Twisted

It's Friday & that means it's nearly Disco o'clock. And you can't get any more Disco than this: Harry Thumann's 'Underwater' pretty much sums up the whole genre. Utterly ridiculous, completely decadent, bloomin' awesome..

Harry Thumann- Underwater (Z Share) (YSI)

Neuvo Disco- Boys Noize give Justice a good fisting:

Justice- Phantom Pt 2 (Boys Noize remix) (Z Share) (YSI)

On the other hand, if your planning a quiet weekend you could do a lot worse than wrapping yourself up in this:

LFO- Sleepy Chicken (Z Share) (YSI)

At Ease..

Ripped...

Some icey, melodic electronic tracks today- This is what Northern Europe feels like at the moment:

Kritical Audio- Krup (Z Share) (YSI)

Pole- Achterbahn (Shackleton Remix) (Z Share) (YSI)

Vector Lovers- Hush Now (Bitten By The Black Dog) (Z Share) (YSI)

All these tracks are available at Bleep.

Probably shouldn't, but it's a great idea..

The fourth (and apparently final) part of the Beyond the Wizards Sleeve E.P series came out last week. 'West' features some obscure psychedelic re-edits along with an edit of the Beatles 'Hey Bulldog' & a Star Trek edit too. The track i'm posting features some handy gardening tips from June Whitfield & Percy Thrower:

Beyond the Wizards Sleeve- Winter in June (Z Share) (YSI)

Whilst we're in the Psych area i thought i'd post this from La Revolucion De Emiliano Zapata from Mexico. They were active in the early 70's and broke sales records across Europe with their track 'Nasty Sex'. You Dig?

La Revolucion De Emiliano Zapata- I Dig It (Z Share) (YSI)

On a different tip completely Richie Hawtin's Plastikman project has recently been updated: Dubfire gets his hands on perennial club favorite 'Spastik' & gives it a faithful rejiggle.

Plastikman- Spastik (Dubfire rework) (Z Share) (YSI)

Booya.

Optimo Espacio

Optimo celebrate their 10th Birthday this weekend with a special double-header. These days any laptop jock can whip up a mix splicing genre's, Twitch & Wilkes have been bending styles together for years & are still top of the tree. They are true musical officandos, constantly digging for old gems & new talent. They are equally at home on the same bill as Os Mutantes as they are Ricardo Villalobos. Along the way they have introduced me to tunes that have gone onto become firm favorites, records that will stay with me forever. I've heard mumurings that their planning to finish the night at the end of the year, hopefully this is not true. I'm sure they'll be slaying dancefloor's for many years to come. Here are just a few of the tracks they've helped me discover:

The Flirtations- Nothing but a Heartache (Z Share) (YSI)

Love- Everybody's Gotta Live (Z Share) (YSI)

The Jellies- Jive Baby on a Saturday night (Z Share) (YSI)

Have a good weekend- I'm gonna sneak onto The Whip's tour bus & head here. Should be a blast. I Love your ears..

I know they were just kids...but man we beat the fuck out of them.

Some tracks today by artists that i haven't yet posted about but really should have- Beck sneaked out 'Timebomb' in the summer, it's an electro fuzz stomper complete with resplendent hand claps.

Beck- Timebomb (Z Share) (YSI)

This Blues Explosion refix came out in 2004- !!! give the tune a dubby facelift & throw on some muck. Works nicely..

Blues Explosion- Hot Gossip (TMJ !!! mix) (Z Share) (YSI)

New record due from The Kills in the new year- I hope hanging out with Kate Moss hasn't given them a case of the Doherty's...

The Kills- Superstition (Z Share) (YSI)

I've just set up a Flickr account, all the images from this blog are now up- Take a peek.
Just what the doctor ordered...

Can You see Jesus?

Could be worse. You could be the lead singer of the Fall..

A nice piece in the Guardian over the weekend with Andrew Weatherall- He talks about some of his influences and a few of the records he's been involved in. Also cites Danton Eeprom's 'Confession's of an English opium eater' as one of the most important dance records of the last few years, a resplendent 45. If you haven't yet check out Sci-Fi Lo-Fi: Vol 1, you should have a quiet word with yourself.

Danton Eeprom- Confessions of an English Opium eater (Z Share) (YSI)

The Gorillaz project is wrapped up with D-sides, a collection of demo's, outtakes and remixes. Contains the superb 'Kids with Guns' remix by Quiet Village and also features mixes by Soulwax, Hot Chip, DFA etc..

Gorillaz- Kids with Guns (Quiet Village remix) (Z Share) (YSI)

"I wanna go where the Buffalo's roam, Chop off your head while i'm puffing on a bone" Can't beat a bit of Gravediggaz.

Gravediggaz- Pass the Shovel (Z Share) (YSI)

For that feminine look you always wanted..

I know, I know. Kind of a cute Nazi though..

This week sees the official release of LCD Soundsystem's 45:33. It originally came out last year as part of Nike's Sport Music series. James Murphy was given a brief of composing a piece of music roughly 45 minutes in length, gathering momentum so that an athlete's workout would build with the music. Using Manuel Göttsching's E2-E4 as his template Murphy weaves 4 tracks together much like a DJ mix. After the record was released it came out that there had been no attempt to make a mix for exercise enthusiasts, it was just an opportunity for Murphy to make a 45 minute record without having to worry about what the record company would do with it. However it transpired, it's a great composition. You can buy the record here, or if you want it digitally Bleep are selling it for a bargain £3.99. Here is part 1, ripped from vinyl (I love the idea of people working out to this with the lyric "Shame on you" ringing in their ear lobes.. MUST..TRY..HARDER..)

LCD Soundsystem- 45:33 Part 1. Shame on You (Z Share) (YSI)

I turned on the tellybox the other night to hear Louie Austen's dulcet tones ringing out- "One night in Rio" has been picked up by someone selling something. Not sure what, but it's a fine tune with a great narrative:

Louie Austen- One night in Rio (Z Share) (YSI)

This is my John Peel moment- Picked up a 12" from Piccadilly records by The Orichalc Phase, took it home & played it a few times: Sounded like a cross between Death in Vegas & The Velvet Underground, Druggy, Druggy. Went to check them out on myspace & was amazed to find out that i had been playing the tune at the wrong speed (33 instead of 45). To be frank i don't really care for the '45' version, the '33' sounds much better. Have a listen for yourself, the normal version is up on their space (They've now changed their name to The Oscillation)

The Orichalc Phase- Respond in Silence (33 should be 45 edit) (Z Share) (YSI)

Weekend Salutations..

Did you stick a Hamster up your Ass?

More from the Burial boy: After the release of 'Untrue' (which gets getter with every listen), he gets his mits on Bloc Party & remixes 'Where is home?' in his unmistakable style.

Bloc Party- Where is Home? (Burial remix) (Z Share) (YSI)

At the other end of the scale is this remix of Hot Chip's 'Shake a Fist'. It's been done by Scottish producer MG, set your phasers to R-A-V-E.

Hot Chip- Shake a Fist (Martys s.o.s remix) (Z Share) (YSI)

If you need something to chill your boots to, you could try a lot worse than The Dead Texan. It's an audio visual project with the composition of the music and the creation of the video's becoming simultaneous. Check them out here.

The Dead Texan- When i see scissors i can't help but think of you (Z Share) (YSI)

The Best a man can get..

You drive. You drive. I think there's something wrong with me..

A new Broadcast tune has surfaced- They've recorded a track for a compilation called 'Binary Oppositions' that comprises completely of Brum artists. Leans heavily on the Kraut which is fine by me..

Broadcast- Green Peter (Z Share) (YSI)

Recently picked up an E.P by Glasgow based Dosimat- It's loose, experimental electronic music, reminds me of early Kraftwerk. They list Moondog as a big influence. 'Tagatose' is beautiful..

Dosimat- Tagatose (Z Share) (YSI)

!!! release the 'Yadnus' EP this week- Lots of good remixes on the record including a great edit of the title track which basically extends the song & makes it much more mixable if your one of them Deejay types. You can get it from bleep.

!!!- Yadnus (Still going to the Roadhouse mix) (Z Share) (YSI)

Because your worth it..

Don't point that gun at him, he's an unpaid intern.

There's a new Wes Anderson film on the way, The Darjeeling limited. It looks bloody marvelous. It's the story of three brothers who plan a trip across India to rediscover themselves and each other. The soundtrack is very impressive, with the likes of the Kinks & the Rolling Stones sitting next to Beethoven. You can buy it here.

The Kinks- Powerman (Z Share) (YSI)

Alexis Weissenberg- Suite Bergamasque: 3. Clair De Lune (Z Share) (YSI)

The Rolling Stones- Play with Fire (Z Share) (YSI)

And from the Life Aquatic soundtrack here is a bit of Seu Jorge- Again, if you don't own this record you can grab it (and the accompanying studio sessions) here.

Seu Jorge- Queen Bitch (Z Share) (YSI)

Niceoneyeah..

Pukka Asbo Dinners

It's that time of year folks- Record companies are churning out the greatest hits/best of's in search of that Xmas dollar. Quality new releases are thin on the ground for the next couple of months, so it's time to start looking in the archives..
I picked this up off the excellent Bumrocks during the summer, a great little disco re-working of Peter Green era Fleetwood Mac.

Fleetwood Mac- Showbiz Blues (Rework) (Z Share) (YSI)

It's all about the drums on 'Holy Ghost'- Supa Heavy.

The Bar Keys- Holy Ghost (Z Share) (YSI)

Jeru the Damaja never seems to be held in the same reverence as some of his NYC contemporaries, not sure why. His flow is amazing, especially on the majestic 'Come Clean'. 'Heads up coz we're dropping some Shit..'

Jeru the Damaja- Come Clean (Z Share) (YSI)

A few points on interest: Fancy seeing some pensioners recreate some of the most iconic pictures of the 20th century?
A special DFA halloween mix has just been made available online, click here to grab it. You can also now get Fabric podcasts via Itunes, the first one is by resident Craig Richards and it's very good.

Homeless UK Raver

Today is Burial day in the UK: Children have been given the day off school, shops have closed & parliament has been suspended. The reclusive London Dubstepper's second long player was unleashed at 12.01 am Monday by online music stores Boomkat & Bleep. On first listen it sounds like more of the same but with more vocals. An album that you have to live with for a while...

Burial- Ghost Hardware (Z Share) (YSI)

Some new Shit Robot too- DFA release his new 12" 'Chasm/Lonely Planet'. You can now also get DFA releases digitally through Beatport. Woo.

Shit Robot- Chasm (Z Share) (YSI)

Safeyo.

A little bit of Nonsense..

Dear Maid,
Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.
Thank you,

S. Berman

Black Sabbath- The Wizard (Z Share) (YSI)

Dear Room 635,
I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the management is to leave 3 soaps daily. I hope this is satisfactory.

Kathy, Relief Maid

Deltron 3030- Time Keeps on Slipping (Z Share) (YSI)

Dear Maid - I hope you are my regular maid. Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Dial so I won't need those 6 little Camays which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc. Please remove them.

S. Berman

Cluster & Eno- Ho Renemo (Z Share) (YSI)

Dear Mr. Berman,
My day off was last Wed. so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where your Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience. I didn't remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can of further assistance.
Your regular maid,
Dotty

Dear Mr. Berman,
The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this morning that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints please contact me so I can give it my personal attention. Call extension 1108 between 8AM and 5PM. Thank you.

Elaine Carmen
Housekeeper

Dear Miss Carmen,
It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 7:45 AM and don't get back before 5:30 or 6PM. That's the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. You were already off duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bath-room shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?

S. Berman

Etc, etc, etc...

Urgh/Blurgh..

Sometimes you need to hear the right band in the right context for everything too click- Didn't really get Deerhoof until about 9.30 on Saturday am. Some velvet morning indeed..

Deerhoof- The Perfect Me (Z Share) (YSI)

The debut from German dubstepper Disrupt is out now. The emphasis is on the dub rather than the step. I was recently chatting to a pal of mine who isn't a fan of the whole dubstep thing, he suggested that it would be much better to listen to a King Tubby album through a distortion pedal. Doesn't sound like a bad idea..

Disrupt- Blast you to Bits (Z Share) (YSI)

Some more from Fine Tuning- Following up on his excellent Bauhaus remix he now turns his attention to Michael Bundt's 'March of the Martians' & turns in another dubby, percussive mix. First class. Check out his myspace.

Michael Bundt- March Of The Martians (a Fine-Tuning Funkpunk remix) (Z Share) (YSI)

In a while crocodile...