Music

The Electric Images In My Mind #14

When we commissioned The Amorphous Androgynous to remix ‘The Illectrik Hoax’ little did we know what we had let ourselves in for. Not only did they produce a 17 minute, 3 part remix, a 30 minute mix for Solid Steel (airing this Thursday night on Strongroom Alive) and another ‘basement jam’ work in progress mix, but also  – this priceless artifact accompanied the remix when it was delivered.

Several people have been asking about a DJ Food release entitled ‘Post Mash Analysis’, but I’m sorry to say, it’s a reference to this text, which we sent out as part of the press release, and some shops have listed as the title. The remix 12″ and download will be available this coming Saturday, April 21st, as part of Record Store Day, and afterwards via the Ninjashop and FSOLDigital online stores. The release page on the Ninja site is taking a bit longer than expected, partly because the titles are too long for the site to cope with (arf) and we’re still trying to find out the position on posting pre-order info before the actual day with RSD, only 5 days to go now though.

 

Posted in DJ Food, Music, Ninja Tune. | 5 Comments |

DJ Shadow Archival Project: MPC Era ’92-’96

A major new archival release exposing Shadow’s early production on the Akai MPC. Containing entirely unreleased material spanning from 1992 to 1996, the project is entitled, “Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From The MPC Era, 1992-1996”. Included among the highlights are instrumental tracks from an aborted 1994 EP planned with The Gift Of Gab, which includes the original demo of what would eventually become “Six Days.”

The new collection of “MPC Era” tracks follows on from the much-loved “4-Track Era” releases from 2008 and 2009, and establishes a pattern which should be familiar to Shadow fans. “I like to follow up new material (such as the recent ‘The Less You Know, The Better’ LP) with a tastefully-done archival project,” Shadow explains. “As long as the old stuff is given a context and doesn’t overshadow the new, I think it’s a healthy exercise for me, and one that re-calibrates me for whatever new musical path lies ahead. I think it’s important to revisit where you’ve been occasionally so that you can determine where to go.”
“Total Breakdown: Hidden Transmissions From The MPC Era, 1992-1996” will be available on CD, double-vinyl, and download, with exclusive content available at DJShadow.com. This project has been in the works for a LONG TIME, more details about release dates and other specifics forthcoming. In the meantime, enjoy the free track to whet your appetite.

Track List, CD/Vinyl Version:
1. Intropy (Original Version)
2. Vee In Detroit
3. Dreams Of A Piece
4. The Not-So-Quiet Storm
5. Fast Rap Fanfare
6. Intensely Hitting
7. Mystical With Solo
8. Alright
9. Don’t Try It
10. From The Old School
11. Freddi’s Popcorn
12. Quickstep
13. Movin’ On (Gab Demo 1)
14. Falling Up
15. Mellow But Chunky
16. Total Breakdown (Gab Demo 2)
17. Heavy Mood
18. Affectations
19. Perilous Journey (Gab Demo 3)
20. Aye
21. Brittle But Magic
22. Atmospheric Disturbances
23. Swimming Upstream (Gab Demo 4)
24. Up For Grabs (Outro)

DJShadow.com Bonus Tracks:
25. Give Up The Drums
26. Slow Poke
27. Vortex

All tracks are previously unreleased. Other digital release partners and bonus tracks to be announced soon…

Posted in Music. | 1 Comment |

Davy Jones RIP

Sad news about Davy Jones today, time for a few Monkees-related posts from the past:

 

http://www.djfood.org/heads-up

(fictional ‘Head’ comic cover)

 

http://www.djfood.org/head-shots

(ultra nerdy dissection of a trailer for ‘Head’)

 

http://www.djfood.org/discography/mixes/head-dj-food-re-score

(something I did around a decade ago)

 

image adapted from the Big Glee website – Jack Davis draws Davy Jones for a book of fan letters written to the Monkees. He also posted a great Japanese tour brochure from 1968 only yesterday – spooky timing!

Posted in Comics, Event, Music. | 3 Comments |

The The – Moonbug soundtrack

Here’s the cover to the new release by The The aka Matt Johnson who I collaborated with on my new album, covering one of his old songs in the process. This release – the soundtrack to the Nicola Bruce film ‘Moonbug’ – is all new music, although the keen-eared will have heard snatches of it via the monthly Cinéola podcasts in 2010.

The 17 tracks accompany the journey of photographer Steve Pyke, whose mission was to photograph every man who ever walked on the moon. I saw the film back in the Autumn of 2011 and it’s a fascinating documentary and Steve’s stunning photos capture the different men’s ageing faces and bring to mind the surface of the moon on occasion. These are included in the booklet that comes bound into the hardback CD book of the soundtrack along with an interview, conducted by Matt, about the journey.

The CD is available from the freshly revamped TheThe.com website from March 1st as an exclusive for 3 months before regular retail shops get it. It’s no.2 in an ongoing series of book-bound CDs covering soundtracks, archive material, cover versions and more to come, at least one of which will feature my ‘Deep Space’ mix of ‘GIANT’.

moonbug-covermoonbug-inside-1moonbug-inside-2moonbug-inside-3moonbug-inside-4moonbug-inside-5moonbug-inside-6moonbug-back
Posted in Film, Music. | 1 Comment |

DJ Format featuring Edan ‘Spaceship Earth’ video

I have several rules in my AV sets when I play out: no breaking videos, no endless graffii, no bad cgi dancing people on a loop and no skateboarding videos. I’ll make an exception for this one…

[youtube width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYJtqzwF8wg[/youtube]

One of the best Rap tracks released in years, DJ Format with Edan – ‘Spaceship Earth’, this is taken from Format’s new album ‘Statement of Intent’ which was released on Monday on Project Blue Book.

It features collaborations with Mr Lif, Phill Most Chill, Sureshot La Rock, The Nostalgia 77 Quintet, and The Simonsound. He’s touring the album with The Simonsound beginning in his home town of Brighton this Friday at the Concorde II – more dates on his blog.

Posted in Film, Music. | No Comments |

Lone – Crystal Caverns 1991


I have to listen to this several times a day at the moment, absolutely love it, everything I like about a good techno record as well a nice dollop of nostalgia from my own raving days in both the sound and the label it’s on. There is a new Lone album on the horizon called ‘Galaxy Garden’ out on May 7th and ‘Crystal Caverns 1991’ in out as the first single on March 26th.

Posted in Music. | 5 Comments |

2econd Class Citizen – Perception/Identity (Postcard Set)

My good friend Aaron Thomason aka 2econd Class Citizen will release his 2nd album in early May this year, I’m lucky enough to have heard it in many stages of production and he’s outdone himself this time. To head off the promotion and campaign, Equinox Records have cooked up a treat for 25 lucky people.

“Perception / Identity”, the second postcard package on the label, includes two beautiful vinyl postcards – designed by the American illustrator toobz – and features two new exclusive songs which will give you a preview of what you can expect to hear on his album “The Small Minority”. The set goes on sale tomorrow (Friday Feb 24th) from the Equinox shop – be quick!

Posted in Design, Music, Packaging. | No Comments |

Trevor Jackson presents Metal Dance on Strut

Strut release a 2xCD and 2xLP compilation of 80’s electronic oddities and rarities curated by Trevor Jackson. As ever, he doesn’t go straight for the obvious but we get a unique compilation with a lot of less familiar names or lesser known tracks from the bands you have heard of. The CDs boast 25 tracks with the double vinyl showcasing half of these. The album launch party includes a live performance by 23 Skidoo and a DJ set from Trevor at Electrowerks on March 24th. Check out a little sampling of tracks on his Soundcloud and an interview about the compilation below.

[youtube width=”640″ height=”380″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcEMyNeKpQg&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Posted in Gigs, Music. | No Comments |

Sigue Sigue Sputnik – ‘History Will Prove Us Right’

[youtube width=”640″ height=”480″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-emKstoheQ0[/youtube]

In a weird bout of synchronicity, King Cannibal posted, “Dear music industry. I bet It’s kinda embarrassing that Sigue Sigue Sputnik guessed it right.” on Twitter, late on Friday night. Being a SSS fan, I replied, asking him to elaborate, “the whole bit about the music not being important. Global branding, advert space on albums. Looking like Gaga”, he said. Mark Emsley from ireallylovemusic chimed in with a timely reminder of their, “history will prove us right”, catchphrase which sometimes adorned their adverts.

I have to admit, he’s got a point, and then tonight, Thrift Shopxl posts an obscure B-side of theirs on Facebook and this: “Check out what Degville says in this Japanese interview from 1986 about the brand and how it’s about the stuff around the music – it’s like a blueprint for today’s label deals:” and the video above. Like everyone else at the time, I thought they were just having a laugh, and they probably were, just playing the pop game and seeing what would happen. But what Degville’s saying, (and he was only towing Tony James‘ line), is eerily prescient and looking at the fashion sense of a lot of K Pop bands you wonder if they were influenced by Sputnik along the way, although this is probably more to do with SSS’s wholesale theft of many Japanese manga elements for their look in the first place.

Posted in Film, Music. | No Comments |

Mixmaster Morris needs your help

It’s arguable whether I would be where I am today without the help of Mixmaster Morris. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don’t have the connections to give you that foot in the door then you can fall through the cracks. Morris gave me that connection back in the early 90’s by putting me in touch with Matt Black, and as a result, Ninja Tune. He came and played at parties I held for free, gave advice, information and mixtapes of new music that I couldn’t afford to buy as a student. I have treasured memories of sessions round his flat in Camberwell, where he still lives today, listening to track after track of new and old electronic music which Morris would seamlessly mix together in his living room as he chatted (and those who know him know he likes to talk). I was a complete novice in a lot of this at the time, still finding my feet after exposure to The Orb, The Shamen, KLF, early Solid Steel shows and Colin’s Dale and Favor on KISS FM. At the end of the mix, Morris would take a cassette from his machine – he’d been recording all along – and give it to me to take home. This was the real underground stuff, the music that didn’t get written about or get near the charts but is now acknowledged as seminal.

He didn’t have to do any of this, he was busy with his own career, but he did and now he needs help as he’s faced with bailiffs and a £2,500 tax bill that needs to be paid now. Please see if you can spare anything if this man’s music and DJ sets have ever blessed you ears, you can send donations via paypal to [email protected]. The world of electronic music would be a worse off place without his relentless championing of new artists, many a time I saw him relentlessly feed information to journalists who would then go and write about said artists and make the rest of the world aware of them. His knowledge of Krautrock, Prog Rock and New Wave electronica was also extensive and he was the first person to rave about Can, Harmonia, Neu, Faust and Gong to me, long before they became fashionable names to drop and the subject of whole magazine articles. Sun Ra was also another name he dropped and Morris was the first person to play me Ken Nordine as he had a Best of Word Jazz CD, and we know where that led… This was all pre-internet when word of mouth was important, people like Aphex Twin, B12, Carl Craig, The Black Dog, Psychik Warriors of Gaia, Pete Namlook and his Fax label, Luke Vibert, As One, Reload/Global Communication… all of them I heard of from Morris before I’d seen their names in print anywhere.

(top: Morris invited me to play at his Nubient night at the Big Chill Bar in 2010, right: with Stevie Chick at the Ninja Tune 20th anniversary book launch.)
Here is side A of the first mixtape he did for me, this blew my 22 year old mind at the time as it opened up a new world of music, I’ll post side B later.

and here’s side B

Posted in Music. | 2 Comments |