though….

Toby Hemming

Surgeon: fabric 53

2010-09-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

Bonafide Zine

Surgeon
Fabric 53
Fabric

If recent alleged reports of administration are to be believed, clubbing stalwart Fabric may be drawing its final breath as London club land goes even deeper underground (Ed, fortunately this is no longer the case).

It was the rise of the ‘Super Club’ that buried the final nail in the corpse of acid house. Fabric however always remained a beacon of hope amongst the larger-scale clubs, demonstrating a unique and refreshing take on heads down twisted dancing. And this instalment in the legendary mix series is a real testament to that profound take on dance music culture.

Surgeon has bobbed and weaved his way through the underbelly of raving for over a decade with his sets becoming synonymous withy those who prefer the hedonistic rather than chin-stroking side of what was once known as ‘real techno’. Compromising a strong 4/4 bottom end with a range of instrumental electronic textures throughout, the breath taking bone-shaking journey takes in everything from the classic Detroit sounds of Robert Hood and Luke Slater’s Planetary assault Systems, through to the minimal Dubstep of Appleblim and even crazy distorted hip-hop from Starkey and Rustie.

It’s not easy listening, but that’s not the point; however it is uncompromising and ultimately a lot of fun, which is.
If it’s a hard night on the tiles, sound tracked by a man who can justifiably wear the title of legend you are looking for- this is the ultimate mix.

Toby Hemming

The Grid Flotation: Prin Thomas Remix

2010-09-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

The Grid: Floatation - Prins Thomas Remix by RichardNorris

G.I. Disco

2010-09-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

New at 3D World

GI Disco

(BBE/Inertia)

GI Disco is a tenuously linked – but very high quality – comp from BBE that purports to chart the legacy of visiting American GIs in West Germany during the late 70s and early 80s. To a country hooked on Euro-pop and hard rock, the appearance of Afro-American soldiers brought to the nightclubs and airways a healthy and much needed dose of NY disco, funk and boogie.Most fans will already have the majority of these cuts in their collection, leaning as it does solidly towards the dancefloor rather than willful obscurity. But if you think disco means drunken sales reps shimmying to KC And The Sunshine Band, there could be worse places to start discovering the joys of ‘real’ disco music.Opening track Rumors by Times Social club defines well the music of this era, as disco embraced technology and moved away from the media spotlight creating a heavier underground groove. Many people may be familiar with Freeze’s IOU, but it’s the darker dancefloor sound of The O’Jays with Put Our Heads Together, and particularly Surface vamping it up with Falling In Love that really make the grade here.As a collection of classic tracks, the uninitiated could do a lot worse than seek this tightly curated compilation out as a window into the roots of today’s contemporary dancefloor music of all genres. A high velocity package from start to finish, GI Disco is a worthy and very enjoyable comp if not particularly innovative in approach – definitely one for any collection lacking the groove.TOBY HEMMING

The Archive

2010-08-07T23:24:00.001-07:00

Resonates heavily.....

Because I Can

2010-08-02T19:59:00.000-07:00

Lovely old school train set from DevilMaycare on Flickr

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

MULATU ASTATKE

2010-08-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

Back on the review game at Three D World

New York-Addis-London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975(Strut/Inertia)

The ever reliable Strut records continue to mine the crates for another impeccably presented history lesson in world grooves. Sitting at the place where world music meets party music, this is the latest in a long line of so-called ‘undiscovered’ masterpieces. Vibraphone and keyboard player Mulatu Astatke left his native Ethiopia in the 60s, eventually finding himself in the hot bed of emerging contemporary jazz scenes of London and New York. This compilation is a testament to the first African musician to combine traditional music with the freeform grooves of the jazz world and a great statesman of modern music. For most people the idea of a world music/jazz fusion invokes images of over studious chinstroking muso buffs., but this lands on the right side of funky, applying intelligent melodies to a strangely appealing bass-led groove. And as with all Strut releases the attention to detail in packaging and liner notes make this an essential purchase.

Toby Hemming

VARIOUS/SHOES CREW

Shoes your Illusion I & II(Shoes Recordings/Inertia)

Are re-edits really just the preserve of music fans with little discernible musical talent, but a working knowledge of pro tools? Or are they in fact part of a rich musical tradition taking in the earliest dancefloor pioneers searching for a way to make the record just that little bit funkier? This comp from the shadowy Shoes Crew is in fact a cut above the traditional formula of extending the intro and stringing the breakdowns out a bit. Shoes your Illusion is a double album of unashamed funk and soul standards, each given a subtle but intelligent work-over to create more than the sum of the parts. To tackle a set of classics of this calibre and come out on top is no mean feat, and the Shoes crew re arrange classics such as Bitches Brew and Why Can’t we Live Together to admirable effect. It’s a great way to rediscover your favourite songs, or for the uninitiated the perfect introduction to your musical heritage, highly recommended.

Toby Hemming

Hey, what's that sound: Moog synthesisers

2010-08-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Brilliant Article on Moog (that's pronounced Mogue by the way) Synths from The Guardian

Technically ingenious and historically significant, Moogs ooze character with a sound that can be kitsch – or pulverising

David McNamee guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 August 2010

In the Moog ... Dr Robert with his iconic synthesiser in 1970. Photograph: Hilton Archive/Getty Images/Jack Robinson

What are they? The most iconic synthesisers of all time. FACT.

Who uses them? Pretty much anyone with an interest in electronic music will have had a dalliance with a Moog at some point, so enduring is their legacy and appeal. But it was Walter (later Wendy) Carlos who first brought attention to Moog and synthesisers in general with the landmark Switched-On Bach album in 1968. Here's a Spotify playlist of other Moog heroes.

How do they work? Dr Robert Moog's great innovation was voltage control. Previous attempts at synthesiser-type instruments, such as the Hammond Novachord or the hulking United States Air Force-constructed RCA Mark II, generated sound using hundreds of individual vacuum tubes. But the invention of the transistor prompted electrician Moog to consider using voltage to control the frequency of an oscillator (which generates pitch) as well as loudness. By using basic increments of one volt per octave change of pitch, Moog was able to make simple circuits using everyday components. His 1964 paper Voltage-Controlled Music Modules – which initially proposed the idea – invented the analogue synth as we know it.

Where do they come from? At 14, entranced by Clara Rockmore, Bob Moog made his first theremin. Years later one of Moog's theremins would fall into the hands of the godfather of electronic music, Raymond Scott, who invited the young electrician to see how he was using it. Moog's theremin had been gutted, its innards wired up into a keyboard-controlled contraption Scott called the Clavivox, which had a profound influence on Moog. He continued to build circuits for Scott's technology throughout the 50s, and in 1964 debuted his first Moog modular synthesiser.

Comprising a potentially infinite array of oscillators, filters, noise generators, ring modulators, triggers and mixers, linked by telephone exchange-type patch cables, and played using joysticks, pedals, ribbon controllers and keyboards, the modular Moogs had no interest in replicating existing instruments. They were machines for creating sound that sounded electronic. Massive, fragile and impossible to tune, the modulars were designed and built to order in consultation with high-end consumers, but synthesisers at this point were far out of the price range (and comprehension) of the average musician. This all changed with the launch of the Minimoog in 1970 – a portable, sturdy and powerful keyboard synth designed for concert performances. Tweaked now so that the synthesiser could reliably perform as either a melodic lead or propulsive bass instrument (rather than just as a complex sound-generating machine), the Minimoog changed everything.

Why are they classic? Though technically ingenious and historically significant, what we really love Moogs for is their sound. Synth nerds might rep just as hard for less-hyped gems such as the EMS VCS3, but the Moogs oozed character. Their sound could be quirky, kitsch and cute, or pulverising, but it was always identifiable as Moog.

What's the best ever Moog song? There are so many 70s Moog-pop chart classics. Hot Butter's Popcorn, Space's Magic Fly to name another, Autobahn and Are "Friends" Electric? all rank pretty highly. But in 1977 Giorgio Moroder pulled the voice of God from the void. Everything that isn't the kick drum or Donna Summer are the big-brained dreams of a Moog modular. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you I Feel Love.

Five facts and things

Stop pronouncing Moog with an "ooh". It should rhyme with "vogue". At least that's how Bob Moog chose to pronounce his surname, although the original Dutch variant is something entirely different. The "vogue" pronunciation makes the pun in the Moog Rogue more apparent, but the pun in The Plastic Cow Goes MOOOOOOg sadly redundant.

The pitch control on the Modular Moogs was so shonky because few of Dr Moog's early customers – sound artists, choreographers, and studios interested in electronic sound effects - were interested in playing conventional melody on the instruments, so making the things stay in tune seemed a low priority.

Gary Numan's classic breakthrough, The Pleasure Principle, is almost an album-length advert for the Polymoog. Those beautiful, stark, synth-strings frozen all over the songs is the Polymoog's Vox Humana preset.

After a serious of disasterous changes in ownership, Bob Moog left his own company in 1978. He worked as a consultant on other electronic music innovations such as the Fairlight CMI, and in the 90s manufactured his own theremins and Moogerfooger effects pedals. It wasn't until 2002 that he reacquired the Moog Music name and returned to synths with the Voyager – a well-received update of the Minimoog.

Dr Moog sadly passed away in 2005, at the age of 71. The last synth to bear his creative input was the posthumously released Little Phatty. Moog Music has since made inroads in the guitar market, with the launch of the Moog Guitar in 2008

Talking Heads Re-Rub

2010-07-19T00:07:00.001-07:00

There She Goes! (Talking Heads Re-edit) by Debukas

The Italian Connection

2010-06-05T02:07:00.000-07:00

The Italian Connection EP from Well Plastic on Vimeo.

Miss Jones to You

2010-05-23T15:53:00.000-07:00

Powerful images from the great "Fuck you very much"

Guru vs Run DMC | DJHistory.com

2010-04-27T02:43:00.000-07:00

R.I.P. Guru, so much said already, but check out this fantastic IV by Frank Broughton from DJ History

In 1993 Gang Starr front-man Guru released his landmark solo album Jazzmatazz on which he collaborated with a series of jazz veterans. The same year, Run DMC staged a come-back tour on the back of their Down With The King album, roping in the hottest producers of the moment to update their signature style. Frank Broughton brought them all together in the offices of Profile Records, with Guru quizzing the Hollis trio about rock riffs, God, the old days rapping in the parks and wearing glasses with no lenses i Guru vs Run DMC | DJHistory.com

REVIEW: DAEDULUS – RIGHTEOUS FISTS OF HARMONY

2010-04-26T06:05:00.000-07:00

REVIEW: DAEDULUS – RIGHTEOUS FISTS OF HARMONY

Daedelus
Righteous Fists Of Harmony
Brainfeeder

Funky left-field electronic beat-smith Daedelus last surfaced in 2008, with his Love To Make Music To album.

Heavily influenced by the poppier end of break-beat driven rave scene of 91, Daedelus’ music showcased an originality of style that belied its mass-market influences. Fast forward to 2010, and Daedelus has re appeared on Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder imprint, with Righteous Fists of Harmonyshowcasing a totally new introspective and brooding direction. With an artist as maverick as Daedelus , there is no shame in pushing the boundaries of your sound to create a new direction. Indeed the constant desire to innovate is what separates electronic and beat music from the worst of its plodding rock contemporaries.

However in this instance, it’s a shift in focus that is as confusing as it is different. Instead of looking to the heyday of outdoors raving, Daedalus has seemingly immersed himself in a psychedelic haze of stripped back ‘trip-hop’ and slow burning atmospherics. Similar to the introspective route mined by Massive attack over the last decade, the album delivers a slo-mo fusion sound that doesn’t quite work.

Not to say there aren’t some nice touches at work here, such as the dreamy Order Of The Golden Dawn, featuring the shimmering vocals of his wife Laura Darling, or the tense syncopation of Fin De Siècle that creates a tension sadly missing from the rest of the tracks on offer. In fact the majority of the album rolls very smoothly into one tripped out downbeat passage, teetering perilously close to the edge of mediocrity.

Whilst it’s great to see producers like Daedalus stretching their wings, in this instance its a case of too much atmosphere and not enough soul.

Toby Hemming

LCD Soundsystem- Drunk Girls

2010-04-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Easygroove Live at Kitsch 1990

2010-04-08T09:50:00.001-07:00

I wasn't always the mild mannered man I am now, I spent a portion of my youth standing in fields and warehouses around the South West of England. A mile away from the shiny clubs and festivals of today these things were pretty ruff around the edges, and in Easygroove we had our own hero, "come to mash up the place" as they say....

Easygroove Live At Kitsch 1990 - Part 1 by muzza15

Friday Night at St Andrews

2010-04-07T06:58:00.000-07:00

Interview I did last week for Bonafide

Far from being just the big guy in a shower hat behind Eminem, Detroit rapper Bizarre boats a musical legacy to rival even some of today’s more high profile rappers. Ahead of the launch of his solo album, “Friday Night at St Andrews” Bizarre took the time to speak to Bonafide about the hip-hop legacy of his home city, MC Battles and oh yes, the shower hat.

So to kick off, where is St Andrews and what’s so special about Friday Night there? “The name St Andrews refers to a club in downtown Detroit where we all started out. Fridays nights was the dope night, the night where we would all get up and spit our stuff. I started there, D12 started there, Marshall (Eminem) started there.” Is this the club featured in Eight Mile? “Yes the very same, but you know it was a lot madder than that- this place was pretty freaky you know. The people who went there used to look so different. People used to laugh at you for going there.“ So are you trying to catch that vibe on the record? “ Yeah you got it. Hip hop today’s kind of funny you know, people are doing that euro discos stuff and auto tuning all over the place? I think I need to, I got to, bring some of that rawness back, we come from the street and that what we be representing”

For all its post industrial gloom Detroit has consistently produced world beating musical acts across all genres, any reason for this? “Yeah you right, Berry (Gordy) put this place on the map, and then us and also not forgetting my brother Jay Dilla. We stuck in the middle you know? Between New York and the West Coast, you might say that we got the best of both worlds.” Tell me about Jay Dilla, you were working with him when he was relatively unknown? “Yeah, he was a genius flat-out. I love that boy, and I miss him so much, the things he was doing were unbelievable. I know he gets props but he deserved more you know? I think he could have gone on to rule the music world, not just hip hop but every kind of music. I got a loads of is stuff that aint never going to come out, and its raw man you just wouldn’t believe the styles he was capable of.”

So who’s making the music now that Dilla is unfortunately no longer with us? “This record has been produced by local producers, the new kids and the up and coming. I think if we are keeping it street then it’s the kids who are going to make it happen. I have sat around waiting for the phone to call I wanted to offer that same opportunity that I got out a bit further.” No turning to Dre or any of the big boys to get a sure-fire hit then? “If it’s about St. Andrews, it needs to sound raw and it needs to sound live. Every song on this album, I can hit it live, it’s something I can see myself performing.”

And it’s that ability to pick up a mike and genuinely rock the house that seems to lead to where Bizarre is at the moment. “It’s the battles man, the battles are where I’m from and that’s what hip hop means to me personally. I can step up to anybody, and Im pretty sure that I can take them, that’s what this record is about. If you want pop then that’s fine, if you want the real thing then St Andrews is where it’s at.”

It’s refreshing to speak to somebody who has had such a close brush with superstardom and not only lived to tell the tale, but still shows such genuine respect for his roots. Bling culture generally means a rejection of where you are coming from in favour of where you are at, but Bizarre doesn’t feel that way at all. “No man, for me it’s the street and it will always be the street and that just me.” No Hollywood career of perfume range then? “Fuck no; I love the beats too much.” He laughs every so slightly sinisterly down the phone.

As Bizarre’s PR breaks the conversation up to signal another interview, I manage to ask the one question that I have been dying to pose all night. So what’s with the shower hat? “Why not.” he laughs, “I was goofing about in the hotel and it just kind of came to me. I wanna be a bit different you know? Not like all them other rappers. Hell who doesn’t? “

Original Pirate Style

2010-03-29T07:59:00.001-07:00

Great stuff: History of UK pirate broadcasting:

Enough of This Rubbish- Some Proper Tunes

2010-03-09T02:08:00.000-08:00

Enough of this rubbish- time for some proper heads down party music here:

Originally available as a 90 minute mix given away to everybody who went to legendary Scottish party starters Optimo's Hogmany Party.

Check out the listing...

Optimo - Hogmanay End of the Decade Poptimo Mix

1 - Delkom - Superjack Infusion One
2 - James Curd - We Just Won't Stop
3 - Gyratory System - Yowser Yowser Yowser (An Optimo (Espacio) mix)
4 - Roni Griffith - Spys
5 - Roni Griffith - Desire
6 - Situation - Bulletproof Heart
7 - Retro Grade - Zoid
8 - Fuck Buttons - Sweet Love For Planet Earth (Andrew Weatherall mix)
9 - Ralphi Rosario - You Used To Hold Me (Accapella)
10 - Rebolledo - Guerrero
11 - Levon Vincent - Late Night Jam
12 - Mike Dehnert - Umlaut 2 (Levon Vincent mix)
13 - Ragtyme - I Can't Stay Away (Ron Hardy Mix)
14 - Manicured Noise - Metronome (Cousin Cole mix)
15 - Faze Action - Good Loving
16 - Empire Of The Sun - We Are The People
17 - Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (Late Night Tuff Guy HMC version) 18 - The Beat Club - Security
19 - OMD - Messages (Greg Wilson edit)
20 - Williams - I Feel The Shivering
21 - Cold Cave - Life Magazine (An Optimo (Espacio) mix)
22 - Yam Who - Go Bang!
23 - Elias Rahbani And His Orchestra - Liza (Twitch pitched down version)
24 - Amadou & Mariam - Sabali

I Love 1988 Tribute Mix

2010-03-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

I generally try and avoid these things- smack a bit of "The Greatest Dance Hits Party Ever"
But this from Phil Harvey is a cracker- A1 mixing and a great and rather diverse track selection (didn't think I would ever be bigging up INXS)

Rocking it like 88, let's go.... N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton Mantronix - King of the Beats - Public Enemy - Bring the Noise (Acapella) Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock - It Takes Two Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy INXS - Need You Tonight Yello - The Race A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray Jungle Brothers - I'l...l House You (Acapella) S'Express - Theme from S'Express D-Mob - We Call It Acieed feat. Gary Haisman Inner City - Big Fun Salt-N-Pepa - Push It Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child o' Mine

Download here:

A Short Film about Chilling

2009-12-30T03:03:00.000-08:00

I know 'Ibeefa'is a bit of a joke now- but there was a time when there was something quite interesting going on there. The late eighties/early nineties scene has been talked about to death. But it was captured quite nicely here in Kevin Sampson's "Short film about Chilling"

Mix of the tunes featured:

A Short Mix About Chillin by Thedaddy on Mixcloud

Kraftwerk Kovers

2009-11-26T07:56:00.001-08:00

Anybody who has ever read this (both of you) will know I have a softspot for Kraftwerk.
And it seems I'm not alone, it appears there is a robot army out there dropping covers and reinterpretations of the 'Werk at every opportunity.

Luckily for lazy buggers like me, DJ Food of Sold Steel and Coldcut fame has lovingly collated them in a mix series called, Kraftwerk Kovers. Not content with dropping robotic moves at every possible opportunity, I'm sharing the robot goodness, right here.....

Here's Senor Coconut with Home Computer in a meringue style...

DAM FUNK

2009-11-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

After several torturous tranatlantic phone calls, I finally managed to speak to Stones Throw legend Dam Fun. Excluively for Bonafide magazine....

Peanut Butter Wolf, master beat maker, vinyl aficionado and head man at US label funky, hip-hop, breaks label Stones Throw also has another not inconsiderable string to his bow. Not content with consistently delivering a fine menu of top-notch head nodding records in his own right, he also possesses an unnervingly fine talent spotting ability. Like a hip-hop Simon Cowell, but with taste, Peanut Butter Wolf has expanded his empire over the last year to include a string of releases from the best in leftfield underground beat music.

Latest member of the Stones Throw stable is veteran LA sophisticate and all together cool individual, Dam Funk. Responsible for the recently released concept album ‘Toeachisown’, Dam Funk is something of a California legend, having been involved in both crafting funk fuelled missiles of his own, and running legendary LA club Funkmophere for the best part of the last decade. The man himself recently touched down in the UK to brighten up the English winter with his funky flavours, and we were luckily enough to catch up to find out a little about what makes the man.

Dam Funk’s music has a smooth polished electronic edge that recalls the best of the early eighties boogie scene, tightened to perfection with a modern electronic edge. Lazily pigeonholing his style as retro however brings short shrift. “ My shit isn’t exactly what you call old fashioned you know? I like to think of my style as a continuation. Back to the times before hip-hop became what it is, where different ‘urban’ if you want to call it that, styles existed side by side. “

Pushed on the point Dam becomes animated as his smooth Californian drawl takes an almost urgent edge. “ The way I explain it is this, I want you to think about a different world, parallel universe if you like. A place where those cats that were listening to these funky joints didn’t hide those records and claim they was B Boys or something all of a sudden. Imagine if the record companies hadn’t just decided they wanted badass rappers on every record. Imagine that the funk, and I mean the REAL funk, was allowed to grow and do what it waned to do? That’s where I come in. Shit I love those old boogie joints and so forth as much as anybody, but what I’m doing is carrying on that tradition, so all those funky people don’t have to just listen to these records, in private, driving about in their cars or whatever. This is music for now and its music that means something in this day and age, you know what I mean?”

Listening to the Dam Funks productions and this idea of a parallel funkosphere starts to make sense. Tunes such as the title cut of his latest release echo the electronic funk masterpieces of Roger Troutman’s Zapp, or George Clinton’s more contemporary work, but it’s the modern sensibility of production and innovation that stop them being mere pastiche pieces.

Never shy of experimenting himself, he recently remixed art rockers, and fellow Californians Animal Collective, in a move to some that may seem outside of the realms of the typical urban music scene. “ The thing is the scene round here is so fertile at the moment. There are a lot of good people doing a lot of good things and that’s something I really dig you know? I don’t care about labels or whatever, if I like it then I want to get involved. Simple as that. “ So, are there any more collaborations in the pipeline? “ Hell yes, I want to get n the position where say, Talking Heads were in the early eighties. They used a lot of funk and disco producers on what was essentially a rock band, and if you listen to that you know that it worked. In fact my next record is going to be a cover of a Human League track, but filtered through how I see things. And I tell you what, it’s going to be the business man.”

Name checking both Talking Heads and Human League may be surprising for a man who posses a Californian drawl so horizontal there are times it barely breaks out of a whisper. So making any assumptions about his style turns out to be particularly misguided. The man reputedly throws a legendary live show, but not quite as you might expect. “ I’ve been doing this live thing for a few years now, its party time for me when I’m up there doing my thing. I got a band I’ve been on the road with for a few years, and we want to make sure that everybody is enjoying themselves as much as we are.” A bit like Parliament then, that sort of vibe? “Shit no, that style is old you can’t be saying I am getting up on the stage with a load of cartoon characters dressed up in nappies and stuff. My band aren’t a load of clowns.”

Any possible tension, is quickly relieved however by a drawn out baritone chuckle, and you have to admire the man for not getting hung up on the past, especially a past with so much influence. So what is your show like then? “We are tight man, I may have a lot of people up there but my style is more like Gary Numan you know. That kind of icey robot thing. “ Have you ever seen Kraftwerk I wonder? “ Yes, that’s the kind of shit I’m talking about, keeping it neat, no messing about, just the music.”

For an artist wit such an undeniable talent, located in the midst of a town so rich in musical heritage, Dam Funk’s attitude is not only surprising but also extremely refreshing. To have the vision to create your own version of a musical story that has been retold so many times it is ingrained in the very psyche of a generation, is brave to say the least. But it’s this vision that makes not only the man, but also his music so special.

Sit back and listen to debut long player, ‘Toeachhisown’ and the beauty is the sound of California Soul mixed with the best of European pop. Sound familiar? Well that’s because it’s the blueprint to the best popular music of the last century, a transatlantic fusion delivered by mavericks like Dam Funk who deserves the last word. “People tell me that the funk is a feeling, but its more than that. My music is a lifestyle, and if you choose to live that life then you aren’t ever going to be disappointed. Trust me, and come along for the ride.”

You know what? I think I will.

Toby Hemming

N.A.S.A.'s 'Spacious Thoughts' featuring Kool Keith and Tom Waits

2009-11-25T08:38:00.000-08:00

I'm Back

2009-11-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

Just back from an extended trip down under, managed a few hours in the sunshine listening to this, with a few Little Creatures.

Homecookin'#47 'It's Sunday...' by Homecookin on Mixcloud

Kool and the gang – This is you, this is me (Theo Parrish re-edit)

2009-10-13T07:49:00.001-07:00

MAKE IT FUNKY.......

Kool and the gang – This is you, this is me (Theo Parrish re-edit)

Kraftwerk: The Sitcom

2009-10-08T01:23:00.000-07:00

Just discovered in a Dusseldorf car boot sale is this rare pilot for the uncommissioned Kraftwerk sitcom, "Ralf and Florian".

Shame it never made it, as Ralf Hutter has great comic timing and could have been the next Alf Garnet.

Now That's What I Call Disco

2009-10-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

Greg Wilson, the master, captured in animated form for his legendary comeback gig at Electric Chair.

Saint Etienne 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' (Richard X Mix)

2009-10-07T13:11:00.001-07:00

This has been about for a bit, and I assumed it would be shit, (if it ain't broke)......,
But its fucking great- the summers not over yet....

Saint Etienne 'Only Love Can Break Your Heart' (2009 Extended Remix) �by� cmjct

My Music Has Always Had a Rock Element To It...

2009-10-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

As part of the recent resurgence in what has been termed cosmic disco, or disco not disco, has been a real convergence of some of the mellower synth led elements of soft rock, and more leftfield ‘disco’.

With Fleetwood Mac being a standard set staple at Lowlife and bass laden Compass Point productions showing up everywhere, it’s not a new trend.

Anyway, the sound is no better personified than the fabulous AOR Disco blog, who have put a little selection of tracks together for Disco Outcast here. Well worth checking out....

Raving 89 The Film

2009-10-07T01:22:00.001-07:00

PUMP IT UP SOME.....

Orbital Electro Mix

2009-08-18T09:03:00.000-07:00

To be honest, Chime and Belfast aside, I never really had much time for Orbital. However they are veterans of the scene and redeemed themselves a little bit by throwing down this classic electro mix on 6 Music a couple of weeks ago:

Download here:

PHIL HARTNOLL OLD SKOOL ELECTRO MIX

Shannon - Let The Music Play
Newcleus - Automan
Kid Frost - Rough Cut
Roxanne Shante - Bite This
Hashim - We're Rocking This Place
Imperial Brothers - We Come To Rock
Afrika Bambaatta - Planet Rock
RSW - The Phantom
Ryuichi Sakamoto - Riot In Lagos

Here's a robot:

Still Going........

2009-08-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

Still Going: Still Going Theme (With some dodgy visuals)

Aesthetics

2009-08-18T03:33:00.000-07:00

Crowhead

2009-08-11T05:23:00.001-07:00

Straight out of Bonafide....

Crowhead

Born With Teeth

ATIC

Out of Manchester on the ATIC label, Crowhead is the debut long player from the artist formerly known as DJ Woody, alumni of Grand Central Records-the discerning head nodders label of choice at the back end of the Nineties.

Having returned to his roots to work with fellow Grand City associate Aim, ‘Born with Teeth’ admirably captures the GC vibe of slick beats, liberal use of melody and guests from roaming US rapper.

Kicking off with an uplifting bass driven melodic vibe, that almost recalls the sun rising over the Hacienda at dawn, opening track‘ECM’ does a great job in harnessing the Manc roots of the team This record is far from a retro chill-out trip however as it soon heads straight into the clipped beats and expertly delivered rhymes of ‘The Bends’, boosted by Niko dropping his chromatic flow.

From there in its a real music lovers delight, with the instrumental ‘Until You’re Dead’ delivering an almost perfect blend of straight up beats, samples and horns of doom, treading the line carefully between the funkier end of breaks and indulgent beat nodding.

Referencing hip- hop so heavily in what is essentially a modern UK electronic album is a difficult juggling act in itself. However rather than deferring to the default ATCQ position of shuffling beats and jazz samples employed by those trying to distance themselves from the bling; Crowhead takes the road less travelled by throwing a hefty slice of genuine experimentation into the pot.

This cross genre approach is never better than penultimate track ‘Super 8 Bit Disco’, a fucked up Atari bleep disco joint that manages to cram a reference to everything radical about growing up in inner-city UK in to four and a half minutes..

Unless I’m proved very wrong (it happens) then Crowhead is never going to bother the charts, or scoop a MOBO, and maybe it’s all the better for it. Having the breathing space of being detached from scenes and scene-makers seems to have given Crowhead time to breathe. A solid album, from a solid team- catch the crow before it flies.

Toby Hemming

Down and Out with Toddla T

2009-08-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

Interview I did last week for Bonafide with Bassboy Toddla T.

With his mixture of gruff Yorkshire burr mixed with rude boy patois, on first hearing Sheffield boy wonder Toddla T, it’s easy to dismiss him as a Northern Westwood wannabee. But this 23 year old club kid from Sheffield has enjoyed a meteoric rise from underage backroom rave gopher to toast of the scene, strictly on the back of his unique take on a contemporary British genre-hopping dance pop sound.

With Toddla about to drop the latest mix on the reliably consistent Fabric live series, home to such unshakable legends such as Grooverider, Tayo and Bukem, its seems he has finally been handed the official seal of approval.

Speaking to him down the phone from Fabrics’ London offices, where he was unashamedly “checking out the leather sofas and the inside of the fridge, “ I spoke to the boy himself about his first high profile mix CD and the background that has made him threw name to drop this summer for leftfield dancefloor aficionados.

“I’m loving where I am man, I came to playing beats through listening to a lot of US rap music and reggae as a kid. We used to go to these little parties, nothing flash just a few speakers and a shit load of bass. That where I learnt what I’m doing now. It wasn’t till later that my man hooked me up with house and techno, but to me it’s all the same, all about moving the crowd innit?”

The Fabric mix is a testament to this streetwise attitude showcasing the breadth of his own productions mixed with the cream of the underground. The 21 track mix is also scattered with a magnificent selection of collaborations, including a liberal selection with ‘red hot right now’ grime poster boy Skream. “Yeah I’ve know Skream for a few years now, his sound is killing it, I’m well glad that boys got the props he deserves and I definitely going to be doing more with him in the future.”

Toddla’s trademark sound is a bass driven mash with a bit of grime and DnB thrown in for good measure, but it’s the West Indian influence that really holds the whole thing together. From Ragga chatting to the sonic textures of his own productions, his sound puts a focus on that key ingredient, the deep dirty bassline. “Its funny really because I think reggae gets overlooked when people talk about electronic music. There are some bat cuts out there that were way ahead of their times, loads of Jamaican producers were using synths and computers way before anyone else, so it aint anything special to me. If I’m spinning and I drop a ragga tune next to a grime or techno cut, as long as it works I aint bothered where it comes from .“

It’s this attitude and passion for his roots that makes Toddla stand out from the legions of his esoteric peers. There is certainly a different texture and flow to both is DJing and productions that marks him out from those schooled in the world of straight up 4/;4 music. Listen for example to Manabadman, his debut single featuring the voice of Serocee. Whilst it packs a heavy punch for the floor, the production style is reminiscent of a cyber version of rave pioneers Shut up and Dance, another crew who came to house music from sounds systems and eschewed traditional club music to plant the seeds for what became drum and bass.

Toddla’s style is definitely something else, and refreshingly future focussed, albeit with a healthy regard for the past. So what’s next for him, planned world domination perhaps? “I dunno man I’m just out there doing what I do, I’m lucky in that I’ve got the best job in the world playing my tunes and Im happy people pick up on it. I’ve just started my Radio 1 show, and with this mix dropping I’m pretty happy about where I am at the moment to be honest. “

Speaking to Toddla T is a refreshing insight into the possibilities today’s pick and grab culture could provide. Maybe through the democratisation of music, kids like Toddla may be able to fulfil the promise that acid house and punk failed to deliver. The idea of real genre crossing, picked from all the recorded music ever made is an exciting and very real possibility. For now he’s busy just starting the party. But if they carry on dreaming, its kids like this that might hold the key to the next big thing, and that’s something certainly worth watching out for.

Toby Hemming

What a Pair of Pins....

2009-07-29T08:53:00.001-07:00

Some heavy shit coming up, with a couple of reviews and an exclusive interview I have been working on. In the meantime you will have to get by with a video. Poor you as it doesnt get any fucking better than this....

Guru-Divine Rule

2009-07-13T02:40:00.000-07:00

Not sure if this is the best, or worst thing I have heard all year. Ex Gang Starr frontman, and arguably best MC ever, rapping over Ceronne's 'Supernature'
Judge for yourself......

2009-07-11T07:48:00.001-07:00

Larry Lavan LIve at the Paradise Garage (Early 80s)

BIG MAC's MUSIC

This pop up pocast player looks like SHIT- but if you can get it to work, the content is phenomenal. Rare as shit recording of Larry Levan from the Garage, early 1980's. Enjoy....

Music Friday- Best Joy Division Cover Ever ?

2009-07-10T01:52:00.001-07:00

Thanks to @holymoly for pointing this out.....

Incoming:BONAFIDE Magazine

2009-07-08T08:14:00.000-07:00

Of recent there has been a definite lack of cool places to find quality beatbased journalism, either on the web or in print. With the likes of Hip Hop Connection, Jockey Slut and even The FACE, going to the wall, all thats left are mainstream musical publications either boring themselves to death with 'Classic Rock' or revving up the trancepowered lightsticks.

Step up Bonafide, which not only hosts some of the best words around, as importantly it looks fantastic and doesnt take itself too seriously (oh yeah, and they published this)

Check out the website here, and then SPEND SOME MONEY TO BUY A COPY.

It's Great When Your Straight

2009-06-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

All this sunshine puts me in a real Balearic mood, so whilst I pad off in my espadrilles for another cold San Miguel, I'll share this mix from a young DJ by the name of Phillip Harvey. Check him out ont Facebook here. Contradicting my earlier thoughts on Indie, this is a little different to my usual fodder.

The original spirit of Balearic encompased dance, pop, hip hop rock and all points in beween, so I thought this excellent mix was a fitting tribute.

Over to Philip Harvey for the intro whilst I pull up a sun lounger.....

"So here's the latest effort. It's called 'The Ind-iza Sunset Terrace Mix' and as the title suggests, was inspired by an open roofed Ibizan terrace (but using indie artists as opposed to dance).

It's been a while in the making. 73 minutes, 38 tracks and 30 years of music. There were endless hours of editing, chopping, looping and tempo-anchoring of tunes. And that's before mixing them together. Then it was quite a task seeing what worked and what didn't, taking tunes out and adding new ones until I was satisfied the remit had been answered.

It's something of a concept mix. The idea is that it's for an Ibizan terrace as the sun is going down. Except only using indie artists (with a couple of exceptions). So picking the playlist was incredibly difficult as I was trying to create a very specific atmosphere. And there isn't really indie music out there made with this kind of atmosphere in mind. It had to be stuff you could dance to but not party music, epic and optimistic but melancholy at the same time.

Download it here:

Tracklist;
• Intro
- Placebo 'Passive Agressive' (Brothers In Rhythm Remix)
- TV On the Radio 'Staring at the Sun'
- Zoot Woman 'Saturation'
• M83 'Couleurs'
- (The Killers 'When You Were Young' (Acapella))
• Animal Collective 'My Girls'
- (Animal Collective 'My Girls' (Gigamesh Proper House Remix))
• Simple Minds 'Theme for Great Cities'
- (Hard-Fi 'Hard to Beat' (Axwell Mix))
• MGMT 'Kids'
• Talking Heads 'Once In a Lifetime' (Funk Fusion Remix)
• Friendly Fires 'Skeleton Boy' (Air France Remix)
• VHS Or Beta 'Alive'
• Vampire Weekend 'The Kids Don't Stand a Chance (Chromeo Remix)
- (The Holloways 'Generator')
• Planet Funk 'Chase the Sun'
• Cut Copy 'Out There On the Ice'
• The Whip 'Sister Siam'
• Roxy Music 'Angel Eyes' (Extended Mix)
• Kings of Leon 'Be Somebody'
• Mystery Jets 'Half In Love With Elizabeth' (Delorean Remix)
• Arcade Fire 'No Cars Go'
• Peter, Bjorn & John 'Young Folks' feat. Victoria Bergsman
• Peter, Bjorn & John 'Young Folks' feat. Victoria Bergsman (Cousin Cole)
• New Young Pony Club 'The Bomb (Kaos Disco Bomb Extended Dub)
- (Foals 'Like Swimming')
- (Peter, Bjorn & John 'Young Folks' feat. Victoria Bergsman (Punks Jump Up Mix
• Foals 'Olympic Airways'
• Bloc Party 'I Still Remember'
• Morrissey 'Suedehead'
• Joy Division 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'
• Joy Division 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' (Arthur Baker Remix)
• M83 'We Own the Sky'
- (Man Like Me 'London Town' (Doorly's Cockney Wideboy Remix))
• Spiritualized vs the Beach Boys 'Wouldn't It Be Ecstasy'
• Jack Peñate 'Tonight's Today' (Extended Mix)
• Doves 'There Goes the Fear' (U.N.K.L.E. Remix)
• DJ Shadow 'Blood On the Motorway'
- (Snow Patrol 'Shut Your Eyes'

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T00:25:00.000-07:00

So Michael Jackson is gone. I’ve seen plenty of comment about this, some positive some down right stupid. However whatever you say, Jackson changed the face of popular music beyond recognition. Quite aside from practically inventing the music video genre, breaking MTV and propping up Motown, Jackson alongside Quincy Jones moved black music into the heart of pop, creating a legacy that undermines all but the blandest, whitest of today’s music. Before Thriller, there was soul, funk, and disco and then there was every other type of music, including pop. By exhibiting a healthy disregard for genre, Jackson quite literally defined his music as what was to be known as pop, a decision that resonates with almost everything of any note since.
Easily as influential as the Beatles, Velvets or any other rock ‘n roll band, Jackson the man may have been a questionable proposition, but his music lives on….

Download:

Michael Jackson Tribute Mix by DJ Premier

DJ Vadim_ U Can’t Lurn Imaginashun

2009-06-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

DJ Vadim first entered the consciousness through the Ninja Tunes camp and a definite association with trip hop, a genre so steeped in the nineties I last saw it down the Blue note sporting Carharrt jeans and Nike Huaraches.

Judging by the press release, time has not been kind to Vadim, encountering as he has a string of personal misadventures, including mass bereavement and ocular melanoma (eye cancer). Musically, however this purple patch seems to have invigorated the artist formerly known as Russia favourite cut n paste hero (probably)

Whilst being rather unsure of it role, this album showcases admirably Vadim exemplary production skills, and love for the bass driven end of black music in all its forms.

Schizophrenically switching styles from roots reggae to straight up breaks, via clipped hip hop and soul, the album meanders ingeniously but tastefully across a myriad of musical styles.

Opening with the laidback guitar led ‘Soldier’, lets the album down as the righteous roots vibe recalls a dozen student gaffs thick with the smell of cheap draw. The album soon moves into darker territory with the Kraftwerk meets Jammy’s uptown vibe of ‘Imaginashun’ (and yes this IS a good thing.) Digital dub as genre is about as fashionable as Piers Morgan, but Vadim carries it well, keeping tight to the groove with falling off into noodling territory.

Things get interesting again later on with the instrumental goodness of ‘Game tight’ beautifully sampling ‘Nadia’s Theme’ also used by a certain Miss J Blige, and the bouncy soulful closing jam ‘Hidden Treasure’, what’s known as a ‘banger’ and definitely the highlight of the record.

A few dodgy vocal performances aside, this is a real summer party record, Vadim has managed to throw off the clichés of his past and overcome his personal demons to create, not quite a masterpiece, but certainly a worthy record. Worth Checking.

Pop Art ?

2009-06-17T00:18:00.000-07:00

Just cant fault this, came across these superb classic albums as Pelican books on Flickr

Anybody with a love for classic nineties albums and cheap paperback (isn't that everyone?) should take a look.

Ze30: ZE Records 1979-2009

2009-06-16T05:02:00.000-07:00

Disco, it seems is no longer the dirty word it was. Once the nemisis of the mass of mainstream punters hardwired by the hideous rewriting of the seventies that pushed the image of tacky suburban nightclubs and cheap polyester suits, to those who had evolved a groove, disco has always been another slightly truncated form of funk and soul. Indeed to the house music generation, in a way it embodies a more authentic view of four to the floor hedonism.

To some this was always the case, and to two New York immigrants, one the son of a wealthy British retail dynasty (Mothercare no less!) the other a transient French punk rocker, Disco was just another party of a party mix, part of a collage of sounds that sounded great at two o’clock in a steamy basement club. It was these two guys, Michael Zilkha and Michel Esteban who in 1977 created ZE records, a seminal New York ‘No Wave’ label that mixed the stripped down experimental bassline disco being championed by the likes of Larry Levan at The Paradise Garage, with the spiky indigenous punk being created in the wake of the Ramones and New York Dolls.

More that just a record label, ZE came to embody the spirit of the anything as long as you can dance to it, musical policy of NY clubs like The Roxy where the ice cold minimalism of Kraftwerk, could be heard next to bad ass funk from James Brown mixed in with the jerky rock n roll of Talking Heads. And it was this mix and match attitude tied together with a funky bassline, that steered ZE to become the influential downtown label of the late 70’s early 80’s.

Soon the label boasted an impressive roster of the cream of the twisted underground signing up such new talent as James White and the Blacks, Was (Not Was), Kid Creole and the Coconuts, alongside more established performers including John Cale and Suicide.

ZE 30 is a timely release from reissue label par excellence Strut that collates some of the finer, funkier and frankly weirder moments from the labels history. The 14 track selection stretches from to good times dancefloor classic ‘Tell Me That I’m Dreaming’ from Was not Was, to Avant-garde industrial experimentation from Suicide with ‘Dream Baby Dream.’

It’s easy with these label perspectives, to be willfully obscure in order to gain some uber-hip upper hand, but Strut tread a fine line here of showcasing the astonishing breadth of material on the album with some genuine floor fillers. The aforementioned Paradise garage sound is represented by Larry Levan weighing with his stripped back druggy mix of Kid Creoles demolition of Caribbean politics, characterized by a rush of syncopated handclaps, whilst the more white boy punk sound can be heard in Alan Vegas willfully obscure techno rockabilly ‘Juke Box Baby’

The slickly marketed music industry of the last two decades has been quick to compartmentalize and pigeonholes sounds and scenes to create highly lucrative ‘units’ meanwhile missing the point of the soul of pop, a soul based on crossover and masterful accidents. Its only with the democratization of content bought about by the internet that things are starting to change,, and its into this musical palette that the far out low down sounds of ZE nestle nicely.

Slave to the Rhythm

2009-05-27T03:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the very brilliant Island 50 showcase gig at the Shepherds Bush Empire. Celebrating 50 years of Chris Blackwell's hugelly influentual label, the line up featured August Darnell aka Kid Creole, Sly and Robbie with The Compass Point All Stars and of course the original diva Grace Jones.

Sometimes these industry events tend to be full of back slapping smugness, but this was a real party with extra sub bass to match. Grace Jones is a faultless performer, unwilling to acknowledge the freak show nature of her image, instead relying on a truly electriying persona matched with titanic vocals.

Thanks to @allgigs for the tickets, follow them on twitter.

Way in Mi Brain

2009-05-20T03:56:00.000-07:00

Reading the Mighty FACT magazines twenty best Ragga post last week, I was interested in the omission of the classic 'Sleng Teng' rhythm.

Reggae music is often overlooked in the official history of electronic music, but along with the not inconsiderable gifts of DJ Culture, soundsystems, dub, MC's and raves, the creation of Sleng Teng was a significant moment in the spread of electronic production techniques and values.

Created on a vintage Casio Beatbox by Wayne Smith and Tony Asher in 1985, the rhythm built around an old Eddie Cochrane riff, underpinned the first digital reggae release.

The rock 'n' roll rhythm on the Casio was slowed down and rebuilt by Asher at Jammy's St Lucia Road studio, and launched on an unsuspecting world at the historic sound clash between Jammy's and Black Scorpio at Waltham Park Road on February 23, 1985.

Many blame Sleng Teng for unleashing the cacophony of slackness and gunshot that became Ragga, but that aside its a great bassline tune, and surefire party starter.

All you ravers might reciognise Sleng Teng as it turned up later as the key sample n SL2’s rave blockbuster ‘Way in My Brain’

I'LL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THIS WORD......

2009-05-19T00:46:00.001-07:00

Slack on lack of content, watch this space.....

Greg Wilson: The Don

2009-04-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

Hot off the press, brand new Greg Wilson mix from Feel Up

On a slo-mo, late night tip not too dissimilar to the recent Resident Advisor mix. No track listing, but you know that quality is never an issue..

Acres been written about GW, so you not going to retread old ground here; basically if you don’t know already you could look here, or here.

Sleazy.....

2009-03-26T02:08:00.000-07:00

Just to add a bit of balance, not all rock music is shit.

In 1978 the Rolling Stones enlisted disco producer du-jour Bob Clearmountain ( who later went on to commit the ultimate musical offence by engineering Bryan Adams Everything I Do)to remix this track from the album 'Some Girls. Giving them them their eighth number one in the US, it also facilitated the revitalisation of the band in the eyes of the rock critics and helped them regain the 'influential' status that had eluded them on their previous two albums. Mick was in the middle of a divorce from Bianca and in the midst of a blooming romance with Jerry Hall when this was song was written, which led to much media speculation about which one of the Jagger women it was penned for.

Pout your lips, spank your ass and go "oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh oooh".

Stuck in The Middle with Poo

2009-03-18T10:20:00.000-07:00

Chances are, that if you are one of the 3567 (and rising) people who have ever logged into this page to look and wonder at the delightful prose and disorientating flashing pictures, you probably have at least some grasp of musical universe outside of local radio or The Daily Stars revered Playlist Column.

Chances are you may even be one of the enlightened few who are happy to admit you are hip to new or even experimental sounds, maybe a bit of Brazilian dubstep or African electronica and the associated sounds they may have introduced you to? I’m guessing (and ultimately hoping) however that you don’t fit into the depressingly narrow and restrictive group of people who term themselves ‘rock’ fans, looking for ‘authenticity’ and a love of ‘real people, singing real songs’

This outlook has been prevalent from the birth of pop music, essentially as a method of favouring the mediocre over the dangerous. A brilliant whitewashing of the sex, violence and fun prevalent in funk, soul and dance music in favour of its easily accessible and successfully marketable drive time hell.

And this is how we come to the impasse that fails to bring the music industry to its knees today. Forget pirate bay or YouTube, the reason the big four companies are in dire straits is they are in contempt of their target market, namely the ‘kids’. The music business as we know it was born of the back of the birth of a young subculture in the sixties, artist albums dominated, and the template was set in stone from there on. Whilst marginal labels like Motown were allowed to exist simultaneously whilst they churned out the hits, they were never considered as serious, and therefore not assimilated until the numbers proved it was embarrassing not to.

The eighties saw the rise of the dull adult rock peddled by like likes of Dire Straits and U2, and anything of a vaguely ‘coloured’ nature was only allowed if it fitted into these parameters, (see Michael Jackson etc.) Acid house may have shaken youth culture but the record companies soon and very cleverly marketed the bedroom labels with endless cash in comps or just bought them out wholesale. This is where we end up, with the cultural black hole of the kooks, Kaiser Chiefs and Shouting for Fucking Girls. A world where Duffy is embraced because “her music could have been made any time in the last twenty years”, and that is seen as a good thing….

So why care? Because rockism is pervasive and everything culturally is viewed through this monocle of mediocrity and half-cut power ballad. Rockist journalists peddle the “no personalities or opinions” of dance music or the gaudy materialism of black music or flippancy of pop as a catch all rejection,. It’s got to be U2 or Led Zep, everything else is contemptible.

This rockist attitude shows a lack of passion and no real enthusiasm for anything other than a dirge. Some lacklustre criticism from rockist journalists has landed on “landfill indie” as the cancer eating our souls, but that lets too many off the hook. We all know that every time Duffy appears on a magazine cover a small child dies.

Because Its Friday

2009-03-13T03:46:00.000-07:00

Giant Paper Robot Fight

2009-03-06T06:10:00.001-08:00

Lets face it...WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED ???????

Giant Paper Robot Fight - Shin Tanaka Contest from elemental on Vimeo.

Classic Breaks

2009-03-04T02:21:00.001-08:00

Found this great site called Embedr, which allows you to create bespoke video playlists. Messing about with it I came up with this totally non definitive list of classic breaks, and yes I know 'Take me to The Mardi Gras' isnt there, alongside a whole lot of others..... But its just an experiment OK ??
Watch this space as I amateurly try to match the breaks with classic hip hop 'joints'.....

Soul II Soul vs Wild Bunch: Test Pressing

2009-02-26T05:22:00.000-08:00

Head over to the excellent Test Pressing for a wicked live clash from NYE 1987 featuring heavyweight selectors Soul II Soul vs. The Wild Bunch (featuring the original line up of Massive Attack) Old School Soundlash Bristol/Camden style recorded live.

There was a Wild Bunch CD out a few years ago mixed by DJ Milo that was a pretty straighforward heavy weight disco, hip hop, reggae selection which is also the business.

Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore

2009-02-24T03:53:00.000-08:00

Have a look at this- I cant embed it but its a great little film.

"Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore uses found and original footage of discos and raves across Britain during the 70s, 80s and 90s. Details of clothing, technology, music and other cultural references surface briefly like uncanny folklore as the film explores a culture of collective leisure and consumption"

http://www.ubu.com/film/leckey_hardcore.html

Get It On -Josef Fritzl Goes Disco

2009-02-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

Nice Picture- Shit Record

2009-02-12T01:03:00.000-08:00

Half an hour of my time I will never get back, review for 3 Bar Fire....

Rasmus Faber-Where We Belong

Farplane

Somewhere in the deepest bowels of Hades lies a “nitetclub”, little known to all but the most cretinous of sinners.

In one room the entertainment is provided by the worst remains of indie trust fund rockers, pumping out insipid guitar anthems to moronic middle aged sinners; the other rooms bounces to the sound of ‘funky house’, and it is here that Rasmus Faber plays on rotation, for eternity……

A turbulent mix of ‘dance music’ and R&B, funky house manages to strip the only worthwhile elements of both genres and distil them down to a base torridness of plodding beats and detached vocal clichés.

Rasmus Faber has seeming picked up this baton, turning his attentions to creating “Where We Belong” an over polished, under nourished collection of vacuous funky dance pop.

It’s difficult to pick out highlights, as a succession of female vocalists implore you to ‘get down’, and ‘get with it’ in tones so detached they appear to be singing through from inside a locked bank vault.

Meanwhile on another continent Mr Faber pumps the identi house grooves, occasionally flecked with Latin percussion or over filtered pianos for that ‘authentic’ vibe.

These ‘tunes’ are destined to turn up on a double pack mixed CD adored with scantily clad females, or pumped through inadequate sound systems in suburban wine bars for perpetuity.

File next to the smell of burning flesh.

Toby Hemming

You know the score.....

2009-02-03T04:37:00.000-08:00

After flicking through the superb cartoontastic Suburban Base cover art yesterday, I also came across a new (ish) post on music critic Simon Reynolds blissblog. Reynolds is participating in an event called The Hardcore Continuum, linking to a selection of his writings in uber music geek magazine Wire.

Reynolds is one of the only writers to discuss the idea of a UK hardcore heritage, most famously though his book Energy Flash, where he argues a case of UK rave and hardcore music as a genuine artistic subculture. In the process Reynolds intellectualises it with a critique that draws as much upon academic critical theory as rude boy ramblings.

The articles are great, and its bloody good to see a considered approach taken to music that doesn’t traditionally fit into the four white boys playing the blues school of rock journalism.

However there is a stage where it’s tempting to criticise Reynolds as slightly missing the point. Talking about The Aesthetic of Disappearance, in relation to a home grown youth culture does go someway to legitimising the backroom knob twiddling of the network of misspent youths who made it happen. However, the music has existed and evolved precisely because of its lack of media spotlight and legitimisation.

At what stage does a critic like Reynolds become the cultural big game hunter, on safari in the badlands of the jungle?

DAVE NODZ- SubBase

2009-02-02T05:18:00.000-08:00

Check out the superb Woebot blog for an online exhibition of cover art from 90's hardcore/jungle pioneers Suburban Base. Apart from being visually stunning, the art captures a real moment in time, and sums up the tunes inside perfectly. Its blindingly obvious now to spot the hip hop and cartoon infulences in both Dave Nodz cover art and the rolling ragga and beats influenced scene. However at the time the whole thing was a big infulential Fuck Off to the tastemakers who ruled clubland with a Gaultier clad iron fist..

Tomorrows World

2009-01-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

Who's trying to tell me that the 70's had no style.......??

Clip from the futureproof Tomorrow's World.

M.M.M.M.Mantronix.....

2009-01-23T03:12:00.000-08:00

Digging in the crates, well the cardboard box under the stairs this morning, looking for something to play in the car on a dark rainy morning I came across this.

Always loved a bit of Mantronix and this album in terms of energy and production detail is a blinder. Innovator, legend etc. are big shouts but Kurtis Mantronix is one of the few people to genuinely alter the path of electronic music.

Schooled in old school hip hop and electro from the school of Arthur Baker and Marley Marl, Mantronix pushed it as far as they could; combining peerless studio production techniques with the traditional electronic sounds of YMO, Kraftwerk and Neu and most tellingly the sonic sculptures of dub reggae. In fact Kurtis has a Jamaican /Canadian heritage, and it’s the simplicity and space in his sound that echoes the rhythmic mastery of dub that sets his work apart.

At the back end of the eighties Mantronix dropper rapper Mc Tee and embarked on a more club friendly direction, releasing proto swingbeat classic, “Got To Have Your Love” . It appears the trail soon went dead as he hung up his slipmats and drifted into obscurity before being rediscovered by London Soul Jazz collective in the 21st Century.

Here’s one of Kurtis el Khaleel aka Kurtis Mantronix’s finest moments:

Mantronix: Who is it? (Dub)

Acid Man

2009-01-22T04:31:00.000-08:00

As I havent written any reviews in ages (boooo), thought I would higlight this excellent article I came across in FACT Magazine- essential reading for disco head nodders

It comes from the fantastic German Best Before Disco fanzine. I don't neccesarily agree with the idea that acid house is 'funkier' than disco- but its bloody welll written, so worth a look.

Disco vs Acid House - Tuesday, 20 January 2009

To me, disco music becomes interesting by the late '70s when producers started to tear down disco's "wall of sound" and got rid of all those sickening orchestral sections, mostly made up of string and horn compositions. Not only the reduction to the bare musical essentials, but also the concept of automatization was necessary to help disco become fresher.

Back in 1975, during the production of Donna Summer's 'Love To Love You Baby', Giorgio Moroder advised his drummer Keith Forseth to play the drums in perfect sync with a Wurlitzer Sideman - the first commercially available electronic drum-machine, which was made in 1959. While the rather crappy Sideman sounds (created from vacuum tubes!) were not used in the song, Moroder's approach was clear: to seek for funk in a dry, steady machine-like beat. The bass drum was recorded very loud and with a distinct punch and although the track runs on only 96 bpm (a term that came up in the disco era btw.) it might mark the beginning of a new technique that soon became essential for dance music production.

While house music adopted disco's 4-to-the-floor rhythm structure and thus created an apparent connection, the sound aesthetics slowly became more abstract and futuristic. A Ron Hardy Warehouse mix from the mid-'80s is loaded with edits of cheesy, ornamental Disco tracks, suddenly cut through by minimal pumping House rhythms that sound like they slipped in from a wormhole. One wonders why wunderkind DJ Ron Hardy hadn't just dismissed Disco completely after house music was born. From the view of a DJ or dance music producer, the focus on pure rhythm rather than on opulent orchestration should be a logical consequence.

However, the advent of programmable drum machines like the gritty sample-based Linn LM-1 and the Roland TR-808 and 909, with their archetypical pounding bassdrum circuitry provided the necessary equipment to make the crowd "jack". Soon, rhythmical paradigms were broken up and snares and handclaps were put all over the place while never loosing their quantized tightness.

I feel that acid house finally liberated dance music from individual-related live music and erased the reference to disco music as far as possible. With acid, atonality found its way into house and the snatchy rhythms coupled with the staccatos and portamentos of the 303 are a perfect match. I wouldn't argue that Acid House is more intelligent than disco - it might even be more stupid - but it's surely closer to catharsis and much more funky!

Suggested Listening

Chip E. - 'Time to Jack' (Gotta Dance Records, 1985) [above]
Hercules - '7 Ways' (Dance Mania, 1986)
Mr. Lee - 'House This House' (Trax Records, 1987)
Tyree - 'Acid Crash' (Rockin House Music, 1988)
Gherkin Jerks - 'Acid Ingestion' (Gherkin Records, 1988)
Armando - '151' (Warehouse Records, 1988)
Mike Dunn - 'Magic Feet' (Westbrook Records, 1988)
Two Of A Kind - 'Acid Bitch' (West Madison Records, 1988)
Fast Eddie - 'Acid Thunder' (DJ International, 1988)
Spanky - 'Acid Bass' (Trax Records, 1989)

Roglok [dsico-fanzine.com]

OBAMARAMA

2009-01-09T04:14:00.000-08:00

Everybody else has something to say about the president of another country getting sworn in, why not here as well....?

Too True

2009-01-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/2008/11/18/116-black-music-that-black-people-dont-listen-to-anymore/

Steinski - What Does It All Mean ?

2008-10-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Steinski

What Does it all Mean?

Illegal Art

Old School hip hop, three stripes, gold chains and big ass ghetto blasters eh?

That’s how it’s been written, and the guns and bling philosophy of modern rap, certainly has its feet carefully planted in reality, as hip hop remains the music of the streets. But the incubation of rapping over a beat came at fascinating time in the late seventies New York, where art was king and the idea of crossover was rampant.

So instead of the closed mentality of ‘keeping it real’ you saw boys from the Bronx rapping over uptown disco music (Rappers Delight) or icy Teutonic electro (Planet Rock). This melting pot of high end nightlife and bloc party grit also saw some unlikely individuals taking a prime role in creating what was to become an all conquering musical monolith.

One of these characters was Chris Stein, a self styled ‘nerdy white advertising geek’, who along with his partner in crime Double Dee (Douglas DiFranco) entered a Tommy Boy records competition to remix ‘Play that Beat Mr D’J by NY rappers Globe and Wiz kid. Instead of adding a new bassline or cutting up the vocal, the pair deconstructed the entire song meticulously splicing together clips of popular hits and sound bytes sourced from popular TV shows and adverts.

In today’s post –modern sampling world, it’s not that revolutionary to stick together your favourite bits of something else to create a new entity. But these were the fledgling days of sampling, and the agility and style with the duo approached the project created the now legendary Lessons One. Of course they won the competition and went on to create Lessons Two and Three, before Steinski chose to go alone, creating denser and more adventurous works as the decade progressed.

Of course the problem with nicking other peoples sounds is that they are unwilling to let you put it out under your own name. So for yours Steinski’s rocking dancefloor masterpieces existed only on white label bootlegs and dusty tapes recorded from the radio.

This release package goes some ways to restoring the legacy of those sessions, a beautifully complied Double CD and accompanying booklet, ‘What does it All Mean’ contains not only the original ‘Lessons’ series, but other seminal works such as the JFK assassination track’ The Motorcade Sped on’. Disk two brings things (almost) up to date with a full length mix recorded for Coldcuts legendary Solid Steel show.

Many works of art are deigned masterpieces, but in the canon of modern music, the tracks contained here certainly out punch their weight in terms of influence. Not merely abstract works of art, Steinski also had his finger on the groove, and its safe to say fathered a musical legacy from Public Enemy, through to DJ Shadow, The Chemical Brothers and most recently 2002’s mash-up craze. Pure gold dancefloor history- ignore at your peril.

2008-10-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

KIDKANEVIL

Back Off Man Im a Scientist

First World Records

Nor often a record of this nature takes you by surprise. From the (admittedly artful) eastern inspired cover, to the press release bigging up a ‘Sonic visionary,’ sometimes you think you know what to expect. In this case, derivative UK hip hop with a ‘nice’ bunch of guest contributors and the lifespan of a suicidal fruit fly.

The shock of the reality however told a different story. Many producers try to create a fusion sound, seen as somehow more worthy than taking one idea and banging away at it until you get it right, the idea of ‘fusion’ has thrown up some less than tasteful delights such as techno folk, or rap metal.

This taste for mixing it up has seen Kidkanevil is billed as the DJ shadow of Yorkshire. But in reality he’s more than that. Where Shadow beatmines dusty grooves to create never ending authenticity, Kidkanevil does what so many producer strive for- sonically name checking his favourite sounds to create something that creates more than the sum of its parts.

The album kicks off with tasteful but raw, funk-soul anthem ‘Stomp’, featuring the dulcet tones of Justin Perceval, before seamlessly moving to unexpected take on YMO’s B-Boy anthem ‘Computer Games’, as cut up by the original block party DJ’s.

The rest of the album struts along in exemplary style; ‘Yuki's Hometown Hi-fi’ adds a downtown reggae skank to the proceedings; whilst the unlikely appearance of Germany’s number one MC (a highly contested battle!) on ‘Black Bug’ adds the icing to the cake.

Killer here though, is closer ‘Ketto Revisited’, produced in association with Ninja Tunes stalwart Bonobo. Remaining enough integrity and soul within its measured beats and soundscapes to convince, even for a minute, that the world needs another addition to that most unfashionable of genres ‘chill out’

Even if ‘Back Off’ manages to slip under the radar of most of the record buying public, Kidkanevil should be proud. When UK popular music wallows in its own mess, its artists such as this that provide a fleeting snapshot of the reality of 21st century Britain.

Rex the Dog. The Rex the Dog Show

2008-08-28T02:46:00.000-07:00

Here we go pop pickers, another 3 Bar Fire review.....

Rex the Dog

Rex the Dog Show

Hundehaus Records

Electro Pop

Pop and rave, are two musical genres that have managed to be stretched so far from their roots by commercialisation that they now stand together as inbred parodies of their former glories. Pop music has moved a million miles from its classical sense of ‘popular’ acquiring a manufactured vacuous tarnish en route, whilst rave remains relevant only to pubescent youth in market towns.

Despite these obvious handicaps, Rex the Dog has managed to create a simmering mix of these maligned genres to create perhaps the best pop rave album of the decade.

Rex the Dog, is rumoured to be an alias for many things, some say an uber cool lowlands techno showman, others claim the dog is actually none other than ‘JX’ of less cool nineties chart bothering ‘Son of a Gun’ fame.

It’s a difficult (and unfashionable) feat in dance music to add fun and emotion to the beat, but thankfully the demise of dull, pitch perfect progressive beat mixing has seen a real return to partying and occasional sightings of the mysterious ‘acid house vibe’; alongside actual smiles on the dancefloor.

The Rex the Dog show takes no prisoners it its unrelenting techno ambitions, this is certainly not cartoon pop showmanship. Instead tracks such as ‘Bubbilicious’ hit exactly the right note as a bumping bass trades blows with a insistent synthetic melody that favours both feet and head. Club banger ‘Circulate’ uses similar tricks to create a genuine groover filled with warmth and passion, fired along by the power of analogue keyboards and clicking percussion.

Its not all banging beats however as the inclusion of a remix of the Knives ‘Heartbeats’ (think Sony Bravia), offers melancholic excursion into techno folk adding more melody for your money to the bouncing beats.

Despite his potentially dubious background Rex the Dog has unleashed a real treat here. Lovers of quirky electronic pop and sweaty basement clubbers alike can unite to fight the acid house wars together for the first time since the halcyon days of the KLF

Rex the Dog Mash Up Goldfrapp

X-Press 2 - Raise Your Hands: The Greatest Hits

2008-07-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Another commission for Three Bar Fire

The idea of a real dance music long player, rather than a concept album or an exploration of influences (some tiresome jazz noodling or ethno hip hop for example) has always been a bit of an anomaly. Surely the whole point of a sweaty rave anthem is in its impact on the dance floor, not at home on the family stereo? X-press 2 clearly think its time to unleash the greatest bits of their back catalogue on the world, and it’s the tracks that sound like accidents in music making rather than dance floor ‘bombs’ that really make the grade.

A classic collaboration, once known as a ‘collective’ between longstanding Balearic scenster DJ’s Rock, Diesel and outstanding black music nerd, Ashley Beedle, Xpress 2 first made a splash in the early nineties. Clubland then was in the midst of a post rave adolescence, and the vogue was for tribal New York inspired club tracks such as ‘London Xpress’, ‘Smoke Machine’ and ‘Muzik Xpress’… which are all included here. Much as these particular tunes are competent examples of big room tribal house groovers, they are not great. As Stevie said, “Just because a records got a groove, doesn’t mean it’s in the groove” and the test of time hasn’t treated the thumping beats and derivative drum rolls particularly favourably.

X-press 2 however resurfaced around about the turn of the millennium, and having dropped the badges of house credibility that plagued their earlier efforts (and possibly laid off the accompanying recreational accompaniments), they took a new direction recruiting a selection of guest vocalists and returning to their Balearic roots.It’s these tunes that really make the album, from the David Byrne collaboration ‘Lazy’, (prob the best slackers anthem since Happy Mondays sung about Lazyitis); through to ‘Kill 100’, (featuring Rob Harvey from The Music), a downbeat electronic-Goth monster referencing classic Underworld tech rock stomp.

The highlight of this whole record however is ‘Give It’ a classic atmospheric slow burning piano groove voiced by Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner; a real highlight that points to what could have been with the talent on offer here.‘Raise Your Hands’ is a good album. Though not a great one… and its certainly nowhere near the dance floor legacy it hopes to be. This Greatest Hits collection exists as less than a sum of its parts; ideal if you’re reliving your misspent youth, but otherwise its a disco strut that just falls a bit flat...

FANIA REMIXED

2008-06-17T05:37:00.000-07:00

Reviewed for 'Notion Magazine' should be out in July/Aug- Fantasic compilation of Barrio salsa, latin, disco and funk.Compliation released on June 30th, well worth searching out.....

Saona (Peterson and Sinbad Remix) Nora Morales

O Elefante (SSH Remix By PhilipCohan (Gotan) and Haaksman) Ray Baretto

I Like It Like That

Fania Remixed

Mr Bongo

If the devil does indeed have all the best records ; it may be fair to say he spent a considerable amount of time hanging about the inner city barrios of New York City in the 60’s and 70’s .
And if Lucifer was getting’ down at this time, chances are it was to the soundtrack of Fania records, the legendary purveyors of the Latin sound that grew up in the steamy backstreets of the big apple.

Salsa and Latin music, like so many great movements before and since evolved as in a cultural and musical melting pot. In this case as immigrant musicians, from Latin America and The Caribbean, arriving in New York mixed their native styles with the nascent funk, rock and roll and soul scenes springing up in Harlem and Greenwich Village.

Fania is the legendary label that grew up from this spectacular street tough party sound and after years of neglect has been bought back to life with this comprehensive collection of original jams and contemporary remixes. Not to be confused with endless comps of chin stroking obscurity, or insipid acid jazz style noodling, this album is the real deal; a double pack of incendiary party starting funkiness with added conga lines.

The first CD takes the cream of Fania’s catalogue and throws it open to an eclectic bunch of remixers and re editors. Lifelong Latin obsessive Louis Vega turns in a sterling reworking of ‘Mi Gente’ by Hector Lavoe, a deep down and dirty bass and brass jam with a sweet as sugar vocal. 4 Hero turn in a gorgeous and unexpectedly down tempo version of I Didn’t Want to Have To Do It by Ralfi Pagan, worth the cover price for this alone, it’s a sublime slow burner maybe their best work since their mid nineties peak. Elsewhere Ashley Beadle does his familiar but exemplary disco house thang on ‘Feel like Making Love’ by Ricardo Marrerro, providing a dubbed out groover for the discerning dance floor.

However good these reworking are however, slip on disc 2 for the originals, and they feel a little unnecessary. What’s to be said about this collection of dirty, sexy party tunes? The original recording, here all remastered especially for this release ooze authenticity and class whilst never dropping the groove. This is genuine good time music, played and sang with more emotion and exuberance than most so of the endless flow of beat music that gets churned out today.

Tracks like ‘Happy Soul with a Hook’ (the title says it all) by Dave Cortez could surely make even the most degenerate and sour faced Coldplay fan get up and shake their arse. Standout highlights include the good time call and response opener ‘I Like it Like That’ by Peter Rodriguez (everyone’s favourite summer time jam they haven’t heard yet); and the thundering percussion driven groove of Tito Puente’s ‘Watru Wasuri’
So if the devil does have the best tunes like these, I’m throwing away my bible and crossing over to the dark side. This is not only a great feel good album to soundtrack your summer, it’s a fantastic insight into a sadly overlooked genre of music boasting highlights as persuasive and addictive as most of the so called classics.

Sound of The Summertime -Herb Alpert Rotation/Rise

2008-06-10T07:59:00.000-07:00

The sun is shining in England- it doesnt happen often so lets take this opportunity to get down.

I'm particularly loving the bad wedding dancing at about 4.30 minutes, Ill let them off because of the bongo solo though....

Daedelus - Love To Make Music To

2008-06-10T06:28:00.000-07:00

Reviewed this for Three Bar Fire again. Take a look and have a listen, its the business.

Daedelus- Love To Make Music To (Ninja Tune)

Daedelus aka Alfred Darlington has been dropping hip-hop flavoured electronic bombs seemingly from the dawn of time, boasting nine albums and a score of EPs to his name. Released on Ninja Tune, this latest offering is billed as a imaginary story which begins during the 1894 Chicago World’s Fair and concludes a hundred years later.

There’s a danger of classing every Ninja release as significant; more often than not however their intrepid brand of fearless experimentation throws up obscurity rather than a stone cold classic. ‘Love To Make Music To’ (clever eh?) is a real revelation though; a melting pot of soul, funk, break beat , electro and dirty rave music assembled with the skill of any classic hip hop cut ‘n’ paste merchant.

Darlington himself cuts an interesting character too, a mid American versed in the culture of underground hip hop production (who rocks Edwardian garms at every opportunity) who apparently encountered a ‘Road to Damascus’ type conversion to the burgeoning UK breakbeat rave sound of the early nineties, on a family trip to London. It takes a true outsider perspective to create a tribute album of sorts such as this. Unlike someone like Burial whose rave homage is bleak and liquid in keeping with his south London location Daedelus taps into the uplifting, euphoric side of the rave experience managing to keep it upbeat without sauntering into mainstream cheese.

Whilst there are rave elements to these songs, the sampled intro from Lennie De Ice’s proto jungle anthem ‘We Are I.E’, for instance, crops up deep in the mix at one point, proving that this is not a by the book rave pastiche. It’s a potent mix, referencing at times influences as diverse as The Avalanches, early Moving Shadow, the sonic terrorism of the Bomb Squad and the experimental electro found on Warp in the mid nineties.

The album opens on a Balearic summer soaked high point, with the sixties-fuelled ‘Fair Weather Friend’, released as an EP last year, with its driven beat and naive female vocal cutting a definitive opening. From here on in the album flits from the dark brooding techno of ‘Hrs:Mins:Secs’ to the smoother R&B influenced cut of ‘My Beau’ and back again. It’s a strange brew that Daedelus throws up here, and in hindsight its all the better for it, with the only down point being an wilful eclecticism that makes ‘Love To..’ a little too hard to pin down

YO GABBA GABBA

2008-05-20T06:57:00.001-07:00

One of the benefits of having kids is the ability to watch fantasticly bonlers programmes like this.

As a tribute to Plex the robot of 'many wonders and magical powers' heres some robot music:

Paradise Garage

2008-05-16T06:43:00.001-07:00

I found this on YouTube- short clip of The legendary New York nightspot The Paradise Garage. Larry Levan spinning Eddy Grants 1982 proto house/disco/electro groover Time Warp.

Download it here...

Eddy Grant (Coach House Rhythm Section) Time Warp

...and another Garage floorfiller from 79

Dinosaur (Arthur Russell) Kiss Me Again

And a modern day re-edit to keep you dancin....

Chaz Jankel - Glad To Know You (Todd Terje Edit)

Beardy Brit Hop

2008-05-16T06:24:00.000-07:00

I had this in the post this week from www.3barfire.com, a very fine musical website- go check it out!

Dan Le Sac Vs Scroobilus Pip – Angles

Sunday Best

The crazily titled Dan Le Sac and Scroobilus Pip first popped up on the radar last year with their Radio 1 championed “Thou Shalt Not Kill” a new age indie baiting take on Baz Lurhmans “ Everybody’s free To wear sunscreen”. Chuckled at by the people it aimed to offend, ‘Thou Shalt’ offered us such wisdoms as “Thou shalt not read NME.” And “Thou shalt not stop liking a band just because they’ve become popular”

As novelty singles go, it was slightly more bearable than Road to Amarillo, and the pair were picked up by Rod Da Banks Leftfield Sunday Best label to record an album. On the face of it, this should be a bad idea. A bearded ‘spoken word’ poet and a scruffy home studio beat maker, releasing a long player as a follow up to their version of a moronic novelty single.

Given time to flex their creative muscles and work out some of their angst however this is actually pretty good. Dan le Sac the beatmaker here has carefully assimilated a range of influences from golden age hip hop to ninja-ish scuffed beats via crackly electro. This of course is a well trodden path but Le Sac pulls it off by keeping the groove tight and pairing the drums with melody. As far as the rest goes this is definitely a song driven release, and Pip steps up with aplomb, ditching the catchy soundbites for a genuinely rewarding intelligent dissection of all things philosophical to the delights of old school comic Tommy Cooper.

Whilst others mining this vein have been happy to ‘keep it real’ and in the process produce dull and lifeless plod hop, Angles manages to keep it upbeat with a healthy sprinkling of melody and fun. Stand out track and new Single Look for The Girl, adds a lilting pop hook to the beats and ends up a cracking summertime ditty.

This is surprisingly good stuff that manages to be quintessentially British without crossing the Kate/Lilly Mockney naffness divide. Keeping it real in its truest sense, Le sac and Pip add a surprising shed of integrity to the pop canon, and in the process create something a little more substantial that the current crop of street popsters.

Tobold Hemming

OK Pop Pickers...

2008-04-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Tunes For Today...

Download them here....

Fleetwood Mac- You Make Lovin Fun (Trailmix remix)
This mix from 2007 first turned up on last yaers Lindstrom Essential Mix. Acres has been written about 'cosmic disco' and its supposed claim to the new balearic crown. Much of it appears to be deritave noodling; however this is a killer adding a unusual mix of funk and electro to a FM radio classic.

Ian Dury - Spasticus Autisticus (Version)
Post punk pub rocker originally penned this ode to disability in 1981 to mark 'The International Year of The Disabled'. Subsequently banned by the BBC for its confrontational stance, this version is taken from Struts Funky Nassus comp and features Sly and Robbie on rhythm.

Paul Simon- Diamonds Dub (Tangoterje Edit)
Re edit of 'Diamonds on The Souls of Their Shoes' from 1986. The original is a brilliant mixture of western and African pop; soundtracking a highly autobigraphical road trip through the American South. This 2007 edit, by another norwegian - DJ Todd Terje twists it into a lovely downtempo dub house shape- without losing the soul of the original.

Section 25 - Looking From A Hilltop

UNKLE/Ian Brown- Reign (Anagram Mix)

Grace Jones - Slave to The Rhythm (Extended Mix)

Blondie Rapture 12" Orriginal Disco Edit http://www.mediafire.com/?yxm3jmgyzdg

Who Needs New Music ?

2008-03-20T17:24:00.000-07:00

Time to move this up a gear I think.......

Heres some tunes for you...

Electro auters Maps tackle Alison Goldfrapps new 'folk' direction....
Goldfrapp: A&E (Maps remix) http://www.mediafire.com/?lgtmpydmzfw

Psychedelic pop of the highest order...
MGMT: Time To Pretend http://www.mediafire.com/?t10bez0ejji

Anthony Hegarty in disco dub shocker....
Hercules And the Love Affair: Blind http://www.mediafire.com/?moy1uxzenmx

Superior live take...
Hot Chip: Boy from School (US Version) http://www.mediafire.com/?yjgmvsw9jjm

Oldie but still rocking...
CSS: Lets Make Love And Listen To Death From Above http://www.mediafire.com/?rna1banejdw

Sublime New Order styled electro pop...
Presets : Girl and The Sea (Cut Copy Remix) http://www.mediafire.com/?mm9dzxrtzi0

Pop/dance/techno/fat girl one hit wonder crossover remix...
Gossip: Standing In The Way Of Control (Tigre Mix) http://www.mediafire.com/?01detzt2gyc

DFA supremo slow burn piano funker...
LCD Soundsystem: All My Friends http://www.mediafire.com/?lxpta2ixwnr

Welsh/LA Delorean plugging electro...
Neon Neon: I lust For You http://www.mediafire.com/?mo0dwzpugji

Laid back country balearica...
Lambchop : Up with The People http://www.mediafire.com/?wxfjvqnvxwy

What are words worth...?
Tom Tom Club: Wordy Rappinghood (12) http://www.mediafire.com/?d1je95zqdpt

Paradise Garage meets Hammersmith...
The Clash: The Magnificent Dance http://www.mediafire.com/?ztlv7yxomz2

Pop supergroup hits the floor...
Electronic: Get The Message (DNA Groove Mix) http://www.mediafire.com/?42zg11g3jgz

Original Rockers: Push Push http://www.mediafire.com/?xo1otzzatyb

Chess Moves- Remixed by Keith Le Blanc

2008-02-20T06:26:00.000-08:00

Originaly published in Notion Magazine - March 08

VARIOUS ARTISTS
CHESS MOVES
CHESS/UNIVERSAL
BLUES

There are plenty of examples of the old adage ‘If it aint broke- don’t fix it’, but maybe none more self evident than the shameless remixing of a labels back catalogue to flog ‘product’.

Enter then, Keith Le Blanc mainstay of thstone cold classic blues of all time.

Why then mix the two? In a never more obvious case of, ‘if it aint broke’ Le Blanc and Chess Records founder Marshall Chess have joined forces to rework the labels impeccable back catalogue.

The artist nurtured under Chess patronage in the 1950’s such as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Memphis Slim; provided the backbone of blues that launched the careers of Elvis, The Beatles and The Stones and in turn provided a catalyst for the sixties and the cultural explosion that followed.

In their original versions, songs such as Howlin’ Wolfs Moanin at Midnight or Little Walters ‘Out Go The lights’ crackle with heartfelt blues and bad ass rhythmic power.

The original Blues were a direct and authentic link to the plight of the African people, so why chose to litter them seemingly randomly with meandering wah-wah guitar and the non legendary sound of studio trickery?

Le Blanc has proved himself as a virtuoso musician with his enviable legacy of work; however he does little here apart from add random doodling and compression effects to render these mythical tracks irrelevant.

TH

FUNKY NASSAU - The Compass Point Story

2008-02-20T06:24:00.000-08:00

Published In Notion Magazine- March 08

FUNKY NASSAU
THE COMPASS POINT STORY
STRUT

REGGAE/DISCO/FUNK/SOUL

Of the many musical legacies bestowed upon the world by Chris Blackwell; founder of Island records and commonly known as the man who bought Bob Marley to the world; the opening of a recording studio in the Bahaman hills is one of the lesser known.

Founded in 1977 by Blackwell as a chic retreat amongst the cool Caribbean vibes; Compass point became not only a state of the art recording facility, but also a musical reference point amongst the widening musical influences of post punk pop.

At this time the bass pulse of reggae was emerging as a worldwide phenomenon. Compass, armed with reggae legends Sly & Robbie, engineers Steven Stanley, Alex Sadkin, and the Compass Point All-Stars house band, became a focal point for bands willing to display a little vision in production and embrace the groove.

Issued by rejuvenated Strutt records, renowned for their impeccable attention to detail, Funk Nassau documents the influential period where the pulse of reggae invigorated the popular music of the time, whilst challenging the very nature of what pop should be.

Kicking off with Jamaican born, NY raised Grace Jones’ Jamaican guy, a maelstrom of dark grooves and sparse bass. This signature sound developed with Jones became a house sound that ultimately bought Compass Point to the world’s attention.

NY art rockers Talking Heads had already experimented with what we now know as ‘world music’ but their classic ‘Born Under The Punches’ showcased here, treads a darker more rhythm orientated direction that pointed to the groups fusion future. Whilst TH side project Tom Tom club, included here with the bewitching ‘Genius of Love’, dispensed with rock altogether and incorporated the All Stars into their defining disco smash.

Whilst in the UK we embraced the truth and rights political fervour of Reggae, in the US it was all about the bottom end. One man who particularly felt this rhythm was legendary Paradise Garage DJ Larry Levan, one of those responsible for the mutation of disco into what became House.

Levan was principally influenced by the spacey dynamics of dub and the atmosphere created as much by the gaps in the sounds as the beat itself. This post disco sound is represented here by Levan’s own mix of Gwen Guthrie’s Padlock, as well as the thundering bass work out of Set The Tone Dance Sucker, reworked by NY dance floor contemporary Francis K.
It wasn’t all New Yorkers feeling the vibe however as, Ian Dury showed with his superb, and subsequently banned, riff led groover ‘Spasticus Autisticus’.

Add to these gems workouts from more obscure acts such as French DJ Guy Cuevas, Slits-offshoot band Set The Tone and the queen of exploitation disco, Cristina and what you have is a varied but ultimately cohesive document of the time.

This admirable compilation however is not merely a museum piece; what is most striking its relevance to the dominant music that has shaped the last two decades. From the house explosion through to the bass led domination of R&B and the experimental indie sounds of today’s post punk revivalists; these grooves laid down at Compass led the way for much of the sonic ingenuity we hear today. And for that we should salute Mr Blackwell and his Island retreat.

TH

Originally Published in One Week To Live June 07

2007-06-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

808 State: 90
ZTT

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when decent dance music was relatively hard to get hold of without buying expensive 12 inches from obscure record shops. Before DJ mixed comps and tri-annual superstar DJ radio show cash ins, those of us living outside of London had to survive on fourth hand pirate radio tapes or dodgy chart pop house hits.

Enter then 808 State with Ninety, the breakthrough album that saw the previously obscure Manchester four piece rise from northern acid house heroes to Top of The Pops and fifteen minutes of fame.

Since the acid house wave broke on English shores in 87/88 British techno had a proud and distinctive history of innovation. One man with his ear to the techno ground was Gerald Simpson working in a virtual vacuum to produce maybe the first genuine UK acid and techno sounds. Long before the London fashion press jumped on the band wagon, ‘A Guy called Gerald’ was already fashioning his own version of the crazy computer music drifting from across the pond.

Looking for an outlet for this burst of creativity Gerald hooked up with experienced electronic experimentalist Graham Massey and Eastern Bloc records boss Martin Price, to form 808 State. Named after iconic Roland 808 drum machine, the group scored local hits with the albums Newbuild and Quadrastate; slabs of drawing inspiration both from classic American house mixed with UK industrial pioneers.

During this period the rave scene had hit big in the UK and Manchester in particular was surfing the wave of the so called second summer of Love and the newly emerging ecstasy scene. The loved up and laid back vibe of the E scene, changed the direction of 808 State, and in the summer of 88 Gerald laid down the haunting sax melody of Pacific State.

However was all my have been peace and love in the clubs, the band were growing further apart, causing Gerald to leave in late 89 to pursue a solo groove, whilst the remaining members drafted in local upstart DJ’s the Spinmasters. Despite this, the energy and enthusiasm of the Manchester club scene could not be contained any longer resulting in the ‘Madchester’ scene of 89/90. Swept along on this tide of enthusiasm were 808 State who saw the re-released Pacific State climb to number 10 in the charts.

On the back of this success and at the height of the Manchester Scene, 808 State released 90, an album that had little in common with the rest of the genre, but was snapped up by ravers all over the country, eager to buy into the energy of the E fuelled revolution.

In many ways 90 is inconsistent with the scene of the time, the pulsing industrial rhythms foresaw the boom in electronic listening music from the likes of Warp that was around the corner, more than the sweaty hedonism of the times. Alongside the sublime Pacific, tracks such as ‘Magical Dream’ combine a superb combination of melodic bass & synth with crisp breakbeats and polished vocals, adding to the ethereal vibe of the record. More traditional dancefloor moments such as Donkey Doctor with its liberal use of Cybotron’s ‘Techno City’ and Anacodia with its Hip Hop influence, point more into the experimental direction 808 State took into the nineties. The album ends with ravers comedown delight Sunrise, a sinister but compelling mixture of tone and rhythm that preceded the bubble of rave bursting in the early 1990’s.

808:90 was not as flawless musically as many later British electronic albums, but its timing was impeccable. To all those who saw acid house as their time and the moment that changed their lives forever, the record managed to bridge the gap between the full on laser and strobe environment of the club and the back to mine chill out session.

To many, like me though it was a chance to get our hands on a long player of this new music that was actually ours, hailing from rainy Manchester and not Middle America gave 808 State a homegrown resonance we could identify with, along with a collection of killer grooves. Whilst some of it feels a bit dated today, if you have any interest in the evolution of British music 90 is a must, if only to experience the comedown bliss of Pacific State at least once.

If you like this try

LFO: Frequencies. Warp
Various: Retro Techno. Network
DJ: Pierre: Phuture and Other Classics. Trax
Nightmares on wax: A World of Science. Warp
Baby Ford: Ford Trax. Rhythm King
Various: Pioneers of the Warped Groove. Warp
Various: The Hacienda Classics. Virgin

The Klaxons and New Rave

2007-04-27T06:03:00.000-07:00

Of course it was just a joke, but with the Klaxons actually releasing records that bother the charts and glowstick makers turning a profit for the first time this millennium, New Rave somehow stuck.

Neatly disowned by its instigators, (stand forward Shit Disco and the before mentioned Klaxons) new (or nu) rave has like every scene ‘discovered’ by the NME before it , filtered down from the slightly ironic London trendies to suburban kids looking for something to piss their parents off with. And for this reason and the factual evidence of teenagers sporting yellow plastic fila boots and smiley badges it’s worth at least a cursory glance.

Supposedly the newest incarnation of disco and punk, new rave has unlike its predecessors (punk funk, indie dance, big beat, electro-clash etc…) the acclaim of not actually having any connection whatsoever with its readily quotable title. The Klaxons derivative student rock, vaguely backed up by a mis-firing drum machine has little relation to any form of ‘repetitive beats’.

Their often quoted love of nineties dance music actually boils down to piss poor interpretations of Graces ‘Not over Yet’, not actually a rave tune, but a pop handbag crossover remixed by the nemesis of underground dance music Paul Oakenfold, and ‘The Bouncer’ by Kicks like a Mule, one of many novelty hardcore tracks that helped to kill the original scene.

The indifference to any original rave scene was highlighted by the NME who famously described original ravers as “twats in baggy trousers” All very clever but actually a round up of NME’s pop picks from the early nineties uncovers such gems as Carter USM and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, in light of this I wonder in which context the word twat was actually used.

Whilst there is no benefit to be had by reminiscing about 25,000 people watching the sun rise in a field etc. etc. but what is worth noting is that Acid house and its offspring rave is the only genuine post punk youth culture to actually make a difference. Its year zero made it alright for white people to dance, show some emotions and successfully for a few years at least managed to sidestep the last twenty years of guitar led hegemony, notably somewhere punk failed.

What new rave has done is simply added a fluorescent paint job to the tedium of four lads on stage being worshipped by many. Pop music in 2007 bears a distinct relationship to the sound of the mid eighties where blandness and a total lack of danger were celebrated above all else. New rave is actually only a sub genre of something that, if possible is even more dreary, i.e. the back end of what was once termed ‘indie’

If it’s possible in hindsight to learn from history, surely the acclaim given this substandard rock is the obvious signal of a last stand by the current cultural shift. Hopefully there is something genuinely new and exciting being brewed up in a teenager’s bedroom somewhere in suburbia. What ever is it cannot come too soon, and I hope to god its more interesting than a bass/drums/guitar band trying desperately to reference a deceased musical legacy in order to court controversy.

Classic Album- League Unlimited Orchestra- Love and Dancing

2007-04-27T01:20:00.000-07:00

Originally published in 'One Week To Live' Magazine - May 2007

Classic Albums

League Unlimited Orchestra -Love and Dancing

The Human League? Don’t you want me Baby? Dancing round handbags in backstreet suburban nightclubs?

Well, actually yes and no; before The Human League descended into a haircut induced parody of themselves they started life as a credible and experimental electronic dance outfit that owed as much to electro-funk and disco as Top of The Pops.

Created from the ashes of punk, the Human League rejected the standard three chord chaos of punk’s year zero and instead utilised emerging synthesiser technology, funded by mundane day jobs as computer programmers. These electronic experiments were a world away from the new wave of punk bands then sweeping Britain, making The League not only unpopular, but also hugely controversial in their native Sheffield.

Flying in the face of their detractors, the group began flogging their experimental demos around record companies to near total indifference. The only spark of interest came from Island records supremo Chris Blackwell who suggested the group try a more pop orientated direction.

Armed with this new inspiration they returned to Yorkshire and enlisted the talents of Phil Oakey, a local ‘face’ whose only real credentials for the role was his asymmetric haircut and his pop star bravado. This new line up comprised a different Human League and resulted in the breakthrough album ‘Dare’ a pop smash that went on to break the group worldwide and seal their reputation at the vanguard of the emerging new romantic scene. However the bands success was not totally down to foppish hairstyles and catchy chart friendly compositions, an instrumental part of their success lay with their producer Martin Rushent.

Rushent, a veteran UK producer who had worked with artists as diverse as T Rex and The Buzzcocks, fed the groups elements of pop hooks and synthesiser experimentation into his desk, and came out with the classic Human League sound of Dare. Featuring the hit singles Don’t You Want Me and Love Action. The rest of course is history.

However Rushent was more than a journeyman producer, his innovative and futuristic production style led him to take the bare bones of Dare and remodel it in his studio to create something quite different and in many ways much more significant.

Released under the name "The League Unlimited Orchestra" as a tribute to Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra, Rushent crafted an instrumental dub version of the album aimed squarely at the dancefloor. This new ‘version’ contained songs from Dare along with a version of the track "Hard Times", which was originally the B-side of Love Action.

Finally released in 1982 “Love and Dancing” is one of the most underrated and influential British albums of the decade. Listening to it now it’s hard to believe it is not a modern creation. The rock hard beats and mammoth synth sounds of tracks like Hard Times or Love action sound more like tracks created in a sweaty Berlin basement in 2007, than the product of a suburban British record producer in 1981. As the tracks effortlessly glide into one another with a funk fuelled groove and pulse, snatches of the pop hits we all know and love slide in and out of the mix to create genuine moments of brilliance. Its safe to say that this is not only the best dancefloor album by a White British band in the 1980’s but the best dancefloor album created in the eighties full stop.

Take a listen to the album, and it’s easy to see the connection between German Krautrock, New York Electro and ultimately the house and Techno sounds that captivated British Youth in the late 80’s. The reason that house and rave culture overtook the country so comprehensively was that the funky electronic sound was already familiar to many. Love and Dancing is one of the reasons behind this recognition, and for that it truly deserves the ‘classic’ status; in addition it sounds bloody great today and genuinely stands up against today’s electro house soundtrack.

If you need any further proof of how ahead of its time this album was Richard X's saw no harm in sampling 'Things That Dreams Are Made Of' in it's entirety for his 'Finest Dreams' single. Also George Michael's 'Shoot the Dog' samples large chunks of 'Love Action' to brilliant effect.

If you like this try:

Soft Cell- Non Stop Ecstatic Dancing

A Certain Ratio- Early

Cyberton -Clear

Georgio Moroder – Best of

Blondie- Parallel Lines

New Order Substance

Yello - 1980-1985 The New Mix in One Go

Kano- Kano

April Update

2007-04-05T08:04:00.000-07:00

So this is my blog- new to all this stuff, but wholeheartedly expect that no one will ever read it !

I have been asked by One Week To Live Magazine to write some classic album reviews so I thought I would archive them here. Who knows, could be the start of the book one day........

Classic Album Kraftwerk The Man Machine

2007-04-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

First Published April 2007- One Week To Live Magazine

Classic Album

Kraftwerk The Man Machine

Capitol 1978 (Re-released 1995)

In the all encompassing universe of electronic music that now surrounds us, it was the unlikely combination of four synthesisers experts from German called Kraftwerk who provided the big bang. In fact Kraftwerk were so far ahead of their time that the rest of the world has spent twenty five years inventing new musical genres in an attempt to catch up. House, techno, hip-hop, trip-hop, synth-pop, Hi NRG, trance, electroclash: Kraftwerk's influence looms over all of them. In fact it's impossible to imagine what popular music would sound like today if Kraftwerk had never existed.

By the time they released The Man Machine in 1978 the band had already unleashed the metallic funk of Trans Europe Express on an unsuspecting world, and the sound of Kraftwerk had already made the world sit up and take notice. Years ahead of any so called contemporaries, Trans Europe Express melded synthesized melodies to rigid precision beats, that were picked up and wholeheartedly embraced everywhere from the hip hop godfathers of the Bronx to, the insipid English boys in the back bedrooms of Sheffield.

With its Russian modernist El Lissitzky cover design and songs about robots and dehumanized cities, Man Machine cappitalised on this early success, and delivered a concept for the band that represented the next step in world domination, whilst manufacturing a landmark for modern music.

Opening single ‘The Robots’ is probably Kraftwerk at their most self referential, featuring mechanised bleeps over a punchy rhythm, the band set out their stall early, declaring themselves as Robots, and in the process creating a blue print for electro- hip hop. This robot concept was taken even further by Robot dummies taking the bands place on stage, a strange concept at first, but one that ideally represents the ideas surrounding melding of man and machine that the album was trying to represent.

Alongside The Robots Kraftwerk biggest and perhaps best know track is ‘The Model’; a strange tribute to high fashion and glamour, delivered here in a deadpan German monotone. This is a track that would be rendered a ludicrous novelty by any band other than this. Charting at number One in the UK at the height of the New Romantic era over two years later ‘The Model’ managed to ignite another whole genre of pop single-handedly, simply by being light years ahead of its time.

The beauty of this album however lies not in its leftfield pop hits but the intelligence and sophistication of the remaining tracks, to discover ‘The Man Machine’ at any stage of your music listening career is to open a whole new perspective on electronic music and its place in modern culture.
The polished sophistication and intense electronic concentration of the rest of tracks such as ‘Spacelab’, ‘Metropolis’ and particularly the sublime ‘Neon Lights’, combine rhythm, emotion and melody in a way which has yet to be bettered. Kraftwerk were not working in an experimental avant garde bubble when producing this album. Dispelling the stereotypical German coldness, the band managed to immerse themselves in contemporary funk and disco, producing the groove and rhythm that give the synthetic textures and chords their pulsing charm. To produce a landmark record of this quality of breadth today would be an extraordinary feat, but to virtually rewire the DNA of pop music nearly thirty years ago in a way that manages to sound contemporary and relevant today, is truly an amazing accomplishment.

If you have even a passing interest in electronic music of any genre, this album is an absolute necessity. The electronic sound Kraftwerk pioneered has become so embedded in our culture that it remains a template for the majority of today’s dance, pop and experimental music; despite this Kraftwerks music manages to remain fun and hugely listenable. Many so called ‘influential’ bands music today just sounds primitive and jaded; Man Machine however remains the benchmark for future electro pop disco and is as electrifying and essential as ever.

Tobold Hemming

Classic Albums New Order Techique

2007-03-29T08:14:00.000-07:00

This review originally published in 'One Week To Live' Magazine in April 2007

Classic Albums
New Order- Technique
Factory 1989

The rise of acid house and Balearic culture caught New Order at a difficult time, having shrugged off their indie roots as Joy Division in the aftermath of Ian Curtis’ suicide; they had taken their beat back to the street whilst rewriting the future of electronic music.

However by 87 the climate was changing and the rise of ‘new pop’ acts they had influenced, led New Order to strike out in a more chart friendly vein. Poaching Stephen Hague, the producer who led the Pet Shop Boys to massive success, they produced the classic ‘True Faith’ bringing their sound to a far wider audience, but ultimately leaving them lacking direction. Meanwhile however the world had been listening to New Orders early synth led sequenced tracks, and the huge impact of Acid house in 1997/8 left New Order lagging behind the very music they were instrumental in creating.

Having struggled through problematic personal problems, the band decamped to Ibiza at the beginning of 88 to immerse themselves in the new Balearic sound that was emerging from the White Island. Here clubs such as Space were mixing house, hip hop, pop and rock in a revolutionary fashion that mirrored the bands own musical journey over the past decade.

Renting a villa in the hills New Order threw themselves wholeheartedly into the hedonistic party lifestyle of the island and began work on a new album. Inspirited by the enthusiasm and energy of the scene they were the spiritual predecessors of, the band created what is believed by many to be their finest album ‘Technique’

Surprising critics and fans alike, the opener ‘Fine Time’ took the classic New Order blueprint, united it with the driving rhythms of house and created a bass led pulsating monster of a track; ultimately their greatest dancefloor statement since Blue Monday.

Released in Nov 88 two months ahead of the album, Fine Time signalled the return of the band to the clubs whilst scoring them a chart hit. Featuring a bleating sheep and Barney Sumner’s sleazy Barry White-esque drawl, the single clearly saw the band rightfully reclaiming their techno crown.

Whilst the album retains a rare uniform quality throughout, Standout tracks include the energetic “Round and Round”, a tense and minimal number that sees Sumner’s soul laid bare over a relentless precision bass groove, and Run, the jewel in the albums crown.

In many eyes Run remains New Orders finest moment; more melodic and guitar-led than many of the tracks on the album, Run is a sublime paean to love lost, underpinned by startlingly beautiful melodic interplay, that captures the wedding of acid house and traditional British pop in its purest form. Extraordinarily the single release was subsequently pulled from the shelves due to a lawsuit by MOR rocker John Denver who claimed a theft of his hit ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’, the similarity is hard to distinguish, however the resulting settlement left the release a collectors item.

Technique is not all Ibiza rave madness however as there are sufficient ‘classic’ New Order moments (Guilty Partner and the atmospheric Loveless) to retain a bridge to their earlier, more introspective compositions. This eclecticism means the strength of this album lies not in a collection of DJ fodder tracks, but its ability to stand up solely on the quality of its songs. Lead singer Sumner had recently come through an acrimonious divorce and the combination of his melancholic vocals, and the sunshine and party vibe of Ibiza give this record its masterpiece status

Technique came at a time for New Order when they needed it most, and performed the task of ensuring them a reliantly seamless transition across the decades. To come was the football terrace brilliance of ‘World in Motion’ (probably the last straw for Joy division fans’), and a domination of the house sound.

Indie Dance was a term bandied around without abandon at the beginning of the 1990’s, the fusion of house music with rock heralded as the new punk. In hindsight it was only New Order who really got it right, whilst the other bands grappled to meld funky drummer beats to their traditional rock staples, New Order the band that started it all, effortlessly pulled off the only real marriage of disco and punk, and in the process created the first great album of the nineties.

Tobold Hemming

.

Electro

2007-03-09T01:58:00.000-08:00

This is a story about electronic music, how it started, where its been and maybe a little peek into where its going. Its not a story about dance music, or hip hop, rock, pop, funk, jazz or electro; its a story about all of these and more.

Electronic music has been the core strand that has run through all popular music of the last fourty years, sometimes in vogue, sometimes not. Its the sinsiter sister of rock, having as much or more of an influence as the guitar but consigned to the novelty or bin of music writing by the supposed 'significance' of white boys with guitars.

Shaping the cultural landscape of our generation, the synthesiser and its components have changed the way we think about 'music', how its created, and importantly the ways in which we listen to it. From experimental electronic engineers to wigged out funk, brothers in the Bronx, sci fi obsessives, English boys with eyeliner, sweaty ravers, basement rockers and beard stroking critics, the electronic pulse has run strong through our record collections.

Now is the time for the story to be told......