Aeroplane

Douster - Triassic

ZZK Records presents its latest monster... 

and here is a sample of the 4 tracks from the EP. (Two minutes in is my favourite track, yum!)

DINOTASTIC!

Fever Ray live in Lulea!

Here I have an amazing live recording of very good quality from Fever Ray's current tour...

It was released exclusively by The Guardian on their website but only for a limited time, so here it is for those who missed it...

DOWNLOAD HERE

I am hopefully seeing her London gig at the Forum in Kentish Town on December 5th. It's her last gig apparently, after which she will retire the project and get back on Knife material with her brother Olof...

BONUS!

Here as an extra treat is the Rex the Dog mix of Marble House, a song by the Knife

Voila

New singles - REVIEWED (by me)

OK, so in the lack-of-internet-induced absence of real updates, I thought I'd prattle on and pass hoity toity judgement on some new music I have heard recently...

First up; 

HADOUKEN! - M.A.D. 

Yes, the Nu-Rave bratpack are back, despite the very obvious extinction of their flash-in-the-pan, NME buzzword genre. So, have they brushed up and developed their sound into something a little more substantial? The answer sadly (if this first single is anything to go by) is no. This is the exact same self aware, self appreciating, self referential tosswank. Lyrically bereft of anything deeper than WE'RE COOL AND WE'LL SMASH YOUR HEAD IN and featuring beats and synths that sound pretty much the same as all their other tracks, it shows thay haven't got the hint that nu-rave, or indie-grime, or whateverthehell this horrible sounding ear-rape is called, went out of fashion at least two years ago. 

Only suitable for ages 14 and under. 

**

Amanda Blank - Might Like You Better

Fans of the likes of Diplo, Santogold, and Spank Rock will be very familiar with Amanda Blank's spitfire vocals. The fastest pottymouth in Philly by all accounts. Her uber-rude knowing rhymes have been decorating many a hip-hop/electro track for the last few years and her combination of some kind of feminism with overt sexuality, topped off with cool underground grimey production has been setting clubs and blogs alight for as long. Now she is branching out solo with this surprisingly poppy number.

Lyrically it it's not much more than "Hey, let's shag", and the beats, while retaining a little sound of the underground quirkiness, are nowhere near as raw as her previous collaborations, so the jury is still out I'm afraid. Granted it's cool, and very hip, but it doesn't exactly blow me away.  Of course this sort of track is not really supposed to be dazzingly intelligent or challenging, it's meant to be heard in a club booming on a soundsystem while everyone gets drunk and grinds eachother in the groin. The same could of course be said of the above Hadouken track, but at least Amanda's offering is alot more listenable.

***

Fever Ray - Seven

Fever Ray's self titled debut album is probably my favourite record of the year so far and it's been a good year for great albums too. So I don't really have anything but praise to lavish upon her really. This, the 4th single from the record, speaks to us ominously about everything from distant childhood memories to dishwasher tablets. Her ability to make even the totally domestic into something mysterious shows that she must have a sense of humour and probably doesn't take herself half as seriously as everyone else does. 

Granted she is a singer from a Nordic country whose songs are 'kooky' and whose voice is 'odd' and she does indeed conjure up magical images in the listeners heads with vivid lyrics and atmospheric production, not unlike another famous icey pop star, and like Bjork, Fever Ray not only has a sense of humour in responding to how the western world views her music and country, but also has buckets of creativity and uniqueness to render any comparisons to Bjork nothing more than pointless geographical similarities.

If you haven't already got her beautiful album, then do so now!

*****

The Very Best - Warm Heart of Africa

Last one now, and it's the lead single from the new album by Radioclit and Esau Mwamwaya, aka The Very Best. Their mixtape was a musical highlight of  2008 and their fist proper LP together does not disappoint, full of tracks that wonderfully combine many different aspects of African music with western club beats and indie coolness.

This track features a brilliantly distorted Soweto-ish riff with pots-and-pans beats and Ezra Konig from Vampire Weekend on guest vocals. The overall effect is one of intense catchiness and upbeat vibes. I challenge you not to at least nod your head!

****

Here endeth the lesson

The Vintage Compendium is back!

Day-Glow-Radio's Vintage Compendium Vol.2!

1. When I See an Elephant Fly~Cliff Edwards 

2. It Don't Mean A Thing~Duke Ellington With Ivie Anderson 

3. The Joint is Jumpin'~Fats Waller & His Rhythm 

4. I Only Have Eyes For You~Frank Sinatra & Count Basie 

5. 'Taint What You Do~Ella Fitzgerald 

6. I Want Your Love (I Want You to Be My Baby)~Grace Chang 

7. Jaan Pechechaan Ho~Mohammed Rafi 

8. Shine~Django Reinhardt 

9. Guilty~Al Bowlly 

10. I'm Gonna Meet My Sweetie Now~Jane Green 

11. Si Tu N'étais Pas Là~Fréhel 

12. How Do You Think I Feel~Georgia White 

13. Shave 'em Dry (Take 2)~Lucille Bogan 

14. Devil Got My Woman~Skip James 

15. This Little Light~The Montgomery Improvement Association 

16. It All Began With Adam And Eve~Lord Flea 

17. Playboy~Bob Marley and The Wailers 

18. Teardrops From My Eyes~Ruth Brown 

19. Grandpa Can Boogie Too~Lil Greenwood 

20. You Better Stop~LaVern Baker 

21. Zing Zing~Art Neville 

22. Mama Said~The Shirelles 

23. Needle In A Haystack~The Velvelettes 

24. Savoy~Lucky Millinder & His Orchestra 

25. Christopher Columbus~Andy Kirk & His Clouds Of Joy 

26. What A Little Moonlight Can Do~Billie Holiday 

27. La Vie En Rose~Edith Piaf 

 DOWNLOAD HERE! (160.25 MB)

OK so I have finally got my arse into gear and made another mix, this one a follow up to my first on this blog (click here if you ain't got it yet).

It's very much more of the same, with some well known tunes nestled amongst the weirder more obscure tracks, and all in all will hopefully be another toe tapping, foot stomping adventure through jazz, swing, blues, rock'n'roll, r&b and anything inbetween. Vol. 2 here actually has alot more rock&roll and r&b than Vol.1 as I've been getting very much into this sort of stuff since Secret Garden Party, where all the dubstep, breaks, hip-hop, electro and so on couldn't compare one jot next to the  rock'n'roll swingathon in the Conspiracy Camp on the last night. It was the most rammed tent of the weekend and had the best atmosphere, plus the ceiling was dripping and the air was literally fogging up with sweat. Now that's what I call and old school rave!

Opening with the crows' song from Dumbo, which for all it's accusations of racism, is still a great tune (Although admittedly, if the makers hadn't had the audacity to call one of the crows Jim Crow, thought to be a reference to the Jim Crow Laws which seperated public facilities into black and white in America between 1876 and 1965, then perhaps dumbo wouldn't have had such accusations) we can enjoy some classic swing from Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Fats Waller and Ella Fitzgerald.

The Sinatra cut is from a brilliant album he made with the legendary Count Basie which has many great songs on it and can be found here if you fancy some further listening.

Next up we have two examples of Asian swing/rock'n'roll that are both wonderful. The first being by the beautiful Grace Chang, an actress from Hong Kong who was famous in 50s and 60s China for her musical roles for which she always sang her own vocals. She is followed by Mohd. Rafi, one of the most prolific Bollywood singers of all time. The song is from the film Gumnaam and there's the corresponding film clip below. Film fans will recognise this song and video from the opening scene of cult classic Ghost World.

Of the other tracks worthy of a mention Lucille Bogan's 2nd take of Shave 'Em Dry

is famous for being one of the rudest blues takes in history. 

Featured on just about every compilation of banned blues and x rated songs available 

it has become a favourite and it's hard to listen to it and keep a straight face...

Lucille was among the first American blues singers to be recorded and most of her songs were up front pieces about drinking, prostitution, sex and lesbianism, among many other aspects of 'the Life'.

A young spritely and dread-less Bob Marley makes his appearance next with a track from the Another Dance album, a collection of the Wailers very early songs when they were more of an R&B outfit who occasionally did abit of Jerk and Ska...

Grandpa can Boogie Too is one of my favourite discoveries and is taken from a great LP called Rare Blues Girls from King Records that features loads of singers you've never heard of singing great songs you've never heard. It was available at the amazing blog http://bebopwino.blogspot.com but sadly the blog appears to have been shut down or moved... I am in mourning!

And finally, cos I can;t prattle on about every track, I thought I would just post a picture to Edith Piaf, who closes this selection with one of her few English recordings; the beautiful La Vie En Rose. It's one of those famous songs that's been sung by hundreds of different artists, from Louis Armstrong and Aretha Franklin to Grace Jones and Cyndi Lauper, but Edith's version is the original, which she wrote with Luis Gugliemi and made famous in 1946.

So there you have it, from me to you, another mixtape to listen to, hope you like 'em...

Summer isn't over yet!

If you love Baile Funk or latin beats in general, then you will find it incredibly hard to resist the rolling rhythms of Cumbia Nueva, a glorious mix of traditional Colombian and Mexican folk and electronic club beats. If you're not already down with the Cumbias then get on it!

Download this mix and have a stomp!

SONIDO DEL PRINCIPE – CUMBIA 4 LIFE MIX, SEPT ‘09

http://www.mediafire.com/?dzzjftn4htm

01. el original – me matas (dj andy & sdp edit)

02. kiko de galo – mi morenita rebelde (sdp edit)

03. chief boima – techno rhumba (sdp edit)

04. the peronists – haitiana (sdp edit)

05. el remolon (sdp edit)

06. sdp cumbia guitara edit

07. systeme solar (sdp edit)

08. dj landrea – mi camino (sdp edit)

09. sonido del principe – jozefa matia

10. marcelo fabian – sel y mar (sdp rmx)

11. bomba estereo – fuego (sdp rmx)

12. sonido del principe – boom boom

13. dynamic – this is why i’m hot (sdp rmx)

14. dj panik – ice ice baby (sdp edit)

15. sonido del principe – cumbia del mondo

16. toddla t – full up mi portion (sdp rmx)

17. general levy – champagne body (sdp rmx)

18. suckafish p – cloak & dagger (sdp rmx)

African Tribal Music and Dances

Just found this album on the wonderful www.welove-music.net (which is a great resource if you're a fan of indigenous, tribal, religious or general "ethnic" music from around the world) and I must say it's something else, featuring some of the best drumming, chanting and harp playing I have heard.

Genuine live field recordings of traditional tribal rituals from several different tribes (The Malinke, Baloue and others) make this a wonderful collection of real African sounds to take you away from the dull trappings of boxed-in Blighty and into the open grasslands of the Motherland.

This CD also seems to be out of print so let there be no guilt in downloading it for free!

TRACK LISTINGS 
Music Of The Malinke
[01]. Festival Music
[02]. Solo For The Seron 
[03]. Hymn Of Praise 
[04]. Percussion Instruments 
[05]. Festival Of The Circumcision 
[06]. Dance Of The Hunters 
[07]. Dance Of The Women
Music Of The Baoule And Others
[08]. Invocation, Entrance And Dance Of The Glaou 
[09]. Duet For Flutes 
[10]. Solo For Musical Bow 
[11]. Xylophone Solo 
[12]. Male Chorus And Harp 
[13]. Dance Of The Witch Doctor 
[14]. Sicco 
[15]. Toffi 
[16]. Ibonga 
[17]. Gnounba Gnibi 
[18]. Dianka Bi 
[19]. Sibi Saba 
[20]. Sindhio 
[21]. Didrenquo 
[22]. Bonomiollo 

Download it here! Part One | Part Two

Enjoy!

Calling all assassins!

If anyone wants to murder my landlord for me, please get in touch!

Offside

In Iran, women are banned

from men's sporting events.

In 2005, Iran defeated Bahrein

to qualify for the World Cup.

I recently got this film on DVD and was amazed. From director Jafar Panahi, who also directed the amazing White Balloon, this is a tale of feminism and football, prejudice and patriotism.

It follows a group of Iranian girls who get arrested for disguising themselves as men and trying to sneak into the men-only football stadium to see Iran play Bahrein to qualify for the world cup. They are held in a pen where the football action is frustratingly out of sight for the young women.

Panahi uses this bizarre and unjust situation to expose and ridicule the archaic restrictions imposed on young Iranians by the right wing government and to poke fun at the gender clichés of Islam. One scene in which one of the girls must be escorted to the toilet by one of the guards is particularly amusing (there are no ladies toilets in a men-only stadium).

The amateur cast are completely convincing, especially the rough-talking tomboy, and the mini journey-of-discovery of the head guard is a joy to watch, as the film wonderfully illustrates the unifying power of a major sporting victory and consequent explosion of national pride can overcome such conservative prejudices. 

It's certainly the best football film I have ever seen, even though you don't actually see a single football being kicked.

Watch the trailer here

WATCH THE FULL FILM HERE

Shortbus

A film about which must fuss has been made, mainly due to the sex scenes, reportedly the most graphic ever to go on general release in America. However this film is less about sex but more about sexuality, love, and emotional repression/liberation.

The sex scenes are more there to completely lay the characters (and the audience) totally bare, vulnerable and exposed. They are intimate and realistic, often uncomfortable and sometimes unintentionally hilarious, much like real sex. They are more likely to make you laugh than turn you on or shock you. In fact the sex is often secondary to the relationships it's illustrating.

The film follows a small group of screwed up people who find solace in the 'salon for the gifted and challenged' known as Shortbus, an anarchistic arts centre and squat with a sex room based on a real place in Brooklyn called DUMBA, which was closed down during mayor Giuliani's prudish purge. Male and female, straight and gay, the characters find one and other, and eventually find themselves, when they set foot in Shortbus, "a mad nexus of art, music, politics, and polysexual carnality."

"The boldest provocation of Mitchell’s sweet, tender and gently funny film may not be its depiction of graphic sex, but rather its exuberant celebration of community and togetherness at a cultural moment rife with fatalism and disconnect." ~ LA Weekly

"If there is such a thing as hard-core with a soft heart, this is it." ~ Rolling Stone

The film sparkles with subtly hilarious dialogue and a great array of characters played by an ensemble cast and more cameos than you can shake a stick at. The soundtrack is awesome too.

So sit back, relax and climb aboard the Shortbus (just don't watch it with your granny)

WATCH THE FULL MOVIE HERE

PART ONE

PART TWO