29 October 2008








The story behind Marc Houle's Sixty-Four is pretty interesting. The project represents an exciting phase in Marc Houles production cycle with most of the year having been spent testing ideas for his album. As a result, the twelve tracks were only ever meant to represent work in progress, functioning primarily as DJ tools for Magda, Troy Pierce and Richie Hawtin over the summer with Marc also performing them live on the road. However, because of their ‘in-between’ nature, their inherent quirkiness and route one approach the crowds have really taken to them and other DJs have been desperate to get their hands on them. Throughout August he released 3 of these tracks each week, and now they are all available together in a double CD released by M_nus. The result is a collection of 12 unique sounding tracks all with the same basic idea, to work a crowd. Order the double CD HERE.



Marc Houle - Ketchup And Beans (alt link)


Marc Houle - Jouster (alt link)





Tim Paris conjures up a 10 minute sonic headtrip with this track released on Tiefschwarz's Souvenir label. It starts simply with a bass guitar and gradually expands and expands into a cacophony of bleeps and whirrs, an understated dance piece. Taken from the Likely EP.



Tim Paris - Alike (alt link)




Also a note to check out Versatile Records blog, there's some really ace mixes on there and some obscure old gemp3's. Plus they have plenty of good stuff due to be released sooon. Great label.



Supersempfft - Out Of Time (alt link)







27 October 2008







pic: Complexification


Osborne - Airpistol (alt link)



Multifaceted electronic producer Todd Osborn has come up with one of the catchiest tracks i've heard in a bit under his Osborne alias. Airpistol is available on 12" vinyl with self remixes that add a warped disco funk twist to the original.




Runaway - Brooklyn Club Jam (L.S.B. Remix) (alt link)



The original by Runaway is a brilliant track, L.S.B. subtly add to the echoey piano synths and replace that big heavy drum beat with some sharper synth sections. Good work all around. The vinyl is available on Rekids from here.




Prime Suspect - We Don't (alt link)



This is just a really great track from German duo Prime Suspect. Point of reference, I suppose Fairmont. Taken off the We Don't EP







24 October 2008







The death of a jazz funk great. Marc Moulin passed away a few weeks ago aged 66. In the early 1970s he formed the avant-jazz collective known as Placebo, taking influence from the genres of jazz, funk and rock and artists such as Jimi Hendrix and James Brown. Placebo featured all the Belgian ‘hipsters’ of those days. They experimented with the Moog and the first synthesizers. Between 1971 and 1975, they released three albums that have become legendary. The 'Placebo years 1971-1974' has been reissued in 2006 and is available here (got mine on order). In the late '70s Moulin formed the disco pop act Telex who went on to achieve more noticeable success, managing a EurLOLvision Song Contest appearance in 1980 and subsequent chart success. The Belgian answer to Kraftwerk, Telex still have a cult following today with names in the Detroit electronic scene citing their music as a big influence. Here are a few tracks including a tribute cover of the Placebo collective by talented French producer Mondkopf.



Telex - Moskow Diskow (alt link)


Telex - The Voice (alt link)


Mondkopf - Aria (alt link)





Arnaud Rebotini of Black Strobe has gone solo and come up with some outstanding material. Taken from the latest Trax mag with more to be heard on his Myspace.



Arnaud Rebotini - The Spirit Of Boogie (alt link)




Rediscovered the Katajanukke EP by Jori Hulkkonen this week. The guy is such a brilliant producer.



Jori Hulkkonen - To The Cabin; Sauna And Drinks (alt link)


Jori Hulkkonen - Enter The Fear: Who Will Be Slaughtered Next (alt link)











22 October 2008







pic Today And Tomorrow

Some easy midweek listening. No techno, electro or disco in sight.

Wermland is the new release from Gothenburg's Detektivbyran. I can't believe it's been 2 years since their debut EP Hemvagen, a release which sent me into raptures with its Yann Tiersen-esque melodies. Lovely stuff.



Detektivbyran - Life/Universe (alt link)



Question Mark were around in the mid '70s, hailing from Kenya, they released 'Be Nice To The People' in 1974. It was a very western influenced psychadelic record. Shadoks have subsequently re-released it.



Question Mark - Oh My Girl (alt link)



He's possibly best known for creating the Miami Vice theme tune, but 10 years prior to that Jan Hammer produced a concept album entitled The First Seven Days. It's got some lovely moments.



Jan Hammer - Oceans And Continents (alt link)



Experimental folk man David Thomas Broughton teams up with Chris Casati for this dreamy electronic gem that is available as an EP on Plug Research.



Broughton & Casati - The Rage (alt link)



Fordlandia is the follow up to the superb IBM 1401 A User's Manual by Jóhann Jóhannsson. It is contemporary classical at its very finest.


Jóhann Jóhannsson - Fordlandia



Then there is Treny by Jacaszek. It sounds pretty close to what you would hear on one of Kompakt's annual Pop Ambient compilations, or perhaps more specifically, Klimek. A great album.


Jacaszek - Powoli (alt link)







20 October 2008







pic Axel Peemoeller



Two Over The Eight by Skoozbot saw a digital release at the back end of last year, now it's had a vinyl re-release. Remixes come from Paco Osuna and JPLS, with the latter bringing maximum effect out of utter simplicity. You can get the vinyl here.



Skoozbot - Forkerror (JPLS Remix) (alt link)




I took a look at Stephan Hinz's latest release 'Bacala' because I saw it had a remix by New York's Adultnapper. The title track release a superb piece of minimal techno. Get the vinyl here.



Stephan Hinz - Bacala (alt link)




Photonz are totally great, and they're in and around London this weekend. I'd go see them but i'm a northern monkey who works weekends (for 2 more weeks anyway). Catch them if you can, otherwise make do with these below and maybe buy these.



Photonz - Night At The Police (alt link)


Photonz - Languid (alt link)

















pic: Andreas Banderas


Disco? Mix


Freddy The Flying Dutchman & The Sistina Band - Wojtyla Disco Dance
Yan Tregger - Girls Will Be Girls

Torch Song - Prepare To Energize

Bronx Irish Catholics - Ulster Defence

In Flagranti - Mothers Love

Amplified Orchestra - Kebec 1

A Number Of Names - Sharevari
Unknowmix - The Siren

Putsch '79 - Gibson (Dub Mix)
40 Thieves - Shake & Bounce
Lexx - Disco L

Allez Allez - She's Stirring Up (Optimo Drum Attack Mix)

Kalle, Magnus & Daniel - Kryss Mitt Hjerte
Nitedog - Mars (Nitedog's Lunar Launch)
Discotheque "A" - Be Beyond A Fuss Of Life
Claude Perraudin - Energy
Only Fools And Horses - Spectacle Wins (Holy Ghost! Remix)
LSB - Loco Motion
Jacques Renault - Bad Skinned
Linda G. Thompson - Midnight Rendezvous

Earth, Wind And Fire - Kalimba Tree

Coyote - Blue Skies (Phoreski's Russian Revolution Remix)
Lovelock - Don't Turn Away (From My Love)

John Forde - Atlantis
Lynsey De Paul - Sugar Me


1h 16m
DOWNLOAD

(alt link)


A collection of some classics. Some disco, new wave, cosmic, funk. Hope you enjoy. I've stuck an alternative Rapidshare download link because zShare appears to be acting up, still.




A slow burning remix from Italian dicoers Phreek Plus One as they re-work In My Mind by Jammic And Flip.



Jammic And Flip - In My Mind (Phreek Plus One Remix) (alt link)




Tensnake is never far away from my sound system. Keep Believin' is a simple yet gratifying number that'll have you yearning for the warm weather to return.



Tensnake - Keep Believin' (alt link)




Out on Mindless Boogie next month will be an excellent selection of edits from the Social Disco Club of Portugal, you can listen on their MySpace, it sounds great (especially Clap Pat Clap Slap ). Social Disco Club also have a pretty ace mp3 blog that offers a detailed insight into some of the lesser known names of times gone by.



Disconnection - Cash Money (alt link)









13 October 2008







pic: Sozyone



The standard of compilations this year has been incredibly high, i've lost count of the ones i've thoroughly enjoyed. And now I can add another one to that list. Mmm, Betty! is a compilation by Betty Botox (aka JD Twitch of Optimo), it is a compilation of super rare and long forgotten grooves. I cannot stress how good this is. You can get the vinyl from HERE.



Love Life Of An Orchestra - Beginning Of The Heartbreak (alt link)


The Jellies - Jive Baby On A Saturday Night (alt link)





Munk's Galactic Dancing is another compilation i've really been enjoying. This track by Ben Mono and Georg Bär is a joy to the ears, reminiscent of contemporary sounds from the likes of Holy Ghost and Aeroplane. Nice



Mono & Bär - Go Bang! (alt link)




I'm a big fan of piano music, Maxence Cyrin is a pianist of the highest quality....but what makes him better is the material he plays. Aphex Twin, LFO, Carl Craig, Depeche Mode, Justice and others. Just wonderful. I want to have a dinner party just to play his music in the background. You can get his Modern Rhapsodies HERE.



Maxence Cyrin - D.A.N.C.E. (alt link)





10 October 2008







pic: SpaceCollective

Beats for the weekend. Song titles give it away sometimes. An acidic track from Tanner Ross & Kilowatts.



Tanner Ross & Kilowatts - Facemelt (alt link)




Bangkok Impact is a well loved act around these parts as you may note from previous posts. But now, taking on the name of Kleep, Sami Liuski has ditched his disco tinged beats in favour of some killer minimal techno. With two 12" releases in quick succession on Klang Electronik he shows just how versatile a producer he is. Grab the vinyl from here.



Kleep - Formula One (alt link)




Sticking with the vehicular based track names. This is 240 Interceptor and some ice cold minimal electro taken from the Gothenburg Electro City Compilation 2. Ace.



240 Interceptor - One Car Family (alt link)




And to finish a 9 minute medley of three MMM tracks. This is the good stuff.



MMM - Live Medley (alt link)












8 October 2008







pic: Humili



My inbox has been surprisingly good to me of late. Plenty of good stuff coming through. Here's a selection.



Two new releases that have recently dropped on Bear Funk are from The Diaphanoids and Tobor Experiment Disco Experience. The Diaphanoids EP earlier on this year was really great. Now they're back with a full length entitled Astral Weekends. You might not be able to tell from it that they'd actually written for Luciano Pavarotti in a previous existence, but you will note some sounds reminiscent of some long lost proto-spaceage sound library. I'm already tiring of using space/cosmic cliches, but with Astral Weekends they are wholly appropriate. Seriously excellent cosmic action with a hefty dose of beard. You can grab your copy here.



The Diaphanoids - I'm So Silver (alt link)


The Diaphanoids - Eau De Space N.5 (alt link)



Next it's Tobor Experiment Disco Experience, a man with an unhealthy interest in the 1970's and it's Moog's and vocoders. The Disco Moog EP is no doubt incredibly cheesy, but where would we be without it! The clavinet workout on I Feel Loved is just great.



Tobor Experiment Disco Experience - I Feel Loved (alt link)





A Taut Line is the work of Matt Lyne, a Brit now residing in Osaka. Drawing influence from Moroder to New Order his productions certainly have a nostalgic vibe coupled with something distinctly Japanese perhaps more specifically Mule Musiq going on - which can only be a good thing. There's plenty more on the A Taut Line page.



A Taut Line - I'll Dissolve The Rain For You (alt link)


A Taut Line - Between Your Sheets (Not Mine) (alt link)




Roger Roger has to be one of the best real names ever! Good work parents. Roger Roger was a French composer who specialised in pieces for TV. For his electronic compositions he used the alias Cecil Leuter and was amongst the first to use the Moog. Sadly he passed away in 1995. Just recently, Felix Martin of Hot Chip has put together a touching retake on one of the late Roger Roger's tracks. Brilliant.



Cecil Leuter - A Vanishing Song (Hot Chip Remix) (alt link)




And to finish, a unique trip into the quirky world of Gablé - they're like DAT Pol with a rapper and an affinity for folk music. Sounds bizarre, works quite well (probably because their tracks are so short)


Gablé - Puree Hip Hop (alt link)



BONUS EDIT

Arpadys - Funky Bass (Berlin Machine Edit) (alt link)






7 October 2008








pic: elohopea




October Mix


Sei A - Master Of One
Nathan Fake - Outhouse
Florian Meindl - 8bit Romance (Radio Slave's Deepest Space Remix)
Animal Trainer - Talkshow
Tiga & Zyntherius - Sunglasses At Night (Popof Remix 02)
Alex Millan & Lorent Air - Ironik
Lutzenkirchen - All That Jazz (Popof Remix 02)
Passarella Death Squad - Painted Yellow, Painted Black (Perc Remix)
Shadow Dancer - Cowbois (Das Glow Remix)
Kleep - Zoo
Heartthrob - Signs
Lexy - Fancy Girl
Raz Ohara & The Odd Orchestra - Kisses (Over Temperature Mix)
Ripperton & Masaya - I Love
M.A.N.D.Y. vs Booka Shade - Oh Superman
Photonz - Languid
Ricardo Tobar - La Otra Playa


DOWNLOAD
76mb
55 minutes



The super fresh mixed in with the super cool. A pretty deep mix that flips about half way with the frankly quite mental Passarella Death Squad remix. Normalcy gradually returns and we meet a pleasant end with Ricardo Tobar.




Really enjoyed the track by Alex Millan & Lorent Air, reminded a lot of something Vitalic might conjure up. It's taken off a split with Motor - who appear to be taking a less intense approach to techno.



Alex Millan & Lorent Air - Ironik (alt link)




The new Juan Maclean off the Tour EP is sounding really good. Tito's Way (mp3) had a profound impact on me way back when, and now i'm really looking forward to a new full-length. Sometime sound-a-like artist Legowelt also has some new material with The Rise And Fall Of Manuel Noriega. I've thrown in an old Legowelt alias track from 2003 too, because it's well good.



The Juan Maclean - Let's Talk About Me (alt link)


Legowelt - Lunar Maximus (alt link)


Gladio - Gladio Will Survive (alt link)





And, THANK YOU for all your lovely comments - it really means a lot :)




3 October 2008







pic: Cody Lee Barbour




Laura Burhenn - Just For The Night (Black Moth Super Rainbow Remix) (alt link)



Taken from the upcoming release, Drippers, this is an outstanding piece by Black Moth Super Rainbow and Laura Burhenn. Drippers is limited to 2000 copies, and will feature a scratch 'n' sniff cover (it's like being in the '90s again!). It's well worth going through the BMSR back catalogue and their various aliases, Tobacco, Power Pill Fist etc. Experimental goodness.




Woolfy Vs Projections - Absynth (alt link)



The Astral Projections Of Starlight is certainly going to be up there in my end of year album favourites. Easy listening, dub disco. It may sound cheesy in places on the first listen but once you get into it you will discover its true beauty. Order it here.





Major Swellings - Assquake (alt link)


Major Swellings - Rompenridder (alt link)



A few years late on this one. Major Swellings aka Prins Thomas. High energy disco. Brilliant.




Ajello & Daniele Baldelli - Cosmogony (alt link)



Nu-disco meets Italo on this track taken from the Magic Feet EP released by Ajello on Belgian label Radius.




From music to clothes, if you're a fan of t-shirts then check out Rumplo. It's like the t-shirt version of Hype Machine.




And finally, this blog reached a milestone the other day - two years of posts. I've occasionally thought about quitting, after all surely there's more than enough music blogs out there to cover over the miniscule hole that would be left behind. But, I think this blog still maintains purpose and relevance - for how long, it remains to be seen. For now, though, I wonder, do we really need 17 blogs posting exactly the same song on the same day? To the future! To diversity!