Best things I've heard in a while:
Palais Schaumburg - Palais Schaumburg
Everything I like about DNA only more so. Extremely edgy clipped stop/start sound. Full-on "deutsche-angst" vocals but in a very delicate context. Improbable crab-walking spikey bass/drum patterns. But also fidgety Liebezeit-a-like percussion. Snatches of eldritch fairground organ. Existential to the core. Not a pop harmony in sight but insanely catchy. AMAZING essential stuff.
Richard X: Back to Mine
Loathsome series comes up trumps here with Richard's brilliant selection. This surely must be the first place you'll come upon someone making a case for Radiophonica/Library music of the 80s (as in Denton and Cook's "Tomorrow's World Theme") Other highlights being Nivea's "Run Away" a 'lost' Neptunes production which in Rich's words: "The future equivalent of the Southport Weekender will dig up in 20 years time."
Padlock (feat Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, Gwen Guthrie, Wally Badarou, Larry Levan)
When SciFi told me his story about waking up one morning and deciding that today was the day he was GOING TO GET THIS RECORD NO MATTER, I was slightly non-plussed. I used to pass it over lots, and then I skipped the bootleg re-issue of it too. Because? Well the supergroup concept and the disco record didn't seem to belong together: one the definition of industry anality, the other's success dependent purely on how it works on the dancefloor/it's tunefulness. I just couldn't see the construct producing anything as spontaneous as was necessary. Fer chrissakes it's even got a celebrity record cover designer in the form of Tony Wright who did Scratch's "Super Ape" amongst other. Eventually I succumbed to a dusty old copy, and cool! Sweeeeet record. "Padlock" itself has a lovely acheing tune: "Gonna padlock my heart" and the limber Compass Point sound goes together with it beautifully. Scary disco heads like Andy Kellman (Yo wazzup Andy?) Phil Wilkins and Joe Estes might like to know I also picked up the Walter Gibbons mix of Loretta Holloway's "Hit'n'Run." How did I do? ;-)
Revolution: The Journey Continues
Had to import this from www.musica.co.za. What joy! Top SA Kwaito DJs like Christo come to the UK to buy Deep House they take it home and, get this, pitch it down! With this stuff it's the boom boom thud that connects it with Mbaqanga. Revolution are two black dudes from the townships. Their last CD (which I played 'Cina' from on that set I did last at Resonance) is called "The Journey" but this is even better. It's very like hearing a set by an African Chris Brann or even Deep Dish, but the flavours are distinctly African: mbira, township rap and choirs over pumping deep house. The CD is one mix of twelve or so tracks, so it really is a journey. Such succullence and also in parts extremely techno-esque abstraction.
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Big up Gutterbreakz.
Posted by Woebot at August 5, 2004 08:34 AM