T IS FOR TWO LONE SWORDSMEN REMIXES (3)

Two Lone Swordsmen remixes and Weatherall discussing his favourite remixes. Only one of his favourites is featured herein. Can you guess what it is?

So when you were doing clubs, promoting as well, it was more for the social aspect?

“Yeah, yeah, it was just that, it was just for the love of it. It was just that I didn’t want to do anything else. I’d done every rubbish job known to mankind and all of a sudden, people wanted to come and hear me play records or come to my parties. And that’s all it ever was and all it still is. You know what I mean? Call me an underachiever but I never… I think if you start thinking of it as a career, you start thinking you’ve gotta be here at a certain time, then you start taking shortcuts and start making the wrong kind of decisions, really. For a long time I put myself down and said it wasn’t a proper job. But it is, because I do…you know, at the moment, and for the last six years, I do twelve-hour days in the studio and then drive two hours and do a gig. That’s six days a week, sometimes seven. So it’s a job, but I’ve never thought of it as a career. I think there is a big distinction between the two, really…I’ve never been interested in careers, and music, to me, was always something that was about discretion, not about careers.”

Would you like to signpost anything from your production past? A few things that you feel people should have, especially for the newer converts?

“I think I had a stage two years back of really hating everything I did early on, ‘cos it was so naïve and I could see everything that was wrong with it. But then I was listening to some stuff the other night - I listened to some old tape when I used to play music on Kiss - and I was playing a lot of my
productions. I’m actually beginning to like their naivety and roughness. It’s really weird ‘cos all my favourite music is really rough and badly played and usually badly recorded…so why shouldn’t I get the same enjoyment from my own rough, badly recorded, badly played music? You know what I mean? So yeah, I really like the My Bloody Valentine ‘Glider’ EP that I did, that’s quite a good early one. Any of the work with Primal Scream, obviously, has gotta be up there. And ‘Dexter’, the Villalobos remix on the CD, is one of my favourite things I’ve done in the last few years, ‘cos its not actually a remix. We couldn’t get the parts from him, so it’s us doing a cover version, taking a slightly different angle on things. We did it as a band, just kept playing the riffs over and over. I thought the bassline was pure Joy Division. So yeah, I’d say My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream and then the Villalobos cover are three things people should hear to get a grip on what I do.” from RA

Death In Vegas - Rekkit Greetings From Lino Square Remixed by Two Lone Swordsmen mediafire

Force Legato - System (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix Remixed by Two Lone Swordsmen) mediafire

Howie B - Angels Go Bald Too (Two Lone Swordsmen Mix 1) mediafire

Villalobos - Dexter (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix) mediafire

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T IS FOR TODD TERRY

Todd Terry is another artist who's considered a bit of a key figures in dance music's development. But as I think I've said before, a bit too housey disco for me.

From Wiki: Much of Todd Terry's early work in the late 1980s is considered a milestone in the development of both progressive and modern deep house. Todd Terry has been responsible for releasing two of the most respected crossover remixes of the house era: "I'll House You" by the Jungle Brothers and "Missing" by Everything But the Girl by the mid 1990s.

Among his fans, Todd Terry is known as Todd the God, God Terry, Todd Godrry, Godd Gerry (or, occasionally, simply God, because he might be a Five Percenter, but this is unconfirmed). Todd's tracks "Something Goin' On" and "Keep on Jumpin'" were both UK Top-10 hits as well as Us Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1's, with the vocals provided by Jocelyn Brown and Martha Wash. freestyle diva Shannon was the featured vocalist on the Top Twenty hit "It's over Love" in 1997. In 1999 Todd Terry released Resolutions, successfully embracing the then-still avant-garde drum 'n' bass aestethics. Terry also has several aliases such as Swan Lake, Orange Lemon, Royal House, Black Riot, CLS, Masters at Work (although this moniker he gave to Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez & "Little" Louie Vega in 1990), Dredd Stock, House of Gypsies, Limelife, Hard House, Tyme Forse, and the Gypsymen. Todd Terry became one of the best-paid DJs in both Europe and the United States. He normally performs on four turntables, mostly playing his own tracks.

Some random tracks and a remix:

Todd Terry - Peanut Butter mediafire

Todd Terry - In Love Dub mediafire

Billie Ray Martin - Your Loving Arms (Todd Terry Tee's Miami Club Mix) mediafire

http://www.myspace.com/teeschoice

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T IS FOR TWO LONE SWORDSMEN REMIXES (2)

Some more remixes by Weatherall and Tenniswood as Two Lone Swordsmen. Today, SuperDiscount, Primal Scream and I Am Kloot get the krautrock sound, with SuperDiscount easily coming off best.

From RA:

You weren’t getting into current things, by going to see a gig or hearing a band on the radio or seeing something on telly.

“No. And it wasn’t just the music either. It was the whole package, the whole pop package. It was the look, you know, it was kind of… I don’t know if you can think about glamour when you’re eleven or twelve years old, but I kind of did. To me, the music and the fashion, the music and the clothes were always together. Lots of bands I didn’t like – whose music I didn’t mind but the way they looked was rubbish - I kind of dismissed them. (laughs) Call me shallow, but it was just that introduction at an early age to the combination of music and clothes being able to shock people, especially with punk rock. In sort of lower-middle class suburbia, it really was like someone had let the devil out of the box, and the whole of civilization was gonna come crashing down. But to me, it was just great, short songs about girls, drugs, and hating everything like you do when you’re twelve, thirteen, fourteen. And that’s always been the package I’ve looked for in any sort of music.”

What were your very first projects? When did music stop being a hobby and start being a career, a full time occupation?

“Well, I never got to that point. It still strikes me as a hobby, I still feel like I’m the luckiest person around. I had knowledge, but I was also…in the early years I always seemed to be in the right place at the right time. And I know you can’t make a career on that, you gotta have something to back it up. But when I started, it’s different than it is now. Since I started buying records I would always kind of… corral people, like ‘come round and listen to this new track’. To me, DJing in a big club always has been just an extension of that, just wanting to play music and seeing that look on someone’s face, and sharing that enjoyment of hearing something for the first time that you had when you first got that record, even if it’s only three people in a bedroom. When I first started DJing it was the classic bag of records ‘round a friend’s house…then when I started playing at Shoom I still had a plastic record case out of Woolworths, which fell apart one evening at one of their outside gigs. It was only over the last five years that I considered myself a DJ, ‘cos when I first started, I just played records. I never saw it as a career, because I dunno… I thought of it as a job, but I never thought of it as a career. When you start thinking career, you start thinking ‘game plans’, and ‘I’ve gotta be at a certain stage’, and ‘oh, why am I still doing this’ if, you know, ‘my career should be here’. I’ve never thought of it as a career.”

SuperDiscount - Le Patron Est Devenu Fou! (Two Lone Swordsmen Dub Mix) mediafire

I Am Kloot - Gods and Monsters (Two Lone Swordsmen Fuzztrumental Mix) mediafire

Primal Scream - Kill All Hippies (Two Lone Swordsmen #2) mediafire

Texas - Put Your Arms Around Me [Electric For Bird Mix] Two Lone Swordsmen mediafire

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T IS FOR TWO LONE SWORDSMEN REMIXES (1)

This is the first of four posts over the next four day focusing on a range of remix work by Andy Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood as Two Lone Swordsmen. This will cover unashamedly pop artists, to indie rock and beyond.

From and interview with Weatherall in RA:

“There was some music played when I was young, by my parents in my formative years. It was quite... looking back on it, it was quite inspirational, like the first time I ever heard Barry White. That was probably when I was about ten or eleven years old. My parents had this album called ‘Stone Gon’’ which is still one of my favourites. But in general, it was a little bit middle of the road. They had classic early seventies tastes, Neil Diamond, that sort of thing, which never really got me. I think most of my musical discoveries I made entirely myself. The biggest inspiration on me was probably when I was ten or eleven, I saw a trailer on TV for ‘That’ll Be the Day’, the David Essex film about rock ‘n’ roll and working on a fairground. It was the first time I realised there was this mystical world. It wasn’t just about the music, it was the clothes as well. I think that’s the moment I felt a tingle. The first two records I ever bought were T-Rex and Wizzard. And then when punk rock came along, that really scared them, you know, I wasn’t allowed to have punk records in the house, wasn’t allowed to have ‘Never Mind the Bollocks’. That was smuggled in, I hid it under my bed!

So you know, the parents were lovely people but they weren’t…there was no real…I don’t know where my musical…where it came from, I mean apart from just saying when you’re eleven or twelve years old, it’s very formative in all areas of your life and when you see shots of Teddy Boys and rock ‘n’ roll artists at that age, it turns your world upside down.Then the other thing was the David Bowie album ‘Pin Ups’. It had a brilliant picture of him on the back, in a blue suit with an eye patch and, you know, when you’re living in the suburbs… It wasn’t a horrible childhood but it was a little bit boring. And you see stuff like that and it makes you realise there’s a whole other life, it opens up worlds, not just musically, but facts and literature and everything… Teddy Boys, David Bowie, glam rock… I found it all off my own back. I didn’t have a mentor, or anyone that I looked up to or whose musical tastes I admired. I’m always looking and the search is sometimes more interesting than the actual finding of people’s music, or making the discovery.”

Saint Etienne - Heart Failed (In the Back of a Taxi) [Two Lone Swordsmen Mix] mediafire

Texas - Put Your Arms Around Me [Breath Mix] Two Lone Swordsmen mediafire

Sweetie - Touch Me (Dub Remixed by Two Lone Swordsmen) mediafire

Dot Allison / Slam - Visions (Two Lone Swordsmen Mix) mediafire

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CHARITY SHOP CLASSICS (53)

Two groups today - dnb from Kosheen and breaks from The Crystal Method. With remixes from Decoder & Substance, Rennie Pilgrem, Brian Transeau and Andy Ling.

Kosheen were Welsh dnb who came to prominence in the late 90s and who featured back in September. Fronted by Welsh-born singer/songwriter Sian Evans and Bristol dance natives Darren Decoder and Markee Substance, Kosheen's meeting arrived in 1998. Evans was invited by Decoder and Substance to lay down some guest vocals and something clicked. More here.

The Crystal Method are American duo Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, who featured more than a year ago. They were pioneers of the big beat electronic dance genre, and one of its few American proponents. They were often unfavourably compared to the Chemical Brothers, who had far greater success in America than did the home-grown act. More here.

Kosheen - Catch (Rennie Pilgrem Mix) mediafire

Kosheen - Catch (Decoder & Substance Mix) mediafire

The Crystal Method - Keep Hope Alive (BT's Creatine Method Mix) mediafre

The Crystal Method - Keep Hope Alive (Andy Ling's Re-Coded Dub) mediafire

No links to product today. Instead, if you download you could give something to the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust (UK) by donating here or Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation (USA) here or to a children's cancer charity in your own country. Or use the donate button at the top of the page for donations which go to The Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust.

T IS FOR TURIN BRAKES

If Beth Orton was the female comedown queen, Turin Brakes were the male equivalent. Successful for a period but then slated for their blandness. Overly harsh. This is fine in small doses.

Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian. Joined on stage and in the studio by Rob Allum, Eddie Myer and L'il Phil Marten. They say that they sound like: We sound a bit like a cowboy from the old west in the streets of 21st century London who is being forced at gun point by his own shadow to confess his hopes and fears into an old tape recorder for uses unknown, with lots of guitars, beats and harmonies ricocheting off the concrete canyons all around....

Turin Brakes - Long Distance (The Bees Remix) mediafire

Turin Brakes - Lost And Found (Home Recording) mediafire

Turin Brakes - Long Distance (Radio Edit) mediafire

http://www.myspace.com/turinbrakes

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INDIE DANCE: SPARKS / THE GRID

Did you realise that Sparks will have been around for 40 years come 2010? Quite astonishing. Feels like they have been more popular in the UK than in their home country. Ron and Russell have been through all sorts of musical trends, so it's no surprise that they got remixed in the 1990s - by The Grid.

Sparks were a vehicle for the skewed pop smarts and wise-guy wordplay of brothers Ron and Russell Mael, Los Angeles natives who spent their childhood modeling young men's apparel for mail-order catalogs. While attending UCLA in 1970, the Maels formed their first group, Halfnelson, which featured songwriter Ron on keyboards and Russell as lead vocalist; the band was rounded out by another pair of brothers, guitarist Earle and bassist Jim Mankey, and drummer Harley Feinstein.

Halfnelson soon came to the attention of Todd Rundgren, who helped land the group a contract with Bearsville and produced their self-titled 1971 debut. Their quirky, tongue-in-cheek art pop failed to find an audience, however, and their manager successfully convinced the Maels to change the group's name. After becoming Sparks, they almost reached the Hot 100 with the single "Wonder Girl," and 1972's sublimely bizarre A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing cemented the band's cult status, scoring another near-hit with "Girl from Germany."
While touring the U.K., Sparks were warmly received by the British music press, and ultimately, the Mael brothers relocated to London, leaving the rest of the band behind; Earle Mankey subsequently became a noted producer, while Jim later joined Concrete Blonde. In need of a new support unit, the Maels placed an advertisement in Melody Maker, and with guitarist Adrian Fisher, bassist Martin Gordon, and drummer Norman "Dinky" Diamond firmly in place, they recorded 1974's glam-bubblegum opus Kimono My House, which reached the Top Five of the U.K. album charts and spawned two major British hits, "This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us" and "Amateur Hour."

With new guitarist Trevor White and bassist Ian Hampton, Sparks returned later that year with Propaganda, another U.K. smash that scored with the hits "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" and "Something for the Girl with Everything." Overblown production from Tony Visconti derailed 1975's Indiscreet, however, and when the record fared less successfully than its predecessors, the Maels returned to the U.S., where they recruited Tuff Darts guitarist Jeff Salen, former Milk & Cookies bassist Sal Maida, and drummer Hilly Michaels for 1976's Big Beat.

By 1977's ironic Introducing Sparks, recorded with a series of Los Angeles session players, the Mael brothers were treading water, so they enlisted disco producer Giorgio Moroder to helm 1979's synth-powered dance-pop confection No. 1 in Heaven, which spurred the group to renewed success in England on the strength of the hit singles "The Number One Song in Heaven," "Beat the Clock," and "Tryouts for the Human Race." Moroder's sidekick Harold Faltermeyer took the production reins for the immediate follow-up, Terminal Jive, which scored a massive French hit with "When I'm with You."

Sparks left disco in the dust with 1981's Whomp That Sucker, recorded in Munich with a new supporting band comprised of guitarist Bob Haag, bassist Leslie Bohem, and drummer David Kendrick (who also played together as the Gleaming Spires). After 1982's Angst in My Pants, they recorded 1983's Sparks in Outer Space; the wonderful "Cool Places," a duet with the Go-Go's Jane Wiedlin, nearly reached the U.S. Top 40, and was the band's biggest hit.
The disastrous 1984 LP Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat derailed any chart momentum the band had gathered at home, however, and after 1986's self-explanatory Music That You Can Dance To, Sparks -- again reduced to the core duo of Ron and Russell -- recorded 1988's Interior Design, which was followed by a long hiatus. Outside of composing the music for a film by Hong Kong action maestro Tsui Hark, Sparks remained silent until Gratuitous Sax and Senseless Violins, released in 1994. Plagiarism followed four years later. With 2000's Balls, the band ushered in a more productive era, releasing Lil' Beethoven in 2002 and Hello Young Lovers in 2006. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

From 1994's "When Do I Get To Sing "My Way"":

Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing "My Way" The Grid's Ron And Nancy Mix mediafire

Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing "My Way" The Rapino Brothers Extended Sola Mix mediafire

Sparks - When Do I Get To Sing "My Way" The Grid's Frank And Kitty Mix mediafire

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T IS FOR TECHNICOLOUR

A one-sided release, no information, numbers for a EP title and all tracks untitled. Would it be any surprise that it sounds a bit leftfield?

The Technicolour MySpace says: "Technicolor was the one-man soundscaping company, Justin LaBo. He's responsible for a diverse collection of downtempo, breakbeat, and techno gems. Labo's creations have a trademark ambient quality, always underpinned by lurking, ominous bass rhythms and filtered, phased-out sounds, always in motion. This is the sound of one man and his machines in the twilight between a clear, sunny day and an all-night techno party. An XLR8R magazine review of the debut Technicolor album, One Touch Test Strip, contained this now-famous quote: "I like this album, if only for its complete lack of adherence to 'dance music' stylings. Purists beware, music lovers recommended."

He is now recording as the disappointingly titled "The Jamboree".

The featured sounds are from the cryptically entitled "70 2 140 EP" (1998), released on the wonderfully named label, Blackbean and Placenta Tape Club.

Technicolour - A1 mediafire

Technicolour - A2 mediafire

Technicolour - A3 mediafire

http://www.technicolorsound.com/sounds/

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T IS FOR TERRANOVA

Terranova are from Berlin, established in the early 1990s. Their music is a mix of electronic and almost indie rock sounds.

Terranova is a German band made up of current members Fetisch, Marco Meister and Kaos. They have previously went under the moniker Turntable Terranova on the Compost label and sometimes as Edition Terranova. Their music is a fusion of punk rock, electronic and hip hop. They currently reside in Berlin and perform DJ sets at the Berlin night club, Pogo Club.

Last FM says: Their big break was with their ‘DJ Kicks…’ compilation album - which gained them further recognition and is still regarded as one of the best in the series. Remixes for Fanatik and Jungle Brothers followed among many others and their subsequent releases that would arrive later on in 1999 for Copasetik, such as ‘Turn Around (feat. Cath Coffey)’ and, more recently, ‘Just Enough’ (which would see the Stereo MC’s linked for some remix action, alongside world-renowned photographer Juergen Teller making his first foray into film direction for the band’s accompanying video) have since ensured that Terranova excursions on vinyl have found their way deep into the record boxes of many a self-respecting DJ.

Discogs has this brusque postscript: Note: Not to be confused with US Tribal/Progressive DJ & producer Nick Terranova!

Written by Bob Marley, this comes from a promo 10" (2002):

Terranova - Running Away (Stereo MC's Remix Instrumental) mediafire

Terranova - Running Away (Stereo MC's Remix) mediafire

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HAPPY CHRISTMAS

I've been really busy at work, so I haven't had time to go any buy you each a present. You're going to have to make do with one between you - play nicely and share with your sister.

Something wilfully obscure for you. From the album "exploringthemalevagina" on Experimental Seafood Records from ten years ago. This has been tested on the wife. And she finds it really irritating. Too many high pitched noises. What better recommendation do you want?

Boomkat says: Get ready for a slew of limited edition releases from this midlands-based collective of producers and sound artists, who have been building quite some profile on the electronic arts scene over recent months. The oddly-titled ‘Exploringthemalevagina’ comes in a limited run of 500 in special shell-shaped case, and features 17 tracks showcasing the label’s diverse experimental electronic talents. Their interesting sounds outside the mainstream are never wilfully obscure, but always keep far off the beaten track. Dictaphones, tape loops and varied electronic devices combine to create a fine cocktail blend of advanced techno ruminations with dressings of progressive downbeat and ominous overloaded digital drones, and should not be missed by anyone seeking new highlights in an often self-indulgent and tail-chasing musical movement.

Arcade - Defrag mediafire

Chernobyl Five - Mail Order Brides mediafire

Dep.art.ment: Kogshinti mediafire

K-Formation: Get To It Harry mediafire

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