tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49852823287895357662024-02-21T01:05:27.174+00:00Die Mensch-Maschine...a story about collecting recordsdcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-76438659874696873882018-09-08T18:52:00.003+01:002018-09-08T18:52:44.083+01:00058. Watch More<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Writing text on a blog is sadly a niche endeavor. The video is now king of web content creation. The following videos are the best the internet has to offer on the philosophy, art and science of record collecting, DJing or music.<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Evergreen Music -</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"> From Vinyl to Digital: An Interview with Restoration Specialist, Jessica Thompson (Youtube, 2013).</span></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7ylVRqfKfvM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7ylVRqfKfvM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<h1 class="title style-scope ytd-video-primary-info-renderer">
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dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-19462145386547847512018-04-09T18:47:00.002+01:002018-04-09T18:48:04.599+01:00057. Shuffle 003: Trance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O8zl61vAsQ0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O8zl61vAsQ0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="sc-type-small">
<div>
<br />
Push - Universal Nation [Inferno : CDFERNLP3] (2002)<br />
Soundcheck - Minddrive [Tsunami : TSU_6011] (1999)<br />
Airwave - Another Dimension [Bonzai : BTP-086-2002] (2002)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/dcp84/shuffle-003-trance" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/dcp84/shuffle-003-trance</a><br />
<br />
Traktor Scratch Pro 2, Pioneer DJM600<br />
dcp84-003:2018-03-17</div>
</div>
</div>
dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-17671264805484276622018-03-23T20:11:00.004+00:002018-04-09T18:48:15.425+01:00056. Shuffle 002: House<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qS8M-cLW3kM/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qS8M-cLW3kM?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
Push - Universal Nation [Inferno : CDFERNLP3] (2002)<br />
Soundcheck - Minddrive [Tsunami : TSU_6011] (1999)<br />
Airwave - Another Dimension [Bonzai : BTP-086-2002] (2002)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/dcp84/shuffle-002-house">https://soundcloud.com/dcp84/shuffle-002-house</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Traktor Scratch Pro 2, Pioneer DJM600<br />
<br />
dcp84-003:2018-03-17</div>
dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-28891147087453474322018-03-17T18:12:00.001+00:002018-04-09T18:48:28.506+01:00055. Shuffle 001: Techno<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kFJmB73xR9c/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kFJmB73xR9c?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
01. Exium - Nucleoid (A Sensible Alternative To Emotion) [Polegroup : POLEGROUP016]<br />
02. DYAD - From Another Place (Original Mix) [DYAD : DYAD 001]<br />
03. Mauro Picotto & Riccardo Ferri - My Friend Tesla (Original Mix) [Alchemy : ALCDG051]<br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/dcp84/shuffle-001-techno">https://soundcloud.com/dcp84/shuffle-001-techno</a><br />
<br />
Traktor Scratch Pro 2, Pioneer DJM600<br />
dcp84-001:2018-02-19 </div>
dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-80193580163567258852013-03-29T17:36:00.001+00:002013-03-29T17:46:29.651+00:00054. Gatecrasher: Red & Black [13-10-2012]<div text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WYizxuQDV4lxaeYaFFlzhe1N0GmNZFbfw4w_yS07XKcq1vn-ikUPc1IuZRjxXjJcQZMN2bbqNI8_B_e8cPeYAZGL62Ajdu8RBZKHtlmf1iIKEsrkWaKuxDIH_lqxPUi6aK72X6Xf5Tul/s1600/gatecrasherlogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WYizxuQDV4lxaeYaFFlzhe1N0GmNZFbfw4w_yS07XKcq1vn-ikUPc1IuZRjxXjJcQZMN2bbqNI8_B_e8cPeYAZGL62Ajdu8RBZKHtlmf1iIKEsrkWaKuxDIH_lqxPUi6aK72X6Xf5Tul/s1600/gatecrasherlogo.jpg" height="320" width="234" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">At
the turn of the Millennium, Sheffield based clubbing promotion
Gatecrasher was in the decided ascension. Throughout 1998 Trance was
fully establishing itself in the collective clubbing consciousness,
leading the way as the underground and overground dominant paradigm
genre. By 1999 it had defined itself as the sound of the era, it's
own production values seeping into artistic styles of other genres
(think dubstep now). Trance was the zeitgeist. Gatecrasher was
central actor in this process.<br /><br />Unlike Ministry of Sound, which
while commercially larger and around longer and having carved itself
a niche as a trendy place to club. Gatecrasher had succeeded in a way
MOS never could have imagined. It had spawned its own youth
subculture. Like the Ravers, Goths, Punks, Metal Heads and Teddy boys
before them the Crasher Kid was its own, if rather niche youth
sub-culture which was essentially linked with music. Gatecrasher had
it set out: the music, Trance, the new clubbing sound with european
influence whit a harder edge, clothes from <a href="http://shop.cyberdog.net/" target="_blank">Cyberdog</a> and a
vaguely, but certainly undefined and often unacknowledged,
Cyberpunk/cyber goth leanings. Oh, and that’s forgetting a little
bit of a drug connection with MDMA and amphetamines.</span>
<br />
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Things
change a lot in 14 years and all signs of that core cultural
connection had long since been replaced by trendy handbags, shoes and
shirts done up to the collar button.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Gatecrasher
Red & Black was headlined as part of Gatecrasher Birmingham's 4<sup>th</sup>
Birthday. While the Gatecrasher brand had been around for much
longer, the club had expanded from its Sheffield home. In way of
celebration, a classics night featuring Tall Paul, Seb Fontaine,
Judge Jules, Scott Bond, Solar Stone and Signum.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">During
that era Judge Jules was at the peak of his DJing career. Listening
to his two weekly shows on Radio 1 was the reason why I got decks and
started DJing in the first place. Seeing him play the tunes I owned,
and remember playing on the radio would be tempting to say the least.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I
have always attributed to Jules the skill of 'understanding' as a DJ
- recognising the time he was playing, who he was playing between and
importantly what kind of night he was playing at. I regarded him as a
'safe pair of hands' who could be trusted to keep the course true. I
distinctly remember Jules adapting his sound the the particularities
of any given night. Sadly, he got this horribly wrong at Red &
Black, playing only a handful of 'classics'. While I understand the
incentive to play some contemporary music to keep modern, younger
fans interested, the balance last night was poor to say the least.</span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Things
were amply atoned for with the arrival of Scott Bond on of the main
driving forces behind the success of Gatecrasher during its halcyon
days. As the average age of the dance floor dramatically increased,
he produced a perfectly pitched set full of classic era tunes without
the commercial baggage. A set brimming with the sound of Gatecrasher
as I remember.</span></div>
<br />
<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F85487640&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed>
<span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/pulp-victim-the-world-moonman">Pulp Victim - The World (Moonman Remix)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span>
<br />
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Ticket Price: £13.55<br />
DJ of the Night: Scott Bond<br />
Tune of the Night: Pulp Victim - The World (Moonman Remix)</i></span></div>
dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-63076228415702479662012-04-23T13:44:00.002+01:002012-04-23T13:44:47.795+01:00053. Hysteric Ego - Want Love [EGO 001]<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmPlYW-ajdxkCfc0KZjfDFsdkOzkibXq6jNRQhnT88Lv-xsAztlU9AAwrzpIqZ3-b8cVQfb8qYHKBFdlyMIu4EiJrAS14hnryp0TMEyU3kGfWkE-97leTM-O5KrfYrAEyO31xR-kumSJb/s1600/200xLabel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmPlYW-ajdxkCfc0KZjfDFsdkOzkibXq6jNRQhnT88Lv-xsAztlU9AAwrzpIqZ3-b8cVQfb8qYHKBFdlyMIu4EiJrAS14hnryp0TMEyU3kGfWkE-97leTM-O5KrfYrAEyO31xR-kumSJb/s1600/200xLabel.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Comparing this iconic house record,
straight from the halcyon days of mid 90s Ibiza, to contemporary
house music and the difference seems insurmountable. On the one hand
you have real synthesizers short loops and samples, on the other huge
risers, endless monolithic grooves, and increasingly complex
automation channels all woven together on a DAW. </span>
</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">If all these divergent sounds and
influences are to both be considered house music, we need a common
denominator. Chords and melodies won't do, nor will production
techniques; both of these get caught in the tidal shifts of
technology, societal trends and the interests of capital.
Intrinsically, the only single essential element to house music is
the 4/4 electronic kick drum with a ride cymbal on the off beat. Even
then, these rules are broken on numerous occasions.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Once these rules get broken
consistently, the variations spawn into their own unique genre. In
some cases, the differences become so profound and sounds so
established they themselves develop into a parent genre such as
Techno or Trance. As a genre they come with with their own rules;
rules which become broken, and so evolution progresses.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">This continues to the point where the
end products seem so far removed from the point of origin there seems
to be no semblance of continuity between them. Yet, without house,
there is no Acid. Without house (and synthpop), there is no Techno.
Without Techno, there is no Trance.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Indeed, with so many variations on the
theme, and so little consistency between themes, we could easily head
down the social constructionist route. House is nothing more than an
unwritten agreement between DJs, dance floors and record producers;
it is a temporally and socially specific sound.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">House music is nothing more than what
we are told house music should sound like at any given time. Perhaps
this is true. Either way, Hysteric Ego – Want Love is a classic
house record, one which should be selectively reintroduced to
contemporary house dance floors.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
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<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F44070514&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108">
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<embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="https://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F44070514&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/hysteric-ego-want-love-ego-001">Hysteric Ego - Want Love [EGO 001]</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a>
<br />
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Hysteric Ego – Want Love</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>[Ego : EGO 00]</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>(1996)</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Discogs: £2.74</i></span></div>
</div>
dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-3327913118375939402011-10-08T19:55:00.001+01:002011-10-08T20:09:43.904+01:00052. Tidy Girls EP<style type="text/css">
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<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHtEdrUsC6AW6cE-XlfPyo2_jUFtGvXuNch2hEO-4ipmcpWc-yCcBF8ZLGM5S9-qxUl1HBGXOm23UkFTa2u-VAZ1GFsciCyeC0-b6EQr29m921bYhjqZ1tBOZ6gy5MSg35cpP2ArkZ-S9/s1600/TIDY123+A_LQ.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLHtEdrUsC6AW6cE-XlfPyo2_jUFtGvXuNch2hEO-4ipmcpWc-yCcBF8ZLGM5S9-qxUl1HBGXOm23UkFTa2u-VAZ1GFsciCyeC0-b6EQr29m921bYhjqZ1tBOZ6gy5MSg35cpP2ArkZ-S9/s1600/TIDY123+A_LQ.png" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Back in the game! </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Finally,
a</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">nother record</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
added to the collection</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">. </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">O</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">ver
the </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">last</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
year collecting records has </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">been
relegated on the </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">priority list.
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Yet, I still remember a time
when </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">amassing the coolest
record collection the DJing world had ever seen </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">was
a priority second to none.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I'm not quite sure where this record
fits into that goal, but t</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">his
is </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">certainly</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">a </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">record
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">from</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
those earlier years. By </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">contemporary</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
standards, its a bit laughable. And, if I'm honest, even </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">in
1999</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> it wasn't </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">much
more</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">. The key track from the EP
is Lisa Lashes' offering, Looking Good. This was a </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">central</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">track </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">from
the first wave of vinyl releases </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">which</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
pushed Hard House further from the </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">underground</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
and closer </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">to</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
commercialism.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2983583366_27ed565e94.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2983583366_27ed565e94.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roland - Alpha Juno 1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The entire EP is dominated by the
<a href="http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/ajuno1.php">Roland Alpha Juno</a>. Even if you know nothing about synths, by
listening to this record and reading the above sentence, you'll </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">know</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
that the Alpha Juno is responsible for 'that' sound – the hoover.</span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Hard House had a thing for hoovers.
Starting out as a bit of </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">harmless
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">fun, </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">it
quickly </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">became fetishised </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">to
an morbidly sickening state. Imagine </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">what
it might be like to watch the </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">28</span><span style="font-size: large;"><sup><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">th</span></sup></span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">consecutive </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">season
of Big Brother, for 52 hours non-stop...without sleep</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">.
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The relationship between Hard
House and hoovers is now apparent.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">The irony of </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">all
this </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">was that </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">most
people were already sick to death of the sound by the late 90s. The
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Alpha Juno was already feeling
</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">fatigued</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
from the hoovering it was forced to do on all those Rave, Happy
Hardcore and Gabba tracks </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">before</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">
Hard House </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">was but a </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">twinkle
it its parent-genre's eyes.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ok, so </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">I've
probably cheapened myself </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">and
my record collection just that tiny bit by </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">succumbing
to the sickly sweet charm of </span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">this
EP, but the innocent enthusiasm of the young 15 year old record
collector was stirred from the subconscious by the discovery of a
£1.99 near</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">-</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">mint
copy.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">'</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">M</span><span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;">on
the hoover! (As they used to say back in the day.)</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"> </span>
<style type="text/css">
p { margin-bottom: 0.21cm; }
</style>
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F25068678&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F25068678&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/lisa-lashes-looking-good-tidy">Lisa Lashes - Looking Good [Tidy Girls Ep]</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span>
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Tidy Girls EP</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>[Tidy Trax : TIDY123T]</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>(1999)</i></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" class="western" style="font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: large;"><i>Oxfam, Oxford: £1.99 </i></span></div>
<br />dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-4210149079136191632011-08-13T19:01:00.004+01:002011-08-18T09:59:39.716+01:00051. Lizzy & Gareth’s Wedding<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6fz2zpb1HTs/TiRBcs8nBcI/AAAAAAAABLQ/PmHlapYZFcU/s912/DSC_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-6fz2zpb1HTs/TiRBcs8nBcI/AAAAAAAABLQ/PmHlapYZFcU/s320/DSC_0040.JPG" width="320" /></a>For anyone wanting to hone their practice of the dark art of playing music to other people, a wedding offers no better a social occasion. DJing at a wedding is particularly tricky. Unlike a club, people don’t come with the intention of having a drink, socialising and having a dance. People attend a wedding to see and celebrate the happy couple. Everything else is an optional extra. So, as a DJ trying to operate the dance floor you’re immediately on the back foot. You have a wide mixture of ages, a wider still mixture of musical tastes, and a number of social rules and set pieces to navigate through. This is the couple’s ‘perfect day’. They’ve spent months agonising over the menu, the dress, even the typeface of the invitation. Then finally comes you; the compulsive record collector with a garage load of audio electronics.<br />
<br />
The opulent Tring Park School for the Performing Arts was the magnificent venue for the wedding reception of Lizzy and Gareth. Setting up in the ballet practice room of the beautiful building designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built during the 1600s you couldn’t have wanted for a nicer location to set up. Given our location, selected movements from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake seemed only fitting as a quiet backdrop as the evening progressed.<br />
<br />
After the initial half an hour of dancing following on from the bride and groom’s first dance, it was evident that most people were more inclined to soak up the splendour of the venue, let their dinner settle, and catch up with old acquaintances. Prudence at this point recommended a lower-key approach and for the next half an hour acoustic, jazz and soul featured on the playlist.<br />
<br />
Some choice motown was used to assess the mood for dancing and as the toes started tapping and the heads nodding, it was time to start upping the ante and tempt people to the dance floor. The challenge in this gig lay in the venue’s layout. With a vast and beautiful outdoor area, seating in one room, the bar in another room and the dance floor in another room – where drinks were not allowed – getting people into the disco was hard work.<br />
<br />
Hard, but not impossible, and the steady ebb and flow of people to and from the dancefloor continued for the rest of the night. As the bride and groom made their way from the wedding reception in their carriage, the night began to wind down as many people from the north of England who had a considerable drive ahead of them began to make their way home. After a final few floorfillers it was sadly time to wrap up the night and pack up the gear, reflecting on how beautiful a venue it was to DJ in.<br />
<br />
Congratulations once more to the happy couple: Lizzy and Garreth.<br />
<br />
Special thanks must go to Sonic Bass for their exceptional professional service:<br />
<a href="http://www.sonicbass.co.uk/" target="_blank">www.sonicbass.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
Finally, if you'd like to discuss the possibility of hiring me to DJ at your event be it a club night, corporate event or wedding, leave me a message and I'll be in touch.<br />
<br />
<div align="center"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-91OOq14GJaI/TiREuJBFcJI/AAAAAAAABMA/6WuI-45qFhM/s576/DSC_0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-91OOq14GJaI/TiREuJBFcJI/AAAAAAAABMA/6WuI-45qFhM/s200/DSC_0052.JPG" /></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3PkAA_S_ttM/TiRFXoKZv5I/AAAAAAAABMI/zvTVFXxFBk8/s912/DSC_0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3PkAA_S_ttM/TiRFXoKZv5I/AAAAAAAABMI/zvTVFXxFBk8/s912/DSC_0053.JPG" /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wwAqeVZV_4s/TiRH2bjfXsI/AAAAAAAABMw/TAhNIgQDqZo/s912/DSC_0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wwAqeVZV_4s/TiRH2bjfXsI/AAAAAAAABMw/TAhNIgQDqZo/s912/DSC_0064.JPG" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dUxO8JmDkqE/TiRJGu6HFoI/AAAAAAAABNA/FB8SweWRGc4/s1600/DSC_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dUxO8JmDkqE/TiRJGu6HFoI/AAAAAAAABNA/FB8SweWRGc4/s320/DSC_0067.JPG" /></a><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wUHS94tjdUE/TiRJ4jQXkeI/AAAAAAAABNQ/8c4tNrKmOFo/s912/DSC_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="75" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-wUHS94tjdUE/TiRJ4jQXkeI/AAAAAAAABNQ/8c4tNrKmOFo/s912/DSC_0071.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<i>Tune of the Night: The Killers - Mr. Brightside<br />
Cleared the Dancefloor: Kings of Leon - Sex On Fire (First time I've ever seen this get a bad reception! Are people finally getting bored of it?)</i></div>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-73029233942725101072011-05-24T19:45:00.000+01:002011-05-24T19:45:36.203+01:00050. Johnny Shaker - Pearl River (Instrumental)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6TgH0Hyy58F_HmDuagRdClKA5Br_E4aKDlWd8YYUQkVV1wl2WMOKsOS8zwKXcBznenE1Z_1qs8xxsHb2bMK-vdTmxD1RR06_dbZO4qMo7Hpk8croXVSS3UStaW6KMGSm4Zk5-LddJAIb/s1600/050_label.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6TgH0Hyy58F_HmDuagRdClKA5Br_E4aKDlWd8YYUQkVV1wl2WMOKsOS8zwKXcBznenE1Z_1qs8xxsHb2bMK-vdTmxD1RR06_dbZO4qMo7Hpk8croXVSS3UStaW6KMGSm4Zk5-LddJAIb/s1600/050_label.png" /></a></div><div align="justify">Perl River is for many a definitive trance track. As with most things though, definition (or rather social labelling) holds greater sway than any specific characteristics. How we think about the world is always holds more sway than the objective reality of the world.<br />
<br />
The period betwen 1998-2001, plus or minus a few years, is commonly regarded as the ‘golden age of trance’. In 1999 Pearl River smashed out across dance floors across the globe. DJs smoothly mixed the track into countless double CD compilations following on from its clubland fortunes. This late 90s success earmarked it as genre framing classic trance and I distinctly remember it featuring in a Gatecrasher New Years Eve Classics night in the mid 2000s.<br />
<br />
In truth, 1999 was Pearl River’s second outing. Originally hitting dance floors in 1996 with a release in 1997, it shares status with other ‘classic-trance-from-99’ tunes which weren’t actually from 1999 at all; Paul Van Dyk’s For An Angel probably being the foremost example.<br />
<br />
Like the archaeologist who digs up an Iron Age broach which has evidently been made in the Bronze age, we have to ask, what’s at play here? Why did some Trance fall short in the mid-90s only to explode in the late-90s?<br />
<br />
Explanation can be found by examining the socio-economic historical context of Pearl River’s first outing. In 1996 clubland was a very different place. The euphoria from the days of acid house had all but been completely extinguished by the crackdown on race culture codified into law by 1994’s Criminal Justice Act.<br />
<br />
As "sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats" were being slowly and uncertainly appropriated by a fledgling club culture, the ravers used to hurtling round the M25 of a weekend looking for tips on the next illegal party didn’t feel comfortable enough just yet to abandon the free cultural moral high-ground and head into the arms of the capitalists - however clean the toilets and good the weather was indoors.<br />
<br />
It would take a youth culture in the UK who were happy to embrace the benefits of high capitalism’s cultural product, of cultural consumption choices used to create post-modern musical identity, clubbing brands rather than simple clubs and record labels as websites, T-Shirts, video streams and web radio for a dance music to really grow.<br />
<br />
In 1996 and 1997 things were beginning to bubble. The queues outside house and techno clubs were getting longer and someone walking around town in a Ministry of Sound T-Shirt didn’t look out of place. The formula of the golden era of trance had yet to be agreed upon, but the key musical characteristics were being experimented with. Breakdowns were getting longer, snare rolls louder, saws were making wider leads and Dutch DJs seemed to be talked about more and more.<br />
<br />
The kids who were too young to have embraced Acid House were thinking about electronic music and clubbing in an increasingly positive light. Thinking they could get the best out of capitalism without any of the cost they started getting sucked in. It isn’t without irony that many from this cohort were the first and loudest to proclaim in the early 2000s that the trance bubble had burst, that the brands had become too commercial and the music had become a boring and formulaic only driven by hype. Followers of Techno on the other hand, a much more subversive, anti-mainstream and possible even politically aware genre, just looked on with a smug smile, saying quietly ‘I told you this would happen’.<br />
<br />
So, in 1996 and 1997, people just weren't ready for Pearl River. Only by 1999, when the commercial apparatus of Trance as a clubbing brand, a cultural identity marker and symbol of post-post-Modernity was ready did it have the success it finally won. This odd artifact in the social memory of Trance is worth thinking about as it throws up some very interesting questions about aesthetic origin and of course the normative account of the genre’s history...not bad for something you mum probably owns on her digitally mixed ‘WORLD’S BEST MEGA-TRANCE HITS’ triple compilation.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15803847&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="wmode" value="window"></param><embed wmode="window" allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F15803847&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/johnny-shaker-pearl-river">Johnny Shaker - Pearl River (Instrumental)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a><br />
<br />
<i>Johnny Shaker – Pearl River (Instrumental)<br />
[Low Sense : 12SENSE24]<br />
(1999)<br />
<br />
Discogs: £4.70</i></div>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-79350057267083544012011-03-25T22:52:00.004+00:002011-03-26T16:14:12.231+00:00049. Oliver Prime - Radiance<p align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwV5r6J4g3lN1htuhrN1k05jO0s32wmpbCHhWvKYDAGdkSP6COzB02v2zG3eKqSlhdZoGqU71WLhSjhpcEVn8P32UFY9qWoH9WfUMq7FBTbOJqfv1-NECRdqjdM8LBvRP1Oy1MGkOHCBr/s1600/049_label.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrwV5r6J4g3lN1htuhrN1k05jO0s32wmpbCHhWvKYDAGdkSP6COzB02v2zG3eKqSlhdZoGqU71WLhSjhpcEVn8P32UFY9qWoH9WfUMq7FBTbOJqfv1-NECRdqjdM8LBvRP1Oy1MGkOHCBr/s200/049_label.jpg" /></a>Trance – what should I say about the much abused genre? I'd never admit it to the uber-cool elitists nodding rhythmically to Dave Clarke or Rex The Dog, writing down each and every record in the set list, but I do have a soft spot for the genre. Trance was the genre which brought me into DJing, sparking the obsession for record collecting and electronic music which has been with me for the majority of my life. Alarming but true. When my mind was opened to electronica, trance was the upcoming sound of the moment, bubbling away with an unrestrained energy in the few years before its unprecedented explosion into popular culture.<br />
<br />
It is all too easy to fall back on the ubiquitous old writ that 'Trance is not what it used to be'. Wile there is truth in that to a degree - modern trance productions frequently rely on massive overproduction to carry a tune and excessively euphoric and uplifting programming to achieve their sound - I'm wise enough to understand that many of us are looking back on things with a rather biased perspective. Who doesn't think that their defining soundtrack, their pure genre, their musical everything hasn't lost the soul that made it so great along its way? This is a common understanding which unites the punks of the 70s, the goths of the 80s and the ravers of the 90s.<br />
<br />
Despite all this, sometimes the jaded, tinnitus ridden ears of this record collector strike lucky. Despite the bias, despite the over production and despite the commerce you get to hear a genre defining track. As if out of nowhere, it makes you remember just what it was you loved about all that chemical driven Cyberdog Gatecrasher hands in the air nonsense.<br />
<br />
After you've heard this, you once more know what to say about Trance. Close your eyes, let your mind go blank, and you’re on an introspective journey wherever your mind wants to take you. Add some substances of questionable legal origin into the mix, and you’re on a trip to another realm of consciousness altogether.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12546089&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F12546089&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/oliver-prime-radiance-original">Oliver Prime - Radiance (Original Mix)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br />
<br />
<i>Oliver Prime – Radiance<br />
[Reset : RS006]<br />
(2004)<br />
<br />
Discogs: £4.20</i></p>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-24705116976100468802010-09-01T23:06:00.001+01:002010-09-18T17:07:24.262+01:00048. Annie – Don’t Stop<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflYFYWhbPkRgGxSj6r1wyDVeGMZGIXM73qN7fndEZ4AoD0hI850h4NQh-NsXi80lNy_GrIYNhAa0_B7972tz3okevXGcMi5oonZeLIid5Z-K69TIT-bCHELy1J-_inTZsT5o5JVqB2GJv/s1600/048_label.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflYFYWhbPkRgGxSj6r1wyDVeGMZGIXM73qN7fndEZ4AoD0hI850h4NQh-NsXi80lNy_GrIYNhAa0_B7972tz3okevXGcMi5oonZeLIid5Z-K69TIT-bCHELy1J-_inTZsT5o5JVqB2GJv/s320/048_label.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Record collecting is a labour intensive activity. While collections do expand organically, they do not osmotically develop. For a killer collection, you need to do your homework. Listening to other DJs is of course the easiest option. Last week, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0072l93">Nemone</a>, playing on BBC 6 Music, the endangered home of intelligent, challenging and high quality alternative music, dropped the stunning <a href="http://soundcloud.com/theswiss/annie-songs-remind-me-of-you-the-swiss-donnie-sloan-remix"><i>Swiss Donnie Sloan Remix of Annie – Songs Remind Me Of You</i></a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Instantly, <a href="http://mensch-maschine.blogspot.com/2008/11/robin-s-show-me-love-stonebridge-club.html">the urge</a> kicked in; that driving force which painful pushes each and every record collector; the desire to know exactly what your hearing, which record label its on, who produced it, and when. You need to own that record. Life won’t be complete until you do. Already you can see it sitting in the dusty collection, ready and waiting to jump out and clap you round the ears with its sheer sonic brilliance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">While the remix was nice, I was completely unprepared for the original. Firing up the youtube video for the track, the uptempo synthpop chugger made me want to buy the album instantly. Even if this was the only quality track it would be worthwhile buying. Buying blind isn’t something I’ve done in a long time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sadly, the LP doesn’t quite live up to the standard of this single. We’re offered a generally inoffensive wonkypop album which doesn’t quite find the same gear as <i>Songs Remind Me Of You</i> manages. At the end of play, you can help but be left with the sad feeling that this song would be number one if only it were performed by <i>Xenomania’s</i> brightest stars: <i>Girls Aloud</i>.</div><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F5005453&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="wmode" value="window"></param><embed wmode="window" allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fapi.soundcloud.com%2Ftracks%2F5005453&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/annie-songs-remind-me-of-you">Annie - Songs Remind Me Of You</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Annie – Don’t Stop : Songs Remind Me Of You<br />
[Smalltown Supersound : STS178LP]<br />
(2009)<br />
<br />
Discogs: </span><i>€26.57 EUR</i>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-69855501040437965672010-06-10T16:45:00.001+01:002010-06-11T12:04:00.935+01:00047. I Love Acid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgWhPZibH_ZMB97MTM7jBTgkE7_3xrCDaS8OaQJ1mt4AvOBtwREcN61YAKw9XkHjASlBTy7RqnMTJeukZr4WMn33oCkgrArH6yuDz8LkwqNH0G9_oOgRCfuiRfKU96GsJzEmbzD6Xt_-x/s200/047_photo_I.jpg" width="200" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLGaZDDEql5hNQD9K7cALJbR33ikFinPzd_kEFXqH1iGtqgZiAAO2uz5H2FBrU837VP19t2ZVvZjDK-mPrRINd4cuor7PUJsWM7dCftZyw2JKfAjk9S2KIP7jtOzeMX2ONNshoOemRdxr/s1600/047_photo_II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLGaZDDEql5hNQD9K7cALJbR33ikFinPzd_kEFXqH1iGtqgZiAAO2uz5H2FBrU837VP19t2ZVvZjDK-mPrRINd4cuor7PUJsWM7dCftZyw2JKfAjk9S2KIP7jtOzeMX2ONNshoOemRdxr/s200/047_photo_II.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fnew-order-confusion-pump-panel-reconstruction-mix&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fnew-order-confusion-pump-panel-reconstruction-mix&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/new-order-confusion-pump-panel-reconstruction-mix">New Order - Confusion (Pump Panel Reconstruction Mix)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">Electric Sun - I Love Acid [No. 32 of 50]<br />
(2010)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://electric-sun.co.uk/i-love-acid-t-shirt-tb303-tshirt/">electric-sun.co.uk</a>: </span><i>£20.99</i>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-6898640706820384112010-06-09T23:02:00.001+01:002010-06-10T15:29:50.163+01:00046. D.A.V.E. The Drummer - Dig Your Own Grave E.P<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MON18RfFNyjhPuiJ0spcY9BHzNcWl9_44d8J1iytdODzDb0-63g0Qx4EbonhUOXIzHCcxJ-K9tEMf3wJ9iRG67aA-SZ_yzuHeSBrPUkYf8G-TSLC3_5hCkgjlyzXFNZqd4jyutqGU6RC/s1600/label_046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4MON18RfFNyjhPuiJ0spcY9BHzNcWl9_44d8J1iytdODzDb0-63g0Qx4EbonhUOXIzHCcxJ-K9tEMf3wJ9iRG67aA-SZ_yzuHeSBrPUkYf8G-TSLC3_5hCkgjlyzXFNZqd4jyutqGU6RC/s320/label_046.jpg" /></a></div>If you want the definition of acid techno, look no further. <i>The One Last One</i> provides us with paranoid, schizophrenic, twitchy, dark and ominous synthetic utterances. The perfect track to drop at 0400, when people wiser than you have already have gone home.<br />
<br />
Its been trading online for obscene prices, fluctuating around the £50 mark. While I’d have loved to add a mint condition pressing of this gem to the collection, my bank manager is less than enthusiastic. Instead I opted for a punt on a £21.90 version; a punt that paid off. While the sleeve was a bit worn around the edges, the vinyl was spot on.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fd-a-v-e-the-drummer-dig-your-own-grave-e-p&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fd-a-v-e-the-drummer-dig-your-own-grave-e-p&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/d-a-v-e-the-drummer-dig-your-own-grave-e-p">D.A.V.E The Drummer - Dig Your Own Grave E.P.</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a><br />
<br />
<i>D.A.V.E. The Drummer – Dig Your Own Grave E.P.: The One Last One<br />
[Smitten : SMT 46]<br />
(2000)<br />
<br />
Discogs: £21.90</i></div>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-54651435923553192112010-05-27T21:43:00.000+01:002010-05-27T21:43:48.863+01:00045. Hybrid – Finished Symphony<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOrM_B2y-xXc7M8pDv9-r0sDrr7J0MOCAmvdKRXqSShX33PvyVp4qNmfFhnwGUUtmNQt7YpiukglEPljt0ALdvLDXSTLchWuyXEC5lkM59tFwBaDUDJRrgsL5o522KBbLVStnrCWC8_9L/s1600/045_label_27052010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNOrM_B2y-xXc7M8pDv9-r0sDrr7J0MOCAmvdKRXqSShX33PvyVp4qNmfFhnwGUUtmNQt7YpiukglEPljt0ALdvLDXSTLchWuyXEC5lkM59tFwBaDUDJRrgsL5o522KBbLVStnrCWC8_9L/s320/045_label_27052010.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I have a bit of a bias against orchestral music. Classical music in particular is heralded as the most technically proficient, the most intellectually stimulating and aurally arousing genre in the history of mankind. Many use it as the yardstick with which to measure every other composed work.<br />
<br />
In truth, it’s simply the preserve of the well off, highly educated and quite often snobbish sections of society. Like fine champagne, its only real value lies in its scarcity; its esoteric rules out of reach to most, with access granted only to a certain privileged elite of society. In short, orchestral music is bourgeois.<br />
<br />
The problem is, high cultural biases aside, orchestral music seems to capture an almost physically tangible epicness. Producers have many times over tried to capture this and imprint it onto their own work. Usually the results feel forced and uncomfortable. All the classical composition clichés are wheeled out in a cringe worthy effort to make the latest electronic hit serious and intellectual. The classical crew don’t do much better either when they repackage their sound with a sexy mega babe and cinematic video in an attempt to make it edgy and cool and get da yoofs listenin’ to BBC Radio 3 yo.<br />
<br />
That’s why <i>Hybrid’s Finished Symphony</i> is so perfectly unique. Recorded in Moscow with the Russian Federal Orchestra, it succeeds because the orchestral and electronic are arranged in such a way as to build on individual strengths and compliment, not to bask in reflected glory.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fhybrid-finished-symphony&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fhybrid-finished-symphony&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/hybrid-finished-symphony">Hybrid - Finished Symphony</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br />
<br />
<i>Hybrid – Finished Symphony<br />
[Distinct'ive Records : DISNST52]<br />
(1999)<br />
<br />
Discogs: £7.23</i></div>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-18783944912183927892010-05-01T21:51:00.001+01:002010-05-01T21:54:08.872+01:00044. Now! That's What I Call Music 14<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsI8ixtFss8zdltSczsHZiNRx7Df-R9Gnjj2QXETjSIvcHIxv4AcmTGyh8hIQlzXm9r64QFK-ml8SMKZjO-idi-JiByjR9Nemh-Pmfgh6wMw4R2qvZSxiABepqHz1ybvjAMVUTZcCKcqgu/s1600/label_44.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsI8ixtFss8zdltSczsHZiNRx7Df-R9Gnjj2QXETjSIvcHIxv4AcmTGyh8hIQlzXm9r64QFK-ml8SMKZjO-idi-JiByjR9Nemh-Pmfgh6wMw4R2qvZSxiABepqHz1ybvjAMVUTZcCKcqgu/s320/label_44.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now! compilations carry a bit of a reputation. If you want the stickiest, sweetest, lowest common denominator chart nonsense, then Now! is a good place to start. While they do contain some ear-wrenching pop howlers, there’s much more to this long running compilation series.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Everyone can remember their first (and last) Now! album. From a socio-cultural point of view, you can even make a good stab at guessing someone’s age from this information alone. My first was 20; a double cassette opening up with the thunderous <i>Dizzy</i> from <i>Vic Reeves & The Wonderstuff</i>. I also remember my parents possessing a copy of 17, featuring <i>Depeche Mode’s Enjoy The Silence</i>. That’s probably where my Mode obsession started to develop!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now!’s are also fantastically useful DJ tools. When I took my first tentative steps into the world of playing records to other people, a recent Now! was an essential purchase, guaranteeing that you had on hand all the latest pop tunes people may be likely to request.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since I picked up the very first edition at a carboot sale many years ago I have sought to collect the entire series that was committed to vinyl. Shockingly they stopped pressing vinyl releases with Now! 35 in 1996! With my collection sitting at 14, I have some way to go.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now! 14 isn’t the strongest in the collection, containing a few too many fillers. Record 1.2 is by far the best side on offer, featuring the simply stunning <i>She Drives Me Crazy</i> by the <i>Fine Young Cannibals</i>. However, as our token audible, I opted for <i>Inner City’s Good Life</i>, since I don’t already own this awesome house tune in any other medium.</div><br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Finner-city-good-life&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Finner-city-good-life&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/inner-city-good-life">Inner City - Good Life</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br />
<br />
<i>Now! That’s What I Call Music 14: Inner City – Good Life<br />
[EMI, Virgin, Polygram : NOW 14]<br />
(1989)<br />
<br />
Aylesbury Market: £3.00<br />
</i>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-90902817873485503132010-04-09T23:10:00.008+01:002011-01-27T14:47:02.077+00:00043. "...we are all children of Thatcher and McLaren” (Burchill)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCN2PUm-JA7Ap0eWpOvAXNCqkHtxV9-dPvifiDZ-yl47HGpR7Uqmu1fuVE01wBz6NKri5NoaQkd1LoP8Cb8KQ-NBGJAsH_zpWUeZlT49QuoGs491uTpuwajIdLQQmBfCA5gPWs2bUUHmpa/s1600/McLaren-being-led-away-by-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCN2PUm-JA7Ap0eWpOvAXNCqkHtxV9-dPvifiDZ-yl47HGpR7Uqmu1fuVE01wBz6NKri5NoaQkd1LoP8Cb8KQ-NBGJAsH_zpWUeZlT49QuoGs491uTpuwajIdLQQmBfCA5gPWs2bUUHmpa/s200/McLaren-being-led-away-by-001.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How does one write anything about the Sex Pistols which hasn’t been written before? So much ink has been spilled on one band as to be almost incomprehensible. Without the Sex Pistols music would be completely different. Without Malcolm McLaren, there would be no Sex Pistols. At least, according to some. The apparent importance of the Sex Pistols could stir many a structure/agency debate. Right band right time? Individual innovators? Or, in fuller terms, did the individual efforts of one band irrevocably change music, or were they just the crystallisation of a larger socio-political trend?</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA16HdURYcnYRlPmf3s1KGF9Ky5VTjIB6LYZe3n1PwYF5NFyM1VrR0jhfZ12U7WYPk7MgJBv5v0jJSKP2NdwlZlOFGZqrTtSUUbo4WwbtaQDdZgw0GIBHkARkXTsbSHLa87gSjSuqhM6D5/s1600/label_43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA16HdURYcnYRlPmf3s1KGF9Ky5VTjIB6LYZe3n1PwYF5NFyM1VrR0jhfZ12U7WYPk7MgJBv5v0jJSKP2NdwlZlOFGZqrTtSUUbo4WwbtaQDdZgw0GIBHkARkXTsbSHLa87gSjSuqhM6D5/s320/label_43.jpg" /></a>Where you fall in the above debate will colour your position in your view of McLaren. The Sex Pistols fraternity seem to be split in two. On the one hand there are those who see him as instrumental to changing the face of popular music for ever by managing one of the most iconic bands of all time. Others regard him as an exploiter, sucking out the ‘true spirit’ of punk, distilling it, and selling it for a tidy profit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Perhaps these questions are best discussed another time, because despite the answers, a life has been lost. As a track from the collection to remember his legacy, DMM could only really choose one song: God Save The Queen.</div><br />
<i>Malcolm McLaren<br />
(1946-2010)</i>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-46889623249375356982010-04-08T22:44:00.003+01:002010-04-08T23:06:28.318+01:00042. Pants & Corset – Malice in Wonderland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhqr74cMtHBYZqj9-K60FF3oEhVQYmmFMipvm6b_9DPTA9UpdKSFc6gIz2sjP3TfK2qewmrsqLTL-2qnfBD4Tb_YUFsGehnGvY1NVJh7RRMJNRIoFKvYI_ouEGh7izocLrDq_mCeMxjXk/s1600/label_042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhqr74cMtHBYZqj9-K60FF3oEhVQYmmFMipvm6b_9DPTA9UpdKSFc6gIz2sjP3TfK2qewmrsqLTL-2qnfBD4Tb_YUFsGehnGvY1NVJh7RRMJNRIoFKvYI_ouEGh7izocLrDq_mCeMxjXk/s320/label_042.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Back in 2000, just as the tsunami of Trance was beginning to show the initial signs of commercial fatigue, a new and trendy working class sound was starting to gain popularity: Hard House.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">As a genre in its own right, this was something of a blip on the musical radar. Emerging out of the ashes of Nu-NRG and the gay club scene, but taking inspiration from Hardcore and Rave, it chugged away uneasily while what became known as ‘Hard Dance’ slowly and painfully began to establish its self. No one really makes or listens to what people would have called Hard House any more, and fast forwarding to 2010, you realise just how temporally fixed it is.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, despite its relatively short lived appeal, some absolutely fantastic tracks were produced in its name. Pants & Corset – Malice In Wonderland featured on a Mixmag cover CD by then up and coming superstar DJ, Fergie. The tune is actually a bootleg of Cenith X – Feel and goes to show how much a simple change of tempo and restructuring can really alter the mood and feel of a track.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Delightfully, this is limited to only 500 pressings; yet another example of that most enchanting and precious feeling in record collecting which has sadly been evaporated by changes in technology: exclusivity.<br />
<br />
<object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fpants-corset-malice-in-wonderland&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fpants-corset-malice-in-wonderland&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/pants-corset-malice-in-wonderland">Pants & Corset - Malice In Wonderland</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Pants & Corset – Malice In Wonderland</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>[White : n./a]</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>(2000)</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Discogs: £4.49</i></div>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-85922719398103070462010-03-21T16:15:00.004+00:002010-03-21T16:21:11.792+00:00041. Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUgAO4hb6B7rcjIJTG7WcytJ1YGnzkwG65_kF4_QUBEKgmhpCLa-MPr3n_NCtEqJRkzC7RUeCdWc4P4uTiPYOx2sV2HmWlhZTSpP0iAPg53BFmt14syPtxwGXnZVtwr5dBKGNBl5OKurH/s1600-h/041_label.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUgAO4hb6B7rcjIJTG7WcytJ1YGnzkwG65_kF4_QUBEKgmhpCLa-MPr3n_NCtEqJRkzC7RUeCdWc4P4uTiPYOx2sV2HmWlhZTSpP0iAPg53BFmt14syPtxwGXnZVtwr5dBKGNBl5OKurH/s200/041_label.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5451121906221596962" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Well, that was an adventure. Normality has returned after my pretentions at becoming a camouflaged civil servant have come to an abrupt halt. The whys and wherefores are best left for another medium, but it does mean that I can now concentrate on vastly more important things; collecting records again.<br /><br />I’d love to open things up with an uber-cool, rare as you like, underground techno 12” on a limited pressing white label that you’d never recognise, let alone have heard before. However, DMM is about much more than tune spotter elitism. It’s simply about good music.<br /><br />So what is it about Lady Gaga then? DMM reckons she’s properly awesome. Detractors may write her off as another Madonna, but they’re failing to pick up the delightful veins of irony sparkling through her work. Her persona flirts with the borderline between the serious and ironic so as to leave her audience guessing. Is this genuine or is this all an elaborate ruse?<br /><br />A more apt parallel would be made by pointing to Marilyn Manson. He sculpted a stage character, an associated vibe and contextualising backdrop, all of which combining to create a product which is more than just the music. Not only this, but both of them seem to be able to push the right buttons in public consciousness at the right time in order to get a raise, though admittedly in very different spheres of influence.<br /><br />Others claim she’s unoriginal. Certainly, if you listen to a Gaga record, you’ll have heard the elements before. However, much like the KLF, or say Xenomania, she picks and chooses with intelligence, shuffling elements together to create her own work.<br /><br />As always on DMM, we might be over thinking things a bit. Stripping the analysis away, all we have here are solid synth laden pop tunes with infectious lyrics. Plus, how powerful is that gothic cover photo? In and of its self, this is enough to warrant adding The Fame Monster to the collection.</div><br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Flady-gaga-bad-romance&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Flady-gaga-bad-romance&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/lady-gaga-bad-romance">Lady Gaga - Bad Romance</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster: Bad Romance<br />[Interscope : B 001382101]<br />(2009)<br /><br />Juno: £18.79</span>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-8187063299716646342009-10-19T21:55:00.006+01:002009-10-19T22:49:04.717+01:00040. M&S pres. The Girl Next Door – Salsoul Nugget (If You Wanna) (M&S Extended Vocal)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ywEI82LUsFBefAkLiLlqkl7pXoXagGXpl71ZyStdu9Y9ZvibadjSYl3fp0ZmF-SOoSaSJFflBZQ0DZsTMdfNXOv1SYNHUeSfWvwts2xANoBJSx0NVWQSlKO63WYyCfWWESYQdDKubNFO/s1600-h/label.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ywEI82LUsFBefAkLiLlqkl7pXoXagGXpl71ZyStdu9Y9ZvibadjSYl3fp0ZmF-SOoSaSJFflBZQ0DZsTMdfNXOv1SYNHUeSfWvwts2xANoBJSx0NVWQSlKO63WYyCfWWESYQdDKubNFO/s200/label.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394419731957111906" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">The other day I was messing around online, trying to find info about a track off the legendary disco label, Salsoul. Not before long I was listening to youtube videos when I stumbled across Double Exposure’s Everyman. A handful of neurons in the deepest recess of my brain started to tingle in recognition of the tune; I recognised the sample. It took me a full day to remember the tune.<br /><br />Back in 2001, a funky filtered disco sampling house number hit the charts and stayed at the business end for weeks on end. Cutting elements from both Double Exposure and Loletta Holliway, M&S’s Salsoul Nugget provided an excellent example of how sampling could, and should, be done. The promo brought desperate elements from differing sources to create something new. However, with its success and crossover it was felt that an additional vocal should be added to give commercial appeal. Generally, attempting this manoeuvre offers a poor finished product, but in this case the vocals really add something extra to the track.<br /><br />For some reason though, its massive success failed to translate to any kind of long term classic status. I do wonder if this track was dropped would the floor remember it? Even if they don’t, surely its own production merits can carry it to a new audience? There’s only one way to find out.</div><br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fm-s-pres-the-girl-next-door-salsoul-nugget-if-you-wanna-m-s-extended-vocal&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fm-s-pres-the-girl-next-door-salsoul-nugget-if-you-wanna-m-s-extended-vocal&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/m-s-pres-the-girl-next-door-salsoul-nugget-if-you-wanna-m-s-extended-vocal">M&S pres. The Girl Next Door – Salsoul Nugget (If You Wanna) (M&S Extended Vocal)</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">M&S pres. The Girl Next Door - Salsoul Nugget (If U Wanna) (M&S Extended Vocal)<br />[FFRR : FXXDJ 393]<br />(2001)<br /><br />Discogs: £6.50</span>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-69668255022948706402009-09-28T23:06:00.009+01:002009-09-29T00:00:34.119+01:00039. Ghost Dance - Gathering Dust<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorZEjO1izzeoFMetUDNJNqzd5znCv-8zGI3J1lPZfgEKkKmkR8VjbLZ5T4PbU_0t5r0VRhBtHtcJ0t5lD5AcwUSMK3AoSCf41-WZY4K_bcKKKGHi8hIeRdLnFb_Dzl6pfepqzm7BBJK_-/s1600-h/label_2.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjorZEjO1izzeoFMetUDNJNqzd5znCv-8zGI3J1lPZfgEKkKmkR8VjbLZ5T4PbU_0t5r0VRhBtHtcJ0t5lD5AcwUSMK3AoSCf41-WZY4K_bcKKKGHi8hIeRdLnFb_Dzl6pfepqzm7BBJK_-/s200/label_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386644248632170274" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">As the leaves turn delightfully to myriad shades of red, orange and yellow, my running routes begin to feel extensively barren, no longer bulked out with a fleshy green padding. This annual transformation also affects my musical purchasing and playing habits too. As the days get shorter and nights become longer, the techno gets more mechanical, looped and harder, trance becomes deeper, hypnotising but with an uncomfortable edge, all the while 80s post-punk and goth storm up the playlists.<br /><br />Gathering Dust is the latest purchase in the latter category. Radiating with eyeliner and big haired charm, Ghost Dance dropped into existence during the deepest darkest depths of 1985 when Anne-Marie Hurst (née Skeletal Family), and Gary Marx (née <a href="http://mensch-maschine.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Sisters+of+Mercy">The Sisters of Mercy</a>) got together to write some tunes after leaving their respective bands. The history of their journey can be heard clearly throughout the LP. Expect drum machine rhythms, twangly reverbed lead guitar lines, and lots of lead like work with the bass guitar. In retrospect, this almost seems generic and clichéd, but at the time this was “the” sound to have. I only wish my <a href="http://www.myspace.com/screamelectric">own musical talents</a> could craft something similar.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JPKe8eEZhdBv8eccO-JF65bjmE-QQK71mzy9VqBHS5jxZOS-CESGLB0j3mYMCFXsYI724e3htJyTV8PmMpFJ9vX5LpM80cywhabJh-YvPUp3EoatPhaK3SRshhlxJ2AC0P4EjHrPyFL5/s1600-h/AMH.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JPKe8eEZhdBv8eccO-JF65bjmE-QQK71mzy9VqBHS5jxZOS-CESGLB0j3mYMCFXsYI724e3htJyTV8PmMpFJ9vX5LpM80cywhabJh-YvPUp3EoatPhaK3SRshhlxJ2AC0P4EjHrPyFL5/s200/AMH.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386650739218691538" /></a>Gathering Dust was a compilation LP, collating the bands collected material thus far. Sadly though, this was to mark a shift in Ghost Dance’s sound. Much like The Banshees and The Cure, by the 90’s their releases became markedly more mainstream and pop oriented.<br /><br />Anne-Marie Hurst, of whom I can’t quite decide if she’s mega-hot or not, though will give the benefit of the doubt, is apparently back in the musical game. With a new line up, she will be performing both Skeletal Family and Ghost Dance tracks with some new ones thrown in for good measure. You can find out some more info here, on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/annemariehurst">her myspace</a>. Be sure to check out the youtube video of a Deeper Blue, she still sounds fantastic, her voice aging very well. I’d be very tempted, but my bank manger is less than supportive, not to mention the fact that I now know how <a href="http://mensch-maschine.blogspot.com/2009/05/028-sisters-of-mercy-02-academy-leeds.html">far up the M1</a> Bradford really is.</div> Plus it's on my birthday, and will be celebrating in kind.<br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fghost-dance-a-deeper-blue&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fghost-dance-a-deeper-blue&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/ghost-dance-a-deeper-blue">Ghost Dance - A Deeper Blue</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Ghost Dance – Gathering Dust: A Deeper Blue<br />[Karbon : KAR XL303]<br />(1987)<br /><br />Discogs: €20.80</span>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-19591448068093983072009-09-21T12:52:00.003+01:002009-09-21T13:01:54.653+01:00038. Woof Woof!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpnUMKy1q2X6qEjmdVbA_P52WIh_bJrOjCw3Ki80atkDZGcKDZ8Y6CK1TLSZMUYdt0Y_dRWYGv8ReiEcFUu_9tapzS4UreDxSLtcO5qx_mI_tPe3eDre2PiNUB_CCdlHDBkZ1nkymZ1cn/"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpnUMKy1q2X6qEjmdVbA_P52WIh_bJrOjCw3Ki80atkDZGcKDZ8Y6CK1TLSZMUYdt0Y_dRWYGv8ReiEcFUu_9tapzS4UreDxSLtcO5qx_mI_tPe3eDre2PiNUB_CCdlHDBkZ1nkymZ1cn/" border="0" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaFm2pTQLG7LQi31d0AklQHjvJifKbNDOMDp6epiltV48n9NY3XxzvEV_Ts3D2ENWwMuJdnLr-mvJGtUiDFm4vY88RmoJloSkPWLmZCmwGdMsmg296isgCjpPYaGFIcAOB5dqta0vQBcA/"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikaFm2pTQLG7LQi31d0AklQHjvJifKbNDOMDp6epiltV48n9NY3XxzvEV_Ts3D2ENWwMuJdnLr-mvJGtUiDFm4vY88RmoJloSkPWLmZCmwGdMsmg296isgCjpPYaGFIcAOB5dqta0vQBcA/" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Rex The Dog Season #1 T's<br />(2009)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rexthedog.net">www.rexthedog.net</a>: £ 36.40</span>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-58376668413649890902009-09-20T14:46:00.004+01:002010-12-27T21:48:58.336+00:00037. The Timelords - Doctorin' The Tardis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0yf3ugmddOXyzJtHIWDhHdbxLCfSLa_PHUkdH-SVVMlDcWiiX-Bc2LJx80o3L0AgMQBahm0_kL2V2L7DGRZnJb6nqvxjpmecKz21062cqxGJAIgJwI9Aa-UqD2_7xrulogOJEXYafELO/s1600-h/label.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB0yf3ugmddOXyzJtHIWDhHdbxLCfSLa_PHUkdH-SVVMlDcWiiX-Bc2LJx80o3L0AgMQBahm0_kL2V2L7DGRZnJb6nqvxjpmecKz21062cqxGJAIgJwI9Aa-UqD2_7xrulogOJEXYafELO/s200/label.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383545869080759410" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">This year’s carboot season well and truly slipped my mind. Driving to work on Firday I suddenly noticed the sign for the last bootsale of the year. Aye carumba! As I rocked up late in the closing hour, just as everyone was packing away I though how this was an apt metaphor for my carboot attitude this year.<br />
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Idiot record collectors may scoff at the idea of hunting at these events, but really they can be gold mines. When speaking face to face you can strike deals and haggle to increase the value for money factor. Not to mention the joys of wandering around with a nice cold can of DC in the summer sun, trying to figure out how on earth anyone in their right mind hopes to sell an old TV remote for a set that’s probably older than you are.<br />
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If you’re after a mint condition first pressing Beatles LP for under a fiver, you’re probably going to be out of luck at a carboot sale, but if you fancy bulking out your collection with good quality mainstream staples at a reasonable cost, it really is the place to go. Charity shops generally have a good selection, but with vastly inflated prices. This is of course fair; I’d never begrudge the starving children of Africa or little Johnny getting a nice bed in a hospice. Online, prices have become staggeringly expensive and artificially inflated way beyond the actual value of items.<br />
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Today’s purchase is a good example. I paid 50p for what would be classed as a sleeve G to VG, media VG to VG+. On discogs you’d be looking to pay around £2.50 for a similarly classed item, ignoring of course postage and packing. If I was a capitalist, I’d surely sell this one on and make a tidy profit. Thankfully I’m not.<br />
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I’m slightly reticent to blog about the KLF, the masterminds behind this track. With such a rich and interesting history behind them, and the countless essays already written about them, a few words scratched in haste in the afternoon sun can hardly penetrate the depth of such an infamous and influential act. So, let’s just keep things brief. While many of my generation, and especially those of the current generation, may dismiss the KLF as flagrant commercial pirates, pillaging the charts for all they are worth, you really cannot deny they played the system with aplomb and always kept one step ahead of the game.<br />
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For my money, they turned a mirror at the burgeoning celebrity pop chart world of the 1980s, analysing what they were presented with and extracting any utility laden elements and using it to their own ends. Yet, at the same time they weren’t swallowed by pop culture maschine. They managed to retained an esoteric element of charm and distinction, and struck at the heart of the culture while remaining somewhat on the fringes. They had a post-modern irony to them, that what they were doing was blatantly uncool, but because they recognised that fact and had constructed another layer of identity around this fact they suddenly became incredibly cool. Of course, this was in a way that if you actually acknowledged this cool, it would instantly become uncool. Whoops, I guess they’re uncool again now. Then again, it’s been years, I’m sure they won’t mind me rumbling them this late in the game.</div><br />
<span style="font-style: italic;">The Timelords – Doctorin’ The Tardis (Minimal)<br />
[KLF Communications : KLF 003T]<br />
(1988)<br />
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Tetsworth Carboot Sale: £0.50</span>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-40064662114472413662009-09-12T22:15:00.006+01:002009-09-12T22:26:13.089+01:00036. Tunespotting In Joburg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwOFesqcPs-RLDanUu3WQIHnd4dHpkErdJ-b_skqYTbdkJm6YDh6hmc2uZwN1uTW0z_1GIZPVZXrDLIpqdC5Nx_ZxHGgq1cYZDUSuWkga__skpjRq_80m70805FqwuL5G4WnzlECBulhA/s1600-h/label.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlwOFesqcPs-RLDanUu3WQIHnd4dHpkErdJ-b_skqYTbdkJm6YDh6hmc2uZwN1uTW0z_1GIZPVZXrDLIpqdC5Nx_ZxHGgq1cYZDUSuWkga__skpjRq_80m70805FqwuL5G4WnzlECBulhA/s200/label.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380693757859969954" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">By no small coincidence, good record collectors also tend to be good tunespotters. Admittedly, it does verge on the unhealthy side of obsessive compulsive, but you generally like to know which tunes samples what, can memorise your favourite DJ’s best playlists, absolutely love tune ids, and can usually recognise a song in a club before anyone else, even if it is still just from the kick and hi hat which is barely mixed in. By and large, this makes you think you seem uber-cool when you state with authority, ‘I bet he’ll play so an so next’. Of course, in retrospect, you’re probably not.<br /><br /><object style="margin: 10pt 10pt 10px 10px; float: left; cursor: pointer;" height="200" width="200"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YZ1vHRs_EOs&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YZ1vHRs_EOs&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="200" width="200"></embed></object>After going to see District 9, a superb piece of dystopian political commentary, I checked out the short on which it was based, Alive In Joburg. About halfway though my ears jumped to attention, and within an instant I’d got the sample, Matt Darey’s Possessed. Much to the detriment of the producers, this was not acknowledged in the credits. Once again, <a href="http://mensch-maschine.blogspot.com/2008/04/003-technique-sun-is-shining-mash-up.html">Matt Darey retains the award for most under rated and ignored producers in electronic music</a>.<br /><br />Possessed is awesomely energetic dark and brooding trance number. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t get picked up by all the major DJs despite its superb atmosphere. So, in lieu of any credits, I thought I’d dig out the vinyl and share it here. Shame my pressing sounds like it’s been mastered in a wheelie bin though.</div><br /><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fmatt-darey-pres-lost-tribe-possessed&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fmatt-darey-pres-lost-tribe-possessed&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"></embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/matt-darey-pres-lost-tribe-possessed">Matt Darey pres. Lost Tribe - Possessed</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span> <br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Matt Darey pres. Lost Tribe – Possessed<br />[Darey Products: DAREY002]<br />(2004)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Alive In Joburg<br />Neill Blomkamp<br />(2005)</span>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-28459985704852160862009-09-03T20:31:00.004+01:002009-09-03T20:34:22.434+01:00035. The Merry Thoughts - Psychocult<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYGvKVZEkWh-qVxrwoYinYZDS58wFVuoQ8R9ZMc7_8pjMPN5OLHeCT3evud2sFYM5KTQx0r3ftRafcqG1Ya5EwYA6Fr1t5oFBuA4KfCoD7l6-y_5Y3LUVC3UL5LmYs9RrR3nIGf3zcZxK/s1600-h/label.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsYGvKVZEkWh-qVxrwoYinYZDS58wFVuoQ8R9ZMc7_8pjMPN5OLHeCT3evud2sFYM5KTQx0r3ftRafcqG1Ya5EwYA6Fr1t5oFBuA4KfCoD7l6-y_5Y3LUVC3UL5LmYs9RrR3nIGf3zcZxK/s200/label.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5377326195597907218" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">You really know when you’ve fallen for a genre when you start buying outside the cannon. Musos will generally be able to recognise the big hitters in any given popular style, but it’s only when you begin to fly under the radar that you start getting to the exciting stuff.<br /><br />Enter The Merry Thoughts. Unmistakably, they are heavily modelled on the tried, tested and thoroughly approved Eldrichian industrial groove machine template. Arkham, the band’s front man even does a passable imitation of Von E’s vocals. This leaves us with the obvious problem; are the Merry Thoughts not just a blatant Sisters of Mercy clone?<br /><br />I’ll let you decide, but keep in mind the following. Vision Thing, the most contemporary to Psychocult, is by far the worst of the three albums. The energy and vibrancy found in much of the Sisters’ back catalogue was only tapped to small degrees in comparison to its lineage. This lack of desire is certainly not a charge that can be levelled at The Merry Thoughts. In any case, we haven’t had a Sisters offering since 1993, is it really such a crime to head elsewhere when we can find something which is so sonically pleasing? Perhaps I’m being generous, but I’m inclined to say that here, imitation is the sincerest flattery. <br /><br />Psychocult was the final album of a two album back catalogue, and had an all together darker, more cohesive sound than the first offering, yet still maintaining a pleasing balance between synth, guitar and esoteric lyricism. We Love To is by far and away the standout track; an up-tempo, dancefloor friendly bum shaker of a track.<br /><br />The moral of this story? Never judge a book by its cover. Just because they wear black in excessive quantities doesn’t mean they can’t provide a monstrously danceable tune when they want to.</div><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fthe-merry-thoughts-we-love-to&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fthe-merry-thoughts-we-love-to&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"> </embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/the-merry-thoughts-we-love-to">The Merry Thoughts - We Love To</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">The Merry Thoughts – Psychocult<br />[Oblivion: SPV 085-61392]<br />(1996)<br /><br />Discogs: €10.50</span>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4985282328789535766.post-58715537390683058972009-08-15T09:41:00.006+01:002009-08-15T09:54:00.057+01:00034. Mauro Picotto & Riccardo Ferri - Taotek EP<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tRuPjVUDv9XmwzPG_eylOBoeTrh0rwXGNO3C-ynXo3EibVzjp6sYeGd905Rjz0edTjfAKm1QjG11Bjb635dQUAtN4dMq2G6f3jbXhy82XJ51Z5zddyC-Ou5z9XXp28PR08FoWBF7oniE/s1600-h/034_label.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tRuPjVUDv9XmwzPG_eylOBoeTrh0rwXGNO3C-ynXo3EibVzjp6sYeGd905Rjz0edTjfAKm1QjG11Bjb635dQUAtN4dMq2G6f3jbXhy82XJ51Z5zddyC-Ou5z9XXp28PR08FoWBF7oniE/s200/034_label.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370108256441480866" /></a><div style="text-align: justify;">Picotto is quite the chameleon, subtly altering his sound to match the backgrounds of popular electronic music. An appropriate parallel given he had a thing for reptiles, naming three singles after various types (Lizard, Iguana and Komodo if you’re interested).<br /><br />Before 1999, Picotto was relatively unknown outside his Italian homeland. Just as trance was kicking off big style, Lizard - a euphorically laden yet also hard number - hit. Come 2000 Picotto started playing gigs in the UK. As Hard House was the in thing, his sets reflected this. Then, by the tail end of 2000 when everyone realised that as good as the Juno hoover sound was it had already been done to death years ago, his sound morphed in to a mishmash between the realms of Trance, Techno and Hard House.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS-0vZmAAC1O-Qs2_YHsR2Uwh0a2eVbZciIiFydc9fzRpvFAYD7c8wJ7z5-VImeb747el1BJwnK82R3V4mS2sdJA4QRanFn418pfsasmkgYdjRGXA16bPgbwnObuA3hJyvnD4WcLRqgAi/s1600-h/picottoMauro.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 151px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYS-0vZmAAC1O-Qs2_YHsR2Uwh0a2eVbZciIiFydc9fzRpvFAYD7c8wJ7z5-VImeb747el1BJwnK82R3V4mS2sdJA4QRanFn418pfsasmkgYdjRGXA16bPgbwnObuA3hJyvnD4WcLRqgAi/s200/picottoMauro.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370110187802094258" /></a>The big question at the time was, ‘is Picotto techno?’ The answer, like most things in life, was a delightful shade of grey: yes he was, but no he wasn’t. While tracks like Iguana and Save A Soul were clearly chart trance nonsense, others such as Taub, Verdi and Strum Und Drang were much harder to place, sharing from both the trance and techno list of production values. Further fuel stoked the fires of confusion when Picotto would end up spinning all out techno belters such as Gabry Fasano - Logarithm.<br /><br />No surprise then to hear that around this time Tech-Trance was starting to really establish its self as a legitimate and popular sub-genre. It kept true to trance’s techno roots, but at the same time embracing a less tune-spotter, mainstream friendly format. In the end a modus vivendi was reached; Picotto was Italian Techno. The elitists could be happy their uber-cool and way better than you genre wasn’t ‘poisoned’, while the non-elitists could pretend that they were elitists listening to real techno.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NTJSKls4GdTd77_cGTIeE7tEs2ROui8w_BnHgzJYc_jg9U7LEcvKlDKv9-KKe3sNBMpYbKVgnOzwLn-B2OfAIbkqxJB68PG2a2K54dYNSzHXCt1Wl9Y45rsjs6nOBu6sq2hf_Nc_rbi_/s1600-h/n47aag370bk0c28don38vgzh5vf89pk.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9NTJSKls4GdTd77_cGTIeE7tEs2ROui8w_BnHgzJYc_jg9U7LEcvKlDKv9-KKe3sNBMpYbKVgnOzwLn-B2OfAIbkqxJB68PG2a2K54dYNSzHXCt1Wl9Y45rsjs6nOBu6sq2hf_Nc_rbi_/s200/n47aag370bk0c28don38vgzh5vf89pk.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370110478752984802" /></a>True to form though, as people started switching off from tech-trance and rediscovering what real techno was about Picotto once more made a change, this time to full on techno belters, at which point we get Taotek. While the elitists will no doubt say it’s not techno, frankly they’re wrong, and are just put off by the itinerary of Picotto’s musical travels. Still, there is something inherently commercial and calculated behind it which leaves a sickly sweet taste in the mouth; it tastes good, but too much is bad for you and in the end you’ll just end up regretting it.<br /><br />And guess what? For the last few years he’s been playing minimal too. Unless you’ve been living beyond the reaches of civilisation, you’d not need a degree to work out that the cool underground sound of the moment is, you guessed it, minimal. So, the more important question which should be asked is not, ‘is Picotto techno?’ but, ‘is Picotto a trend-setter, ahead of the pack in the musical development stakes, or is Picotto a shameless bandwagon jumper, hopping onto “the next big thing” to keep the euros rolling in?’<br /><br />In the end, I don’t really know. As a self-proclaimed techno elitist on the one hand I want to say bandwagon. Yet on the other hand, with admiration for pop sensibility, he’s clearly an astute individual who has a knack for seeing which way the wind blows. Ultimately, all I can say is that from time to time it’s ok to give into those sickly sweet cravings…just don’t get fat.</div><br /><object height="81" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fmauro-picotto-riccardo-ferri-taotek-ep&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108"></param> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param> <embed allowscriptaccess="always" height="81" src="http://player.soundcloud.com/player.swf?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fdcp84%2Fmauro-picotto-riccardo-ferri-taotek-ep&show_comments=true&auto_play=false&color=0a4108" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"> </embed> </object> <span><a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84/mauro-picotto-riccardo-ferri-taotek-ep">Mauro Picotto & Riccardo Ferri - Taotek EP</a> by <a href="http://soundcloud.com/dcp84">dcp84</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Mauro Picotto & Riccardo Ferri - Taotek EP: Taotek<br />[Alchemy: ALC004]<br />(2004)<br /><br />Discogs: £6.00</span>dcp84http://www.blogger.com/profile/11185963041512248518noreply@blogger.com0