Category Archives: Music

New record purchases

154 : Strike [Delsin] 2xLP (FINALLY!!!!)

Inner City : Say Something (Reese Remix) [KMS] 12” (am I the only one who likes this)

Robert Hood : I [M-Plant] 12”

Loosefingers : Glancing at the Moon [Alleviated] 12” (Third time’s the charm, I hope)!

Robert Hood : Untitled 5 [M-Plant] 12”

Firefly : Music Of The Supreme [Poussez!] 12″ (My first King Britt record ever, probably because this sounds nothing like his normal stuff. The A-side is kinda Carl Craig-ish and the B-side is kinda deep techno-ish)

Fluxion : Redundant [Vibrant Music] 12″ (sounds much better than the new one to my ears)

Lowtec : In Fail We Trust [Playhouse] 12″ (seriously deep gear. A welcome departure from the stuff that was on Famous When Dead III)

Phlegmatic/The Mole : Motorsoul Trax Vol 1 (Chapter 3) [Philpot] 12″

Rec : Batter Up EP [Eevo Lute] 12″

Sienkiewicz, Jacek : Displaced [Cocoon] 2xLP:

DJ Minx : A Walk In The Park (Ricardo Villalobos / Josh Wink Remixes) [Plus 8] 12″

Steve Kotey : 4 In 1 EP [Bearfunk] 12″ (More house than disco)

Plastikman : Nostalgik.1 [Plus 8] 12″ (Really old unreleased Plastikman edited by Villalobos)

Querida : Jupiter 6 [Kanzleramt] 12″ (New Ian O’Brien proper techno thingy)

RJD2 : Through The Walls / Ghostwriter [Definitive Jux] 7″

New reviews

Juan Atkins – Fast Forward [New Religion]: Each of the four tracks as good as the last. I’m sure a favourite will emerge, but at the moment they’re all sounding great to my ears. I was pretty hyped about all the recent stuff (less so the one on Metroplex than the others), but this blows them away. Probably the best Juan Atkins release since ‘Deep Space’. Possibly one of the best records ever?

Claro Intellecto remix of Vector Lovers on Soma. Long, slow drawn-out techno.

The two B-side cuts on the new Vince Watson on Headspace are sick. The first is deep, slightly tracky techno, maybe reminding of Hood??? The second makes me think of mid-’90s Warpish techno. Really nice stuff.

Memory Foundation – Hot and Smokey ep on Central, for the last track. The other three all show some promise but don’t quite hit it. The last one does for sure though, with big chunky European beats beneath Detroity stabs. A nice combination.

Dirty Criminals – Organized Confuzion on Gigolo. About half the cuts on here are exactly like what you’d hope Traxx would put out. DIRTY acid with an EBM edge, plus enough Hyroglyphic Being throughout to not make it feel one-dimensional. TOUGH. I would love to see Traxx play this stuff…

Chicago Housing Commission 2 + 3. That ‘House is Mine’ whatever-it-is is dope. Does it sample the Hypnotist tune, or do they both sample something else? I like it plenty, at any rate. Also ‘Berlin’ on Volume 3 is a pretty cool noisy but reverby take on acid. Still haven’t heard more than one stand-out cut on any of these, but think both of these are worth the price.

DJ Yoav B – Boogie Down Saturn: Two Friday’s ago I forwarded to the part of ‘Clinically Inclined’ that featuerd this track to play it for my flatmate when I got home. 30 minutes later found myself on a spontaneous journey to Brighton to see Carl Craig, having been seized by techno. Can’t wait to hear this loud. Totally brilliant.

De La Soul – Grind Date (Included per J Dilla production): Some serious Motown edge to a lot of this. I think it’s the best album since ‘Stakes is High’ (which I rate as their best). Some people may think it’s too R&B in places, but if that won’t bother you I think this will float your boat.

There are some moments of production genius, that’s for sure. I fear the lyrical themes may be getting tired, but every time I hear a new De La they find a way to defeat that resistance after about 5 listens, so my hopes are high!

Pirahnahead – Dreams [Mahogani]: BIG house from a disco perspective. Seems a bit strange on Mahogani, but I can feel the Detroit in it, just like Amp Fiddler. Really like the big non-vocally bit in the middle, not so much because it doesn’t have vocals as because it’s just good. Can’t see myself playing it out, but can see myself dancing to it in the right set, if that makes any sense. Like I think Mike grant could play it well, but it would stick out like a sore thumb in one of my sets…

[Dead horse beating time] All that Shed stuff on Soloaction and Delsin. Not a bad cut yet, and most of them are wicked. Really digging some of the different directions on the Delsin one too.

Saturday shopping

Rhian Benson Feat. Slum Village & Dwele : Say How I Feel – Bugz In The Attic Remix – 12″

Jimmy Edgar : Bounce Make Model – 2xLP

Kazi : The Plague – 2xLP

Vector Lovers : Suicide Android / Futures In Plastic – Claro Intelecto Remix – 12″

Vince Watson : Lost Episodes EP – 12″

A few batches

Henrik Schwarz : Jon (Sunday Music)

Morten Cargo & At Ease/Henrik Schwarz : Farewell Causality/Jimis (Diamonds & Pearls Music)

Model 500 – Be Brave Remixes #2 (R&S)

Infiniti – Game One/Think Quick (Metroplex)

Yoav B – Boogie Down Saturn (Wabi Sabi)

Aardvarck : Cult Copy Pt.2 (Carl Craig Edit) (Rush Hour)

Omar S : 004 (FXHE)

Shed : Egotism EP (Soloaction)

Shed : Soloaction EP (Delsin)

CHICAGO HOUSING COMMISSION: Volume 2 (Chicago Housin Commission US)

CHICAGO HOUSING COMMISSION: Volume 3 (Chicago Housin Commission US)

DIRTY CRIMINALS, The: Organized Confusion (2×12”) (Gigolo Germany)

HOOD, Robert: Molecule EP (Logistic France)

KAITO: Soul Of Heart (Kompakt Germany)

MEMORY FOUNDATION, The: Hot & Smokey EP (Central Austria)

RED PLANET EXPRESS: Red Planet Express EP (Solo Action Germany)

Concept 1 : Forcept 1 (Reinterpretation By Akufen)

De La Soul : The Grind Date (2x 12″)

Jacen Solo : Forbidden Medicine

Theo Parrish : Pieces Of A Paradox

Sixtoo : Body Ache Summer EP

…and hopefully these, on which I’m still awaiting confirmation:

ROBERT HOOD : UNTITLED [M PLANT]

ROBERT HOOD : I [M PLANT]

154 : STRIKE (2X12”) [DELSIN]

INNER CITY : SAY SOMETHING, REESE REMIX [KMS]

LOOSEFINGERS GLANCING AT THE MOON [ALLEVIATED]

More on Peel

This was huge news in Britain today. Last night we watched a totally surreal and hillarious interview (likely only available for a few more hours) with Mark E. Smith of The Fall, who were featured on his Peel Sessions 24 times, more than any other band.

I also just stumbled across this Overload interview which I thoroughly enjoyed, and seemed fitting for a re-post. I also found this info on his possible autobiography, which was underway, but seems up in the air at the moment.

The Pig’s Husband

Has any single man had a more profound and lasting impact on modern music than BBC’s John Peel? It’s unlikely anyone ever will. If you don’t know anything about him, this is a start, with many other links there and on the BBC Radio site. Just to give an indication of his brilliance, here’s a list of his latest and forthcoming guests from ‘Guest Week’ (while he was on holiday in Peru, where he died today of a heart attack):

Tue 19th October – Guest DJs: Underworld

Wed 20th October – Guest DJ: Siouxsie Sioux

Thu 21st October – Guest DJ: Robert Smith

…and

26/10 – Cure Peel Session 1978

27/10 – Happy Mondays Peel Session 1989

28/10 – New Order Peel Session 1982

For a distinctly British impression of his impact from one of the scenes he impacted most over his career, check this, to which I contributed the following meager commentarty:

How many radio DJs are ever heard of outside of their broadcast area, let alone their nation? Even Gilles Peterson has only a tiny following overseas, which never would have happened without the internet, yet Peel Session CDs were spreading innovative music around the world decades before this was possible. An amazing man. How many other neophite 65-year old people can you think of, let alone those who remain in the media spotlight for nearly 40 years?

But my favorite memory of him is second-hand, thinking of the Sonar 2003 set alongside an array of techno legends. Hannah’s told me more than a few times how she and some of our other mates were down the front, all cheering him on, while a bunch of confused Spaniards wondered who the hell he was – this 60 year old geezer playing a nosebleed cornupopia of Peeled onions.

We’ve had a few parties here called ‘Are Friends Eclectic’, which are very much in the spirit of Peel, each of us (DJs and otherwise) playing three zany tracks, each trying to out nostalgise or shock our compadres. This is the spirit he leaves us. He embodied everything a passion and committment to music can.

Eagle’s Trump

New mix, Eagle’s Trump added. Ambience, house, broken beat, synth pop, techno, electro and hip hop mooshed into a 2 hour 43 minute session. Encoded in 160 Kbps mp3. Recorded yesterday.

Tracklist

Krikark – Boulevard Rushchouard (B4) [Karat]

Savath & Savalas – Equipatge de Flors Seques [Warp]

Dani Siciliano – Same [!K7]

Umod – Just4Funksake [Sonar Kollektiv]

SpyMusic – Cloak [2000 Black]

Björk – Trimumph of a Heart [Wellhart]

The Songstress – See Line Woman [BBE]

Ron & Chez D – 054 (B2) [KMS]

Blake Baxter – Enjoy the Silence (P2: Inner Sight) [Mix Media]

Angora – Enchantment (Original Demo Mix) [Prescription]

4AM – Return of the Sea Trutle [Muzique Tropique]

4th Measure Men – The Need (MK’s Original Mix) [Area 10]

Maxwell – No One (AMG Remix) [AMG]

Osunlade present Nadirah Shakoor- Pride (Main mix) [Set]

Chateau Flight – Prism [Versatile]

Osunlade – Native Tongue (Miles Moore’s Foreign Tongue mix) [Got Soul]

Induceve – Time to Begin (Henrik Schwarz Remix) [Classic]

David Alvarado – Aqua [Yoshi Toshi]

Native Funk – Retro Elements (Scott Ferguson’s Detroit Elements) [Rhythmic-Deep]

Vangelis – Blade Runner Theme (Re-edit) [COW white]

Orgue Electronique Here I come (Vengo) [Creme Organiztion]

Lucky & Easy – Pimp Soul Blister (A1) [Ann Aimee]

Freeq Unique – Mind & Soul [Bitasweet]

Titonton – Jam Pony [Amalgama]

Dan Curtin – Theory of 3/4/ Alpha [Inzec]

Mathew Jonson – 911, How Can I Help You? [Arbutus]

Kirk DeGiorgio – Climbing the Waterfall [New Religion]

UR – Timeline [UR]

Shed – Opulence (B1) [Solo Action]

Analog Fingerprints – Re-format yourself [Final Frontier]

Electrofunk – Bounce [Electrofunk]

Track Ghost – Gator [Non Stop]

Afronaught Presenté Son de Batey – Carnaval (Misa Negra) [Goya]

Ultradyne – Lardossen Search Squad [Pi Gao Movement]

Autechre – Pen Expers [Warp]

Substance Abuse and MF Doom – Profitless Thought [Fat Beats]

Savath & Savalas – Interludio Inconcreto [Warp]

Madvillain – Accordion [Stones Throw]

Aceyalone & Madlib – K.O. Player [Okayplayer]

Me on the radio the other night

In case you missed it on the air, here’s the archive:

Tracklist

=========

808 State – Ride [Rephlex]

Umod – What Melody [Sonar Kollektiv]

DJ Rels – Don’t U Know [Stones Throw Records]

Omar S – Untitled AOS-002 A2 [FXHE Records]

Willis – Talk to Me (Brooks’ Linguist Remix) [679]

Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble – Running in the Streets (Charles Webster Mix One) [Deeper Soul]

Âme – Mifune [Sonar Kollektiv]

Horror Inc. – I Plead Guilty [Perlon]

Metro Area – Metro Area 5 [Environ]

Unkown Artist – It’s a Dawgs Life (Freestyle Man Old Skool Trance Mix) [Moodmusic Limited]

Mike L. & Lanoiraude – Mystic River (Charles Webster Remix) [Battle]

Impossible Beings – Too Late {Brooks’ Missed It Instrumental Mix) [End Recordings]

Karizma – Mornin (NuLife Edit) [Ricanstruction]

Flashpoint @ Public Life, London, Tag Team w/Nick Craddock

Thursday was fun! Really enjoyed myself once things got going and I worked through the week’s stress. I thought it was great to hear the early sets from Brendan and Guy. Unexpected selections and a great way to warm things up. Nick and I tagteamed for and hour and a half and it went really well I thought. Got to drop loads of new techno, and helped the dance floor lift off. It’s recorded, so possibly online before too long. Shawn Rudiman’s set was really cool, or at least what I remmeber of it. I think it was nice to hear each segment evolving into so much of a ‘song’, versus previous efforts which felt more like an endless transition. Both are cool, but it was amazing to see this different style of arrangement on the fly (assuming I’m not just imagining this). Wish I could remember more of Matt’s set.