So, it's about time I take my family and drop out of concrete Babylon City for a few weeks. I'm dead tired, nerves shattered and in so much need to cut off from everything regarding work and the like that I cannot wait to get as far away as I can from here. It won't be that far though...
Since it will be rather impossible to be able to post from where I'm going (though I might still be able to comment), I'd decided to leave you with a few of the CDs that I'll take with me for the trip; compilations of artists that I love and respect and would like everyone to check them out. Nothing rare or really fancy, but no fillers here either - just pure quality.
Besides being my unofficial summer score for the last umpteen years and so anyway, dub/reggae will always have its place in my heart, as it was the first music that dragged me towards the light. Explaining myself: on a musical/technical level, towards a deeper understanding of production and music creation; on a social level, by giving me a valid example of a culture whose people were outright wronged and mistreated, yet still manage to praise their god and support loving one another. But most of all, dub in my mind is the synonym of the union of the 'opposites'; the merging of the earthly and the extra-terrestrial, mind and body united; lost in smoke and thinking clear at the same time. That such a deeply rooted music, expressing almost strictly primal feelings and ancient thoughts, could prove to be the most forward thinking sonic movement in the 20th century; that from such poor conditions came out an outcome so great that influenced all music that came after it; my mind cannot grab it in whole, the greatness of their work - except for short flashes, when after the tail of a space-echoed voice the whole band slams in your face and you feel fingers playing and drum and bass slamming on your chest. I will always keep those people in my heart because simply they show me the way.
Now, since I've already posted some Lee Perry records (*,*,*) I've left him out of this one.
Starting with the once and always King, I'll only say that Osbourne Ruddock was for me the best producer that ever walked on this earth. Simple as that.
King Tubby & Soul Syndicate - 1996 Freedom Sounds In Dub
Info here.
Produced by King Tubby are also most (or all?) of these tracks by Augustus Pablo, focusing more on sentimental hazy melodies to pave his way through Babylon. A man of the heart and the mind alike.
Augustus Pablo - 2000 Dub, Reggae & Roots From The Melodica King
Info here.
Prince Jammy, one of Tubby's pupils tries out some more workouts on various artists' classic tracks with excellent results.
Prince Jammy - 1999 The Crowning Of Prince Jammy
Info here.
And last but not at all least, Horace Andy and his exceptional voice trying to break our hearts (and succeeding), then to mend them back stronger.
Horace Andy - 1997 The Prime Of Horace Andy
Info here (also see here).
So, have a nice time everyone and take care of yourselves and the world. See ya.
Sumerland
Love Parade
The Love Parade accident fucked me up big time. Despite its commercial character, I think it started with the best of intentions and served its purpose; good or bad, it turned out to be the biggest dance-music related free festival. Investigating who's fault it was, is something yet to be done; if it's either an out-of-control mob or just bad planning to blame, it's not really important yet. What matters is that people trying to have a good time suddenly are no more. What a sad way to end something like that.
My condolences to families and friends; it could have been any one of us in there.
We Never Went To Koxut Island
More sweet electronics, this time from Boulderdash; I knew nothing on them except that I liked their cover, they were from Sweden and that they had released this one in Cologne's (unknown to me) Artelier Music, through its (equally unknown) Swedish sub Recordings Under Construction.
After a recent search, I found out they are Daniel Skaborn and Hans Möller, later of the Boy Robot project with M.Zorn and CCO's chief Thaddeus Herrmann. So, they seem to be related both to their local scene (see Unai-centered Audionaut(*)), as well as to Berlin's pop electronics usual suspect label cluster (Morr, CCO, etc.). And in this album, their sound stands somewhere in between; subtly building atmospheres and using mostly sweet breaks and moody melodies, they nevertheless pay serious attention in their sounds and programming, occasionally bringing a sense of d'n'b emergency through their complex rhythms and instrumentation. I would dare to describe its sound as a cross between Berlin's late '90s IDM and liquid funk.
An underrated record that probably got lost between name changes and failed labels. Try it.
Boulderdash - 2000 We Never Went To Koxut Island
Info here.
And where is this Koxut Island, after all?
Maps
Sometimes I check the red spots on the globe to your right. I put it there about a year and a half, or something, when the previous map crashed. I don't have a tool to track down each and everyone IP that accidentally passed from here; I kind of loath them actually. But I think it's nice to know that someone from, say, Chile is browsing in a deep winter night, teeth clicking, while I'm having my cold coffee sweating in an unbearable 40°C cement hell. You know.
It's no surprise that most people that pass by from here seem to be located in Europe and the Americas - music posted in this blog is both made and enjoyed primarily there. Which always makes me think how limited these forms of music truly are, at first, but then I carry on. A lot of dots in Asia as well, as if to prove me wrong; still, many countries there also have fast web connections - and strong relations to Euro and US culture. The global village and all that '70s shit, you know.
Anyway, every once in a while I see an alien name or an impossibly located dot and I get curious; and sometimes I go to google maps, wikipedia etc, to find out where that place really is, extra info, etc. Geography for the insane; guess where the spot sits on. But besides the scarce (but always exciting) hits from the African continent and from lands as distant from me as New Zealand or the deepest south of Tierra del Fuego, I have to admit that the most intriguing ones come from certain oceans' islands. Did I really had guests from Unalaska? The Mariana Islands and La Roche and Fiji? Mauritius and Réunion AND the island Rodrigues on the right, (that's actually not even tagged in Gmaps)???
More than crazy, it's a real pleasure and honor for me and a certain pride creeps in; pride not of myself (at least not much...), but of the power of the music we like and support and spread. If I was posting Lady Gaga, I would expect visits from everywhere; but that would be just a result of good marketing on her behalf. Weird electronics seem also to be more globally spread but for the techno posts I wouldn't imagine that, yet here you are all. So cool. On the other hand, there might only be ten true techno fans in XXXXland and one of them happened to visit here once; I'm still happy about it.
Which again might be just a trick of my mind. When I heard Rob Hood was to play here (it was 2002 or 2003) I could easily imagine him thinking: 'What the fuck am I going to Greece for? Everybody down there is greasy, eats souvlaki and dances syrtaki and shit'. Yet there were hundreds of people to play to; it was a great night. Mills could easily slam 2000 people overcrowding a club. What I mean is that music scenes grow in totally weird places in strange ways. Even more when we're talking about blog visits, hence about individuals visiting other individuals' pages.
Anyway, hoping these guys keep visiting here, I have to ask: where is that place in the Gulf of Guinea (south of Ghana or Ivory Coast, west of Gabon)? I started thinking that someone hacked his/hers IP to show that location. Or than Atlanteans are visiting. Or submarines with satellite connections... Or that dot south and a little to the east from Hawaii - is it French Polynesia? Mu?
Help me.
P.S. As I finished this post, I noticed someone from Hino and Chihuahua just clicked in. Joy.
P.S.#2 (2010-11-26) This South Pacific island I mentioned turned out indeed to be French Polynesia, the city of Pape'ete on Tahiti to be exact. Greetings, fellow earthlings.
3MCs&1DJ
And since we're into video, here's a lesson in DIY promotion by the Beastie Boys.
And here's Mix Master Mike's angle.
Atari Teenage Riot
I had the honor (not exactly pleasure...) of witnessing Atari Teenage Riot live back in 1998. Yet this video shows more accurately their true colors. Respect.
And pigs will always be pigs.
The Detroit Experiment
Of all the Carl Craig (*) related projects I know, this is the only one I truly have mixed feelings about. Still, it's not a Carl Craig record per se, so I'll put my doubts aside.
This album is the second one in a project that started with the Philadelphia Experiment'; attempting to "fuse the new and old musical elements of the motor city". So, basically it's full of soulful, jazzy funky trips with lots of brass and string, clashing with more 'contemporary music' forms (see: a few synths and drum machines plus rapping). The outcome favorites the live drumming and improvisational trumpet performances far more than its 'contemporary' elements - so it's okay if you're into that. On the other hand, others have managed to fuse such elements much more effectively, in my opinion as always; even Craig himself did better in his Innerzone Orchestra project.
Here it is anyway, draw your own conclusions. This was a request. Released through Ropeadope and Rycodisc for Europe; vinyl was released through Planet E. There were later released a couple of 12"s, as well as some interesting 'Think Twice' remixes through Juno Records, the most notable ones by Henric Schwarz.
The Detroit Experiment - 2003 selftitled
Info here and here.
Defender
Some more from Svek (*), a compilation by owner (I guess...) Stephan Grieder - see Air Frog, Birdy.
You should know what to expect by now; kicks in with breaks-based and deep tracks, later goes housey. Satisfaction guaranteed, and all that.
VA - 2002 Svek. Defender
Info here.
Peppo
I knew there was something wrong with them two.
Anyway, Mickey is a police informer. It all adds up.
Agendas
Oldschool Detroit influenced electronics and techno in a three-pack of compilations from much respected dutch label Eevo Lute Muzique, released both there (21, 22) and as showcases for british label New Electronica (22, 23).
For those who don't know EevoLute, picture it as what you'd call the first european neo-Detroit label, except of course that it operated at the same time with the mass of third wave Detroit producers; they even had a collaboration with Planet E (12"). Anyway, if you like Delsin (*), this is its blueprint. It made a comeback some years ago as digital EevoNext.
Besides owners Florence (aka Terrace) and Wladimir M., appearing here are artists that went much bigger later like 2000&One and Ross 154 aka Newworldaquarium, plus some less known but not at all less interesting like The Keyprocessor and veteran Max 404.
In all, a totally recommended pack of retro sounding sentimental crap from the past. I only had #22 and was looking for the rest since ages ago to manage a full post; thanks to Renueh, it is now possible. Miss them at your own risk.
VA - 1993 Agenda 21. An EevoLute Compilation
Info here.
VA - 1994 Agenda 22. Another EevoLute Compilation
Info here and here.
VA - 1998 Agenda 23. Another EevoLute Compilation
Info here.
#21 and #23 probably are 320kbps CD rips; #22 surely is.
P.S. Links removed due to request from EevoLute.
The Space Between The Gaps
An Incoming! compilation, including works from artists already posted in this blog (*), plus some more from the label's roster, like Cee-Mix and Andrew Lagowski.
A constantly shifting record, presents both the label's trademark chilled and detached electronic dub-based crossovers, as well as some moving, melodic drum'n'bass cuts. All tracks preserve this warm, all-encompassing, outer-space quality that made Incoming! (in)famous on nu-dub specialists, while at the same time glorifying these complex, glossy, electro-influenced loops, typical in Germany's breakbeat sound. A listening record, mostly, that would also work on an open-minded dancefloor.
Bonus CD contains just two tracks by Lemongrass, more or less similar in style to the others.
VA - 1998 The Space Between The Gaps
Info here.
Some more from Incoming! soon.
Hoodlum
A vinyl only '90s Hood album, out through his own Drama label. Similar to his Nighttime World LP (*), it combines house sounds with jazz elements and his trademark minimal interpretation of techno, with excellent results as expected.
A 256kbps rip from vinyl, ripper unknown.
Robert Hood - 1988 Hoodlum
Info here.
Soundclash
If you liked the 'Echoman' album posted here, here's a mix of some of their tracks and remixes that Chicken Lips did for Kingsize and the DJ mag. Typical early CL stuff, includes timeless epic 'He Not In'; sadly in shitty one-track-per-mix format.
As for the Switchcraft part... I never managed to listen to in full. Someone might like it though.
VA - 2001 DJ & Kingsize Records present
Chicken Lips / Switchkraft Soundclash
Info here.
So Fucking Chic
This is the debut album of french group Junesex, out through Hamburg's Popup Records; darkish, sex infected, home-made electro with post-punk sound and rock attitude. Their sound stands close to the Kitsune/Ed Banger and like stuff, yet without the typical (post Daft Punk) tricks all the others use to death; the Junesex final mixes sound more like a rock band with synths than the all-pumping, filter sweeping, samples overload of the 'electro-rock' blueprint.
To tell the truth, I feel this whole 'sex' thing is a show-off. I bought this one for 'Gets Close To Mine', which anyway I had to edit and extend to play it; still, a perfectly good reason to check this album. Fortunately, some time later a 12" came out, with a Schatrax remix as well. Lucky us.
There's also a 'hidden' beatless track at the end of CD track #14.
Junesex - 2004 So Fucking Chic
Info here.
Submission Replay
A compilation of remixes for Submission, an alias of Klaus Barm (unknown to me), through Shitkatapult's sub-label Meteosound.
With the originals boasting contributions by Tikiman and Paul PM in vocal duties, these versions are Berlin-heavy dub reworks by some the city's top, like Thomas Fehlmann, Sun Electric, Rechenzentrum, etc.; also from a bunch of otherwise unknown names (that could well be cameos of gods-know-who), plus a dub from The Rootsman. Ranging from down-to-earth roots dub to deep techno, covering many of the in-between crossovers, and with a few extra d'n'b touches, the outcome varies from uptempo lyric attacks to dreamy electronic drifts.
An interesting, multi-layered record, that might demand more than a couple of runs to be fully absorbed. Brings in mind the album from related austrian artist Sugar B posted here, as well as the Incoming! releases (*). It's mastered by Robert Henke, if that helps.
Submission - 2000 Replay. The Dub Remixes
Info here and (in german) here
Best of Kodō
Powerful, meditative rhythms by dedicated Taiko masters Kodō.
Using highly disciplined drumming as their weapon (and yet at times sounding so free and improvisational as the next experimental band), they explore outer limits in atypical avant-garde style, combining their urges with their love for Japan's traditional percussive arsenal. Constructing complex, heartbeat-deep beats and constantly shifting rhythmic interplays, they usually refrain from playing the minimalist card much - they focus instead on dynamic shifts, sometimes in the extreme; with the silent, still parts weighing as much as the more energetic ones. Despite being spiced with various non-percussive instruments now and then, it's still a massive drum feast.
A great source of unique sampling material, by the way. Mandatory for fans of PWOG and tribal fiends in general.
鼓童 - 1993 Best Of Kodō
Info here and here.
I remember watching them in a performance at an ancient theatre (you always get great sound in there). Despite the occasional showing-off, I was struck by the sheer amount of energy their bodies channeled, as they kept the taxing pace of the beat flawlessly; by their otherworldly body stamina, especially compared to the obvious results my 'hedonistic' lifestyle had on me and everyone I knew; and most of all, by the wordless communication between them, this magic-like understanding of subtle changes in someone's playing or of a mood shift in the spectators' rows.
P.S. I just found that concert on YouTube here, sounding awfully though: 1, 2, 3, 4
