LCD Soundsystem - 45:33

45:33 is maybe one of the stranger releases of the year; a Nike-endorsed largely lyric-free 45 minute long track designed for gym workout sessions from LCD Soundsystem who's lead singer/head honcho James Murphy is a self-styled "fat guy in a t-shirt".

Far less 4/4 than you'd maybe expect for a workout mix this slinks around funky soft-rock, some slightly Orbital-esque electronica, and horn-punctuated jazzy disco slowly building to around the 29 minute mark where it cuts loose with some propulsive bass-driven disco-punk, before finally cooling down with some beatless floating at the close - the thinking being that it's designed around how your body works during a running session. Although not sounding too similar to LCD Soundsystem's previous work (it's definitely got more in common with his dancier remixes as the DFA), it's definitely up with their best material and works equally well if you're listening either sweating it up as intended or vegetating in front of the PC screen.

This extract starts at about the 24 minute mark where it's kicking some loose spacey smoothness:

LCD Soundsystem – 45.33 Nike+Original Run (Snippet) (MP3)

Unfortunately, it's only available at Itunes at the moment so takes a little faffing around if you want it as anything other than their horrible DRM'd M4As to put on your MP3 player, but there's rumblings that it'll receive a proper release next year.

John Arnold

This week I've been digging the sounds of John Arnold. In particular the broken-beat number '1234', Shake!

John Arnold - 1234 (Ft. Paul Randolph)

The impressive thing about the album is the amount of different genres it touches upon, which is most immediately noticeable in the playful instrumental cuts. The afro beat of 'La Cocina', to the funk of 'Suppadupe', to the Moroccan styling of 'Jangal'.

John Arnold - La Cocina
John Arnold - Suppadupe

John Arnold is a very much a staple of the Detroit electronic-jazz family having worked with the likes of Carl Craig, Amp Fiddler, and Jeremy Ellis. Indeed, Arnold and Ellis are regular DJ partners and have been putting out live unpredictable & eclectic shows for over ten years.

Style & Pattern is on Ubiquity and available from Amazon and Boomkat and probably others too.

Confuzed Disco

I picked up this album, subtitled 'a retrospective of Italian records' on the cheap from Juno last week and I don't think a day has gone by without me listening to at least a couple of tracks from it. There are quite a range of styles on there, all from the eighties. There is some post disco 4/4 which stays melodic but obviously is more electronic based than seventies disco. Then there is some early house stuff as well as some electro business. They even managed to sneak a bit of synth pop in there too, which turns out to be my favourite track. I love the synth chords, the bouncey little bassline, the little piano trills and even the vocals on the Fawzia track below. The chorus is so euphoric it makes me want to just glide about with my arms stretched wide (not in public though!).

Fawzia - Please Don't Be Sad

There are a couple of tracks from Gaz Nevada featured. 'Secret Agent Man' should be familiar to fans of Morgan Geist, as it featured on his excellent Unclassics mix cd. The other track, 'I.C. Love Affair' is another slow paced electronic groove. The opening chords, arpeggio bassline and synth hook combine to produce a very hypnotic track.

Gaz Nevada - I.C. Love Affair

There are a whole bunch of other great tunes on the album, samples can be found here at Juno where it is still a bargain at just £6.99 for a double LP.

Tussle

I'd never heard of Tussle or their 2004 debut album "Kling Klang" before picking it up on a whim a couple of weeks back in my local CD Exchange, purely because of the review quote on the front - "Writhing junkyard disco so limber your spine may spontaneously dissolve". It's almost that good too, mixing loose funky basslines with some insistent percussion. There's also a heavy dub influence apparent in the production too, with echo and reverb aplenty as well as spacey noises enveloping the grooves. Imagine an less streetsmart, completely instrumental ESG and you're kinda there.

Samples:

Tussle - Eye Contact (MP3)

Tussle - Nightfood (MP3)

There's a couple more samples and tracks over at Tussle’s Website, I'm an Indian too is well worth the download especially. They've got a new album out in November, there's a new video up at Youtube to check out.

Buy Kling Klang from Play

Happy Is The Only Way

That is the title of the Patrick Adams produced album by 'Sine' that I picked up in Guildford on Friday. Released on Prelude/CBS in 1977, it's five extended length tracks of funky disco, conga breaks and a whole lotta synth lead. Good stuff then!



I didn't have a whole lot of time for record shopping but I'd been told that Ben's Collector Records was well worth a visit. A quick flick through the cheap section resulted in a purchase of some MJ and Brass Construction LP's at which point the guy at the counter told me 'there is more of that kinda stuff out the back'. A much better (and higher priced) selection indeed, shame he didn't warn me about the stoner 'assistant' who insisted on playing me random stuff I didn't know, even though I said I was just here for a quick browse. Anyway, he picked out this so I can't moan too much.

Patrick Adams was invovled with many other projects including Bumblebee Unlimited and the Universal Robot Band. Sine only did this one album, but the track 'Just Let Me Do My Thing' was a popular disco number and even graced the UK charts. They returned in 1983 with another single 'Rotation' but that is all the groups known output. The title track is a nice vocal number that tails off into some synth solo's in the latter half. Track two 'Chimi' is a more uptempo instrumental. I love the chord progression on the piano in the main hook and the extended breakdown in the third minute before the groove drops back in again. Enjoy!

Sine - Happy Is The Only Way
Sine - Chimi

Making Me Feel So Sure

So, the irritating Robbie Williams is covering Lewis Taylor 'Lovelight' and is releasing it as his next single. Somewhat surprisingly Robbie doesn't ruin it - it doesn't have that soul that the original has, instead invoking a disco party feel. Mark Ronson is on production but in all honesty he adds little to the proceedings.

I felt it only right to post the original.

Lewis Taylor - Lovelight

Lewis Taylor was one of the UK’s soul scene great hopes for almost a decade. He is also unique in the fact that he is the complete package. Lewis is the singer/songwriter/instrumentalist/producer on most (if not all) of his albums. Always pegged for greater things, the breakout to commercial success never came.

Lewis Taylor - Stoned Pt. 1
Lewis Taylor - Positively Beautiful

As of 2006 he is no longer involved the music industry and, apparently, is now writing comedy for the Chuckle Brothers (?!!). Such a shame - unless of course, you love the Chuckle Brothers.

All tracks posted are taken from the 2002 album, "Stoned, Pt. 1" which can be bought from Amazon

Masters at Work

Nobody does this type of soulful house better as far as I'm concerned. This track was featured on their 2002 album Our Time Is Coming, although it was a very short edit. I have a limited edition white vinyl single, backed with the excellent 'To Be In Love' and signed by the boys (not personally unfortunately). Here the track is layed out in its full glory, and sounding much better for it in my opinion. I love the bubbling bassline and the sweet rhodes piano. Almost worth the £11 I paid for it! More information on James Ingram can be found here.

James Ingram - Lean On Me

Dr Who Dat?

I make a point to buy everything released on Lex Records, not only because the music is routinely great but also as the CD packaging is always gorgeous - embossed sleeves, foldout inlays and not a jewelcase in sight.

Their latest release, Beat Journey by Dr Who Dat? (aka Philly MC/Producer Jneiro Jarel) is no exception on either front. Musically it reminds me of Madlib at his most hazy and loose, taking in influences from hiphop, jazz and soul to make an layered dreamlike instrumental record you can just blissfully drift off to on a sunny afternoon. As the title suggests, it works best as a complete album and other than a couple of harsher-sounding tracks which feel a little out of place, flows extremely well throughout.

Dr Who Dat? – Braziliant Thought

There's some more tracks to listen to over at Myspace and you can buy the strictly limited edition 2CD Version over at Play.

Namie Amuro

I like finding oddities of tunes in unlikely places. This is one such example. Namie Amuro is one of J-Pop's biggest selling artists with total sales of 27 million and was possibly the most well recognised name on the scene in the 90's. The music is typically hi-octane DDR Pop. More recently she has moved into a more Americanised R&B sound, working with the likes of Dallas Austin, and proclaiming herself 'The Queen of Hip-Pop'.

'Storm' doesn't fit with any of this. It's a smokey Jazz bar type of tune, with a modern squelchy beat. It reminds me quite a bit of Christina Aguilera's current 30's/40's fixation, but with a lot less diva attached.

Namie Amuro - Storm

If you are feeling adventurous you can find 'Storm' on the 1997 album 'Concentration 20', which you can buy from here.

The House Spectrum

I recorded a new mix today. It features many different styles of house music, from deep to bleep to funky - hence the name 'The House Spectrum'. Nothing fancy, just 2 decks, a mixer and a bunch of (old) records. Turned out alright, couple of iffy mixes but nothing awful. Tracklisting:

01. Derrick L. Carter - The Hollow Clash of Marionettes
02. Ibex - Macamba
03. Natural Rhythm - Jammin'
04. DJ Buck - Don't Take the Weight
05. Dimitri from Paris - Dirty Larry (Idjut Boys Classical Jazz Mix)
06. Torso - El Toro (Can 7 Fruitcake Mix)
07. Halo, Penn & Chus present 'Music for Playgrounds' - Vuelve a Casa
08. Derrick L. Carter - People (Alternate Mix)
09. Rev - Au
10. Drumprints One (Bug Dub)
11. Todd Bodine - The Lost Girl from Mexico
12. Freaks - Washing Machine (Sneak's Supa-Clean Mix)
13. The Drug Punks - Drug (Eric Morillo Dub)
14. Pepe Bradock - Deep Burnt

[Download]

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