Pony says hello!

Yep, it's another classic from the Hamburg area (with total support by Kompakt distribution, as always). Formed by Cosmic DJ, Erobique and DJ Koze, they were hailed as a 'supergroup' from the beginning. They deserved it, in my opinion, and you can easily find out why in this record.

With a heavy background on hip hop, funk and listening electronics, International Pony add a touch of dancefloor rush, play live a lot of instruments, balance tho lo-fi elements with a decent production and some great programming. It's a complex album, always shifting and twisting around pop themes, presented in a variety of styles ranging from r'n'b and funk to electro punk, with house and techno peaks and abstract interludes. Humor plays a certain role as well. And jingles. Mostly though the thing that makes this record stand out is that it's an Album, not just some recordings thrown together and re-packaged for promotion. It has a motif, an attitude that keeps everything together, no matter how diverse the prime materials are.

Of course, the First Album of most bands usually has this 'advantage'. It represents a whole era of in-band dynamics building up in order to overcome the obstacles in the beginning. I'm talking about some years of putting the songs together, practicing, ego-clashing, performing live, finding (or founding) a label, recording, up to the date of release of the album, when at last it's off your hands and out in the world. Because of the diversity of the various situations and events experienced, creativity manifests in various ways and even has some time to develop itself into fresh forms that yet fit easily within a certain picture. At the same time, during this incubating period (two or three or five or ten years) a LOT of songs are tried, so it's easier to pick some out of them for release.
Usually after a successful album follow big tours which leave the group exhausted, yet eager to record again. Second Albums tend to be more focused, concept-oriented or with a heavy eye in the market, especially if the 1st one did good sales.
Some perfect examples of worthy dance First Albums are The Orb's 'Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld', The Prodigy's 'Experience' and Daft Punk's 'Homework'. In a few years I think I'll add this one too in the list.

International Pony - 2002 We love Music
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here

By the way, does anyone have this?

P.S. Koze compilation found, here.

Discodebut

Erobique is Carsten Meyer, one of the International Pony 'supergroup' trio (see here). This album went out in Acid Jazz Records, more or less a compilation of existing tracks released firstly on vinyl, then on his debut CD 'Erosound'.
I found this some time ago in the crates, forgotten. At last I was able to understand a big side of Ponies' weirdness, the r'n'b elements (in relation with the acid squelches), as Erobique is a born groover, mostly keeps the tempo down and is rather more interested in modernizing a funky beat than in 909s. Of course, when he bangs he does it with no regard to norms and styles.
If you're interested in the Hamburg scene, check this one. If you like the Pony, it's mandatory.

Erobique - 2001, Discodebut
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Hitparade

Station 17 is a more or less rock band based in Hamburg, which with this release crossed over to the electronic side. A number of artists from Berlin, Cologne and locals remixed their work and published this CD in Mute Tontraeger in 2001 giving a strong push to this totally great project, while an album of more or less electronic tracks by the band was released about a year ago.
Stars like Thomas Fehlmann, Steve Bug, The Modernist, Antonelli Electr., J.Koehncke and Tobias Schmidt (as T.Tobsen) appear side by side with Automatique and the yet semi-known International Pony guys Koze and Cosmic DJ, while on the listening side this album is supported by holy cows FM Einheit and Pole, with contributions by To Rococo Rot, Kreidler, Barbara Morgenstern and german hip-hoppers Denyo 77.

A lot of tracks are really good, others are weird but interesting. But you HAVE to listen to Cosmic DJ's magnificent track. Totally addictive groove and crazy samples, it stands out like a prophetic mantra, as if he describes today's techno 'scene' (haha). Hey mr.DJ, play me your song.

Station 17+ - 2001, Hitparade
Part 1 - Part 2
Info here.

Info on the Station 17 project here and here.

Lifechange

The last Whirlpool Productions album, along with the CD EP out of it (with a Tiefschwarz remix).

For me the more mature and complete deposition of theirs, a post-everything album full of grooving house music, disco references and style wars. Voices dominate while typically surpassing the 'weird' level, making the outcome totally surreal and immediately accessible at the same time. Definitely dancefloor music, yet for extremely friendly drunks or for funky disco aliens I wouldn't know.
I don't know if they could do better than that; no wonder they split up later.

Remotely similar to the International Pony records (see *,*) and other Ladomat 2000 stuff (*,*), with more hopefully to be posted soon. Usually I classify them under the Hamburg label.

...hold your head up high...
...music is all we need to get by...



Whirlpool Productions - 2000 Lifechange
Info here.



Whirlpool Productions - 2001 Lifechange CD EP
Info here.

We love Ennio

And now for something completely different.

Summer is closing in rapidly (at least for the northern part of the globe...) and I felt I needed a change. I went through my 'freestyle' section and found these. They're a tribute to the work of Ennio Morricone in two parts, released through Compost Records. Practically all Compost artists and some very special guests (check label's info on the project here) are remixing mostly well known Morricone themes. A serious approach by all artists involved certifies that the outcome doesn't degenerate in a mere chill-out compilation - after all, Compost is a serious label whatever anyone might feel about 'lounge'. Remix styles range from breakbeats and deep house to ambient and ethnic stuff, with the occasional deviation into acidic electronic areas, while International Pony (*) compose a tribute in one of their typical excursions into pop.

If you're looking for pounding techno or glitchy cuts, this is not the right post. Here, it's all about the music: the familiar melodies, the retro sounds, the memory of watching Leone movies in open air venues during summertime when I was six. For most of the younger ones this might not mean much; but then neither Kraftwerk might, in that sense. I consider Morricone's soundtracks to be orchestral pop music, instrumentals for the masses with films as the carrier medium, so it's got to have some effect on many people. The modern packaging (=remixing) could just make it more approachable - unless you're already familiar with the composer's work and you're a purist.

People who liked the Combination Traffic compilations (*) should definitively give these a try.


VA - Ennio Morricone Remixes Vol.1 2003
Here.
Info here.


VA - Ennio Morricone Remixes Vol.1 2003
CD1 - CD2
Info here.