Lindstrom & Prins Thomas II (Eskimo)
Quite apart from including one of the best freebie promotional gimmicks ever; an Eskimo Recordings/L&PT fir tree air freshener, this stunning long player firmly establishes Norway’s cosmic kings as masters of their art. Although there are eight ‘tracks’ listed in a typically surreal manner 01, 25, 42, 58, 68, 78, 85 and 92(???) when you load the LP onto real player it saves 99 tracks, some of them only a few seconds long. Unlike L&PT’s rightly acclaimed eponymous debut, L&PT II follows Lindstrom’s solo outing with little in the way of traditional song structures. This is more of a ‘cosmic symphony’ in eight parts, an often beautiful fusion of modern electronica and 70s ‘Kraut’, that repeats motifs and regurgitates chords in endless loops becoming both hypnotic and therapeutic in the process. The chugging basslines and percussion provide the momentum for the melodic synth lines yet this is not ‘dance’ music as such, more a meditative experiment in sound. Fjordtastic!
Milky Disco 2 – Let’s Go Freak Out (Lo)
I’m sure ‘cosmic disco/nu disco/no disco/nu balearic/neo discolearic’ has about another three seconds of life left before the backlash begins (infact the backlash began as soon as any of the above terms were coined) and with the likes of Mixmag getting Aeroplane to compile a ‘Disco Balearica’ mix, it’s no surprise that there’s a reaction against this ‘scene’ within a scene, if indeed a ‘scene’ it is. Yet two years after the fantastic Milky Disco 1 compilation, Lo Recording’s John Tye has brought together some of the world’s best nu-discosmiclearic musicians in another Milky Disco voyage of disco-very. Trippy and hoppy, poppy and jazzy, Let’s Go Freak Out assembles this truly global music’s premier league and channels their restless energy into two teams of eleven.
So on side 1 (the reds) we’ve got Hatchback, Pollyester, Secret Circuit. Ghost Note, Chilled By Nature, Gatto Fritto, Lukas Nystrand, Soft Circle, Black Devil Disco Club, Glass Candy and CFCF.
On Side 2 (the blues) Black Mustang/Kerrier Disrict, Soft Rocks, Pink Stallone, Canyons, Nite Jewel, Expanding Head Band, Black Devil Disco Club (on loan), Georges Vert, Chilled By Nature (recent signing), Subway and Milky Globe/Sorcerer team up.
As compilations of nu cosmodelica go, this one’s the champion’s league lid!
Monday 23 March 2009
Tuesday 17 February 2009
Feb Jukey/New Releases
Ein Haus Ist Kein Zuhaus – Katja (Liberty)
Ever wondered what ‘A House Is Not A Home’ sounds like in German? Well let the utterly gorgeous Katja Ebstein fill you in…..
Brown Baby/Save The Children – Diana Ross (Motown)
From the Berry Gordy produced ‘Touch Me In The Morning’ LP, Diana does a medley that matches Marv’s orchestration and emotion…quite marvellous!
Wind of Change – Hawkwind (UA)
Who’s for some original shroomadelica? Like Morricone meets Mantovani on Mars, the Hawks take you to the Hall Of The Mountain Mixed Grill kidda!
Clear As The Driven Snow – Doobie Brothers (Warner Bros)
Finger picking good – killer track from The Captain & Me LP.
Outside The Rain – Stevie Nicks (Modern)
‘It’s only ay dream?’ I used to dream about Stevie Nicks a lot and I’ll tell ya what – she couldn’t half play the banjo!
Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond) – Ringo Starr (Apple)
A George Harrison song with the likes of Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Klaus Voorman and George himself helping out, this is a slice of country toe tappin’ cheese that saves Ringo’s self-titled appalling second solo outing.
The Joy Circuit – Gary Numan (Baggars Banquet)
Jaunty lickle fiddletronica tune from Gal’s overlooked Telekon LP.
Chilipoum - Manitas De Plata Et Los Plateros (CBS)
If this don’t get you clapping and flamenco stompin like a gypsy king kong then there’s fuck all down for ya.
Get Back – Rod Stewart (Riva)
Rod gives Macca’s anti-immigrant anthem a fierce, raw throated workout. Get back JoJo!
Going Down Slowly – The Pointer Sisters (abc)
As the sistas themselves sing ‘holy moly slowly going down’ – blimey! Pure raunch-disco-soul feminist call to arms don’t get funkier than this.
The Way I want To Touch You – Shirley Bassey (UA)
Lovely string laden disco-lite production with engineering from none other than Martin Rushent. Slinky baby!
Lilac Wine – Eartha Kitt (Ace Of Hearts)
Wibbly wobbly rendition of the wino’s national anthem from the original vamp. Eartha – RIP!
Couldn’t Love You More – John Martyn (Atlantic)
The big man is no more! A beautiful way to go out. RIP!
New Releases
U Can Dance – DJ Hell feat Bryan Ferry (Gigolo)
The best thing Ferry’s done for at least two decades, this epic piece of throb-core brings back memories of prime era Roxy in all their decadent glory. Taken from Hell’s latest double CD/LP ‘Tuefelswek’ (German for Devil’s work apparently).
Black & Grey Stripped Trousers – In Flagranti (Codek)
In Flagranti make neo-punkfunk the way it should be made; with no regards to structure or formality not as a rehash of tried and tested Mutant Disco templates. Returning to form with their ‘Brash & Vulgar’ LP, this track is two minutes of Nouvelle Vague naughtiness – like Breathless on crystal meth!
The Subs – From Dusk Till Dawn (Lektroluv)
Straying too far into Dutch Euro-rave for my liking (they even do a version of the Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’), this is the least ‘shouty’ tune from The Subs’s ‘Subculture’ LP. A bit tits out for the donkers but passable in an electro- minimalism stylee.
Ever wondered what ‘A House Is Not A Home’ sounds like in German? Well let the utterly gorgeous Katja Ebstein fill you in…..
Brown Baby/Save The Children – Diana Ross (Motown)
From the Berry Gordy produced ‘Touch Me In The Morning’ LP, Diana does a medley that matches Marv’s orchestration and emotion…quite marvellous!
Wind of Change – Hawkwind (UA)
Who’s for some original shroomadelica? Like Morricone meets Mantovani on Mars, the Hawks take you to the Hall Of The Mountain Mixed Grill kidda!
Clear As The Driven Snow – Doobie Brothers (Warner Bros)
Finger picking good – killer track from The Captain & Me LP.
Outside The Rain – Stevie Nicks (Modern)
‘It’s only ay dream?’ I used to dream about Stevie Nicks a lot and I’ll tell ya what – she couldn’t half play the banjo!
Sunshine Life For Me (Sail Away Raymond) – Ringo Starr (Apple)
A George Harrison song with the likes of Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Klaus Voorman and George himself helping out, this is a slice of country toe tappin’ cheese that saves Ringo’s self-titled appalling second solo outing.
The Joy Circuit – Gary Numan (Baggars Banquet)
Jaunty lickle fiddletronica tune from Gal’s overlooked Telekon LP.
Chilipoum - Manitas De Plata Et Los Plateros (CBS)
If this don’t get you clapping and flamenco stompin like a gypsy king kong then there’s fuck all down for ya.
Get Back – Rod Stewart (Riva)
Rod gives Macca’s anti-immigrant anthem a fierce, raw throated workout. Get back JoJo!
Going Down Slowly – The Pointer Sisters (abc)
As the sistas themselves sing ‘holy moly slowly going down’ – blimey! Pure raunch-disco-soul feminist call to arms don’t get funkier than this.
The Way I want To Touch You – Shirley Bassey (UA)
Lovely string laden disco-lite production with engineering from none other than Martin Rushent. Slinky baby!
Lilac Wine – Eartha Kitt (Ace Of Hearts)
Wibbly wobbly rendition of the wino’s national anthem from the original vamp. Eartha – RIP!
Couldn’t Love You More – John Martyn (Atlantic)
The big man is no more! A beautiful way to go out. RIP!
New Releases
U Can Dance – DJ Hell feat Bryan Ferry (Gigolo)
The best thing Ferry’s done for at least two decades, this epic piece of throb-core brings back memories of prime era Roxy in all their decadent glory. Taken from Hell’s latest double CD/LP ‘Tuefelswek’ (German for Devil’s work apparently).
Black & Grey Stripped Trousers – In Flagranti (Codek)
In Flagranti make neo-punkfunk the way it should be made; with no regards to structure or formality not as a rehash of tried and tested Mutant Disco templates. Returning to form with their ‘Brash & Vulgar’ LP, this track is two minutes of Nouvelle Vague naughtiness – like Breathless on crystal meth!
The Subs – From Dusk Till Dawn (Lektroluv)
Straying too far into Dutch Euro-rave for my liking (they even do a version of the Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’), this is the least ‘shouty’ tune from The Subs’s ‘Subculture’ LP. A bit tits out for the donkers but passable in an electro- minimalism stylee.
Monday 26 January 2009
Ste's 'Everything's AOR' mix
Café Del Lar – “Everything’s AOR” Mix January 09
Chicago – Prologue (CBS)
Fairport Convention – A Sailor’s Life (Island)
Bobby Charles – Smalltown Talk (Bearsville)
Joe Walsh – Mother Says (abc/Dunhill)
Camel – One of these days I’m going to get an early night (Decca)
Joe Cocker –The Man in Me (A & M)
The Walker Brothers – Den Haague (GTO)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Poor Boy Shuffle (Pt 1) (Liberty)
Dr. Hook – I Call That True Love (CBS)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Poor Boy Shuffle (Pt 2)/Feelin’ Blue (Liberty)
Rare Earth – I know (I’m Losing You) (Motown)
Jose Feliciano – Virgo (RCA)
Steppenwolf – Sookie Sookie (Dunhill)
Seals & Crofts – Nine Houses (Warner Brothers)
America – Muskrat Love (Warner Brothers)
Monty Python – Rock Notes (Charisma)
Chicago – Prologue (CBS)
Fairport Convention – A Sailor’s Life (Island)
Bobby Charles – Smalltown Talk (Bearsville)
Joe Walsh – Mother Says (abc/Dunhill)
Camel – One of these days I’m going to get an early night (Decca)
Joe Cocker –The Man in Me (A & M)
The Walker Brothers – Den Haague (GTO)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Poor Boy Shuffle (Pt 1) (Liberty)
Dr. Hook – I Call That True Love (CBS)
Creedence Clearwater Revival – Poor Boy Shuffle (Pt 2)/Feelin’ Blue (Liberty)
Rare Earth – I know (I’m Losing You) (Motown)
Jose Feliciano – Virgo (RCA)
Steppenwolf – Sookie Sookie (Dunhill)
Seals & Crofts – Nine Houses (Warner Brothers)
America – Muskrat Love (Warner Brothers)
Monty Python – Rock Notes (Charisma)
Tuesday 20 January 2009
January Chiller Thriller - all chiller all killer
10 tunes for a cosy night in kidda....
Shaday (Instrumental Long Version) - Ofra Haza (Wea)
Friends (Instrumental) - Amii Stewart (RCA)
Cold Nights In Cairo - Big Bang (Swanyard)
Screen Kiss - Thomas Dolby (Parlophone)
Found - The Beloved (Atlantic)
Windows And Walls - Dan Fogelberg (Epic)
Saturday Suit - Art Garfunkel (CBS)
Anticipation - Carly Simon (Elektra)
Jessye Lisabeth - Bobbie Gentry (mfp)
Lost Time In Cordoba - Steve Hackett (Charisma)
Shaday (Instrumental Long Version) - Ofra Haza (Wea)
Friends (Instrumental) - Amii Stewart (RCA)
Cold Nights In Cairo - Big Bang (Swanyard)
Screen Kiss - Thomas Dolby (Parlophone)
Found - The Beloved (Atlantic)
Windows And Walls - Dan Fogelberg (Epic)
Saturday Suit - Art Garfunkel (CBS)
Anticipation - Carly Simon (Elektra)
Jessye Lisabeth - Bobbie Gentry (mfp)
Lost Time In Cordoba - Steve Hackett (Charisma)
Monday 12 January 2009
A Brief History Of Cosmic Disco
now that we're into 2009 and so-called 'cosmic disco' is the sound of yesteryear daddio, here's an old Swine skit we did on the origins of the 'scene without a name, except someone named it the cosmic disco scene and I called it 'Scandolearic' back in 2006 and then IDJ magazine reckoned they coined that term in 2008 but really I invented that and got it copyrighted and everything with no name scene'
The History Of Cosmic Disco
In 1937, Swedish molecular scientist Lars Larsson was experimenting in his laboratory when he accidentally spilled some pickled halibut onto his copy of Dvorak’s Poetic Tone Pictures and a new form of music was invented. He called this strange mutant brew of fishy orchestral soup, Classical StinkBeat and died penniless and broken after giving up his microscope and playing the cello with a halibut instead of a bow in the seedier bars of downtown Bergen.
Fast forward 70 years and whilst on a trip to visit his Great Aunt Matilde, production whiz kid, Prins Thomas found Larsson’s epic ‘Songs For Cello & Halibut Vol 73’ in a trawlermen’s hostel. Intrigued and fascinated by this haunting fusion of instrumentation and avant-garde anti-noise, Prins turned the Lp to 45 and pitched it up to +15 on his specially adapted ‘superpitch’ mobile turntable.
Hey presto! Cosmic Disco was born. Although never referred to as cosmic disco, Prins and his colleagues, Hans Christian Blackbelt Andersson and Peter Bjorn & Lindstrom then released a 50 minute epic every other week for the next four years on a range of labels such as Smallsound Supertown, Inuit and Lazy Viking Stereotype. Then everyone got bored. However for three days in July everyone from BBC Breakfast’s Bill Turnbull to the Icelandic Minister for Fish got very excited about the sound no-one called ‘the new bleep.’
Here are five ‘cosmic’ must haves for your collections….
1 - Silent Running Soundtrack
it’s so very lonely…..with only a robot and Joan Baez for company in deep space kidda.
2 – Muppets From Space soundtrack
Gonzo & The Gang in the ‘ultimate Muppet trip’ – ya dig what they’re saying there daddio?
3 – The Clangers Music by Vernon Elliot
Not so much a record but the very soundtrack to your childhood on Johnny Trunk’s ever boss Trunk label.
4 – Wattoo Wattoo The Bird From Outer Space Theme
The Crazy cosmic bird who came to sort out the silly geese….an allegory for cold war politics or just a daft cartoon about a space magpie? Who gives a fuck?
5 – Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds
Come on Thunderchild! The Red Weed and the martian massive get cracking on this still unbeatable slice of 70s sci-fi camp nonsense. Phil Lynott never sounded better.
The History Of Cosmic Disco
In 1937, Swedish molecular scientist Lars Larsson was experimenting in his laboratory when he accidentally spilled some pickled halibut onto his copy of Dvorak’s Poetic Tone Pictures and a new form of music was invented. He called this strange mutant brew of fishy orchestral soup, Classical StinkBeat and died penniless and broken after giving up his microscope and playing the cello with a halibut instead of a bow in the seedier bars of downtown Bergen.
Fast forward 70 years and whilst on a trip to visit his Great Aunt Matilde, production whiz kid, Prins Thomas found Larsson’s epic ‘Songs For Cello & Halibut Vol 73’ in a trawlermen’s hostel. Intrigued and fascinated by this haunting fusion of instrumentation and avant-garde anti-noise, Prins turned the Lp to 45 and pitched it up to +15 on his specially adapted ‘superpitch’ mobile turntable.
Hey presto! Cosmic Disco was born. Although never referred to as cosmic disco, Prins and his colleagues, Hans Christian Blackbelt Andersson and Peter Bjorn & Lindstrom then released a 50 minute epic every other week for the next four years on a range of labels such as Smallsound Supertown, Inuit and Lazy Viking Stereotype. Then everyone got bored. However for three days in July everyone from BBC Breakfast’s Bill Turnbull to the Icelandic Minister for Fish got very excited about the sound no-one called ‘the new bleep.’
Here are five ‘cosmic’ must haves for your collections….
1 - Silent Running Soundtrack
it’s so very lonely…..with only a robot and Joan Baez for company in deep space kidda.
2 – Muppets From Space soundtrack
Gonzo & The Gang in the ‘ultimate Muppet trip’ – ya dig what they’re saying there daddio?
3 – The Clangers Music by Vernon Elliot
Not so much a record but the very soundtrack to your childhood on Johnny Trunk’s ever boss Trunk label.
4 – Wattoo Wattoo The Bird From Outer Space Theme
The Crazy cosmic bird who came to sort out the silly geese….an allegory for cold war politics or just a daft cartoon about a space magpie? Who gives a fuck?
5 – Jeff Wayne’s War Of The Worlds
Come on Thunderchild! The Red Weed and the martian massive get cracking on this still unbeatable slice of 70s sci-fi camp nonsense. Phil Lynott never sounded better.
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