visioneers - 'apache (battle dub)'

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Oh my goodness. What a wonderful version of the Incredible Bongo Band classic.

music to dance around the living room with your 10 year old son

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Hey Fattie Bum Bum by Carl Malcolm has been tried, tested and works a treat. 

meth dad - 'you'

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I think the secret to a great pop record is to keep it simple with an infectious hook, a sing-a-long chorus and a rousing finale. This is a case in point.

judy collins and leonard cohen - 'hey that's no way to say goodbye'

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There are big rumours today that Gus Poyet is off to manage Reading. I know that we've just beaten Crystal Palace 3-0 and that is a fantastic way to sign off as manager of Brighton but to Reading? That's no way to say goodbye, Gus.

planningtorock - 'misogyny drop dead'

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Taken from the EP with the same name this is a tune with a clear and angry agenda - and by that I mean that the lyrics and singing almost through gritted teeth make clear - if the very obvious song titles don't - what it is that irks Janine Rostron and I've got to say that I'm with her 100% of the way. I've railed before about sexism in the music industry but clearly the glass ceiling exists most aspects of life.  

eraas - 'crescent'

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Wow! Don't have nightmares after watching this. This is magnificently moody and very doom-laden.

barbarossa - 'where do we go love'

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The great man himself helped me out here. I picked up a copy of the Memory Laps EP from Rough Trade recently - a lovely accompaniment to the Bedrum Cassettes EP I already own and whilst working from home put it on for the first time. Of course they're all great tracks, the cover of Bon Iver's 'Stacks' being particularly good but I've had track 3 on loop all morning and as much as I kept looking, I couldn't find the track name but a tweet to the artist himself and I quickly had the answer. Apparently the new album will feature a new version of this but possibly under a different title. I can't wait to hear the new arrangement. 

john grant - 'sensitive new age guy'

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I like his new album a lot. It's a collaboration from those lovely chaps at Gus Gus so as you can imagine it's got quite an electronic pop feel to it and certainly development from the Queen of Denmark first album with its folk-twinged edges. The deluxe CD comes with some lovely remixes too that I might feature at a later date. Not the dubstep remix though. 

dj shepdog - 'dare man'

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A nice little Gorillaz 'Dare' mash-up coming up, it's coming up, it's coming up....

....it's there.

dub terminator feat ras stone - 'bad mind (jstar remix)'

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I picked up the new JStar 'Licensed Plates' album this week after spotting it on the shelf at Rough Trade, Brick Lane. That shop never fails to deliver, it's been a Santa's Grotto on so many occasions. The album isa collection of dub remixes - they're all relatively radio-friendly too which shows the talent of JStar. There's even a great remix of Madness 'Forever Young' on there and I'm impressed. They're not a band I'd ordinarily listen to but this remix is the business...as is this selection. 

It's helping to pass the time until tomorrow when Brighton play Crystal Palace at the Amex. I am so nervous about this game, it's making me physically sick. We'll lose of course, they always seem to beat us and I really don't want to go but I can't not go just in case Brighton batter Palace.  Six nil would be nice.

fun lovin' criminals - 'king of new york (cooley high remix)'

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Dubious sentiments but a solid party tune nonetheless. I guess it's all academic now but John Gotti was hardly Mandela by any stretch of the imagination.

origin unknown - 'valley of the shadows (tom james 2013 remix)'

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A much loved drum and bass classic given a rather tasteful remix. I'm glad to see there's not one hint of dubstep in this new edit.

princess mc - 'pump up the funk'

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Oh, I miss this old school style of hip-hop with funky beats and breaks, cheesy samples and proper scratching.

the best taiwanese/canadian rock'n'roller you'll hear today

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I have waxed lyrical about Dirty Beaches before but don't let the incongruity of the music and his birthplace fool you, this is no novelty act, Dirty Beaches is the real McCoy. I can't wait to see him next time he's over in the UK but until then I'll have to make do with his Bandcamp page (click here). The albums Badlands has been an ever-present on my playlist for some time and here's why:

and here's a live version of Sweet 17 from the SXSW festival. Beat that!

live from the paradise garage part 2

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Many thanks to David Campbell aka @discocampbell for these download links to the full documentary. Definitely one for the iPod on those long commutes. 

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

what makes ya dance?

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This track by Fort Knox Five. That's what.

sky saxon and the seeds - 'colorized bottles''

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I had never heard of the 'King of Garage Rock' prior to picking up a copy of the 2004 album Red Planet very recently. Sky Saxon, now dead, was lead singer with the Seeds and enjoyed moderate success over the years but the years before his death in 2009 saw a renewed interest after being name-checked by the likes of the Strokes and the White Stripes. How best to describe the music? Garage Rock fused with a Captain Beefheart /Frank Zappa humour. For a West Coast artist, the Red Planet album does have a British feel to it. Tracks such as 'Coming Home' are reminiscent of the Kinks whereas others remind me of the Fall or the Stranglers. I'm definitely going to search out more of their back catalogue on the strength of this album.

johnny cash - 'i shall not be moved'

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The agnostic in me has always been very envious of those with an absolute faith in a higher being. 

ray davies - 'i go to sleep'

Tweet I was thinking of posting the version by either Marion or Anika but have opted for the far more  lo-fi Ray Davies version. And off I go to sleep too. 

son of dave and martina topley-bird - 'devil take my soul'

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I was reminded of this tune on Craig Charles' excellent radio show this evening. I'm not usually a fan of electro blues but this really hits the spot. 

shirley & co - 'shame, shame, shame'

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I'm currently dancing around the kitchen with my 10 year old son to this song and absolutely no shame in that.

the adamski kid - 'je veux une cassette de bowie'

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I've conducted a quick voxpop of music fan friends of mine about just which 80s influence is the strongest in this simply excellent tune. I heard the Cure in the vocals, others heard PiL, Thompson Twins, Adam and the Ants, Toyah and of course Bowie. It's definitely got that big drum feel that a lot of 80s bands used to such good effect, together with the half singing/half proto-rap it could sit alongside any of the aforementioned quite comfortably. 

I was given the heads up on this tune from the multi-talented Suzie Zabrowska - ex-model, now photographer, painter, film-maker and most relevantly director of this video. You see, all I ask for is one creative talent but alas, all I can offer is an encyclopaedic knowledge of useless trivia and a knack for coming up with Brighton and Hove Albion football chants so I pretend to myself I'm creative vicariously through this blog. Ms Zabrowska and the Adamski Kid are genuinely talented and I am extremely jealous of them. I do really like this tune as do my music-loving friends. 

live from the paradise garage 1979

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This is bona fide dance music history. It's a 4 hour recording complete with a comprehensive introduction this and of course, about Larry Levan. To music historians or anyone interested in the development of dance music this is akin to finding the Dead Sea Scrolls. Do yourself a favourt and make sure you are settled in for the evening with a bottle of wine and give this a listen. 

syl johnson - 'is it because i am black?'

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This is an immense song. Please do take time to listen to it. It will be the best thing you hear all day.

lord huron - 'the man who lives forever'

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This is a new one to me but LA-based band Lord Huron released this single back in 2012. It's not a super-smash and it certainly doesn't break new ground but it's a nice indie tune with a lovely guitar sound to while away the lunchtime.

barnt - 'ariola'

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I meant to post this yesterday but I ended up playing Monopoly with my 2 children and clean forgot about it. It's taken from the new Ariola EP and is as slow a burner as any techno song could be. Well worth the wait though.

a tribe called quest - '1nce again (bit funk remix)'

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I had this brand new remix playing on my iPad whilst I had a shower this morning. It was definitely a cool way to start the day.