Symphology

I'm back, muh'fuggahs!


It takes something a bit special for me to pop my head out of my hidey-hole these days and DJ History's new release is just that. As disco and house show signs of converging once again these days, especially with the likes of Toby Tobias, Still Going and Trus'me to name but three, it's probably the optimum time to delve back into the 90s London house scene. Street Corner Symphony, alongside Heller & Farley's Fire Island and Black Science Orchestra (Ashley Beedle, Rob Mello & co.), were one of the main purveyors of disco-laced house music from that London of that decade.

SCS were Pete Z (Idjut Boys, Das Etwas) and Glen Gunner (Block 16) and they were ace. In fact, their music sounds more contemporary now than it did way back when. Tracks like 'Slow Blow' and 'Memories Of Aphrodite' have more in tune with the thriving nu-disco scene (or whatever the fuck it's called these days) than anything emanating from anywhere back then. Great time for a retrospective then.

So that's exactly what the DJ History guys have put together. You can buy it here - with a special super-sized version here with extra tracks - and while you're over there, you might as well treat yourselves to their recent Tele Music remix compilation, 'Le Disco Remixed' too. It's worth it for Toby Tobias' spacey take on 'Monkey Star' and Leo Zero's lairy re-do of 'Baby's Band' alone.

Here's a little taster of what to expect from the Street Corner Symphony album...

Street Corner Symphony - Street Corner Symphony (mp3)

While I'm here too, I might as well pimp this mix I did to promote last month's Dig For Victory! too. It's a bit charming (read sloppy) in places but it's pretty fun all the same, I think...

DFV's Fruity And Frivolous Promo Mix For July

Bits & Pieces - Don't Stop The Music (Island)
Q-Tip - Gettin' Up (Universal Motown)
Lauryn Hill - Everything Is Everything (Ruffhouse)
Codek - Tim Toum (Island)
Agneta Faltskog - Wrap Your Arms Around Me (Villa Diva Edit) (Mindless Boogie)
Raggio Di Luna - Comanchero (Il Discotto)
Taggy Matcher - Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Stix)
Lancelot Layne - Yo Tink It Sorf? (Strut)
Metro Area - Disco Reaction (Environ)
Shirley Lites - Heat You Up (Melt You Down) (Instrumental) (West End)
The B.B. & Q. Band - On The Beat (Capitol)
T-Coy - Carino (Deconstruction)
Hercules & Love Affair - True False Fake Real (DFA)
Super Furry Animals - Cardiff In The Sun (Rough Trade)
Caetano Veloso - Lady Madonna (Philips)
Steel An' Skin - Reggae Is Here Once Again (Honest Jon's)
J.J. Cale - Cocaine (Mercury)
The Science Fiction Corporation - The Whistling Astronaut (Finders Keepers)
The Shadows - Scotch On The Socks (EMI Columbia)
Elton John - Bennie & The Jets (MCA)

And also, if you like, you can check out this Spotify playlist what I did. It took about five minutes to put together. It's the thought that counts...

JMx

Back by Dope Demand!

Okay, okay, it's been too long. I'm not going to proffer an excuse for my absence (though if you're looking for a scapegoat, let's blame the economical downturn. Everyone else is), but posting something, anything on this blog has been long overdue. But now I'm back. For good this time. Honest.

Anyway, my year-end lists will be starting in earnest pretty soon (December 1st, most probably), so you'll no doubt be sick of my musical opinions by the time 2009 comes knocking. Before all that though and because posts have been few and far-between this past 12 months, I'll be filling you in on some records that I thought were noteworthy, but not noteworthy enough to gain a place in my top 50 in a series of posts starting today.

Before all that though, here's a little mix for you that I threw together rather slapdash-like yesterday afternoon. It's mostly hip-hop and there are parts where I haven't even bothered to mix, but it's fun (I think), so here it is...

Yer Mam!'s Half-Arsed Attempt At A Hip-Hop Mix (mp3)

Hudson Mohawke - Ooops! (Wireblock/Luckyme)

The Cool Kids - Black Mags (Chocolate Industries/XL)

Dr. Octagon - Blue Flowers (Mo'Wax)

Flying Lotus - RobertaFlack (feat. Dolly) (Warp)

The Pharcyde - Passin' Me By (Hot Chip Remix) (Delicious Vinyl)

Dead Prez - Hip Hop (Epic)

Busdriver - Secret Skin (Epitaph)

John Carpenter - Assault On Precinct 13 (Main Titles) (Record Makers)

Architeq - Birds Of Prey (Tirk)

King Midas Sound - One Ting (Dabrye Remix) (Hyperdub)

Beatconductor - Real Hip Hop (Spicy)

Tha Liks - Goin' Crazy (Loud)

P. Diddy, Black Rob & Mark Curry - Bad Boy For Life (Bad Boy Entertainment)

Hope you like,

JMx

"Then you think again..."

I sent an email to Jon from Black Country Grammar the other day which detailed my initial thoughts on the upcoming LCD Soundsystem remixes package, which went a little something like this...

"On first listen... They're all pretty great. The Windsurf remix is nice and spacey and a little proggy. More of a tripped-out cover than a remix though. Soulwax's take on 'Get Innocuous!' is surprisingly subtle and not the durr-durr-durr overload I was expecting. Gucci Soundsystem amp up the funk in 'Time To Get Away' turning it into a tough little electro-cowbell-house doozy. Major plaudits reserved for Carl Craig who turns in a crowdpleasing tech-soul re-fit of 'Sound Of Silver'. Points deducted for the slightly lazy fade-out at the end but it's probably because it could have gone on for days without it.

All in all; OMFG! DFA is teh shiznit!"

I still stand by these sentiments now I've had quite a few more listens. The fade at the end of the Carl Craig mix still bugs me as it needs at least another three minutes and I've cooled a little on the Gucci Soundsystem mix of 'Time To Get Away', but the Windsurf cover of 'Us Vs. Them' gets better everytime I hear it and I'm still surprised by Soulwax's display of subtlety while working over 'Get Innocuous!'. It'd be unethical to post one of them at this early juncture but I'm sure I'll get around to it at some point so keep an eye out.

This is essentially a really lazy Sunday afternoon post to show you, if nothing else, that I speak to people I know exactly like how I write on this thing.

Just one more thing; Shit Robot was excellent last night at Get Girl. Kill Baddies. Save Planet. banging out a tough, funky techno set that really got the crowd moving. He dropped this little blinder from about four years ago and it was most definitely the tune of the night, in my opinion...

Freeform Five - Perspex Sex (Ewan Pearson's Hi-NRG Mix)

Earlier in the night, I played a brief set to two - count 'em - punters (note: they were both friends of mine too). I couldn't really have expected any more than that as I was on at 9pm and it didn't really get rocking until midnight anyway, but I had fun all the same. Here, if you're interested, is what I played, roughly in order...

Västkustska Ryggdunkarsällskapet - Town Out Of Order
Don Armando's Second Avenue Rhumba Band - I'm An Indian, Too
Ministry - I Wanted To Tell Her
Shocking Pinks - SmokeScreen
Liquid Liquid - Optimo
Stevie Wonder - Do Like You
Hamilton Bohannon - Let's Start The Dance III (FK Instrumental Club Mix)
Chic - I Want Your Love (Todd Terje Edit)
Chaz Jankel - Glad To Know You
J.A.M. - Number One

That may look like a pretty great set written down, but wait 'til you hear it complimented by my shitty mixing skills. Hot like fiya!

Also, you can now join the Yer Mam! facebook group, should you be interested in such a thing.

Laters,

JMx

Pick 'n' mix.

Mix for you!


I knocked this mix together yesterday through boredom and it sounds okay-ish so I thought I'd post it. Listen without prejudice as I fudge transitions and make pretty huge logical leaps, although the segue from Metro Area into Crown Heights Affair is pretty bob-on if I do say so myself. Gets a little too deeeeeeeep for its own good around the middle too but hey, it's alright. It clocks in at little over an hour but I've ripped it at 320kbps so the file is a sizeable 140mb.

Enjoy!

Tracklisting

1. Sorcerer - Egyptian Sunset (Tirk)
2. Aeroplane - Aeroplane (Eskimo)
3. Justus Kohncke - Pickpockets (Kompakt)
4. LCD Soundsystem - Shame On You (?) (aka the first passage from 45:33) (DFA)
5. Still Going - Still Going Theme (DFA)
6. Faze Action - In The Trees (Nuphonic)
7. Moodymann - Technologystolemyvinyle (KDJ)
8. Linkwood - Hear The Sun (Firecracker)
9. Theo Parrish - Soul Control (Sound Signature)
10. Quiet Village - Desperate Hours (Lo Recordings)
11. Horace Andy - Skylarking (The Revenge's Caribbean Sunshine Rework) (OOFT! Music)
12. Metro Area - Caught Up (Environ)
13. Crown Heights Affair - Dreaming A Dream (De-Lite Records)
14. Aural Exciters - Maladie D'Amour (Ze Records)
15. Rene & Angela - I Love You More (Mr. K's Instrumental Edit) (White)
16. Evie Sands - One Thing On My Mind (Capitol)

Yer Mam!'s Cosmic Boogie Mix (new link!)

JMx