Dragonflies

Unprocessed recordings from Burma, Thailand and Laos of dragonflies, cicadas and other insects, an homage to the legend of a cacophonous mating ritual that, for the unsuccessful, causes ecstasy to the point of explosion.

At first you may think that you are listening to Ryoji Ikeda but, when you dive deeper, you'll realize that Ikeda is striving for this sound. Not easy listening but it is quite hypnotic and intoxicating.

Simply amazing.

Due for reissue on vinyl so heads up.

A&S - Matador Complete

There is an almost vintage, familiar quality to the music on this album, one of 2009's best.

The piano and string arrangements create a beautiful ambience, love longed for or lost; the vocals, both male and female, remain quiet and subdued, almost angelic, and radiate in the atmosphere of the lush orchestral feel of the music. Rolling drum rhythms with shades of glitch fade in and out to buoy the ambience along.

It may not explode into your consciousness but it has an intoxicating quality that will remain in your head long after listening to it. The US, UK and Japan versions all vary a bit so a "complete" version is quite elusive.

I ended up with two copies of this on vinyl, one gold, one black:

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Red Jerry ‎– Deep & Chilled Euphoria (2001)

Revisited this after a number of years in all its glory on my trip. Back at what was probably the peak of my interest in the DJ mix and the ever elusive search for euphoria through music (the days of the rave long behind me), this one blew me away.  

In my opinion, this is easily one of the best "chilled" mixes out there. Though this series saw a lot of releases capitalizing on the 'euphoria' theme, this one stood out from the crowd and holds up even today. Steers clear of the formulaic day-glo cheese.

Though it did bring back memories from that era, having been away from it for so long allowed some room inside for this one to sound fresh as I waited in the airport. Made traveling just a bit more pleasant.

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Underworld Live Tokyo (2005)

I was South of home this past week (probably spent more time in the airport, another adventure...) and completely lost interest in the shuffle. I needed intensive focus to try and read and the shuffle was a distraction.  

Listened to some incredible long players on the trip, that deep dive into an album's passion and it reinvigorated my appreciation for the album. Some of them are here already but hope to provide some "guidance" here for the others.

This was one of them. Been on an UW trip lately - think it's due to the mood elevation - and this is an incredible experience of their sound live for those of us who have never had the opportunity to actually be there.  

Apparently this set goes on sale on their website occasionally, without warning, so until then...

Part1//Part2

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Rrose - Secret Thirteen Mix 065

With a similar sound palette to Demdike Stare, Vatican Shadow, Silent Servant and Sandwell District, Rrose is another artist whose music has captivated me over the past year or so.

This mix appears a lot more intentional and broad then his usual fare so looks to be not only a joy but educational.  Should be a good trip South...

Track mix and free download: 

HERE

Electric Deluxe Podcast 094 Vatican Shadow

Been a bit hectic lately so haven't had time to put much thought into posting so I leave you with this as I venture south of the border again...but will be back with another mix tape.

Vatican Shadow brings forth a mix which happens to contain some tracks from artists who have gained my attention lately. Haven't checked it out yet but with Silent Servant, Rainforest Spiritual Enslavement and Surgeon among others, it should be an adventure.

Track list and free download:

HERE

JLP

v0 rip from 24bit/96khz vinyl source.

For anyone who remembers when it first dropped, it was blistering. Listened to it for the first time in almost twenty years, forgot how incredibly good this is.

And as for memories, ask me about Chalsa sometime...

Underworld - Two Months Off (2002)

With the release of Karl Hyde's first solo album (waiting patiently for my vinyl order) I've been revisiting Underworld full tilt lately and it's been non-stop mood elevation. Theirs is a sound that is like no other. First discovered them when "Cowgirl" dropped and have been a fan ever since.

Easily one of my favorite Underworld tracks, this one always elevates my mood and takes me away to that happy place.  There are literally more than a dozen variations - singles, maxis, etc. - of this track. This one is from Australia/New Zealand which contains a few remixes of the song plus some bonus tracks which is what makes it interesting.

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P.S. For an incredible version of this track and some other classics, check out their performance on KCRW.

Martes Complete

One of this century's best and most original albums. Difficult to categorize it's a hybrid of electronica, modern classical, holy minimalism and glitch. Originally released in Mexico, it was picked up by a UK label where it received mass distribution and slowly achieved its current status as an essential electronic album. The original label reissued it as a 2 CD set containing variants of his follow up, also essential.  

Microscopically sampling Arvo Part, Morton Feldman, Giya Kancheli and others (I've seen Henryck Gorecki mentioned as well), he synthetically blends electronic and modern classical music into an infectious hybrid that is somehow filled with a warmth much electronic music lacks.  You know it when you hear it; I have yet to tire of it and always pick up something new with each listen.

I have yet to see anyone really analyze which samples were used but he talks a little about the creation of the album here.  Though there are slight differences in the times between versions, you'll find all the tracks in one place.

LR - BY (2008)

I am amazed that this album is already five years old.  It was one of my first "discoveries" after stumbling into the ES/dub techno universe. It is by far one of the best electronic albums of recent memory.  

Though it gets lumped in as a 'dub' style release, perhaps due to its its absorption in bass, it often feels as if it veers toward a 'pop' sound in its musicality. The song structure is tight and the vocals make it sound as if some of these tracks would not sound out of place on radio.  

With a first album as good as this one, the wait for a second goes on.

Update: Funny thing, the new album just dropped.  You know what to do!

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Forest Frontiers - Seagulls in the Mother West (2013)

My nephew released a new album today on bandcamp. He's on vocals. Aiming for the lo-fi sound, quite successfully, they step out in a bit of a different direction from their earlier release, even including an interesting take on Johnny Horton's "North To Alaska." 

Like it.

Info and free download: 

HERE

BMSR

"...throwback disco-funk vibe..." (Source)

"...appropriately weird..." (Source)

"...like experiencing an old-fashioned fun house..." (Source)

A break from their earlier, lo-fi approach, this was referred to as their most accessible record up to that point with a well known producer and a resulting polished hi-fi.

Fans of Holy Other and Ghost Box should find this quite enjoyable.

Logical Progression

Perhaps the apex of the atmospheric end of drum n bass, LTJ Bukem carved out a sound that was inimitable.

Logical Progression (1996)

Truly a defining moment in the sound, essential on every level.

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Logical Progression Level 1 (2001)

This one confused me for the longest time. Couldn't figure out why they both had the same basic name but sounded so completely different. It isn't a special edition of the original or a remaster. Pays homage to the first but other than a few shared tracks this is a completely different vision.

CD 1 is the vocal mix, CD 2 the instrumental of the same and CD 3 a smattering of unmixed tracks.

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Logical Progression EP (1991)

The namesake.

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My (Clock) Radio

Tonight I was doing P90X (plyometrics, if you're wondering) in the basement and, as I often do, sought a distraction in the midst of the pain. Found an old milk crate full of cassette tapes and remembered this one. So, story time..

This has to be from 1982 or thereabouts. Growing up in the suburbs I was force fed a diet of classic rock and Top 40 radio and it bored me to tears. I've never been one to do what is expected so always sought out new and different sounds.  That shouldn't surprise anyone here.

Fortunately I lived in between two larger cities so had access to more "alternative" programming. One of those was WDMT. WDMT was one of the first radio stations to start airing "rap" music as part of its programming so living where I lived I got to tap into it in its early stages. This was long before Yo! MTV Raps.

Next to my bed was an old digital clock radio (which is currently in my house, still functioning) and I used to take an old vintage Sony tape recorder with portable microphone and place it right on top of the radio to record these songs. As you can tell on the label these were "lousy recordings" but thirty years later they are still in my basement. This wasn't music my circle of folks listened to so it felt a bit rebellious, especially having just hit the double digits in age.  

So for something a bit different here's a mix of the three songs from the tape as well as some early "old school" rap tunes that laid the foundation (and one bonus track). I wasn't hardcore but clearly remember when rap emerged from the shadows and it added to my love and appreciation of all kinds of music.

Enjoy

Moby ‎– Hymn

Easily one of my favorite Moby tracks the song would eventually, as with most Moby material, be released in a multiple of variations and remixes. The album opener, it never ceases to take me away. Several versions of this track can be found on Moby's DJ Mix of the album which is, even to this day, one of the best DJ mix albums ever making Moby both cutting edge and, in hindsight, a forerunner of the DJ as superstar.

Hymn.Alt.Quiet.Version (1994)

This version goes in a totally different direction, Moby continuing to innovate around the time of his creative peak with EIW.    

Stripping away the ambient and atmosphere Moby headed into drone, almost noise, territory. The melody lingers in the background but never does more than make an appearance.  

Headphones and a good half hour in which to immerse yourself is recommended.

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Hymn (1994)

If you are familiar with the DJ mix of the album you'll recognize several of the remixes found on this release.

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Hymn (1994)

Contains a few remixes, including one by Laurent Garnier, and a version of another EIW album track.

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Ddbt ‎– RR (2010)

This one is a couple of years old now (and is an odd output from the label it is on) but remains an absolute must for dub techno fans. This one is a bit different from, say, Intrusion's RA 153 mix in the way it is sliced and diced and woven together and mixed to perfection.

If you've listened to his music, "precision" is his modus operandi and this is no different. A dub techno "who's who" this one needs digested start to finish.

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UA and the D - Vol. 1 (2010)

You've never heard anything quite like this...but you'll swear you've heard it before. Even if you haven't, you will. With two extremely limited releases to their name, their third album is set for release and may just lift them out from the underground.  

Now I must confess that I wondered whether or not to even put this up here as there is something menacing about this music paying more than just a nod to Black Sabbath and there is a lingering feeling that their fascination with b-movies, horror flicks, murder and mayhem isn't just for show. However, the same thing was said about Ozzy and his music ended up in car commercials. Such is the machine. 

Amidst the lo-fi fuzz and distortion there is melody here. At times punk, at times garage rock, at times 70s metal, at times late 80s to early 90s alt rock (think 'I Am One' or 'Still In Hollywood'), there is something refreshing and raw here. Demdike Stare shares a similar throwback fascination, as does the Ghost Box label, though their approaches are musically quite distinct.  

Even though I'm certainly not into the rock thing anymore, this one caught me off guard. The rarity (20 copies on this one) piqued my interest but the music hooked me. As infectious as it is I don't know that I'll spend more than a passing interest (I can only stand heavy guitars for so long) but for a moment that anarchist surge of youth crept right back up and I felt my head starting to move as if on its own. 

I've seen this labeled as doom, psychedelic, metal, occult, stoner, rock. Everyone likes to claim something outside the mainstream as their own but as for their second album, Blood Lust, they've taken their machinations and made them even more menacing. Is it camp or is it the real deal?

To quote William S. Burroughs:

"Look down LOOK DOWN along that junk road before you travel there and get in with the Wrong Mob..."

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Intrusion

Really torn about this one.  Truly one of my favorite artists of all time (and that's saying a lot), Steven Hitchell, under his Intrusion moniker (along with Variant, the elusive cv313 and his association with ES and DC), has released some of my favorite tracks of recent years.

Not only was his Seduction Of Silence one of the best releases of this century, his reworkings of other well known tracks from the above mentioned back catalogue is amazing.  Whereas Rod Modell brings the "Basic Channel" sound and, more recently, those deep atmospherics lurking in the background, Hitchell brings out the "soul" from the analogue.

Together, the two make amazing music.  But, when left to their own musings, the differences in their styles become clear.  Hitchell brings the "dub" element in its essence and has a way of making the music get deep and, dare I say it, emotional.

This is a sampling of some of the output graced with his deft touch.  As much as I hate to give his stuff away, I also know that once you get your ears around these you'll get it and understand just how good and diverse he really is at his craft.  However, the reality is that in order for artists like him to continue we need to put our money where our ears are and show true support (check out my collection on my discogs page and you'll see I practice what I preach). 

Echospace has a slew of releases dropping recently (including an upcoming announcement regarding DEMF) and this is hopefully a sign of a productive 2013.  They keep evolving and changing the game where others are often content to play it safe and follow.

I really wanted to do a continuous mix of the tracks below, an ultra deep set, but don't have the software or, more importantly, the time.  

Get your headphones out (make sure there is a good bass response) and go swimming.  Deep, deep stuff.

Try

Daughter Of The Industrial Revolution

Of all the music that has crossed my ears over the past few years, the music put out by Demdike Stare has invigorated my love of music again.

Since circa 2007 it had been the "discovery" of Echospace that rekindled a passion for music and I became a dub techno head. As the genre filled up with imitators, duplicators and a safe, comfortable sameness developed with the sound, I noticed my interest waning. No more deep dives into an artist's back catalogue, just an endless repetition of shuffling.  Good to a point but aimless.

Circa 2010 or so, Demdike Stare passed into my hearing.  Much like the guys from Echospace/Deepchord have tentacles that reach deep, so too these guys. The passion has been relit.  

They have a way of putting together disparate sounds and styles and making sense of the sounds they use. They have an affinity for what might be called 'camp' but have a way of reinterpreting it in a way that gives it substance.

From techno to dub to noise without missing a beat they refuse to be pinned down.  Their music, like noise canceling headphones, has a way of calming the overactive brain, music for a post-cultural world.

Daughter Of The Industrial Revolution is one of the side projects from Miles Whittaker, half of the Demdike Stare duo, this one straight up analogue. A few of these tracks ended up on the first release under his other solo moniker Suum Cuique (also essential); his latest release under his own (first) name continues the trajectory.

Long out of print and unavailable digitally, take your brain on a bender.  Good stuff.

Path Of Least Resistance (2008)

Try

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Variable Resistance (2009)

Try

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Funkjazztrickticalfunkungflexifusionialism

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One of the pivotal labels of the nineties without a doubt. Even today, the stuff released by the label sounds fresh. It's easy to forget just how much they changed the musical landscape.  

Though they have issued many a retrospective and many comps these three, without a doubt, remain my favorites. You may already have these but if you don't put these on repeat and relax.  

OR pong

(2010)

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(2011)

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Two of the best albums of the past few years. Big, enveloping, cavernous sound. Clean and precise with a heavy bottom end, dubby and rhythmic, the sounds are infectious.

A good set of headphones (no ear buds) or a high end sound system with a good bass response recommended.  You may very well find these on constant repeat.  

ME - Vinyl

The year is 1988.  Finding my way into adulthood, struggling with some deep seeded issues, my journey of self-discovery and awareness having really just begun. This entailed dealing with the self-hatred, loathing and buried trauma I was struggling to keep suppressed.  The edifice was slowly crumbling.

Out of nowhere comes this music, this raw, unbridled passion from an artist I had never heard before. I was instantly smitten by "BMSW" and ran out and bought the album (on CD, unfortunately, though years later I would replace it with vinyl). Only a few albums have been purchased on such a whim and almost without fail my instincts were spot on. Every single song, especially "PP," cut right to the bone and allowed the wounds to open and find a voice. Can't even tell you how many late night drives were made with this one on repeat.

The film "WTDTY" features music from the first two albums and makes the movie.  The connection between the music and every element of the film was the direction in which my life was headed. I suppose, in hindsight, it acted not so much as inspiration but as a warning, much as Christopher McCandless' life acted as  a cautionary tale.

The acoustic guitar, the lyrics and the mood created a glorious melancholy and release. The next three albums, in progressive order, heightened that and the healing process continued to unfold. I lost interest as the artist's personal life trumped the music - in other words, celebrity had struck - at the fourth album but until that point this music, much like The Wall, gave me life.  

Perhaps the final closure in my life associated with this music occurred when after a year (1994 if you're wondering) on the road traveling out West (including full immersion into the electronic music scene in Seattle), I passed by the very same exit of the school where I first heard this music and "BMSW" was playing as I passed by the exit. Keep in mind this was sixteen years and thousands of miles later.

Having added that all up - the travels, the artist, the exit, that song at that exact moment in time - I realized that this was a sign from up on high that everything was ok. Every so often we get signs and this was one of those times that left no room for doubt. I was right where I was supposed to be, the period of my life prior to that moment was closed and a new future awaited.  

To revisit this on vinyl (sourced from 24bit/96 khz originals) brings it all back and it is still vivid and fresh. As rough as that time was, there is something powerful and profound about the changes that period of time wrought. I'm not there anymore and the pain is gone but there is a beauty in being able to go back safely and I remain grateful for that time.

It is a sacred place.