G IS FOR GOLDEN CLAW MUSICs

Who'd have thought that a member of shouty indie-dance Pop Will Eat Itself would go off in 1995 to make ambient orientated sounds? Graham Crabbe did (Geddit?).

Golden Claw Musics was the main musical project of Crabb after he left Pop Will Eat Itself in 1995. Crabb had been making music which was leaning more towards the ambient genre and therefore too chilled for a PWEI release for up to five years prior to the split. In 1993, he remixed Pop Will Eat Itself's "Get the Girl, Kill the Baddies" as a B-side called "Part Man Part Machine", prompting him to release more of his ambient material. A remix of Pop Will Eat Itself's song "Cape Connection" was released on the limited 2CD edition of the album, Two Fingers, My Friends!. Crabb released the album All Blue Review, as well as an accompanying single for "Digging the Dancing Weed", with Eno engineer Marcus Dravs on Infectious Records in July 1994 to critical acclaim. Despite Crabb leaving PWEI to focus on Golden Claw Musics, they have not released any more material to date, which is a shame as it was an accomplished album.

Golden Claw Musics - Long Ships

Golden Claw Musics - Byron Bay

Golden Claw Musics - The Pregnant Male

Buy product

G IS FOR GREEN VELVET

Curtis Alan Jones is better known as Cajmere but also used the Green Velvet name to produce the classic Chicago House track "Flash.

Green Velvet (aka Cajmere) studied chemical engineering at the University of Illinois, where he exposed himself to the energetic culture and lifestyle of house. In 1991, midway though graduate school, Cajmere returned to Chicago to pursue his dream of producing house music. In 1992, after surviving on cheese sandwiches and maximizing credit limits, Cajmere finally made an imprint on the dance community with his infectious experiment, "Coffee Pot" (It's Time for the Percolator) – Clubhouse Records. Then he moved on to more complex musical and lyrical arrangements with songs like Lidell Townsell's "Get With U" (Mercury Records).

The Cajmere and Dajae collaboration resulted in a #2 Billboard Dance Chart and International dance hit - "Brighter Days". It was at this point that Cajmere decided to start Cajual Records. Having his own label gave Cajmere the autonomy to attain his goal of developing a sound that was representative of Chicago - thus, putting Chicago back on the map. In 1993 Cajmere created Relief Records. The label became an outlet for he and other producers' more track-oriented work. The Relief label also gave birth to the experimental and eccentric, afro wig-wearing entity we know as Green Velvet - a Cajmere alter ego. Green Velvet produced the first release on the Relief label, "Preacher Man." He followed up the debut release with "Flash" and "The Stalker", both of which brought about unexpected praise and worldwide recognition. Resident Adviser

From 1995, the classic "Flash", which I think is as exciting as watching paint dry:

Green Velvet - Flash (Original Mix)

Green Velvet - Flash (Roach Motel Junior Funk Mix) Farley & Heller

Bonus: Green Velvet - La La Land

Green Velvet website

Buy product

G IS FOR GLOBAL COMMUNICATION (2)

More on the genius of Global Communication (Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard).

This time we're going to the end of Global Communication. After the ambient wonder of 76:14, there was huge anticipation for their new work. But never ones to stand still, in 96 and 97 they went off in other dance directions with deep house and awkward techno work closer to that of Aphex Twin. I was gutted. But it was still highly regarded. From 96 and 97:

Global Communication - The Way (Secret Ingredients Mix)

Global Communication - The Deep (Original Mix)

Global Communication - The Groove (Original Mix)

Global Communication - The Groove (Palm Skin Productions Mix)

Buy product

G IS FOR THE GOTAN PROJECT

Electronics meets tango with the Gotan Project at the turn of the millennium. Much loved at the time, although I always found them a bit too coffee table niceness.

The driving force behind the founding of Gotan Project was a French DJ by the name of Philippe Cohen-Solal. Born in 1962, Cohen-Solal began his career in the film world in the 90s, working as a music consultant for a number of leading film directors including Tavernier, Mikhalkov and Lars Von Trier. He also made something of a name for himself as a composer.

Meanwhile, Cohen-Solal's future associate, Christoph H. Müller, was busy forging his own reputation on the electro scene in Switzerland. Müller, who was born in Switzerland in 1968, was a veritable tech whizzkid, tinkering around on machines from his early teens.

The foundations for Gotan Project were laid in 1999 when Müller and Cohen-Solal met the Argentinean signer and guitarist Eduardo Makaroff. Born in 1955, Makaroff had relocated to Paris in 1990. Like Cohen-Solal, he had come from a cinematic background, composing music for films and television movies in Argentina. After moving to France, Makaroff made a name for himself as conductor of the "Club Tango" orchestra at fashionable Parisian brasserie La Coupole.

Müller, Cohen-Solal and Makaroff officially joined forces in 1999 to form Gotan Project, taking their name from the backwards slang word for 'tango'. The trio delved into the traditional music of Argentina, discovering in tango and other traditional genres such as milonga and chacarera, the same ingredients as electro.

"La Revancha del Tango" was finally released in October 2001 and distributed in France on the major Barclay/Universal. The album was an instant and unmitigated hit. Critics in the European press showered "La Revancha del Tango" with rave reviews, praising its creators' musical elegance and erudition. I bought the album but it lies unloved in a cupboard. It's too smooth and unruffled to pay attention. But if you're having a dinner party (you do have dinner parties don't you darling?) it's perfect. From 2002:

Gotan Project - Triptico (PK's Trip Deluxe) Peter Kruder

Gotan Project - Santa Maria (Tom Middleton's Cosmos Mix)

Gotan Project website

Buy product

G IS FOR ROSIE GAINES

Big hair, big lungs, must be disco House. Hi Rosie - that hair! What can I say? Saved from the bin only by the Frankie Knuckles extended mix.

Her bio says: Multi-instrumentalist, Producer/Song writer Rosie Gaines is the youngest of 10 children. Her first band was a family funk soul group called Unity, with Rosie on organ. Rosie also played in a band called The Oasis and A Touch of Class, before joining The Curtis Ohlson Band (with Levi Seacer Jr. on guitar). Levi called Rosie one day and asked her to come to Minneapolis to sing a demo of a song for The Pointer Sisters. While she was doing the demo, Prince came in the studio and asked her to join his band The New Power Generation. Prince often referred to Rosie as his "...lion in my pocket and her name is Rosie G.", and his "Secret Weapon". Rosie was introduced to the public in 1990 as the new vocalist and keyboard player on Prince's Nude tour. The first time we heard her on a Prince album, was on Graffiti Bridge. She was also a member of The NPG in the movie (by the same name) and she performed and wrote on the Diamonds And Pearls album. In 1992, after the Diamonds And Pearls tour, Rosie decided it was time for her to go solo again. She left The NPG in 1993 but continued to work on and off with Prince throughout the years. Then Rosie started recording her debut solo album. Unfortunately, after several albums worth of material were recorded, the album, set for release on Paisley Park Records, was hopelessly entangled in the legal battle between O(+> and Warner Bros. And it was never released. Rosie’s debut album for Motown opens with the "I Want You". With her own record label, Dredlix Records, Rosie is striving to bring her music directly to music lovers via the Internet. In 1997 she released an internet only album "Arrival", limited to 2,000 copies, it was available exclusively through her official web site. In 2003 she released her critically acclaimed album 'You Gave Me Freedom' through Dome Records in the UK. Rosie is currently recording a new album for SUSU Records.

The featured release is 1997's "Closer Than Close". The original is an unexceptional piece of funky disco House. The Frankie Knuckles Club mix teeters on the edge of cheesy but over its 10 minutes has enough glitter ball and disco dust to pull it through.

Rosie Gaines - Closer Than Close (Frankies Classic Club Mix)

Rosie Gaines - Closer Than Close (Frankies Classic Radio Edit)

Rosie Gaines - Closer Than Close (Tuff Jams Even Closer Mix)

http://www.rosiegaines.com/

http://www.rosiegaines.com/Marketplace.html

NEW MUSIC: MS CAT

Couple of tracks courtesy of Ms Cat, including a New Order remix.

"Hey Club Kids,

Summer is hot and so is my article in this months Mix Mag. It's about the way women are viewed in the DJ community and my personal heroine, Wendy O of The Plasmatics. Also check out my top ten tracks that will heat up any pool party!!!

Love & rock 'n' roll,

Cat

PS...here is an exclusive download of my favorite summer bangers;)"

Cat's proably right about women in the DJ community but Wendy O Williams is an odd choice of heroine. The Plasmatics were poor musically and didn't Wendy have gaffer tape across her chest when on stage?

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Bizarre Love by New Order (Automatic Panic Remix)

www.myspace.com/automaticpanic

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Louder by Automatic Panic (Trash Yourself Remix)

www.myspace.com/trashyourself

INDIE DANCE: GARBAGE / RED SNAPPER

Indie Rock darlings Garbage get the remix treatment from jazzists Red Snapper and Danny Saber.

On Garbage, discogs says "Legendary rock producer Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins) and friends Marker and Erikson made up the group Fire Town in the late 1980s. But then they started making wild electronic/rock mixes for artists like House of Pain. They were pretty glad for this decision, but they need a strong female vocalist to front them. Enter Shirley Manson, from the group Angelfish. The guys reportedly saw an Angelfish video on MTV's "120 Minutes" and invited her to Vig's Smart Studios in the mecca that IS Madison, Wisconsin. After a rocky first rehearsal, the rest is now alterna-rock history. With three albums to their credit and a remix roster that includes Todd Terry, Danny Tenaglia, Timo Maas, and more, Garbage have paved the way for many other bands that blend the machines and live instruments to create a unique sound."

Red Snapper's mix is the pick of the pair, giving the original 1995 altrock workout a strung out jazz feel and Shirley an increased sense of drug-addled angst.

Garbage - Stupid Girl (Red Snapper Mix)

Garbage - Stupid Girl (Danny Saber Remix)

Buy product

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

News about forthcoming events at Acid Ted. Over at Across The Kitchen Table, Drew has posted David Holmes' "Gritty Shaker" as part of his rather fine 'It's Friday...Let's Dance' series and mused "I would go on but I have a feeling that Holmes will show up on Acid Ted pretty soon and don't want to steal his thunder." No problems on thunder, but you are right that Holmes will be appearing here soon - about four weeks I reckon. There will be a week of Holmes to celebrate. Perhaps even a special post from D about his soundtrack work, given that she's a major film buff.

In the meantime, to whet your appetite, here's an early B side. No Northern Soul or funk influences here. This is Detroit techno very much in the Carl Craig vein, crisp and glacial.

David Holmes - This Time Its Personal

Buy Holmes

G IS FOR GOLDIE

Time for drum and bass pioneer Goldie. UK drum'n'bass owes much of its success and popularity to Goldie, not least through his work on the Metalheadz label.

Clifford Joseph Price, better known as Goldie (born 19 September 1965) is an English electronic music artist, DJ, and (iffy) actor. Born in the UK, he had a difficult childhood and spent time in the USA before returning. The first superstar produced by the jungle movement, Goldie popularized drum'n'bass as a form of musical expression. Though he hardly developed the style, and his later reliance on engineers like Rob Playford and Optical puts into question his true musical importance, Goldie was one of the first personalities in British dance music and broke drum'n'bass to a wider audience. His gold teeth and b-boy attitude set him apart from the faceless bedroom boffins that are the norm in IDM.

After spending several years working on his production skills at Reinforced Records (the home of 4hero), he founded Metalheadz Records, which released seminal dark-yet-intelligent singles by Source Direct, Photek, J. Majik, Optical, Lemon D, Wax Doctor, and Peshay, among others. In 1995, Goldie released Timeless, one of jungle's first and best full-length works. The album put him squarely at the top of the drum'n'bass heap - at least in the minds of critics and mainstream listeners - though his follow-up, SaturnzReturn, displayed an ambitious, personal side of Goldie hardly in keeping with jungle's producer mentality and it bombed with critics and fans. He went off to try his hand as an actor but more recently has returned to music.

Goldie - Believe (VIP Mix)

Goldie - Believe (Original Mix)

Goldie - Timeless (Inner City Life) live

Metalheadz website

Buy from Headzstore

SQUARING THE CIRCLE

Quick post to follow up on the FSOL competition and an excuse to post an oddity, Brian Eno remixing the Grid.

The competiton was to win the original CD single of The Future Sound of London's 'Papua New Guinea' by answering the following question: Who is FSOL's regular engineer, from PNG through to much more recent releases and has now started to release his own material? And the answer was "Yage", who may or may not be merely a pseudonym for FSOL. Well done to winner, PaulRiley.

The Grid were Norris/Ball and we will deal with them properly later. But, in 1992 they released the 'Heartbeat' single. A pleasant but unexceptional piece of House. Their remixers had been very much on the Boys Own style with Weatherall, Farley and Justin Robertson on remix duty. But this time, they had a special release of the single with remixes only by studio boffin Brian Eno, who had rather fallen from public view - Roxy Music was an awfully long time ago by 92. I thought this would be an exceptional pairing. It came housed in a clear plastic album case with translucent frosted tray (I don't think it ever had a vinyl release). In place of an inlay the release info is given on a sticker which wraps front to back. But somehow the whole was less than the sum of its parts. The first mix below is the best. The other two are more for Eno fans.

The Grid - Heartbeat (Sweetdome Mix)

The Grid - Heartbeat (Beating Time Mix)

The Grid - Heartbeat (Squelchy Mix)

Buy product

G IS FOR GOLDFISH

Some classic German trance/techno on Harthouse. Or so I thought.

Turns out Goldfish were Colin Hart & Andre Hugh, which doesn't sound very German. They only released a single 10" single together - Rotor. And neither did very much else alone; the odd smattering of tracks.

Rotor was released in 1995. It sounds pretty much as you'd expect from something on Harthouse from that period. A good solid acid squiggle in the background. Fast techno beats. Repeat until fade. Resonance is slightly more subtle with a slow build, a bit of a melody but ultimately those solid beats.

Goldfish - Rotor

Goldfish - Resonance

Buy product from discogs

G IS FOR GAT DECOR

A classic (progressive) house anthem from the mix 90s, though not particularly in my book.

The anthem "Passion" was previously covered in D Selection in early May - different mixes for this post. From which we discovered that Gat Decor is an anagram - almost - of Tag Records (Tag being a famous techno shop in central London - closed in the late 1990s for non-payment of VAT).

Wiki: Gat Decor (or Gat Décor) is a house music act best known for its 1992 song "Passion", which is considered to be one of the best-known works of the early progressive house genre. The main contributor of the act is the British DJ and producer, Simon Slater. The name 'Gat Decor' was derived from an anagram of 'Tag Records', a record store based in Soho, London.
Although Gat Decor does not have an extensive catalog (two proper singles and a handful of remixes), the act and "Passion" are widely considered influential to dance music in the early 1990s; and Slater still operates a Gat Decor website and continues to license "Passion".

"Passion" is Gat Decor's best-known work. Originally released in 1992 on Effective Records, the 12-inch single contained the original, instrumental version ('The Naked Mix') along with Darren Emerson's remix on the B-side (this was Emerson's first remix). The 1992 release was an immediate success in underground dance clubs, and eventually became a hit on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 29. "Passion" is notably one of the first songs to be referred to as "progressive house", utilizing a heavy bassline and a distinctive "piano-house" progression in its second half.

Since its original release, "Passion" has been officially and unofficially re-issued several times. A 1996 version subtitled the "Do You Want It Right Now Mix", featuring a vocal recorded by Beverley Skeete peaked at number six in the UK. The remix was a 4 minute version of the 1992 seven minute instrumental with a re-recording of the vocal of "Do You Want It Right Now?" by Degrees of Motion.

It is from the 1996 release from which the following are taken, plus a recent remix for good luck:
Gat Decor - Passion (Junior Vasquez X Beat Mix)

Gat Decor - Passion (Grant Nelson Vocal Pressure Mix)

Gat Decor - Passion (Celebrity Murder Party Remix)

Buy product

G IS FOR GLOBAL COMMUNICATION (PT 1)

Welcome to the letter G. Shouldn't be too much to detain us here. But on our tour through the letter, we are privileged to start with one of the finest ambient groups ever - Global Communication.

Wiki says: Global Communication is an electronic music act, composed of Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard. Their debut LP, 76:14 is one of the most acclaimed albums from the ambient music genre and from 1990s electronic music in general.

As a duo, beyond their work as Global Communication, defining the Ambient Techno genre, as well as creating some of the finest house music, they have also recorded as Jedi Knights making new electro, deep house as Secret Ingredients, as The Chameleon making chilled out drum-n-bass, and Link & E621. They also did a few remixes together under one of Mark's solo monikers, Reload including a 1993 remix of "on" by Aphex Twin. Together they formed the Evolution Records Label and Universal Language Productions Label.

Pritchard also records/has recorded as Link, Harmonic 313, Troubleman, NY Connection, William Parrott, and Roberto Edwardo Turner(The Returner). His other collaborative efforts include Harmonic 33 and Use of Weapons with Dave Brinkworth, Series 7 with Stephen Horne, Shaft with Adrian Hughes, Vertigo with Daniel Whidett(Danny Breaks), The 28 East Boyz with Kevin Hann, Chaos & Julia Set with Dominic Fripp, Mystic Institute with Paul Kent, and Pulusha with Kirsty Hawkshaw.

Middleton also records/has recorded as Cosmos, AMBA, The Modwheel, The Rebus Project, Schizophrenia, E621, and Spiritcatcher. Tom has worked collaboratively with Matthew Herbert and Mark Darby releasing one eponymous EP as Fog City. As Schizophrenia Tom collaborated with Aphex Twin on one track from his Analogue Bubblebath EP. He is currently releasing records Eponymously, and has released multiple DJ Mix Compilations.

We will come to the genius of 76:14 later. I want to start with this rare 12" (1994) It is a remastered repress of the original Keongaku EP. It was given away for free with the limited edition vinyl release of 76:14:

Global Communication - Incidental Harmony

Global Communication - Sublime Creation

Global Communication MySpace

Reload website

Buy product

CHARITY SHOP CLASSICS (37b)

Second part of of House hits from 1988 - according to K-Tel that is.

Continuing, the sleeve says "...Nightclub DJs who instinctively knew wat their audiences clamoured for, were set to take centre stage in the evolution of House music. Coldcut emerged from the London club scene to spice up Eric B's 'Paid In Full'. Bomb The Bass produced an infectious groove in 'Beat Dis', whilst S-Express captured the spirit of London's nightlife and its vogue for the styles and sounds of the 70's in 'Theme From S-Express'. House is now exploding in all directions. There's the conventional sound in the House Doctors, the nagging synthesisers of Nitro Deluxe's 'Let's Get Brutal', and the fiery beats of the Criminal Element Orchestra's 'Put The Needle To The Record', the production of New York's Wally Jump Junio. Sampling plays a fundamentla role in some hits like the DTI's 'Keep This Frequency Clear', which derives its hook line from a phrase in 'Beat Dis', whilst Gene & Jim combines original music with movie soundtracks for 'Shake'. The major record companies are falling over themselves to jump on the bandwagon, eager to cash in on the phenomenon just as they did a decade ago with disco. Limp pop tunes are being beefed up with House mixes to give them more exposure on the dancefloor. House music has demonstrated its univeral appeal by dominating the pop charts and the nightclubs alike. The Hits of House are here to stay."

Steinski & Mass Media - We'll Be Right Back

Beatmasters ft The Cookie Crew - Rok Da House

The Wee Papa Girl Rappers - Faith

Cookie Crew - Females (Get On Up)

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.

F IS FOR KEITH FARLEY

For the last post in the letter F we go back to House's early days and Keith Farley. Better known as Farley Jackmaster Funk, Keith was a pioneer of the jacking house sound.

From the NME: b. 25 January 1962, USA. The resident DJ at Chicago's Playground between 1981 and 1987 (often combining live drum machine with his selection of Philly soul and R&B), Farley was one of the earliest house producers, with "Yellow House" being the first record on Dance Mania Records. He was also a key component of the Hot Mix 5, the DJ group which provided Chicago's WBMX radio station with its groundbreaking mix shows. As Chicago backroom boy Mike "Hitman" Wilson once stated: "To me Farley started house because Frankie [Knuckles] had an audience of 600, Farley reached 150,000 listeners." He had a hit in 1986 with a cover version of "Love Can't Turn Around", with a vocal from Greater Tabernacle Baptist Choir's Daryl Pandy. Other notable releases include "Aw Shucks", "As Always" (with Ricky Dillard) and "Free At Last" (with the Hip House Syndicate). When WBMX went off air his career ground to a halt, an intermission he occupied by exploring rap and R&B. He returned to DJing in England in the 90s, where his reputation had not diminished, and started a new Chill-London label.

Farley & The Shy Boyz - You Ain't Really House (Club Mix)

Farley Jackmaster Funk - It's You (Club Mix)

Farley "Jackmaster" Funk - The Acid Life

Buy product

CHARITY SHOP CLASSICS (37a)

Another charity Shop classics post! I'm spoiling you. Today House hits from 1988 - according to K-Tel that is.

A lunchtime rummage at Oxfam threw up "The Hits of House" album from 1988. A fairly poppy selection but still full of blasts from the past.

The sleeve says "House music is the most powerful dance trend since the disco era of the late 70's. Two years ago a house was something you lived in, but down in the sweaty dives of undergound clubs in London and the Midlands it was something you danced to. It was fresh, exciting powerful. An irresistible hypnotic beat with a hard thumping bass-line that worked up dancefloors into a frenzy of thrashing limbs jackin your body as it was known. It was a musical style imported from Chicago, where the phenomenon began in clubs like the Warehouse (hence the name House Music) which rapidly established itself throughout the UK. When Steve Hurley's Jack Your Body stormed to the top of the charts early last year, it was clear that house music was not a passing fad. The more aware musicians and DJs recognised the potential of house and began building their own. The first hit from a British act came from he House Master Boyz, three Sheffield lads who journeyed for inspiration to Chicago for inspiration and came back with a top ten hit. It was to all intents and purposes a straight imitation of the Chicago sound, but other artists had their own ideas about the direction British House music should take. The Beatmasters enlisted a female rap duo, the Cookie Crew, to create an unlikely fusion of Hip hop and House in Rok Da House, giving the signal that 'anything goes with House music. Whilst Chicago was still exporting traditional strong tracks, it was Britain's potent brews that were tearing up dance floors across the country..." More tomorrow.

S-Express - Theme From S-Express

The DTI - Keep This Frequency Clear

Nitro Deluxe - Let's Get Brutal (Megamix)

The Master Boyz And The Rude Boy Of House - House Nation

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.

F IS FOR THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON (PT 4)

Last post on FSOL to take them to the end of the 1990s and the start of the new Millennium.

1995's John Peel Session featured three entirely new tracks, which took the breakbeats and chaotic sampling of "ISDN" away from their previous lush synthscapes and toward a new, more contemporary sound.

In 1996, they released "Dead Cities", which expanded upon these early demos. The new material was a mix of ambient textures and dance music. Lead single My Kingdom introduced the sound, with a video featuring shots of London, and a sound suggesting a dystopian city. The album also featured the band's first collaboration with the composer Max Richter; it was a lot darker in tone than anything they had done previously with a theme of a city in ruins in a post-apocalyptic styled landscape filled with melancholy, moments of beauty and brutality, the latter of which was expressed with the big-beat techno track "We Have Explosive", released in 1997; it was used on the Mortal Kombat: Annihilation soundtrack, and (before the single release) in 1996 on the video game wipE'out" 2097, along with the track "Landmass", which they wrote especially for "2097" and wipE'out".

We Have Explosive was the second single from the album, and the band's highest charting single (beating My Kingdom by one spot to number 12), and over the course of its five-part extended version included hints of funk, something which would be heard again when the band returned many years later. The album was promoted by what the band described as "the fuck rock'n'roll tour" via ISDN, lasting several months and gaining much media attention by being the first band to do a world tour without leaving their studio. While 1994's tour had focussed on creating soundscapes and unreleased material, the 1996 and 1997 shows were more conventional, each offering a different take on the Dead Cities experience, blending then-current tracks with occasional exclusive pieces of the time. However, the final few performances jettisoned this material for tracks from a series of unreleased sessions, containing more live sounding material, including considerable use of guitar and percussion. These "1997 sessions" were highly sought after by fans, with some tracks forming the basis of the band's psychedelic projects of the following decade, while others appeared on the "From The Archives" series.

FSOL - The Ramblings Of A Madman

FSOL - Smokin' Japanese Babe

FSOL - We Have Explosive (Pt 3)

FSOL - We Have Explosive (Pt 4)

FSOL - We Have Explosive (Pt 5)

Don't Forget, It's your last chance to:

WIN THE ORIGINAL CD SINGLE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA by answering the following question: Who is FSOL's regular engineer, from PNG through to much more recent releases and has now started to release his own material?

Send your answer to acidtedblog@googlemail.com by 23 June.

Buy product

FLOATING FREE

Blogs come and blogs go. That's the nature of the thing. And so Nolan Micron has decided to call it a day at Castles In Space.

I just wanted to pause to mark CIS' passing. Great music and fine writing rarely appear together. They did at CIS. These tracks seemed appropriate.

B12 - Premonition

B12 - Unknown Future

B12 - Bubbles

B12 - Virtual Reality

Buy B12

INDIE DANCE: NEW ORDER / FARLEY & HELLER

Indie stalwarts New Order, mixed by Junior Boys Own duo Terry Farley and Pete Heller.

"Regret" was the lead single from the 1993's Republic album. With 1989's Technique, New Order had created their most commercially successful work yet. Maybe success and the strain of it caused New Order to fragment slightly, for the recording of the follow-up was said to be quite difficult, laying the foundation for the band's eventual 8-year hiatus.

If there was one good thing to come out of the tough sessions for Republic (which wound up being the highest charting album of their career), it was the song that would become New Order's second top 40 hit (after "True Faith"): "Regret". With "Regret", New Order manages to create poetry out of simplicity, and while it is another entry in the "woe-is-me" category of music, Bernard Sumner just might be hinting at some sense of hope in his usual deadpan vocal delivery. Whatever, it was a damn catchy tune.

New Order - Regret (The Fire Island Mix) Farley & Heller

New Order - Regret (Junior Dub Mix)

Buy product

CHARITY SHOP CLASSICS (36)

Today, a rare couple of remixes all the way back from 1991. At least I think they're rare.

The Justin Robertson mix is very Justin Robertson only slightly lighter than normal. It's a progressive house track with Robertson's usual bounce to the track. The vocal's pretty much gone, so you can't tell its Erasure (no bad thing - stops me remembering his lame hotpants). The Youth mix is a slower more out of it mix. Like an Orb offcut.

Erasure - Chorus (Transdental Trance Mix (Fade)) by Youth

Erasure - Snappy (The Spice Has Risen Mix) by Justin Robertson

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.

F IS FOR FAZE ACTION

Some offbeat disco house from the UK's Faze Action.

The British dance music duo Faze Action consists of brothers Simon and Robin Lee. They grew up in Amersham, where Robin taught himself to play bass; he later studied music at Goldsmith College. Also interested in music, Simon began producing. Robin took a job as an English teacher in Osaka, Japan, and the two sent tapes back and forth to each other. As Faze Action, they released their debut single, "Original Disco Motion," in 1995, followed by "In The Trees" in 1996. 1997 saw the release of their first album, Plans & Designs. Their second album, Moving Cities, was their first to be released in the U.S. in 1999, by which time Robin had moved back to the U.K. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Faze Action - In The Trees

Faze Action - Samba (Roger Sanchez's The S Man's Dark Star Mix)

Faze Action - Kariba

Miguel Migs - Fire feat Junior Reid (Faze Action Afrotronic Re-Rub)

Faze Action website

Buy product

F IS FOR FINITRIBE (PT 3)

This post picks up Finitribe in the 1990s. By this time they had left One Little Indian and they early positive House vibes had deteriorated into something more paranoid and techno-based.

From an interview with snarl.org in 1998: "Finitribe have pared down to two members working with guests and have released a new album, Sleazy Listening, with producer John Roome, better known as The Witchman, which sees them veering off towards dark soundtrack-style epics over spooky varispeed breakbeats. The vocals, too, have changed being more gloomy stream-of-consciousness flows sometimes echoing the work of mid-80s Wire offshoot, He Said. Needless to say, the most interesting tracks on the album are those without lyrics. Newly recruited vocalist Katy Morrison and David Miller spoke to me in the middle of their tour.

"We’re at the end of the tour now and we have a few weeks off before we join the Stereo MCs and then its on to Glastonbury . . . . our live show is very ‘live’ – drums, bass, violins, keyboards – but its more weird cabaret than rock’n’roll though. Its so much more enjoyable having something to do when you’re performing rather than just standing behind a bank of keyboards which is what we did when we toured Unexpected Groovy Treat, and its giving people their money’s worth because sometimes you’d feel that then it would have been better to have just put on the CD and left it playing."

Because the new album is rather diverse and steers away from ‘upfront’ club numbers venues and crowds have varied wildly; "recently we played a chilled Sunday afternoon set in the dining room of club with people eating their dinner and then the night before we played a totally different set in the ICA in London surrounded by tense people all stroking their chins and before that to a mad nutter club crowd in a cellar in Liverpool . . . . actually we’d really love to play on an ocean liner sailing all the way to Australia – Katy can do her jazz classics set and then Dave and Phil can do their ‘grumpy bastard‘ set and sit around smoking cigars".

Full of soundtrack moments, Sleazy Listening echoes a lot of the solo work of its producer/mixer John Roome. Working as The Witchman, Roome has released a series of 12"s and an album on London label Deviant. "John’s a mate and he wanted to come up and help us with what we do but he left us to do what we wanted and mixed the final result – a collaboration is probably the best of way of putting it . . . . . he’s now working with the Orb and writing his new album which will feature Toni Halliday from The Curve"

David explains the future plans, "We’ve been working on soundtracks and we’ve just be contracted to do the sounds for a horror movie in America called Sabre which is about this cartoon character that goes around chopping people’s heads off", "Its perfect" chimes in Katy.

Finitribe - Love Above (Original Mix)

Finitribe - Sheigra 5

Finitribe - Love Above (Cheeky Wee Half Mix)

Finitribe MySpace

Buy product

F IS FOR THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON (PT 3)

Some more from ambient techno masters, the Future Sound of London.

Cascade, released as a single in 1993, introduced the commercial music world to the new FSOL sound. Despite its length, clocking in at nearly forty minutes and stretched over six parts, the track made the UK top 30. With subtler beats, ethnic sound effects and striking artwork (featuring the band's trademark 'spike' model, The Electronic Brain), Cascade was a bold step into a lush, ambient world (see Pt 1 for downloads of Cascade). "Lifeforms" followed in 1994 to critical acclaim. The eponymous single from the album featured Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins on vocals and is quite lovely. The album itself featured epic, ambient soundscapes, with each track flowing from one to the next with no pauses in between. Throughout the record, familiar motifs and samples repeated themselves, sitting alongside tropical birdsong, rainfall, wind and an array of other exotic sounds, lending the album a natural, organic feel, backed up by the environmental landscapes that filled the artwork booklet. The album was also a top 10 hit on the UK album chart.

We wanted to release a very immersive, mind-blowing piece of music that was long and would deeply drench you in it...Lifeforms was redefining 'classical ambient electronic experimental' — that was the phrase we used. - Cobain on "Lifeforms"

1994 also saw the release of the limited edition album "ISDN", which was as close to a live album as most electronic acts get - it featured live broadcasts FSOL had made over ISDN lines to various radio stations worldwide, The Kitchen, an avant-garde performance space in New York and several appearances on the late John Peel's celebrated BBC radio "Sessions" shows, to promote "Lifeforms". These shows marked the evolution of the Kiss FM shows of 1992 and 1993, moving away from DJ sets and into ambient soundscapes, with previously released material performed alongside unheard tracks. One live performance to BBC Radio 1 featured Robert Fripp performing alongisde the band. The released album's tone was darker and more rhythmic than "Lifeforms". Cobain stated that with "ISDN" they had wanted to achieve something epic and grand but no matter how much technological or personal support they had (and they had everything they could have possibly wanted) they never got to truly do what they envisioned; he admits to wanting too much at this time, even though the album was successful; the 90s, for Cobain in particular, were a time of frustration and feelings of not being able to do what they wanted to even though the technology at the time did not fit their grand ideas.

FSOL - Lifeforms Path 1

FSOL - Lifeforms Path 2

FSOL - Lifeforms Path 3

FSOL - My Kingdom Pt1

FSOL - My Kingdom Pt 2

FSOL - My Kingdom Pt 3

Buy product direct from FSOL

SPECIAL: BEING

Flashback to Being and some fabulous IDM.

Back in the mists of the letter 'B', I covered Being on Weatherall's Special Emissions label. I only featured the one release as I had no others. To my surprise and pleasure, Jonny recently got in touch with another Being release to share with you.

Last time I said "Being was Scotsman Dave Paton. He also works under the aliases of NO and has previously collaborated with artists such as Steve Glencross (on Sativae 020) and Two Lone Swordsmen (on the much sought after Special Emissions 010). He released a number of 12"s in the 1995-1997 period. The tracks are full of strange lullabys, false endings, machine noise, clicks and hissing. Just right for those paranoid evenings alone. Marvellous."

And these tracks are marvellous as well. They come from the Double CD "Selected Transmissions / Point Two" (se006 ). My thanks again to Jonny for making an old man happy.

Being - Muse

Being - McLaren

Being - Ryam

Being - Toyled

Being - Fotts

Buy product

F IS FOR FUTURESHOCK

Some late 1990s techno from UK duo Futureshock. They are techno duo Alex Tepper & Phil Dockerty. I have always assumed that their name comes from the 1970s book "Future Shock" by futurologist Alvin Toffler.

"Inveterate remixers in the midst of England's busy dance scene, Futureshock came up in the fold of the country's most respected dance label, Junior Boys Own, home to Underworld and the Chemical Brothers. Formed by Birmingham natives Alex Tepper and Phil Dockerty, the act initially raised its profile with remixes of Moby and Chemical Brothers, as well as a co-writing job with Underworld on the single "Question (Why Why Why)." Tepper and Dockerty's label Fuju began putting out Futureshock material in 2000, led by "Sparc," which popped up in sets from dozens of DJs including Carl Cox and Nick Warren. The duo's first full-length, Phantom Theory, appeared on Junior in March of 2003. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide"

For anyone that doesn't remember Toffler's book "Future Shock" it was hugely influential at the time. The 1970s oil price-induced recession caused widespread fear about the future and futurologists became very much the vogue. Future shock: the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time. Journalist Toffler coined the term in a Horizon article in 1965 and became so fascinated with the concept he spent the next five years visiting people and places concerned with different aspects of change and coping behavior. The result is a significant compendium of "soft" futurology - the human concomitants (personal and social) of "hard" technological progress. Work patterns, consumer patterns, leisure activities, living arrangements, friendships, family relations - all will be affected drastically by "abrupt collision with the future."

Luke Slater - All Exhale (Future Shock Mix)

New Order - Someone Like You (Futureshock Stripdown Mix)

BPT - Moody (Futureshock Mix)

Underworld - Cowgirl (Futureshock Mix)

Futureshock - Pride's Paranoia (Eric Prydz Mix)

Futureshock MySpace

Buy product

D SPECIAL: THE VERVE

Out of the blue, D writes about a classic track by Wigan wasters Verve. Coooome on.

You featured a, perhaps unintentionally, highly amusing post about Embrace/Suede from a day or two back. The whole (reluctant?) post was dripping with contempt and was obviously only featured because of the remixes. And I have to concur with your opinions on Suede. They were truly awful and pretentious beyond belief. Brett Anderson was a supreme dickhead, hugely irritating and deserving of a seriously good kicking. Embrace were just irrelevant.

Anyway, the reason I'm rambling on about this is that the only comment made on the post was by a chap who, while agreeing with you, mentioned his preference for early Verve. And it jolted my increasingly frail memory into recalling what I regard as an absolutely beautiful ambient classic by said band, 'A Man Called Sun'.

Whether it's considered an ambient tune at all is neither here nor there, it is an ambient tune and that's that. Dreamy, spacey, Ashcroft's echoing vocals suggesting he's just been inhaling some potent weed prior to recording, this rolls gently along, a warm, sensual sound that feels like the aural equivalent of morphine. A great fucking record. It reminds me, in a roundabout way, of Jefferson Airplane's 'Comin' Back To Me', the absolutely beautiful Marty Balin tune from '67 but that's for another day.

It was released on the 'All In The Mind' EP in '92, (I got a promo copy from LB when she worked at Virgin, thought it was great and still do) at the time that the Verve were at their most psychedelic. They released their first album 'A Storm In Heaven' in June'93, a couple of months after the publication in the UK of 'Storming Heaven:LSD and the American Dream', a wonderful tome on the history of acid in the US, the similar titles a neat little coincidence I thought!

Verve - A Man Called Sun

http://www.theverve.co.uk/

http://www.theverve.tv/

http://www.myspace.com/theverve

Buy product

COMPETITION: F IS FOR THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON (PT 2)

Some more about FSOL (Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans) and the point in the early 1990s when their FSOL name really started to take off. This was due to ambient house classic Papua New Guinea, which you can WIN.

In 1991 they released their first album as The Future Sound of London, "Accelerator" which was followed by their seminal breakthrough ambient-dub track "Papua New Guinea" featuring a looping Lisa Gerrard vocal sample and a bassline from Meat Beat Manifesto's "Radio Babylon", which was their first official single release; the track remains arguably their most recognisable and celebrated song, it has made several (British) "...best songs ever" polls and track specific accolades.

"Accelerator" was very much a club-friendly techno album and remains their only studio album in this vein to this day; despite this, it was praised for its unique sound and atmosphere, and contained atmospheric links between tracks which would later form the unique sound of the band. It is my least favourite work of theirs for its techno unremarkableness. In 1992 Virgin Records were looking for electronic bands and, after Papua New Guinea's chart success, quickly signed them, giving them free rein to experiment.

With their newfound contract they immediately began to play with more ambient music, resulting in the "Tales of Ephidrina" album of 1993, the first album to be released under the Amorphous Androgynous alias; this was well received by press and marked distinct shift from the more techno driven "Accelerator", retaining some dance beats, but focussing more on texture, mood and sound, most famously on the popular track Mountain Goat. The album was adventurously released on Quigley, the band's own short-lived offshoot of Virgin. At this time, the band had begun experimenting with radio performance, broadcasting now legendary three hour radio shows to Manchester's Kiss FM from their studio.

In a 2006 with Sound on Sound magazine, FSOL said of PNG: "I don't think it's the best piece of music I've ever written, but it just hit a mindset," says Garry Cobain when describing 'Papua New Guinea', the classic club track that served as the first and biggest hit for the Future Sound of London, the electronic outfit in which he partnered Brian Dougans. Sampling the bass line from Meat Beat Manifesto's 'Radio Babylon' together with Lisa Gerrard's vocal from 'Dawn of the Iconoclast' by Dead Can Dance, 'Papua New Guinea' was FSOL's most dance-friendly track in the days before they became one of the most experimental outfits on the electronic scene.

"Music is like a baby," Cobain continues. "It takes on a life of its own, and either the mindset is ready for it and accepts it and promotes that piece of music into an icon, or it doesn't. That's not my choice. It's about synchronicity of the consciousness with that piece of music."

PNG has been mixed by a wide range of artists but none of the remixes come close to the sheer beauty of the original, and that includes Andy Weatherall's mix. And I've included remixes of two tracks from first album Accelerator.

FSOL - Papupa New Guinea (Original 12")

FSOL - Papua New Guinea (Andrew Weatherall Mix)

FSOL - Expander (Remix)

FSOL - Moscow (Remix)

WIN THE ORIGINAL CD SINGLE OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA by answering the following question: Who is FSOL's regular engineer, from PNG through to much more recent releases and has now started to release his own material?

Send your answer to acidtedblog@googlemail.com by 23 June.

FSOL website (purchase product here)

RARE: KEITH TENNISWOOD

A reader very kindly sent me a special session by Keith Tenniswood (ex-Two Lone Swordsmen, aka Radioactive Man) from 2002 for you to enjoy. I'm not sure this rare mix session is available elsewhere. This is from the same set as the TLS session from last week.

The radio session mix is from 2002 and was broadcast on internet-radio Groovetech. Groovetech was one of the earliest internet only radio stations, based in Seattle but with a lot of output from London. It was a dance music specialist station and started in the late 1990s. It also tried to sell music but not terribly successfully. It shut down rather suddenly in 2002. I'm afraid there's no tracklist for the mix.

Keith Tenniswood - Haywire Sessions - 2002-05-02 (3hrs)

Groovetech may be soon resurrected

F IS FOR FINITRIBE (PT 2)

Scottish Housers Finitribe. Today, we pick up their best period, which surrounded release of their 1992 album "An Unexpected Groovy Treat".

Scottish dance music unit, who shared the same One Little Indian Records label as their fellow countrymen the Shamen, but failed to replicate their success. It was not through want of effort, or, for that matter, talent. The band took their name from "Finny Tribe", a name given to the entire fish species by Irish religious sect the Rosicrucians, as well as by the common people of that country. Chris Connelly, Philip Pinsky (Born Philip David Pinsky, 23 March 1965, Appleton, Wisconsin, USA), David Miller (Born David Francis Ashbride Miller, 20 July 1962, Moffat, Dunfrewshire, Scotland), Mr Samples (Born John William Vick, 6 November 1965, Edinburgh, Scotland), Simon McGlynn and Thomas McGregor were the members of the original six-piece formed in Edinburgh in 1984. Finitribe founded their own label, striking out with a debut EP, Curling And Stretching, in October. By 1986, they had acquired their first sampler, and released "DeTestimony", an influential cut in both the acid house and, later, house movements. The following year they began an ill-fated liaison with Chicago's Wax Trax! Records, releasing a version of Can's "I Want More". Following problems with the label, vocalist Chris Connelly eventually elected to remain, ostensibly as part of Ministry and Revolting Cocks, but also recording solo.

Finitribe re-emerged in 1989 with the curtailed line-up of Mr Samples, Philip Pinsky and David Miller. Vick and Pinsky had previously been colleagues in Rigor Mortis, and Miller had served in Explode Your Heart. Their influences remained both traditional rock and indie giants (Dog Faced Hermans, Magazine) and a myriad of new and old dance innovators (Jah Wobble, Tackhead, Sparks, Sub Sub, Orbital). A succession of well-regarded releases on One Little Indian failed to deliver them much in the way of commercial reward. The first and most notable of these was the acidic "Animal Farm", which sampled the "Old McDonald" nursery rhyme and laid torrents of abuse at the door of the McDonald's hamburger chain. The ensuing fuss, hardly deflated by a "Fuck Off McDonald's" poster campaign, brought the band significant media exposure for the first time.

Entering the 90s, Finitribe looked as though they might expand beyond cult tastes with a new, kitsch image (white boiler suits peppered with stars) and more pop-dance-orientated material. As critics pointed out, they resembled an underground version of the Pet Shop Boys. By 1992, they had resurrected the Finiflex label and opened their own studio complex in Leith. Reduced to a nucleus of Miller and new vocalist Katy Morrison, Finitribe released a new studio album (Sleazy Listening) in 1998. Music.us

Finitribe - Forevergreen (Foreveregocentric Instrumental) Justin Robertson

Finitribe - Ace Love Deuce (Justin Robertson mix)

Finitribe - 101 (Backflip)

Finitribe MySpace

Buy product

CHARITY SHOP CLASSICS (35)

Mrs Ctel and I took some books up the charity shop yesterday. I took the opportunity to have a surreptitious rummage whilst she was chatting. Only the one single emerged - Cosmos. And I've an update on the Frenchbloke mix.

We've had Cosmos (Tom Middleton) a couple of times before as remixer but not in his own right. As a reminder: "Hailing from the South West of England, Tom Middleton is a classically trained Cellist and Pianist. He grew up on a diet of 80's Electro, Synth Pop, Hip Hop, Goth, Rock, Jazzfunk, Early Acid House and Detroit. After a period working with Richard D James in Aphex Twin, he really made his name with Mark Pritchard in Reload and a host of others, but crucially Global Communication under which name they produced the stunning "76:14". When the duo split, Tom went solo, producing a number of Balearic-influenced remixes under the Cosmos name."

Today's tracks date from 1999 and are very much in the space disco vein. The first mix goes for proper space disco with the emphasis on disco. It's nearly very good but it is all a bit Donna Summer "I Feel Love". Notwithstanding that it's a dub mix, there are still traces of the fruity-voiced vocal from David Laudat. The 33 mix is more of a downtempo version, reminiscent of his more ambient work as Global Communication.

And an update on the Frenchbloke mix. A couple of weeks ago, we had an exclusive Frenchbloke mix at ACID TED - see here - and your kind donations have raised over £450 for the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust. Thank you so much to all those that donated. Further donations are welcome. You will get a stunning mix in return. I have included the details of how to donate below.

Cosmos - Summer In Space (Miami Dub Plate Mix)

Cosmos - Sumer In Space (Mark's Harmonic 33 Mix)

If you want a copy of the Frenchbloke mix, there are a couple of ways to donate:

1. Use the donate button on the sidebar (via PayPal). And I will use your email details to send you the link.

2. Give directly 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. Once you have done so, you will get an emailed reply from them. Forward that email to me (see side bar) and I will send you a link to the mix.

INDIE DANCE: SUEDE / EMBRACE

Two different bands today. The unfathomably critically popular Suede and bellowing britpop boys Embrace. Remixes by egghead Brian Eno and hirsute Paul Oakenfold.

Suede. Bah. Before the band had even released a single, the U.K. weekly music press was proclaiming them as the 'Best New Band In Britain'. Suede were Brett Anderson, Bernard Butler, Simon Gilbert and Mat Osman. That photo with Brett sucking in his cheeks. Grief. The songwriting team of vocalist Brett Anderson and guitarist Bernard Butler was much feted. Their Bowie fetish and pseudo intellectualism really got my goat. Is that coming across? Eno's remix goes on forever and takes their pale Bowie pastiches into indie ambient, thankfully removing almost all of Brett's whiny vocals on route. I'm not selling this am I? It is better than anything else Suede did.

Embrace. They're no better. Lumpen stodgy indie rock. They followed on the coat tails of Oasis, including having two brothers in the band, one of whom sang. Whilst Liam Gallagher's voice has true originality, Danny McNamara sadly does not. Trust Oakenfold to take on this 1997 remix job with Steve Osborne under his Perfecto guise. Doesn't save it but does perfectly represent indie dance in the late 1990s.

Suede - Eno's Introducing the Band

Embrace - One Big Family (Perfecto Mix)

Buy Suede / Embrace

NEW MUSIC: WINNIE COOPER

A remix from Winnie Cooper, one of the fine blogs in the side bar. Tristan has remixed Vampire Weekend for your listening pleasure. It's Vampire Weekend's usual cod-africanisms given a tougher dance base. Works out pretty well.

Tristan said:

Hello fellow bloggers / music sites! Tristan / Hunk The Drunk, from http://www.winniecooper.net here.

I have an edit that I want to share.Vampire Weekend - One (Blake's got a new face) Hunk The Drunk Edit

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?jnw3w3mdyyt

Id love you forever for sharing it.

We do shows in Vancouver so don't hesitate to shout if we can return a favor

xoxo

Tristan

win.e.coop.r@gmail.com
winniecooper.net
myspace.com/tristanorchard

F IS FOR FREAKPOWER

Freakpower is good time dance music or shallow dance music depending on your tastes. It is also a pseudonym for Norman Cook.

Freak Power were a band founded by Norman Cook (later to become known as Fatboy Slim), Ashley Slater (the trombonist with the anarchic British jazz big band Loose Tubes), and Jesse Graham aka the Bass Cadet. Their music was a mix of acid jazz with funk and soul, as well as trip-hop.

The single "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" was a minor hit in UK singles charts when originally released in 1993. There was renewed interest in the track after TV exposure in the 1995 Levi's jeans television advert "Taxi" directed by Baillie Walsh. The band released two albums: "Drive Thru Booty" in 1994 and "More Of Everything For Everybody" in 1996. The debut album features the hit singles "Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out" and "Rush" released on 4th and Broadway. The title of the song is a pun on Timothy Leary's "Turn on, tune in, drop out".

Freakpower - Can U Feel It? Todd's Rubber Room Mix (Todd Terry)

Freakpower - Can U Feel It? Doctor Rockit Mix (Matthew Herbert)

Freakpower - Freak of Da Week mediafire

Buy product

NEW MUSIC: DRLKT FREDDIE REMIX

A new remix by Drlkt Freddie, this time for Dirty Disco Youth. More of the dirty electro sound you either love or hate.

The blurb says "This latest remix by Drlkt Freddie combines elements of tech-house and electro-noise layered on a hip-hop-inspired breakbeat - all coming together to create a hype-filled, big room banger. The “Stupid Sound” EP by Dirty Disco Youth, one of dance music's fastest rising stars, is out June 24, 2009 on Kinetika Records."

Dirty Disco Youth – Stupid Sound (Drlkt Freddie Remix)

-----------------------------

www.myspace.com/djvanscott

www.myspace.com/vanscottmusic

www.myspace.com/drlktfreddie

www.myspace.com/djsarenotrockstars

F IS FOR THE FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON (PT 1)

I've left FSOL until very late in the letter F as I've not been sure how to handle them. They have been around for some 20 years now, have an extensive and confusing discography and are keen on disinformation/confusion. There's little point in trying to create a linear story for them or to try to properly cover their music. Instead, there's going to be a set of 4 posts about them with a random selection of non-album tracks.

Wikipedia helfully summarises the basics: The Future Sound of London (often abbreviated to FSOL) are a prolific British electronic music band composed of Garry Cobain and Brian Dougans. The duo are often credited with pushing the boundaries of electronic music experimentation and of pioneering a new era of dance music.

Although often labelled as ambient, Cobain and Dougans usually resist being typecast into any one particular genre. Their work covers most areas of electronic music, such as ambient techno, drum and bass, trip-hop, ambient dub, acid techno and often involves extreme experimentation; for example they have, since the turn of the millennium, experimented with psychedelic rock under their Amorphous Androgynous alias [have a look out for their recent sprawling psychadelic remix for Oasis].

FSOL - Cascade Pt1

FSOL - Cascade Pt2

FSOL - Cascade Pt3

FSOL - Cascade Dunproofin' Slight Breaks Mix

FSOL website (extensive selection of albums and tracks to purchase)

F IS FOR FRAZIER CHORUS (PT 2)

A second and final post about Frazier Chorus, to pick up some of the remixes done for the single releases from the album "Ray" (1991).

Ned Raggett All Music Guide "By the time of Ray's release, Frazier Chorus had gone from relatively edgier work on 4AD to a crisper, cleaner sound via Virgin, something emphasized further by Ian Broudie's typically to-the-point production on the album (it's not hard to imagine Broudie immediately doing this on the heels of the first Lightning Seeds effort). Reducing the group to a trio meant an increasing reliance on outside performers, and indeed the supporting cast reads like a hit list of in-demand session workers, early-'90s U.K. style. Kick Horns member Roddy Lorimer, percussionist Louis Jardim, harmonica player Mark Feltham, and strings courtesy of the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra could threaten to overwhelm many bands, but to the trio's credit the general feel of the band's sound remains intact throughout. That said, the flip side is that said sound isn't as spectacular as it could have been. Part of the problem was contextual -- in a year when Massive Attack's Blue Lines dramatically demonstrated what a new, complex style of uniquely British music could sound like, Ray is more often than not stylishly tasteful and not much more, a smooth sheen with little bite. Kate Holmes' woodwinds add a distinct elegance to the proceedings, to be sure, and Tim Freeman's singing balances carefully being evanescence and a subtle, sly whisper, a bit like a gauzier Momus. But Ray isn't all pure float without anchor -- every so often there's a gently strange dissonance in the arrangements (the at-once doom-laden but strangely fragile "Here He Comes Again" is particularly grand), usually courtesy of guitarist Chris Taplin. Check out his mournful additions in the background of "We Love You" (lyrically one of the sharpest anti-romance numbers around) or his strong stinging shimmer on "The Telephone," a very Cocteau Twins-reminiscent track. Ray isn't quite what it could be, but an open-eared listener will find more to enjoy than might be guessed via a casual exposure."

These mixes have a lovely innocence that I still find appealing today.

Frazier Chorus - Nothing (Has Been Proved) Chad Jackson Remix

Frazier Chorus - Cloud 8 (Richie Rich Reconstruction)

Frazier Chorus - Walking On Air (Maharishi Yogi Mix)

Buy product

SPECIAL: THE FREELANCE HELLRAISER

You might remember a few weeks back I posted about The Freelance Hellraiser. Well, he got in touch and sent over a cut and paste mix for you to enjoy.

Roy said "A mate just pointed me to your latest blog entry. Thanks for that! This is my latest mix - Straight To Video. 58 movies in 35 minutes. Let me know what you think."

Here's the mix. It is a sampladelic festival of film music cut, spliced and diced in Roy's special style. Roy says "Everything here is from a movie. All the vocal samples are all from actual film scenes." And, please do leave some comments.

The Freelance Hellraiser - Str8 to video

Freelance Hellraiser MySpace

Buy product

F IS FOR FISCHERSPOONER

Some electro pop from New York's Fischerspooner, who were never as good as they thought they were. Too much art, not enough dance.

The new wave/electro-pop troupe Fischerspooner were formed in New York City in 1998 and have come to incorporate multimedia, strange handmade costumes, dancing, and performance art. Originally a duo formed by classically trained musician Warren Fischer and video artist and experimental theater performer Casey Spooner for an impromptu rendition of their makeshift track "Indian Cab Fever" at the Astor Place Starbucks, the group grew to over 20 performers, mostly dancers and guest vocalists. These singers have included Cindy Greene, Lizzy Yoder (also of Sweet Thunder), and Korean pop recording artist Mona Trona. The group uses the stage antics of David Bowie and traditional mainstream pop vocalists, along with the campy electronics of Giorgio Moroder or Depeche Mode and vocoders of Trans Am. By the time of their 2000 eponymous debut, Fischerspooner were a certifiable sensation in downtown New York City art galleries and clubs. The single "Emerge" topped European charts, invited a six-song remix EP, and won Fischer and Spooner invitations to international fashion, art, and society happenings. The 2002 album #1 was a re-envisioning of their debut with yet another mix of "Emerge," this time more sedate and electro, following the trend of the times. The duo returned in 2005 with second album Odyssey, on which hitmaker Linda Perry, intellectual Susan Sontag, and Madonna producer Mirwais all made appearances. Daphne Carr, All Music Guide

Fischerspooner:

Fischerspooner - Supply & Demand

Fischerspooner - Supply & Demand D.I.M. Remix

Fischerspooner website

Buy product

COMPETITION: TONY ALLEN

Some Afrobeat from Tony Allen and to let you know of a remix contest elsewhere.

Tony Oladipo Allen (born August 12, 1940 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian drummer, composer, and songwriter. As drummer and musical director of Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s band Africa 70 from 1968 to 1979, Tony Allen was one of the primary co-founders of the genre of Afrobeat music. Fela once stated that, "without Tony Allen, there would be no Afrobeat." He has also been described by Brian Eno as "perhaps the greatest drummer who has ever lived." Tony Allen has also worked with Damon Albarn in the Good The Bad and The Queen.

He has a new album out and bedroom remixers might be interested in the following competition:

To celebrate the release of Tony Allen's new album Secret Agent, World Circuit Records are very excited to announce the Tony Allen remix project. World Circuit in collaboration with the good folks at SoundCloud and Propellerhead software are offering the opportunity to remix the title track from the album - 'Secret Agent' - a majestic slice of hardcore roots Afrobeat featuring a driving groove, penetrating guitar, pulsating horn riffs and stirring vocals. Simply put, one of the greatest drummers of all time is giving you the chance to get creative with his legendary beats.Some very cool prizes are awaiting the winner and the runner-up, who will be chosen by Tony himself.

Full competition details can be found here but basically this is how it goes:

1. Get the stems below. By downloading the stems, you agree to be bound by the Terms and Conditions of the competition.

2. Remix the track

3. Upload your music using our SoundCloud dropbox or by email no later than 7th July, 2009

4. Winners will be notified and winning entries will be posted online

For the winner: either one day at Livingston Studios, London or the Reason Premium edition + Recycle software bundle, PLUS a SoundCloud Pro Max account for one year

For the runner-up: Reason 4 Standard edition PLUS a SoundCloud Pro standard account for one year

While you're thinking about that, listen to:

Tony Allen - Elewon Po mediafire

http://tonyallenremixcontest.blogspot.com/

F IS FOR FINITRIBE (PT 1)

Finitribe had a long existence, from 1984 to 2002. I only really knew about them in the early 1990s when they were on One Little Indian. They produced some wonderful house music in that time, before going on to make more techno orientated sounds. This post contains some early UK house classics.

From Wikipedia: Finitribe was a dance music band from Edinburgh, Scotland. The group is sometimes also referred to as Fini Tribe. The name was taken from finny tribe, a term used by the Rosicrucians to describe the fishes.

They began in the mid 1980s as Gallery Macabre, an experimental guitar band, before moving into a sample based dance style, setting up their independent Finiflex label, playing live and recording as funds allowed. Following a period on Chicago's Wax Trax, and the limited release of two twelve-inch singles, the band restructured with the departure of some band members and migration of vocalist Chris Connelly to join the Ministry/Revolting Cocks crew.

Based on the dancefloor success of the track "Detestimony" from the 1986 "Let the Tribe Grow" EP, the remaining members became a more dance-oriented act signing to One Little Indian. The label was then home of The Shamen, a group which had undergone a similar transition from guitar rock to dance music, although Finitribe never approached The Shamen's considerable commercial impact. The group had minor mainstream success with dance mixes of the tracks "101" and "Forevergreen" from their 1992 album, An Unexpected Groovy Treat. The follow up LP Sheigra failed to meet with the same success despite critical acclaim. In 1996, the group, slimmed down to Miller and Pinsky with a collection of vocal collaborators, released a final album Sleazy Listening, in a drum and bass/trip-hop style, in 1998.

From their pre-1990 period:

Finitribe - De Testimony (Collapsing Edit)

Finitribe - Monster In The House (Monster Club)

Finitribe - Monster in the House (Catch The Whistle)

Finitribe MySpace

Buy product

CHARITY SHOP CLASSICS (34)

It's been ages since I did a charity shop post. The new job's making blogging/searching somewhat more difficult. Anyhow, enough whinging. Today's rummage threw up Tim Deluxe and his 2002 breakthrough record "It Just Won't Do".

Tim Deluxe went from being just another British DJ/producer to being a brand-name hitmaker as he released one smash single after another during the early 2000s, bringing much acclaim to Darren Emerson's Underwater Records in the process with big, big vocal-driven tracks like "It Just Won't Do" and "Less Talk, More Action." Deluxe began his road to fame as a club DJ, a pastime he initially pursued while working at a London-based record store during the '90s. He then began producing tracks as well, collaborating with Omar Amidora and Andy Lysandrou in the short-lived group Double 99. The group scored itself a huge hit in 1997 with "RIP Groove," an anthem that got spun everywhere from London to Ibiza and also got compiled on myriad compilations. Following this remarkable success, Deluxe ventured out on his own, producing tracks for Cross Section Records ("Moments," "I Know") before moving on to the better-known Underwater label, where he debuted with "Sirens," and then struck gold with "It Just Won't Do." A singalong vocal track highlighted by Sam Obernik and a Latin touch, it became one of the hottest tracks at 2002's Winter Music Conference and set the stage for his next big hit, "Less Talk, More Action!," a collaboration with Terra Deva that in turn became one of the hottest tracks at the following year's WMC. Moreover, Deluxe continued his DJing, for which he was likewise acclaimed, and also did a lot of remix work for big names like Basement Jaxx, Layo & Bushwacka!, Kylie Minogue, and even the White Stripes. All of this culminated in 2004 with Underwater's release of Deluxe's full-length debut, The Little Ginger Club Kid, which compiled many of his more popular singles as well as several new productions like "Mundaya (The Boy)." ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Tim Deluxe - It Just won't Do (Club Mix)

Tim Deluxe - We All Love Sax

Tim Deluxe website

Tim Deluxe MySpace

Buy product

F IS FOR FREELAND

We had breaks legend Adam Freeland as a solo artist way back when. This time the focus is on his group Freeland and his 2003 release "Now and Them"

Adam Freeland is the DJ, label-head, and producer most often hailed for the fusion of breakbeat and techno (sometimes branded nu-skool breaks) on righteous mix albums like 1996's Coastal Breaks and 2000's Tectonics. Based in Brighton, Freeland began DJing in 1991, originally mixing deep house and later drum'n'bass. After becoming an in-demand DJ around Britain and to a lesser degree Europe for his mixing skills and innovative sound, Freeland released his first mix album, Coastal Breaks, in 1996. He began producing around the same time, teaming with Kevin Beber as Tsunami One and hitting it big in underground circles with the single "No. 43 With Steamed Rice Please" on Fuel. The second volume in the Coastal Breaks series followed in 1998, and he formed his own label, Marine Parade (named after a seaside road in Brighton). In 1999, another Tsunami One production -- "Hip Hop Phenomenon," recorded with American trance producer BT -- became a hit. Earning scads of best-new-DJ reviews from magazines as well as no less an authority than Carl Cox, Freeland returned to the mix-album realm in 2000 with Tectonics, licensed to American audiences through Ultra Records. An avid fan of surfing and snowboarding, Freeland has DJed at numerous snowboarding events as well as clubs worldwide. His remixing credits include the Orb, Headrillaz, Orbital, Deejay Punk Roc, and Dylan Rhymes. — John Bush , All Music Guide

The "Now & Them" album (2003) was a bit disappointing but lead single "We Want Your Soul" with its Bill Hicks sample is a killer:

Freeland - We Want Your Soul (Ed Rush & Optical Mix)

Freeland - We Want Your Soul (M3 Mix)

Freeland - Smells Like Freeland (White Label)

Adam Freeland MySpace

Buy product

RARE: TWO LONE SWORDSMEN SESSION (2001)

A reader very kindly sent me a special session by the Two Lone Swordsmen from 2001 for you to enjoy. I'm not sure this rare mix session is available elsewhere.

The radio session mix is from 2001 and was broadcast on internet-radio Groovetech. Groovetech was one of the earliest internet only radio stations, based in Seattle but with a lot of output from London. It was a dance music specialist station and started in the late 1990s. It also tried to sell music but not terribly successfully. It shut down rather suddenly in 2002. I'm afraid there's no tracklist for the mix but it's 3hrs of Lord Sabre so it's bound to be good. And the photo is one of D's of Lord Sabre from 1987 (she thinks - she's so hazy with dates).

TSL DJ Set - Haywire Session 2001-05-31 (3hrs 166mb)

Groovetech may be soon resurrected

INDIE DANCE: GARBAGE / RABBIT IN THE MOON / DANNY SABER

Garbage was a cross between My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth leavened with a dash of pop sensibility. This post features remixes from 1995 single "Queer".

Garbage was the brainchild of producers Butch Vig, Duke Erikson, and Steve Marker. Initially, Garbage was an informal jam session between the three producers held in Marker's basement, but they eventually recruited vocalist Shirley Manson, who had previously sang with Angelfish and Goodbye Mr. MacKenzie.

Garbage recorded their debut album in late 1994 and early 1995. Their eponymous first album appeared in the fall of 1995 on Almo Sounds. After receiving support from radio and MTV, the album began to climb the charts toward the end of 1995, when the second single, "Queer," received heavy airplay. By the summer of 1996, Garbage had gone gold in the United States, and shortly afterward it achieved platinum status, as "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Stupid Girl" became radio hits.

Garbage - Queer (F.T.F.O.I. Mix) Rabbit In The Moon

Garbage - Queer (Danny Saber Mix)

Garbage website

Buy product

SWEDEN'S NATIONAL DAY

Did you know today was Sweden's National Day? I didn't until I received the following:

On June 6th it is the National Day of Sweden. Let's celebrate this honorable day with two official Fredrick Carlsson remixes of pure Swedish indie pop. Download all for free and let the summer begin!

And Wiki confirms: National Day of Sweden, or the Swedish Flag's Day (Sveriges nationaldag or svenska flaggans dag) is a national holiday observed in Sweden on June 6 every year. The day was made into a national day by Riksdagen, the Swedish parliament, in 1983, before which it was just honored as "the Swedish flag day".

And, you know what, these two tracks are electro pop fun. So, let's celebrate:

Jonathan Johansson - En hand i himlen (En fot i graven remix av Fredrick Carlsson)http://www.mediafire.com/?imyzwmjzoj2

They Live By Night - Ctrl+Alt+Del My Heart (Fredrick Carlsson Remix)http://www.mediafire.com/?rmzo1fnz2ht

http://www.myspace.com/fredrickcarlsson

http://www.myspace.com/nikatorpromotion

F IS FOR FASHION

You're going to have to bear with me on this one. Today, we have Fashion, a group from the early 80s. This is a whole decade earlier than most of the stuff here but it's the influence of Kraftwerk that fascinates while the mullets appall.

Fashion (always spelled "Fashiøn" on their records) were a British New Wave band consisting of Dee Harris, Al 'Luke Sky' James, Alan Darby, John Mulligan, Marlon Recchi and Dik Davis. Fashion was formed originally as Fàshiön Music, in Birmingham, England, in 1978, and consisted at that time of John Mulligan (bass, synthesizer), Dik Davis (drums), and Al James (lead vocals, guitar).

Their most notable album, Fabrique (1982), saw a significant change in line-up and direction, with James having left the band and Harris and Recchi joining. Their sound changed from their original post-punk to an electro and new romantic girection. Fabrique contained the singles "Move On" and "Love Shadow", among others, it was later re-issued with additional material as Height of Fashion (1990), (2004). Harris left Fashion before a proposed world tour of Fabrique and the third release, later recording an album with Richard Wright, keyboardist for Pink Floyd. Harris was replaced by Troy Tate and guitarist Al Darby. Tate was subsequently fired, with Darby left to perform leading vocals.

Fashion - Move On (12" Version)

Fashion - Love Shadow Smokey Dialogue

Buy product

NEW MUSIC: PRDCTV

Some lovely organic electronic music from PRDCTV. Very much in the Four Tet vein - dare I say folktronica. Shame that it involves more vowelist behaviour. I'm going to have to start a campaign to stop discrimination against vowels.

PRDCTV (pronounced “Productive”) is Alex Lloyd, a 20 year-old student. At the age of fifteen, Alex started a band, Hello Bruno, for which he was the drummer. When the band went their respective ways at the end of school, Alex spent a year moving between various musical ventures. After being exposed to the work of folk/IDM crossover artists such as Four Tet, Bonobo and Caribou, Alex became fascinated with the idea of using acoustic instrumentation to create electronic music, and began experimenting with this sound under the name PRDCTV in the summer of 2008.

His bio says "Since then, PRDCTV tracks and have been played on XFM, and Alex has been commissioned to do remixes for a number of well-known artists, including Patrick Wolf, Theoretical Girl, El Guincho and The Voluntary Butler Scheme. It’s Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood EP is PRDCTV’s debut release through the label Geometric Records, which Alex founded at the start of 2009."

It is this debut release that is featured here. It is a assured piece of work, rich in depth and colour. Kyla’s Dendrogram, a song written for a friend called Kyla, is easily the pick of the EP. It combines electronic and live instruments in an assured fashion. It really could have come from Four Tet's "Pause" or "Rounds" albums - it's that good. Oh, and a dendrogram is a graph used to analyse statistical data in personality research. But it's not all plain sailing. The title track It’s Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood is named after a birthday card which displayed “It’s Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood” on the front (vocals on the track are by Ben Dodson (ex-Hello Bruno)). The track tries too hard. It starts off with a clatter and expectations of a hefty break before swerving into acoustic guitar by James Blunt. Ben Dodson's vocals sound like they come from another song. All in all, too many ideas shoe-horned together on this one.

PRDCTV - Kyla’s Dendrogram YSL

PRDCTV - It’s Never Too Late To Have A Happy Childhood YSL

Websites: http://www.prdctv.com/ and www.myspace.com/prdctv

Formats: Limited edition CD in a jewel case (£5 – UK only); 320 kpbs MP3 download (£3.50 from geometricrecords.com). MP3 download available internationally.

Available on: geometricrecords.com; iTunes; Amazon; Amazon on Demand; LaLa; Napster.

F IS FOR FRAZIER CHORUS (PT 1)

Some wonderful early 90s remixes from Frazier Chorus, in the aftermath of the second summer of love. Music with a smiley face.

The basics are in the Allmusic guide but they somehow don't get the essence of the group: "British pop group Frazier Chorus was formed in Brighton, England by singer / keyboardist Tim Freeman, percussionist Michelle Allardyce, flutist Kate Holmes and clarinetist / programmer Chris Taplin. Originally dubbed Fishing for Clouds, and later Plop!, the quartet took the Frazier Chorus name from an American beseball jacket belonging to Allardyce; their dreamy, pastoral sound lent itself perfectly to the 4AD label, and in 1987 they issued their debut single, "Sloppy Heart." For 1988's "Dream Kitchen," however, the band jumped from 4AD to Virgin, where a year later they released their first full-length effort, Sue; upon completion of the album Allardyce was dismissed from the lineup, with the remaining trio issuing "Cloud 8" in 1990. After releasing Ray a year later, Frazier Chorus disbanded; although Freeman reformed the group for 1995's Wide Awake, he was the original roster's sole remaining member, adding his brother Jamie on guitar, keyboardist Max More, former Bonzo Dog Band accordionist General de Gaulle, horn player Johnny Knowles and longtime Cocteau Twins drummer Benny DiMassa. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

Frazier Chorus produced wonderful lisson pop, that was incomprehensibly unsuccessful. But their stuff was remixed to death to great effect. No idea whether this was the band's idea or the record company's. Whatever, they had a great selection of remixers, including Paul Oakenfold from his golden period.

By the time of Ray's release, Frazier Chorus had gone from relatively edgier work on 4AD to a crisper, cleaner, poppier sound via Virgin, something emphasized further by Ian Broudie's typically polished production on the album. From the remix mini LP "Baby" released in a limited edition alongside their 1990 album "Ray":

Frazier Chorus - Cloud 8 (Raid mix) Paul Oakenfold

Frazier Chorus - Nothing (Raid mix) Paul Oakenfold

Frazier Chorus - Walking on air (Dub instrumental) Youth

Buy product

F IS FOR FUNKY GREEN DOGS

Funny the things I find out doing this. I never knew that Funky Green Dogs were also MURK. This is big room, commercial House from Miami.

FGD are revered DJ/producers Oscar Gaetan and Ralph Falcon (who are also both collectively known as MURK). FGD is is for their less underground dance music and more pop world tracks. Launched in the early '90s, their chart-topping single "Reach for Me" put Funky Green acclaimed debut, Get Fired Up! The single pushed FGD into the mainstream, cracking the UK Top 20. After releasing Star in 2000, their second album for Twisted Records (which featured the breakout single "Body"),the outfit joined MCA.

Of 2001's "Super California" they said "We realized that the tracks that we really liked on our last album were the ones that we both wrote together," explains Oscar, who has known his musical partner Ralph since childhood. "We decided to do all of the music together this time and it made the difference for us." In addition to simultaneously producing their tracks, the presence of vocalist Tamara—who joined FGD after all of the songs on Star had already been written—significantly influenced the music. "The big difference was that we knew that we were writing for her," stresses Oscar. "Last time, we wrote an album and didn't have a vocalist. We knew Tamara’s strengths and we were able to gear everything towards the little things, like knowing which keys she sings best in. Her performance is so much stronger because of that."

Funky Green Dogs - Until The Day (Original MURK Mix)

Funky Green Dogs - Body (Oscar G Xtra Large Mix)

Funky Green Dogs - Until The Day (MAW Funky Green Dub)

Funky Green Dogs - Body (Ashley Beedle Sirius Red Hard Mix)

Tracks c/o DJ N1

Funky Green Dogs MySpace

Buy product

F IS FOR FOUR TET

Like a one-man Coldcut, Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) changes styles like other people change their clothes. He seems to have a restless urge to switch genres from post-rock to ambient, to electronic to jazz.

Spawned from the urge to do something apart from his post-rock band Fridge, Kieran Hebden's Four Tet project balances organic and programmed sounds. Hebden formed Fridge with Sam Jeffers and Adam Ilhan while still in high school. When Fridge went on temporary hiatus for Jeffers and Ilhan to attend college, Hebden spent time playing with ideas gained from hip-hop and electronica.

Eager to experiment, Hebden bought a computer and began collecting drum and sound samples. His first full-length was 1999's Dialogue, which was noticed by experimental dub pioneer Pole (Stefan Betke). The two eventually collaborated for a 12", Four Tet vs. Pole, which included an original song by each and a remix of the track done by the other artist. Around the same time, Fridge was signed to the label Go! Beat. Hebden retained Four Tet as a side project, however, and released subsequent more pastoral records Pause (2001) and Rounds (2003) through Domino. These are quite beautiful pieces of work. The No More Mosquitoes EP and the "My Angel Rocks Back and Forth" single preceded the 2005 release of Everything Ecstatic. In 2006, Hebden put together two compilations of some of his favorite tracks, LateNightTales and DJ-Kicks, as well as Everything Ecstatic Films & Part 2. The two-disc Remixes was also compiled and released that year as were two volumes of his Exchange Session project with jazz drummer Steve Reid. These two volumes found Hebden working under his proper name for a change. This trend continued when their third collaboration, Tongues, arrived in 2007.

Fascinating fact: his site says "I've done a track for the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, that is played over the end credits. It's a kind of remix of stuff from the score of the film. So if you go and see the film stay for the credits to check out the music."

Four Tet - No More Mosquitoes (Boom Bip Remix)

Four Tet - Hilarious Movie Of The 90's (Manitoba Remix)

Kings of Convenience - Weight Of My Words (Four Tet Mix)

Four Tet website

Buy product

F IS FOR FLUKE (PT 3)

To complete our trawl through progressive house pioneers Fluke's 1990s journey. It was one which saw them lose an original member at the end of it. I've got two untypical mixes and a some indie/rock remixes.

From One Little Indian's Fluke summary:

1993 - Fluke complete their full-length second album Six Wheels On My Wagon ("it felt quite grown-up"), which spawns the pivotal progressive house singles Slid, Groovy Feeling and Electric Guitar. Sasha likes Slid so much he weaves together three mixes of it on his seminal mix album for Renaissance. Fluke also build an impressive reputation as remixers. Over the next few years they take on Björk (whom they also accompany live), New Order, Rolling Stones, Smashing Pumpkins, Yello and Simple Minds, among others. They also begin touring regularly. Jon: "We were recording our own stuff, doing remixes, going out live. It started a non-stop rollercoaster."

1995 - Third studio album Oto (Greek for "of ear") , co-produced by Barry Andrews (XTC, Shriekback). Darker and more downtempo, it gives them their first Top 40 hits, Bubble, Bullet and Tosh.

1997 - Fourth album Risotto, a mixture of remixes from Oto and new tracks, chiefly Absurd and Atom Bomb. Absurd ("everybody with a heart votes love") is released to coincide with the general election while Atom Bomb crops up on numerous computer games and Hollywood soundtracks. Fluke enter "our cartoon phase" with manga-inspired videos featuring anime character, and unofficial fourth member, Arial Tetsuo. In the summer, Fluke visit North America and the growing scene they were calling ‘Electronica’, embarking on a 20 date tour from east to west, they play mostly unusual venues attempting to endorse the spirit of blighty’s own Acid House parties.

1999 - After two years of heavy touring, including several main stage festival slots, Mike Tournier leaves while Jon and Mike start work on Puppy. When you’re living in one another’s pockets for so long and you’re constantly displaced, you need a break."

Fluke - Bullet (Classical Inst.)

Fluke - Bullet (Jazz Mix)

World of Twist - She's A Rainbow (Left Hand Blue Mix) Fluke Mix

The Smashing Pumpkins -The End Is The Beginning Is The End (Fluke Alt Mix)

The Smashing Pumpkins - The End Is The Beginning Is The End (Stuck In The Middle With Fluke Instrumental)

Official Website
Myspace
One Little Shop

EXCLUSIVE MIX: FRENCHBLOKE GOES POP

At the start of the year I had an exclusive mix for you. And now I have another. This time, bootleg legend Frenchbloke has prepared an exclusive 45 minute pop mix for ACID TED. This is not available in the shops or anywhere else. As last time, I am asking for something from you in return. If you have Soundhog's mix, you need this one to complete your perfect virtual C90 mixtape.

For those of you who haven't come across Frenchbloke (or Stuart McLean); his last.fm biog says simply "Frenchbloke, real name Stuart McLean, born Glasgow 1968, is among the bastard-pop class of 2001/2002." That doesn't really give you a sense of how important he is. Frenchbloke has been responsible for some of the best mixes I have heard, spanning early eighties indie to mid eighties pop to early nineties techno. And he was in under-rated Tauchseider. But around 2006 he dropped off the internet. No more posting to forums, no more website. So, I'm thrilled that he's come back for this mix.

Frenchbloke decided it was going to be a proper pop mix. It is an astonishing mix of tracks. Not just the tracks themselves but they way that they have been chopped up and reassembled in Frenchbloke's inimitable style. You really won't find it anywhere else. And if you want to know how Frenchbloke made it you must look here. The mind of a bastard pop genius exposed and his grunbles about RATM's drummer.

Frenchbloke Goes POP !
----------------------
patrick cowley - do ya wanna funk?

yazoo - don't go

mel and kim - respectable

rage against the machine - renegades of funk

the human league - love action

simple minds - themes from great cities

the cure - let's go to bed

kiko - italomatic

craig david - fill me in

killing joke - love like blood

liberty x - a little bit more

propaganda - das testamentes des mabuse

front 242 - headhunter

erasure - who needs love like that?

animotion - obsession

a split second - flesh

richard x - rock jacket

duran duran - the sound of thunder

digital emotion - get up, action

the shamen - pro>gen

new order - blue monday

heaven 17 - temptation

the knife - pass this on

kraftwerk - computer liebe

lcd soundsystem - tribulations

fini tribe - de-testimony - collapsing edit

nine inch nails - only

tears for fears- pale shelter

vicious pink - c-c-can't you see

velvettes - he was really sayin' something

pigbag - papa's got a brand new pigbag

meat beat manifesto - radio babylon - scissorkicks re-lick

man2man featuring man parrish - male stripper

the carpenters - calling occupants of interplanetary craft

pet shop boys - fugitive

no more - suicide commando

the residents - diskomo 2000

depeche mode - fragile tension

the aphex twin - onsteril / latex - ?

electric light orchestra - don't bring me down

amadou & mariam - sabali

a guy called gerald - voodoo ray

daft punk - voyager

chic - good times

blancmange - blind vision

andreas dorau - im september

deutsches amerikanisches freundschaft - der sheriff

the future sound of london - papua new guinea

den haan - night shift

fad gadget - collapsing new people

ladytron - seventeen

mr oizo - flat beat

ami marie - spiel mit mir

jeans team & mj lan - keine melodien

kylie minogue - can't get you out of my head

heaven 17 - penthouse and pavement

ween - friends

trio - da da da

soulwax - this is the excuse

annie - my love is better
bonus extra track

I'd like others to benefit from the time that Stuart has put in. In particular, to raise money for research on brain tumours in children. If you want a copy of the mix, there are a couple of ways to donate:

1. Use the donate button on the sidebar (via PayPal). And I will use your email details to send you the link.

2. Give directly 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. Once you have done so, you will get an emailed reply from them. Forward that email to me (see side bar) and I will send you a link to the mix.

Please donate. How much you donate is up to you (£5 = US$7 / EUR6). Brain tumours are the commonest solid tumours in children in the UK and USA. More children now die from a brain tumour than any other childhood cancer. If you need to know why these charities are so important, see my story here or little Thomas' story here.

Finally, if any readers are bloggers themselves, could you please promote this mix on your sites. It's in a good cause. Thank you.