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i hope they die before they get old

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I see Adam and the Ants are reforming for a series of money-spinning gigs. I suspect - no, I know - that it will be just the old hits with some of his early solo stuff bolted on. As much as I love the band I shan't be going.  It's basically going to replace Gary Glitter (pre-PC World computer service) as the Christmas party gig of choice for housewives and office parties. Having seen him in interviews, I thought Marco Pirroni would not have sanctioned a reunion but I guess money talks. I did see on Sky Arts a recent reformed Sex Pistols gig at the Hammersmith Apollo and the Sex Pistols looked old, fat and too self-satisfied. The audience were all late-40s to early-60s, desperately clinging onto their youth of 35 years ago. True, they all looked like they were having a good time but it wasn't pleasant viewing. I'm not sure I'd like to see my childhood music heroes huff and puff their way through a song about smashing the system that they've grown tubby on.

A couple of years ago, I went to the reformed Specials gig at Brixton. Actually, I went 2 nights running and I was blown away by how good it was. I'd missed them first time around and along with the Stone Roses and Smiths were at that time the only bands I would happily have paid a 3-figure sum to watch. It was, in fairness, an awesome gig but then I saw them 6 months later and they did exactly the same set to exactly the same crowds and it had lost all the magic. I realised that they were jumping on the lucrative short-term nostalgia market to make a bit of money for their retirement. A part of me died inside and I really shouldn't have gone to see them. They were such an important part of my childhood and were angry, vibrant and spoke to me so clearly. They're now middle-aged men out to make some easy money. and will, sadly, join Madness and now Adam and the Ants as a Christmas party feelgood gig. If either the Smiths or Stone Roses reform, I won't go either.

It happens to a lot of musicians, they get comfy, they do the naff Gershwin covers album at the Albert Hall, the inevitable acoustic album, maybe a duet with a Country and Western star because they have nothing more to say. Stand up Paul Weller,Sting, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello.

Nick Cave, on the other hand has never rested on his laurels. Grinderman was proof of this. They laid the ground rules out - no ballads about love, no piano and stuck to them to produce two modern masterpieces. He is also now an acomplished author, screenwriter and film soundtrack composer with Warren Ellis and (importantly) they dress the part too. David Bowie wrote the book on how rock stars should deal with middle-age and Nick Cave has been a grade A student.

I think I should get off my soapbox and back to the music. Young Parisians is my favourite Adam and the Ants song.

And here's a track from last year's Grinderman 2 album, Worm Tamer.

day 03 - a song that makes me happy

Tweet Bonde do role - Solta O Frango

what I'm listening to

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Bodi Bill - "Brand New Carpet" from their brand new album (review to follow shortly). Briefly, they're a German indie-dance band in a kind of Hurts way. Quite retro with lots of Erasure/Depeche Mode/Black/Blancmange influences so its got a lot of pop in it.

Booka Shade - "Scaramanga (Dusty Kid Remix)" from the Scaramanga EP released this week. I can't decide which remix I like best. At the moment this one is winning. It's a tech house tune, not really minimal enough for me to describe it as such but pretty good nonetheless. It's quite a moody piece, the kind you can really get stuck into on the dancefloor.

timmy thomas - why can't we live together

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Music can date quite badly. Thinking of those songs that I loved when I was a teenager and a lot of them seem terribly twee nowadays. Dance music, especially, dates very quickly as it evolves and revolves but there's always a few tunes that stand the test of time not only as classics but also with a freshness about them as if they still sound contemporary. I think "Blue Monday" sounds dated however "Cars" by Gary Numan still sounds quite modern. Both are classics and I'm not for one minute trying to downplay the influence of the New Order classic. Roxy Music's "Love is the Drug" is another that I've heard played quite often in DJ sets and it's gone down a storm - not for ironic hip value but because it's a brilliantly contemporary sound.

There is however, one song more than any other that just blows me away at how timeless it really is. "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas was recorded in 1972. Thomas was a session musician from Indiana who worked alongside the great Donald Byrd before heading south to Memphis to work predominantly for the Goldwax label - a fairly minor soul label churning out cheesy Sam Cooke-lite records although occasionally the odd wonder-hit would shine through. "That's How Strong My Love Is" was another such song.

I guess I'm attracted to the song for a lot of reasons but what really impresses me that in a time of Wall Of Sound production here was a song that was so stripped back it was proto-minimal. It features a Hammond organ anda very early drum machine - it's almost like a metronome at times and is the backbone for the keyboard interjections that build and fade, shout and whisper throughout the whole song. It's got a very long intro too, I guess on first hearing you could be mistaken for thinking it was an instrumental. When Timmy Thomas finally gets going on the song it really is manna from heaven. Sadly, Timmy never replicated the success of this and although still active in the 70s and 80s will always be remembered for this hit. It's featured quite often on DJ compilations and I think the Back to Mine album by Carl Cox includes this with a background newsreel soundtrack. It's nearly 40 years old and still fresh as a daisy.

As a postscript to this - I must mention the wonderful cover of this by Sade recorded in the 80s. It's just my opinion but her version does sound dated. I can't exactly tell you why but it's just something about the production that is so...80s. Weird or what?

day 02 - my least favourite song

Tweet Beatles - Ob la di.

Dunno why but I really can't stand this song.

day 01 - my favourite song

Tweet Saint Etienne - Hobart Paving

cool brightonia

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Apologies for the very contrived title. I was trying to think of something that encompassed the idea of chilled/cool with my hometown of Brighton. In my humble opinion, Brighton is synonymous with coolness anyway but I was after a pun-ny title and that was the best I could come up with. There is a method in my madness so bear with me and I promise no more bad puns.

I've been listening to one of the best Brighton-based bands around at the moment, Fujiya and Miyagi - in particular their Ventriloquizzing album that came out earlier this year. They have a certain style about them. Laconic is probably the best description. They are not one for massive outpourings of emotion and it suits their brand of electronica. They don't do it with so much irony as, say, the Pet Shop Boys or latterly someone like Hurts or at the very extremes, the Flying Lizards (remember them?). With F&J, it's more a natural way of singing/talking and it makes for a very effective medium for they are very good songwriters and unlike a lot of bands you can hear every word enunciated without reaching for the sleevenotes. They just get better and better with every album and this, their 4th (5th if you include a remixes album) is the best yet. It's a lot rockier than Lightbulbs, their previous long player, with the guitar featuring more prominently than the keyboard in quite a few songs and they've opted for more of a traditional band feel with the drum machine being shelved on several songs. 

They remind me of a long-gone but not forgotten other Brighton Band called Frazier Chorus. They both cross the dance-indie divide quite happily, both are very much a low profile band that have written some devastatingly catchy tunes with killer lyrics and they both are delivered in a whisperish voice. Frazier Chorus were active around the very late 80s/early 90s where they made the switch from fey indie darlings to indie jangly dance music. The Soupdragons did something similar. Pop Will Eat Itself also did this to a lesser extent but they came from the opposite, rockier side. They were a cool band to name drop at the time as they had some big names remixing them, Oakenfold and Chad Jackson to name but two. They never had massive chart appeal and sadly, they kind of trickled into oblivion as Brit Pop grabbed the nation's youth.They were always too cerebral for the lad culture and as with the Beloved (the band more than any other that they tried to emulate) they found themselves very much yesterday's news. It's such a shame that they never fulfilled their potential but sadly, Brighton is the graveyard for many a music career. We're a town of slackers and dreamers.

p.s. I'm still stuck on trying to choose my favourite song for the 30-day challenge!

30-day music challenge

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A friend of mine got me onto the idea of a 30-day music challenge. It's just a bit of fun but the task is to pick one piece of music a day dependant on the criteria for that day. Here they are:

day 01 - your favourite song

day 02 - your least favourite song

day 03 - a song that makes you happy

day 04 - a song that makes you sad

day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone

day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere

day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event

day 08 - a song that you know all the words to

day 09 - a song that you can dance to

day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep

day 11 - a song from your favourite band

day 12 - a song from a band you hate

day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure

day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love

day 15 - a song that describes you

day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate

day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio

day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio

day 19 - a song from your favourite album

day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry

day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy

day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad

day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding

day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral

day 25 - a song that makes you laugh

day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument

day 27 - a song that you wish you could play

day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty

day 29 - a song from your childhood

day 30 - your favourite song at this time last year

I've been stalling on this as I'm struggling to get past day one and name my favourite song. It changes not just daily but depending on the time of day, the mood I'm in and what I'm up to. I'm going to just have to bite the bullet and go with what feels right at that moment of choosing - and no doubt I will regret the decision instantly as I think of another great song I could have picked. I'll try to keep the challenge songs separate from my other posts and keep them short. It does mean though that I may post several times a day for 30 days. I hope that's okay with you chaps who are reading this blog. I'm going to give each one a bit of thought too, rather than go for the first thing that comes into my head.

If you feel inspired to join me in this challenge please do send me a link so I can follow your choices too. I think it could be a lot of fun.

I can't go without posting a link to some music so let's go for something completely random. Two tunes from last year that absolutely rock. Love the videos to these too.

Passion Pit - Got Your Number

PVT - Window (this video is brilliant)

munnibrotherz - moon chon chayoh

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Am having trouble sleeping and am going through the new tracks on Beatport. This has certainly woken me up. Very lovely, minimal techno with a warm drum pattern and great sampling. 'night all!

whomadewho

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Kompakt Records are by far my favourite record label. They have a wonderful attitude to musical creativity and allow their artists free rein to express themselves. It also helps that it's owned and run by musicians who are as passionate about music as their label artists. The label seems to have a loose ethos that their artists need to make good electronic music and it doesn't need to be populist or necessarily dance-oriented.

Whomadewho are populist though and they are very dancey. They are often unofficial winners of best festival band and are increasingly one of the must-see bands on the festival circuit. They cross several genres and are rocky, dancey, poppy and avant-garde enough to be likened to Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem and Flaming Lips at their nuttiest. They've been around since 2003 and have built up a very loyal following and have quite a back catalogue to their name including the self-titled debut album and then a few years after a very highly acclaimed album, Plot, that came with the song 'Keep Me In My Plane'. If you haven't seen the video for that yet, then boy - are you in for a treat!

Last week they released an EP 'Dead Remixes' EP where Kompakt founder Michael Mayer features and next month they also release a mini-album, Knee Deep. Kompakt are also hinting that there may be a full album release too. I love this quote about them and can't wait to see them live: “the rockingest dance band or danciest rock band but both the danciest dance band and the rockingest rock band.”

The Dead Remixes are a moody collection and it reminds me somewhat of the super-smash 'Without You' by the Art Department last year. It has a similar bassline although with the falsetto lead singer it's almost operatic at times. I really like this, it never takes itself too seriously as a tune but there's no faulting the professionalism of the production or the band. It's always great to see the Danes strutting their stuff too. skål!

who cares?

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I'd forgotten about this tune but was listening to the Kompakt Total 9 compilation this morning and it came up. Superpitcher with Disko (You Don't Care). Great tune to dance around the living room to. Have a great weekend.

I tell you who else doesn't care - Machines, that's who (another oldie but goodie - Machines Don't Care - Beat Bang) 

perfidious albion

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Listening to a Sinead O'Connor album on the train has got me thinking about England. The album was Collaborations and the song was 'Empire' originally a track on the very excellent album Clear by Bomb the Bass. Sinead sings it with the man who really should be Poet Laureate, Benjamin Zephaniah. The lyrics are as damning a statement about colonialism as you will ever hear.

Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
Vampire, you suck the life of goodness
Yes
Vampire, you're feed on the life of a pure heart
Vampire you suck the life of goodness

From now on I'll call you England

I've been racking my brains trying to think of other Anti-English tunes. I'm restricting this field to songs by non-English people as I've got no time for liberal self-loathing. Therefore no Genesis 'Selling England by the Pound', no Alabama 3, no Chumbawumba, no Flying Pickets. It also rules out (most of) the Pogues. Unfortunately, I haven't come up with many so far and they have been Celtic in origin.

From the Waterboys we have 'Old England' which charts the demise of a post-colonial master. I love this song although not for its sentiment as, deep down, I'm fiercely patriotic. I think I can spot a good tune when I hear it though. It's on the 'To the Sea' album which remains to this day one of the greatest albums ever written. I often wonder about this song and it's true meaning and whether I've properly understood its message.

The Proclaimers - Cap in Hand this time asks the question about Scottish Independence. A tad disingenuous in my opinion considering the disproportionate number of Scottish MPs, the white Elephant of Holyrood. It's often too easy to write off the Proclaimers as a novelty band but they come from a very fine Scottish folk tradition that has Fife at its heart. I think the Proclaimers are best experienced live so here they are from a Belgian tour in 2007.

To balance this out I'll also include a song about England from one of England's greatest songwriting talents. Laura Marling is precociously talented and this song is what can best be described as a love letter to her motherland. The album 'I Speak Because I Can' was a coming of age for Ms Marling and she is destined to be one of the great British female singers

a slice of salome

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I don't profess to know too much about opera although I have seen a fair few of them over the years. It tended to be the biggies - La Traviata, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Rigoletto, The Marriage of Figaro - the kind of operas that I'm on safe territory with. Many of them washed over me and a few caused physical pain. I was broke so I used to get the really cheap seats up in the Gods at the Coliseum in London - those seats are painful and I've got a dodgy knee that really aches unless I can stretch it periodically. There have been, though,  a couple of pieces of music I heard/saw there that were so wonderful that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

'Ombra Mai Fu' is the opening aria to Handel's lesser known opera Xerxes. Originally sung by a castrato, it now tends to be a role taken up by female opera singers. Here's one of the best, Cecilia Bartoli. This piece is too, too short - or perhaps because it is so short that it is a case study in restrained beauty. 

Another aria that has the power to move mountains is the final scene from Richard Strauss's operatic interpretation of Oscar Wilde's Salomé. This is far more tragic than the previous piece and for the performers, as well as the audience is an emotional rollercoaster. I'm afraid I can't tell you an awful lot about this particular production except that it appears to be a stage production where the artists recorded the singing previously and are miming in the video and the female singer is Teresa Stratas. I did search high and low for a decent version and this is the very best I found. I remember seeing this all of nearly 20 years ago and I still remember the way we all leaned forward, completely entranced with the show. It was as if no-one dared breathe as this was sung. It has the 'wow' factor by the bucket load. This is the middle bit of the aria. I urge you to see it live.

lanterns on the lake

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Lanterns on the Lake are a Northumbrian band who play a dreamy type of pop. The songs are beautifully crafted where they combine great melodies with what I'd describe as a traditional approach to song-writing. Up until 2010, they were self-published and I have 3 of their EPs which were handmade and (I believe) all home-recorded too.

They have toured extensively, mainly the festival circuits where they have gained an enviable reputation and brought themselves to the attention of some influential national DJs. They signed to a 'proper' record company last year and also released a single, Lungs Quicken. Their music has a kind of David Lynch-film music kind of feel to it and they certainly have created some of the most evocative music I heard in the last couple of years. I'm predicting big things from them soon.

bionic love soundsystem

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I've been listening to this for most of the afternoon. I found it randomly on SoundCloud and it's on the same label as Echo Pilot. I don't know much about them to be honest and I'm off out to see Brighton play Notts County so haven' got the time to do much investigating. It's pretty funky with a chilled dub vibe going on. Have a listen and see what you think. There's a whole album there and recommend track 2 especially.

thousands

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There's a really lovely feeling when you come across a new artist and the first track just blows you away. It happens quite often for me but that's not to say that the experience is in any way diminished. Each time I feel it, it makes me realise how important music is in my life, how lucky I am to be able to feel this way and how excited I get when I get all evangelical and feel the need to tell others.

 

This is such an occasion. There's a new album out by a band called 'Thousands'. They are a Seattle-based duo of Kristian Garrard & Luke Bergman and it's an acoustic delight. They sound a bit Mercury Rev, a bit Elliott Smith, Simon and Garfunkel maybe even Fleet Foxes but they are their own sound. It's a kind of delicate joy without being kitschy, cute or twee. The album has a church-hymn kind of feel to it and although it's often in the minor keys it's uplifting. The guitar playing is also a joy to listen to.

It's called 'The Sound of Everything' and is out this week. This is definitely my album of the month and I see that they play Brighton very soon. Can't wait.

subtropic dub revival

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You would be forgiven for thinking this is a session straight from King Tubby or Augustus Pablo but in fact it's a brand new side-project from Canadian producer/musician Mike Paprocki aka Echo Pilot and multi-instrumentalist Kenta Shinohara from Ehime in Japan.

This EP was released in August last year although it's only just come to my attention. It's beautiful in its simplicity. It hits all the right notes for classic dub reggae yet has a fresh slant with the introduction of one or two modern production tricks.

It's a very smooth transition for these two musicians as they both lean towards the downtempo electronica, although Paprocki is also known as a breakbeat specialist as well as dabbling in the dancier side of world music. He released a full album last year and this is from it. You've got to admire the craftmanship in this.

Kenta Shinohara is also a well established musician who's love of electronica and dub has seen him involved in a number of projects. If I can point you to his MySpace page and in particular his tracks that he has added. Of special note is track 4 - 'Dub Session Dark Ver (Echo Pilot Remix)'

http://www.myspace.com/aleatorikoperation

father and son

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This is a joint effort today. Thomas, my 11 year old son and I are going to pick two songs each for our listening public. I'll go first, this is a brilliant cover version of Leadbelly's Black Betty. This kind of swamp rock/blues is really up my street and is a great tune to dance around the living room to.

Here's Thomas: Hello. My first tune so please don't blame me if it isn't the right tune to pick. This is a quite old song but it's Jackson by Johnny Cash.

Great choice Thomas. Right, let's get right up to date with something noisy. The film is great and so is this remix. Bababababa-pa ba ba ba pa!

Thomas here again. I'm just remembering through the back of my mind and I found this song, just listening to it now. It's Stop the rock by Apollo 440. I think I'm get the hang of this (except for moving the videos!)

blokes with big beards have got the blues

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The weather's a bit crap isn't it? I'm a bit hungover too so to suit my mood I have been listening this lunchtime to two of my favourite songs by a couple of beardies.

This is Bonnie Prince Billy (aka Will Oldham). He sports a magnificent beard. I've always thought he'd make a great extra in a Clint Eastwood mid-80s western film. He's just got the look of a prospector. Or maybe a doctor.

And to follow this we have my favourite Eels tune. E is a complex character and indefatigable miserablist but I love his music dearly. He's gone more for the comedy beard. The kind you buy from joke shops with a cigar attached. You know what I mean.

Not quite blues, more psychedelic Cambodian pop but Zac Holtzman's beard is a beaut and fully deserves inclusion. He's gone for the revolutionary look, straight down like a furry piece of A4 paper on his mush. Great work



Cat Stevens here, sports the Sheriff of Nottingham look. It suits him. (I was going to refer to it as the Peter Sutcliffe cut but that's probably very inappropriate).

Gentlemen, I salute you all.

faith no more

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A bit of a double header with this post. Faithless have announced that they are to split. I'm not surprised and having bought, listened, re-listened and not really 'felt' their last two albums I think it was a long time coming. In a press release Maxi Jazz wrote "But, like when writing a song, you always just ‘know’ when it’s finished… this is and was the “Thank YOU And Goodbye’ tour"

They snuck up on the UK music scene and have been a massive and important band without achieving the record success. They've produced some achingly beautiful tunes that will stay with me forever. They've flirted with trance, trip-hop and electronica in their time and have been excellent masters of the melancholy. There has always been a disattachment with their tunes and with their live gigs. It's just not in their nature to "wave their arms in the air just like they don't care", rather letting the production do the talking. I saw them last year at Brixton Academy and although good I did get the impression that they weren't feeling the love. Ironic really as I was snogging a busty cute Czech girl - but that's another story.

Here they are with Crazy English Summer. Dido guests on this.

So long guys and thanks so much for the memories.

And in other news, George Michael continues his slide into non-entity with a cover of New Order's True Faith. I'm not going to link to it as I love the original, it didn't need covering and it depresses me that he has covered it.

As ever, minimal techno finds a way of soothing a troubled soul. Here's a lovely little EP that samples Derek and Clive. There's not enough Derek and Clive in techno.

smiley culture

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I wasn't having the best of mornings today and my mood wasn't lifted when I read about the death of Smiley Culture in the paper. It seems he died at his own hand during a police raid at his home in South London. He didn't have the longest of careers but was one of the important breakthrough black British artists in the 80s. Born in Stockwell, he started off as a DJ with legendary Saxon sound system where he worked alongside the likes of Tippa Irie and Maxi Priest.

I was still at school at the time and previously my knowledge of reggae was limited to the inevitable Bob Marley, the Radio 1 friendly - Musical Youth, Althea and Donna and from old Trojan albums my stepdad had in his collection. I wasn't exactly savvy with the way that British reggae was developing its own sound. 'Cockney Translation' and his chatting style was a revelation to me. It was a hit in the UK and was a record that informed both Jamaicans and white British about what the Black British reggae stars were about. It was a blueprint for Mike Skinner's Original Pirate Material track 'Let's Push Things Forward' in so many ways not least of which showing the self-deprecation of British performers in reggae and hip-hop. Roots Manuva has cited Smiley Culture as an enormous influence on his style and when someone told me that I could see straight away the same humour, the same charm, the same down-to-earthness in the lyrics.

If that was a big hit then 'Police Officer' was the massive breatkthrough track that led to mainstream recognition. A top 20 hit in the UK, it was an all too common tale of black Brtions getting hassled daily by the police. It was written in a positive spirit but clearly it must have been an issue for any young black man in London at the time. This was the same time as the Broadwater Farm riots and only a few years after the Brixton and Toxteth riots. The song is littered with terms that were almost exclusively black slang at the time such as 'ganja' and you couldn't really imagine the BBC bosses letting that one slip through the 1980s censors if they'd known the truth. It's always irked me that Derek B ripped this song off completely yet never gave Smiley Culture any credit for it.

His career peaked with this song and although he carried on releasing music including 'Noff Personality' which is a seriously under-rated piece of pop, together with two albums he never returned to the dizzy heights of 1984. He had a cameo in Absolute Beginners but I understand that he preferred to venture into business soon after investing heavily in gold mines in Africa and Central Asia. I did occasionally see flyers with his name on as DJ around London in the 90s so he must still have been active and considering the contacts and his love of music, I'd have been very surprised if he hadn't carried on with the DJing as a hobby.

He popped up again only a few weeks ago on Reggae Britannia re-telling the story of early British reggae but I was unaware that at the time he was awaiting a trial for drug dealing. Yesterday, the police raided his house and apparently he managed to stab himself through the heart. It all seems very odd because I remember reading about Elliott Smith's suicide and how hard it is to stab yourself through your own breastbone. Very tragic.

Here he is at his very best. Smiley Culture 1962 - 2011

ford anglians

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Norfolk and Suffolk are not very well known as a hotbed of electronica, that honour probably lies with their western cousin, Essex but here's two acts with new releases that look to try and shift the balance.

Hailing from Norwich, Bearsuit are an art-school dance/rock crossover act in the tradition of Go! Team or Art Brut. They've been around for over 8 years now with 4 albums under their belt and many miles of touring supporting Hot Chip, Crystal Castles and Lightspeed Champion. The album Phantom Forest is released this month and this is the first single off the album. This is very electronica. It sounds a bit La Roux in parts but there's far more humour to this veering towards Scissor Sisters via Ladytron or even Peaches. I think this is brilliant. It's very 'English' in its sound too.

In the same way that Norwich is Norfolk, so Ipswich represents Suffolk and Ipswich resident Dels is part of the new generation of British hip-hop. The Guardian describes him as Dizzee Rascal meets Bjork. I think it's a fair comparison because although the hip hop is familiar and has a London edge to it, the samples and backing tracks are heavily house and electronica-edged. He has also collaborated with Hot Chip so there is a link with their East Anglian counterparts too. His debut album 'Gob' is not released until May but I've heard a sneak preview and it sounds pretty damn good.

international women's day

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To commemorate the day I thought I'd showcase a few of my favourite female DJs. Anyone who's seen DJs perform must be aware that it's a male dominated arena with a lot of testosterone-fuelled egos at times. The male DJs that I like are the ones who are not afraid to break with the norms and concentrate on the music, Hawtin, Steinberg et al. I do think female DJs do have a different perspective. I can't quantify it but it's definitely there.

Magda is a German DJ at the very top of the tree. One of my favourite minimal techno artists, she's not afraid to experiment as her Fabric album is testimony to. Her sound tends to have a deep, mellow feel to it with rich basslines that really make you feel like dancing to.

Keeping it minimal, here is Anja Schneider, also from Germany with 3 of her better known tracks. I saw her play live a year or two back and she stole the show.

Last up is another German via the UK and Austria, Cassy who is making a big name for herself with her deep house sound. This tune is so soulful, it's a bit of an oldie but in an environment where it seems that you need to keep the tunes in a fridge because their 'use-by' date is so short, this one stands the test of time well. Enjoy.

remix heaven

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Just a quickie post before I go to bed. These are remixes of very new songs. They are both very good, trust me on that.

Asobi Seksu - Perfectly Crystal (Mirrors' Un Autre Monde Remix)

Saint Saviour - This Ain't No Hymn (Milo Firewater Radio Edit)

menahan street band

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This band are a loose collective from Brooklyn who got together in a Menahan St apartment to record an album of soulful music that harks back to the JB band or Parliament with some jazzy tracks of loveliness. It has a real retro sound to what could at times be a blaxploitation film soundtrack. They are all accomplished musicians in their own right and this shines through with the 10 (+1 bonus track) compositions. Track 2 "Tired of Fighting" is a direct lift of St Etienne's "Spring" from Foxbase Alpha and although slower and only an instrumental really works.

  

They themselves have had the compliment of being sampled not only with "Tired of Fighting" but also by Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and 50 Cent. This shows how influential this album is although it never really achieved mainstream success. The album, "Make the Road by Walking" is, in my opinion, a classic and a must have for those Sunday lunchtime wind downs. Ordinarily, I'm not a fan of jazz funk as it can all get a little bit too pretentious for my tastes but this album is as tight as a mosquito's tweeter.

If you love Curtis Mayfield or Marvin Gaye then I really think you ought to give this band a listen.

There's a bonus track on the album that's got enough wakka-wakka-wakka and digetydiggetydiggety to sound like it should be on a dodgy adult film or blaxploitation track at least. I love the flute playing on this. You almost expect Isaac Hayes to start rumbling away. Marvellous!

andrea natale - f**king love

Tweet This is a groovy little tune I've come across in a mix. Not quite minimal, not quite deep house.

The rest of the mix can be found here http://soundcloud.com/apparel-music/sets/apparel-music