Kruder & Dorfmeister : chilling out with the Austrian downbeat masters

Peter Kruder and Richard Dorfmeister, are known for their mixes usually flavored with sampler-processed vocals, deep bassline dub, trip-hop elements, bossa grooves and smoothly-shaped echoes to achieve their unique sound. Released in 1998, 11 years ago, Sessions still sounds fresh today and is by far my favorite downtempo album of all time. One of those rare albums you can listen to from start to end. It swoops and rolls, slides and shuffles, cossets and supports then messes you up with ghostly, icy fingers tickling your very soul. The darkness of Rockers Hi-Fi’s “Going Under” is good example of that. This song was not only used in one mainstream movie but two : Layer cake with Daniel Craig and also Steven Soderberg’s Traffic in 2000. EVERY TIME I played one of their songs on radio, someone called to know what it was. It’s that essential. If this isn’t in your collection…then there’s something wrong with you.

Rockers Hi-Fi – Going under [K&D main version : 1996]

Death proof : another funky soundtrack for Q

Quentin Tarantino is a genius when it comes to picking up music tracks for his flicks. Death proof made me discover a couple of gems : April March’s Chick habit, The Coasters with Down in Mexico but especially Keith Mansfield : funky fanfare. Mansfield is a British composer known for his creation of prominent television theme tunes on the BBC.

Mansfield is probably best known by American audiences as the composer of the tune “Funky Fanfare” used for underscoring in the Astro Daters series  in the late 1960s. The Astro Daters’ “Our Next Attraction” was featured prominently in two films by not only Death proof but also Kill Bill. In the 1960s and 1970s, Mansfield was a major figure in the UK library music scene and recorded a great deal of material for the production music company KPM. His work has been sampled by hip-hop producers such as Madlib. Death proof indeed Mr. Q…!

 

Keith Mansfield : Funky fanfare [1974?]

Trainspotting : a final hit

Yesterday I was watching Trainspotting on blu-ray and I realized something : every movie I like has a good soundtrack which plays an important role underneath the story. Trainspotting is no exception to that : Like Scorcese and Tarantino, Boyle uses pop songs as rhapsodic mood enhancers, though in his own ravey-hypnotic style. Whether he’s staging a fumbly sex montage to Sleeper‘s version of Atomic or having Renton go cold turkey to the ominous slow build of Underworld‘s Dark and Long. Trainspotting doesn’t have much narrative holding it together. Nor does it really have the dramatic range to cope with such wild extremes. Most of it sticks to the same moderate pitch, with entertainment value enhanced by Mr. Boyle’s savvy use of wide angles, bright colors, attractively clean compositions and a dynamic pop score – was said by an american movie critic.

Anyway, 2 songs for the original soundtrack were memorable in my humble opinion : Underworld’s Dark & Long (although most people would remember Born slippy afterwards) and Leftfield’s A final hit.  The first song played during Mark Renton (played by Ewan Mc Gregor) fight with his heroin addiction : a plethora of his friend appeared while this song enhanced his paranoia. Leftfield’s song played during the last heroin shot Renton gave himself, as if this song had been made for this peculiar scene. In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time by the public in a poll for The List magazine. Needless to  say that this soundtrack (Which also features Brian Eno, Iggy Pop and New order) is a must have, especially if you’re looking for a hit..

Underworld : Dark & Long [Dark train mix : 1994]

Leftfield : A final hit [1995]

The Revenge : RA 166 : # 4 of the top 5 of my fav mixes of the moment

Imagine funky tracks with disco edits and some old school house with touches of acid and you’ve got Graeme Clark a.k.a. The Revenge, my current obsession in any genre of music lately. Although it’s helpful for a DJ to play within the same genre of music cause it’s easier to mix just minimal shit, tech house or progressive, in North America, nowadays very few DJ’s are taking chances and very few of them are mixing old music, classic records of house or techno. If Beatport would close for a month most DJ’s would be clueless to what should they play in their set. Sure when you’ve got a residency at a club you want to constantly have new tracks. But where’s the DJ as the musical teacher now ? And when you don’t know where you’re coming from, where the music you listen to comes from, isn’t that a little bit jarring ? Isn’t the DJ supposed to be a musical encyclopedia like the glory days of the Electryfing mojo in Detroit who used to play Parliament next to Gary Numan, Devo or Telex ? That’s what I’ve been wondering while listening to The Revenge’s disco edits, as well as his fabolus mix for Resident Advisor. Finally a DJ that plays old school with the new. Finally a DJ that makes new sounds with older tracks. So how does it sound now ? Very funky and smooth at the same time. A bit spacey like cruising a spaceship with some deep house grooves. And of course, quite disco, with wah wah guitar, deep basslines,  and groovy kicks. Scottish disco deviant Graeme Clark also is gifted producer : he’s been editing tracks like Stevie Wonder’s Love Light In Flight and Xavier’s Do it to the max, an upbeat disco groover. This guy cannot do wrong and is definitely a name to be reckon with. An amazing producer as well as a pretty good DJ with an ear for blending old obscure disco tracks with housy tunes. Check out his mix for Resident advisor as well as his edit for Stevie Wonder.

RA 166 Tracklisting :

1. Cronk Family Enterprises – Put It On (Space Dub)
2. Jay Shepheard – Absolute Voltage – Compost Records
3. Mark E – Freakin’ & Shriekin’ – Under The Shade
4. 6th Borough Project – Stratus Quo
5. Rainer Trüby – Ayers Rock
6. OOFT – This Sound – Instruments Of Rapture
7. The Revenge – Forever In Their Debt (Pitched Down Mix) – Home Taping Is Killing Music
8. Charles Earland – Coming To You Live (Edit)
9. The Popular People’s Front – Space Race – PPF
10. Nitro Deluxe – Let’s Get Brutal – Cutting Records
11. Ribn – Shift – Styrax Leaves
12. The Revenge – Leave Your Mind feat. Paul Joseph – Mule Musiq
13. JC Freaks – Dub Praise (The Revenge Mix) – Phonica Records
14. Northend feat. Michelle Wallace – Tee’s Happy (Edit) – Emergency Records

The Revenge – Resident advisor 166 [Resident Advisor]

The Revenge – Night flight [Jiscomusic : 2008]

Crazy covers : Physical gets revamped by Goldfrapp & The Glimmers

 

Olivia Newton-John is a British-born, Australian-raised singer and actress better known for her role in the movie Grease. Physical was a number one song in 1981 : it is also hailed as somewhat sexually controversial. I was never a fan of her music, but she was covered by a lot of different versions of this song as the years went on : synthpop group Queen of Japan, Goldfrapp (Alisson Goldfrapp on the left ) and most recently, as of 2008, by the disco band The Glimmers. I have a hard time deciding which of the latter versions I prefer the most : Goldfrapp sensual version or Glimmers raw funky disco-punk take on Olivia ? For me, The Glimmers version of Physical is quite simply one of the best cover I have heard in years. The kind of song I would love to hear in a discotheque. The Belgian duo have gotten me singing :

“I’m saying all the things that I know you’ll like
Making good conversation
I gotta handle you just right
You know what I mean
I took you to an intimate restaurant
Then to a suggestive movie
There’s nothing left to talk about
Unless it’s horizontally
Let’s get physical, physical, I wanna get physical, Let me hear your body talk, your body talk.”

The Glimmers – Physical [Eskimo : 2008]

Goldfrapp – U.K. Girls (Physical) [ Mute : 2001 ]

Covering the best of new wave with Nouvelle vague

Nouvelle Vague is a French musical collective led by musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. It’s also one of my favorite bands of the moment and for the last 5 years. Their name refers to their french roots and the artsy side of the 60’s also known as new wave of french cinema. The source of their songs are all covers of punk rock, post-punk and New Wave. On their first album, Nouvelle Vague, the group resurrected classics from the New Wave music era, and reinterpreted them with bossa nova arrangements. The songs were stripped back to acoustic arrangements with very little grooves, and rhythms achieved by gathering a parade of chanteuses from all over the world : six French, one Brazilian and one New Yorker. They cover bands including Blondie, Echo & The Bunnymen, Modern English, The Clash, Joy Division and The Undertones and New order. Their cover of The Dead Kennedys‘ “Too Drunk to Fuck” was used in the 2007 film Planet Terror. While recycling the 1980’s sound has been in vogue lately (and not always good, especially when they wear suits ) so it comes as a surprise that the producing team known as Nouvelle Vague would find an original way to dig in the nostalgia of the early ‘80s, post-punk era. Their cover of The Cure “A forest” is very chilled and sultry. It might be one of their best song : sunset noises and slow guitar blend in to create a refined blueprint of 80’s nostalgia. Something very smooth for Monday mornings !  

Nouvelle vague – A forest [Cover of The Cure – 2004 – Peacefrog]

Trentemøller’s dubby games

 

If there is one producer who’s got a keen sense of psychedelic these days, showing the path where innovative electronic music should be then it’s gotta be Anders Trentemøller. Although I must admit I really did not like Trentemoller ‘s music at a first glance, now I’m like Darth Vader with the dark side after metting Darth Sidious : a complete and devoted worpshipper. After getting all of his Eps, I began to think of Trentemøller as the next Aphex twin. I mean only AFX had this unique and compelling capacity to appeal to rock fans as well as industrial heads, techno geeks and classical ones. What I worship most about the Danish musician ? His ability to inject tracks with darker sounds and lush atmospherics. Sometimes fused with paranoia, his sound is neither ambient, minimal techno, electro, pop nor classical, but all of the afromentionned. And even tough he’s been pigeonholed as the next electro house producer, Trentemøller is no flavor of the month. In Denmark, with almost no promotion, his debut album, The Last resort, sold 20 000 copies.

If most people would categorize him as being electronic, his music is much more than that. The very last resort sounds like Ennio Morriconne on acid , with gentle guitar reminding of Pink Floyd’s “Shine on u crazy diamond”. Trentemøller also has a rare talent in terms of composition : he is a patient achitect who builds his tracks with beats, loops and and motifs into a refined minimalism. Not content with making gorgeous ambient à la Nightwalker, the man also creates dynamic club tracks only to be heard in the indie nightlife. Kink, Gush and Physical fraction for instance. His earlier Eps on Poker flat have a couple of gems on sight : Polar shift sounds like colliding submarines beneath the polar ice. The contrast between noise and sharp, crisp samples in this track create a unique atmosphere. Always moving and shifting, you get all kinds of angles and crystal clear production with and extatic climax. On Audiomatique, Prana, with an epic dubby depth of soul beats and a processed Indian sitaresque vibe over the top combine to create a killer track.

Trentemøller is also a gifted remixer, as he made a lot of good pop & rock remixes, most notably The Knife band. In the end I think his greatest contribution would have been creating signature techy grooves that build into breakdowns that reckon you to take notice : he closes the gap more and more between minimal and psychedelic. A man that can create frenzy turning on a few knobs, Trentemöller has created a sound in itself, that will turn your head upside down and make you question genres, as well as keep your interest for the electronic for many listens to come. This is a stunning artist that you should look into purchasing immediately.

Business man – Dubby games [Balearic biscuits – 2005]

Orbital’s Lush soundscapes

 

If you follow electronic music then Orbital needs no introduction to you. Perhaps one the most influential band of the 90’s, the Hartnoll brothers were also considered THE best live act in all electronic genres. One of my favourite songs from the English band is actually a b-side to “Impact USA” one of their best songs. Although less know than “Chime” or the duo’s epic trancy “Halcyon” which was used in the Mortal kombat movie, “Lush – 1926 Trancendance mix” is one gorgeous piece of music. Lush means a abounding in lavish growth, succulent and fleshy, luxurious, elaborate or opulent (Colins English Dictionary) and that’s exactly what this song is.. A great tune already in its 10-minute incarnation on the second orbital album, with a number of different remixes done by CJ Bolland, and Underworld, this version has even better production results. It has an additional set of strings which is great to build up tension, then pickung up the pace and burning through to the end. Essential chilled track, and the flip isn’t bad either!

Orbital : Lush – 1926 Trancendance mix [1993 : FFRR]

Tony Allen : Ole, an impressive mix of afro beat and dub

Tony Allen was the drummer and Fela Kuti’s band Africa 70 and one of the primary co-founders of the genre of Afrobeat music. Brian Eno dubbed Tony Allen as one of the most influential drummer of our time. Moritz von Oswald, on the other hand, founder of Basic Channel was one of the most influential producers of techno music in the 1990s. In the 1980s he was percussionist for Palais Schaumburg, but would settle into electronic music by the late 80s and early 90s. Von Oswald’s records are characterized by a 4×4 beats with dubby basslines infused with syncopated synth pads slowly modulated over time, almost like a heartbeat slowly pulsating. His work was highly influential for Richie Hawtin and Pole most notably. On this record, Moritz Von Oswald has has remixed Tony Allen languidly in a building organic house, very much in line with his Rhythm & Sound productions, but more uplifting in mood with rolling percussion, lovingly phased guitar and unintrusive vocals. Even German can make dub sound funky and bring bongos for one of the most refreshing tracks the dub scene has offered up in recent years.

Tony Allen : Ole  [A Remix By Moritz von Oswald : 2007]

Metro Area : bending time and space with Atmospherique

Metro area, aka Morgan Geist (left), Darshan Jesrani (right), from New Jersey, burst into the scene in 1999 with their debut EP featuring “Atmospherique” which is beyond incredible. With an angular bassline underpinned by a grungy 4/4 disco beat and the most distinctive claps, “Atmosphrique” sounds futuristic and retro at the same time. Metro Area was bringing back the soulful sounds of the early club classics, mixing it with live instruments. The mood was melancholic with an emphasis on Detroit’s cold futurism, Chicago’s abstract track-modes, and the warmth of New York and New Jersey’s deep house. This track is indeed a simple handclap effect with a mesmerizing and profound synth tone that keeps bubbling back and forth. Released almost 10 years ago, this track is a classic : a record that will stand the test of time and sound as fresh as ever in 2029. It has amazing depth and texture and epitomizes many different trends in dance music mentionned below.

Unexpected fusion : Ford Fusion TV add likes techno

Moreover, 3 or 4 years ago I was watching TV and a car add came up with that song. It was a Ford Fusion add. A couple sitting in a Ford Fusion slip on a CD playing Metro Area’s 1999 Atmosphrique. The woman poured liquid from a bottle that drifted in zero gravity, only to splash in her face when the guy applies the brakes. They got out of the car and threw the keys to a doorman at their club. He looks up, stunned to see the Ford Fusion parked on the side of the building. A very catchy add ! The following self-titled album, released in 2003 ,went on to win BBC/Radio 1’s “Dance Album of the Year” and the “Best New Artist” prize at the 2003 DanceStar/American Dance Awards. Currently staying busy with continued touring, solo remixes from Morgan and Darshan, new studios in Brooklyn, solo and side projects and the imminent release of a new Metro Area album, we can rest assured that Metro Area will continue to rock theories of time and space.

Metro Area – Atmospherique [Environ : 1999]