thursday lunchtime in the mix

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I've gone for a mixed bag today; a topical minimal techno entry, an absolutely rocking track from 80s indie-rockers that reminds me so much of Arthur Lee's Love and an old school hip-hop track. Hope you enjoy.

Nicolette - 'No Government (Gimikk rmx)'

Hüsker Dü - 'Sunshine Superman'

Ultramagnetic MC's - 'Poppa Large'

de-phazz - 'the mambo craze'

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What a beautiful day. We need some mambo!

astrud gilberto and stan getz - 'the girl from ipanema'

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We need a song that suits the weather down here in sunny Brighton. 

the war on drugs - 'an ocean in between the waves'

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Destined to be in a lot of people's lists of best songs of 2014 including mine. Here they are performing live on KEXP.

eels - 'mistakes of my youth'

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I like to think of Eels songs as falling into various categories - there's the indescribably sad, there's the rocky upbeat sad, there's the whimsical and cleverly written sad.... this tune would fit well in the latter, the kind of tune you listen to with the sleeve notes and lyrics in front of you. The man is is a musical genius and I love him.

jacques greene - 'night tracking'

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Sometimes you listen to a house track for just a few seconds and you think to yourself "Yes!". This is one of those moments. It's deep, so deep and wonderfully bass-y. The BPM is a nice soothing 124 and the build-up is just wonderful with a few lovely drops. This is just so good!

...and then the simple yet expertly empathetic video of driving on empty roads at night. It reminds me a lot of a trip from Kiev to Lviv I did a few years back. 

polly scattergood - 'miss you'

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Now here's an artist that I've been raving about for a few years now and she continues to bubble slightly under the radar when she should be up there with the best-known. Taken from her recent 'Arrows' album here's the new video to the track 'Miss You'.

jesus and mary chain's 'psychocandy' album 30th anniversary tour announced

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In readiness for the 30th anniversary of one of the great 80s debut albums, JAMC have announced 3 gigs in London, Manchester and Glasgow where they will play the album in full. I'm definitely going to try for tickets for the London gig. Wish me luck.

In the meantime here's one of my favourite tracks from the album 'Cut Dead'.

fader mix: lafawndah

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This is a really interesting little mix described by Lafawndah herself as both 'naive and deep'. She's not wrong. The tracklist is as follows and really shouldn't work but somehow it's perfect.

Massacooraman – 'Conch Circuits'

Ghada Shbeir – 'Mater Dolorosa'

DJ Rashad – 'Reverb'

Kawai Kenji – 'Utai I – Making of Cyborg (2.0 Ver)'

Lady Saw – 'Nah Mix Nah Mingle'

Ace of Base – 'All That She Wants” VS. Photek – “Ni Ten Ichi Ryu'

The Sabres of Paradise – 'Theme 4'

Shabazz Palaces – 'An Echo from the Hosts that Profess Infinitum'

Tartit – 'Tihar Bayatin'

Roberto de Simone – 'Secondo Coro Delle Lavandaie'

LAFAWNDAH – 'Tabotab (singing over 2562 – 'Jerash Hekwerken')

Demdike Stare – 'Hashshashin Chant'

Karen Carpenter Show – 'Drums Are Not Suitable For A Young Lady'

until the ribbon breaks - 'pressure (unkle reconstruction)'

Tweet Back with a vengeance and with a killer edit of an already killer tune. Hats off to James Lavelle, this is exquisitely produced.

vök - 'tension'

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Icelandic indie music is in the rudest of heath and here's yet another fantastic band from that island. How to describe it? Upbeat melancholia? Downbeat pop? Listen for yourself. Whatever way you choose to describe it, there's no denying it's good, eh?

la roux - 'let me down gently'

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The delightful Ms Jackson is back with more electro-pop, this being the first track from her upcoming new album. It's a slower affair than the like of Bulletproof and shows a lot of maturity in her music. There's no mistaking that she draws heavily from the 80s: New Order, Bronski Beat, Fine Young Cannibals, Pet Shop Boys are all there in this track - the drum pattern in the second half especially is most definitely New Order's True Faith re-mastered. 

I tell you what I like also - the very definitely 80s sounding saxophone especially the interplay between it and the soaring keyboard. Phil Collins would be proud of that part!

grandaddy - 'he's simple, he's dumb, he's the pilot'

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A beautiful tune that just about sums up my present mood. Not having a good day.

st paul and the broken bones - 'call me'

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I've got into this band quite late but better than never, as they say. Apparently, they are quite incredible live with an enormous energy and from this live performance it's not hard to see why. Love it.

lovage - 'strangers on a train'

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From one of the most under-rated albums of recent years "Music To Make Love To Your Old Lady By" here's one of the stand-out tracks in an album of stand-out tracks.

lana del ray - 'west coast (four tet remix)'

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He's upped the tempo and it's now a marching beat with far more urgency, stripped back a lot of the tune and made it very club-friendly but still kept the integrity of the tune intact. I think I prefer this to the original actually.

mickey - 'sweet baby'

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Now this is my kind of deep house music. So melodic, so beautiful, so funky. A great way to sign off from tonight's marathon blogging.

george ezra - 'budapest (a2a rmx)'

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I haven't played any deep house for a long time so I was searching out something suitable on Soundcloud and stumbled across this although I would dispute it being deep house or even house for that matter. I don't want to do the song a disservice but it's just a mighty fine pop tune to my untrained ears. And boy, has it got an infectious bassline. Yes, it's a cracking tune.

fennesz - 'bécs'

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If the internet is anything to go by then this kind of music tends to polarise opinion quite strongly. "Distorted...and not in a good way" say the antis. Well, I disagree. I disagree quite strongly and say that this type of music has its roots firmly in shoegazing, post-rock and all those other sub-genres with melodic crunching guitar sounds. I find this tune anthemic even, the distortion amplifies everything up to eleven and the overall sound is something even the mighty Mogwai would be proud of.

ben khan - 'youth'

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The video should probably carry a NSFW warning as some of the imagery is a little near the knuckle  but the tune really needs to be heard. Early 90s sample fillers, late noughties sounding vocals and a compelling beat makes for quite a song.

johnny burnette - 'train kept a rolling'

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I've always had a soft spot for rockabilly, especially the very early stuff and so when I come across music like this, I can't help but love it. The video is pretty damn good too.

johnny cash - 'out among the stars'

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Lifted from the 'lost' 80s studio album, the people behind the posthumous project have released a lyric video to accompany the release of this single. As with a lot of Cash's output, the upbeat tune belies the dark subject matter. Thinking about it now, it's almost his signature tune, so to speak. As for the tune, it's good but hasn't dated as well as I had hoped it would. The 80s weren't kind to Cash, musically and this shows in the cheesy chorus that threatens to ruin (but doesn't quite, thankfully) the main thrust of the song.

as heard on radio soulwax part 2

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The iconic 2002 album under their 2 Many DJs moniker has been brought up to date with an accompanying hour long video by the Soulwax chaps themselves. How great is that?

edit- 'mop head'

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I was listening this morning to the edIT album 'Crying Over Pros For No Reason' and thinking about which tune to pick for this blog. As each came up I kept changing my mind, the album really is that good. There's so much depth to it and I discover something new every time I listen to it. In the end I plumped for 'Mop Head', it's a mean, moody and absolutely brilliant track.

massive attack - 'psyche (van rivers and the subliminal kid remix)'

Tweet Someday's you wake up and realise that you really need to listen to Massive Attack.

fujiya & miyagi - 'flaws'

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Great stuff from another Brighton band. Shades of Jonah Louie's ever-so-funky 'Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties' but that's no bad thing at all. Really got to get the new album if the rest is as good as this.

dan le sac v scroobius pip - 'stunner'

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"I know it sounds weird. I do want you to look back on this and smile but I kinda want that smile to be through tears."

spiritualized - 'stay with me'

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From perhaps the saddest album ever written. If you've never really listened to Spiritualized, I can only recommend you do and soon.

lag - 'sama doma (forward strategy group remix)'

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Hw about some pure unadulterated techno to finish this little session this morning? I think you'll like this, a hypnotic hook and a very unfussy approach that makes for an infectious tune.

bremen - 'hollow wave'

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I guess you could describe this as post-rock but let's keep it simple and use adjectives that aren't deliberately divisive becasue this track deserves a wide audience. It's a slowburner for sure, starting heavy on the keyboard and then, not wanting to be outdone the guitars strum, then crunch into an exquisitely crafted composition always hinting of an epic lift-off but teasing the listener by keeping the tempo just under control before fading gently like a summer tide. 

jon hopkins - 'we disappear (feat. lulu james)'

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Just what the doctor ordered. This is a beautiful piece of electronica, ambient, downtempo, so melodic yet at the same time anthemic and uplifting. I love this track.

london grammar - 'hey now (zero 7 remix)'

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How about a bass heavy remix of band-of-the-moment London Grammar's 'Hey Now'? This song builds so well and so seamlessly that by the end you'll be bopping your head in time and looking to replay it straight away. It's got such a lovely techno feel to it yet there's so much more in there too. Check it for yourself.

theo verney - 'sound machine'

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Thanks indeed to the NME website for highlighting this excellent track from Brightonian, Theo Verney. It reminds me in part of Phosphorescent but far rockier in parts and it really gets going with some superb riffs and an attitude to match.

america - 'a horse with name'

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Anyone who tells you the 70s was a barren time for music is talking out of their arse. Proof is right here, one of the finest songs ever written.

lady waks in da mix #277

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I'm such a big fan of Lady Waks and it's obvious from her many mix shows why she's one of the top breakbeat DJs around. Here's her latest and it's a killer.

thievery corporation - 'depth of my soul (feat. shana halligan)'

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This ever so classy tune has finally been given a video to match. What's to say about it? It's Thievery Corporation so comes with excellence guaranteed. They've not lost their ability to make exquisitely good downtempo music. This is a slight departure with a more classic orchestral feel, almost a 60s jazz/soul track. It's beautiful. 

papa had some disco bones (temptations edit)

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Oh my word! A disco edit of the Temptations classic and it sounds as hot as hell! Great stuff.

project fresh socks" ja ja ja mixtape #6

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Norwegian DJ pair, Project Fresh Socks are the resident DJS for the Ja Ja Ja Music Night in London bringing to the capital, the very best in Scandinavian music. I really, really must get round to going. This mixtape is brilliant and just makes me kick myself more that I keep missing it.

gonga (feat beth gibbons) - 'black sabbath'

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Erstwhile(?)  Portishead singer, Beth Gibbons has contributed to metal band, Gonga's cover of 'Black Sabbath' by err...Black Sabbath. To be honest, it's not so much heavy metal as heavy rock and even then it could easily have been the accompanying track to Machine Gun off their last album. I suspect it's toned down slightly from Gonga's usual output so that Ms Gibbons' voice doesn't get drowned in a guitar/drum maelstrom.

The video is a bit of fun too, it's synched with the 1963 horror film that lent its name to one of Britain's finest rock bands.

pedro ojeda's rareza colombian mixtape

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I lifted this from the very excellent Sounds and Colours website where you can read all about this superb mixtape. Seriously, if you have even a passing interest in music or culture from South America then this website should be your first stop. Check it out here.

be - 'hello'

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Oh, now this is very nice. They hail from Detroit and do a very good line in sexy downtempo/trip-hop/mellow electronica. This is just what I needed to hear after spending 2 hours on the train after work in London. It's almost entirely instrumental, with a lovely dark retro feel to the keyboards but the incidental sounds bring it bang up to date. Fans of glitch hop will probably like this too, there's so much going on but at no time does it become too fussy. Just the right balance.

I mentioned that they're from Detroit and I must say it surprised me, the attention to detail, the subtlety, minimalism and exquisite layering would have place it in my mind in Germany, one of the Kompakt Records stable for sure, even the great Robag Wruhme himself. The entire album is available for free download too so what's keeping you from giving your ears and brain some much-needed tender loving care?

hercules and love affair (feat. john grant) - 'black belt'

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Returning the favour after Hercules and Love Affair remixed 'Black Belt' from his last album, John Grant guests on this cracking tune. 

The subject matter deals with becoming HIV positive and I do wonder if John Grant is painting himself into a corner with his choice of subject matter. Fair play to the chap for coming out and being so honest about his sexuality and the struggles that he and others have faced but if I can draw parallels with Antony and the Johnsons it has started to define who he is as a singer/songwriter and he is so much more than that. I'd really like to see him lighten up a bit more with a few disco tracks where he's taking the pee and smiling. 

Taking all that into account, this is still a cracking tune and Grant once again delivers a monumentally good performance.

little dragon - 'let go'

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It's out on the 12th May but here's a stream ahead of the launch.

mazzy star - 'i'm less here'

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The guitar sounds a lot like a certain Unkle track, a particular favourite too, and there's a certain ominous undercurrent that helps makes this Mazzy Star song an instant classic. Fans of Mazzy Star will know that they've played this live for years but only just got round to releasing a video for it, in time for Record Store Day. 

fleetwood mac - 'big love'

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Top, top tune in any language.

gil scott-heron - 'b-movie'

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The first thing I want to say is "Mandate? My arse."

embrace - 'all you good good people'

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One of my favourite Brit Pop tunes that just seemed to sum up that time musically. 

hafdis huld - 'queen bee'

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My favourite Icelander is back and she's got a brilliantly quirky video to accompany her new song...and tour dates confirmed too. Yes, I am very excited by this news.

conor oberst - 'governor's ball'

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Hopefully, with his recent horrific personal problems of recently far behind him, Conor Oberst can get on with making great music. This is from his new solo album and speaking of which, I notice First Aid Kit are mentioned as collaborators on the long player. Mt interest is well and truly piqued now. I must go and get this album.

jamie xx - 'sleep sound'

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Here's the new Jamie XX single. What's to tell? Well - it's very 'XX' and by that I mean understated, subtle, ever so slightly laid back, almost ambient and catchy as anything.

new order - 'drop the guitar'

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Their first new track for 9 years and they played it live at the Lollapolooza Festival in Chile last night. Apparently this is the first from the new album, the first without Peter Hook. As ever, Bernard Sumner sounds terrible live (he always has done) and the quality of the live video is a bit iffy but am I excited by all this? You bet I am.

the black dog - 'bass mantra (original mix)'

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Stuart Maconie played a track from their 'Spanners' album on his radio show the other week and I had clean forgotten just how good The Black Dog were. They bubbled under the radar with lots of critical acclaim but not so much commercial success. This (not from that album) is my favourite track of theirs.

sun girls - 'crocodiles'

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I'm extremely pleased to see that the band Sun Girls come from my hometown of Brighton. Especially so, considering just how good this track is. Laid back doesn't even begin to describe it, sort of Beach Boys/Beatles at their most languid and very heavy on the bassline. Top marks all round.

the flaming lips - 'yoshimi battles the pink robots pt.1 (mr. scribbles remix)'

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I was quite pleased with the slow-roast lamb that I cooked this evening and after everybody had eaten slightly too much we all retired to the sofa for a mindless action film. It made for a very traditional Sunday and so to keep the old ways very much alive, I'll bid farewell to this weekend with a soothing, (ever-so-slightly) ambient remix of a classic.

dj food - 'dark lady'

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An absolute classic for a beautiful Saturday morning.

school - 'head over here'

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Although they come from Gothenburg, School are not dream-pop by any stretch of the imagination. The guitarws are far too jangly and the pace of the tune slightly too fast for that genre. No, I'd place them firmly in indie-pop, the kind that the UK used to do so well 25 years or so ago. This is brand new and only their third release. It's going to be fun charting their success, based on the quality of this superb track.

damon albarn - 'heavy seas of love'

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Another new release today, this time for Damon Albarn. First listen for me and I wasn't too impressed with the start - it sounded, as someone else pointed out, like a jingle for a price-comparison advert but fortunately after the less than auspicious start the song gets good very quickly.

It reminds me a bit of Super Furry Animals or even that last Dexys album that I'm finally, finally warming to after a couple of years of thinking it's a bit crap. Back to the tune in question and it is never going to be the first track on a 'best of' album but as a happy springtime track it does the job perfectly. Radio-friendly with a catchy chorus, this will be a big hit for sure.

the 'lost' johnny cash 1980s album

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I think I've mentioned this previously, either here or on Twitter but there's a new Johnny Cash album 'Out Among The Stars' due for release very soon and the Guardian have it streaming right now. You can listen to it here.

monday in the mix

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3 tracks to get your week off with a smile.

Primal Scream - 2013 (Weatherall remix)

Wu-Tang Clan - Windmill

Easy Star All-Stars - The Great Gig In The Sky (Dubphonic Remix)

roots manuva - 'too cold'

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British hip-hop at its very, very best. Take it away..Roots Manuva.

coralie clement - ' ça valait la peine'

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Carrying on the Sunday lounge music vibe here's the wonderful Mlle. Clement with a beautiful French jazz-pop sound.

matt monro - 'honey on the vine'

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It's definitely a Sunday morning kind of tune. The songs may be as cheesy as a mouse's breath but there's no denying his voice. He seems to have been largely forgotten nowadays but at one time he was one of Britain's major music stars and rightly so.

tomas barford - 'happy (feat. eddie chacon)'

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This tune suits my mood and the video is rather special too. I'm trying to think what it reminds me of...it will come to me, I promise and when it does I'll let you know.

Edit - it reminds me of Ben Pearce's 'What I Might Do'. That's the tune!.

kif - 'words (are just words)'

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Now this is rather lovely. Hailing all the way from Montevideo in Uruguay, Kif are Ian Lampel and Eco Lopez and they have a very trippy, jazzy soul sound.

flyte - 'live ep'

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I went with my girlfriend and 14 year old son to see Bombay Bicycle Club last night and we were all very impressed with the first support act, Flyte. Damn, they're young, eloquent, great singers and a very fresh sound - reminds me of Orange Juice or Vampire Weekend without the African drumbeat. I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for them as they are definitely one to watch for the future. Shame but I couldn't find anywhere a stream of two of their songs that stood out particularly: 'Decline and Fall' and 'The Great Escape' but this EP should give you a good idea of where they come from musically.

lykke li - 'no rest for the wicked'

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I've seen various online music magazines rave about this, her first track from her new album but it leaves me a little cold. She's been down this road many times before - the power rock, the crashing percussion, the lull and then the massive blast. I liked the collaboration with David Lynch that she did recently and was hoping for a slight departure from her usual sound for the new album. That said, this is only the first track and I am in a bad mood so please take both as a bit of a health warning on any of my opinions.

apollo 440 - 'vanishing point'

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On any other album this would be the stand out tune but when it's part of Apollo 440's opus magnus 'Electro Glide in Blue' it can get lost amongst some of the other big hitters so it's good to listen to it in isolation once in a while to appreciate it fully. God, I love this tune.

the skints - 'the cost of living is killing me'

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Walthamstow's finest have this scheduled for release on 23rd March with another ska/pop/rap crossover that's heavy on the social comment. Don't let any of that put you off, they do all the above with some aplomb and although this radio friendly tune doesn't quite match up to some of their previous tracks (it kind of pootles along in 3rd gear mainly, occasionally hitting 4th) it's still top quality. 

fm belfast - 'everything'

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Oh my goodness, the Icelandic quartet have only gone and released another brilliant tune. This has made my day and no mistake, it's an incredible slice of electro-pop and one of the best tunes I've heard in 2014. Excuse me whilst I just press the re-play button and listen once again.

let's get funky

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How about some gloriously funky tracks from recent and not-so-recent times?

DJ Mujava - 'Township Funk (Crazy P mix)

Brinkley and Parker - 'Pander Man'

notorious b.i.g. - 'sky's the limit'

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He died 17 years ago today, you know. I can't help but feel that in his final recordings he knew that it was coming but that could just be me reading far too much into them and with the benefit of hindsight. That caveat needed to be added because I don't profess to know too much about the Biggie Smalls/Tupac feud nor am I a great aficionado of either's music but the world is always a poorer place when talented musicians leave it far too prematurely.

sonder - 'chrysalis (feat. krissy twigge)'

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Sunday night music doesn't come much better than this.

gus gus -'david'

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Following on from the John Grant connection here's some classic Gus Gus for a beautiful sunny Sunday morning.

john grant - 'that's the good news'

Tweet He played a brilliant set last night at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill and one of the highlights was this track that he did with the obligatory fake German accent.

beck - 'true love will find you in the end'

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Beck's voice and style is perfect to cover the Daniel Johnston track. 

tashaki miyaki - 'get it right'

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Last one of the night from me and what a track! It's kind of Phil Spector-esque with the harmonies but with guitar reverb and echo aplenty. Not quite shoegaze, not quite David Lynch-esque electric slide guitar soundtrack. Think Asobi Seksu but with country influences. 

rufüs - 'desert night'

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Not your usual Australian dance music, that's for sure. It's more English or Scandinavian sounding as it's quite deep, melancholy and quite slow to get going. Saying all that it is very reminiscent of Roger Sanchez's 'Another Chance'. It is a wonderful tune nonetheless. 

hafdis huld - 'f**ked up mind'

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A hard day and getting back late means that it takes a very special song to really help me unwind. This hits the spot perfectly. In my humble opinion, Hafdis Huld's finest moment in pop. 

(Have I ever mentioned the serious crush I have on Iceland's greatest ever export?)

janelle monae and charli xcx - 'simply irresistable'

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Janelle and Charli have come up with a brilliant cover of Robert Palmer's 'Simply Irresistable'. Have a listen here: https://soundcloud.com/e-lrc/simply-irresistible-cover-by-2.

marissa nadler - 'no surprises'

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This popped up randomly on an old Stereogum compilation and I'd quite forgotten just how good Ms Nadler's cover of the Radiohead standard is.