I was itching and scratching to get a new Cosmix iteration out since my set at Picnik Electronik (which was basically Cosmix vol. 3.5) and the ensuing Cosmix vol. 4, last August.
It took a while to put it together and find its groove — I do put a lot of thought and research into that series — but what a groove it found for itself!
This, my dear friends, is definitely the grooviest of the Cosmix series, so far!
You are about to download and listen a massive 2 hours and 38 minutes of tasty bits, the danciest, most straightforward of the lot, but then again, maybe not…
All together, the first three tracks alone take up 35 minutes of the total runtime and about a very groovy hour later, there’s a nice psychedelic break so you can light up a fat spliff before you start dancing again and get worked up for that one-two-three, jab-body blow-uppercut finale that’ll leave you dehydrated and, hopefully, ecstatic. I DO strongly recommend that you listen to this mix in one sitting to fully appreciate it, otherwise the overall groove I was talking about before kinda gets lost…
Personnally, I’ll be bold and daring and say it IS flat out, no competition, my favourite mix in the Cosmix series so far.
• The very first track was kindly offered by the artist even though it is still unreleased, and I have promised Dominique to help him get this track signed, so if you have any interest in releasing it or know someone who might, please contact me at dj@monsieurseb.com.
• As you’ve noticed, I take as little credit as possible when recording a mix, after all, I do them to introduce you to artists you might not know. Now, you’ll also notice that one track in the playlist has no links. The thing is, with that one, I have no idea how it got in my iTunes library. I subscribe to dozens of music blogs and such, and when I tried finding a relevant link for this track, I came up basically empty handed. If you have something to suggest, please do!
Actually, it was on 01-01-2010, since I played from 2:30 to 4 a.m., but here’s the recording of the exclusive Drum n’ Bass set I played at that event earlier this week.
I meant to record the set live, but forgot to hit the record button at the beginning of the set, so the actual live recording is missing the first 12 minutes. Here it is, re-recorded for your listening enjoyment.
So… 2009 came and went, as did the first decade of a new century and millenium, and what did we learn from it? Depends on how old you are I guess… I am closing my 4th decade (please calculate carefully, that makes me 40, not 50!) and some would probably love to say I have learned fuck nothing… Well, to quote Bran Van 3000, I have learned fuck all!
Must’ve been the pressure from all those blogs and other sources of information I read daily, but I suddenly got the urge to post my favourite music of the last decade. A list of my favourite from 2009 has been posted a few days ago. I didn’t restrain myself to a certain number, it just so happens that I ended up with 32.
All I can tell you is that as this decade comes to an end, with the many life changes that are accompanying it into the past, these are the albums or songs or artists that come to mind instantly, or almost so, as I reflect upon the music that has shaped who I’ve become in the past 10 years…
MONSIEUR SEB’S BEST OF 2000s
in alphabetical order
Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
I’ve often said, throughout the 2000s that rock would only achieve some form of renewal by breaking its structure rather than exploring sonorities, and that’s what the Monkeys have not done! Their structure is pretty classic ans their sound even more so, but still, when I first heard them, I truly had the impression of a majestic wave of freshness. Maybe it’s Alex Turner’s plume, which reminds me — in some strange way I can’t really explain — of Donald Fagen’s, but there’s something about the Monkeys that’s unique. And I’m not even talking about their stage presence and performance skills… The video below is a B-side from a single off their first album, and one of my favourite tracks of theirs.
Beat Pharmacy/The Echologist/Brendon Moeller
No one does trippy dubbed out techno and deep house like Brendon does: NO ONE! This South African born gentleman (and I know he is, it’s not just a figure of speech) now residing in New York (and who is A&R for François K’s Wave Music) has dominated the 2000s, as far as I’m concerned, when it come to hybridizing the aesthetics of dub to those of electronica. PERIOD.
Bent
Bent? Barely even really know them, but heck! what I know of them has consistently blown my mind. Their main hits have moved me WAY too much for me to leave them out of my favourite tracks from the past 10 years. They’re just one step up from a one hit wonder, but that doesn’t mean their music has less quality!
Bran Van 3000
James Di Salvio is, to me, one of the greats of this early 21st century. The man is no great composer, but he is a truly GREAT music lover who doesn’t just sample tracks, he pays them hommage. OK, two thirds of his albums have been released in the 2000s and they’ve all been received in a rather ambiguous way, but I’m one fan fini, and you don’t know what a Bran Van party is untul you’ve seen them live.
Brian Eno – Another Day on Earth
Well, of course Brian Eno is a music God, among other things, but this album is a little gem that everyone should get acquainted with, if only because he does have a great singing voice!
Burial – Untrue
When Burial’s second album came out, I had been aware of Dubstep for a while, but that genre had yet to impress me. But when I first listened to Untrue, my jaw dropped to the floor. I was listening to a genre-defining album, much like Massive Attack’s Blue Lines 15 years before or Kraftwerk’s Trans-Europe Express before that, to name just those two. It will become a timeless classic, I can tell you that much.
Donald Fagen – Morph the Cat
People who know me know that Steely Dan and Donald Fagen have made and are still making some of my favouritest music, and a new solo album by Fagen is a cause for rejoicing in and of itself, and Morph was even more so, with some of his best songwriting yet.
Doves
Ah! The Doves. No doubt one of my favouritest British rock bands. They have yet to disappoint me, and what’s more, they seem to be getting consistently better after four albums. Their classic tracks are such monuments of beauty… I’ll just let them do the talking…
Gonzales – Solo Piano
Jason Charles Beck, originally from Montreal (unless I’m mistaken) is one of those true artists who can do just about anything, and well. He’s done electro, hip hop, and even classical music on his Solo Piano album. That record sees him channeling the spirit of every great composer for the piano from Debussy to Keith Jarrett. The CD is an absolute must, but if you get the chance to catch him in concert, don’t miss it, because to top it all off, he is an amazing performer!
Gorillaz vs. Spacemonkeyz – Laika Come Home
Little heard of before or since, the Spacemonkeyz had the idea of remixing the entire Gorillaz first album à la Dub, and thus was born Laika Come Home, my favourite Gorillaz album. No, really, I think this one is the best of the lot even though it’s not entirely a Gorillaz album. If you like Dub, this album is really worth the fistful of peanuts it’ll cost ya.
Jesse Somfay – A Catch in the Voice
Like I said in my best of 2009, this human being has the uncommon talent to create beauty, but with his 2009 album A Catch in the Voice released on Pheek’s Archipel imprint, what he created is beyond words. Strictly speaking it is “electronic” music, but incredibly organic at the same time. In any case, like I just said, trying to affix words to his creations is quite futile. Just let the waves wash over you…
Jesse Somfay – Fricative White (From a whisper to a scream)
All I can add to what I said about the previous entry is that this work of art is one of my favourite tracks of all time. Period. The video below is an edited version, but I URGE you to get the complete 27 minutes version (there’s a free legal download link to the complete version @192 kbps). One day you’ll thank me (but thank Jesse, he’s the one that deserves it).
Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around
I picked this one because it’s the one that introduced me to Rick Rubin’s American series with Cash, but I might as well have picked any of them as they all contained blindingly eloquent examples of Cash’s talent as an interpreter. When he sings someone else’s song, it instantly becomes his. Many artists that were covered by Cash in the American series have said they felt they could no longer sing their song after hearing Cash sing it… The day he died was a sad day for the world, but a happy one for him, since I was finally reunited with his life’s true love, June Carter. RIP, Man in Black.
Jose Gonzales
It took a Swede of Argentinian origins to reconcile me with Folk music. I first heard this Gonzales as a guest singer on a Zero 7 album (see below, they are also part of my best of the 2000s) where he sang on their version of his song Crosses, and I was immediately under the spell of his voice, so I decided to explore and discovered a wonderful album, Veneer, which was followed by an equally wonderful second album, In Our Nature.
Kings of Convenience
It took a pair of Norwegian to reconcile me with Folk music… Although in their case, I’d say they (Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe) are not as clearly folksy as Gonzales (see above), with strong jazz and even bossa inflections in their music. In both cases, nonetheless, it is their voices that first drew me to their music.
LCD Soundsystem
Talk about zeitgeist: one can almost smell New York when listening to a LCD track, but one can also hear, condensed in a few sharp words, the whole youth underground culture of the 2000s and its intense hybridization (re. Losing my Edge). Is James Murphy God? Nah! But he sure is one of the best artists of the 2000s, definitely. I would’ve loved to include the cover of Carl Craig (as Paperclip People)’s Throw that LCD do live, but the only clip I found was too short and sounded bad. Regardless: to me, the very idea of covering such a dancefloor track with a live band says it all about Murphy et al.
Lindstrøm
Yeah… Saying I love Lindstrøm has become cliché by now, as people who know me well will readily tell you. Still, this man has singlehandedly led a whole movement for the past five years or more (depending on where you place the beginning) and keeps banging out incredible tracks, like his recent 42 minutes version of the Christmas classic Little Drummer Boy or Baby Can’t Stop, from his upcoming album with vocalist Christabelle which sees him going in a disco-funk direction à la M.J. circa Off the Wall! Boogie on!
Luomo – Vocalcity
I picked Vocalcity because it was SO important to me when it came out, but especially the track Tessio, which gave me back hope that true House wasn’t on its way out, as it seemed to me back then (in 2000). If you hold any pretention of loving electronic music, your record collection simply isn’t complete without Vocalcity, and with the shortest track clocking in at 9:56, you can rest assured you’re getting your money’s worth with this one!
Malajube – Labyrinthes
If you’re from outside North America, chances are slim you’ve heard of these guys, unless you ear is firmly pressed on the indie-rock railroad track. I wasn’t a fan of theirs before this third album. As a matter of fact, I barely knew more than their name and didn’t try to learn more, as I tend to shy away from bands that are too hyped, as was the case when their second album came out. However, when I received Labyrinthes in the mail last February, I thought I’d give them a real listen, and they blew me away. Definitely in my top 3 best albums of 2009 and top 5 of the 2000s. Indie-rock, yes, but with Prog flourishes that don’t need to blush in the presence of their elder statemen, Labyrinthes is an album borne out of personal hardship and, as most such albums, it radiates an intense light. And I did listen back to their earlier stuff: doesn’t measure up to this. Here’s a link to download the excellent opening track Ursuline.
Martin Léon
Here’s another Québec artist who you probable never heard of if you live outside this province. I even feel strange writing about him in English! But what Martin Léon does different from most other Québec artists is write stuf that’s beyond the usual pop love song drivel. He is a true composer (who has studied with Ennio Morricone) and a great writer, and his ear is atuned to what’s going on in the world. The result are amazingly unique little gems. He’s only got two albums (more if you include his stint with the band Ann Victor), but they are priceless, with a little favoritism on my part for his first, Kiki BBQ.
Miguel Graça
Initially, I was only going to include Mig’s first full length, Miguel Graça presents Soulnotmind: Shining Stars, but then, while researching for links and stuff, I realized that his other albums released during the 2000s had as much impact on me as that first one, although it does hold a special place in my mind and heart. Quite difficult to find stuff to link to, but here’s one taken off his second album, Monkey Mass, and co-produced with my buddy Fred Everything.
Mocky
Dominic Salole is an artist who’s part of of the incredibly talented gang sometimes referred to as the “Canadian Crew” that includes Gonzales, Feist, Peaches and Taylor Savvy. Mocky is a multi-instrumentalist with an uncanny talent for great productions and even greater melodies; he’s often involved in the album production of his fellow Canadian Crew members. On his own, he’s released four albums in the 2000’s, with the latest, Saskamodie, almost being a pure jazz album. The whole Canadian Crew is worth discovering, but my suggestion is that you begin by Mocky’s productions (and save Feist for last, since y’all probably know her anyways).
Moloko – Statues / Forever More (FKEK Remix)
I would’ve included the whole Moloko catalog if I could, but Statues is their only album which came out in the 2000s (oops, not true: Things to Make and Do came out in late 2000) and, sadly, t was to be their last album, too (so far). In a way, although it is sad, it is also a good thing because Moloko can only be Mark Brydon and Róisín Murphy, and the proof is in the pudding: what dear Róisín has done since is OK, at best. However, to cite Wikipedia: “While both currently pursue projects outside of Moloko and state that there are no plans for Moloko at the moment, Murphy has been keen to stress that the group are not necessarily defunct and that she has no interest in ‘burying’ the project.” So, there. I’ve put emphasis on the François Kevorkian and Eric Kupper remix of Forever More because, well… It is one of their best productions, simple as that!
New Order – Get Ready
I’ve always been a great fan of N.O. and I can’t tell you how elated I was when rumours of a new album started floating around in 2000. I think a lot of people were surprised, at first, at how much more rock-sounding Get Ready was compared to what Barney & Co. had done before, especially Republic, which had preceded it 10 years before. Well, not I. I embraced this new hard sounding sound which perfectly suits Hooky’s bass and Barney’s voice. In any case, it also contains one of their best songs, Run Wild. I did enjoy Waiting for the Siren’s Call, but nowhere near as much as Get Ready.
Quantic/Quantic Soul Orchestra
Wow! Here’s one guy who really blew my mind during the 2000s (although I’ve been a bit less into his productions of late). Will Holland is a rare musical genius who can play almost everything and compose in almost any style. As a matter of fact I’m certain he can compose any style of music, I just haven’t heard him do so. He’s known as The Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Limp Twins, Quantic and his Combo Bárbaro and other monikers, he works alone or with a full orchestra and everything he touches becomes groovy. Y’all should really hook up with Will, trust me!
Social System – Autumn > Spring
Dearest Pheek, a true visionnary and a dedicated man. I have immense respect for him as a person and as an artist, but also as a label manager: he has great flair for discovering and nurturing fresh talent. This album is a collaboration between Jean-Patrice and Jason Corder. Now, Pheek’s releases are amazing little gems, and Jason can hold his own, too, but together, they created something that’s greater than the sum of its parts, and Autumn > Spring is an aboslute must in any record collection. JP, I couldn’t find any other source, so I’m embedding a track off your album instead of a YouTube clip. It is protected even in the source code, so in principle it is impossible to download and besides I’ve encoded it @ 128kbps. If you want me to remove it, let me know.
Stars of the Lid – And Their Refinement of the Decline
I really honestly don’t know what to say about SotL and this album in particular. They compose and play what has become my favourite ambient music. I don’t feel I need to add anything else…
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Much like Luomo gave me back hope that House was not dying, the Flaming Lips gave me hope that rock was still able to offer something creative. Wayne Coyne et al. have been at it for almost thirty years already, and they show no sign of slowing down or losing their edge, and if only for that, they deserve their presence on this list. And once you listen to their integral cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, you’ll either love them for life or hate them forever.
Trentemøller – The Last Resort
Much maligned after his immense and relatively rapid rise to fame, Trentemøller still deserves his spot on my list of the best of the 2000s. The Last Resort, whether they care to admit it or not, blew everyone’s mind by (to my ears, anyways) bridging the gap between minimal techno and more melodic House. Now, let’s just wait and see if he’ll top himself. So far it’s been over 3 years since he’s done anything worthwhile…
Underworld
They’ve only released two albums in the 2000s, but I’d be hard-pressed to say which is best. No matter that, Underworld have been one of my favourite electronic bands since the day I first heard dubnoheadwithmybassman in 1994, so even if their latest releases had been total crap, I’d still have included them on my list!
Zero 7
Ah! my darlings Zero 7! Hardaker and Binns (whose name even sounds like a cool menswear line or pocket knife brand) have never produced anything I didn’t totally fall in love with, even their latest album, Yeah Ghost, which has left many a fan perplexed. Their music is always soothing and uplifting, even though it knows how to be a bit sad, at times. One of my fantasies: drivng along the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible while listening to the track below…
Also rans
Wish I could’ve included The Art of Noise’s The Seduction of Claude Debussy, but it officially came out in 1999, even though I discovered it in 2000. Same goes for Electronic’s Twisted Tenderness. I would also have included Oasis’ Dig Out Your Soul and The Verve’s Forth in the best of 2009, but they came out in 2008 and weren’t so good as to make the cut for the best of the 2000’s, although they are both kick-ass albums IMHO. I wish I could’ve included my friend Jean-Pierre reissues of Handful of Snowdrops and Spaceful of Astronauts, but reissues don’t count in my book — which doesn’t mean you shouldn’t rush to discover what I’m talking about if you don’t already know.
So… 2009 came and went, as did the first decade of a new century and millenium, and what did we learn from it? Depends on how old you are I guess… I am closing my 4th decade (please calculate carefully, that makes me 40, not 50!) and some would probably love to say I have learned fuck nothing… Well, to quote Bran Van 3000, I have learned fuck all!
Must’ve been the pressure from all those blogs and other sources of information I read daily, but I suddenly got the urge to post my favourite music of 2009. A list of my favourite from the whole decade will follow shortly. I didn’t restrain myself to a certain number, it just so happens that I ended up with 20.
All I can tell you is that as this year comes to an end, with the many life changes that are accompanying it into the past, these are the albums or songs or artists that come to mind instantly, or almost so, as I reflect upon the music that has shaped who I’ve become in the past year…
MONSIEUR SEB’S BEST OF 2009
in alphabetical order
DJ Hell – Teufelswerk
Rarely does an album, particularly in the electronic world, capture so aptly the zeitgeist. Two excellent cameos by P. Diddy on The DJ (the man DOES have a sense of humour) and Bryan Ferry — singing an unreleased track of his (U Can Dance, see below) are alone worth the price of the album, but the rest of the tracks are stellar, too. Some have hailed it as the best dance album ever. I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s certainly one of the best of 2009. The track The DJ is featured on my promo mix Inside Me, while U Can Dance can be heard on I Am Rhyhtm.
Doves – Jetstream (Lindstrøm Remix)
The original is one of the best on the Doves’ latest, and we all know Lindstrøm is very close to being a musical genius, but on this totally groovy remix, he pulled out all the stops and in the first half the keyboard playing almost sounds like Elton John on acid. Major dancefloor scorcher, if you ask me. If I had presented this best of list in some kind of preference order, this one would paobably be my number 1.
Doves – Kingdom of Rust
Ah! The Doves. No doubt one of my favouritest British rock bands. They have yet to disappoint me, and what’s more, they seem to be getting consistently better after four albums. Compulsion has all the potential to become a classic rock track, as do many others on this opus.
Jesse Somfay – A Catch in the Voice
All I can say is that this human being has the uncommon talent to create beauty… Heck, even his Facebook statuses are little gems.
John Daly – Sea & Sky
Released on François K’s Wave Music, this first album by the Irish producer encompasses his best productions so far plus three new tracks, and it hits the right spot. To quote Resident Advisor: “…this full-length makes its clear that tagging Daly as deep house only covers about half of what he’s up to.” His track exp3 from this album is featured on my promo mix Cosmix, vol IV.
Jonsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps
Ambient done right by Sigur Ros’ singer Jón Pór Birgisson and his life partner Alex Somers. Somewhat reminiscent of my darlings Stars of the Lid, but “cleaner”. According to Wikipedia, Boy 1904 is said to feature the last known castrato singer ever recorded. Definitely an album of potent introspective power and luminescent beauty.
Jori Hulkkonen – Man from Earth
Already a seventh album for Finland’s Jori Hulkkonen, not couting his mix CD a few years back on Turbo. As always, there’s a certain quality to his productions that’s hard to describe yet immediately apparent… I’m tempted to pin it on his nordicity, but I could be wrong. The standout tracks on this album are I Am Dead, Dancerous, Undercover, Bend Over Beethoven and the title track.
Lindstrøm – Little Drummer Boy
Yes, another Lindstrøm oeuvre on my best of the year. I did include the Norwegian in my best of the 2000’s, but I sure wasn’t going te refrain from including his totally flabberghasting take on this Christmas classic on my best of cette année. Now, it is a well-known fact that I love long jams, and as long jams go, this is one of the best with its 42:43 seconds, ranking it just between Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4 (59:35) and The Orb’s Blue Room (40:00), and it is not only its length that places it in such stellar company, but its intrinsic worth, too. With this production, Hans Peter proves he’s got nothing to envy those guys (as if we needed any more proof after his 2008 album Where You Go I Go Too). Here’s a link to a free download of the edited version, but you won’t have lived a full life until you carefully listen to the full version a few times…
Malajube – Labyrinthes
If you’re from outside North America, chances are slim you’ve heard of these guys, unless you ear is firmly pressed on the indie-rock railroad track. I wasn’t a fan of theirs before this third album. As a matter of fact, I barely knew more than their name and didn’t try to learn more, as I tend to shy away from bands that are too hyped, as was the case when their second album came out. However, when I received Labyrinthes in the mail last February, I thought I’d give them a real listen, and they blew me away. Definitely in my top 3 best albums of 2009. Indie-rock, yes, but with Prog flourishes that don’t need to blush in the presence of their elder statemen, Labyrinthes is an album borne out of personal hardship and, as most such albums, it radiates an intense light. And I did listen back to their earlier stuff: doesn’t measure up to this. Here’s a link to download the excellent opening track Ursuline.
Massive Attack – Splitting the Atom
If this four track EP is any indication of what’s to come on their new album Heligoland, due out in February 2010, my guess is that it will be their best album yet, IMHO. The four songs on StA are as beautiful as they are intense, and if you listen carefully, you’ll hear elements from all their previous albums, a sign of true artistic vision.
Max Essa – Continental Drift
UK born but Japan based Max Essa releases mainly on Bear Funk, one of the labels to keep an eye on if you’re into the Cosmic Disco thing, although Essa’s album would fall more into the Balearic Beat category, if you want to be specific. This link will lead you to an interestingly eclectic promo mix by Essa.
Milton Jackson – Crash
To me, Freerange Records is the label that replaced the late Paper Recordings as the best Deep House label in England and probably the world, and Jackson has been a stalwart of Freerange for a while, although he’s not the one I’d follow the most closely. That is until he released Crash an elegant exercice de style in (relative) minimalism and deep houseness. Not an album whose tracks you’ll likely hear on dancefloors, but I’d definitely recommend it as a driving album!
Mungolian Jetset – We Gave It All Away… And Now We Are Taking It Back
One of Norway’s best kept and most valuable treasure, these guys are unique: NO ONE sounds like them (and if you think to yourself “Well, this remix reminds me of so and so”, just listen to another one of their productions: no two are alike). I can only urge you to Google them and explore the breadth and scope of their productions… We Gave It All Away is the perfect tool to do so, but it is only technically an album from 2009, because it is a double compilation of their productions and remixes and, sadly, most of them have been edited, because the Mungs tend to make epic tracks often busting the ten minutes mark (for example Clairevoyage [featured on my first Cosmix promo mix], a Dominique Leone track remixed jointly with Lindstrøm and that hit 12 minutes in its original full length, but was edited down to 10 minutes for this compilation). However, edited or not, unless you want to embark on a hunt for their releases (not an esay task), this release is the next best thing. This track is NOT pon that compilation, but it is definitely one of their good productions.
Pezzner
Formerly known as one half of Jacob London, Dave Pezzner had created a solid reputation for himself in two short years with no less than 20 releases and remixes, including three releases of original material on Freerange. His first album is slated for spring 2010 on that label, so lets just hope it won’t be the usual collection of previously released material with a few new tracks. Below is one of my favourite remixes he did in 2009 which is featured on my promo mix I Am Rhythm
Radio Slave Certainly not a newcomer, Matt Edwards’ productions and remixes under his monikers Radio Slave and Quiet Village have yet to disappoint this DJ and music lover. Standout track of 2009, to me: his 28 minutes version of DJ Hell’s The DJ. He took the concept to its logical limit and you gotta respect anyone who does that! My buddy Nic B once said that the true Trance inducing electronic music is House and Mat Edwards seems hell-bent on proving so. The track below is also featured in my promo mix Inside Me.
Roberto Rodriguez
Yes, another producer whose output didn’t once disappoint in 2009, and besides having that little je ne sais quoi that makes me love his productions so much, he excels in many different styles, which is an automatic respect earner for me. The video below is my favourite of his 2009 productions and is featured on my promo mix Inside Me.
Stimming – The Loneliness
I could’ve presented Stimming’s whole Reflections album in this best of 2009 list, but this track stands out so much that I decided it deserved to be featured on its own. You can hear this track on my promo mix Inside Me.
The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs – Dark Side of the Moon
The Lips are in my opinion one of the only good rock bands in the U. S. of A., one that has consistently dared to explore different sonorities and structures and one that has avoided the pitfalls that are typical of trying to gain or retain an audience that is only superficially interested in their musical creations. Their version of the entire iconic Pink Floyd album, while it might seemingly help them gain a wider audience, probably won’t do so. Not because it is not good: far from it! But the usual “HOW could they do THAT to such a classic album!” type of reaction is easily predictable from 99% of the people who’ll listen to it (if you exclude their fan-base, I mean). Long live Coyne, Drozd et al.!
The Phenomenal Handclap Band
Live instrumentation dance-oriented rock that channels the spirit of prog rock, blues, disco and eveything in between, this band is made up of members from such bands as TV on the Radio, L’Trimm, Calla, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mooney Suzuki, and Sí Se. One of their tracks is featured on my ilve mix at Picnik Electronik this past August.
Documentary following a generation of post-punk musicians who took the synthesiser from the experimental fringes to the centre of the pop stage.
In the late 1970s, small pockets of electronic artists including the Human League, Daniel Miller and Cabaret Volatire were inspired by Kraftwerk and JG Ballard and dreamt of the sound of the future against the backdrop of bleak, high-rise Britain.
The crossover moment came in 1979 when Gary Numan’s appearance on Top of the Pops with Tubeway Army’s Are Friends Electric heralded the arrival of synthpop. Four lads from Basildon known as Depeche Mode would come to own the new sound whilst post-punk bands like Ultravox, Soft Cell, OMD and Yazoo took the synth out of the pages of the NME and onto the front page of Smash Hits.
By 1983, acts like Pet Shop Boys and New Order were showing that the future of electronic music would lie in dance music.
Contributors include Philip Oakey, Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, Bernard Sumner, Gary Numan and Neil Tennant.
In 1993, after the demise of Handful of Snowdrops Jean-Pierre Mercier, writer and composer of the band, began a new journey into instrumental electronic music under the new moniker Spaceful of Astronauts. After a couple of performances in rave events at the beginning of the 90s, he redirected his focus toward a more open and ambient sound that would culminate a few years later.
Nanomusique is the title of the long forgotten Spaceful of Astonauts’ album. Originally recorder in 1995, but never release for lack of resources, it has been completely remastered for the occasion of its official release as well as extended with two bonus tracks from the same era, namely Orion and Big Black Bubble.
You can now stream excerpts of every track of this mesmerizing electronic and instrumental work from the new SoA Mypace profile.
The 1 hour, 19 minutes and 11 seconds ambient epic is ONLY available as a DOWNLOADABLE DIGITAL ALBUM directly from the Handful of Snowdrops website shop and the Spaceful of Astronauts official Myspace profile.
On Sunday Nov. 8th, it will be my great pleasure and honor to spin at Salon Daomé with my old turntable (and more) buddies, Nic B., St-Michel alongside our host for the evening, Phil Larochelle! 7$ at the door with a free drink. Cheers!
Zero 7 is one of those bands whose albums I’ll buy with my eyes closed, no matter what. Heck, I think I’d buy their albums even if I was deaf…
Hardaker and Binns simply can do no wrong.
Their latest offering is no exception to this rule, at least for me, but I think some fans might be a bit turned off by Yeah Ghost, an album that is a far cry from the 70’s sheen of Simple Things. But if those fans are turned of by this album, they were probably into Zero 7’s music for the wrong reasons.
On Yeah Ghost, Hardaker and Binns have captured the Zeitgeist in their very personal way, and the result is nothing short of flabberghasting.
Weird rhythms and time signatures at much faster tempos than what they have habituated us to, yet none made straightforwardly for the dancefloor; melodic hooks that are often played on strident synths rather than by lush orchestrations (which doesn’t mean they are not beautiful); a new vocalist that goes by the name Eska who can at times sound like Alice Russell and at others like The Knife’s Karin Dreijer Andersson and even, sometimes, like both Sia and Sophie Barker, who she “replaces” on Yeah Ghost. All these things contribute to the very peculiar atmosphere that radiates from this album.
I bought it just yesterday and I must admit I didn’t much enjoy my first listen: I was merely intrigued enough to want to give it a second go, which I did a few hours later while sitting down to do a quick translation contract.
And then it hit me. Hard.
Yeah Ghost is an album of intense luminosity, but true to its creator’s habits, it doesn’t try to blind you or flash its lights at you. One has to seek the beauty that lies right there, before your eyes, but requires you adjust your point of view a little. Once you lean into it a bit, it becomes by far the most rewarding album these guys have put out.
Not to take away anything from the other three, it’s simply that this album actually helps you realize how different each of the others was from the one before, even in all their similitude.
If Zero 7 stopped producing today, they could go away knowing that history will remember them as the band who reinvented itself for each of their albums. Now, how many bands can pretend to such a title?
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Below are two tracks that you can download (Pop Art Blue and Everything Up, which I’m merely reposting from other sites that were officially giving them away), and a third that is, to me, quite representative of the album’s atmosphere (but that you can’t download, All of Us).
Back in 2000, when my sacrosanct label — Paper Recordings — was still hot but had nonetheless begun it’s slow — and sad — decline, this 12″ came out.
Not one I’m naturally enclined to seek to listen, but anytime it does come on, I’m always very happy to hear it, which guess means I should soon start to naturally seek it out… 😉
Yes yes yes, boys and girls, it is finally here!
Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
Beat Pharmacy/The Echologist/Brendon Moeller
Bent
Bran Van 3000
Brian Eno – Another Day on Earth
Burial – Untrue
Donald Fagen – Morph the Cat
Doves
Gonzales – Solo Piano
Gorillaz vs. Spacemonkeyz – Laika Come Home
Jesse Somfay – A Catch in the Voice
Jesse Somfay – Fricative White (From a whisper to a scream)
Johnny Cash – American IV: The Man Comes Around
Jose Gonzales
Kings of Convenience
LCD Soundsystem
Lindstrøm
Luomo – Vocalcity
Malajube – Labyrinthes
Martin Léon
Miguel Graça
Mocky
Moloko – Statues / Forever More (FKEK Remix)
New Order – Get Ready
Quantic/Quantic Soul Orchestra
Social System – Autumn > Spring
Stars of the Lid – And Their Refinement of the Decline
The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Trentemøller – The Last Resort
Underworld
Zero 7
DJ Hell – Teufelswerk
Doves – Jetstream (Lindstrøm Remix)
Doves – Kingdom of Rust
Jesse Somfay – A Catch in the Voice
John Daly – Sea & Sky
Jonsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps
Jori Hulkkonen – Man from Earth
Lindstrøm – Little Drummer Boy
Massive Attack – Splitting the Atom
Max Essa – Continental Drift
Milton Jackson – Crash
Mungolian Jetset – We Gave It All Away… And Now We Are Taking It Back
Pezzner
Radio Slave
Roberto Rodriguez
Shit Robot – Simple Things (Serge Santiago Remix)
Stimming – The Loneliness
The Flaming Lips with Stardeath and White Dwarfs – Dark Side of the Moon
The Phenomenal Handclap Band
