ancient memories

Growing old sucks. Like, it's not a new discovery or anything, but y'know it really bites, non? At my birthday party this weekend, a couple of mixes of mine were playing (hey, it was my party, I was being a bit self indulgent) and a couple of times during the night a guest leaned over to me and said "hey, I love this tune, what is it?", and I'm like "yeah, of course I recognise it, it's er, er, er, hang on, er, er, it's my mix I obviously recognise the tune, er...". But nope. Of course I had the record, obviously recognised it as it was out of my collection but no, memory failed. They say it starts happening more and more. So it happened again when listening to this Thomas Bullock mix - I own pretty much every record on this mix, but save the really obvious disco songs where the lyrics give the game away, I was getting quite upset that I couldn't name those tunes. And my joints ache. I'm 33 FFS. Anyway, so I should have been at the LN CC screening/moody gathering that Thomas describes in this interview for promoting the Dalston gig this weekend past, but I had an early night coz I'm getting old, right?


SMA16 - Thomas Bullock by nicholasfeel

Natural acid

Nature never ceases to amaze. In my job at a high profile Plant Sciences University department I'm very privileged on a daily basis to work alongside some truly inspirational researchers and world leading scientists. There's also some uber-geeks, toffs and tories but I guess you get that with any walk of life. Anyway, I was walking out of my lab the other day and couldn't help glancing at the wall, the reason being that the image you see below just jumped out at me from a display of current research. A friend and colleague, Fernan has been studying how plant and microbial cells divide using some advanced microscopy techniques. The image that you see below is simply uncontrolled, unedited, naturally occurring bacterial replication. The different colours are just different strains of bacteria and the patterns formed as they multiply. I think you'll agree that this is some pretty trippy shizzle and makes for some quite beautiful psychedelic artwork. For more amazing images and further explanation of this, Scientific American has just written a feature here: http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/oscillator/2012/01/17/bacillus-subtilis-for-missoni/
If anyone wants a closer look, do pop round my gaff as a large framed signed copy is just about the be hung in the living room...

fagjazz

It was around the time that Dope Jams (www.dopejams.net) opened that I bought my first record by Terre Thaemlitz. It was "Raw Through A Straw", it was on lovely blue vinyl and the music was comprised of quite ethereal breakbeats and bass-led ambience. It was quite special as it contained the lead track put together by two different recordings of the same song, one through each channel, one left, and one right, and by adjusting the balance you could listen to either perfomance individually, or the combined effort. It was a re-release of the label's first release and contained the original studio productions from 1997 aongside the new live recordings from 2003.

This quirky idea combined with the trippy, dance-y nature of the music made me an instant fan. Terre Thaemlitz's label "Comatonse" was the home for his more dancefloor orientated material, previously releasing on the Mille Plateaux imprint with ambient and experimental compositions. That wasn't to say that the releases on Comatonse were to be completely noodle free, the deep ambient epic odyssey of "Superbonus" being a case in point, complete with amazing 3D artwork (see 1st image).

Recently remixing John Cage continued the cerebral themes running through his output and in fact all releases on the label have a strong rooting in his politics, sexual and otherwise!

Interestingly enough the serious nature of this music is combined with a sense of fun and dancefloor experimentation, of course Terre's knowledge runs deep referencing underground nightlife history with aplomb.

Like many others, a variety of psuedonym's are employed to differentiate between styles, Glorimar, Terre's Neu Wuss Fusion, DJ Sprinkles and so on. The live perfomance aspect seems particuarly important and seems unusual in modern electronic dance, not to say that there aren't plenty of others doing it (although few seem to integrate live and programmed dance music with quite as much fluidity).

I mentioned sexual politics earlier and it's a subject that is proudly displayed on most of the artwork, each release promoting sexual health with tongue in cheek slogans and whole compositions dedicated to raising awareness.

And so back to the music. I put together a few of the Comatonse catalogue here to give a flavour, and although some of these releases may be hard to come across, the japanese imprint Mule Music have recently made available again some of the more seminal dancefloor moments from Terre alongside some of his newer productions and remixes, go seek!

Comatonse label spotlight by fred_naked

Playlist:

DJ Sprinkles - Sloppy 42nd's (Glorimar's Deeperama)
Nina Simone - See Line Woman (Terre Thaemlitz Remix)
Terre's Neu Wuss Fusion - She's Hard (Live @ Hug Parade Minsk/Belarus)
Terre Thaemlitz - Raw Through A Straw (Double Live L=North R=South)
DJ Sprinkles - Glorimar's Whore House
Chugga - Theme for the Buck Rodgers Light Rope Dance (Interstellar Speedskate)
Kami-Sakurobe House Explosion - Stand Up
Kami-Sakurobe House Explosion - Black Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair

MB Mix 2

Second in the series of Mind Blowing mixes won't be for everyone out there. I was lucky in my musical education that pretty early on I met my friend and mentor, Niki. Any attempt that I make to describe him won't do him justice and will probably elicit a slap. Let's just say that for pretty much everyone out there, he's on some next level shit, and that's an understatement. You have no idea. I can see you, there, thinking that, yeah, you get the idea, but no, you really fucking don't. Anyway, of course it was he who hipped me to Qbico. It was a mad record label, utterly true to itself and deadly serious. It released music, no more, no less. Yeah, there's a lot of Jazz, but there's also Techno, Electronics, Drum tracks and Rock. The man behind this label was probably eating the same thing Niki was for breakfast. The first thing you notice with a Qbico release is the artwork. Often hand made. Sometimes less than 30 copies for the world. Sometime one-off's. Always special, and that was before you got to the music. Anyway, as you might expect, the dude behind the label, Enrique has a pretty damn fine personal collection. To hear him DJ must be something pretty special, but unfortunately the closest I've come to this is a series of radio presentations he made on a couple of obscure internet radio stations, Yellowish radio in Japan, and Borderline radio in Germany. Here is one of his sessions on Borderline radio, put together apparently from only two CD's. Like his label, it's out there, addictive and compulsive, quite indescribable - enjoy!


Qbic-O-Rama 5 Borderline Radio by Disco Village

Not a mix

I try to listen to a lot of records all the time, but you know how it is - life gets in the way. I listen to all kinds of stuff, some out there Jazz, some afro stuff, some disco, some plonker self-flagellating in a cave playing a nose flute, we had some Belgian New Beat blasting over the breakfast table this morning. Here's some dance-y stuff I've had on repeat recently. It's not a mix, more of a radio show in "Restless Funk"s absence (we'll be back on the airwaves soon, new studio n all!): Disco Village January Selection by fred_naked  

Bjorn Torske - Nitten Nitti (Harvey's Not Normal Mix) 
Not an amazing record, but Harv's sense of humour shines through, it's just fun right? It's like twirling with a pink balloon, half naked. Of course I looked a twat, but did I care? Harvey doing his best Holger impression.
Wizardz - Space Trip Revenge 
Do these things even get a release? Like, they aren't even in the shops, then they are $100 on discogs. WTF?
College - Teenage Color 
We've rented "Drive" tonight. So I pulled this 7" out. I'm a sucker for cheesy 80's film soundtrack stuff. I was all over the Valerie Collective stuff when it came out. L is a big fan of the terrible "Zombie Lady" cut off the comp. Harks back to an era when pop music was fun. Shit, but fun. Again, massive props to Flexx in pushing these guys. College also wrote "A Real Hero", hence the "Drive" reference, duh!
Bob Chance - Wild It's Broken 7" promo version
Stuart sold me a copy of the 2nd volume Loft box set on my first trip to plastic people. He also helped to get someone (not me) so refreshed at THAT Rhythm & Sound gig at plastics that some young actress out of Eastenders had to climb over someone (definately not me) on the stairs. He's started a label called "Emotional Rescue" reissuing really cool shit. I already had the Bob Chance album, so I was stoked to see Stuart releasing the rare 7" versions as his first release.
Mascara - Golden Years (Homophono edit) 
Yeah, so it was Bowie's birthday recently, but I don't really view him with the same reverence that some others do so it's emrely a coincidence he wrote this song. The Mascara LP's really good "Way To LA" or summat. I'd say this was a cute 7" and as such mean to play it more, but never get round to it. S'one of those. Jason from 'Nado had something to do with putting it out, I was hoping for more from "Homophono" as it's a cool name.
Abel - Agean Sea
In Mison & Moonboot's end of year top 3's if you read testpressing.org (which you should). It niggles me that the guitar coda at the end is clipped, you know, the recording or pressing just sounds abrupt emphasizing the fact it's an edit. Bummer. (I fade it out here for your listenig pleasure).
Torn Sail - Birds
Bought this immediately and just chucked it in the Claremont pile, "yeah, I'll give it a listen sometime". My mistake, f**k me, what a brilliant tune! Original material, played live. We <3 Mudd x Then you discover Tiago's mix, and you listen to and you go, yeah, that bits quite nice, and this bit too, oh wow, yeah, that's good, oh wait, there's more, oh, that bit's great, that's good too, so's that, and that, ah, I like the way it does that, yeah, coool, groovy etc etc and it just keeps going and going. Ace.
Todd Terje - Inspector Norse
I didn't buy the picture sleeve of Ragysh. Then everyone raved about it. Massive tune etc. Balls. I'd better get one and see what the fuss is all about. And the collector wanker in me say's "you've gotta get one with the artwork". So Adriaan from Finger mag happily fleeces me. So it turns up And the artwrk is shit. And I'm not really into the music. I was not going to go down that path again so I picked up Inspector Norse as soon as it came out. And it's all right, but still kinda disposable nu-disco. Still, it was the only tune here that L stopped cooking for and came and danced around a bit to. Todd - LL Cool T :-( Maybe I need an anchor tattoo...
Youngtee - Dr Chocolate
I love Dr Rob. He writes for testpressing.org He was a bit depressed for a while. His articles are beautifully poetic reminiscing about his life in London (he now lives in Japan), drinking too much, women he loved and lost, late nights, loneliness and records. Kinda like Murakami but with dirt under his fingernails and soiled pants. So somehow, this bloke who lives in solitude, halfway up a mountain in Japan, in a wooden shed that he built himself is telling half of a moustachio'ed and non-tesselatory coiffurred [;-) natch, Andy] London what's really cool to listen to on their little white earbuds. Anyway, he reviewed this 12", first on Andy Blake's new label (previously Dissident/Cave Paintings/World Unknown). It reminded me of Unknown to the Unknown's Deelite. Facemelting bass driven all out assault mental house smasher, no holes barred throw everything at 'em and turn it up to gurn. Lovely.
Eurofunk - Manshortage (ELI-173 edit)
Pulled this out 'cos someone mentioned it was on a Mr Peabody's mix on the BBE site. Obviously Mike or Mark played the OG, but all I've got is this Unclassics reissue. It's my least favourite cut off the 3 tracker. Is ELI-173 some obscure film reference, or the name of a synth, or a condom wrapper barcode? It's this kind of knowledge that means the geek will inherit the earth. Or something.
GAG - Bolero
Psychemagik are doing alright for themselves eh? Haven't been into much of their stuff, although I did really like their edit of Magic on the Discotheque Wreckers EP (shame about the sound quality). Anyway, I got those Sherm sticks compilations with loads of obscure stuff that you imagine the cool DJ's play originals of. But they're short tracks, and all kind of obscure so you don't remember them, and the comps are on cheap cardboard so regardless of their legitimacy you feel cheap playing them (I mean, FFS, they only print the track titles on the center label like you might do if it were an artist album, but it's not). So again, they don't get much love. But the last one, "After The Void" ends with this, GAG - Bolero. In fact contrary to what I just said, the last 3 tracks on the compilation do kind of stick in your mind. Psychemagik compiled that half of the comp.

Revenge on the nerds

Fred's favourite disco 12"s

Sampled by Danny Wang on Balihu, first heard on crucial Ron Hardy tape, kicks like a mule.

First heard on a hip-hop mix by Ben Simms (I think). Very disco, utterly attention grabbing but never seems to hold a dancefloor. Love it to bits though.

Mancuso's ultimate re-entry record. Rare 12", reissued by sadly missed Flexx. Big with Baldelli too.

First heard this in when my housemate Vincent was downloading some Larry/Garage MP3's. Back in those naieve days I was like "pfft, Larry woldn't play THAT". Ha ha ha, massive sounds, weird though ;-s

Version to Cappucino - He'll dance with me. Covered AND edited by Prins Thomas. Wedding Disco but ace nonetheless.

More Danny Wang edit fodder, has that Bill Withers - You Got The Stuff type breakdown. Less well known that their big hit "Love Injection".

Reminds me of "love Hangover" when it gets going. First heard the Moodymann edit on the insanely rare LT1/Mustang 12". B-Side "Feel like dancin' also gets me in the mood.

Better than the Salsoul Orchestra version, less smooth. Idjuts nicked the tiny break at the end I reckon. Proper happy record, everyone says it's cheese but I have to bump this loud in the car, brings the sunshine out!

Didn't know what this was for bloody ages. Did Bob Sinclar use it? I loved that Bob Sinclar album the joy of later discovering it was nearly all samples was immense, that dawning realisation that "ohh, it's THAT tune!"

First heard as a crescendo to DJ Spinna's Rare Radio Mix from years back, soon to come in the mind blowing mixes series. I met Spinna at the Southport Weekender about 8 years ago and simply gushed. He autographed my copy (god knows why I had it with me).

Sickly sweet and everyone plumps for the B-side (Jerky Rhythm), but I can't help it. So wrong it's right?

More uptempo business. European electronic disco that builds and builds untill, yep, you guessed it, cheesy vocal drops taking us to heaven. Hypnotic in the build though. Patrick Cowley remix is alledgedly better?

Morgan Geist favourite (reissued with a "health club dub on his label), the disconet mix is the one, taking the best parts of part 1 and 11 and splicing them together. I love to use part 11 as a tool, it's so short but so dramatic.

50p on the Village market. It's not the Tom Moulton, but thanks, I'll take it.

All label scans from my personal collection. Please note that not all are rare or expensive. (But some are!)

MB Mix 1

First in a new series of "mind blowing mixes". Tenyu Hamaki is a record dealer based in Brookyln, NY. I first encountered him virtually on www.deephousepage.com where he appeared to divide opinion (to put it politely), and in fact nearly 8 years later when I recently asked after him I encountered a 3 page forum shitstorm at the mere mention of his name (admittedly this was partly down to my lamenting the demise of a once great forum). Well, he sorted me a promo 12" of Love Bug on Red Greg so regardless of everyone else, I'm a fan. He's a conossieur of the black shiny stuff and as he got deeper into the deep soul side of things he appeared to veer towards gospel. Back in the day there was no way I'd touch gospel with a barge pole, bloody god botherers! However it was the mixes that Tenyu put together that showed me just how funky, disco, and downright utterly tripped out to the max facemeltingly psychedelic this shit could get. Praise be! I'm a believer! Soul session 3 will be posted later and is pure pure preaching praying perfection, however I'm starting this series highlighting some of the mixes that have blown my mind with Soul session 4 from Tenyu which is just deep, good music. Each mix will be avalable for a limited time only...


Tenyu - Soul Session 4 by Disco Village

www.hollygroverecords.com

Break broken

Hope you all had a nice break over the holiday period. As you can see it wasn't wasted on us. Check the knitted nativity scene in the second photo - well balearic! ;-) Shouts and wishes to all the crew, you know who you are; AJB, Blackwax, C-H, S&M, Mr Spencer, Joey, Squizz, Ditton massive and all the unmentionables, not forgetting the Skinns clan, L, and Dot  "peas n love 2012"  x

fRESH

 PPU Video Vol 2 Coming Soon...

Searle gone

http://ronaldsearle.blogspot.com/