Next up in our guest mix series is a wonderful yule tide mixtape from Chris Geddes, keyboard player with Belle and Sebastian, DJ with B-Music collective and all round top bloke. Chris's Christmas specials are well know nights out round Glasgow way, and not a Chris Rea in sight....enjoy and Happy Christmas
Bot'ox is the brain child of car obsessed Cosmo Vitelli and Julien Briffaz. They have just released their first LP called Babylon by Car, a 12" of the same name was released way back in 2007 (even though it feels like last week!) Cosmo for me as always been way ahead of his other French contemporises who may have been stuck in the Touch scene for a bit too long, he has an obsessive take on production which, for me serves him well as he generates a very original sound, he makes dance music the way I like it. This has a sense, though of being from another time yet very now, maybe because having met him a few times, he has an unbelievable knowledge, and broad taste, and a very genuine excitement in music, which serves this particular project well. Motorick, psychedelic souful dance music, but sure isn't all the best that way
Having come out from behind the studio door, Bot'ox have unleased themselves as a fully fledged live band, check out this live video, which features Kilkenny's Jeremy Hickey, aka R.S.A.G on drums.
It is freezing and snowing outside and bad and all that it is here, remember it's always colder somewhere else. With that in mind some favourite Finish tracks
First up the awesome Tasavallan Presidentti, brilliant band, who never seemed to do that well outside their own homeland. A pity, worth checking out, but it does go prog in later records, so beware the jazz flute if it's not your thing.
Tasavallan Presidentti in fine form, oh and not prog
What do you get if you cross 3 keyboard players and a drummer, well Shogun Kunitoki, a really incredible band signed to the equally incredible finish label Fonal. Tried to get them over to Dublin an number of years ago but it fell through unfortunately, Anyways 2 albums under their belt, this is from the last LP Vinonaamakasio, here's hoping there's more and that they make it our way someday. Check it.
Little interview with Steve Hillage and Daevid Allen about the "Canterbury" Scene. Glad to hear the acknowledgement of Robert Wyatts denail of the period with his respect still kept intact.
Chris Abrahams’ “Play Scar” album is without hesitation my favourite record of the year. I was expecting an album of solo piano – he is the pianist with The Necks after all – so I was surprised to find myself listening to an album that mixed electronics, musique concrete, noise and drone with hardly any piano.
He played recently enough in Café Oto in London (a venue I have yet to visit but consistently puts on some of the most amazing acts) but unfortunately, I couldn't get over to see him.
Here is an incredible live clip of Abrahams live. (Not at Cafe Oto.)
70s Italian band that I know next to nothing about. This track though is killer and has a lovely cosmic kosmiche vibe to it... also it ends way to soon.
This is a live version of a track from Senking's fantastic album Pong. It's dark. It's dubsteppy and comes with a second disc with a computer game - Almost Pong - on it. All albums should come with a computer game, although, admittedly, this would be hard to do on vinyl...
The album seems to be out-of-stock on the Raster-Noton site. I got my copy on Wikileaks-hating Amazon.
just picked up the double LP Between Two Skies / Towards The Night recently from Plug'd in Cork. Missed these before. Has not been far from my turnatble, but i wasn't too sure about it at first but i keep getting drawn to the minimalism and his haunting vocals. Dig it.
I saw Iceage play a few months ago in Copenhagen - fantastic energy live and great songs that are full to the brim with dark pop ability and pure no wave sensibility - perfect!
Here's 'New Brigade' from their debut album out in January 2011 on Escho (LP) / Tambourhinoceros (CD/DD).
Tidying up at the weekend, I came across this compilation.
I hadn't listened to it in years, but when I stuck it on all the memories (vague as they were) came flooding back. This compilation was the soundtrack to numerous parties.
Stand out track for me (apart from the Global Communication one) was this stomper from Abfarht.
Dunno anything about these guys apart from the fact that this track appeared on Andrew Weatherall's Vice mix. (Download the mix it if you don't have it - it's ace.)
here is a mix i did a while back for the infamous "Visitors" Blogspot. Link via Smokelessfuels blog.... multiple-plugging :-) Big Tings http://smokelessfuels.blogspot.com/2009/04/flutes-vibes-6-pier.html
Bit of an epic year for auld Wolfgang, 4 LP's 2 bands all classics, well Et Cetrea formed in '70 and released in '71, but for the purpose of this post we'll squeeze it in here. Dauner is one of the granddaddy's of the Krautrock movement and in my opinion one of its greatest practitioners, his first record, cut in 1964 is one of the first free jazz records recorded in Europe. A brilliant jazz pianist and collaborator with some European greats of the time, like Jean-Luc Ponty, Fred Braceful, Sigi Schwab and Nani Neumaier to name a few, check out a track from each LP and keep exploring....
