Scion

Finally got around to this mix by René 'Vainqueur' Lowe. And it turns out to be the perfect dancefloor mirror to the Basic Channel cd (easily the most played cd in my house for the last ten years or so). Where the compilation stresses the dub and, more importantly, the atmosphere of what Basic Channel was all about, this mix reminds you of the immense influence these guys have had on dancefloor techno over the last 15 years. I could listen to this in an endless loop and still hear new sounds every day. It helps of course if your favorite Basic Channel - in my case being Cyrus's 'Inversion'- is the opening track of the mix.

It's Coming

After the car, the high-rise, the corporations, guarded communities and Spanish resorts, Ballard takes on the shopping mall.

Focus Jazz

Jazzanova themselves haven't released anything in what seems like ages, but for the time being we can enjoy ourselves with yet another impeccable German jazz compilation. Most of these gems haven't been released before, which makes you wonder how much more of these pearls are still lying hidden in archives around the world, waiting for us to be discovered. Highly recommended for jazzheads, and anyone else for that matter, for this second compilation is even more accessible than Forum West.

Ballard on Cronenberg

"Are we all, without realising it, taking part in a vast witness protection program? Did we observe, at some time in the distant past, a deeply disturbing event in which we were closely implicated? Were we then assigned new identities, new personalities, fears and dreams so convincing that we have forgotten who we really are?

These questions crowded my head as I watched A History of Violence, a film as brilliant and provocative as anything David Cronenberg has directed. All Cronenberg's films make us edge back into our seats, gripped by the story unfolding on the screen but aware that something unpleasant is going on in the seats around us.

That unpleasantness, needless to say, is ourselves, a damp bundle of passions, needs and neuroses that conceal our secret nature. The disturbing event we witnessed in the past is the experience of being alive, a state of affairs that Cronenberg most definitely does not take at face value."

Read the full article here.

13 on Sunday

Emtidi - Saat [Pilz, 1972]

Emtidi got caught up in the Krautrock landslide, but Saat, in contrary to the wild experiments of most krautrockers, screams ‘hippie’ all over. Hippie or not, this is easily one of the best folk records I've ever heard. Although there are a lot of cosmic nuances, this is ultimately a flower children's record. The light of hope burns brightly on this one. So bright you won't even wink when that fellow intones it in German.

Current 93 feat. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Idumaea [Durtrojnana, 2006]
There are a lot of versions of this Charles Wesley composition on Current 93's latest record. But to me Will Oldham's version is boss. Of course, as with David Tibet himself, you like the voice or you hate it. At first it seems as if his vocals are fighting the melody, but that's just the path he uses he lures you in. Heartbreakingly chilling.

Blackhouse - Hope Like a Candle [RRRecords, 1985]
I found this in the cd archives when I was looking for my Scott Walker cd's. About the strangest combination you can think of: seriously fucked-up industrial rhythms, a screaming warped voice and proselytizing the Christian faith, all in one neat package. Blackhouse are the most dangerous Mormons on this planet. Few industrial releases still cut it today. This one does.

Six Organs Of Admittance - The Sun Awakens [Dragnet, 2006]
What can I say? A landmark record where the old and new weird America embrace each other for one of the best records the still young millennium has brought on. A record that can change your life.

Adult. - Hand to Phone (PSS 2091 Mix) [Clone, 2002]
Carl Craig's remix is the one that set all the dance floors on fire, but this version by Italy's Marco Passarini, only to be found on a limited Clone 12", is the emotionally more satisfying one. A dark groover on the intersection between electro, idm, trance and techno, it sacrifices dance floor appeal for a deeper take on the original, in the process throwing everything out of the window except the original's chorus. Imagine Juan Atkins in a very dark mood and your halfway there.

Hair Police - Constantly Terrified [Troubleman Unlimited, 2005]
Evil noise rules on this one, the piercing howl that sounds like somebody's soul is being sucked out of his body, resounding sometime mid-record, being my favorite horror moment of the last few years. Haunting stuff but it definitely grips you.

Kiki - Boogy Bytes [BPitch Control, 2006]
People have been complaining about electronic music's lack of real emotions since its very inception. Since Kiki's fabulous Boogy Bytes mix they ought to shut up forever. And that’s' a fact!

To Rococo Rot - Kölner Brett [Staubgold, 2001]
With these guys there is always a conceptual angle. Kölner Brett was the name of a new kind of building in, as you would guess from the title, Cologne, where working and living combined in one single unit. The record is the reflection of the architectural grid of that building, given shape in twelve nameless compositions. Who cares when the music is as elegantly and horribly perfect-in-a-German-way as on this record. Techno minimalism vs. post rock is a winning combination, it would seem.

Scott Walker - Scott [1967, Fontana]
It is tempting to compare Walker's first album with the abstract mad genius of The Drift. And frankly, those broad orchestral backdrops to me, living in 2006, sometimes sound just as psychotic. 'Montague Terrace in Blue', 'Angelica' and 'Always Coming Back to You' still bring chills to my spine. And That Voice! Even on this first, pretty traditional solo record it propels you to ecstatic heights, the way normally only religion would.

Lindstrøm - Summervibes (Promo Mix Innervisions)
A promo mix by mister Lindstrøm himself. An internet search revealed it is already a year old. Especially the beginning is pure joy. A little bit further on, as you would expect, he goes on delving too much in the cheese corners of his disco collection. But I have to admit that I couldn't care less when the third track turned out to be Flash & The Pan's 'California', the kind of song that makes you forgive all misgivings and makes you smile for at least a day.

Justin Timberlake - Sexy Back
Pretty unavoidable isn't it? It is with Justin not with Nelly Furtado that Timbaland makes the single of the year 2006. A severe case of just-can't-get-you-out-of-my-head for days on now. Although, as Martijn put it, it's gonna be a bit awkward being caught singing "I let you whip me if I misbehave".

New York Noise 2 [Soul Jazz, 2005]
No Wave, electro, hiphop, funk and some guitar experiments combine on Soul Jazz’s second report on their further research into New York's Golden Age. And the guitar experiments provide the most interesting tracks. My favourite here is Red Transistor’s 'Not Bite', which is basically a guy screaming nonsense over a barrage of punk noise. I can recommend Rhys Chatham's 8-minute guitar wall, 'Drastic Classicism' as well, that is if you reckon yourself headstrong enough. Sonic Youth is presented with ‘I Dreamed I Dream', a moody cut from their debut release and it’s nice to hear Kim Gordon’s younger voice again. And UT's 'Sham Shake' has obviously drawn more than some inspiration from The Slits and Siouxsie and her Banshees. Not all the tracks have aged well but overall an entertaining selection.

Xasthur - Suicide in Dark Serenity [Bestial Onslaught, 2003]
One of the few records where the poor sound quality actually adds to the experience. Gothic synths pull Wagnerian movements, the agonizing is atrocious, the dismal universal and ancient the growl rising up from the bowels of the earth. With greetings from the Dark Prince. The title is a howl as well.

Full Stop

Been at it a week now, going at an average of four posts a day. Time to stop for a moment and reflect I guess. Strange that I've been able to exist for a grand total of seven months without so much as writing a single letter. It's what I do, don't I? Writing. I may not be the world's greatest or finest stylist, but I got something to say, or show, alright. I used to doubt that very fact. Not any more, I do. And surprisingly I'm feeling much better at home writing in a foreign language (ok, English is not really a foreign language, but nevertheless it is not my mother tongue). I'm guessing it's what they refer to as "the much needed distance". But then again my thought processes have always had a certain tendency to jump from one language to another. One moment it's English, then it's French and the next it could be Dutch. Luckily I'm not fluent in any other language or it would be a mess in my head. And on that side of things things are already worse enough. So let's start with the beginning and take it from there, instead of, like it used to be the case, wanting to develop a hundred ideas in one go.

Nevertheless I think it's gonna take a little while before I gather up the courage to come up with longer articles or essays. Not because I'm in doubt about my ability to write in English, but mostly because I got the feeling that I'm starting from scratch all over again. You feel like you got to learn the rules and goals you set yourself all over again. Writing in a language that is not your own is like asking directions in a foreign land. And, of course, but that's just me I guess, it's got to be different, better, too.

I'm working on a piece about Ricardo Villalobos (a new hero, it's been a while since I ran into one) right now and that 10-part essay I promised myself to write about Carl Craig is going to have come out one day or another. Maybe I will continue to write in Dutch for the KindaMuzik website but I am not really sure about that, because I've noticed in the past that when it comes to writing you better stick to one language. Developing an identity does not necessarily benefit from constant interrupts. Anyway, my opinion.

And now time for a new flow. A new place to live, a terrifyingly nice neighbour, new perspectives, new directions hopefully. The flood is coming and we got much to do (God, I'm starting to sound like David 'Apocalyptic' Tibet! Must take care with that).

Let's start ze dance!

Six Organs Of Admittance

Masterpiece alert!!! Everything about Ben Chasny's newest album is awesome, amazing and dumb-striking. I already considered him one of the great artists of the new century but I was in doubt whether he could deliver a record that topped School of the Flower. So here it is and words couldn't possibly do it justice. Listen and learn! This could be my record of the year 2006.

Gabriel Ananda (2)

Während die Anderen die Müll Rausbrachten hasn't got the direct (dancefloor) appeal his previous outings had, but is a much more subtle record, where atmosphere and details grab you bit by bit. The title track is even what you would call poppy. 'Kennst Du Das Auch' is more in a minimal vein (cfr. LoSoul's latest outing discussed below), but the real surprise here is closing track 'Geheimgefühl'. Seemingly starting out as a little ambient almost mid-tempo left-over, it actually turns out to be the track of the ep, when he, almost as if in extremis, decides to fit it with a powerful electro bass sound. That's 4 in a row, then?

LoSoul

I've always had a soft spot for Peter Kremeier's breed of minimalism, ever since that first brilliant track, 'Open Door'. I think I have all his records on Playhouse and this one is one fine addition to the collection. An interesting record for LoSoul, because after many years his music prudently is evolving from a bare surface-of-the-moon minimalism (which, by the way, is not a bad thing at all) to funkier realms, a difference, I can imagine, that you can only assess if you've followed him from the beginning. This means of course that he's leaving his own beaten path, but that ain't necessarily a bad thing because it involves a certain deepness. The change is hard to catch at first hearing and even harder to describe, but is undeniably there. Not that I expect anything less from Playhouse, which is still one of the best labels around.

Hair Police

At first hearing Constantly Terrified is not that different from Whitehouse. But this I like. Maybe because they get under your skin instead of beating you black and blue with a new set of hammers. Very noisy and evil music it is though and I'm rather glad my neighbour below decided to leave for the weekend. Another good thing: this does not scare the cats. And the voice (or is it a howl?) really sounds terrified, which is a good thing I suppose. Music that catches the light and slowly strangles it. Afterwards they swallow it whole, I guess. If, like me, you've come to appreciate the essence of black metal, you just got to try this. Awesome in a sick, very sick way.

Whitehouse

Never liked them, never will. I believe I bought the cd version of their first album, the fittingly titled Birthdeath Experience, sometime at the end of the eighties and even then, when I was into that kind of extremist anti-musical shit, I just did not get the joke. Because it must be a joke, right? People who claim that they listen to this unholy racket out of their own free will, must be out of their minds. If they had a mind in the first place. Avoid at all costs.

Mstrkrft

It would be rightout dishonest to compare Mstrkrft to the earthquake that the sadly departed DFA 1979 were. But honesty seems way overrated these days anyway and that don't change the fact that this really is very thin music. I could sum up at least a hundred acts or so that do this electroclash thing better than this duo. And on top of that all songs (songs? let's not kid ourselves, shall we) sound the same. Even Soulwax does better than this. And coming from me that sure ain't a compliment. Bring on those remixes! They might fix what's broke for now.

Cut Copy

On the basis of some reviews I had expected a revolutionary mix-concept, but in the end this is just another very good and eclectic mix, perfect for the dancefloor and the radio alike. And indeed the choice of tracks is reasonably broad-minded, albeit rather 80ies pop-orientated. Although I have my doubts about the live aspect of the mix, those do not in the least diminish the fact that this is one of the better party mixes of the year. I'm even suspecting that this mix, unlike many others, thanks to the timelessness of a lot of the tracks, will stand the test of time. Cut Copy really cuts it, then?

Aaaaaarrrrrggggghhhhh!

Ok, I know smoking ain't the healtiest use of your time and that most smokers have some sort of masochistic death wish. But I am a smoker and frankly I do it with pleasure. I never smoke in front or near children or people who don't want me to smoke. I am not one of those smokers who feels he's got the right to smoke anywhere he wants. Concluding, most of the time I am a health hazard only and alone to myself.

So today I go out and buy some good ol' blue Rizla leaves. What do my frankly horrified eyes notice, surreptiously hidden on the narrowest side? A fuckin' invitation to quit smoking. This begs the question: why would I buy leaves if I intended to stop smoking? This begs another question? Why don't 'they' just leave me alone with their advises 'for my own good'? And why don't they put the same notice on each and every bottle containing any alcohol? Last time I noticed there were far more people addicted to beer, wine and/or spirits.

I'm seeing following things happening in the near future:

1. They force you to quit smoking under penalty of suspending your social security
2. Not being able to get a job because you're a smoker
3. People getting stoned by smoke-hating mobs
4. Underground smoking clubs
5. Smokers gulags

And all that while breathing polluted air in an average city equals smoking three packs a day.

Krautrock Update 1

Limbus 3 was a private release and is hence rarer than hen's teeth and is a totally freaked-out combination of kosmische sounds and ethnic percussion. Free music doesn't get much more free than this. But the album is well worth your time if you're looking further than the usual krautrock names.


Limbus 4 (Limbus 3 with an extra bandmember) got contracted by krautrock guru R-U Kaiser's Ohr and is thus easier attainable. But don't think that that simple fact made them more accessible. Both Limbus albums were at the time revolutionary because they introduced a lot of ethnic sounds into their crazy musical vistas.


Saat, by German-Canadian tandem Emtidi (on the Pilz label) is even better but should be avoided at all costs if you don't like folk music. As a sign of the times they include a lot of the classic cosmic apparatus (space organs, mellotron) but the songs benefit rather than suffer from that. A nice touch is that the vocals are in English as well as in German. Beautiful record.

Fuckin' P$$$$ H$$$$$

Seriously, I can't understand why anyone with more than three usable braincells left would be inclined to listen to Paris Hilton's 'record'. I know that these days it's considered kosher for journalists, writers and other people who think they have something to say to not only agree with the latest mind-numbing shit that the so-called majors (their bullshit is major a'right) flood us with every day, but to actually lionize that stuff too. Instead of sucking up to Britney, Paris and the latest hiphop bimbo with round ass and satin-clad tits, you should be carrying the torch of the underground. Even if Justin Timberlake's new record would be good, then still you got the duty to write about and comment on better things than that. You should be mentally flogging these people instead of blogging about them.

And just for the record: I too listen from time to time to Britney, Kelly and whichever other pop phenomenon, but not a single bone in my body would agree to waste space on my blog or in such or such magazine to write about them, fit them into the latest cultural theory or whatever. Vade retro, Satanas!

Triosk

Their previous records (with or without Jan Jelinek) were already big hits at my place and this one sets out to do just the same. Always rippling and meandering but never obtrusive music that combines the best of laptop electronics and gently murmuring jazziness.

And on an entirely different note

I couldn't possibly not post this one, not? Wondering though why they would call him Hansi.

Must see

Even if you haven't a single political bone left in your body (indeed, although living in the most politicized society of all time,we are further than ever before in political history removed from Aristoteles' zoon politikon), I think you can spare three hours of your oh so precious time to view this BBC documentary about the so-called 'war on terror'. Ok, you've known for some time that you're being lied to by politicians and the media. But you may not know the extent of the lie. Watch it as long as you're still allowed to.

(afterthought: Ok, that may have sounded a little bit too dramatic. Just wait until you see Orwellianism happening for real, as in the case of the young muslims taking a trip to Disneyland. We're ruled not only by liars, but idiots as well. And nothing is worse than idiots who actually believe in something.)

(afterthought 2: Makes you wonder how real those so-called 'thwarted terrorist attacks' from a few weeks ago actually were in the first place)

Enough of my afterthoughts already! Just watch it! And be glad that there is something called BBC.

Erase it a'right!

The most remarkable thing about this record is that it's so unremarkable. Nothing happens from the beginning on and when it's over you still feel like nothing ever happened. In between you get a singer from a famous band who whines and whines over decidedly uninteresting laptop electronics. Only during 'And It Rained All Night' I had a flashback to Kid A. And that flashback lasted for about 20 seconds. Time to come crawling back out of your own ass. But that's just my humble opinion.

Inescapable Conclusion 2 da Cognoscenti

Check in here for 1 hour and 30 minutes of deep pleasures.

Salvador

As I'm momentarily totally addicted to the music of El Gran Ricardo, I decided to check out this compilation of his works between 1998 and 2001 for the Frisbee label. And it's almost as good as his later sublime period on Playhouse and Perlon. A little more dancefloor orientated and trance-inducing, a little bit more acidic and electro-ish too, but just as deep - or should I say infinite? - and maniacal in the details.

Also like the picture of him on the highway, because I've always viewed highways in the desert as perfect metaphors for infinity. And infinity is the word that best describes Villalobos world of sounds. When, after having gone on for more than 12 minutes or so, his tracks actually, really, come to a full stop, I always am surprised that they're already over. Exactly the same feeling you get from listening to Basic Channel or Chain Reaction. He's a saviour alright.

Mix

Those who dig Ewan Pearson, Riton, the Trinity of Nordic House and other electro-italo-punk-space-disco-house, should definitely check this mix by Man of the Moment Tim Paris. You can download it right here. Seriously r-r-r-recommended. Cheers!

Trickski

Scorcher alarm!!! Trickski, of Compost and Sonar Kollektiv, has done the impossible: he covered Carl Craig's 'At Les' without being slightly ridiculous. And that is one mean feat, children. Expect this 11-minute techno extravaganza soon on your dancefloor. Oooh! This is sooooo hot!

Crowdpleaser & St. Plomb

Philip Sherburne went stark raving mad over this one a few Wires ago. I bought one of the three vinyl samplers and I liked it too. Microhouse allying with cosmic sounds is something I should like, no? But the cd offers way more goodies. You can hear straight Basic Channel techno, wary discopunk (think Flying Lizards), dry and rhythmic house (think Herbert), hypnotizing grooves that Peter Kremeier nor Villalobos would be ashamed of, and, of course, sign of the times, some electro house. But everything is brought on with a light twist and as far as one can apply da funk to electronic grooves, Crowdpleaser & St. Plomb always manage to keep the drive alive, thanks, in part, to a myriad of tiny, almost pointillistic, soundbites. And the opening track is cosmic alright, that is if you're willing to stretch your definition of cosmic as far as taking in not only Tangerine Dream andVangelis, but Jean-Michel Jarre as well. Wicked!

That is not dead which can eternal lie

Don't know if it is the first film ever about the Cthulhu mythos, but me being a dedicated Lovecraft fan, I will most certainly catch this one on dvd in a few months. Rent it, of course, because a film where the indeed rather ominous - but in entirely different ways, mind you- Tori Spelling gets to play a role will, I suspect, not be, even in Hollywoodian terminology, a definitive masterpiece.

Mathew

Should be coming out by the end of august: Mathew Jonson's 'Automator', courtesy of Wagon Repair.

MD III

Those very nice people over at Clone have decided to come up with yet another label, Clone Classic Cuts. And the upcoming first release already has me watering at the mouth. Because it's none other than MDIII's 'Face the Nation', one of the finest and thus most sought after Chicago Acid classics, originally released in 1988 on Underground, the label that also brought us Tyree's 'Acid Over'. Produced by the legendaryMike Dunn and with vocals by Tyree himself. More curious is the fact that it's been overlooked by every single Chicago Acid compilation that's seen the light in the last few years.

The ugly record label pictured above I've included just to show what kinds of horrible things some unknowing idiots do to 'personalize' their records. All woes to them!

Superlongevity

More minimal from usual suspects Perlon with the 4th in the Superlongevity series. I've got all three previous compilations and this one doesn't disappoint a bit. Some great tracks from Villalobos (you can file 'Balacharde' among his best), Stefan Goldman, Horror Inc., Matt John (of course!) and Melchior Productions. And the rest ain't too bad either. Perlon is no longer as 'micro' as it used to be but firmly holds its position in the top ranks of all things minimal.

Matt John

Minimal techno does not get much better than this. Matt John delicately rides that ultra-thin line between too minimal and too maximal. Better put this man in the ranks along with Villalobos, Luciano, Wighnomy Bros., and Mathew Jonson. Spell-binding stuff.

Gabriel Ananda

That's three straight in a row for Gabriel Ananda. After 'Süssholz' and 'Ihre persönliche Glücksmelodie', both scorchers in their own right, he unleashes the mighty 'Doppelwhipper'. Grand things this lad does.

Fuckpony

This I like a whole lot. The usual Chicago Acid references are obviously in play but in essence this remains very accessible, almost a softened version of the usually more dancefloor orientated stuff that Get Physical (easily the world's most interesting label at the moment) puts out. And although I definitely despise the group's name, I couldn't dig up any other incriminating evidence against these boys. Better than Chelonis. Not better than Book Shade, though. So I guess somewhere in between and that's not too bad either.

Magik Markers

Promised myself I wouldn't write too much about records I do not like. But Magik Markers are quite thoroughly testing the limits of my nearly endless patience on A Panegyric to the Things I Do Not Understand. Free rock it is but all the dynamics (and their are lots and lots of dynamics on this record) just seem to go nowhere. Poetic titles should yield poetic music, not this uninspired racket. I am most certainly not impressed.

Comets On Fire

Right now listening to Avatar and still in doubt about what I should think of this. Is this a severe case of the feared BCO (Blue Cheer Obsession)? Or a damn' fine portion of over the top back-to-the-roots rock'n'roll antics? On fire they are a'right and while some tracks are white-hot furnaces of sheer power and exuberancy, they also can construct a mighty organ-led groove. So, considering the fact that I've even seen some sunrays today, I will give it the benefit of the doubt and heartily recommend it.

Total Toll

Just finished my first listening of the 7th episode in the Total series, Kompakt's yearly Techno Report. And it is to-ta-lly, com-ple-te-ly the bee's knees. Mediocrity is obviously still a dirty word over at Kompakt offices. Even considering that Kompakt is actually the collective name for more than five labels, then still one wonders at the sheer amount of brilliant tracks that is put on display here. One of the best electronic compilations I've heard. Ever!

Too Much

Having always been a rather avid (ok then, let's be honest: obsessional sounds more like it) downloader, reconnecting to the internet after having been deprived of it for seven months feels like returning from an unhabited island in the Pacific after seven years. Luckily, most of my internet friends/connections have been keeping up to date on the musical side of things. So excuse me if I'm going to overpost (does the word exist? now it does!) the following days. Lots of catching up to do (I hope?).

On a ride

Not that he has ever stopped putting out an incredible amount of music, but David Tibet aka Current 93, after having released what must be the best Current 93 album in ages (the chilling Black Ships Ate the Sky, easily on par with masterpieces like Thunder Perfect Mind and Of Ruine or Some Blazing Starre), shortly will be collaberating with Stephen O'Malley. A dream date for sure. Expecting quite a lot from that one. In the meantime a split ep with Om is immanent. Keep it coming!

On a related note, Nurse With Wound has been releasing in a rather hellish tempo this year. No less than eight (!) releases, albeit most of them in ridiculously limited pressings, have been sighted. And 2006 is far from over, so who knows...

High times for sure for the fans of England's Hidden Reverse.

So let's start with...

A top 10 of the records that are currently gracing the decks

1. Kunyuki - Earth Beats Remixed [Mule Musiq]
2. Sleep Archive - Radio Transmission EP [Sleep Archive]
3. Quince - Americana [Delsin]
4. Pink Lunch - My House (Playgroup Remix) [Fine]
5. Subway - 44110 [Soul Jazz]
6. Dj Mehdi - I Am Somebody (Kenny Dope Mixes) [Ed Banger]
7. Riton - Angerman (Riton Re-rub) [Linxfarren]
8. The Meat Boys - Fireworks [Cassette]
9. VA - Disco Supreme Volume One [Supreme]
10. JBP - Amongstone/Aphrotalk [Soul Jazz]

Cheers! Later more. Got to get used to the writing again.

With a Vengeance

So, we're back, after having been deprived of an internet connection for a grand total of (a seemingly endless) six months (yes, me can't hardly believe either). From now on I will be bothering, doggin' and pesterin' you all in an approximative version of the language of Milton and Shakespeare. About the usual obsessions, being: music, film, literature and, the world that we live in being the world that we live in, also about politics (because these last few months I have been losing my temper more and more about what's going on this godforsaken globe). Let's start the dance!