back with a vengeance

HEY! I have arrived again. Sorry about the long wait-- I was too busy graduating from college, seeing Kelley Polar and Morgan Geist play live, record-shopping with the latter in Cleveland, DJing dance parties, being with friends, getting sloppy, moving out of my apartment, getting ready to move to San Francisco, and so on. Been a very busy time. But for your patience, I'm giving you two wonderful treats today, both of them not readily available elsewhere.

The first is pretty self-explanatory: Lee "Scratch" Perry, a very high king among kings in the world of music, is working on a new album. The infamous Andrew W.K. is producing this album. A pretty much unseen video produced for the Pitchfork juggernaut came my way, and it is featured in its entirety below, minus the dumb-ass intro that Pfork puts in the version on their beta site of Pitchfork.tv. Not only is it incredibly funny, but it seems like it might actually be an interesting album. So, get ready for some illegal dub-reggae action courtesy of my lovely anonymous sources.

Jesus Christ Will Be Here With a Rainbow: Lee "Scratch" Perry and Andrew W.K.


Secondly, though I have posted many remixes by 7ev3 in the past month, his remix of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" is too good to not share, though it should be noted that it comes at the apex of a mix-- just imagine a DJ building up to this track, and you sort of have an idea of why I'm posting it.

Dead or Alive- You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) (7ev3 Remix)

Tomorrow, a surprise!

taking a break

Won't be posting again until May 27th-- sorry about that, but I am spending my last week in college with my friends. DJing a lot of great parties and drinking brews in the sun. Hope all of you are well and getting down to some good jams! Also, if you ever wanted to know what I look like, take your guess at which person is me in the above picture.

i'll carry the torch for you

To go into the complete history of Allez Allez would require much more than a simple blog entry, so if you're interested in the nitty-gritty of the group's history, I'd suggest clicking on the link above. What I will tell you is that they were big, big fans of Grace Jones, and one can tell.

The sound of "Flesh & Blood" is a retro, early disco sound, with male vocals chanting and a sexy female riding above it all with a truly luscious voice. Bass is heavy, secondary percussive elements are excellent, and synthesized strings along with well-effected horns complete the track. Really quite something, and I think that the intro would make for some great breaks samples!

Allez Allez- Flesh & Blood

Tomorrow, thinking dub.

dark lands

(Painting by Louise Balaam)

Today, a 1989 production from Robert Owens, one of the original Chicago house DJs whose work with Larry Heard, Frankie Knuckles and Satoshi Tomiie is legendary. A pioneer of the early US acid house scene that would later jump the pond to Britain, Owens' "Living in a Land" (released by Gene Hunt) is a 115-bpm, slow-burning acid number that has a subtly dark, menacing streak. Well-syncopated squelches, unbelievably well-padded kicks, and splashy cymbals make this a necessary track for any fan of early house and early acid house. Nowadays, Owens' sound is smoother and more what I would term soulful house, but he's still got an impeccable ear-- a trip to his myspace page (linked above) is highly recommended.

Robert Owens- Living in a Land

Tomorrow, my favorite track by the pivotal Belgian new wave soul group, Allez Allez

aaaaahhhhh

As promised, today I present to you one of my favorite Kraftwerk tracks, taken from their 1973 album, Ralf und Florian. "Tanzmusik" is one of the beat-oriented tracks on an album that is largely beatless, and while the sound is of a primitive, Suicide-like drum machine, the kicks and cymbals here actually come from a preset on an electric organ's rhythm machine. With airy melodic lines, faraway-seeming voice drones, bells, and hand-claps, this is a truly blissful track-- it even reminds me of Animal Collective, at certain points. Not entirely man-machines yet, "Tanzmusik" is a prime example of Kraftwerk's early stylings.

Kraftwerk- Tanzmusik

Some good, old-fashioned acid house coming at you tomorrow.

you know it ain't easy

Today, an excellent remix of Lindstrom by his countrymen, Mungolian Jet Set. No need for much of an introduction to either party here, though it is worth mentioning that Mungolian Jet Set have remixed everyone from Pizzy Yelliott to contemporary composer Nils Petter Molvaer-- the breadth of their work is proof of their greatness, in my opinion.

The MJS remix of "A Blast of Loser" is a thirteen-minute long, truly epic dance track that comes in at around 121 bpm. Lush synth harmonies begin the track, to be accompanied eventually by soft female vocals, an undulously percussive bass-line, and what sounds like a guitar effected to sound like a sitar. What could be considered the 'chorus' of the track is utterly catchy, with the female vocalist being shadowed by a distorted electric guitar. Perhaps the most interesting elements of the track, though, are the flourishes that MJS add-- snippets of flute, samples falling apart, backwards loops low in the mix, and jet noises are all par for the course. An excellent track for the summer months to come!

Lindstrom- A Blast of Loser (Mungolian Jet Set 9406 Remix)

Tomorrow, one of my favorite Kraftwerk tracks for the springtime!

inside of you

Today, another treat from a member of the Shinkoyo crew. Severiano Martinez, better known as Seve, has recorded numerous albums, collaborated on countless projects, made horror films, and published a book. A renaissance man if there ever was one, Seve also used to DJ quite a bit under the name of 7ev3, and his mixes are totally impeccable and prescient of the mash-up, remix-heavy atmosphere of today's party world.

"The Sound of Violence" was originally performed and released by Cassius in 2002. With the sex-infused vocals of Steve Edwards, who seems to score perennial hits like his "Together" collaboration with Bob Sinclar, Cassius created a monstrous track that echoes in bedrooms and basements even now. 7ev3 essentially stretches the track, editing it ever-so-slightly so that we get eight full minutes of electro-house brilliance. At about 128 bpm, this remix of "The Sound of Violence" is perfect peak-time material, almost certain to send a dance-floor into a sweaty mess of ecstasy. Too catchy for words to describe, and very highly recommended-- since I don't usually say this about French electro-house, you know I'm not lying! A truly sexy track.

Cassius- The Sound of Violence (7ev3 Mix)

Tomorrow, a left-field disco remix from the likes of Mungolian Jet Set.